G324 evaluation guide

1. A2 Media Studies – Guidance for writing your Evaluation
Your evaluation is marked out of 20 marks. Your research and planning is also out of 20 marks.
You will individually blog your evaluation and must make the most of digital technology that is available, such as links, images and embedded video. You
must answer all four questions that are set out below. Don’t overuse the same piece of digital technology and make sure that you are using
technology that is appropriate for the question.
It’s ESSENTIAL that you plan your response to each question before you start. Think carefully about which piece of tech you feel works the best for
the requirements of the question (e.g. using prezi for question 1 or 2 possibly won’t work as well as other technology given what the question is asking you
to do).
Question What should you cover? Digital Technology – some suggestions
Question 1
In what ways does your
media products use,
develop or challenge
forms and conventions of
real media products?
Don’t forget to write
about your ancillary
products too!
Music video AND Ancillary:
Focus on forms and conventions of music videos – look back on your blogs on
Vernallis and Goodwin.
• Identify which of their main ideas you’ve followed in your video.
• Which video(s) were you influenced by and why? Present screen shots
from your video next to screen shots from real videos to illustrate this.
• What aspect of the video influenced you - was it the editing, use of
camerawork, or perhaps the some other aspect of its visual style.
Present clips from your video alongside clips from real videos using
Camtasia.
• Did you decide to challenge the conventions of the genre of video for
some reason?
Be specific and detailed about this.
Don’t forget that you must also refer to your ancillary products too:
• How conventional are your ancillary texts?
• What conventions did you decide to use and which did you decide to
challenge in some ways?
• Provide screen shots of real ancillary texts alongside your ancillary
texts to illustrate how you’ve used conventions.
• Upload your music video to youtube (minus
the sound-track) using the class username and
password for the blog and use google
annotations to provide an explanation of
how your have used conventions of music
videos. (This bit can be done as a group).
• Screen casting using Camtasia comparing
clips from your video with shots from real
music videos; comparing your ancillary work
with real examples.
• Links to youtube videos (including the
timings) that have influenced you – or ideally
embedded video clips.
• Screen shots from videos that have in some
way influenced you alongside screenshots from
your own video – showing how you have
either used, developed or challenged ideas.
• Images of ancillary texts that have influenced
the style and design of yours.
• Video clip of yourself discussing this question,
or a voice over explanation over video of the
videos that influenced you.

2. Question 2
How effective is the
combination of your
main product (video) and
ancillary texts (digipak
/band
website/advertisement)?
A successful music video will make clear visual links between it and its
ancillary products.
• Look back on your blog about synergy – how did you plan to use
synergy in your production pieces?
In this question you must examine how well you think your promotional
package does this.
• What aspects of the video link with the ancillary texts?
• How can your audience recognise them as linked products?
• How successful do you think your main and ancillary texts are?
• Do you think your target audience would be attracted to them? If so
why? If not, why?
• Compare with existing products to illustrate how you’ve used synergy.
• Collage or mural of the visual links using
images of your ancillary and your embedded
video from Vimeo;
• Screen shots illustrating the direct visual
links between the products;
• Links to work that influenced you.
• Video clip of yourself addressing this
question.
• Screen casting demonstrating how you’ve
used elements of real ancillary texts in your
production work.
• Thinglink collage or Padlet collage
Question 3
How did you use
media technologies in
the construction and
research, planning and
evaluation stages?
This question is
asking you HOW you
used technology – it’s
not asking you to just
list the pieces of tech
that you used.
NB – a Tripod is NOT
a piece of
TECHNOLOGY!!
Remember to think about all aspects of media technology that you’ve used
during this project:
• brand ne state of the art video cameras – using memory cards;
• blogger- research, planning and evaluation;
• apps and websites used in conjunction with blogger to display your
work;
• twitter and Instagram to keep your teachers updated with your
filming progress;
• internet for research purposes – think about the sites that you’ve
used such as YouTube etc;
• Photoshop and/or InDesign and/or Wix/Weebly for the construction
of your ancillary products – remember which packages you’ve used
for which product as these are two very different programmes!
• Premiere Pro for editing – did you use any particular effects, for
example?
o Green screen
DO NOT USE PREZI for this question.
• Screen casting demonstration of you using a
particular edit in PrPro or
Photoshop/InDesign;
• Screen shots of editing screen in PrPro
illustrating how you have used a particular edit
or function of the package.
• Screen shot of
Photoshop/InDesign/Wix/Weebly showing
how you constructed your ancillary texts.
Don’t forget that you’ve also used blogger
itself.
Make sure that you’ve embedded your animatic or
digital storyboard.
• Voice-over in place of written text could be
used – you could record a voice-over that
explains how you used the technology that can
be placed over a small video of the technology

3. Don’t forget to write
about your ancillary
production work too!
o Colour grading
• Did you make an animatic and a digital storyboard?
in question.
• Time Toast an account of the development
of the use of technology in all stages of your
production work.
Do not just put lots of pictures of the various
pieces of software/equipment that you used –
you must say HOW you used it.
Question 4
What have you learned
from your audience
feedback?
You must include
audience feedback on
your ancillary products
too.
• Start by looking back at the feedback you got during the editing
process (including the rough cut screening) and reflect on the
changes that you made to your final edit in light of this. Think about
why you made the changes and how important the audience
feedback was for you.
• How did the audience in the cinema react to your video? Analyse
one or two comments that you received during the class analysis of
the videos, focusing on potential changes or improvements – how
could/would you change your product in relation to this feedback? It
is important that you think about what you have learned about
what your audience said about your products and not simply listed
what they say! Really reflect back on whether it makes you look at
your products in a different light.
• Think about the reaction that your video got when it was screened in
the cinema.
• Show your ancillary work to its target audience – ask them what
they think works and doesn’t work. Ask your audience how
effectively you’ve incorporated synergy into your production pieces.
• Link to Vimeo with audience ratings.
• Vox Pops of audience feedback on your
video. Try and record people’s reactions
to your video during the cinema screening or
outside the cinema at the end.
• Include your own comments on people’s
reactions – remember the question is asking
you what you’ve learned.
• Make a short documentary about your trip
to the cinema – on arrival, the reaction of the
audience to your video when they watch it and
the reaction of the audience after the
screening.
• Record your audience responding to
your ancillary products. Upload your
ancillary products to a fan-site and ask for
feedback on its effectiveness.