This document provides guidance on answering exam questions about using conventions from real media texts. It emphasizes that the skill is demonstrating an improved understanding and application of conventions over time through examples from multiple projects. It suggests discussing both technical and symbolic conventions, and how following, challenging, or developing conventions made later work better. The document also provides a template for a simple five-paragraph essay structure to answer such questions.

1. Using Conventions
from real media texts

2. What does this question require –
what is the ’skill’.
• Unlike something like research and planning the
’skill’ is is not that obvious.
• Using Conventions from real media texts
You do not need to
list all the convention
you have followed
You do need to
discuss why you
followed some
conventions
You should
talk about
why you
challenged
some
conventions
The skill is about how
you have become
better/ more
sophisticated in your
understanding and
use of conventions
You need to talk about more
than technical conventions.
Discuss ‘symbolic’ conventions
– narrative, character,
representation, Goodwin,
themes, messages etc.
You should show that a
greater understanding
of how to use
conventions has made
your work better in Year
13!

3. A very simple structure
Paragraph 1 should be an introduction which explains which projects
you did. It can be quite short.
Paragraph 2 should pick up the skill area and perhaps suggest
something about your starting point with it- what skills did you have
already and how were these illustrated. Use an example.
Paragraph 3 should talk through your use of that skill in early projects
and what you learned and developed through these. Again there should
be examples to support all that you say.
Paragraph 4 should go on to demonstrate how the skill developed in
later projects, again backed by examples, and reflecting back on how
this represents moves forward for you from your early position.
Paragraph 5 should be a short conclusion
Remember it's only half an hour and you need to range across all your
work!

4. Conventions of Thriller films?
Camera Editing
Mise en Scene

5. Conventions of Thriller Film
Narrative - Storyline Narrative - Characters
Themes Messages and Values

6. Analysing last years work
• Each group need to log into the computer and bring up
a copy of their final Thriller opening from last year.
• You now need to swap over computers so that you are
looking at another groups work.
• You are going to analyse their work looking at how they
have followed conventions and how they have
challenge conventions. Write up a list – this will go to
the group in question so make it professional.
• Write a summary statement (at least 100 words) where
you evaluation how effectively they followed
conventions ( also think about how it affected you as an
audience) and the effect of not following conventions
and/or challenging them.
• Print off and give to the group
• As a group discuss the feedback you have received

7. Why is genre important - Institutions
• Film producers use genre as a
means of minimising the
economic risk in making films
• Film distributors/exhibitors
use genre as a means of
advertising and promoting
films
• Both depend upon audiences’
foreknowledge and past
experience

8. Why is genre important - Audience
• Audiences use genre to give
them predictable pleasures
when consuming/watching a
film
• Audiences have certain
expectations of genre films
• Audiences expect genre films
to involve innovation,
inflection/subversion of the
generic conventions

9. Conventions of Music Videos
• List common conventions of music video. You need
to cover the conventions of performance, narrative,
concept, conventions surrounding representation,
and the ideas of Goodwin
• Share your list with other people

10. Your own work
• You are now going to consider how you have
followed conventions and how you have challenge
conventions. Write up a list.
• Write a summary statement of how your use of
conventions has developed changed between the
two productions.
• Remember that you will need to talk about more
than one production so it could be a good idea to
look back at ‘Why does love do this to me’ and your
axillary text as well

11. Past Essays
• Read through the examples from past students (not
all from our school)
• Considering the marks that they got discuss as a
class what makes a good essay and what things
should you avoid doing

12. Planning your answer
• You are going to choose one of the questions on
the next slide and prepare an essay plan using the
template provided of how you would answer the
question.
• Remember the simple plan you were told about at
the start of the lesson.

13. Planning your answer.
• 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.
• Explain how far your understanding of the conventions of existing
media text 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.
• Describe how your analysis of the convention of real media
informed your own creative media practice. Refer to a range of
examples in your answer to show how this understanding
developed over time.
• Explain the most significant ways in which your media
productions were informed by your understanding of the
conventions of real media text. Refer to a range of examples in
your answer to show how this understanding developed over
time.