Tips For Question 1A

These are the previous questions which came up for this part of the exam:

Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.

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.

Describe how you developed your skills in the use of digital technology for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to your creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.

You will notice that each of these begins by asking you to 'describe' and then goes on to ask you to reflect in some way: "evaluate", "how you used" "how your skills developed". herein lies the key to this part of the exam! You only have half an hour for the question and you really need to make the most of that time by quickly moving from description (so the reader knows what you did) to analysis/evaluation/reflection, so he/she starts to understand what you learnt from it.

There are five possible areas which can come up:

Digital technology

Research and Planning

Conventions of Real Media

Post-Production

Creativity

What production activities have you done?

This should include both the main task and preliminary task from AS and the main and ancillaries at A2 plus any non-assessed activities you have done as practice, and additionally anything you have done outside the course which you might want to refer to, such as films made for other courses or skateboard videos made with your mates if you think you can make them relevant to your answer.

- AS: Prelim Task - School Magazine
- AS: Main Task - Music Magazine
- A2: Prelim Task - Busted 'What I Go To School For' Video
- A2: Main Task - Black Sox Video & Ancillary Texts
- PoMo Artist Video

What digital technology have you used?

This should not be too hard- include hardware (cameras, phones for pictures/audio, computers and anything else you used) software (on your computer) and online programs, such as blogger, youtube etc

- Hardware: Nikon & Canon Cameras, Macbook and iMac, iPhone, Bose Speakers, Tripods, Artificial Lighting, Props.
- Software: iTunes, Blogger, Youtube, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Creative Suite, iMovie.

In what ways can the work you have done be described as creative?

This is a difficult question and one that does not have a correct answer as such, but ought to give you food for thought.

What different forms of research did you do?

Again you will need to include a variety of examples- institutional research (such as on how titles work in film openings), audience research (before you made your products and after you finished for feedback), research into conventions of media texts (layout, fonts, camera shots, soundtracks, everything!) and finally logistical research- recce shots of your locations, research into costume, actors, etc

- Institutional Research: shot research, font styles, text and credits.
- Audience Research: What they read & listened too, interests, favourite artists & genres, AFTER what they thought of our products, would they use/buy them in own time and if were real products.
- Conventions of Media Texts: Layouts, Fonts, Texts, Camera Shots and Variation, Soundtracks, Cast, Props, Mise - en scene, Duration. 

What conventions of real media did you need to know about?

For this, it is worth making a list for each project you have worked on and categorising them by medium so that you don’t repeat yourself.

- Photo Editing: AS & A2 Prelim and Main Tasks.
- Video Editing: A2 Main Coursework and Some Prelim Work. PoMo Artist Video.
- Use Of Text (Mastheads, Body Text etc): AS & A2 Work.

What do you understand by ‘post-production’ in your work?

This one, I’ll answer for you- for the purpose of this exam, it is defined as everything after planning and shooting or live recording. In other words, the stage of your work where you manipulated your raw material on the computer, maybe using photoshop, a video editing program or desktop publishing.

For each of these lists, your next stage is to produce a set of examples- so that when you make the point in the exam, you can then back it up with a concrete example. You need to be able to talk about specific things you did in post-production and why they were significant, just as you need to do more than just say ‘I looked on youtube’ for conventions of real media, but actually name specific videos you looked at, what you gained from them and how they influenced your work.

This question will be very much about looking at your skills development over time, the process which brought about this progress, most if not all the projects you worked on from that list above, and about reflection on how how you as a media student have developed. Unusually, this is an exam which rewards you for talking about yourself and the work you have done!

Final tips: you need some practice- this is very hard to do without it! I’d have a crack at trying to write an essay on each of the areas, or at the very least doing a detailed plan with lots of examples. The fact that it is a 30 minute essay makes it very unusual, so you need to be able to tailor your writing to that length- a tough task!

Creativity - Potential Question 1a

Example Question from OCR

"Digital technology turns media consumers into media producers.” In your own experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions? (25 Marks - 30 minutes)

Ideas and theories to help you.

"A process needed for problem solving...not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people" (Jones 1993)

"The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" (Bentley 1997)

"Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain, and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation." (Csikszentmihalyi 1996)

"There is no absolute judgement [on creativity] All judgements are comparisons of one thing with another." (Donald Larning)

Themes and Questions

1. Is creativity an internal cognitive function, or is it an external social or cultural phenomenon?

2. Is creativity a pervasive, ubiquitous feature of human activity, or a special faculty, either reserved for particular groups, individuals, or particular domains of activity, in particularly artistic activity?

3. Is creativity an inevitable social good, invariably progressive, harmonious and collaborative; or is it capable of disruption, political critique and dissent, and even anti-social outcomes?

4. What does the notion of creative teaching and learning imply?

Benaji, Burn and Buckingham (2006)

Exam Board Advice Question 1a

Question 1a is always about how your skills developed. Here's how the chief examiner recommends you tackle the question.

This was requested from the e-community; there are other versions elsewhere, but this is probably the simplest!

Paragraph 1 should be an introduction which explains which projects you did. It can be quite short.

Paragraph 2 should pick up the skill area and perhaps suggest something about your starting point with it- what skills did you have already and how were these illustrated. use an example.

Paragraph 3 should talk through your use of that skill in early projects and what you learned and developed through these. Again there should be examples to support all that you say.

Paragraph 4 should go on to demonstrate how the skill developed in later projects, again backed by examples, and reflecting back on how this represents moves forward for you from your early position.

Paragraph 5 short conclusion

Postmodern Artist - Madlib (Notes)

The purpose of this task is to research the relationship between postmodern elements and music, focusing on the artist MADLIB or by his birth name Otis Jackson Jr.

"Madlib, aka Beat Konducta (born Madlib the Bad Kid 1922-1993) was an American comedian best known for his starring role on the television sitcom Quasimoto and Son. He was 3/4 African-American and 1/4 Blazed."

Homage 
 Does your chosen artist use other people’s music in a respectful way? Are they bringing a

 potentially overlooked or forgotten style to a new audience? 


Quasimoto's (Madlibs cartoon alter ego) debut album 'The Unseen' contained the track 'Jazz Cats Pt.1' and is Madlib's way of paying homage or tribute to a numerous amount of Jazz artists who have influenced him. 


'John Coltrane up in my headphones, Gary Bartz, Mister Rub produce Lovetones, even Kool and the Gang got jazz for that ass'


'You don't have to be a jazz elitist to be suspicious of a collection of soul standards reinterpreted by a self-taught drummer/loop digger.'   Click the link to read a review for Yesterdays New Quintet, a 'band' put together by Madlib and their release 'Stevie' a remix of Hip Hop and Jazz  & ultimately a instrumental tribute Stevie Wonder in which a number of his own songs are remixed by YNQ.


'Good Morning Sunshine' Is just one example amongst many a release from Madlib paying homage to his favourite Jazz artists in which he samples the artist themselves on the record. In this particular case, Melvin Van Peebles 'Good Morning Sunshine' is sampled as again Quasimoto raps over the beat. 


'Madlib’s latest Jazz release is a great starting point for those curious about how his musical dexterity translates into a different genre.'

'Beat Konducta' J Dilla Tribute. (Click Picture for link)

Bricolage

 Does your chosen artist use music from different time periods or genres? Does this change the ‘meaning’ of the original song? 


The Mad March - A tribute to Zamrock. A one off show in san Francisco in which Madlib pays homage to the 70's Rock scene in Zambia dubbed 'Zamrock'.


Madlib - Hip Hop, Jazz, Rock (Zamrock).

The Medicine Show - 'His latest project, a monster of ambition in 13 parts, shows that Madlib is as much Midas as he is Leonardo – and a true postmodern virtuoso.'

Intertextual References 

 Does your artist reference other songs (lyrically, melodically, stylistically, visually) in their work? 

'Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute to... is a 42-track piece dedicated to the late J Dilla. Madlib and J. Rocc – arguably Dilla’s closest musical compatriots during his time spent in Los Angeles – lovingly remember their friend and reflect on his boundless influence.'

The vinyl release of 'Beat Konducta Vol. 5 -6: A Tribute To..' is an obvious reference to J Dilla's 'Donuts' visually.

Again in the track Jazz Cats Pt.1 Madlib references a lot of his influences through literally rapping their names over a beat - an obvious reference to the artist through his lyrics. For the song he also samples Cannonball Adderley 'Eye Of The Cosmos'.

For a complete list of who exactly Madlib has sampled throughout his career and across all of the records his has had a hand in producing, visit - http://www.whosampled.com/Madlib/

  

Simulacrum 

Is your artist ‘real’ or merely playing a ‘character’? For many ‘mainstream’ artists, their image is just as important as their sound (if not more so), postmodern artists play with ideas of image in the way they re represent themselves. 


Que Quasimoto - Madlib's cartoon alter ego. 'Quasimoto’s never been seen in the same room with anyone – he’s The Unseen.' Madlib does not like the sound of his own voice over his beats, so slowed his recorded raps down and created Quasimoto, the cartoon character that sounds like no over. 

Madlib Associated Acts: Madvillian, Jaylib, Lootpack, Quasimoto, Yesterdays New Quintet, Freddie Gibbs, Strong Arm Ready. 






Consumption 
How does your chosen artist wish their music to be consumed? Is there an artefact (object) that accompanies their music? 

Madlib has been involved in 50+ physical releases:
- Vinyl (12" Inch)
- Physical CD Release
- Cassette Release (Beat Konducta, Lord Quas)
- Online Streaming 
- MP3 Download

Official Discography 



Creation 
How does your artist create their music, are they a musician, a songwriter, a composer.    

Madlib has described himself as a "DJ first, producer second, and MC last"

Self Produced EP's - Madlib Invazion, WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip, The Unseen, Yessir Whatever, The Further Adventures Of Lord Quas, Beat Konducta Vol. 0 through to 6, Medicine Show #1 - #13, Rock Konducta Vol.1 amongst others. 

Madlib produces or creates a beat, and then hands it to another artist or MC who then provide the audio or lyrics over the Madlib produced beat.