This document provides guidance for students taking Section A of an A2 media exam. It outlines the structure and timing of Section A, which consists of two questions. Question 1A asks students to evaluate their skills development over their AS and A2 coursework. Students will be asked to describe how one of their skills areas, such as research or use of digital technology, developed over time with examples. Question 1B requires students to analyze one of their media productions in relation to a media concept like genre, narrative or representation. The document provides prompts and lists of relevant theorists to help students prepare responses for each concept area.

1. G325
SECTION A
EXAM
REVISION
SECTION A: THEORETICAL EVALUATIONS
SECTION B: COLLECTIVE IDENTITY

6. TIMINGS
Section A
Question 1A (25 Marks): 25-30
Minutes
Question 1B (25 Marks): 25-30
Minutes
Section B
Question (50 Marks): 60 Minutes

7. QUESTION 1A

8. BREAKDOWN OF
SECTION A QUESTION 1A
• Section A, question 1a of the A2 exam is
worth 25 marks
• You will be evaluating your AS and A2
coursework in terms of the skills you have
developed over the 2 years
• You will have 30mins to answer this question

9. SECTION A: SKILLS
EVALUATION OF PRODUCTION
Question 1(a)
Describe and evaluate your skills development over the
course of your production work – this can include the
preliminary tasks, your actual c/w, ancillary tasks and any
other pieces you have created in the past year.
In the exam 1 or more of the following areas will be selected
for you to write about:
•DigitalTechnology
•Creativity
•Research and planning
•Post-production
•Using conventions from real media texts

10. Jan 2010
June 2010
Jan 2011
June 2011
Jan 2012
1) Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media
production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative
decision making. Refer to a range of example in your answer to
show how these skills developed over time
2) Describe the ways in which your production work was informed by
research into real media texts and how your ability to use such
research for production developed over time
3) Describe how you developed your skills in the use of digital
technology for media production and evaluate how these skills
contributed to your creative decision making. Refer to a range of
examples in your answer to show how these skills.
4) Explain how far your understanding of the conventions of existing
media influenced the way you created your own media products.
Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how this
understanding developed over time.
5) Describe how your analysis of the conventions of real media texts
informed your own creative practise. Refer to a range of examples in
your answer to show how these skills have been developed over
time.

11. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY-
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE
AND ONLINE
• What hardware did you use and why?
What were the pros/cons?
• What software did you use and why?
What were the pros/cons?
• How has the internet supported your
skills development?

12. CREATIVITY-
RESEARCH, PLANNING,
CONSTRUCTION, EVALUATION
• Discuss how you were creative at each
stage
• Some areas are obviously easier to discuss
• Consider emphasising how you may have
been more creative in yourYear 13
productions
• WhatWentWell?
• Even Better If?Were there any limitations?

13. Research and Planning –
• Discuss what research you did and why
it was important in creating a successful
product?
• Discuss what planning you did and why
it was important in creating a successful
product?
• What Went Well?
• Even Better If?
Remember to
emphasise the research
and planning of all
productions completed

14. Post Production –
Editing (Photoshop, Final Cut, Etc.)
• Discuss what you did at the post
production stage of your coursework
• Highlight the hardware and particularly
the software used and why
• What Went Well?
• Even Better If?
Remember to
emphasise the post
production stage of all
productions completed

15. Using conventions from real
media texts –
• Discuss how you followed the codes and
conventions or real media texts
• Highlight importance of research and
planning
• Highlight importance of audience
feedback
• What Went Well?
• Even Better If?

16. RESPONSE
STRUCTURE
Research
Planning
Construction (Main, Preliminary, Ancillary)
Post Production
Evaluation

17. https://www.classtools.net/random-name-
picker/68_8geghk

18. QUESTION 1B

19. PROMPT TASK
In your green booklets create a series of prompts for each
possible question area:

20. Question 1(b) requires you 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
You will need to
learn all the relevant
theorists for each
one of these in order
to use them in the
exam.

21. THEORISTS
The following slides will highlight
some of the key theorists related to
each subject area.
This list is not exhaustive and you
must be accomplishing your own
research of theories that can be
applied to the productions you are
discssing.

22. Audience
Theory
Stuart Hall Dyer’s Utopian
theory
Morley’s
Research
Denis McQuail
Hypodermic
Needle
Cultivation
theory

23. Representatio
n Theory
Stereotypes Dominant
ideology
Hegemony
Perkins
Baudrillard
Laura Mulvey
Pluralism

24. Genre Theory
David
Buckingham
Nicholas
Abercrombie
Christine Gledhill
John Fiske
Andrew Goodwin
Stephan Prince
Steve Neale
Barry Keith
Grant
Dennis McQuail
Rick Altman

25. Narrative
Theory
Tzetvan Todorov
Roland Barthes
Levi-Strauss
Propp
Noel Carroll

26. Coursework
Mise-en-scene
Sound
Camera
Editing
• Clothing
• Facial expressions
• Props
• Lighting
• Diegetic
conversations
(emphasising
people’s
attitudes)
• Non-diegetic
sound (rhythm of
music)
• Angles enforcing subordinate/dominate
characters.
• Composition of characters in the shot
(how are they stood? Why are they
stood like that?
• Quick cuts to quicken
pace?
• Wipes/fades/dissolve?
• Timings
• Effects?
• How are the technical (i.e. camera) and symbolic (i.e. costume) codes used to communicate meaning?
• How can you use semiotics to deconstruct the text?
• In what way could you say the text is conventional with regard to it’s form?

27. GREEN BOOKS
• Highlight the key theorists related to
the area
• Highlight the structure you will
adopt
• Annotate emphasising points of
reference