Q1a Prep Points doc

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Q1a Prep Points 2012

Q1A GUIDE

There's a PowerPoint (an adaptation of Mr McGoogan's superb work) and a Word doc which collates much of the content of the individual posts on each of DCRUP.
Key is to remember this is about progression from AS to A2, but also to weave in some theory. The more artificially you use theory the lower marks for it will be; at the top end you apply it relevantly and accurately, and also offer some critique of the theory. You must try to be specific to get Use of Examples marks: not just 'I used YouTube for audience feedback', but 'our 2nd rough cut received 143 hits, which YouTube's 'analytics' tool told us came from the US, Australia, even as far afield as Saudia Arabia, though the comments we received were actually of limited use'.
Web 2.0 is utterly central, whilst postmodern theory is useful across all 5 DCRUP.

Q1a DCRUP DB Edit MGoogan Guides

Q1a guide db2011

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Q1a: some general guidelines

Some general advice on how to approach the 1a topics:

1. DON'T write out the question - good practice in a longer essay, but not when you've only got 30mins
2. Any plan should be very brief, simply the themes or topics (see point 5) you intend to explore (hopefully remembering the examples won't be a problem)
3. Clearly state the AS + A2 remits you followed [opening 2 mins of feature film; SF or TT]
4. Provide a BRIEF synopsis [narrative outline] of each, including title + genre - you MUST enable the marker to have a sense of what you produced
5. Pick out anywhere from 2-5 themes or topics [ANALYSIS, ARGUMENT] to use as frameworks for comparing and contrasting AS + A2 
6. For each of these it is absolutely vital you provide specific, detailed denotation [USE OF EXAMPLES] from both texts
7. Use semiotic TERMINOLOGY as you do so, but also concepts such as convergence, web 2.0 etc
8. As you finish each topic/paragraph, double check: have you provided specific denotation/examples to illustrate your point? If you don't you could potentially lose all the marks for examples as the examiner will have nothing to go on - you have to make it easy for them to visualise what you mean
9. For many of the DCRUP topics its worth addressing some of the things you rejected; giving a sense of your decision-making process, or of quality control if you like 
10. If you reference other films, in some cases (espec Indie, low-budget movies) it may be worth giving v brief description, eg: Donkey Punch is a low-budget (£1m) slasher-on-a-boat produced by the Indie Warp X, set up by the UK Film Council to encourage digital film-making in the UK.

If making a point about working in a group, remember:

1. From the Wachowskis to the Coens, there are several high-profile writer/producer/directorial teams!
2. It would be useful to consider your specific contribution, or what constitutes your 'voice', style

Overall, the key point is that you must back up your points with specific detail from what YOU did for AS + A2.

Q1B GUIDE

Adapted from a guide written aby another Media teacher, Mick McGoogan (ALWAYS acknowledge your sources!):
Q1b Theory and MANGeR DB Edit MGoogan Guide