This document provides guidance on answering questions for an A2 media evaluation. Question 1 addresses how the student's media product used, developed, or challenged conventions of real media genres. Key concepts addressed are genre and media language. Question 2 asks about the effectiveness of combining the main product with ancillary texts. The key concept is audience. Question 3 asks what was learned from audience feedback. This relates to the audience concept. Finally, Question 4 addresses the student's use of media technologies in production and evaluation, rather than key concepts. The document provides suggestions for using relevant media theories to analyze and justify answers.

1. A2 Evaluation Guidance
How to tie the questions in with prior and future
learning.

2. Question 1
1. In what ways does your
media product use, develop
or challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

3. Question 1
1. In what ways does your
media product use, develop
or challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

4. Question 1
1. In what ways does your
media product use, develop
or challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

5. Question 1
1. In what ways does your
media product use, develop
or challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

6. What could you use in this question?
•Use of research in establishing
conventions
•Parallels between your
products and those studied
•Your knowledge of the music
genre
• All three products
Theories that could
relate:
• Goodwin
• Vernallis
• Neale (genre)
• Barthes (iconography
in genre)
How?

7. Use, develop, challenge?
Your video uses elements
of all of the videos you
studied, meeting almost all
of the conventions, to the
extent it is almost copied.
Your video takes some of
the common genre
elements but uses them in
different combinations and
adds new ideas.
Your video rejects many of
the main conventions of the
genre for artistic reasons
and sets out to create a new
set of conventions.
USE DEVELOP CHALLENGE

8. Forms and conventions?
In this case, forms would be the
different kinds of video:
narrative, performance,
concept, hybrid.
Which did you use and why?
What did your research tell you
(textual and audience)?
Example theory
comment –
Explain how Goodwin’s 6
rules were used or
challenged.
Use Goodwin to justify
your decisions.

9. Forms and conventions?
By conventions, we mean genre
conventions, in this case linked to the
music genre:
• Cinematography
• Iconography
• Editing
• How did you establish what they
were?
• How did researched texts influence?
Example theory
comment –
Barthes says that genre
is marked by its
iconography – to what
extent does your use of
iconography prove this
theory?

10. Real media products?
Real music videos,
digipaks and adverts –
how did you respond
to them and use them
in your own planning?
Example theory
comment –
Neale says media
producers will select ideas
from a range of choices
and combine them in
different ways. What set
of options did you select,
add or reject?

11. Question 2
How effective is the
combination of your
main product and
ancillary texts?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

12. Question 2
How effective is the
combination of your
main product and
ancillary texts?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

13. Question 2
How effective is the
combination of your
main product and
ancillary texts?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

14. Question 2
How effective is the
combination of your
main product and
ancillary texts?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

15. Effective?
The first way we mean
‘effective’ is in terms of
appealing to an
audience. So you must
think about the who and
the how of that
equation.
Audience theories:
• Uses and
gratifications
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of
needs
• Cross Cultural
Consumer Categories
(4Cs)

16. Effective?
The second way this is
meant is in terms of
representation. Of the
artist and their image,
mainly, but in broader
terms too. Did you create
their image or use what
they already had? What
influenced you?
Relevant theory:
• Dyer’s star image
theory
• Relevant racial or
regional identity
theories.
• British youth culture
theories
• Male gaze?

17. Combination?
The organisational aspects of this
form of media can be discussed
when thinking how the three
products work together (along
with linked platforms, such as
websites or facebook pages
referred to). How would the
given terms apply? What others
are relevant?
Relevant terms:
Synergy
Convergence
Distribution
Platforms

18. Question 3
What have you learned
from your audience
feedback?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

19. Question 3
What have you learned
from your audience
feedback?
Which one of the key
concepts of media does
this question relate to?
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative

20. Learned?
In a nutshell, you
learned a great deal
(even if you didn’t)
about how to
construct and develop
your products.
You might already have
established who your
audience is in Question 2,
but if not then you must do
it here.
Start by making some notes
on everything you did that
was in direct response to an
audience member.

21. Audience feedback?
Review everything related to audience on
your blog:
• artist profiling
• audience research
• Youtube comments
• focus group feedback
• any surveys done around the print
products
• you can also discuss the impact of your
online presence and any response you
had from your artist.
This suggests it is all
about audience
response to your
finished product, but it is
feedback on everything
you’ve done that invited
an audience to
comment.

22. Question 4
How did you use media
technologies in the
construction and
research, planning and
evaluation stages?
This does not relate to
the key concepts, it is
all about you and
your engagement
with ‘new media’, i.e.
digital facilities, online
and social media.

23. Media technologies?
Which of the following media technologies did you
use? Any others?
Digital camera Editing software
Youtube Blogger
Facebook Prezi
Powerpoint Surveymonkey
Online editing Google/Wiki
Mac/PC Photoshop

24. How?
• Did you make good use of these
technologies?
• Were there any you could have
exploited better?
• Did any produce unexpected
results?
• How much did the technology
enhance your work?
• Did you technical ability limited you
or did it grow?
It is especially important
to note here that this is
an evaluation. You need
to judge the
effectiveness of your
work throughout, but
particularly in this
question.

25. Exam links? – section 1a
• Digital technology
• Use of real media
conventions
• Creativity
• Post production
• Use of research and
planning
How did you progress between
AS and A2?

26. Exam links? – section 1b
• Media language
• Organisations
• Representation
• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative
You can analyse either the
thriller or the music video