1. The student used a variety of digital media and technologies throughout the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages of creating three media products. Technologies included blogs, surveys, and editing software to research, plan, shoot, edit and distribute a short film, magazine, and poster. 2. Feedback from focus groups was gathered and influenced all stages of production, from helping shape the narrative and target audience to informing distribution decisions. The effectiveness of combining the main product and ancillary texts was evaluated by comparing them to real media examples. 3. In the evaluation, the student critically analyzed how their products did or did not follow the conventions of established genres and used specialized terminology when discussing each format. They also reflected on what

1. A2 media studies: Evaluation guide 2016
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A2 media studies: Evaluation guide bullet points
make sure that you reference your name and who did what in your group whenever it is relevant (this is especially relevant
where you have directed others acting as production team/actors etc)
Evidence should be presented as a Prezi OR a website embedded into your blog. Within it you must use a wide variety of interactive digital and media
techniques and also include video, photos, hyperlinks and text in various different styles. I have made some suggestions in the table below.
In year 13 there are only 4 questions but they should cover at least the same volume as last year:
 you are expected to be more reflective and critical than last year
 You are also expected to reference more theory and more media terminology
 for each question you have to reference all three products – and use the correct terminology for each: film, print, magazine
 Before recording write cue cards to ensure coverage of all key language
Home Page
As last year you need to create a home page, This should include
an image of you / your candidate name and number
all 3 artefacts embedded
links to your other sites: Emaze / Vimeo / Prezi / Slideshare / YouTube / websites/ your blog………
In the evaluation the following 4 questions must be answered miss one and you lose masses of marks:
Q question in full areas/points to cover suggested approaches / ideas for presentation & content
1 In what
ways does
your media
product use,
develop or
challenge
forms and
conventions
of real media
products?
 Length / form / structure
 Titles / studio, Distribution Company, Production Company,
actors, final credits production teams. Director etc

 Genre and hybrid or sub-genres
 Representation, codes / groups etc
 Narrative: enigma, exposition, hook , style, cliff hangers,
conclusion of narrative included/excluded…..
 Sound: dialogue, soundtrack, foley
 Short film / poster / mag review codes and conventions: layout,
typography, colour, image …..
 Images / distribution ideas
add info on
 character representations
 locations, mis-en-scene, props
 dialogue
 semiotic representations through sound / symbols / images or
icons
 analysis of the locations/lighting etc
 discussion on the target audience and how you pleased them
(generic pleasures)
 audience theory
 create an interactive digital presentation including comparative
screen shots of own production/real texts. include at least 9
pairs of images – this could utilise Prezi
 Create a group of presentations: perhaps use slideshare –
organise it so that each tackles a different element of the
question
1. Using existing conventions/forms
2. Develop and create innovation with conventions/forms
3. Challenge and subvert conventions/forms
4. Where you applied the narrative or audience theories –
did you fulfil/deliver to meet existing critical theories and
WHERE did you combine or even create your own
theories
 interactive presentation / or Powerpoint uploaded to Slideshare
then embedded in your webpage add reflective evaluation
comments and rich detail
include moving images and sound files – make sure that you
offer visual examples alongside your points

2. A2 media studies: Evaluation guide 2016
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2 How
effective is
the
combination
of your main
product and
ancillary
texts?
Reference all of the above for all the products and then compare –
analyse and critique as if they were real media texts in the real world
– presented together as a campaign
I would use this as a point to discuss What kind of media institution
might distribute your media product and why; this was an AS
question but is relevant here too
Show your wider awareness of Media Institutions and Industries.
Show ability to be a fair and honest, professional critic - what are
your strengths and weaknesses?
You could reference
 Discuss/analyse the difference between online/offline
institutions and which yours will fit
 Deconstruct each text individually and comparatively
 Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each – be specific
 Use/reference the work studied across your research here.
 Reflect on how effective they would be in terms of distribution
/ exhibition showing comparison / consideration
 reference poster/magazine distribution
 you need to show full awareness of distribution issues
 link to Target audience
 rank order their effectiveness
 Record a video discussion including visual examples such as
other production examples as well as your own.
 Create an interactive presentation including some video
footage and your own voice
 Make direct critical comparisons between examples in
existing texts and your own constructions – set up
‘constructions where you insert your own print/text artefacts
into real life media texts – for example place your digipak
into a purchase page on an online shopping site where you
think it will sell.
 Discuss how the internet has been used to launch groups of
products/campaigns to an audience, then explain how you
could follow a similar process yourself.( context – this
response would be realistic about a student film release. Your
film, for example, is a low budget student video which will be
released over the internet on Vimeo, embedded onto a blog
or on YouTube. It has an independent, low budget production
company (ie you!) It will get a cinematic screening and
shared screenings amongst your peers and maybe your
family. It will get a DVD release of 200 copies. The internet
could be used to further distribute and market your movie
should you wish (and potentially reach a global audience) and
explore how the ancillary products would link/relate/ be
distributed
You can place your artefacts into the real world of general
release/exhibition, discussing whether it would get a mainstream
or independent type of release (think of the different audiences
they target). Screen grab pictures of the type of cinemas at
which it would be shown/retailers who would sell it/locations for
promotion or distribution. Find examples of the style of
marketing campaign you would envisage for your products. Also
find examples of the type of institutions which would distribute
your movie, magazines, posters, digipak, websites or
newspapers. Think about to potential sponsors and synergy tie-
ins
3 What have
you learned
from your
audience
Start by identifying who your audience were and why. Explain in a
summative way how you attracted/addressed your audience
pleasures, meeting their desires. Then cover how you organised
feedback? THIS IS A REFLECTIVE QUESTION – ALL ABOUT
 Create a Powerpoint or interactive Prezi exploring:
 This could use data / tables/titles or voice thread / a video
discussing the areas to cover

3. A2 media studies: Evaluation guide 2016
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feedback GETTING/USING FEEDBACK.
 Remember to make links to critical theory whenever you can
 Remember to do this for ALL 3 texts
 Use lots of comparative and opinion language
You should consider including:
At the research & planning stage:
 Reference ongoing evidence on your blog
 Evidence of the focus group – who they are and why / Photos
of them
 How feedback influenced your R&P stages.
 Recorded/filmed conversations of your group planning and
reviewing the final pieces – compare the three
 Photographs/footage of groups / activities or planning /
scripts
 Reflective bullet points on your own progress – strengths &
weaknesses / how feedback helped you to get this reflection /
understanding
During production stages
 Reflect on how successful other similar productions
influencing you were, how this influenced your target
audience decision
 How did feedback ensure that you were: meeting their
desires and interests
 How did feedback for the target audience/focus group reveal
audiences likes/dislikes helping final narrative decisions /
representation decisions
 Did you – change content or aesthetic style in response to
comments/feedback.
 How did feedback influence your decisions on exhibition and
marketing?
 How did you decide of the feedback was reliable or useful?
Post-production stages
 Evaluate evidence of feedback on distribution / exhibition
instruments, sites & processes identifying the best methods
for you / your audience: making the film accessible
 What was the feedback on the final 3 texts – how did you get
it – was the method good enough
 What did feedback tell you about the strengths/weaknesses?
 Did your target audience feedback success? – if yes/no – how
summary
 Link back to critical theory and inspirations
 Ensure that you have given evidence of the focus group –
who they are and why / Photos of them
 Combine data analysis, slides and clips from market research
to support your reflective answer
 a videoed focus group session – post the video
 Create a montage of images depicting the contents of the bag
belonging to the typical target audience member for your
movie. Write up a little lifestylesummary like this: “Kenny, 27,
an aspirer working in an advertising agency, loves going to the
cinema, shops in H&M…..” etc You may realise that your
original target audience is not actually suitable for the film
youhave produced – so you may show how this has been
adapted
 produce a film of a discussion about your title sequence and its
impact
 a mash up of soundbites
 A concept board
 Images of the institution and industries where you would
exhibit plus critic/consumer reviews and their corporate ethos
 A visual literacy presentation - perhaps a‘word cloud’ made on
software such as wordle (www.wordle.net) from typed up
feedback comments
 Video feedback of focus group responses plus commentary by
you
A developed and intelligent response would also
show some thought about whether the audience
responding to your film is the actual target audience
for your film…
make it VERY digital and contemporary.

4. A2 media studies: Evaluation guide 2016
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
 Reflect on how successful other similar productions were and
how this influenced your target audience decision – reflect on
wether it was a good idea or not
4 How did you
use media
technologies
in the
construction
and
research,
planning and
evaluation
stages?
Make sure to cover all three stages and all three texts
 Make a list of all you used then find an interesting way to
present them
 Photographs from filming
 Research processes, methods and sites used (such as
Blogging, television, reading, survey monkey….Slideshare.
Prezi, IMDB.com,)
 Construction: pre-production, production and post-
production. – filming / sound / Editing / Uploading / SFX…….
 Evidence of resources and hardware:– add images of
equipment used and analysis of what you had to do with it –
to extend - compare
 Exhibition and distribution using online technologies
 Market testing / use of social networking sites
 Links to sites on audience research including your own
 Reflective bullet points on your own progress – strengths &
weaknesses
 Use lots of comparative and opinion language
 Feedback on Technical difficulties
 The capacity to make changes / adaptions and improvements
 A reflective talking head video: include critical theory /
reference essays - remember my technological determinism
Powerpoint.
 Make an animatic movie or a detailed image based /interactive
presentation (using found still images /screen grabs) with a
voiceover about your own journey through the maze of
technology you have encountered on the course (eg: from
using blogger, google and YouTube to research movies, to
creating original imagery, from using social media to
construction of sound, using the digital cameras/marantz,
software, FCP to edit and create animatics, sound software –
and how they can be imported/exported
 Screen grab stills from the various programmes or websites
you have used and explain how they have worked together in
the creation of your artefacts
 An interactive Prezi or Voicethread including video or
Soundcloud ideas
the more you use interactive media to answer this
one the higher your mark – it is a form of meta
learning