The examination consists of two compulsory questions assessing theoretical evaluation of production work and one question from six topic areas on contemporary media issues. For Section A, candidates have one hour to answer two questions: 1a) evaluating skill development over their AS and A2 coursework and 1b) evaluating one production in relation to a media concept. Section B assesses contemporary media issues over one hour. Question 1a focuses on skills such as digital technology, creativity, research and planning, while question 1b relates productions to concepts like genre, narrative and representation. Candidates must know their coursework in depth to discuss skills development and relate a production to a concept.

1. INTRODUCTION TO
SECTION A

2. G325: CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES IN
MEDIA
The examination is two hours. Candidates are required to
answer two compulsory questions, on their own production
work, and one question from a choice of six topic areas.
 Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50
marks)
 1a) Theoretical evaluation of skill development over the course of the
two years (both AS and A2 c/w productions including preliminary and
ancillary tasks)
 1b) Theoretical evaluation of one production and evaluate it in
relation to a media concept
 Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks)
 Contemporary Media Issues - Media and Collective Identity – The
Representation of British youth and youth culture

3. TIMING
 Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks) –
1 hour
 1a) Theoretical evaluation of skill development over the course
of the two years (both AS and A2 c/w productions including
preliminary and ancillary tasks) (25 marks)
30 min
 1b) Theoretical evaluation of one production and evaluate it in
relation to a media concept (25 marks)
30 min
 Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks) – 1 hour
 Contemporary Media Issues - Media and Collective Identity –
The Representation of British youth and youth culture

4. G325: SECTION A, QUESTION 1A
 Candidates answer two compulsory questions.
 The first requires them to describe and evaluate
their skills development over the course of their
production work, from Foundation Portfolio to
Advanced Portfolio.
 The second asks them to identify one production
and evaluate it in relation to one theoretical
concept.

5. QUESTION 1A
 Question 1(a) requires candidates to describe and evaluate
their skills development over the course of their production
work, from Foundation Portfolio AND Advanced Portfolio.
 The focus of this evaluation must be on skills
development, and the question will require them to adapt this
to one or two specific production practices.
 The list of practices to which questions will relate is as
follows:
 Digital Technology
 Creativity
 Research and planning
 Post-production
 Using conventions from real media texts

6. QUESTION 1B
 Question 1(b) requires candidates 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
 Where candidates have produced relevant work outside the
context of their A Level media course, they are free to
additionally refer to this experience.

7. QUESTION 1B CONT…
 In the examination, questions will be set using one of
these concepts only.
 In some circumstances, candidates will be expected
to select the production that appears to relate most
effectively to the specific concept that arises in the
exam question.
 However, the requirement for candidates to evaluate
one of their productions in relation to a concept does
not assume that the concept will necessarily always
fit easily and in an orthodox way. Thus in some cases
candidates will be describing their productions in
terms of them not relating straightforwardly to the
concept

8. YOUR COURSEWORK
 You will need to know your own coursework projects in detail,
and be able to recall and analyse your own work in relation to
each of these concepts.
 Question 1a – Both AS and A2 coursework
 Digital Technology
 Creativity
 Research and planning
 Post-production
 Using conventions from real media texts
 Question 1b – Either AS or A2 coursework
 Genre
 Narrative
 Representation
 Audience
 Media language

9. SECTION A, QUESTION 1A
– SKILLS EVALUATION OF
PRODUCTION

10. PREVIOUS QUESTIONS
Jan 2010 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
June 2010 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
Jan 2011 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.
June 2011 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.
Jan 2012 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. WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
 What did you do?
 How did you do it?
 How did your skills develop?
 All supported with specific examples
 In relation to the area(s) in question

12. CRITICAL REFLECTION
 Reflective practice is a skill that is much sought after and is
highly regarded by universities and employers. This goes
beyond evaluations of the outcomes; we are not simply
thinking about strengths and weaknesses.
 This is probably the most dif ficult part of the A2 course.

13. SECTION A: SKILLS EVALUATION OF
PRODUCTION
 There is some cross over between the 5 areas e.g. for
Research and Planning you had to research other film
openings/music magazines, which clearly links to “Using
conventions from real media texts” , the final bullet point.
 Your task will be to produce a detailed evaluation of your
coursework using all 5 areas. The documents you produce will
be vital revision aids for the exam this summer.

14. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY-
HARDWARE, SOFT WARE AND ONLINE
 For this topic, you need to consider the impact of the new
technologies you have used on your consumption and
production of media texts.
 Consider how you have presented your work; have you used
blogs?
 How has the internet supported your skills development?
 Consider the pro’s and con’s of the digital technology you
have used

15. ICT/DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
 How did AS compare to A2?
 Blogs/websites
 Slideshare
 Flickr
 Facebook questionnaires
 Film and upload to YouTube (audience questionnaires and
feedback)
 Vlogs
 Post it note film/stop frame animations
 Digital photography
 Software and hardware

16. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
 You need to consider the skills you have learnt during AS with the
following sof tware:
 Adobe Photoshop. The image manipulation program allowed you to
manipulate graphics necessar y for the magazine. E.g. crop tools such
as Marquee (magic wand), Lassos, and colour conver ters such as Red
Eye Corrector, Colour Variations, Colour Dropper, Dodge and Burn, text
tools, picture boxes, shape tools, photograph manipulation, layer s etc.
 Adobe Indesign CS5. The print construction sof tware allowed you to
create a realistic product through layout/font/logo/colour manipulation
etc.
 Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 . The editing sof tware allowed you to add
specific transitions/sound ef fects/manipulate time (temporal
relations)…etc.
 Weblogs. e.g. blogger which allowed you to regularly post about your
research & planning, progress and to display your final piece. It also
enabled you to leave comments (audience feedback) on each other’s
blogs….

17. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
 You need to consider the skills you have learnt from AS to A2
with the following hardware:
 Digital stills cameras
 Lighting
 Mini DV cameras
 Tripods
 PC
 Mini DV tape

18. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
 What are the pros and cons of the software and hardware you
used at AS and A2 in terms of skills development?
 How did you use your skills to aid the construction of your
task?
 Be really really specific with your examples

19. CREATIVIT Y
 It is important not to assume one answer to any question!
 Rather than ask yourself the question, "How have I become
more creative during my A level course?", ask yourself, "Have
I become more creative?".
 If you answer the second question, then you will evaluate your
progress much more thoroughly.
 Consider the pro’s and con’s of the technology you have used
and how this has impacted on your creativity

20. CREATIVIT Y
 Creativity involves thinking or behaving imaginatively. It might
involve challenging conventions or replicating / furthering
knowledge of them – what did you do in your c/w?
 You need to think about the decisions that were made for you
(the restrictions put on you by the exam board) e.g. you must
make a music magazine or film opening. Then consider the
creative choices you made e.g. which type of music magazine
or genre of film? Etc.

21. CREATIVIT Y
 How creative do you think you were in the decisions you made
when creating your c/w?
 Did the technology enhance your creativity or not?
 What ideas did you communicate and what stylistic
techniques did you use? How did it relate to your
interests/vision of identity?
 Was your product influenced by your social environmental?
 Was this original or did you add something extra to an original
media text?
 Would you take any creative skills into future projects or have
you been influenced to engage these skills in any other
projects?

22. RESEARCH AND PLANNING
 Consider the following:
 How you reviewed real text examples and discuss conventions
 Analysis of old student work and discuss marking criteria
 How you planned the micro elements
 Research into audience expectations
 How you reviewed your own progress and update your plans.

23. RESEARCH AND PLANNING
 Think about the types of research you carried out:
 Primary –
films, magazines, internet, questionnaires, audience feedback
 Secondary – internet, textbooks, blogs for theories
 Advantages/Disadvantages of your sources:
 Cost of magazines etc
 Accessibility – easy to find?
 Time consuming?
 Reliability of sources?
 Accuracy of sources?
 Usefulness of sources?

24. RESEARCH AND PLANNING
 How did you organise your research and planning? E.g.
labels, blog etc
 What did you research?
 How did drafting help you?
 How did audience feedback improve your planning?
 How organised were you?
 What did you learn about working as part of a group or
independently?
 How did you present your research and planning? E.g.
wordle, moodboard, flickr, scribd, slideshare etc

25. POST-PRODUCTION
 Consider the following:
 How you made decisions about editing and layout
 Influence of audience expectations
 Photo manipulation

26. POST-PRODUCTION
 Post Production at AS might have consisted of editing the
material and putting all the titles and music together on
Adobe Premiere Pro or editing images and putting text
together on Photoshop/Indesign. This is very similar to the
software listed as part of Digital technology
 You need to identify all of the steps you took once you had
either filmed or photographed – to do this accurately it will be
helpful to look at your work and make a list of everything you
did in order to get to the finished stage.
 Post-production is everything that happens after
filming/photographing

27. USING CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA TEXTS
 Each of your 3 practical projects had a specific set of
conventions.
 For this topic, you need to consider how your understanding
has developed over the course.
 Begin by make a note of the conventions of each of the
genres you created.
 Then pick 2 or 3 of these conventions and say how you used
them within your own work
 Don't forget to ask yourself how useful it is to understand and
apply real conventions AND why your ability to apply this
understanding has improved over the course.

28. USING CONVENTIONS FROM REAL MEDIA
TEXTS
 What conventions of music magazines/film openings did you
apply to your c/w?
 Identify real media texts and explain how your text is similar
and dif ferent.
 “Creativity is always constrained by generic conventions”. To
what extent did you adhere to or subvert generic conventions
in the creation of your media products.

29. QUESTION 1A TASK
 You will now analyse both your AS and A2 coursework
pieces, applying each of them to the key concepts we have just
discussed
 These notes should be detailed and use specific examples from
your coursework. The more detailed these notes are, the more
useful they will be as revision aids
 There are several ways you can layout these notes, for example
the grid shown on the next slide, or a mind map. Make sure your
layout works for you and your own style of learning.
 Which ever way you lay them out, make sure they are detailed
and specific. These will form the basis of your revision for this
section of the exam

30. ONE SUGGESTED LAYOUT
Concept AS Coursework A2 Coursework
Digital Technology
Creativity
Research and planning
Post-production
Using conventions from
real media texts

31. EASTER HOMEWORK
 Complete your analysis of your AS and A2 Coursework in
relation to the key concepts
 Digital Technology
 Creativity
 Research and planning
 Post-production
 Using conventions from real media texts
 You will be using these notes and revision aids as soon as you
come back over Easter