Introduction to Unit G325

Theoretical Evaluation of
Production
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
(focusing on 1(a)
(Section B: Contemporary Media Issues)
 Exemplar Questions
In this section you need to write about your work for the
Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units. You must
answer 1(a) and 1(b)

1 (a) ‘Digital technology turns media consumers into

media producers.’ In your own experience, how has
your creativity developed through using digital
technology to complete your coursework
productions?

(b) ‘Media texts rely on cultural experiences in order

for audiences to easily make sense of narratives’.
Explain how you used conventional and/or
experimental narrative approaches in one of your
production pieces.
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.
 1 (a)
Focus is skills development and evaluation of
those skills.
Relate these skills to the following production
practices:
• Digital technology
• Creativity
• Research and Planning
• Post-production
• Using conventions from real media texts
 Use sheet to record class
brainstorm of ideas
Music Magazine Horror trailer and ancillary tasks
(Main task & Preliminary task of college
mag)

Digital Technology

Creativity

Research and
Planning

Post-production

Using conventions
from real media
texts
 Starter
Put the requirements of this part of the course into your
own language:

Describe and evaluate your skills development over the

course of your production work, from Foundation
Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio.
 Writing an evaluation:
Describe & evaluate a skill Describe & evaluate a skill

Production Practice College Magazine Horror trailer and ancillary tasks

Music Magazine
(Main task
(Prelim Task)
Tick here  Tick here 

Review exemplar media

essays
Creativity

Research &Planning

Post-production

Digital Technology

Using conventions from

real media texts

Deadline for
presentations
 Review exemplar writing
Read Charlotte’s production report from her AS

Key questions – discuss in pairs

(1) What is the difference between this writing and your
blog?
 Put these criteria into your own words
Here are a list of the assessment criteria for the relevant exam:

BAND 4
Explanation/analysis/argument (9-10 marks)
There is a clear sense of progression established by the answer, and a range of
articulate reflections on the production process are offered.
Use of examples (9-10 marks)
Candidates offer a broad range of specific, relevant and clear examples of the use of
technology in relation to creative skills development.
Use of terminology (5 marks)
The use of both production terms and conceptual media terminology applied
throughout is excellent.

Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing
appropriate to the complex subject matter. Sentences and paragraphs, consistently
relevant, have been well structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There
may be few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Write a list of general questions you
need to ask yourself about your
portfolio this year
 What notes/resources that you
already have could you use to help
you produce your evaluation?
 A digital file…
is one broken down into noughts and ones

What one technology

advancement has allowed
these developments?
 Pixels & Resolution
The more pixels used to represent an image, the closer
the result can resemble the original. The number of
pixels in an image is sometimes called the resolution,
though resolution has a more specific definition. Pixel
counts can be expressed as a single number, as in a
"three-megapixel" digital camera, which has a nominal
three million pixels, or as a pair of numbers, as in a "640
by 480 display", which has 640 pixels from side to side
and 480 from top to bottom (as in a VGA display), and
therefore has a total number of 640 × 480 = 307,200
pixels or 0.3 megapixels.
 Digital Technology
Taking and downloading images from a digital camera
Creating a powerpoint to share research with the class and elicit feedback

Using Flickr to research and source shared images when studying conventions of
portraits

Using Flickr to research and source shared images

Using Myspace to listen to a track when researching genre and lyrics

Using Google images to find front covers of school magazines

Recording an interview on your mobile

Using Web 2.0 to create a blog and uploading photographs to invite comment

Using Youtube to watch music videos Texting a friend to arrange a shoot

Retouching a photograph using Photoshop tools

 Digital Technology
Taking and downloading images from a digital camera
Creating a powerpoint to share research with the class and elicit feedback
Take 1 of these:
Using Flickr to research and source shared images when studying conventions of
Brainstorm:
portraits-How you used the skills specifically on the 2 tasks (make sure you
mention something relevant ie music or college students)
-How you improved yourFlickr
Using skills/what were theand
to research main developments
source in
shared images
skills
-What
Using problems
Myspace or solutions
to listen youwhen
to a track foundresearching genre and lyrics
-Main learning points
-Evaluate how much the skills helped you devise project
-AreGoogle
Using these skills
imagesuseful in isolation
to find fromofthe
front covers othermagazines
school skills eg
-How have creative ideas forced you to develop digital
technology skills?
-How has digital technology Recording an interview on your mobile
allowed you to be more creative?

Using Web 2.0 to create a blog and uploading photographs to invite comment

Using Youtube to watch music videos Texting a friend to arrange a shoot

 Some key words
resolution
colour
MP3
digital file
Broadband
Web 2.0
JPEG
MPEG
pixel
 Write up this section of your
evaluation. c. 400 words
• Pick the key skills that made the most
impact and perhaps the ones that
were newest to you.
• You are probably better writing about
3 examples in detail (or even 2) than
more than that.
DUE NEXT TUESDAY
 Using conventions from real media texts
Front page: cues to show it’s a music magazine, masthead, font, image, colours,
representation of target audience
Contents page: text layout, choice of images, highlighting key articles, categorising
content, font
Double page spread: text & image layout, images, captions, colour, pull quotes,
subheadings, text boxes, font, headline
Other: intertextuality, drawing on conventions from other magazine categories eg womens
magazines, gossip magazines, websites/fan sites, Bollywood film, album covers
General (ie all pages): images - use of camera angle, pose, mise en scene,
casting/model,
Consider:
(1) Which were the most influential conventions for you? How did your study of them
affect your decisions and outcomes?
- make sure you name specific titles
- make sure you give detailed explanation of what you analysed and how you used the
information
- refer to what impact this made compared with your preliminary task where you did very
little of this work
(2) Did you subvert (ie go against) any conventions that you studied in music magazines?
- why did you do this? did it work?
 Using conventions from real media texts
Front page?

Contents page?

Double page spread?

General (ie all pages)?

Other media texts?

Using conventions from real media texts
Consider:
(1) Which were the most influential conventions for you? How
did your study of them affect your decisions and outcomes?
- make sure you name specific titles
- make sure you give detailed explanation of what you
analysed and how you used the information
- refer to what impact this made compared with your
preliminary task where you did very little of this work
(2) Did you subvert (ie go against) any conventions that you
studied in music magazines?
- why did you do this? did it work?
Using conventions from real media texts
Consider:
(1) Which were the most influential conventions for you? How
did your study of them affect your decisions and outcomes?
- make sure you name specific titles
- make sure you give detailed explanation of what you
analysed and how you used the information
- refer to what impact this made compared with your
preliminary task where you did very little of this work
(2) Did you subvert (ie go against) any conventions that you
studied in music magazines?
- why did you do this? did it work?