This document provides guidance on answering exam questions about media production work. It discusses the requirements for two questions - 1a and 1b. Question 1a requires reflection on all production work completed, focusing on skills and development in areas like creativity, technology, research and planning. Question 1b focuses reflection on one project and key concepts like genre and narrative. Tips are provided for question 1a, including planning, considering the mark scheme, and reflecting on learning. Students are also given homework to prepare terminology and notes on research and planning skills.

1. Critical Perspectives in Media
Question 1: Writing reflectively
about your production work

2. Each question is worth 25 marks and requires 30 minutes of exam
time.
1(a) asks about the whole of your practical work:
1.Preliminary task at AS.
2.Main task at AS.
3.Main task at A2.
4.Ancillary tasks at A2.
5.Work completed outside the course.
The question is all about skills and development and will focus on one or two
of:
1.Creativity
2.Digital Technology
3.Research and Planning
4.Post-production
5.Using conventions from real media texts.

3. Each question is worth 25 marks and requires 30 minutes of exam
time.
1b asks about only one of your projects (again could be something completed
outside the course). It will ask you about any one of the key concepts:
1.Genre
2.Narrative
3.Representation
4.Audience
5.Media Language

4. 3 Essential Tips for 1a
1. Plan and prepare before the exam. There is a limit to what
can be asked and some combinations are more likely than
others (eg. Digital tech + any other or Creativity + any other).
You only have 30mins but have to talk about everything you
have done so make every word BRILLIANT!
2. Consider the mark scheme. There are 10 marks for
explanation, analysis and argument, 10 marks for examples
and 5 marks for terminology.
3. Think about where you are at the end of the course and
what you have learnt in other areas of it. You’re not just giving
an account of what you did but sitting back and reflecting upon
it in the light of all your learning. It is GOOD to utilise things
you’ve learnt/are learning in other units.

5. 5
Homework
1. Make a Media Studies Terminology Bank: this is a list of words that are specific to Media
Studies that you can use confidently to explain the production process. e.g.
Verbs: import, shoot, cut, export, dub, render, transition
Software: Final Cut Pro, Garageband, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop
Hardware: Nikon DSLR, tripod
2. Below is the question you will be answering in timed conditions next week. Make detailed notes on
the bullet points in preparation.
Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these
skills contributed to the creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show
how these skills developed over time.
Research and Planning
 Research into existing products and a potential target audience
 Organisation of actors, locations, costumes, props
 Storyboarding, shotlists, drafting, scripting
 Production schedule
 Audience research (questionnaires and focus groups)
 What else?

6. • paragraph 1 should be an introduction which explains which projects you did. It can be quite
short.
• paragraph 2 should pick up the skill area and perhaps suggest something about your starting
point with it- what skills did you have already and how were these illustrated. use an example.
• paragraph 3 should talk through your use of that skill in early projects and what you learned
and developed through these. Again there should be examples to support all that you say.
• paragraph 4 should go on to demonstrate how the skill developed in later projects, again
backed by examples, and reflecting back on how this represents moves forward for you from
your early position.
• paragraph 5 short conclusion