Task Instructions for Advanced Portfolio - OCR Media Studies (Music Vidoe Brief)

1. Advanced Media Portfolio – guidance notes
Set brief:
1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the
following three options:
 a website homepage for the band;
 a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package);
 a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).
Evaluation Questions: you should be thinking about these throughout the entire production process
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Marking:
This unit is marked out of a total of 100:
20 marks for the planning and research and its presentation – it must be presented electronically.
60 marks for the construction – 40 for main task. 10 marks each for the ancillary texts.
20 marks for the evaluation – this must be evaluated electronically
Marks are allocated individually so if you are in a group it is really important that you all pull your weight!
Tasks to complete in the Planning and Research phase: note that everything must be blogged. So, you
must be able to add images and hyperlinks, embed video, scan in storyboards and shot lists etc. All tasks set below are
minimum requirements. Do more, and you will impress your assessors (and that has to be good).
Remember, the best blogs always:
1. Use appropriate language and tone – including correct spelling, grammar and use of capitals
2. Have useful hyperlinks that work
3. Have interesting posts that combine text, images, sound and/or video and are correctly timed and dated
4. Are easy to navigate and are ‘uncluttered’ – so name every post and have an archive at the top of your blog.
5. Have the full names and exam numbers of all members of the group that is easy to find (ie near the top)
6. Include both draft and finished versions of all your planning, construction and evaluation tasks
Form, Genre and contextual research:
 Carry out initial research into Music Videos. What makes a music video a music video? What about its
history? What are the landmark music videos? Which artists? Which directors? Conduct a ‘director’s study’
and post it to the blog. At least one director’s study per person.
 Textual analysis of existing music video examples. Use ‘Goodwin’s Six’ but also pay particular attention to
camerawork, editing, mise-en-scene and lighting. How do these elements work together to create meaning?
Is it a narrative, performance or concept based video, or a mixture? Give detail on this. What narrative

2. techniques are employed? Analyse the performance. What is the concept? How successful is it as a video
and why? What do you like about it and why? Is there anything here that you might use as inspiration for
your own work? At least three examples per person.
 Previous student examples – analyse and comment. Summarise strengths and weaknesses. Make general
comments about things you will try to avoid and what you might try to achieve. Embed in your blog post if
possible. At least two examples per person.
 Research and textual analysis for ancillary texts. Analyse different examples of digipaks, websites or
advertising (depending on what you plan to do). What are some of the common conventions? Is there a USP
(unique selling point)? How is it attempting to communicate to its audience? Is there a consistent design
aesthetic? What font styles and sizes are used? What about the colour palette? Use screengrabs and images
and annotate your work. One blog post per person, per text.
Audience research:
 Who is your target audience? Design, create and distribute a questionnaire, use an online poll or carry out a
focus group. You need to collect and process valuable data about your audiences’ knowledge and tastes –
what is their demographic profile? What is their psychographic profile? Remember, you do not always have
to follow everything your target audience says but it helps to listen to them and act on their preferences to
effectively aim your product at your audience. How will you gain audience feedback on your three texts?
What questions do you want answered? How will you tackle this question in the evaluation? What evidence
will you have to support? Detailed blog posts on both audience research you have conducted (during
planning phase) and audience feedback you have collected (during construction phase).
Brainstorming:
 Include possible ideas, narrative techniques, camera techniques (type, movement, angle), settings and
locations, lighting set up’s, costumes, props, editing pace and transitions etc. Use sketches and diagrams as
well as words. The important thing here is to come up with loads of ideas. Consider the opinions of all in
your group. Then develop your ideas further. Carefully consider what is possible with the various constraints
you are working under. Eg: budget, time, technology. Remember that you need to come up with a simple
and effective idea which can be completed within the limits of the technology. One blog post that includes
scans of initial brainstorming pages.
 Consider, discuss and assign possible roles including: storyboard artist, camera operator, director, editor,
sound design, continuity, actor, set designer, props, costume design, lighting, special effects, make-up.
Workload should remain equitable throughout the production and remember; filmmaking is a collective
process so pulling your weight in your group is vital to the success of your film. This means a number of the
above roles will and must be shared. For example it is essential that every group member is able to shoot
some footage, download it to a computer and edit some footage. One blog post detailing the division of
labour in your group.
Storyboards:
 You do not need to sketch individual storyboards. You only need to create one storyboard per group.
However, it should be of a high standard and not just a rough draft. No stick figures. Sketches should give an
accurate indication of composition and framing. Use pencil first and add ink or colour later. Use arrows to
indicate movement of characters, objects or the camera. Number your shots and include notes on editing,
sound and approximate timings. Your group will not get access to a camera until you have OK’d your
storyboard with your teacher. There is a good reason for this – generally if you shoot without a plan you
tend to shoot rubbish and waste time thinking about what to shoot. By the time you get a camera you
should have every shot set-up planned. This doesn’t mean you can’t, or shouldn’t, shoot material that isn’t
storyboarded. Great ideas can come ‘on the set’ and improvised shots can be effective but the bulk of your
material should be well planned and well storyboarded. One blog post that includes either scanned
storyboards, or a animatic of those storyboards (stills in a powerpoint slideshow with sound or filmed with
sound or voiceover description included)

3. Shot lists:
 These are essential if you want a well organised shoot and are particularly important for forward planning
and continuity. You should create one of these for each location or scene so you know exactly what is
needed in terms of equipment (tripod, dolly, lights, cellophane), actors, extras, props, costumes. One blog
post with scanned shot lists (or as a table)
Remember your objectives:
 create a highly effective music video using appropriate codes and conventions
 create a seamless portfolio with a consistent design aesthetic across the main and ancillary texts
 show good, through to advanced, skills in al l relevant technologies
 create a visually interesting, thoughtful and reflective evaluation of your work
Initial deadlines:
All planning and research tasks, as above – Friday 24th of October (PD Day)
All Principal photography/filming finished - Friday 29nd of November
All draft construction work (including ancillary texts) complete by Friday 19th
December
Further Deadlines will be given in December for Final Submissions and
Evaluations
Work hard, be organised and remain focussed in the planning phase. This will make filming far more productive
and enjoyable.
Planning and Research accounts for 20% of your final production grade so make sure you do it well. These are the
‘easy’ marks!

4. Marking Criteria: Level 3 and Level 4 criteria included as 2 or lower is not acceptable – you will re-do it!
Planning and Research
Level 3 12–15 marks
There is proficient research into similar products and a potential ta rget audience.
There is proficient organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props.
There is proficient work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or s toryboarding.
Time management is good.
There is a good level of care in the presentation of the research and planning.
There is proficient skill in the use of digital technology or ICT in the presentation.
There are proficient communication skills.
Level 4 16–20 marks
There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience.
There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props.
There is excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, s cripting or storyboarding.
Time management is excellent.
There is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning.
There is excellent skill in the use of digital technology or ICT in the presentation.
There are excellent communication skills.
Construction: Film/Video
Level 3 24 – 31 marks
The candidate is expected to demonstrate proficiency in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:
 holding a shot steady, where appropriate;
 framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;
 us ing a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
 shooting material appropriate to the task s et;
 selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, l ighting, objects and s etting;
 edi ting so that meaning i s apparent to the viewer;
 us ing varied shot transitions, captions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set;
 us ing sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set.
Where a candidate has worked in a group, a proficient contribution to construction i s evident.
Level 4 32 – 40 marks
The candidate is expected to demonstrate 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 as appropriate;
 us ing a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
 shooting material appropriate to the task s et;
 selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, l ighting, objects and s etting;
 edi ting so that meaning i s apparent to the viewer;
 us ing varied shot transitions, captions and other effects selectively and appropriately;
 us ing sound with images and editing appropriately for the task.
Where a candidate has worked in a group, an excellent contribution to construction i s evident.
Evaluation:
Level 3 12–15 marks
There is proficient understanding of the forms and conventions used in the productions.
There is proficient understanding of the role and use of new media in various stages of the production.
There is proficient understanding of the combination of main product and ancillary texts.
There is proficient understanding of the significance of audience feedback.
There is proficient skill in choice of form in which to present the evaluation.
There is proficient ability to communicate.
There is proficient use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation.
Level 4 16–20 marks
There is excellent understanding of the forms and conventions used in the productions.
There is excellent understanding of the role and use of new media in various stages of the production.
There is excellent understanding of the combination of main product and ancillary texts.
There is excellent understanding of the significance of audience feedback.
There is excellent skill in choice of form in which to present the evaluation.
There is excellent ability to communicate.
There is excellent use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation.