Personal Project Report

Media Manipulation

IB code: hfh895

Word count: ​2878

Date:
28/02/2019
Table of Contents

1.
Introduction

2. Investigation
a. Defining my goal
b. Process of planning

3. Taking
action
a. Research
b. Design
c. Final product plan
d. Create

5. Reflection
a.Evaluation

6.
a.Conclusion

7. Work cited

8. Appendices
Introduction ​The personal project is a significant part of the International baccalaureate middle
years program. MYP year 5 students are given the chance to complete a project of their own.
They are given an extended period of time to develop their personal interests and apply their
skills, resulting in a product or an outcome.

Throughout the given time, I was able to apply the knowledge and the skills I’ve gained in the
past 4 years of MYP in terms of MYP ATL skills, IB learner profile and the global context. As
students who are assigned to complete this project, we get to choose a certain topic that interests
us, keeping in mind the logic of creating it on time while still challenging ourselves and
developing our learning. Personally, choosing the topic came out to be the hardest part of this
process to me. I never knew which topic will be the perfect topic for this project. I went back
and forth on 4 main ideas till I finally picked the one that stood out the most to me: Media
Censorship. I thought that this topic idea will give me the chance to challenge myself, fulfill all
the given tasks, answer many unanswered questions while still enjoying the whole process.

The topic of my personal project is something that has always made me curious. I’ve always
wondered if these platforms were made to serve us, or actually used as a way to manipulate and
control us? The topic of my personal project is something that has always made me curious.
I’ve always wondered if these platforms were made to serve us, or actually used as a way to
manipulate and control us? Based on what I learned in Social Studies class, the propaganda and
fake news issue has been going on for a very long time. But as time passed, the ways
developed. I used this project as an opportunity to research and learn more about this topic.

In this report I will present the process I went through from the very start till completing the
final project.

Why is my personal project considered personal?

As I became more interested in the field of media. More specifically social and political news I
began questioning the sources. I started asking myself questions such as: How accurate is the
news I read or hear about? Is the news we see everyday being censored upon the government's
desire? If so, how much of the news is being censored? Are social networks valid sources for
news? The relation between news organisations and news on social networks? Does the media
actually reflect or shape public opinion? To what extent is the information circulated within a
society is being controlled?
It especially became more of an interest when my own country was involved in such a crisis.
Since June 2017 several countries, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and
Egypt unexpectedly cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar. These countries used the media as
their weapon. They accused qatar of aiding terrorism and having a close diplomatic relation with
their regional rival iran. To make their claims stick they manipulated tv media and internet news
.For instance a common tool they used for this kind of manipulation is a Twitter bot, a type of
software that can be programmed to interact with other accounts annoumsly, read messages and
so on. They basically bought an army of bots, almost thousands making them flood twitter with
the ideas they would like the people to believe, in this case negative / false ideas about Qatar.
They had control to the point of allowing hashtags to trend in certain cities or even countries. It
was proven that these countries were able to shape the online debate on “ terrorism”. In addition
to all that false news about qatar was being broadcasted on channels such as saudi arabia “al
arabiya” making the people of the country turn against qatar leading to family issues as well.

My country being involved in ‘The fake news and the gulf crisis’ made me more interested to
the topic of media censorship and other related sub topics like: the control of information and
ideas circulated within a society, how people today are being lead along a path of false
dichotomy and how social media platforms are monopolist controllers of public opinion. So I
thought to myself: Does this happen all the time? Is there more to this? Do people realize how
much of an issue this is? Or do they believe what they want to hear? Is analyzing sources
carefully being taken into consideration?

Noticing the connection between this idea and the personal project choice requirements I might
as well take the chance and use it as my personal project idea this year. I’ll explore this topic in
depth and answer all the questions I have. I’ll also be able to enjoy it as I reflect my own interest
in the subject.

Defining my goal:

Even though the project was split into different parts, the aim was focused on ​raising
awareness against Media censorship through creating a short creative film. ​The main
themes of my project were: the control of the information and ideas circulated within a society,
how people today are being lead along a path by false dichotomy and how social media
platforms are the monopolist controllers of public opinion. In this project, I used my prior
learning of abilities to research and plan and create the film.
Part of my goal was expanding my knowledge and the knowledge of other teenagers on the topic
of Media Censorship. The purpose was to help my intended audience, the teenagers, be well-
aware and conscious that news platforms can be dangerous despite how beneficial they may
seem. I wanted to educate and aware the young people of my community on the issue. In
addition to that, I wanted to improve the way they analyze the news they receive every day by
informing them about the different manipulative ways the media uses,. This will them help them
recognize the different techniques used which will later on help them differentiate what's true
and what's not even when they least expected.

The following is the ​specification list ​I created for my film :

AIM

To raise the awareness of Media censorship among the community's youth so that they can
develop their knowledge and understanding of current global issues.

THEME

Connection and relevance to the Topic of Media Censorship

STORY

Story has a clear message and a unique

storyline

Rich and vibrant storytelling that engages, amuses or provokes the

viewer

CREATIVIT
Y

Original and captivating

Presents the theme in an interesting way

EMOTIONAL IMPACT/AUDIENCE
APPEAL

Visually appealing and entertaining

Creates a lasting impression

STRUCTURE

Tight; not too long for concept (3 - 5 minutes)

Images are arranged logically in a way that fits the purpose of the
film

b. Process of planning

To achieve my aim I had to set specific criterias to help me stay on track and fulfill my
goal. As a start I created and followed a detailed action plan. This plan helped me organize my
thoughts and build up all the major steps of the process that lead up to accomplishing my main
goal.

The product idea I came up with was creating a short film about the topic of Media Censorship.
In order to create this film, I had to research and learn more about the topic itself, therefore I
decided to start my research on it by exploring different ranges of sources. As in for creating the
film, I needed to know the most suitable software for creating a film. In addition to that I had to
create a specification list for my film to rely on, and finally create the story line of my film. This
process was done throughout October until December. Later on, I accessed the film against the
specification list I created in the very start.
The following table is an action plan that I have developed and followed in the process
of creating my product, and it was based on the deadlines that I was given from my
advisor.

Date Date

Gathering different ranges of October 16- 23.

sources and interviews.
Answering focus questions.
Preparing a Survey.
Researching all the needed
skills,sources in videography to
be able to conceptualize, shoot
and edit the film.

Making a plan for the video. October 23- 25.

Creating a specification list.
Starting script.

Applying changes based on October 27- November 1.

supervisor feedback.
Finalizing script.
Start filming.

Filming. November 3- 18.

Working with rough drafts.

Finishing up video. November 18- 25.

Determining if more elements to
the project are necessary.
Modifying the film based on
supervisor comments
 Sharing the video online. November 27.
Preparing Survey again for the
same people that took it the first
time to measure how much of
their knowledge has developed.

Accessing the film against specifications. December 1.

Report 1st draft submission. December 25.

Report 2nd draft submission. January 15.

Report final draft submission. January 29.

Handing in complete personal January 30 - February 10

project.
Planning for exhibition props,
papers.

Research

The research part plays an important role in this project. The main purpose of research is
inorming action. I applied research skills such as information literacy and media literacy to help
succeed and come out with excellent research results. Throughout this part, I was able to collect
and verify data, make connections between various sources, collect and analyze data to make
informed decisions, seek a range of perspectives from multiple sources, comparing and
contrasting connections among multimedia resources which then helped me end up with a
satisfied and successful research results. To carry out the process of research I listed my
questions. I ended up with a total of 12 questions. 6 questions related to the topic and 6 related to
the product.
The following question is an example of one of the questions that I based my research on:

1. ​What is the Role of Media in constructing a person’s point of view?

This question is surely a perfect opening to my research. This question allows me to

understand how exactly an opinion is being shaped under the influence of the media. I will be
able to identify the issue which will help me discover a solution to it later on. For this part of
my research, I selected the sources by looking at different range of sources that explain the role
of media in a in constructing a person’s point of view.I used the following sources to answer
the question:

Happer, Catherine, and Greg Philo. “The Role of the Media in the Construction of Public
Belief and Social Change.” ​Journal of Social and Political Psychology​,
https://jspp.psychopen.eu/article/view/96/37#d2e356
I then launched from there, at this point , I was able to select and gather the sources needed
that'll help me find the answers to my questions. The internet is known for its limitless amount
of information and data, but exploring a variety of different sources helped improve the quality
of my research as well. The selection of sources played a huge role in affecting the quality of
my project so I went through quite a process to choose the sources. In order to make sure a
source was good enough and that it fit my research, I evaluated each sourc using the C.R.A.P
test. I used a rubric that had a range from 1-3 under each category including: Currency,
Reliability, Authority or author, Authority of organization and purpose. If the source ended up
with 12-15 pound, then the source are considered as an extended source, if it scored 8-11 points
it's not the best but is still good enough. If less than the it's probably coined as a not useful
source. For my research, I mostly used sources that have excellent evaluation results. To
answer each question, I paraphrased and wrote the information in my own words and
understanding.

b.
Design

At this stage, because my product is a film, I had to create a script and a storyboard. I learned in
Drama classes in my previous years about scribiting and creating storyboards. A script includes
dialogue, as well as the character's actions. It's basically explaining the scenes in the film. A
storyboard is similar to a script but in this case it's a sequence of drawing rather than long
writings. Some directions and dialogue is included though, to help represent the scene of the
film.

Both the scripting and the storyboard helped me design and plan out how my film will turn out.
They helped me organize the thoughts and ideas I had for the film.

The following is the script and the storyboard I created for my film:
C. Final product plan

I generated a plan after finalizing the script and storyboard. I organized and planned my process
of creating a film on a table. I included the dates ( 1st December to 28th December). The plan
showed my process from the very beginning till the end explaining the steps I will be following
in detail in order to achieve in creating the film. This plan helped keep me thoroughly engaged
through the creative process. I set deadlines, balanced the dates and tasks and tried my absolute
best to keep up with the deadlines. Due to other reasons, I missed a few of the deadlines, but
eventually, I was able to manage and finish filming and editing the film on time.

Final product plan:

Task Date

Research on how to write a good December 1.

script/ create a storyboard

Create a script. December 2 - 3.

Draw a storyboard

December 3 - 5.
Decide on a Budget

Sets, props and costumes

(purchase or rent)

Get the cast ready December 6 - 8.

Download Editing software

Film scenes : December 9 - 11.

 Film scenes: December 12 - 14

Film scenes: December 15 - 17

Edit rough scenes December 21 - 23

Edit the whole film December 23 - 24

Get feedback from supervisor December 24 - 25

Finalize film by accessing film against December 24 - 28.

specifications.

D. Create

When I ended up with everything I needed, such as the plan and outline of my film ‘The Twisted
Truth’. I began my process by making sure that all the materials and resources needed are
available. I decided on a budget and then purchased / rented the equipment needed. Later on, I
looked for the cast. In order to find actors nearby, I decided to put up posters around my school
explaining that I need volunteers to be filmed. The script did not include a lot of dialogue which
helped a lot in this part. I downloaded the editing software too.

I began filming the scenes. I was finished with filming in almost 10 days. I edited the scenes and
according to the clips I came out with. I then downloaded the final edited draft and showed it to
my supervisor to be reviewed. This create part took 2 - 3 weeks.
5. Reflection
a. Evaluation

After finishing my product, the film, I evaluated it by accessing its specifications. Overall, I
found that my project succeed. Im very proud of the outcome and all the work I’ve done. My
film is excellent compared to the specification list I set. All of the scenes were well edited.
However, due to the tripod I used, some of the clips in my video seem a bit shaky but it
probably did not show with the final editing

In the end of my project, I have achieved all of my self-made criteria for my outcome as well. I
Thought this given opportunity ’ve gained knowledge on filmmaking and gained filmography
skills and techniques. I have conducted substantial research on each of the research questions I
came up with. As I was working on the research, I really enjoyed exploring different sources
and learning new things. I really liked the experience of taking charge of my own learning,

B. Conclusion

T​he personal project has been something that has extended my understanding of my topic
and of the global context. Following ‘The Design Cycle’ I was able to succeed in creating my
personal project.

Throughout this journey, my supervisor was very supportive and has guided me really well
from the very beginning till the very end. I mostly referred to him at times where I'd face
challenge and difficulties in getting tasks done or when I needed feedback. Meetings were
scheduled upon the needs and feedback.

As an IB learner, I have improved as an inquirer, reflector and communicator just in this one
assessment. I improved as an inquirer because I had to come up with different questions for
different sub topics related to the main topic and then using my research skills find the answers
to them. Furthermore, my reflecting skills have developed and improved massively greatly.
Because I kept a process journal throughout the entire project, I got to record detailed
reflections of each step of the process and really analyze my work. Finally, I have become a
better communicator. I communicated really well with my supervisor.

To conclude, I gladly say that my project is not something that will only affect
me individually, but will also affect other teenagers of this generation.