Personal Study Essay 2021

Personal Study
Project
Unit 12 Specialist study in creative media production
Personal Study Project
• You will need to produce
1. A research document
• Collection of quotes and summarised information based around your topic
• This should include research from a wide variety of sources (not just websites- this is
critical to achieving beyond a Pass)
• An alphabetised bibliography on the final slide
DEADLINE 04/11/21 in Personal Study Section of website
2. Essay
• 1500 words minimum
• Minimum of 6 quotes/sources directly used and accurately referenced in your discussion.
• The quotes should be used frequently to back up your discussion topic
– Don’t just refer to your own opinion. You need to reinforce what you are discussing with facts, quotes
and evidence of your research
DEADLINE 06/01/22 in Personal Study Section of website

Deadlines
Date Task[s]
8/9 Choose your focus topic and basic research of theories
15/9 Research theory (4 sources minimum)
22/9 Research product/person/studio (secondary research) (3 sources minimum)
29/9 Research product/person/studio (secondary research) (3 sources minimum)
6/10 Analyse a product/scene/specific pages/photographs/levels etc.
13/10 Analyse a product/scene/specific pages/photographs/levels etc.
20/10 Final additions and upload to PERSONAL STUDY are of website. Start essay.
Half term
3/11 Complete Introduction to your Topic (overall word count 100 minimum)
10/11 Complete Introduction to your Theory (overall word count 200 minimum)
17/11 Complete Macro Analysis (overall word count 400 minimum)
24/11 Complete Micro Analysis (overall word count 800 minimum)
1/12 Complete Application of Theory (overall word count 1200 minimum)
8/12 Complete Relate to Your Own Section (overall word count 1400 minimum)
15/12 Complete Conclusion (overall word count 1500 minimum)
Personal Research Project
• You need to produce an exploration of an element of media that you are
passionate about and is directly linked to the style of media you will make
in your FMP.
• This could be centred around a specific director, product, specific genre or
a social/historical/cultural context.
• You will need to write a minimum of a 1500 word essay exploring the
topic.
• You will also need to complete a bibliography of sources directly used in
your essay.
• The final section of your essay will focus on how your findings link to your
own work and your intended outcomes on your FMP this year
Essay Title
• Person or Studio Focus

How is [THEORY] relevant when analysing the
work of [PERSON/STUDIO]?
• Specific Product Focus
How is [THEORY] relevant when analysing
[PRODUCT]?
• Choose your person, studio or product that you will focus

on related to what you will make as your FMP
• Choose one of the theories from the
Essay Plan
• Your study should be structured using the following
– Select a director/designer/producer/studio/etc [dependent on your
area of interest] that you consider a strong influence on your work
and that you can do the necessary analysis and investigations into,
both from a technical focus and academic focus
– Undertake macro analysis, this would be looking at the wider
context of their work [this could be historical backgrounds, the
world they operate in, influences, where their work is seen, etc]
– Undertake micro analysis, this would focusing on specific
films/scene/levels of a game/photos/graphic designs etc
– Link this investigation to your own work and your intended
outcomes on your FMP
Essay Plan
1. Introduction to your topic (~100 words)
– Who/What are you researching? What do you plan to discover? How will you go about doing this?
2. Introduction to your theory (~100 words)
– Explain what your theory is and its origins. What are the main beliefs of the theory? What are the criticisms of the theory?
3. Macro analysis (400+ words)
– Context of a person: Reference their history with media. What products have they made in the past? What is their production
signature? How are they critically regarded? Any criticisms of their work?
– Context of a product: Reference the production process. Discuss the studio/company that made it and their history. How is the
work critically regarded? Any criticisms of the product?
4. Micro analysis (400+ words)
– Analyse the product/scene/specific pages/photographs/levels etc.
– Discuss the technical construction of what you are analysing (colour, composition, content etc etc) and reference what impact
each aspect discussed on the audience .
5. Application of Theory (400+ words)
– Apply your chosen theory to your chosen product/person/studio with frequent examples.
6. Your own work [~200 words]
– Talk about specific elements of the study that you will incorporate into your FMP this year;
– Link specific research outcomes to elements of your planned FMP, whether it be technical aspects, conceptual elements or
creative inspirations
– Be specific and aim to talk about 3-5 areas that you can link forward into the FMP
7. Conclusion (100 words)
– Reference general theory and your focus statement when making your concluding points
– What have you discovered from your study?
– Answer the question from your title
Academic Media Theories
• You should make specific reference to at least

one of the following media theories:
1. Auteur Theory
2. Reception Theory
3. The Hypodermic Needle Model
4. The Male Gaze
• You may find other relevant theories in your
investigations for your research document
Learning Criteria
Task 2
Essay
Task 1
Research
Document
Task 2
Essay
SUPPORT & GUIDANCE SLIDES
Micro Analysis Checklist
• Mise en scene
• Colour, costume and props discussing their subtext/connotations
• Binary opposition where appropriate
• Camera
• Shot type (Extreme long shot, long shot, medium long shot etc)
• Angle (High angle, low angle, eye level etc)
• Movement (or lack of movement with a locked off shot)
• Focus (shallow or deep focus)
• Composition (who is higher in the frame, closer to the camera).
• Editing
• Compare a minimum of two shots and discuss their relationship (are the shots the same or different? Why?
• Pace (fast or slow paced shots edited together)
• Any specific editing techniques (match on action, jump cut, montage etc.).
• Sound
• Diegesis (Diegetic, Non-Diegetic)
• Location of sound (internal, external, simple, displaced)
• Visibility of the sound (synchronous, asynchronous)
• Music suitability (parallel, contrapuntal).
• Lighting
• Key (high key, low key)
• Colour/temperature (warm, cold)
• Harshness (soft light, hard light).
• Text/Font
• Serif/San Serif
• Colour
• Font style
• Hierarchy
• Text/Dialogue
• What is being said/written
Types of sources
• Chosen products (films, art, magazines, TV shows, games etc)
• Books (written by or about your director/theme) [Google Books]
• Academic articles (Google scholar)
• Interviews
• Documentaries
• DVD extras
• DVD commentaries
• Reviews/Popular Articles
• Journals
• Questionnaires (survey monkey/MS Forms)
• Focus groups
Bibliography
• When writing
your
bibliography
you need to
alphabetise
the sources
• Ensure you
prioritise
books and
articles over
websites.
Bibliography
• Set out each source in the slide’s note section like this
1. Director/Author (DATE of release/publication) Name of film/book/webpage (URL
if website/Magazine if an article) 1. Film
2. TV show
3. Game
• Examples
4. Art/Photography
5. Book
1. Truffaut, F. (1959) The 400 Blows 6. Website
2. Wright, E (2001) Spaced. Series 2 Episode 5- Gone 7. Magazine article
3. Nintendo (2017) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 8. Citation
4. Goya, F. (1819) Saturn Devouring His Son 9. Unknown
5. Greene, N. (2007) The French New Wave - A New Look author/date
6. Hitchman, S. (2008) A History of French New Wave Cinema (
http://www.newwavefilm.com/about/history-of-french-new-wave.shtml)
7. Smith, J. (2014) French New Wave Cinema (Total Film, Issue 332)
8. Truffaut, F. cited in Smith, J (1994) Interview with Truffaut (Sight and Sound, issue
67)
9. Anon (accessed 2014) The French New Wave (www.realwebsite.com)
Bibliography
• Use http://www.neilstoolbox.com/ to generate your sources in the correct
Harvard Referencing format.
• Any required information that you don’t have, put a “.” in the category.
• If you don’t know the author, put the word Anon as the author.
• Ensure you enter the source as you want it to be considered. E.g. if it’s from
Google Books, put it through as a book source, not a website.
• To paste the reference into PowerPoint click Paste > Paste Special
Quotes/Sources
• Reference and foreground your focus

statement regularly.
• Include your sources regularly and throughout
– Quotes, statistics, analysis, film dialogue etc
• Include a referenced source directly in your
discussion every 250 words (as a minimum).
• Update your research document as you
include additional sources (if necessary).
Including sources
• When including a source in your script include brief information from your
bibliography with a page reference where relevant.
Example
Truffaut uses long shot durations throughout the 400 Blows (Truffaut, 1959).
Truffaut references this stating “It was an accident” (Truffaut in Smith, 1994,
p34).
12. Truffaut, F (1959) The 400 Blows

13. Truffaut, F cited in Smith J (1994) Interview with Truffaut (Sight and
Sound, issue 67)
Examples for including sources

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Personal Study

DEADLINE 06/01/22 in Personal Study Section of website

• Person or Studio Focus

• Choose your person, studio or product that you will focus

• You should make specific reference to at least

• Reference and foreground your focus

12. Truffaut, F (1959) The 400 Blows

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