MS2 – coursework

Option 1 – Charity Advertising Campaign

Part four – evaluation

The final hurdle and the difference a good evaluation can make.

This is the last part of your coursework – but by no means the least important bit. In fact, the evaluation is worth as many marks as your 3 print based adverts! And twice as many marks as the storyboards you laboured over and spent so long researching into. The question as to why we spend so much time on the Pre-Production and Production tasks in comparison to the Evaluation can be answered simply: Without the research for your storyboards, without good storyboards, without a good quality of media product there will be no decent evaluation. The evaluation is essentially an analysis of the conventions of the Charity Advert as a genre, and an evaluation of how you have used this analysis and understanding to create your own storyboards for a charity advert. Followed by an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your own print based adverts in comparison with real exisiting print based charity adverts, including a brief summary of your target audience. The good news is that if you completed all of the research tasks you were asked to do before you started your storyboards then this will be a straightforward piece of work. The only bad news is that this report must be limited to between 1200-1600 words, which is not very much at all. You must choose your words carefully and be analytical at all times.

REMEMBER: This is NOT a diary of everything you did. It is an analysis of your work and the research you conducted.

How is it marked? Your evaluation is split in 2 assessment objectives both are worth 20 marks each: AO4: Demonstrate the ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research. AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding when analysing media products and processes and when evaluating their own practical work, to show how meanings and responses are created. Your evaluation is marked out of 40.

Please note: All evaluations should be submitted electronically or via email.

What to write, and how to organise it?

The following plan is a guideline to help you include all of the things you need to succeed in the evaluation. To be able to do this effectively you should have in front of you: Your storyboards, your research portfolio, your 3 print based adverts. Part 1 Outline and explain the research you did prior to completing your Pre-production. You may bullet point the main findings of your research but the most important part is that you discuss how your research informed your pre-production. Be specific! Don’t just say you analysed charity adverts and now you know what a charity advert should look like.

• What are the conventions of charity adverts and how have you incorporated this into your storyboards? (think script/dialogue, narrative, camera/editing)

• What lines of appeal do they use to engage the audience? • Which adverts influenced your work and how? • How did your research help you to draw successful storyboards? • Refer to as broad amount of research as possible – if there are charity adverts you

vaguely remember, go back and watch them again to help you. Always give examples from your research and follow it up with specific examples from your storyboard to show the connection between the two. Part 2 Give a justification of the target audience for your production (your 3 print based adverts). Explain who your target audience is and how your production has been constructed to appeal to this audience. Be specific! You’ve already done this as a research task. I’m looking to see that you can use media theories you know to classify your audience. (Hint: think 4Cs, Lifestyle Categories etc). Part 3 Critically reflect on your production. Is it successful in appealing to its target audience? Highlight strengths and weaknesses of your production. Be specific! Break down your print adverts and discuss how different elements appeals specifically to your target audience. Major hints:

• Use the lines of appeal handout from the advertising unit to pick individual elements of your adverts and say how they appeal to your target audience.

• Analyse the technical codes you have used. • Audience responses (Uses & Grats, Stuart Hall) • Remember to be analytical – Describe what’s there briefly, say WHY it’s there –

what it connotes, signifies, symbolises, represents.

• Representations of groups – challenged or reinforced? • Audience expectations – met or broken?

Part 4 Compare your production with existing/comparable products available. What improvements could you make to improve your production? Be specific! Discuss specific print based charity ad campaigns that you could compare your advert with. Why is yours better? How does your campaign sit in the current trend of charity ads? Which magazines or newspapers would you find the ads in and why? Then finish on a concluding sentence saying how successful your coursework is!

Key to success – MEDIA LANGUAGE You have learned a lot of terms and theories connected to advertising in this course. Remember to use them throughout your evaluation. The lines of appeal handout provides you with dozens of examples of the ways that advertising reaches and audience – make sure you are thorough in using it. At the same time always make sure you are using the language of media analysis. A few reminders:

• Connotes • Signifies • Represents • Symbolises • Juxtaposes • Emphasises • Exaggerates • Encourages the audience to empathise with…

This is NOT a diary of the story of your coursework, it is an analytical piece of huge importance. In context: Evaluation = 40/100 coursework marks Coursework = 50% of AS Media Studies Therefore… Evaluation= 20% of AS Media Studies! Done well this can make the difference of two grades to your final result – do it well!

Exam board mark scheme & assessment objectives: