A2 Exam notes

Some thought about the A2 exam.

G325 - Critical Perspectives in Media

From The Spec:

 Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

 Candidates answer two compulsory questions. The first requires them to describe and evaluate their skills development over the course of their production work, from Foundation Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio. The second asks them to identify one production and evaluate it in relation to one theoretical concept.

Question 1(a) requires candidates to describe and evaluate their skills development over the course of their production work, from Foundation Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio. The focus of this evaluation must be on skills development, and the question will require them to adapt this to one or two specific production practices. The list of practices to which questions will relate is as follows:

Digital Technology

Creativity

Research and planning

Post-production

Using conventions from real media texts

In the examination, questions will be posed using one or two of these categories.
Where candidates have produced relevant work outside the context of their A Level media course, they are free to additionally refer to this experience.

Question 1(b) requires candidates to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept. The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows:

Genre

Narrative

Representation

Audience

Media language

In the examination, questions will be set using one of these concepts only.In some circumstances, candidates will be expected to select the production that appears to relate most effectively to the specific concept that arises in the exam question. Candidates may choose to write about work undertaken at AS or A2, main task or preliminary/ancillary.

Section B - Contemporary Media Issues

The topic areas for this question require an understanding  of contemporary media texts, industries, audiences and debates.

Media in the online age

 How have online media developed?

• What has been the impact of the internet on media production?
• How is consumer behaviour and audience response transformed by online media, in relation to the past?
• To what extent has convergence transformed the media?

Candidates might explore combinations of any two media, considering how each (or the two in converged forms) can be analysed from the above prompts. Examples might be music downloading and distribution, the film industry and the internet, online television, online gaming, online news provision, various forms of online media production by the public or a range of other online media forms.


So what does all this mean?

Section A - Question 1(a)

The emphasis of this question is on SKILLS DEVELOPMENT . So specifically how have your skills developed through the whole course. So how have the following areas changed, and improved from the first AS to the A2 to the second AS (if applicable). You can discuss other Media texts that you have created here, if you have done anything.

Your question will be on one or more of the following areas:

Digital Technology - What did you use and how E.g. Blogger, Premiere, Photoshop, In Design, Publisher, Vimeo, YouTube, Prezi, Other Internet based stuff (look over final evaluation question on blogs)

// Remember SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Creativity - Possibly need to look at codes and conventions of products, then discuss how you created something with influence from existing texts but developed them using creative approaches. Possibly look at the different stages (planning, production, evaluation) and how your creativity improved. How was your portfolio more creative for the A2 than the original AS work?

Research and planning - Methods of research and planning? Where did you research? Did it develop? How did you plan? Collectively, in a group? Pre-Prod techniques? How did you approach A2 coursework differently? Splitting up work load to group member?

Post-production - Similar to above. Focussing on photoshop editing for AS and Premiere editing in A2 and second AS. Development? How did you learn to edit? What resources did you use?

Using conventions from real media texts - speaks for itself really. Codes and conventions. Following them (imitation), breaking them (creation)? Inspiration? Development???? Did you follow to start, but then altered as confidence in creating texts developed?

A guide would be something along the lines of:

1. Very brieflly outline the works carried out
2. Discuss the topic (from above) in relation to the first media text
3. Discuss the second media text as above, clearly stating what differed and how you developed your skills
4. Sum up focussing on DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS

Section A - Question 1(b)

Select one production to apply to the question. Question will be about one of the following:

• Genre - Genre theory, codes and conventions. http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=genre
• Narrative - Narrative theory, Toredov (equil, disequil theory)? linear? flaskbacks? how have you represented this? monotone? http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=narrative
• Representation - How have the characters been represented? Remember you AS exam work. http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=represent
• Audience - Specifically who was the intended audience? How did you make your product appeal to them? http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=audience
• Media language - All of above, Semiotics, Barthes, codes conventions, connotation, denotation. First few parts of this: http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/theory/Theory-KeyTerms.html

Section B


Of course this is all about Media in the Online Age. The question will probably be a 'discussion' type question of a 'to what extent' type question. If it does say something like this, it will still be looking for an answer which discusses both sides of the story.

So, you will need to offer a reletively unbiased view on the idea of Online Media.

On one hand, online media:

• allows for every one to create media texts (prosumers)
• allows for the audience to watch, listen and read what they want when they want it
• immediacy - immediate access to media
• watch/listen for free 
• download for free (both legal and illegal)

Theorys - Gauntlett, Jenkins, Wesch,
Case studies -

• Film/TV (previously only VHS/DVD, Cinema, actual TV)
• YouTube
• iplayer
• 4OD
• Music (previously records, tapes, CDs)
• Mp3s / ipods
• Napster
• BitTorrent
• Last FM
• Spotify
• Vevo
•  News (previously newpapers/other print press)
• Wikileaks
• Wikipedia
• Blogs
• Twitter (also worth noting here the whole Arab Spring thing here too)

 All of these things have in many ways been revolutionary, not just because of the idea of anytime viewing and anyone creating, but also because of the way the Mass Media have had to adapt the way they transmit their media to appeal to these new audiences.

So, TV has had to 'remediate' itself, making on demand TV. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Virgin have had to adapt to the changing TV viewing demographic demanding to watch ever more diverse content at times which suit themselves.
Radio stations have had to create podcasts in order to appeal to audiences who only listen to ipods

News companies have had to post their news articles online where there is so much competition for news due to the carcophony of other bloggers and online journalists.

All of these companies have of course had to deal with the difficulty of financing and getting paid for online activity. Many newspapers have tried to make people pay a subscription to read online articles, but this seems to be failing.

On the other hand...

All these amatuer media producers only produce a constant stream of rubbish, as David Buckingham talks about it "dancing cats and skateboarding dogs". Or something like that.

I'll try and write more when I can....
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