WEEKLY JOURNALS
Week Two - Research
RESEARCH
What did you learn from your
research?
How has the research for your
medium helped you improve your
ideas?
How has the research for your genre
helped you improve your ideas?
How has researching the
conventions of your chosen genre
helped you understand what is
required from you in order to meet a
distinction grade?
How has including a variety of
sources (primary and secondary)
helped with your understanding of
your medium / genre?
What sources of information did you
look at that were different from your
proposed project?
How will this be useful to your
planning?
How has the research into
artists/producers helped you
improve your ideas?
What work do you need to complete
outside of lessons to stay on track?
High Grade Tips
Research
● ‘Thorough research’ - include plenty of sources and detailed analysis of this information
● ‘relevant & coherent’ – make sure your research sources are not just the same as the
Media product you hope to make - and talk about how they inform your planning
I learnt a lot about the history of the superhero genre aswell
as the codes and conventions about the superheroes like the
super powers, weaknesses, secret identity, etc. I also watched
a documentary on the basics of the superhero genre by Mark
Kermode and his secrets of cinema.
It’s made me think more about how I can improve my heroes’
character into a more “superhero” sort of person as well as an
average teenage boy to make it more relatable to the
audience.
It’s made me watch more superhero films aswell as the older
ones in black and white and the superhero shorts they used to
show of captain America and superman before a cinema film.
It’s made me realise how much I have to do in order to get
such a high grade. It means I have to put more research, more
time, more everything into making sure this is as good as it
can be.
I’ve been watching tons of superhero fights with the villains
and I’ve realised the different reasons they’re fighting for, for
fun, for the law, for personal reasons, etc.
I was looking at mostly heroes that were not in the same age
range my characters would have been, so I was looking at
adults rather than teenagers fighting, being the superheroes
and villains for different reasons.
It showed me what the heroes always want to aspire into, the
ultimate goal for their specific hero, the “end game”.
It’s given me looks at independent producers of films and their
style of what I can put into my own ideas, for example taiki
Waititi uses a more comedic way to attract their audiences
which I could use for my sort of age group.
Quite a lot.
● ‘sustained’ – continue your research throughout the eleven-week project and don’t just limit
it to the first two weeks
● ‘accomplished & considered’ – all of the above referred to in your daily/weekly reflections