OCR Media Skills Development, Research and planning

1. Research and Planning
What skills did we learn
about the importance of
R&P?
G325: Section A: Theoretical Perspectives in Media
Question 1a)

2. Secondary research – second
hand information – work on codes
and conventions of texts, use of
theory.
Primary – first hand – textual
analysis, audience feedback:
questionnaires, vox pops.
Learning research skills
from AS to A2
1. Types of Research

3. • Secondary research – My music video
blog, class notes, library – which textbooks did
you use? Internet – viewing figures, ABC
figures for magazines etc.
•Primary – Internet, Television, Magazines
Write down briefly what you used
for both pieces BUT this will require
an in-depth assessment of your
materials for the write up.
What were the pros and cons of
secondary and primary research?

4. • 2. Advantages and Disadvantages of
sources
The focus is on SKILL – progression and changes in
methods from AS to A2. You need to think about what
you learned about the advantages/disadvantages of:
•Expense/Cost – how much did the research cost? Books?
Magazines?
•Accessibility – Was the research easy to find? E.g those
doing hip hop had a tough time finding suitable examples?
•Time – Was it time consuming?
•Reliability – was the research measured to be consistent –
did you find a trustworthy source, was it another student’s work?

5. •Accuracy – were the facts and figures correct? Did your
audience feedback results provide a fair sample of overall opinions?
•Bias – textual analysis can be bias 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 – e.g you shouldn’t have researched
Indie CD covers if you were doing a metal song...
•Usefulness – how relevant was this to your project (see
validity). OR did any of your research methods prove to be completely
useless and why?

6. 3. Organisation of Research
• You used your blog to organise ALL of your research.
• What skills did you learn about organising and
referencing materials?
• How did your skills of organisation develop from AS
and A2?

7. For the planning section of this write-
up:
• Adequate research – link this to DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY – where did you find the research?
• Drafting – flat plans for magazines and storyboards and
ancillary drafts for A2 - link to DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY and
CREATIVITY – how did you construct these?
• Gaining Audience Feedback – Again link
to DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY if possible. How did you make sure you
collated this – what was the development between AS and A2?
4. Planning – Pre-Production
Requirements

8. • Organisation of time, personnel and
equipment
• Did you complete on time? 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)????

9. Working individually or as part of a group
• What did you learn about individual and team
work?
• What are the pros and cons?
• What main things have you learned about
group work at AS and A2 in terms of planning
your product?

10. 5. Organisation of Planning
Materials
•Link to DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY. How did you
organise your planning materials?
•Did you utilise the blog more at A2 level than at
AS?
•How did you follow your flat plans and
storyboards – what did you understand about
changes to be made?
•Did all members have copies of production
schedules, call sheets and storyboards?

11. • Did you complete diaries and/or
‘progression so far’ posts? Why
was this important in terms of
planning both pieces of
coursework?
• Have you used any of the
research and planning skills in
other products?

12. •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)??? Slideshow of storyboards???
•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?
6. Presentation of Research and
Planning

13. Please think of all the above
questions as part of your 750 write
up.
• There is a choice of two questions:
1. Detail how your understanding of the importance of good
research and planning skills developed throughout the
pre-production of your AS and A2 coursework.
2. How did your knowledge of digital technology to aid your
research and planning skills throughout the pre-production
of your AS and A2 coursework?