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EXPLANATION, ANALYSIS, ARGUMENT [EAA] USE OF EXAMPLES USE OF TERMINOLOGY TOTAL Q1A MARKS 10/25 10/25 5/25 25
TOTAL SECTION A (Q1A + Q1B) MARKS: 50 (ie double mark /25; for rough grade x4)
DCRUP: Digital technology; Creativity; R+P; Use of conventions from existing media texts; Post-Production
Use these examples to gain a better understanding of what type of points you should be using, how to structure your response, the range of points to raise, etc.
NB: the question wording often doesnt use the specific DCRUP terms; you need to think through which areas you are being asked to comment on. Ive highlighted for each Q which these are.
Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.
EAA 3, EG 4, TERM 1 = 12/25 = L1 (U grade) only talks about outcomes of one project, some narrow discussion, basic use of terminology.
world enables me to receive feedback from other users which can be implemented on to improve the quality of my product as well as building my creativity. This can be attributed to David Gauntletts theory that the introduction of new interactive media (such as online blogs) in the form of web 2.0 can help media users and consumers become more creative. This in turn, helped my creative decision making as I was able to make more informed creative decisions based on the feedback I received from other users such as mu Media Studies who felt that my front cover lacked enough of the conventional features which you might see on a music magazine such as the straplines and a barcode. Moreover both my productions gave me the understanding that overall that as a publication software, Adobe Photoshop was much better than Microsoft Publisher. This was a creative decision. I had made after using both pieces of software for both my productions. Prior to my productions, I had only previously used Microsoft Published, but after using Adobe Photoshop and learning about the features and about how to use the product effectively, I was able to add functions such as extensive image manipulation and the use of the transform tools and implement these skills to take and more creative decisions which I otherwise would not have been able to had I not used this program instead of Publisher, or had not developed the skills or understanding of Photoshop to the extent where I could implement when making creative decisions about my product. For instance, my original image on my front cover for my Foundation Portfolio, had a window frame to the side of the models head but I was able to through Photoshop remove this through the use of the colouring tools.
EAA 5, EG 5, TERM 2 = 12/25 = L2 (E grade) a narrow range of examples are described and digital technology is privileged over creative outcomes. Research and planning is the broader sense is discussed in a limited manner.
In my advanced portfolio I am In the middle of carrying out my research and planning. This is for creating a neo-noir film teaser trailer. I have carried out textual analysis of different film Websites as I am going to create my own. I have textually analiyesed different noir and neo-noir films to compare their conventions. However, I am going to go deeper into analysing nero-noir films & trailers aimed at my target audience. This Is because I found myself in my foundation portfolio being to general around genres and types of magazine. This made me carry over conventions and styles different to my genre. I am also carrying out 50 questionairres rather than 20 because it is simply not enough and some of the results could be biased. I am also going to give each questionnaire to my specific target audience. My evaluated are: Brick, Double indemnity and Blade runner to compare contemporary neo noir and classic. These will help and create my typical conventions and themes to my trailer.
EAA 5, EG 5, TERM 2 = 12/25 = L2 (E grade) only talks about outcomes of one project, some narrow discussion, basic use of terminology.
EAA 6, EG 5, TERM 2 = 13/25 = L2 (D grade) convincing but restricted to discussion around using a blog and little else narrow range.
1a) Describe how you used your research into real media texts for your production work, and describe how you developed your ability to use this research over time.
Q1a MARKSCHEME (x/25): Level 3 (= C/B) Explanation/analysis/argument (6-7 marks) There is some sense of analysis and progress is described with clarity. Use of examples (6-7 marks) Candidates offer a reasonable range of examples from research into real media texts in relation to the process and outcomes of production. Use of terminology (3 marks) The answer makes proficient use of media terminology throughout, with conceptual language and production terms handled very well. Relatively straightforward ideas have been expressed with some clarity and fluency. Arguments are generally relevant, though may stray from the point of the question. There will be some errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar but these are unlikely to be intrusive or obscure meaning. Level 4 (= A/A*) Explanation/analysis/argument (8-10 marks) There is a clear range of articulate reflections on the relationship between research into real media texts and the candidates own productions. There is a fluent account of progress. Use of examples (8-10 marks) Candidates offer a broad range of specific, relevant and clear examples for research into real media texts in relation to the process and production outcomes. Use of terminology (4-5 marks) The use of media terminology and conceptual language is excellent. Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing appropriate to the complex subject matter. Sentences and paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been well structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There may be few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Exam board comments: Whilst Candidates were typically able to discuss research in general terms, there was a distinction between those that could focus in on the precise ways in which their work was influenced by or responded to specific media texts/products and those that dealt with research and planning in a less applied and relevant manner (to the question set). Candidates in the latter category were restricted to levels 1 or 2 for use of examples. Terminology was utilised with variable conviction also the stronger answers used appropriate theoretical or technical language to explain how creative decisions were informed by research into real media at the micro level. Candidates are advised against the scattergun approach merely listing every instance of research and planning. They are also urged to be clear about the outcomes of research reporting that they used YouTube to watch trailers, for example, is not sufficient for credit at A2. The words informed by in the question were important. Evaluation/critical reflection is required here and the question demands explanation. Many Candidates provided description only Centres should share the wording of the mark scheme as well as this report with Candidates ahead of the next series.
Equally, progression is an important part of this section and this was another neglected element. The higher level answers were able to synthesise all of these aspects specific examples with emphasis on the outcome of the research in relation to creative decisions; critical reflection on the process of the research; and an awareness of progress made from AS to A2 and with reference to other media production work where relevant the distance travelled. There was a little overlap with 1(b) due to genre conventions being a feature of research but the stronger Candidates were able to provide a broader answer here. They dealt with genre conventions along with a number of other aspects of real media texts, including narrative, media language and more technical and institutional/professional areas of media production related to several of their own productions and then go on to zoom in on theories of genre for the next question with a more sustained discussion relating to just one production. Finally, it is important that Candidates can be specific and informed about real media conventions but there are a range of ways of relating their own work to real media these might be more institutional. For example the institutional information in magazine contents pages or the title sequence of a film these are equally conventional to the more genre ingredients examples that proliferated in answers. Or they might be more technical observing industry practice in a particular medium.
A real media text I researched a lot in my AS production was wish you were here starring Emily Lloyd and set in the seaside town of Brighton. This film had the same genre as my AS piece (social realism) and it was tackling the same issues (teen pregnancy). From this research we decided to give our main protagonist the same name as the main protagonist in Wish You Were Here which was Linda so the name our main protagonist was informed by research into real media texts as we wanted to intertextually link our production in with Wish You Were Here which inspired me greatly. I used research methods such as the internet for Wish You Were Here (www.imdb.com). At A2 we worked on the genre of Horror (the sub genre of slasher) as this genre was completely different to our AS genre we had to do all our research from scratch. One way in which my production has been informed by research into real media texts is taken from the film Psycho, we were really inspired by Psychos famous shower seen, which we researched through YouTube and watched many different clips of. We wanted to intertexually link this in with our production so we challenged this convention and added a bath killing scene into our montage of killings. This basically was a close-up-shot of a girl in a bath with a high angle a medium shot of the mirror showing a dark figure which could trigger a narrative enigma next to another shot of a shadow of a knife coming down. This is how proved that a killing was taking place without showing any nudity or blood. Research into real media texts was a lot easier as we had more resources and our knowledge of where to find different resources was greater we were able to have acess to a wide range of dvds in the library that were linked into our genre that were not there when we were completing our AS productions. At A2 we were also able to acess a wide range of books in the library which weer linked in with our genre which we didnt have at AS. So at AS we were very limited with what resources we could actuall y use and I do feel that if I had had the books, dvds etc that I had at A2, that my production at AS would have benefited. It was harder to research for my AS task because we were looking at the openings of films which were a lot harder to find on the internet but for A2 we were looking at teaser trailers anf the web (including www.imdb.com and youTube) are absolutely full of trailers. EAA 8, EG 7, T 3 (Total: 18/25) High L3 = B
and the audience cant hear what hes saying to explain himself to passers by. This inspired me to create ambiguity in my video which differs from standard pop videos where a lot of the visuals illustrate the lyrics. I expanded my research to fashion magazines and photographs of different eras, since a major concept in this video was the power of women as confident, independent, sexual beings. Our costume was very important in constructing meaning and without in-depth research into the 7 deadly sins the audience would not have grasped why we had girls dressed in bold outfits to symbolise the sins; red, velvet leotard and back combed hair for wrath, a Marie Antoiinette inspred look of a pale blue and pink corset, white face make-up, an [cannot read text] with one long curled piece of hair, and a chunk of chocolate cake that signified Greed, a black corset with leather leggings to signify Lust, and a green dress, heavy green eye make up and glittery diamond jewellery connoting Envy. I think that without doing research into character types, character costume, and genre conventions for my thriller I wouldnt have known what to look for when researching for my music video because they can be so abstract and there arent many constraints. I also learned to be open minded. Since I was one of the performers in our music video, it pushed me to think more practically our ideas had to be creative yet do-able on our small budget and time constraints. After watching several videos on YouTube of thriller opening sequences and music videos I realised that it is good to have layered meaning a production because it makes it more interesting for the audience as it challenges them to come up with their own interpretations and gives the production playability. In the Thriller project, after researching storylines and narrative themes, my group and I had a strong idea of what our film was about. Despite the fact we created enigma, we still wanted the audience to understand our dominant reading, however in my music video, I realised that it is better to- people to have different interpretations as I found that the most popular current music videos are those that are quirky, different and weird, like Lady GaGa. In conclusion my foundation portfolio greatly aided my advanced portfolio because my skills were refined and I have produced an ever better end product. EAA 8, EG 8, T 4 TOTAL: 20/25, L4
techniques such as restricted narration and handheld camera found in the Blair Witch Project trailer which inspired my trailer Laquem which is also set in the woods. Research into film documentaries like the American Nightmare inspired me to create a product which reinforced fear and went against usual horror conventions to make it more interesting. Over the second year research became so important to achieving a product which was realistic and is now like my own distributed on on youtube as a real life media text of its own. Real life media texts like advertising film posters were able to help me develop my Photoshop skills further because I was able to push myself with the colour burn filters and want to create the scary atmosphere of my trailer from just an image and text which I found really fun. Research into film magazines allowed me to develop my work from AS level so much further because I was able to produce a high standard piece of work in two weeks this year when the magazines took over 3 months last year which shows how much my skills have improves just by being able to constantly refer back to real life media texts for inspiration and even colour schemes that work well together such as black and red which in the first year I just found experimenting with. Research into horror trailers allowed me to recognise different styles of film and how we like Alfred Hitchcock could be an auteur creating new angles and ideas using generic conventions as well as unconventional representations that I have picked upon when watching films and analysing certain techniques which I have then attempted to do in Final Cut Pro when editing certain shots together to create collision cutting and changes in pace which my trailer does extremely well. I was inspired initially by the hand held camera in the trailer REC and the fact I want as an auteur to change the stereotyped representations to be able use a female psycho killer. Research also allowed me to produce text and intertitles that shook in order to capture my audience but narrating the story slightly so the shots when together made sense. Research into types of camera movements needed were really helpful and allowed me to completely change the pace with tracking shots and handheld camera which I noticed was used in Silent Hill and American Werewolf in London which I analysed and placed on my blog for reference as some pieces of footage I wanted to recreate including the final girl representations. EAA 8, EG 8, T 4 (20/25 = L4, low A)
1a) Explain how far your understanding of the conventions of existing media influenced the way you created your own media products. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how this understanding developed over time.
Exam board comments: Responses to this question tended to be grouped into three categories. Level 4 answers evaluated the relationship between symbolic conventions and candidates own outcomes across the whole of their course, and commented explicitly on progress over time. Mid-range answers generally failed to describe progress or focussed mainly on one production or confused media conventions with production techniques (these can be the same but higher-scoring answers analysed conventional symbolic meaningmaking) and weaker answers merely provided a narrative of the production process or (in a significant number of cases) attempted to provide a prepared answer to another one of the questions that the specification covers, failing to adapt to the question set for this session.
10 Past Q1a exam essays + examiner marks/feedback
which I created through scanning in an existing magazine and copying it into my text. This is extremely conventional as all real media magazines include a barcode for the sales side of the industry. Overall, over my 2 year coursework I became more confident in identifying generic conventions of a product. My technology skills and knowledge of the media both developed and allowed me to create a more realistic and professional piece in my Advanced Portfolio. This is a high level 3 response. There is a real sense of progression and a chosen theme genre conventions is sustained in detail, along with a wide range of examples of creative techniques that led to conventional outcomes. The answer doesnt quite meet the criteria for level 4 because conventions are sometimes dealt with in a reductive way eg a barcode, as opposed to being opened up to an analysis of their more symbolic qualities.
Furthermore, Lexi wore a Rolling Stones vest which integrated intertextuality which is a common convention in a lot of music. I also shot test footage and created mood boards of London as this was key in Lexis British image. Overall, both projects were influenced by conventions of existing media but to different extents. While the foundation portfolio focussed on rigid conventions, the advanced one was more towards using subtle ones to construct an image and brand. Technically, my knowledge has improved as I researched music more thoroughly and learnt a lot in doing so. This is a level 4 response. The answer clearly describes, and evaluates progression over the course (from following rigid conventions to using more subtle techniques) and combines a theoretical language (intertextuality, connotation) with specific details of creative choices made and how these were informed by conventions. A range of examples of both decisions made and existing media texts provide conviction and substance and the question is answered throughout the response.
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Towards the creation process of Spinning Time I did extensive research into already existing trailers. I browsed teaser trailers on YouTube and IMDB from a variety of different genres before analysing exactly what I wanted in my trailer in terms of genre, structure and mise en scene. This was far more developed than my research in AS which consisted of watching the opening sequences of just Office Space and Brick. I decided I wanted to create a voice over for my teaser trailer, complying with conventions of Teen Comedy and specifically Chick Flick trailers like Picture This, Mean Girls and Not Another Teen Movie. I wanted the voice over to have the same happy tone but take on the structure of the Buried Teaser trailer voice over, in which the setting, situation and dilemma of the film are presented to the audience, leaving them in anticipation of what happens. I followed through with this convention, filming the voice over on a video camera and extracting the sound in iMovie, before inserting it into the trailer. With my experience of digital technology increased I was able to do this, but I never wouldve had the confidence to do this in AS Media. In A2 media the mise en scene of my trailer was considered in more detail than in the AS. In Hunting Innocence we dressed Abby using only Barthes theory of connotations and denotations as a guide. Her red coat was to suggest danger, whilst the rucksack and art portfolios were to suggest her academia. Whereas in Spinning Time I focussed much more on dressing protagonist Myles in accordance to preestablished conventions. I drew influence from Mean Girls in which the girls dressed fashionably and predominantly in pink. I used this convention by dressing Myles fashionably, but also challenged the stereotype by not having her in pink and revealing attire as this would present her to be like the plastics of Mean Girls which her character is not intended to be. My set design was another heavily considered aspect. It was based on Freaky Friday and the design of protagonist Annas room. In her room there are pictures on the wall, and CDs and books on display. As such I made these props visible to suggest aspects of Myles character and personality. Comedy Ramona and Beezus also influenced set design and lighting as I wanted to replicate the happy atmosphere presented in its cinematic trailer. I did so by filling the room with bright props, dressing myles in bright clothes and scheduling filming for sunny days to achieve high lighting as I didnt have the means to create it artificially. In AS media we filmed predominantly outside and so could not change the appearance of our locations, as such not using any real media conventions. In conclusion in AS media my partner did not use many specific conventions of media products. Rather we worked with the general vague things we knew about the thriller genre from being audiences. Whereas in A2 media I immersed myself in the idea of producing. Extensively researching and analyzing the form of a teaser trailer and drawing influences from a wide range of existing media texts. This is a clear level 4, excellent response which meets all of the level 4 criteria. Progression over time is described and evaluated with specific and well-used examples of real media conventions and creative decisions made that were informed by understanding of those. Two kinds of theory are deployed institutional techniques which have become conventional over time, and media theory which accounts for the conventional nature of meaning and its reception.
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