The document discusses creativity in the context of a media studies coursework. It provides guidance on reflecting on the development of creativity over the course of the media projects. Some key points covered include defining creativity as bringing something new into existence, considering original and influenced elements of works, and how technology may enhance or limit creativity. Students are prompted to think about creative skills used, how their work communicated ideas and style, and influences on their creative process and potential for future projects.

1. Creativity
What skills did we develop?
Lesson Objective:
To evaluate the development of your
creativity in Media.
G325: Section A: Theoretical Perspectives in Media
Question 1a)

2. • Try to think of one example of when you
were creative whilst producing your media
coursework.

3. What is creativity?
• ‘the ability to bring something new into
existence’
• What do you think are examples of creative
skills?

4. What is creativity?
• A work in progress – skills development and
future projects?
• A sense of future direction for other projects?
• Challenging conventions or replicating /
furthering knowledge of them?
• Creativity is something unambiguously
positive/ desirable
• “The making of the new and the rearranging
of the old” (Bentley, 1997).

5. •Creativity involves thinking or behaving
imaginatively.
•The processes must generate something original
Relate this to your own coursework?
The creation of bringing something new into
existence – “this particular understanding of
creativity involves the physical making of
something, leading to some form of
communication, expression or revelation”. (David
Gauntlett)

6. Originality
• What elements of your AS and A2
coursework are original to you?

7. Influences
• What existing media texts influenced your
work at AS and A2, i.e. which elements are
less creative?
• How does this relate to your use of genre?
• How did your chosen genres influence your
production?

8. For your coursework you could look at your work’s:
• Composition and Framing
• Narrative
• Colours/ locations used
• Layout
You must also take into account the technology you
have used and how this has afforded you the
opportunities of being ‘creative’ in some of the above
areas:
How has the technology you used made you creative?
“If creativity is not inherent in human mental powers
and is, in fact, social and situational, then
technological developments may well be linked to
advances in the creativity of individual users” (Banaji,
Burn and Buckingham, 2006).

9. Please think of these questions as
part of your 750 write up.
• Do you think you were creative or not throughout
your coursework?
• Did the technology enhance your creativity or not?
• What ideas did you communicate and what stylistic
techniques did you use? How did it relate to your
interests/vision of identity?
• Was your product influenced by your social
environment?
• Were you original?
• Would you take any creative skills into future
projects or have you been influenced to engage
these skills in any other projects?

10. ∀• Creativity
• - What do you understand by ‘creativity’ and to what extent
have you been creative?
• - How have you tried to facilitate and encourage your own
creativity?
• - Did you experience limits/blocks on your own creativity?
• - How easy/difficult was it to be creative while still working to
the brief?
• - Did working within conventions stifle your creativity?
• - To what extent did you need to work with others and ‘bounce
ideas’ off other people to be truly creative?
• - How much of your creativity was about trying to picture things
in your mind’s eye?
• - How much of your creativity was about trial and error?
• - To what extent was a lack of confidence an issue in terms of
your creativity?
• - To what extent was a lack of technical competence/confidence
an obstacle to your creativity?

11. Essay Plan
• My AS brief was to…………
• Creativity is ……………..
• I was able to demonstrate my creativity in a number of ways…….
• Ways in which I supported my own creativity included….
• Obstacles to my creativity included
• …..working within conventions
• …..taking risks when marks were at stake
• …..working in isolation (getting lost in my own ideas)
• …. lack of technical competence
• …..lack of confidence
• I think my ability to be creative really progressed in Year 13. I
found that with the second brief…..I was able to….. and…… I
found ways of avoiding the obstacles that had undermined my
creativity in Year 12 by…..

12. Detailed Examples
• Think of specific examples of creativity in
the production process?
• How did you make creative use of
camerawork, editing, mise-en-scene, etc. at
AS and A2?

13. Assessment
• Think about the assessment criteria for this
question. Do you think an answer based on
your essay plan would allow you to achieve
a Level 4?