Media Brief

G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media

OverviewThis is a coursework unit where candidates produce a media artefact (the opening of a film) from a series of briefs. This process involves progression from a pre-production, preliminary exercise to a more fully realised piece.  Candidates present their research, planning and evaluation in digital format, based on seven required prompt questions. This unit is internally assessed and externally moderated.

Assessment ObjectivesThe purpose of this unit is firstly to assess candidates’ ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills (AO3); secondly to assess candidates’ application of knowledge and understanding in evaluating their own work, showing how meanings and responses are created (AO2); and finally to assess candidates’ ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (AO4). The unit requires candidates to engage with contemporary media technologies, giving them the opportunity for development of skills in these technologies.

BriefPreliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Main task: the titles and opening of a new ‘thriller’ film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source. Both preliminary and main tasks may be done individually or as a group.

Maximum four members to a group.

(As acting is not a skill that is assessed in Media Studies, but the quality of finished work is quite clearly affected by the quality of acting, groups may use personnel external to the group to appear in their productions in photos, video or audio.)

Evaluation:Each candidate will evaluate and reflect upon the creative process and their experience of it. Candidates will evaluate their work digitally, through the form of a blog. This evaluation will be structured by the set of required questions below. This evaluation may be done collectively for a group production or individually.

In all cases, candidates should be encouraged to see the evaluation as a creative task and the potential of the format chosen should be exploited through the use of images, audio, video and links to online resources. Marks should be supported by teacher comments and may be supported by other forms such as audio or video presentations.

In the evaluation the following seven questions must be addressed:

- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

- How does your media product represent particular social groups?

- What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

- Who would be the audience for your media product?
- How did you attract/address your audience?
- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Where candidates have worked in a group, the evidence for assessment may be presented collectively but centres will still assess candidates on an individual basis for their contribution to aspects of the work, from planning, research and production to evaluation.

Mark schemeG321 is marked and internally standardised by the centre and marks are submitted to OCR by a specified date, a sample is then selected for external moderation. The unit is marked out of a total of 100 marks: 20 marks for the presentation of the planning and research; 60 marks for the construction; 20 marks for the evaluation.

The centre will be expected to allocate marks according to four levels for each of three categories:

- Research and Planning
- Construction
- Evaluation

It is possible both for a candidate to be placed in different levels for each of the three categories and to receive quite different marks from other members of the same group responsible for producing th–e film, according to his/her contribution.

Level 1 0-23 marks

The work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the creative use of any relevant technical skills such as:

Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task;

- using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
- using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
- shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
- using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Level 2 24–35 marks

There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical skills:

Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task;

- using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
- using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
- shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
- using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Level 3 36–47 marks

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:

Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task;

- using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
- using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
- shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
- using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Level 4 48–60 marks

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:
- material appropriate for the target audience and task;
- sing titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
- using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
- shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
- using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.