Unit 1 - LO1 Understand the role of the creative process within the creative industries

LO1 - 1.1  Analyse the stages and activities within the creative process

We advocate that, as a practitioner in Photography, it's essential that you continuously look to learn about the world around you - engaging with subjects that deal with the Human Condition, to get a sense of what this means, look at the work of the Magnum Photographers. Photographers tend to be people that know about what's happening, they're interested in issues, they question what they see around them, not just with the camera but with their innate inquisitiveness - always on a quest for knowledge always digging for the truth and the facts.

It's this questioning that underpins what it is to be a photographer and this is why we engage with the process of researching. The more we research, looking at examples of quality contemporary and historical photography, the greater our own potential to create high-quality work of our own. This desire to learn, question and analyse underpins the creative process. Creativity is borne out of knowledge. 

The term creative process is a broad and flexible description that explains a series of stages involved in the production of art-work including photography. If you type 'Creative process' in Google Images, you'll be presented with an array of images that depict different models of the creative process. If you look at a range of them, you'll see that they generally follow a similar format with the same type of stages with slightly different labels/names.

The image above is an illustration of 'Our process' that we advocate you adopt once you reach the stage where you're working on projects that you propose and execute. In the short term you'll be practicing with this approach exploring how to implement it and use it to develop high quality outcomes. 

Our process involves...

(1). Producing written research accompanied with associated images. The written content needs to be analytical.

(2). Following the research you need to produce a Post Research Reflection where you reflect on the research and make sense of it in terms of how you'll use it to inform and kick-start your own work. 

(3). A plan that explores and identifies any problems that my arise with ideas about what you'll do to address and deal with the problems. 

(4). Your first practical response to the research - This should include contact sheets, two or more pages of work showing the best of your images, with annotations and screen grabs that show any Photoshop work that is produced in conjunction with the work. 

(5). A detailed reflection - analysing what's been achieved and learned through producing the images and doing any post-production work. There should be a detailed examination of the work in terms of how your idea is coming together and what you need to do to improve the work and develop or experiment with it further. You should also discuss the work in terms of its operational context... what kind of image is it, how could it be used, where would it be seen. Also critically appraise the work in terms of whether it is fit for purpose at this stage? What more needs to be done at the next stage? 

(6) Stages 3, 4 and 5 need to repeated over a minimum of 2 more stages working to improve or be more creative with your project.

(7). Final evaluation (Reflective) looking at the work in detail and whether it is fit for purpose, whether you completed what you intended to do, what you learned, the impact of the learning on future projects and the value of the learning and the images in terms of supporting the development of your portfolio. 

What you need to do... copy some of the different variations of these images that illustrate the processes and analyse them in terms of how they could be used and whether they make sense to you in terms of producing a big project that would be developed over several stages incorporating experimentation and the gradual improvement and refining to produce a final outcome. Examine and explain each of the stages and what's involved - how do they impact on the project by way of forcing improvements. Pay particular attention to our process. Also look at those that are presented in a linear manner. 

Use the criteria reference number as part of the heading/title for this section of your work... LO1 - 1.1  Analyse the stages and activities within the creative process

LO1 - 1.2 Explore creative processes within the context of the creative industries

Pick two Operational contexts and describe/explain/analyse how the creative process can be applied to those scenarios. Question whether they can be applied to other operational contexts. The 2 most obvious scenarios are...

(1). Art Photography production

(2). Speculative editorial Photography 

What you need to do...  Again, using images of the process along with explanations and analysis, explain how would this come together at each stage, who and what would be involved, what would need to be done, how would that look as it comes together, what time scales might be involved

Use the criteria reference number as part of the heading/title for this section of your work... LO1 - 1.2 Explore creative processes within the context of the creative industries

Unit 1 - LO2 Understand how to plan a response to a brief

2.1 Analyse the requirements of a brief 

2.2 Develop a project proposal that meets the requirements of a brief 

2.3 Review the implementation of the project proposal to meet the requirements of a brief

Unit 2 – 2:1 Critically compare a range of primary and secondary research sources.

Unit 2 – 2:1  Critically compare a range of primary and secondary research sources.



List three secondary sources that you used/might use in your research e.g.

(1).  http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/series/sean-o-hagan-on-photography

(2).  The British Journal of Photography.

(3).  One of the books that we recommend ‘Portfolio’ – ‘Photography the Whole Story’ or ‘Photography as contemporary Art’. Or a book of your choice.

Describe three separate secondary resources you choose and then compare ‘Critically’, you could do this by applying the what if approach, what if you were to choose one as being better than all of the others, what one is the best and why?

List three primary methods/sources…

(1). Working with a photographer (assisting, work release).

(2). Going to a Gallery and seeing photography exhibited.

(3). Conducting a survey.

Again describe the three methods and then compare them critically, e.g. what one do you think would be the best method of researching photography/photographers?

*Note; You may have already done this within your Gibbs with the previous assessment objective (Unit 2 – 1:1). Don’t repeat the information; perhaps add to it though if these prompts inspire a different more complex response.

One relatively simple example you could critically compare would be...

Youtube video interviews v Face to Face interviews

Why are Youtube videos useful and valid for your studies, what are the pros and cons of using such videos versus conducting a face to face interview with an artist/photographer?

 

Unit 2 - 3:1 Apply research tools, methods and skills to record & interpret information & develop ideas for creative activities.

Unit 2 - 3:1  Apply research tools, methods and skills to record & interpret information & develop ideas for creative activities.

Unit 2 - 3:2 Evaluate the effectiveness of research tools, methods and skills to develop ideas for creative activities.

Unit 2 - 3:2  Evaluate the effectiveness of research tools, methods and skills to develop ideas for creative activities.

This is relatively simple but, essential to complete. If you've not done this yet within your project work at any stage you need to make it a priority as you come to the final stages.

Follow these guidelines...

1. At the top of the page where you produce this work write up the assessment criteria along the top of the page...

This helps you and us establish that you have done the work and makes it far easier to assess. Underneath this heading write a paragraph or two...

 

2. You've basically got to explain whether you feel that the research methods, tools and skills you've used and learned about during these projects have helped you bring the ideas together, enabling you to come up with some good work/images.

 

3. Use the wording in the criteria "I have been able to develop creative ideas in conjunction with my work" because... Then discuss and evaluate (Good and bad) aspects of what you've learned about research tools, methods and skills.

 

4. Write the work up in sections where you write about (a). Research Tools - look back at your work, were you aware before this course, that the things we identified and discussed were resource tools? How useful were these research tools in putting your projects together? (b). Research Methods - This relates to the learning you did around identifying and using Primary, Secondary and Empirical methods. Was this information and learning new, are you clearer as to why they are different from each other and which ones have advantages over the other? How useful was this learning in putting together your projects? (c). Research skills - This relates to differentiating between good research methods and tools, your abilities in skim reading, listening and note taking. Are you more aware of these skills now and how useful were they in producing your projects. 

 

Unit 3 - 1:1 Critically compare a range of critical perspectives that influence the analysis of Art & Design.

Unit 3 - 1:1 Critically compare a range of critical perspectives that influence the analysis of Art & Design.


“Critically compare”: In essence this means you have to question and not take at face value individual opinions, you need to collect a range of opinions and viewpoints and make sense of these. This process of comparing a range of opinions allows you to "critically compare".

Within each project, as a minimum, we expect you to research, explore and critically compare 6 different viewpoints.

• You’re directed to research a minimum of 2 photographers per project. This stage of the work should be done within your blog using the Unit number and the word 'Research' in the title of the new post.
• Find the 2 x photographers/work that your work is going to be influenced by and upload a selection of their work (Images). Keep these two sections of the work separate.
• You then have to offer your own viewpoint on each of these in your ‘Initial response’ to them. This is a form of empirical research . What you're doing here is demonstrating your analytical skills in deconstructing the images using the knowledge you already have. Use this series of prompts here to generate your initial response. This serves as a basic critical perspective, but is uniformed.
• You then have to find two pieces of written research per photographer using the guidelines and conventions as taught previously and use that material to compile the main body of your research. At this stage you're looking to learn as much about the photographer and their images as possible. Again if you're struggling with what you should write - use the prompts here to generate your written content.

“Critical perspectives”:

The viewpoints expressed in your own initial response and then those expressed via your research, are ‘Critical perspectives’. Your own initial response is an un-informed critical perspective based on limited knowledge. The research you use, if gleaned from sound sources should be high quality ‘Critical perspectives’ written by experts in the “Analysis of Art & Design”, (Academics, professional writers, curators, critics or the photographers themselves). Within the main body of your summary of both the critics/photographers viewpoints, you need to discuss the work in terms of ‘What if’ in conjunction with your own idea, make sure you make reference to your own idea and the brief.

Consolidation

Once you've completed these keys aspects of the work, you must then reflect on your research using the Gibbs method. Focus the majority of your attention on section (4)"Analysis; in this section reiterate the main learning points that you're going carry forwards into your own project, use a questioning approach to this discussing what if's. The other section that is important is section (6) "Action Plan". In this section you need to discuss in detail how you're going to move forwards with the project - dates, names, places, times, equipment, lighting, approaches; plan your first key practical move in relation to what you've learned through your research.

Top Tip

There is a really easy way of doing this that will enable you to meet all of the assessment criteria readily - Use the books that were recommended on day one of the course and the British Journal of Photography for your secondary research.

 

Unit 3 - 1:2 Apply knowledge of critical perspectives to the analysis of a range of art and design activities.

http://www.listofphotographers.blogspot.co.uk/

 Unit 3 - 1:2   Apply knowledge of critical perspectives to the analysis of a range of art and design activities.

This simply means that you need to show that you are aware that you must be critical of your own work and processes and that you go through a process of analysis when making decisions about the quality and validity of your work.

How have you applied the knowledge that you've learned and have you done so in a manner that is coherent. This is usually evidenced through making connections with your research - explaining how you've used the research to influence and construct your own practical work. What aspects of your research have you 'Borrowed' that have been carried through into your practical work.