Section 1A - Digital Technology

When considering your use of Digital Technology, how have your skills have progressed and how have they helped you in your productions?

Provide an answer to the above question. 

Your answer could be in the form of an essay BUT, equally, it could be in the form of a mind map, notes or other visual aid. The choice is yours.

The important thing to think about is what skills did you have in relation to digital technology at the start of Year 12 and what skills do you have now? How have these developed through the work you have done?

Things to think about....

Digital technologies have a had a massive influence on media production over the last few years and since you started in Year 12 you have learned a massive amount about how to use them and what the benefits are of using them.  They in turn have had a massive impact on the quality of your finished products.

You could start by producing a list of digital technologies that you have used. 

Start with internet based applications which have allowed you to access content created by others or to create your own content - these are Web 2.0. Blogger, Prezi, Youtube, Facebook, Survey Monkey, etc.

What about equipment you have used? iPads, camcorders (name and model), DSLRs (name and model)..

What about software? iMovie, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Photoshop CS6, any others?

Adobe Premiere-Pro in comparison to I Movie – Had zero experience at the beginning and have now moved from basic editing to more complex editing, effects, transitions, sound manipulation.  Quick to upload so something can be filmed, uploaded and edited in a matter of minutes. Be specific – What specific techniques did you use and where? How have your skills developed in the use of APP?

Social Networking Sites – Allow you to communicate with a far wider network of people than other websites.  You could have used this to gather audience research, upload your video and ask for feedback etc..  Be specific – Give an example of something you did using facbook etc. 

You Tube – Allows you to communicate with a far wider network of people than other websites. Allowed you to research existing opening sequences and music videos. You uploaded your opening sequences and used the feedback / comments that people posted to help you improve when it came to your A2 productions etc.. Enabled you to post your own video to a massive audience.  Be specific – Give example of real video you looked at, real comment you got etc..

Digital Cameras – Never used before.  Struggled initially with holding steady shots, framing etc..  But they allow instant playback, LCD screen, small, portable (in comparison to larger older bulkier cameras) etc.  Allowed you to film in small spaces, to easily travel to film, to film something and view it straight away to check if was ok.  Now can easily film a variety of shot types.

Photoshop  (you used to use Word and Powerpoint etc) – Photoshop allows manipulation of images, effects, colours, cropping, layering images and words.  Be specific – What did you do on Photoshop?

Other technologies you could mention include : Glogster, Blogging, Prezi, Internet 

Conclusion: Digital Technology has enabled you (a consumer of media) to become a producer that can not only make a higher quality media product, but edit it and distribute it to a wide audience..

Remember that the examiner won't check what you say you have done and they won't have your coursework to check this against either.

To get A and B grades

To get the higher grades on this question, you need to ensure you are not just DESCRIBING how your skills developed.  Instead you need to focus on the EVALUATE part.  To EVALUATE you could comment on any of the following throughout your work:

• HOW important digital technology was
• WHY was digital technology important
• WHAT EFFECT did digital technology have on your final work
• WHAT would you NOT have been able to do without digital technology?
• HOW did digital technology benefit you?

Written Task: iLL Manors and Collective Identity

In your opinion, how does the representation of youth in 'ILL Manors' affect the collective identity of British youth?

Ill manors is a film which intends to portray a message about British youth and why they behave in the way that they do. The director of the film, Ben Drew, establishes the preferred reading that the environment the youth have been bought up in, is what causes youths to behave in this way. However, it could be argued that the film itself defies this impression. Viewers of the film could be seeing the characters in a negative light due to their portrayal on screen, especially by people who haven’t seen the film. It appears watchers could quite easily view the shocking actions and believe that representations of the youth are true. This again is another point that Ben Drew aims to revert  in this picture as he believes ‘that there is a demonisation of the youth throughout the media’. Drew created this film in order to suggest that representations and the youths aren’t to be blamed. The juxtaposition between characters also shows how there is evidence of good qualities in characters, particularly the character Aaron. People who haven’t seen the film might take opposed readings from the film and will not interpret the film how it was intended. If a person has not seen the film then again the media might influence their decision and encourage them to believe that there views of the youth is correct and that youths are a danger to society and this collective identity is exemplified. These negative views are portrayed by Journalists such as Anna Minton who claims ‘some people will walk out of screenings’ due to the shocking activities in the film. After reading this, many people might believe that the collective identity that they have and that has been developed within the media is correct and supported by this film.

Young Not Dumb: An Alternate Viewpoint

CLICK HERE to go to the website of Young Not Dumb.

Interesting opinions here about how youth were vilified by the media during the 2011 riots.

Contemporary Construction of Collective Identity: Reading the Riots

Use The Guardian's 'Reading the Riots' page a s primary source of information regarding the UK riots which took place in summer 2011.

CLICK HERE

Media Representation - Contrasts in Media

London 2012 - Heather Small 'Proud'

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London Riots coverage | SKY News | 7th August 2011

How Media Demonises Teenagers

CLICK HERE to read an interesting article from The Independent concerning the media's portrayal of teenagers in the UK. 

The use of the word 'demonise' is interesting in itself if we remember that Stan Cohen used the term 'folk devils' when reflecting on the portrayal of teenagers following the Clacton / Brighton fights in 1964. There seems a clear association between young people and language connoting evil.

Dick Hebdige "Hiding in the Light"

I have previously introduced you to Dick Hebdige. We talked about his 1979 book titled 'Subculture - the Meaning of Style' and I gave you the quotation below as one you should learn:

"Members of  a subculture often subject their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions, music and mannerisms" - Hebdige (1979)

Hebdige also wrote a book called 'Hiding in the Light' which was published in 1988. It is here that he discussed the concept of youth being represented as either a threat or a non-threat. 

The first chapter of this book opens as below:

Hebdige's hypothesis here is that society in general (through the media) are only concerned in representing youth when there is something negative to say. He discusses the birth of the concept of the 'teenager' and goes on to assess the effect of consumerism and the move from a one-dimensional representation of youth, to a two-dimensional representation of "youth as trouble, youth as fun". He writes that teenagers are seen as either "troublesome youth" or "fun-loving youth."

Hebdige sees 'youth as trouble' as being a political representation whereas 'youth as fun is commercially driven.

So, when you look at representations of British Youth Culture in the past can you see evidence to support Hebdige's thoughts? You can read 'Hiding in the Light' in full by CLICKING HERE.

Thinking of contemporary media, that is to say the media from 2010 onwards, is there evidence to support Hebdige's assertion that British Youth are portrayed as either:

"Troublesome youth"

or,

"Fun-loving youth"

TASK

Copy and paste this post across to your own blog.

Create 2 more posts for your blog; 1 titled "Youth As Trouble" and the other titled "Youth As Fun"

In each of these posts, compile a selection of images from contemporary UK media (film, television, newspapers, magazines) which shows representations of British Youth in this particular light.