A2 Examination

Tips
LO: To review some exam
techniques.
Question 1A
 Question 1A will ask you about your
development in skills from one of the following
areas

 Research and Planning

 digital technology use
 post-production
 use of real media conventions
 creativity
 Itis possible that a question might refer to
two of these categories, so be prepared
to talk about any/all of them!
Digital Technology
 Digital
technology refers to hardware,
software and online technology, so the
cameras, the computers, the packages
you used and the programs online that
you have worked with. It is worth
considering how all this inter-links.
Post Production
 Post-production would actually fall under
digital technology as well, so if that comes up
it would probably represent an expansion of
points you'd make in one section of digital
technology. It is really about everything you
do after constructing the raw materials for
your production; so once you have taken
photos and written text, how do you
manipulate it all in photoshop or desktop
publishing for a print product or once you
have shot your video, what do you do to it in
editing?
Research and Planning
 Research refers to looking at real media
and audiences to inform your thinking
about a media production and also how
you record all that research. Planning
refers to all the creative and logistical
thinking and all the organisation that goes
on in putting the production together so
that everything works and again gives
you the chance to write about how you
kept records of it.
Creativity
 Creativity is the hardest one in many ways
because it involves thinking about what the
creative process might mean. Wikipedia describes
it as "a mental process involving the discovery of
new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the
existing ideas or concepts, fueled by the process
of either conscious or unconscious insight." For your
projects it might involve considering where ideas
came from, how you worked collaboratively to
share ideas, how you changed things or even how
you used tools like the programs to achieve
something imaginative.
Use of Real Media
Conventions
 Useof real media conventions involves
consideration of other texts that you
looked at and how skilfully you were able
to weave their conventions into your work
or ways in which you might have
challenged them.
 You will notice that most of the above were
areas that you covered in the evaluation task
at the end of each of your productions. This
time, you are putting together ideas from
evaluations and standing a bit further back to
look across your production work and
reflecting on how you developed across the
course. You should feel free to acknowledge
weaknesses and to reflect upon how you
learned from them and how you overcame
problems. It is not a place to be defensive
about your work but to really reflect on it!
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 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 short conclusion
Question 1 B
 Question 1b
With this question you should be imagining
you are someone else looking at it for the first
time. How would you analyse this music video,
this magazine or whatever? Imagine you
didn't make it but that it is a real media
production.

 With your theoretical knowledge, you should

have no problem with this.
Question1B
 For
each area there are theories or ideas
which you must learn thoroughly; then
you have to apply those ideas to ONE of
your productions and analyse it
accordingly. Decide in advance which
piece you will write about and make sure
that whatever the concept, you can
actually do it. Again, here is a bit of a
breakdown of what the five concepts
might involve
 Essay Structure
 para 1 Intro: which of your projects are you going to write
about? briefly describe it
para 2: what are some of the key features of the concept
you are being asked to apply? maybe outline some of the
theories briefly
para 3; start to apply the concept, making close reference to
your production
para 4: try to show ways in which ideas work in relation to your
production and also ways in which those ideas might not
apply/could be challenged
para 5; conclusion