Progress From AS To A2

Before starting AS Media Studies I already had a strong interest in the media world of post production. Since completing my AS I feel my interest has grown hugely and I have learnt a lot from my experiences over the past year. Throughout my AS course I felt as If I was learning all the time and that I was progressing in parallel to this learning. I was able to discover a wide range of terminology that I didn't previous know, this was extremely useful and I will also be able to carry all that I learnt over into this years course. I had also never used software before such as Final Cut Express and I had no previous experience of Blogger so being introduced to these was a new and exciting experience for me and I feel I learnt a lot from It. I felt I was able to perform consistently and to a satisfactory standard throughout the year, I enjoyed the practical side of the coursework the most and felt my passion and creative vision helped my group to achieve. I enjoyed working with my coursework group last year and felt we worked together as a team helping each other progress throughout the course.

One of my strongest points of the year I feel came when we starting editing our Thriller opening, editing is my passion and I feel I was able to excel In this area of the course. Not only this but I was also able to learn along the way learning how to use new software such as Final Cut Express. This Is something I feel I will be able to bring to this years A2 course and now having used the software before I will be able to use my skills as well as vision and creativity to a greater standard. I also feel that the detail I was able to express within my blog posts last year not only helped myself but also the rest of my group, this Is something I also look forward to bringing to this years A2 course. I feel my evaluation and analysis improved greatly over the duration of the course and is another one of my strong points.

One of my weaker points however would have to be my essay writing. I feel my essays improved throughout the course but having said this I still regard them to be a weak point of mine having said this for the exam I made sure I did plenty of revision so that I was able to include all the relevant information when It came to the exam, after numerous practice essays I felt that I had improved greatly. I made sure I was also clued up on all my terminology for the exam which I feel also helped me out greatly.

I feel I have learned a great deal already this year from the two practical tasks. I feel that from the re-creation of the opening minute of Ed Sheerans Small Bump I have learn the most. I've learnt about the importance of checking that equipment is setup correctly before filming, checking the lighting of shots before starting to film Is something I have learned. During my AS course I didn't have to deal with these kind of problems and I think as a result I was slightly naive In the sense that everything would just work however having this happen In our Preliminary Task is of great benefit as It means we can learn from all our mistakes In preparation for creating our own music video later on in the course. Other factors to think about were the steadiness of some of our shots as well as the framing of shots also. I was most disappointed because we had spent a lot of time planning the video and seeking permission to use our desired location, nevertheless I pleased that we can still take a lot away from the video itself. The Digipack was better and I was pleased with our overall finished product however I believe that given more time we could have created a much better front and back cover as well as including more inlays. We also spent a long time planning our as we drew up some preliminary designs before scanning in the images we wanted to use and them editing them into our Digiapck. As a result we were able to capture many of the key conventions of the Thrash Metal genre within our Digipack however we could have been more In depth with some of our designs. Once again I am pleased that this has happened In the Preliminary Task so we can learn and develop In time for the creation of our own Digipack In the future. I fell will be ready to create a more detailed and In depth Digipack.

From the research and planning I feel I've also learn a lot, from my AS I learnt that It was important to get as much research and planning done In as much detail as well so that when It comes to filming for example you know exactly what your doing and your able to justify why you are doing it. During my AS we didn't plan very much for our Preliminary and as result it was very poor however we were able to evaluate this and learn a lot from it. This is something I can carry over Into my A2 course. Although we planned more for our A2 Preliminary Tasks It became clear that even more planning and research was needed, this is something I will be taking great care with when It comes to the rest of my A2 course. From AS I had seen what a lack of planning results In so I knew that for the rest of my AS I would make sure that plenty of planning and research was done and this helped us to achieve high marks In our Thriller opening. Once again this is something I will be carrying over into my A2 work.

In conclusion to this I believe that from AS to A2 I have made great progress In all aspects of the course, research and planning, using the equipment, using the software and websites such as blogger as well as analysis and evaluation of my work. I also feel my essay writing has improved and this is very important especially for when it comes to the exam.