G325 Critical Perspectives in Media

What’s it all about?The Unit is split into 2 separate sections.

Section 1 (Theoretical Evaluation of Production) has 2 exams:

-Evaluation of skills development

-Evaluation of production using a theoretical concept

Section 2 (Contemporary Media Issues)

-Media and Collective Identity

-Media in an Online Age

Section A: theoretical evaluation of production

Question 1 (A) requires you to describe and evaluate your skills development over the course of your production work, from foundation portfolio to advanced portfolio.

The focus must be on your skills development, and the question will require you to adapt this to one or two specific production practices detailed below;

Digital Technology

Creativity

Research and Planning

Post-Production

Using conventions from real media texts

Question 1 (B) requires you to select one of your productions (your strongest one) and evaluate it in

relation to a media concept. The exam will focus on one of the following concepts;

Genre

Narrative

Representation

Audience

Media Language

We recommend that you discuss your trailer as

Moving image lends itself better to all areas of

analysis.

Section B: Contemporary Media Issues

The exam will ask you to comment on one topic areas, answering one question.

We will study two areas to give you an element of choice in the exam.

We will be studying;

Media and Collective Identity – the focus will be on British Youth Culture.

Media in the Online Age – the media areas we will focus on are film, music and news.

Media and Collective Identity

How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic / social / collective groups of people in different ways?

How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?

What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?

To what extent is human identity increasingly mediated?

Media in the Online AgeHow have online media developed?

What has been the impact of the internet on media production?

How is consumer behaviour and audience response transformed by online media, in relation to the past?

To what extent has convergence transformed the media?

Starting The UnitWe are going to start the unit by looking at Media and Collective Identity but before we do that it is worth reflecting on individual skills following the completion of your coursework unit.

1.In your skills development blog make a list of skills that you have personally developed, throughout both AS and A2 coursework and suggest how you’ve been creative in doing so, under the following headings;

Digital TechnologyResearch and PlanningPost-ProductionUsing conventions from real media texts

We will return to the list, evaluating how you developed these skills and what Impact they’ve had on your production when we study the topic area.