Starter Task1. Make a list of what you did in

terms of research and planning for your Foundation and Advanced Portfolio work.

Unit G325: Theoretical Evaluation

Of ProductionResearch and

Planning

• Analyse one of your pieces against Research and Planning theory.

• You MUST have given at least two example from your coursework for each theory (E-C).

• You SHOULD be able to provide at least three examples from your coursework for each theory (B-A grade).

• You COULD be apply medium specific theory to it (e.g. music video/newspaper theory) (A/A* grade).

• Your assessment will take the form of an essay based homework assignment.

Session Aims

Pete Fraser (2002)• Suggested that creativity is

brilliant but that the key to a strong media coursework project was “professionalism and organisation”.

• The two key areas of ‘research and planning’ therefore ask you to assess…

1. The rigour of your planning and organisational skills and…

2. Your attitude towards your coursework.

Research and Planning

Task• “Creativity is brilliant but that the key to a

strong media coursework project was “professionalism and organisation”. (Fraser, 2002).

1. To what extent do you agree with Pete Fraser’s statement?

• Illustrate your point with detailed examples from your own AS project work.

• You have five minutes to complete this task.

Bennett, Slater & Wall (2006)• All media production “takes place in the light of other media production”.

Task• “All media production “takes place in the light

of other media production” (Bennett, Slater and Wall 2006).

• What do Bennett, Slater and Wall mean by this statement?

• Why is it especially important in relation to your coursework?

• Illustrate your point with detailed examples from your own AS and A2 project work.

• You have five minutes to complete this task.

Bennett, Jones, McDougall (2002)• All students should identify a

“clear audience” and “plan how the artefact will be tested” during the planning process.

Task• “All students should identify a “clear audience”

and “plan how the artefact will be tested” during the planning process (Bennett, Jones and McDougall 2006).

• Why is identifying a “clear audience” and “planning how the artefact will be tested” so important to your project work?

• Illustrate your point with detailed examples from your own AS and A2 project work.

• You have five minutes to complete this task.

Clark et al (2007)

• State that in media industries it is important to carry out “regular audience research” using methods such as ratings collection, questionnaires, surveys, screen tests etc.

Task• It is important to carry out “regular audience research”

using methods such as ratings collection, questionnaires, surveys, screen tests etc. (Clark et al, 2007).

1. What audience research methods have you used as part of your AS and A2 project work?

2. What lessons did you learn from your AS audience research that you must take into account at A2?

• Illustrate your point with detailed examples from your own AS and A2 project work.

• You have five minutes to complete this task.

What You Did: Pre-ProductionResearch

1.Given brief.

2.Research

3.Analysis of existing media texts.

4.Issues surrounding Regulation. (Press Complains Commission, ABC, NRS, OFCOM.)

5.Came up with draft ideas.

6.Audience Profiling.

7.Media Pitch – audience feedback, health and safety

8.Re-drafting – audience feedback.

• Primary research – first hand – textual analysis, audience feedback: questionnaires, vox-pops.

• Secondary research – second hand information – work on codes and conventions of texts, use of theory.

Types of Research

1. What primary research sources have you used during your Foundation and Advanced Portfolio projects?

2. Do you think your ability to use primary research sources has improved from AS to A2? Illustrate your answer with detailed examples.

Primary Research

Primary Research Sources– Internet – covers, contents pages, double

pages spreads, shot types etc.– Magazines – what magazines did you

textually analyse?– Posters.– DigiPaks.– Websites.– Radio Trailers.– Listings Magazine DPSs.– Newspapers.

1. What secondary research sources have you used during your Foundation and Advanced Portfolio projects?

2. Do you think your ability to use secondary research sources has improved from AS to A2? Illustrate your answer with detailed examples.

Secondary Research

Secondary Research

• www.trcmediastudies.co.uk,• Subject blogs, • Google,• Wikipedia,• Class handouts, • Text books,• Newspapers,• Journals/magazines,• Industry websites – viewing figures, ABC figures for

magazines etc.

Advantages/Disadvantages of Sources

Accuracy •Were the facts and figures correct? •Did your audience feedback results provide a fair sample of overall opinions?

Bias •Textual analysis can be biased as it is subjective.•Did you complete enough research to overcome this? •Were any secondary sources biased? •Think about documentary and mediation?

Validity •Was there a link between the particular research and final product? •Was there a strong indication that this research effected the outcome of your work?

Usefulness •How relevant was this to your project (see validity). •OR did any of your research methods prove to be completely useless and why? •Could you have used BOOLEAN searches on the internet for example?

S. Sonderling (in P.J. Fourie (2004))

• Suggests that “to make any media product equipment and people are needed”.

• For video – a clear location and organisation of correct personnel are vital.

What You Did: Pre-ProductionPlanning

•Treatment.

•Storyboards and final flat-plans.

•Organisation of personnel in group.

•Production schedules .

•Call Sheets.

• In this essay you will be required to evaluate as part of the specified write up the outcomes of the research and planning process.

• E.g. (P) The planning of my storyboard enabled me to think about the order of my shots. (D) For example there was a sequence in my music video which required cross cut of insert shots to gig and back again. (Q) As this sequence did appear in my final product, although with some SPFX enhancement at post production, I clearly felt the benefit of storyboarding, more so than flat-planning at AS where I hadn’t drawn with colours so I feel my skills did indeed improve in this area across the two years.

Planning – Pre-Production • Adequate research – link this to DIGITAL

TECHNOLOGY – where did you find the research? Link to use of real media conventions. Was it VALID? USEFUL? RELIABLE?

• Drafting – flat plans for magazines and storyboards/ancillary drafts for A2 - link to DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY and CREATIVITY – how did you construct these?

• Audience Feedback – Again link to DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY and USE OR REAL MEDIA CONVENTIONS if possible. How did you make sure you collated this? How did you ensure that you collated this? What was the development between AS and A2?

• Remember the key words: Qualitative, Quantitative, Validity.

Scheduling• Did your knowledge of call

sheets/production schedules grow across AS and A2?

• Working as a team and organising equipment?

• What did you learn about planning roles – who was designer, journalist, director?

• Was booking equipment done smoothly?

Time and Resources

• Did you meet deadlines? • What are the pros and cons of organising personnel? • What have you learned about communication between personnel? • Did your knowledge of call sheets/production schedules grow?• What could you have done better? • What are your strengths and weaknesses? • Did you utilise digital technology to aid your organisation (call

sheets and production schedules on blog)?

Individual/Group Work• What did you learn about working individually

or in groups?

• What are the pro and cons of individual/team work?

• What main things have you learned about group work at AS and A2 in terms of planning your product?

Presentation •How did you present your primary and secondary research on your blogs? We are talking about enhancing CREATIVITY and USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY•Did your presentation of audience feedback for example become more creative through your increased use of digital technology available for embedding on the blogs (onlinecharttool, bubl.us, WMM etc.)? •Again, did your knowledge of referencing grow? Did this allow you to become more knowledgeable of presentation skills? i.e. did your present research findings in slideshow format?

• How did you organise your research and planning materials? (Link to digital technology).

• Did you utilise the blog more at A2 than at AS level?

• How did you follow your flat plans/storyboards? • What did you understand about the changes that

were made?• Did all group members have copies of production

schedules, call sheets, storyboards etc.?

Organisation

• Consider your pre-production processes for AS Foundation Portfolio and A2 Advanced Portfolio. In what ways have they differed? In what ways are they the same?

• What lessons did you learn from your AS audience research that you must take into account at A2?

• Illustrate your point with detailed examples from your own AS and A2 project work.

• You have five minutes to complete this task.

Organisation

Homework Assignment• Describe the ways in which your production work

was informed by research into real media texts and how your ability to use such research for production developed over time.

• Refer to specific and detailed examples from your products.

• Use as much media theory and terminology as possible.

• Hand written.

• 30 minute time limit.

Essay StructureIntroduction• Define what is meant by research and planning (using

an appropriate quote – remember to relate the quote to the question).

• Briefly describe what products you created at AS and A2. Who were your audience?

• Briefly answer the question. Explain how close textual analysis of real media texts enabled you to pastiche the generic conventions of real texts.

• Do you think your research into real media texts developed from AS to A2? Explain why you think this.

Essay StructureYou Must• Discuss how close textual analysis of real media

texts enabled you to pastiche the generic conventions of real texts – relate this to Bennett, Slater and Wall (2006).

• Use specific and detailed examples from your AS and A2 coursework to assess how your research and textual analysis skills developed over time in relation to Bennett, Slater and Wall (2006).

Essay StructureYou Could• Discuss how important it is to target your product at a specific

audience (Bennett, Jones and McDougall (2002)). • Explain how you identified this target audience at the stage of

pre-production and how you ensured that your products effectively appealed to this audience (relate this to Clark et al. (2007)).

• How did your ability to do this develop from AS to A2?• At A2, was your research into real media texts conducted

individually or as a group? Did different group members conduct different research? If so then relate this to S. Sonderling (2004).

Essay StructureConclusion• Conclude your answer by restating whether, in your

opinion, your research into real media texts during your AS Foundation Portfolio and A2 Advanced Portfolio was affective or not.

• Sum up whether your ability to use such research for production developed over time. What lessons have you learned from this process?

• If you were to conduct a similar project in the future, what would you do differently?

Next Lesson

• Creativity.