Critical Evaluation- due after half term

This is due in after half term. You should have finished all your research by now so if you are sitting round twiddling your thumbs you could start on this:

advanced production: critical evaluation
The critical evaluation is a 3000 word essay on the process of researching, planning, constructing, analysing, contextualising and sharing your music video!

At the start of your essay write a couple of sentences explaining what you did for coursework last year so the moderator can check you have worked in different media over the two years.

The essay should be formally presented and should be divided into three parts:

Researching, planning and construction (1000 words)
This section is focused on the process you have gone through. It should make clear how you arrived at your decisions and should reflect a logical process. For the research section, discuss what you looked at and where you saw it, formulating as you go along the conventions of music videos. Your planning should arise from the inspiration you have found in your research. Where did you ideas come from? What do you consider to be your target audience?When writing about construction it is important to discuss any changes you felt necessary once the project had been started. Changing your ideas is fine, so long as your choices are justified. You should also refer to the technical process of editing the video (but not in laborious detail!).

Analysis (1000 words)
In this section you should offer what amounts to a textual analysis of your music video, thinking carefully about how meaning is created. It is similar to the action film and sitcom work you did last year in that you are focusing on all aspects of the production to consider the meaning audiences will take from the music video. Don’t write about every shot, but do aim to thoroughly write about the finished product. Where necessary you should refer to theories you have encountered. These should not be put in for the sake of it; only refer to ones that have genuinely been important in either the construction or the reception of your film. Likely theoretical ideas will be: representation, stardom, genre, narrative and intertextuality.

Your video in context (1000 words)
In this final section you should write about the place of your video in the media world when compared to similar output. What are music videos for (thinking about for artists, directors and audiences) and where do they appear? How does your music video fit into the existing music video world?

You should also consider how your music video is received by the audience. Show it to people and ask them what they think. If you’re feeling committed, you could do a questionnaire. You should then address the issues raised: did people understand your narrative, did they like your performance sections, would they like to watch it again? What you ask of them will be determined by the music video you have created.