Over the course of their A Level course, the student's research and planning skills have improved in several ways. For their AS film, they researched 4 films to learn about narrative genres but did not create a full treatment. For their A2 music video, they researched 6 additional videos, including some from different genres, to better understand codes and conventions. They also analyzed elements like camerawork, editing, and mise-en-scene in more depth. As a result, their A2 video better incorporated genre conventions like performance elements and whip pans/smash cuts. Creating a storyboard and animatic also helped them realize changes needed, like adding a performance aspect. Improved planning helped avoid issues in their AS from

1. How to get a Level 4
Question 1a
How have your research and planning
skills improved over your A Level
course?

2. Cover 5 aspects

3. Cover 5 aspects
• Conventions of real media texts: narrative and
genre
• Technical conventions: camera, editing, mes etc
• Storyboarding v animatic (how they impacted on
final productions)
• Organisation of resources and cast: time
management, weather, re-shoots, mock-ups
• Audience research – questionnaires, using
feedback to change ideas

4. • For my AS film in the genre of XXX I researched 4 films
(NAME THEM) mainly for narrative and genre codes.
• Give specific examples – eg. I learnt from Ocean’s 11
that the opening for a heist movie should include…
• However I didn’t write out a full treatment for my
film which would have helped me see how to convey
hints about the overall plot in the opening sequence.
AS

5. • For my A2 music video in the genre of XXX I researched
6 videos from artists in the same genre (NAME THEM)
but also watched videos from artists in other genres to
contrast the codes and conventions.
• Give specific examples – eg. I learnt that pop artists
such as Katy Perry include performance elements as
well as a narrative linked to the lyrics, whereas the
indie-rock band Arcade Fire’s video for The Suburbs
was completely narrative based.
A2

6. LINK TO YOUR FINAL PRODUCT
• As a result of analysing more products
(including texts from other genres) I was able
to better meet codes and conventions in my
own text. For example, My A2 video included
a performance of the band intercut with a
storyline about a break-up whereas my AS
project was more like a short film than an
opening.
Conclude

7. • Furthermore, for my AS film I only looked at
one film for specific technical codes to learn
from.
• Give specific examples – eg. I learnt from The
Purge: Anarchy that the opening for a science
fiction thriller movie should include…
• However I didn’t analyse editing/sound…
AS

8. • For my A2 music video, for an artist in the XXX genre, I analysed 6
artists (NAME THEM) specifically focussing upon the elements of
camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene which met generic codes
and conventions.
• Give specific examples – eg. I noticed from Tori Kelly’s videos that
pop artists are normally shown performing and that whip pans
and smash cuts were a common convention used to keep the
audience hooked. I also completed a tally chart of shots from
videos such as xxxx to understand how many edits I would be
expected to complete.
A2

9. LINK TO YOUR FINAL PRODUCT
• As a result of more focussed research, my A2
music video had XX whip pans and XXX smash
cuts in comparison to my AS film which lacked
enough close ups of the key protagonists.
Conclude

10. Some other points
• Storyboard v animatic – explain what you
changed about your final production as a
result of creating an animatic – eg. you
decided the video needed a performance
aspect or more locations. Link this to the fact
that an animatic lets you appreciate the length
of a shot on screen.

11. Some other points
• Organisation of resources – explain what
went wrong in your AS as a result of poor
planning – eg. you decided the video needed
to reshoot because the locations were not
convincing enough (could have been avoided
by location research); your actors weren’t
convincing (could have been avoided by a
casting call); you didn’t have a tripod; you
forgot a back up battery; the weather….

12. Some other points
• Audience research – give examples of specific
questions you asked last year (use terms such
as demographic) compared to questions this
year (focus more on psychographic).
• Give examples to evidence how these
audience responses helped you to make a
better product – eg. You made mock ups of
your digipacs and got feedback on fonts and
track names before creating your final version.

13. MOST IMPORTANT
• Use key terms:
• demographic/psychographic/primary/secondary
research, questionnaires/focus groups/semiotic
analysis of codes and conventions (Barthes),
technical terms (lighting terms - low key etc;
camera terms - tracking shots, establishing shot;
editing terms - shot/reverse shot, long takes,
montage etc; sound terms - asynchronous,
diegetic, sound effects, crescendo etc; narrative
terms - chronological order, audience terms -
polysemic (could be read in many ways) etc.