Section A Q1a Breakdown

For Section A Question 1a you need to know the following:

How you have developed your skill from AS to A2 in each of the following areas:

1. Digital Technology
2. Creativity
3. Research and Planning
4. Post-Production
5. Using Conventions from Real Media Texts

The question will ask you about 1 or 2 of these areas.

You MUST mention both your AS and A2 coursework pieces in this essay

Digital Technology:

Think about the software you used when completing each of these units:

• Photoshop
• InDesign
• Premiere Pro
• Illustrator

How did your skills in using this software develop from AS to A2?

Are you now more confident using this software?

What effect has this confidence had on the quality of your final product?

Think about the hardware you used when completing each of these units:

• Digital SLR's (Still image/Photographs)
• SD Camera's (Moving Image)
• DV Camera's (Moving Image)

How did your skills in using this hardware develop from AS to A2?

Where you able to experiment with different camera angles/lighting techniques?

Think about your blogging skills and the online programmes you used for this:

• Blogger
• Wix
• Weebly
• Prezi
• Slideshare
• YouTube

How did your skills in using these online progammes develop from AS to A2?

Are you more confident with using them?

Have you been able to experiment with different programmes and ways of presenting your work?

Creativity:

Think about the creative decisions you have made throughout the course:

• Photography
• Layout
• Font
• Masthead design
• Editing
• Camera Angles

How have these developed from AS to A2?

Did you find yourself becoming more creative as your confidence grew?

Research and Planning:

Think about the different types of research and planning you have done throughout the 2 years:

• Researching real media texts
• Looking at previous students work
• Looking at codes and conventions
• Research into theories
• Mock ups
• Audience feedback

How have your skills in research and planning developed over the 2 years?

Are you now more efficient with your research and planning? 

Have you learnt to better apply your research and planning to your product?

Post-Production:

Think about the different ways you have used Post-Production techniques over the course:

• Editing Photographs
• Editing/Creating Fonts
• Editing Filmed Footage
• Adding Transitions/Effects
• Adding a Soundtrack/Voice over

How have your skills in the use of Post-Production techniques developed over time?

Have you become more confident?

Have you been able to experiment more because of this confidence?

What effect has this had on the overall quality of your production?

Using Conventions from Real Media Texts:

Think about the different types of texts you have looked at:

• Magazines
• Film Trailers
• Music Videos
• Album Covers

How did you find the conventions for these texts?

Did this process get easier as you progressed through the course?

Think of the different ways these conventions were applied in your own work:

• Editing
• Photography
• Font
• Layout
• Mode of Address
• Camera Angles
• Characters
• Lighting 

How did your ability to use and understand conventions develop over the 2 years?

Were you able to experiment with the conventions?

Did your ability to recognise them increase?

Did your ability to apply them to your work increase?

How did this affect the quality of your end products?

Example Essay 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 a detailed 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 detailed examples to support all that you say.

Paragraph 4: Should go on to demonstrate how the skill developed in later projects, again backed by detailed examples, and reflecting back on how this represents a move forward for you from your earlier position.

Paragraph 5: Short conclusion



Example Essays:

Level 4 - Research and Planning

Level 4 - Digital Technology

Level 1 - Research and Planning

Practice Questions:

Research and Planning:

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 examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time. 


Conventions of Real Media Texts:

Explain how far your understanding of the conventions of existing media influenced the way you created your won media products. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills have developed over time.


Digital Technology + Creativity:

Describe how you developed your skills in the use of digital technology for media productions 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 have developed over time. 


Post-Production + Creativity:

Describe how you developed your skills in post-production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time. 


Research and Planning + Conventions of Real Media Texts:

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. 


Post-Production and Digital Technology:

Describe how you developed your skills in using digital technology and evaluate how these skills contributed to your ability to apply post-production techniques. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.