This document provides guidance for answering a question about progression in digital technology skills and media production from AS to A2 level. It instructs the student to: - Provide examples from each production that demonstrate progression in the use of software, creativity, research/planning, and post-production skills. - Discuss how software was used at each level and how skills improved, citing specific examples from each piece. - Explain how conventions from other media texts were both repeated and made unique in each of their productions. The document then provides similar guidance for answering a question about representing a key concept through one of the student's productions, instructing them to analyze representation, narrative, genre, audience and media

1. G325 – Section A Help-sheet
Question 1(a) – 25 marks

Evidence of progression

Evidence of a range of examples from each production

What did you ‘repeat’ and/or change to show evidence of this?

Digital Technology
What software did you use and why; how did this software allow you to develop your
skillset in Media Production; How did it make a difference from AS to A2?;
Give specific examples from EACH production and the tools you used to create the desired
look/effect

Creativity
What did you bring to the Group and Individual production in terms of creativity?
How did you expand on this skillset and show progression from AS to A2 Production?;
What software features allowed this creativity to flourish?

Research and Planning
What research and planning did you carry and how; How did this differ from what you did
at AS level? What technologies/software did you use and why? How did this help in
producing your Production work? Did audience feedback help?

Post-Production
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2. What software did you use at AS and A2 Level – how did you get better at using this
and how did you progress? What features of the software did you use to make your
production work fit for purpose and professional in appearance? How did you know
how to use this software – research? Is it similar to any other products you analysed
in the research phase?

Using conventions from real media texts
Repetition’ (Steve Neale) and ‘difference’ (Steve Neale)
What did you repeat form other media texts and why? Give examples form the AS and A2
production work. How did you provide the audience with some difference and what
makes your product unique over your competitors?
Section A – Question 1(a) – 25 marks

Introduction –
1) Repeat and/or use language from the question itself to start off!
Example –
“My skill-set within the use of digital technology has developed significantly after reflecting on
the production work completed for AS and A2”.
2) Introduce what you completed for each Unit and name the production work
Example –
“At AS Level, the Production brief was….”
“In comparison, at A2 the Brief was different to the Production work completed at AS, as we had
to….”
3) Link sentence to Answer itself.
Example –
“The skills developed over time, as well as critical evaluation of the pre-production and prodution
process, will be evaluated in detail through a range of relevant examples with the intention of
showcasing how much I have progressed as a Media Studies student”

Main Body
1) AS Production –
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3. i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
What was produced?
How it was produced (Software and the tools within the software)?
What examples you drew influence from – “repetition and difference”
(Steve Neale)
What was the intended impact on the audience and why?
THEN where relevant compare the skills acquired to your A2 work:
2) A2 Production
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

What was produced? Similar/Different
How it was produced (Software and the tools within the software)?
Similar/Different
What examples you drew influence from – “repetition and difference”
(Steve Neale) Similar/Different
What was the intended impact on the audience and why?
Similar/Different
Conclusion
Example –
“In conclusion, the progression from AS to A2 in Production work has been….”
“To conclude, this analysis of both production pieces from AS and A2 has demonstrated…”
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4. Section A – Question 1(b) – 25 marks

Introduction –
1) Repeat and/or use language from the question itself to start off!
Example (Representation)–
“Representation can be denoted as… - give a definition”
2) Introduce the key concept by commenting on theory that will be
analysed/discussed in relation to ONE of your Productions.
Example – (Representation)–
“Wendy Helsby’s ideology denotes how the media provide a “window into the World” of
contemporary society. The production I have decided to focus on for this particular key concept
conforms to this view through… BRIEFLY explain how/why and give specific examples!”
3) Link sentence
Example –
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5. “Therefore the evaluation of my chosen production from the A2 course will focus on how certain
themes and issues are represented to the audience across the main and ancillary productions”

Main Body

Give detailed examples from the Main Production (Trailer) and Ancillary Products
(Poster and Magazine Front Cover) where the Key concept is most definitely
addressed –
For example:
1) Narrative Where is the ‘disequilibrium’ (Todorov) presented to the audience in the trailer;
which characters conform to Propp’s character roles theory.
Rebecca Fissey (2007) applies here as well.
Other Key terms:
-
Closed or Open Narrative?
Linear (Logical order) or Non-Linear (Flashbacks etc)
Multi-stranded narrative – Evident OR not? Where?
2) Representation –
Where does John Berger’s “Men act, women appear” theory apply?
Does the text(s) provide a “window into the World” (Wendy Helsby) of gender
roles within society OR does I challenge these stereotypical, one dimensional
views?
What “signs” act as “signifiers” (Ferdinand De Saussure) to the audience in
relation to the character roles/themes and issues presented in the text(s) you
produced?
Other Key terms/theory:
-
Does the representation of gender roles encourage a ‘male gaze’ (Laura
Mulvey) towards the female character(s) and/or a ‘female gaze’ (Diana Saco)
towards the male character(s)?
Hegemonic Cultural Stereotyping – Does this lead to passive
consumption, whereby the audience aspire to be like the characters
on screen OR is this challenged due to the issues presented in all 3
products?
3) Genre - What elements of ‘repetition’ (Steve Neale) and ‘difference’ (Steve
Neale) are there in the trailer compared to others from the Soap Opera genre?
e.g The ‘repeated’ theme of a working class community or “kitchen sink” feel to
the narrative of the trailer.
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6. Roland Barthes ‘Enigma codes’ theory – Can the audience identify any clues that
would entice them into consuming this text OR does it say anything about the
genre itself?
4) Audience – Refer to key examples from the text that conform to Katz, Maslow and
Hartley along with other Audience specific ideologies.
Hyperdermic syringe theory – Are the audience ‘injected’ with any dominant
beliefs about the characters that impact our enjoyment OR effect our decision to
consume the text in the first place?
Do you try and manipulate the audience into consuming the text with any USP’s –
e.g “Brand New”, “Exclusive”
SOAP OPERA SPECIFIC THEORY
Richard Kilborn (1992) – ‘Cathartic element” to Soaps – whereby the audience
let out emotions as events develop on screen.
Are the audience going to be passive and/or active consuming your media texts?
5) Media Language –non-verbal codes (Props, Lighting, Setting, Costume, Facial
expression/characterisation) technical codes (Shot types, camera angles, Camera
movement - Edit techniques/transitions, post-production effects applied) verbal
codes (Non-diegetic sound such as music lyrics, voiceover, pace of the music,
tempo of music, pitch of the music, synchronous and/or asynchronous sound),
denotations, connotations.
YOU SHOULD also refer to specific conventions that are expected in promotional
Soap Opera trailers, for example the use of an ident to help promote the show at
the end which is anchored by a non-diegetic voiceover that provides a clue as to the
excitement surrounding the show.



Then complete a similar analysis of the Ancillary production (Magazine Cover
and Poster) and analyse where there is evidence of Synergy and/or
Convergence. Also YOU MUST draw upon stand out cods & conventions’ as well.
Are the meanings (connotations) clear OR Polysemic?
Conclusion
Example –
“In conclusion,….”
“To conclude, this analysis…”
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