Question 1A – Digital Technology

It’s About The Development Of Your Skills  30 second match-on-action video  Thriller film opening  Lip sync video  Promotional Package for a new artist

Remember The Mark Scheme  25 Marks but more holistically distributed than question 1B ◦ Clear sense of progression of skills ◦ Specific examples given ◦ Clear evaluative reflection ◦ Addressing the question ◦ Excellent use of terminology

5 Key Areas  Digital technology  Research and Planning  Conventions of Real Media  Post-Production  Creativity

When Did This Last Show Up?  June 2014: Post Production Creative Decisions  June 2013: Creative Use of Digital Technology  Jan 2013: Research and Planning Skills  June 2012: Creative Post Production Decisions  Jan 2012: How Conventions of Real Media Texts creatively informed your own media practice  June 2011: How Conventions of Real Media Texts creatively informed your own media practice  Jan 2011: Creative Use of Digital Technology

When Did This Last Show Up?  You’ll see that they all contain at least two of the five areas  So as you can see, the question is likely to mix and match the five  You MUST be able to think on your feet and answer the question that is there.

In Order To Prepare For Q1a, Consider the Following 6 Questions  What production activities have you done?  What digital technology have you used?  In what ways can the work you have done be described as creative? (We’ll talk about this today)  What different forms of research did you do?  What conventions of real media did you need to know about?  What do you understand by ‘post-production’ in your work?

From Last Year’s Moderator’s Report  1(a) Where candidates were able to explain the significance of post-production and apply this to a range of incrementally developing examples from AS and A2 and map post- production decisions to textual outcomes (ie what difference the decision made to the final text), candidates were awarded the higher levels. These candidates gave a wide range of precise examples - describing and evaluating their intentions in relation to, for example, effects/filters and the effect of their post-production decisions on the audience. A surprising number of candidates wrote about pre-production (research and planning) instead of post- production. A further significant minority included feedback and online promotion, re- filming and evaluation as post-production, which examiners disregarded unless there was a clear connection to the ‘core business’ of postproduction.

The Big Scary Question  Which digital technologies have you actually used? ◦ At AS ◦ At A2

Suggested Essay Plan A  Introduction  AS vs A2 (Pre-Production)  AS vs A2 (Production)  AS vs A2 (Post-Production)  Conclusion ◦ Answer the question one more time  I like this format because it shows a rounded development of expertise and suggests that your entire skillset improved over the course.

Pre-Production  Wix  Online polling/questionnaire software  Flickr  Twitter  Vlogs  YouTube  Sony Vegas or other video editing software  Digital Photography ◦ DSLR, Smartphone, Tablet, etc.  Digital Videography ◦ Sony Camcorders, DSLR, Iphone, Tablet, etc.  Animatic Creation  Podcasting  Other digital audio  Microsoft Office  Text/ /Social Media to communicate

Production  Sony Vegas or other video editing software  Digital Photography ◦ DSLR, Smartphone, Tablet, etc.  Digital Videography ◦ Sony Camcorders, DSLR, Iphone, Tablet, etc.  Other digital audio

Some Thoughts on Production  In a digital world the consumers can easily become producers. The line between audience and media has never been more fluid  David Buckingham talks about ‘loser-generated content’ ◦ Where’s the quality control though? ◦ Think about Twitter hoaxes, shady reporting on blogs, etc. ◦ The TMZ generation

Post-Production  This is a lot like the post-production part section we studied. You can pretty much use one of your paragraphs you planned for that here  Sony Vegas Pro  Photoshop  YouTube for Rough Cuts  Location and integration of score  Manipulation/Creation of original sound  Remember, for each of these it’s not just about what you did but why you did them and how they were interpreted by your audience  It’s about how you communicated meaning to your audience!  HOMEWORK TASK – Make a list of all the post-production tasks you did at AS. Then do the same for what you envision you will have to do at A2

What’s Right/Wrong with the following paragraph?  Photoshop was a key piece of technology for both pieces of coursework. For my AS magazine, I used Photoshop to crop and cut out my image. I also created my masthead and cover lines in Photoshop. At A2,however, I felt more confident with the programme. I cut out my main image for my magazine advert, but this time it was a faster process and the impact was smoother and more professional. I also used more of a range of tools. For example, I created a spotlight effect to focus the viewer on my ‘star’. The fact that I had so much practise with Photoshop at AS led to my increased confidence at A2.

Consider This:  As you’re making progress on your original music video and ancillary tasks, occasionally ask yourself how you’re using digital technology in each step of the process.  This will make things a lot easier come exam time.