MS3: MEDIA INVESTIGATION AND PRODUCTION

Introduction This unit develops the knowledge and skills acquired at AS and as such contributes to synoptic assessment. In particular, it is designed to demonstrate the importance of research in informing media production and to develop the skills acquired in MS2. Content Candidates are required to produce three pieces of linked work: a research investigation (1400 1800 words) a production (informed by the investigation) a brief evaluation (500 750 words). (a) Research Investigation Candidates are required to undertake an individual investigation into a specific area of study focused on one of the following concepts: genre, narrative or representation. Their research should draw on a range of both primary and secondary sources. It should enable candidates to reach conclusions that will inform their production. Examples of investigations include: the representation of teenagers in two British films the generic similarities between Dr Who and Stargate the narrative structures of The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing. (b) Production Candidates are required to submit a production which should develop from and be informed by the candidate's research investigation. This production must be in a different form from the AS production. Audio-visual productions should be up to 4 minutes in length (depending on the nature of the production). Print-based productions (or their digital equivalent) should be a minimum of 3 pages. Digital media (other than audio-visual productions) and printbased productions must be individual. Audio-visual productions can be produced either individually or in groups (maximum 4). Group tasks must offer appropriate opportunities for each candidate to demonstrate an individual contribution. (c) Evaluation The production must be accompanied by an individual evaluation which explores how the production has been informed by the research undertaken into the relevant media concept. The evaluation can be produced in any appropriate form such as: a discursive essay (with or without illustrations) a digital presentation with slide notes (such as a PowerPoint) a suitably edited blog. Assessment This unit will be internally marked and externally moderated, assessing AO2, AO3 and AO4. Candidates are required to submit: a research investigation (1400 1800 words): 45 marks a production (informed by the investigation): 45 marks a brief evaluation (500 750 words): 10 marks

Each of the three pieces of work will be assessed separately and then combined to achieve a total mark for the unit.

The Basics
The MS3 Coursework brings together all elements of the course and builds upon the knowledge, understanding and skills youve already gained. It will test your understanding of the different elements of the A-level specification. It is designed to allow you to: Demonstrate research skills Demonstrate your knowledge of media concepts and apply them to the analysis of media texts Organise relevant information clearly and coherently using media language and terminology as appropriate Explore an area of contemporary media in depth Use your research to inform a media product Build on existing, and develop new technical & creative media skills Evaluate the success of your project as a whole Choose a subject to research that you really enjoy and have an interest in!

Media Investigation & Production

The facts:

50% of A2 25 % of A-level
Three separate components with a maximum of 100 marks.

Research Investigation 45 marks 1400-1800 words Practical Production

3-4 pages for print. 3-4 minutes for audio visual

45 marks 10 marks

Evaluation
500-750 words

As you can see, equal weight is given to both the Research Investigation and the Practical Production. So its important that you do not prioritise one over the other. The exam board specifies that you cannot create work based on the same form or medium as your AS level coursework. Therefore you will need to consider carefully which area of the media you will focus on for this project.

The Rules
So what exactly are you doing?

1. You are required to submit an individual investigative or analytical essay

of between 1400 and 1800 words this is your Research Investigation
You are required to submit a word count, so keep a close eye on how many words you have used.

2. You will select a title with a CLEARLY DEFINED FOCUS so that a clear
area for research is revealed
your own primary texts. You can choose one of the suggested topics, or your own. You will choose

3. You MUST base your response on one (or more) of the following
concepts: i. Genre ii. Narrative Form iii. Representation

Youll see that most of the choices are based on representation. This is because it is quite a meaty subject. However there are plenty of academic writings on all three of these subject areas. You just have to remember that the key area you study will inform how you plan your...

4. Media Products must be based on your Research Investigation. They can

be done in groups if the product is Audio Visual but MUST be undertaken individually if they are print based.
This is included to allow you to really show off the technical skills you developed in the AS level, and to give you the freedom to be as creative as you can the exam board wants these to look professional remember, however, it must be connected to the Research Investigation and will be marked on how obvious these connection are.

The Research Investigation

1. At each step of your research, try to have clear objectives in mind. Are you clear about what you are trying to get out of each piece of research you do? 2. Its useful to set yourself questions that you want your research to find answers to. This should help direct you and help you to set priorities. 3. Make a record on your blog of every source you use and every piece of research you do, because if you dont youll forget the sources youve used. You will need to note these sources in your bibliography, so its important you have a clear record of them. 4. You will need both primary and secondary research in your essay Primary research involves doing your own original work to find out about something. Primary Research Your textual analysis Emails/letters/telephone calls Secondary research involves making use of other peoples research to help you with your area of investigation. Secondary Research Books/study guides Newspapers/magazines/journals Video/DVD/television Surveys/data Websites/Radio

Example research log

Suitable for Theoretical / Academic research and also Institutional context research: Research Questions

Source:
If book: title/author/publisher/year If visual: title/director/production company/year

Useful quotations including page no.

Summary of Findings and Evaluation of Source

Different Sources
Obviously, there are going to be many, many different places for you to research. It is worth bearing in mind that there are different types of source. Aim to cover as many of these as possible:
search engines academic sites media industry websites fan/official websites magazines academic books popular books TV and Radio programes DVDs / Videos Questionnaires Interviews newspapers & news archives

The majority of your research will be from academic books, academic websites and analysis of texts. When it comes to websites be dilligent and be sure to scrutinise them. It is well documented that not everything on the web is the gospel truth!
The Question of Wikipedia Wikipedia is a valuable resource for research. BUT. I do NOT expect to see it as a reference in your bibliographies. When completed, this project will constitute six months of research and independent academic study. If either the examiner or I see Wikipedia as your supposedly thorough research then it undermines the work you have put in. Wikipedia is not without its uses. Many of the articles are actually derived from some kind of academic research and Wikipedia is a place for collecting them. Use it as a starting point to find substantiuated and academic resources (external links) - but remember to scrutinise the external links & bibliography. Anything which cites: Heat magazine is unlikely to be reputable.

Getting Going!
Five Steps 1. FIRST IDEAS: Note down some initial ideas and reactions. Which area do you want to explore? 2. INITIAL RESEARCH: Expand your knowledge of the area youre interested in. See the following slide for more information about how to do this. Your initial research should take you up to the end of this academic year. Its important that you put the time and effort in now, to help make sure youre ready to get going next year! You should come back to school ready to continue with your research. You should have enough initial research to be able to: 3. FOCUS: Which texts or research area do you want to focus on? N.B. Remember to focus on contemporary media (i.e. within the last five years) for your final title. 4. TITLE: Come up with a title for your investigation, to be discussed and finalised with your teacher. 5. FOCUSED RESEARCH AND WRITING: Get on with it! Research Genre and Context: find out more about the genre of text youre interested in. What is its history or background? What are the significant moments or texts associated with it? You will need to use the internet and books to do this. The library has an excellent selection use it! Media Magazine is also invaluable for research into contemporary texts.

Narrative, Construction and Representation: watch and read texts, i.e. analyse and deconstruct them. Make notes on representation, narrative and audience, even if these are not the focus of your topic (you might end up changing your mind!) Use all the skills you learned during AS to help you gain and show a thorough understanding of the texts you explore. This is the most valuable type of research and will demand the most time. Dont think you can skip it! Theory: Dont neglect your theorists! How can your knowledge of theory add to your understanding of the texts and issues youre studying? Try to apply or recognise theory in your reading of texts.

Audience: break out the questionnaires and statistics again. You may read a text differently than others so its important to find out what they think! Remember, though, that the focus of your research may be different than in MS1 (e.g. audience reaction rather than expectation). You may want to test texts on your identified audience choose your questions or tasks carefully and make sure that they add to your understanding.

How to lay out a bibliography

A bibliography is a detailed list at the end of your essay of all books you have cited (quoted from) in your essay as well as books which may have influenced your thinking on your essay. A bibliography always contains: Author(s) Full title of book/article/journal Date of publication Publisher

Top tip: Every time you photocopy a chapter from a book or jot down a quotation, write down all the above details so you wont be stuck when you come to write your bibliography. Examples of how to lay out your references:
Cohen, S (2002): Folk Devils and Moral Panics Third Edition: Routledge.

If you are citing an article within an edited book:

Keer, P: F For Fake? Friction over faction in Goodwin, A and Whannel, G (Ed) (1997):

Understanding Television: Routledge.

If you are citing an article from a magazine:

Mills, S: Whats the story in Balamory? Media Magazine, Issue 13 September 2005.

If you are citing from a website: Where possible you should include the authors name and date of publication but this is not always clear. As a minimum you should cite the main URL address in a clearly defined section. Internet sources: www.bbc.co.uk (date accessed 22.10.10) All references need to be listed in alphabetical order by authors surname. I do not expect to see Google or other search engines listed as a source!

How to footnote your references

The Harvard Referencing system is the most commonly used referencing system. Any ideas or direct quotations taken or influenced by other people MUST be referenced. The Harvard System requires you to reference quotations or ideas taken from others in the main body of your essay. For example: Television has changed the way British families have behaved (Anderson 2009: 53). This referencing technique can look a bit odd (Cohen, 1979: 21) and break up the flow of your essay. A less noticeable way to reference is to use footnotes. After you have quoted from a text or discussed a theory place the cursor in an appropriate place1 then on the toolbar Reference (tab) Insert Footnote (button)

The footnote system will automatically re-number if you need to add in additional footnotes later.

This is what it looks like! You need to add the authors surname, year of publication and page number e.g. Cohen, 1979: 21

Writing the Research Investigation

You will submit multiple drafts of your Research Investigation as you go along however it is important to know exactly what the examiner is looking for. Here is the mark scheme to use as a guide for knowing how good your essay is and what areas need improvement.

Level/marks

A04: Demonstrate the ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research

Level 1: 0-17

Limited evidence of research. Minimal application of this research which has been presented in an unclear and unfocused way. Quality of written communication will be limited, frequently unclear. Frequent errors in the use of language. Little or no evidence of ability to structure ideas. At the lower end of this level, there will be evidence of basic research. This will have been applied in a simple way. Basic ability to present research demonstrated. Quality of written communication will be basic but sufficiently clear to allow communication. Frequent errors in the use of language. Limited ability to structure ideas. At the upper end of this level, there will be evidence of research from a reasonable number of sources. There will be some attempt to apply this research and present it with some coherence. Quality of written communication will be mainly clear. Some errors in the use of language. Some ability to structure ideas.

Level 2: 1826 [18-22]

[23-26]

Level 3: 27-35 [27-31]

At the lower end of this level, candidates will undertake sound and relevant research from a range of appropriate sources. This research will be applied in a sound way and presented with supporting points. Quality of written communication will be sound and clear. Reasonable level of accuracy. Sound ability to structure ideas. At the upper end of this level, the research will be good, covering a good range of sources and will be applied in a detailed way. It will be presented appropriately with good references. Quality of written communication will be good. Good level of accuracy. Good ability to structure ideas. Research will be excellent, covering a wide range of sources. These will be analysed and applied in a sophisticated way and presented a logical and coherent manner, supported by a range of sophisticated points. Quality of written communication will be sophisticated. A high degree of accuracy. Sophisticated ability to structure ideas effectively.

[32-35]

Level 4: 36-45

The Production
Although you will be writing an essay at a very high standard you are also expected to create a media product which not only, reflects the level of research you have done into your chosen topic (whether that is Genre, Narrative or Representation), but also showcases high quality production values in terms of technical ability and creativity. This must be RELEVANT to your essay. There are some choices that need to be made: Audio Visual work can be done in groups and needs to be approximately 3-4 minutes long. Print based work must be done individually and must be 3-4 pages. A combination of Audio Visual & Print based materials can be completed but the same rules apply. i.e. Print based must be individual, AV - can be group. IMPORTANT: If you are completing any group work you must have a clearly defined role. You will also need to agree as a group on a medium from the start and have relevant individual research investigation titles. e.g.: 1. An investigation into how genre conventions are used to raise audience expectations in film trailers 2. An analysis of the narrative structure of three contrasting trailers 3. A study of the representation of heroes and villains in three trailers Production: a trailer for a new film

HINT: Although you are only going to be marked on your final product do not underestimate the importance of pre-production work. Write scripts, plan shoots meticulously, draw storyboards this will save time and effort. The better prepared you are at every stage, the more creative you can be when you get there!

Considerations for your Production

The mark scheme for the production focuses on both your technical & creative skills AND your ability to link the product to the Research Investigation.

Level/marks

AO3: Demonstrate the ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills. Limited ability to plan and construct media products. Technical and creative skills will also be limited. Limited ability to use the research investigation to inform the product. Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be limited, frequently unclear. Frequent errors in the use of language. Little or no evidence of ability to structure ideas.

Level 1: 0-17

Level 2: 1826

[18-21]

Basic ability to plan and construct media products. Technical and creative skills demonstrated will also be basic. Basic ability to use the research investigation to inform the product. Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be basic but sufficiently clear to allow communication. Frequent errors in the use of language. Limited ability to structure ideas At the upper end of this level, there will be some ability to plan and construct media products. Some technical and creative skills will also be demonstrated. Some ability to use the research investigation to inform the product. Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be mainly clear. Some errors in the use of language. Some ability to structure ideas. Sound ability to plan and construct media products. Technical and creative skills demonstrated will also be sound. Sound ability to use the research investigation to inform the product. Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be sound and clear. Reasonable level of accuracy. Sound ability to structure ideas. At the upper end of this level, there will be a good ability to plan and construct media products. Good technical and creative skills will also be demonstrated. Good ability to use the research investigation to inform the product. Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be good. Good level of accuracy. Good ability to structure ideas. Excellent ability to plan and construct media products. Sophisticated technical and creative skills will also be demonstrated. Sophisticated ability to use the research investigation to inform the product. Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be sophisticated. A high degree of accuracy. Sophisticated ability to structure ideas effectively.

[22-26]

Level 3: 27-35 [27-30]

[31-35]

Level 4: 36-45

Projects
These are some ideas for projects you can choose one of these or come up with your own idea. When youve chosen your project, you need to think about what texts you might use as case studies and consider whether you would be able to make the product.

An exploration of the representations of teenagers in two TV programmes Campaign material for a new UK teenage-rights-of-passage programme on Channel 4 How far are British soap operas a representation of real life? (A close analysis of two contrasting programmes) Three to four page spread launching a gritty new UK soap opera An exploration of the representation of gender in mens magazines Three pages for a new mens magazine which challenge stereotypical representations An exploration of the generic similarities between two American science fiction TV programmes An article for a specialist magazine, promoting a new US TV show

How do cause adverts represent issues? Three print cause adverts aimed at teenagers (e.g. anti drugs)

The Evaluation
Once you have completed the Research Investigation and made your Production you must evaluate & analyse the links between the two. It must be written well and show you understand what you are talking about!

Level/marks

AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding when analysing media products and processes and evaluating their own practical work, to show how meanings and responses are created Limited ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the production. Limited reference to degree to which research informs production. Quality of written communication will be limited, frequently unclear. Frequent errors in the use of language. Little or no evidence of ability to structure ideas.

Level 1: 1-3

Level 2: 4-5 [4]

Basic ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the production. Basic reference to degree to which research informs production. Quality of written communication will be basic but sufficiently clear to allow communication. Frequent errors in the use of language. Limited ability to structure ideas. Some ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the production. Some reference to degree to which research informs production. Quality of written communication will be mainly clear. Some errors in the use of language. Some ability to structure ideas Sound ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the production. Sound reference to degree to which research informs production. Quality of written communication will be sound and clear. Reasonable level of accuracy. Sound ability to structure ideas. Good ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the production. Good reference to degree to which research informs production. Quality of written communication will be good. Good level of accuracy. Good ability to structure ideas. Excellent ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the production. Sophisticated reference to degree to which research informs production. Quality of written communication will be sophisticated. A high degree of accuracy. Sophisticated ability to structure ideas effectively. #

[5]

Level 3: 6-7 [6]

[7]

Level 4: 8-10

As you can see this is only worth ten marks.

MS3 Proposal Form

Name:
Individual Research Title: Aims: Research Methods: Primary Texts: (Which texts will form the basis of your textual analysis?) Product: AV/Print based (circle) Group members (if applicable):

Production piece(s):

Possible Constraints /Difficulties

When you have an idea fill in this sheet and submit it to me for consideration.

A final word
This project is an excellent opportunity to do very well in your A2 media studies. It is also a chance to become an expert in a subject that you are interested in. And obviously, you will be practising skills that you will need for the rest of this course, your other A-level courses, as well as any work you may do after you have left college. Make the most of it! Research thoroughly and do not underestimate the usefulness of talking through, and keeping me updated with what you have achieved at regular intervals. Keep your blog up to date and expect that it will be checked regularly. Two last points: Firstly: The research essay and the media product are worth equal marks and must be connected if you lose sight of this at any point, you will not fulfil the potential this project has to offer your final Media Studies grade. Secondly: Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated at any stage of the project. Any text or sentiment copied without being attributed is plagiarism. You are cheating others as well as yourselves and if the exam board finds any then there could be quite serious implications. This is not intended to scare anyone but simply raise awareness of the issue. Any doubts, ASK SOMEONE! And finally, Good Luck!