ALICE WASS
Exploring Media
105MC - Key Concepts in Media and Communications
Group Work:
The coursework for this unit was a 72 hour challenge in which we had to create a media artefact linked to the lectures we have had during this module. Throughout the module we had been developing in small groups, it was these groups which were my favourite part of the unit as instead of just working with media and communication student I worked with a range of students from multiple different degrees. The brining together of all our different specialities from media production, to journalism, to digital media, I believe this helped us to create a better piece of work which showed a level of professionalism and sophistication. Having the complete free range to create an artefact in any way we wanted about anything we wanted was a daunting idea to me, within the work I have previously done I have normally worked to a brief. However, we chose to focus on a current issue at the time we were producing the work in a formate we were all happy to work with. Therefore, for the 72 hour challenge we created a five minuet documentary exploring how social media influenced the US elections. This was a topic that linked to many of the lectures from the module, including: media ethics, online copyright, and investigative documentary.
Reflection on 105MC:
I feel like this will be one of my favourite modules mainly due to the ability to meet and collaborate with a variety of other courses as I feel this created a more realistic example of what it will be like to work in the industry. The time pressure of 72 hours to complete the coursework added and extra twist, which before starting the task was daunting, but once we got into it we definitely had plenty of time to produce a piece of work that we are all proud of. However, one issue with the module was the suggestion that on the first day of the challenge that we would receive more information, this prevented us from starting earlier, but there was never more information so in theory people could have began before the 72 hours.
As for the individual critical analysis I found that the lectures we had chosen did not have much theory to go along side, for example I could discuss the rules of copyright but struggled to fine people to quote and reference. In contrast the myth lecture was full of information and theorist which I believe made it a popular choice for many as that would have made the critical analysis easier form a theoretical point of view. However, I believe that with the research I had I managed to successfully analysis our documentary as well as placing into wider cultural context.
Critical Reflection of Module Feedback:
The positive feedback I received was extremely helpful in aiding my understanding of what could be improved in the future as well as what went well. I received a 72 grade, which has motivated me to continue to work hard, and to push myself to do even better.
My critical analysis of our artefact was described as being thoughtful and coherent. I largely succeeded in theorising the artefact, especially through my clear intelligent discussion of the different types of documentaries. Increasing my ability to theorise media products will make the analysis of future work much easier, and help to place it within society. It was highlighted that when discussing Jim Leher there was missing information on media ethics. This information was originally analysed, but due to word count restrictions it was later cut. Therefore, in future work I hope to learn to prioritise information better, to ensure no information is missing and everything is clearly explained.
In the personal reflection of my contribution to the group work, the feedback stated that my clear contribution to the group helped to produce a polished and authoritative documentary. This boosted my confidence, as I felt my production work was sometimes of a lower quality than my written work. In the future I will maintain a good contribution to group work, maybe even taking on more of a leadership role as my confidence increases.