Welcome to the course!

Welcome to A2 Media Studies. Ready for the challenges ahead? Of course you are!

The Advanced Portfolio 's chosen brief is Music Video.

This will be managed in the same way as the Foundation Portfolio:
- individual blog for individual research and ideas, reflections and evaluation,
- group blog for all group research, planning and production work,
- a production.

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES for the coursework:
1. Apply knowledge and understanding when analysing media products and processes and evaluating your own practical work, to show how meanings and responses are created (20 marks)
2. Demonstrate the ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills (60 marks)
3. Demonstrate the ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (20 marks)

PROJECT BRIEF
The unit requires you to engage with contemporary media technologies, giving you the opportunity to develop in these technologies. It also enables you to develop the skills of presentation that are required for further study at higher levels and in the workplace.

Candidates will produce:
• a media portfolio, comprising a main and ancillary texts
• a presentation of their research, planning and evaluation in electronic format

Brief: A promotion package of the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with 2 of the following 3 options:
• a website homepage for the band
• a cover for its release on cd
• a magazine advert for the cd
Note: Original imagery, (including publicity stills for the ancillary products) must be included on all products. You are expected to shoot stills specifically for use on your print materials rather than merely relying on extracts from your MV footage.

MARKING CRITERIA
Assessment: to achieve Level 4 in Research and Planning, you must demonstrate
• excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience
• excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes and props
• excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding
• excellent time management
• excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and plannning
• excellent skill in the use of digital technology or ICT in the presentation
• excellent communication skills

Assessment: To achieve Level 4 in Production you are expected to demontrate excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:
• holding a shot steady, where appropriate
• framing a shot, including and excluding elements where appropriate
• using a variety of shot distances, where appropriate
• shooting material appropriate to the task set
• selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting
• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer
• using varied shot transitions, captions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task

Assessment: to achieve Level 4 in Evaluation, you are expected to demontrate excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:
- understanding of the forms and conventions used in the productions.
- understanding of the role and use of new media in various stages of the production.
- understanding of the combination of main product and ancillary texts.
- understanding of the significance of audience feedback.
- choice of form in which to present the evaluation.
- ability to communicate.
- use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation.

In the evaluation the following questions must be answered:
- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
- What have you learned from your audience feedback?
- How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Where a candidate has worked in a group, an excellent contribution to construction is evident. Differences in the contributions made by individual candidates must be clearly indicated on the teacher marksheets. When marking the production, teachers must focus on the quality of the brand identity across the promotion package as a whole, as well as on the indidvidual productions.

In other words, a lot to think about and lessons to be learnt from last year and along the way.

Enjoy it!