Advanced Media Practice Report - The Workhouse Network

Advanced Media Practice - The Workhouse Network Report:
Brandon Boyd - N0703554 25/03/2020 (Matte Productions)
Advanced Media Practice -
The Workhouse Network Report:
(Brandon Boyd - N0703554) (23rd April 2020)
Contents Page:

Summary…………………………………………………………………………….………….….Page 3
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….……..…….Page 3
Main Body……………………………………………………………………………….…..….….Page 4
Enthusiasm & Commitment….......…………………...……………………....……..Page 4
Professionalism…………....……………..…………….……………….…...…....….Page 6
Communication Skills Displayed…………..…………………….………...………..Page 7
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………......…...….Page 9
Recommendations……………………………………………………………………..….……..Page 10
Appendices………………………………………………………………………………..…..….Page 17
Appendix 1 - Self and Peer Evaluation……………………………………..….…Page 11
Appendix 2 - Reflective Diary Entries / Weekly Summaries……………………Page 18
Appendix 3 - Group Meetings and Reflections………………………………..…Page 21
Appendix 4 - Email Communications with Brief Provider…...……...…………..Page 25
Appendix 5 - Brief Provider Evaluation………………………………………...…Page 28
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………...….Page 28
Summary:
In this report I will be reflecting on my experience in the Advanced Media Practice module
thinking about what went well and what I could improve on in relation to group work; including

my personal enthusiasm and commitment, professionalism and communication skills. I have
also added a conclusion along with some recommendations, discussing how I would approach a
similar task in the future. For this project there were multiple concepts that needed to be thought
about, including the use of photos, videos, arranging and shooting of interviews and background
music. I have attached the self and peer assessment forms in my appendices (See Appendix 1).
Introduction:
I have worked on a variety of video tasks for different professional employers; including
departments at NTU; including the Alumni department, the Employability team and the Arts &
Humanities department. I was often required to take
on multiple roles simultaneously such as being a
camera operator, director and editor to get each of
the projects completed. I was therefore well prepared
for this group module as I knew my own personal
strengths and skills, but I also had to make sure that I
was aware of the different skill sets of my group
members to allocate jobs accordingly.
I helped to create a video for the Workhouse
Network, which is an organisation that exists to share
expertise, develop skills, knowledge and understanding and to promote the understanding of the
history and contemporary relevance of poverty, welfare and the poor. (The Workhouse Network,
2019).
The brief that we were given was to create a promotional video about what the network is, to
increase membership numbers for the organisation. Our main forms of research were therefore
to find out what the network was and the benefits of joining the network. We visited and spoke
to representatives at each specific site, who would be able to give us relevant information that
we could include in our video. This was going to be shared on the Workhouse Network website,
and we also had to create some shorter videos which would be shared on their social media
account.
Main Body:
Enthusiasm & Commitment
Overall, I believe I was a very enthusiastic team member from the beginning of the project to
help in creating a professional looking video. During our first session after selecting our groups,
I began making weekly notes about the tasks that we were required to complete. I wanted to

ensure that my ideas were heard during this module, and I had previously worked with all, but
one of my team members on a previous assignment, so I believe everyone was aware of my
strengths and where I would strive in this task. Below are some screenshots of slides from my
visual diary. The rest can be found in my appendices (See Appendix 2).
In terms of my contribution
towards the group, I
decided to do some extra
research regarding the
Network Workhouse brief
that we chose as our 2nd
choice. This would allow us
to still be prepared if we
weren’t able to have that as
our chosen brief. In
addition to this, I took a
lead on creating a group
chat so that we could all
communicate outside of
lecture time and arrange
team meetings. (See Appendix 3).
I feel that there were certain
circumstances where I would try to
explain one of my ideas; such as the
font for our logo or a creative concept for
the final video, and the suggestions
would be automatically rejected by one
or two team members. According to Fast
Company (2017), there are a variety of
ways to respond to somebody who rejects your idea; which includes taking a pause, agreeing
with their reply or responding with the word ‘because’ to explain your idea in more detail.
(Harrison, 2016). One of the positives about having rejections, is that sometimes you get a
second or third opinion as to why that aspect wouldn’t necessarily work, or how the idea can be
transformed into something similar. I wasn’t able to persuade the members of my group why my

idea would be beneficial in the project and this is something I will take into consideration on a
future project.
Although I made sure to fully commit to the task, there was a short period of time where I lost
the motivation to complete any work for this module, due to having other deadlines and extra
curricular opportunities to keep up with. Some of my team members messaged me via our
group chat to ask me to complete more work and get involved where possible. I am known for
taking on a lot more projects than I probably should and being a multi tasker is one of the
transferable skills. I have also listed it as one of my main strengths, but in this instance, the
addition of difficult personal circumstances made it more difficult for me to focus on my
academic work. Taking time away from the project actually helped me to gather my thoughts. I
was feeling very overwhelmed with the amount of work I had to complete in such a short
amount of time and therefore decided to turn my focus elsewhere.
After taking some
time away, I
managed to re-
engage with the
module and took a
lead on editing some
of the raw clips that
were filmed to make it
easier when putting
all the clips together. I
was also very active
in giving my feedback
on the finished edits
so that we could
make the video as
smooth as possible.
Professionalism
In terms of my professionalism, I made sure that I was being consistent in my behaviour both in
the classroom and when communicating with the brief providers. One of the most important
things was sticking to deadlines and managing my time effectively. At the beginning of the

module, we discussed as a group which tasks would be completed and which day they needed
to be completed for. An aspect that would play a very important role in this, would be punctuality
and attendance to seminars. The two hour seminar that we had every week was beneficial for
me as there was vital information given to us and we also received critique and feedback on our
individual developments of the project at that time.
I was taught about the Pecha Kucha style of presenting, and why they are so important. This
type of presentation doesn’t overload the listeners with information, but instead helps to
condense the subject matter into 20 slides each lasting for 20 seconds. Relating this back to
professionalism, it would be a good skill to have developed before going into the workplace as
many young people aren’t actually aware of this type of presentation and its benefits.
During some of the seminars, I would complete some of my delegated tasks early and be left
with nothing else to complete. I made sure to use my time effectively, working on other tasks
that as a group, we hadn’t managed to complete previously. I would also sometimes check over
the production log to see if there was anything I could update.
When visiting each of the sites, I made sure to be professional at all times when talking to the
brief providers or even when just walking around the venue as they could be watching us at any
time. On my visit to Norfolk, we only had two interviews scheduled with both Elspeth and
Megan, but after speaking with Elspeth and asking if there was anybody else we could
interview, she managed to get us a third interviewee who was happy to give us information.
Whilst the rest of the crew were setting up the lighting and camera equipment, I took it upon
myself to try and build a rapport with the final interviewee, asking him simple questions about
his job, why he works on this specific site and making him feel relaxed before we began filming
the interview. Another reason I decided to speak with him on a 1-1 basis was to give the filming
crew more time to set up the lights, cameras and tripods as we didn’t want to be changing the
positions of them mid interview and made sure they were in a suitable position.
Communication Skills
Communication is one of those skills that has to be applied to any group task, as you would not
only be communicating with lecturers/teachers/managers, but you might also be communicating
with brief providers or other companies. At the beginning of the module whilst we were
distributing roles, I was going to nominate myself as being the main communicator for the group
to speak to clients, lecturers and any other people that we could use to our advantage. I felt that

I had enough experience in terms of developing my communication, as a previous job that I
worked in for over two and a half years required me to answer the phone and converse with
people I didn’t know on a regular basis, but also to have real life face-to-face communication. I
decided to let somebody else take on this role and I opted for a slightly more creative role. To
see our email communication with our brief provider and other individuals; (See Appendix 4).
Matt T was the lead member of the communication, but I stepped forward and said that if for
some reason Matt was unable to reply to emails or deal with queries, then I would happily step
in.
In addition to this, the example of where my communications skills needed to be used was when
speaking to Matt T about chasing up our brief provider for a phone interview at the beginning of
the project. There was a lot of confusion and anger in our group chat,
so I decided to message him privately to suggest alternative ways for
him to contact Elspeth. I suggested that he should give times that he
was available to speak (so that it gave Elspeth options, rather than her
giving one time slot where Matt T might not be available). After
reflecting back on this situation, we did manage to secure the call, but
it would have been more beneficial to discuss my intentions in our
previous team meeting. This would have enabled all of the team
members to be on the same level regarding where we were in the
project. I will make sure that I continue to initiate a similar conversation
on future projects, and make sure that where possible, people write
down their personal strengths and weaknesses. This would allow tasks
and roles to be assigned correctly with co/sub leaders in place to
ensure that no job is left without somebody in control.
I felt that I was showcasing team leader abilities whilst addressing this
situation, as I was making sure that I completed my own work, but also
began checking up on some of the other group members to make sure that they were self-
motivated to work. In this situation I believe that I also showcased inspirational leadership as I
wasn’t forcing people to do any work they didn’t feel comfortable doing, but stepping in on a 1-1
basis motivating individuals to use their personal strengths to their advantage, helping them
complete their set tasks.
Being in charge of updating the production log meant that I had a lot of responsibility to check
grammar and sentence structure. Previously, I have had a habit of writing seven lined
sentences (as pointed out by Indi, during a previous module back in second year). I made sure
to bullet point the sentences I wanted to write and use appropriate punctuation where needed.
When it was mentioned that I needed to check my sentence structure and grammar, I was
actually very thankful, as it was a reminder that I needed to review my work before asking the

group to check it, otherwise there would have been irrelevant changes to make just because I
didn’t double check what I was typing.
One of the main types of constructive criticism that I have received around my communication
skills is that I need to have more structure on my emails and make sure that I am checking my
spelling, grammar and punctuation. This is a very simple thing to create small mistakes on, and
this is one of the reasons I didn’t become the communicator. As previously mentioned, I was
working on lots of projects at once, and didn’t want to email a professional or our brief provider,
with incorrect grammar.
From completing this module,
I can say that my confidence
didn’t get the better of me as
much as I thought it would do.
There were some sessions
such as the camera set up for
an interview where I was very
overwhelmed with what to do for an interviewee that wouldn’t sit still in front of the camera, put
the microphone on upside down or gave me very brief answers. After all of the laughing and the
giggles of the unrealistic situation, I pulled myself together and made sure to treat this practice
run seriously, as when we were to go and visit the venues ourselves without members of staff or
assistance, we would be solely relying on each-other to set everything up and host the
interviews.
Conclusions:
To conclude, I believe my enthusiasm and commitment in this task was very good, and although
I had a slight dip in the middle, it motivated me to work even harder as the submission date was
getting closer. Regarding my professionalism, I feel that it is already at a high standard and I am
quite confident in presenting myself professionally. My communication skills are also at a good
level and I am able to converse with people of all ages, genders and levels of authority when
comfortable with my surroundings.

Overall, I believe that as a group we all worked very well together, and I personally dealt with
any problems by firstly using my initiative or asking another member of the team for advice.
Although it was a stressful period waiting on resources and information, such as completing the
digital consent forms or waiting for responses to our emails, I managed to keep a positive
mindset throughout the module. I enjoyed this group task as I was automatically put out of my
comfort zone after finding out we were creating a video for a non-profit organisation. This meant
I had to showcase my skills from the very beginning, build a rapport with not only my team
members but also with the brief provider as they were going to be the recipient of our video. I
wanted to ensure that with my input, the video would be created to the highest standard
possible.
Recommendations:
1- In my group there was a variety of leadership types and people with different levels of
confidence and that’s why we managed to work well together. A recommendation for myself
would be to assess each of the individual team members I work with on future projects, so that I
can work out each of their strengths and skill sets and give them a role based on this. This
would allow the group to work more effectively together and secure a professional and high-
standard video.
2- A second recommendation would be to have one or two back up plans, so that if our original
idea(s) doesn’t go to plan, we don’t waste time trying to get back on track and instead can allow

a smooth transition from one brief to the next. It would hopefully spark creative thoughts into
each of the team members rather than people being stressed about not having an idea and
having to go back to the drawing board.
3- The third recommendation would be for me to work on finding the right level of
professionalism based on the situation I am in. There are three main levels of professionalism;
varying from basic, mid-level and finally the highest level. Each level has their own
characteristics, and constantly reviewing and improving will allow for a greater growth in
professionalism. On this project in particular, I believe that I wasn’t able to showcase my
personality as I was only focusing on being professional and getting the filming of interviews
done in a suitable amount of time. For future projects, I will ensure to actively engage with the
people I are working with, but also make them aware that I am a friendly, open minded and
bubbly person so that I don’t scare them off with how serious I am with the project.
4- Another recommendation would be to analyse how I structure my emails. This will be a
transferable skill that is beneficial to me in the workplace. I will actively search for resources that
can improve my style of writing and force me to use more intellectual vocabulary. One resource
that I will take advantage of are the LinkedIn courses once I have handed in all of my third year
work. I will take advantage of being in isolation and do something productive with my time. I
have saved a topic called ‘Productivity Tips: Taking Control of Email’ which is probably one of
the first sessions I will complete! By looking at the introduction video, it covers the main points of
how to structure an email and I’m sure they will go into more detail during the 30 minute course.
I am on LinkedIn almost everyday, so it will be a positive extracurricular task for me to engage
with, covering a variety of helpful topics.
5- I believe that making a weekly timetable would also be very beneficial for a group task like
this, as everyone can compare availability and make an estimated prediction for when certain
tasks can be completed and who should be responsible for which task. In addition to this, the
use of sticky notes, mind mapping, lists and spider diagrams would also be helpful to make sure
that ideas are not forgotten and can be the starting point of discussion for any future meeting.
Appendices:
Appendix 1 - Self and Peer Evaluation:
MCLT325

SELF AND PEER EVALUATION FORM
This Self and Peer Evaluation will be used to gauge your own and your fellow group
members’ input to the group project. Please read through the form carefully and complete
the relevant sections. Add this to the appendix of your Reflective Report.
Your Name and
Student Number
Brandon Boyd N0703554
Seminar Group &
Name of Tutor
Group A Richard Hunter
TEAM CHARACTERISTICS IDENTIFIED BY KERRY & STONE (2018):
TEAM
CHARACTERISTIC
TYPICAL FEATURES GRADE EQUIVALENT
The ‘absentee’ This person does not work effectively as part of
a team.
They are often absent and prefer to work on
their own.
They have poor communication skills, and lack
commitment to a shared purpose.
They will follow others’ lead and contribute little
of value or relevance to the project.
Their organisational skills will be disruptive to
the team.
This student is likely to
fail where individual
contribution to a team
project is assessed.
The ‘clock-watcher’ This group member’s attendance and
engagement with the project subsides after a
positive and proactive start.
They offer a reasonable amount to the project,
but tend to stick within their comfort zone
throughout.
They lack attention to detail and have a ‘this’ll
do’ attitude to their work.
This student will most
probably end with a
third-class grade for
their individual
contribution to the
media project.
The ‘good’ team
worker
This person has good attendance and
engagement with the project.
They follow rather than lead others, and might
shy away from the important decisions.
Or they might have unrealistic aims for the
project.
They sometimes prioritise other commitments
such as their leisure pursuits, work and other
coursework deadlines.
Their communication and organisational skills
could be improved.
This student is likely to
get a 2:2 grade for their
individual contribution
to the project.

The ‘overseer’ This group member is very conscientious, and
extremely hard working in all aspects of the
project. However, this might be to their
downfall.
They may be seen as being quite bossy, taking
too much control over the project.
Their leadership is not effective, in that it may
fragment the group.
This person can be overconfident and unable to
take advice from others.
Or they can be overly critical of their own and
others’ work.
Although this student is
very hard working, a
grade of a 2:2 or low
2:1 for their individual
contribution may reflect
a weakness in team-
working skills.
The ‘very good’
team worker
This group member is very co-operative within
the group.
They show initiative, they stop the team from
prevaricating and are very good at completing
tasks straight away.
They can solve problems by being flexible.
They have good creative vision and lots of
ideas.
They are very good at communicating and have
well-developed networking skills.
This student will
probably be rewarded
with a 2:1 grade for
their individual work.
The ‘first-class’ team
worker
This team member has excellent leadership
qualities.
They thrive on challenges and enjoy taking
responsibility.
They set goals, and are highly motivated.
They hold the group together.
They show lots of enthusiasm for the project,
and encourage enthusiasm in others.
They listen to and support everyone else’s
ideas.
They have a keen awareness of quality control,
and an excellent attention to detail.
They work well with others to a shared purpose.
This is an example of a
student who will most
probably receive a first-
class mark for their
individual contribution
to teamwork.
Names of Group Members
(including yourself)
TeamCharacteristic (according to the categories
above).
Brandon Boyd Very Good
Indigo Johnson First Class
Ella Farnsworth Very Good
Matthew Bradley Good
Matthew Pumphrey Good
Matthew Tubb Very Good
Please rate your own contribution to the group work by ticking the rating scale below.

Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good
Excellent Exceptional
Punctuality and
Attendance
X
Creative input X
Practical input X
Enthusiasm
and
commitment
X
Communication
skills
X
Group work X
Professionalism X
Emotional
Intelligence
X
Brief Comments:
I feel that I have been a good member of this team. My role was primarily updating and
organising the production log, keeping team morale high and making sure that we were
having regular team meetings. I also helped with filming, editing and brainstorming ideas.
Please use the spaces below to provide an evaluation of your fellow group
members’ contributions to the group project. Please use constructive criticism and
indicate how each student fulfilled their team work characteristic outlined above.
Name of student 1: Indigo Johnson
Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good
Punctuality and
Attendance
X
Creative input X
Practical input X
Enthusiasm
and
commitment
X
Communication
skills
X
Group work X

Professionalism X
Emotional
Intelligence
X
Brief Comments:
Indigo was an outstanding team worker in this project as she normally is with group work.
She made sure that there were team plans and people were pulling their weight. She was
also primarily in charge of organising the transport and accomodation, as well as keeping
an eye on the budget and feeding back to the other team members to let them know of the
updates. She always remains professional and brought together most of the ideas we
came up with individually.
Name of student 2: Ella Farnsworth
Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good
Punctuality and
Attendance
X
Creative input X
Practical input X
Enthusiasm
and
commitment
X
Communication
skills
X
Group work X
Professionalism X
Emotional
Intelligence
X
Brief Comments:
Ella is always a good team worker when it comes to group tasks, similarly to Indi. She took
a lead on creating our timeline idea and did a lot of extra learning to try and make it work.
She communicated effectively at times but was mostly working on her own work and just
making sure that everyone else was on the right path. Ella took a heavy lead with the
editing and was very sure of the content that we needed (with specific timings, voiceover
snippets she wanted included and which B roll to use). She was almost like second in
command and she was very enthusiastic about getting the work completed as she often
stayed on campus or went to the library after sessions.
Name of student 3: Matthew Bradley
Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good

Punctuality and
Attendance
X
Creative input X
Practical input X
Enthusiasm
and
commitment
X
Communication
skills
X
Group work X
Professionalism X
Emotional
Intelligence
X
Brief Comments:
Matt B has definitely grown in confidence since the first group task we did back in second
year. He was communicating effectively, and as his primary role of sound/audio mixer, we
were able to feedback on the sounds that were found online. He also helped with filming at
both the Southwell and Norfolk sites. Although there were some sessions Matt didn’t
attend, he always messaged us in the group chat prior so that we could give him work to
do whilst at home.
Name of student 4: Matthew Pumphrey
Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good
Punctuality and
Attendance
X
Creative input X
Practical input X
Enthusiasm
and
commitment
X
Communication
skills
X
Group work X
Professionalism X
Emotional
Intelligence
X
Brief Comments:

Matt P was a very vital team mate as he drove a group of us to Southwell for our first visit
and to check out the venue. He was always very talkative in our team meetings and
brought unique ideas to the table. He took a lead of editing the footage from Wales and
always seemed committed to getting the work done. I have never worked with Matt P
before, but I most certainly work with him again. Similarly to Matt B, if he wasn’t able to
make it into a session for one reason or another, he would take the initiative and message
in the group chat if there was anything he could take the lead on.
Name of student 5: Matthew Tubb
Very
poor
Poor Fair Good Very
good
Punctuality and
Attendance
X
Creative input X
Practical input X
Enthusiasm
and
commitment
X
Communication
skills
X
Group work X
Professionalism X
Emotional
Intelligence
X
Brief Comments:
As our main point of contact, Matt T was in charge of communicating with various people
(including Elspeth from the Norfolk site, the people he interviewed in Leeds, and the lady
that did our voiceover for the final video). He had to communicate effectively in a variety of
ways to ensure that we were getting what we wanted, but they saw him in the most
professional way possible. He worked well with the rest of us as a group, and when he
saw things that could be improved, he made sure to message us in our group chat (which I
created at the beginning of the year). Matt T was a great team worker and seemed
motivated at all times.

Appendix 2 - Reflective DiaryEntries/WeeklySummaries:
(October - November 2019)

Appendix 3 - Group Meetings & Reflections:

Appendix 4 - Email communications with brief provider

(mainly Ella and Matt T with help from the rest of the team to plan what to include)

Appendix 5 - Brief Provider Evaluation:

N/A
Bibliography:
Harrison, C., 2016. ‘5 ways to respond when someone rejects your idea’. [Accessed 10th March 2020]:
https://www.fastcompany.com/3055455/the-right-way-to-respond-when-someone-rejects-your-idea
Johnston, K., 2020. ‘Levels of Professionalism. Small Business’. Chron. [Accessed 21st April 2020]:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/levels-professionalism-15370.html
The Workhouse Network., 2019. ‘The Workhouse Network’. [Accessed 7th April 2020]:
https://www.workhousenetwork.org/

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