Evaluation Criteria

LEVEL 4: 16-20 Marks

• There is excellent understanding of the forms and conventions used in the productions.
• There is excellent understanding of the role and use of new media in various stages of the production.
• There is excellent understanding of the combination of main product and ancillary texts.
• There is excellent understanding of the significance of audience feedback.
• There is excellent skill in choice of form in which to present the evaluation.
• There is excellent ability to communicate.
• There is excellent use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation.

Genre of Hip Hop/RnB/Rap Conventions

• Male artists tend to perform to camera, interacting with it as though singing to the audience
  
• Female artists tend to combine performance to camera with performing to an ethereal 'other'


• Displays of wealth are featured: fast cars, expensive clothes, jewellery, homes, lifestyles


• Sexualised dancing is perfomed by women


• Colours are often bright, in costume, lighting and sets


• Daylight, rather than night, is frequently used. Where night is used, it is contrasted with bright interior shots


• There are frequent close-ups of artists performing


• Females are objectified: use of fragmentation, slow motion etc


• Costumes worn by women are clingy, revealing and sexualised


• Exaggerated dance moves are performed by women to accentuate the female form and their sexuality, and by men to accentuate their virility and masculinity


• Narrative themes of infidelity, are often played out in a narrative performance by the artist


• Setting is frequently urban, or suburban, and often identifiably set in and around New york or LA


• Editing is often paced to the beat of the music track


• Low-angled shots emphasise the dominance of male artists


• There is use of reflection/silhouette/shadow


• Studio sets are minimalist, using monochrome colour schemes


• Sets can be lavish, intended to represent a luxurious home


• Strong backlighting is used to radiate around the artist


• Cars are often used as sets for performance

Genre of Rock Conventions

• Males are usually the subjects, women the objects
• The use of dark colours


• The use of night rather than daylight


• On-stage performances in from of screaming crowds


• Backstage footage


• Gestures of male bonding - 'high-fiving', back slapping...


• The playing of guitars
  
• Costumes are dark coloured, often baggy, casual clothing


• Close ups of soulful singing into a microphone or to camera
  
• The justaposition of binaries of light vs dark


• The use of tracking/crabbing/panning shots, lots of movement


• Fast paced editing


• Montage shots of industrial/urban landscapes


• Close-up shots of vocalist during emotional moments


• Close-up shots of instrumentalists' hands playing instruments


• Use of heavy shadow


• Heavy use of visual sybolism


• Wide shot of the band together, signifying unity, a tightly knit-group


• The use of slow-motion


• The use of studio backlighting


• Cross-cutting to a narrative performed by characters other than members of the band

Evaluation Format

You should aim to write 2000 words. However the final format will not be text based. You are required to create a directors commentary which based on the evaluation questions. You will need to be clear about the question you are answering and so you should include titles or you could set it up as an interview with the interviewer asking you the questions. You should use sequences from your video to illustrate your points.

Please submit the first draft of your written evaluation by Thursday 20th January.

Here are some examples of director's commentaries:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSDHBWFI0tQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv8ihMO43Kk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_5qtcv4yU8

As you can see the students do not physically feature in the commntary. This is also acceptable.

Evaluation Questions

In the evaluation the following questions must be answered:

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Handy Hints & Tips

1. Ensure that you have a range of drafts for both your video and ancillary texts. This MUST include a commentary of how you will improve the work. You could also include print screens of advanced skills you have developed in Photoshop since AS level.

2. For each post you should explain what your objective is. For example, why have you analysed this video, why have you set up this questionnaire and so on. The blog is a diary and should not just be treated as a place to submit your work.

3. Your posts must be in a coherent order. Start with initial analysis of existing video texts, move on onto the paper planning and audience research, then the organisation of the shoot (could be images) and then your video drafts with comments. Your final video will follow, then analysis of CD covers and adverts, original images your have taken and plan to use, photoshop skills, drafting and comments and then your final product.

4. You should carry out a final audience survey of your final products as this will assist you with both the evaluation and the exam preparation.

5. Be specific about your contribution throughout the work. It may seem clumsy to do so at times but it will help the moderator to understand the marks rewarded. If you are not specific you will not gain the marks.

Final Music Video

The final deadline for your music video will be Monday 29th November.

You are all off timetable next week for mock examinations. As you will not be sitting a mock for media studies you will be expected to use your free time to work on your project.

Both your planning/research AND music video production will be marked and you will know your grade.

The deadline for your ancilliary text first draft will be Friday 3rd December. You will receive feedback the following week.

A massive thank you to those of you that met the previous planning/research deadline - you have now received feedback.

If you did not complete all work set you will not have received feedback.