A2 Media Studies - Course content

1. A2 MEDIA STUDIES – Course Outline
Unit G324: CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT
Advanced Portfolio in Media
Music Promotion
Unit G325: EXAM
Critical Perspectives in Media
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
Section B: Contemporary Media Issues
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media
The purpose of thisunitis firstlytoassesscandidates’abilitytoplanandconstructmediaproducts
usingappropriate technical andcreative skills(AO3);secondlytoassesscandidates’applicationof
knowledge andunderstandinginevaluatingtheirownwork,showinghow meaningsandresponses
are created(AO2);andfinallytoassesscandidates’abilitytoundertake,applyandpresent
appropriate research(AO4).The unitrequirescandidatestoengage withcontemporarymedia
technologies,givingthemthe opportunitytodeveloptheirownskillsinthesetechnologies.Italso
enablesthemtodevelopthe skillsof presentationthatare requiredforfurtherstudyathigherlevels
and inthe workplace.
Thisis a courseworkunit.Centresmustsetthe brief fromwhichcandidateswillproduce:
 A media portfolio, comprising a main and ancillary texts;
 A presentation of their research, planning and evaluation in digital format(s).
Our Brief:
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 digipak for the album’s release;
 • a magazine advertisement for the digipak.
The following is a checklist of items that you must include in your portfolio (which is
essentially your blog):

2. RESEARCH
 Analysis of existing music videos (x5)
 Research into Music Video Director of your choice
 Research into Target Audience
 Institutional Research
 Genre Case Study
 Analysis of existing Record Labels
 Analysis of existing music Websites
 Analysis of existing music Digipaks
PLANNING
 Song Choice
 Lipsync/Green Screen Task
 Moodboard
 Treatment
 Location recce and planning
 Costume planning
 Storyboard and Shot List
 Risk Assessments and Contingency Plans
 Call Sheets
 Production Schedule
PRODUCTION
 Job Roles
 Record of production process (diary format)
 Action shots/photographs from shooting
 Screenshots of editing
 Record and explain the development of your record label.
 Record and explain the development of your Website.
 Record and explain the development of your Digipak.
 Audience Feedback
EVALUATION
Answer the following questions:
 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?

3. A2 G325: Critical Perspectives in Media
The purpose of thisunitis to assesscandidates’knowledge andunderstandingof mediaconcepts,
contextsandcritical debates, throughtheirunderstandingof one contemporarymediaissue and
theirabilitytoevaluate theirownpractical workinreflectiveandtheoretical ways.
The examinationistwohours.Candidatesare requiredtoanswertwocompulsoryquestions,on
theirownproductionwork,andone questionfromachoice of six topicareas.The unitis markedout
of a total of 100, withthe twoquestionsonproductionworkmarkedoutof 25 each, andthe media
theoryquestionmarkedoutof 50.
There are twosectionstothispaper:
SectionA: Theoretical Evaluationof Production (50 marks)
SectionB: ContemporaryMedia Issues(50 marks)
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
Candidatesanswertwocompulsoryquestions.The firstrequiresthemtodescribe andevaluate their
skillsdevelopmentoverthe course of theirproductionwork,fromFoundationPortfoliotoAdvanced
Portfolio.The secondasksthemtoidentifyone productionandevaluateitinrelationtoone
theoretical concept.
Question1(a) requirescandidates todescribe andevaluatetheirskillsdevelopmentoverthe course
of theirproductionwork,fromFoundationPortfoliotoAdvancedPortfolio.The focusof this
evaluationmustbe onskillsdevelopment,andthe questionwill require themtoadaptthisto one or
twospecificproductionpractices.The listof practicestowhichquestionswill relate isasfollows:
• Digital Technology
• Creativity
• Researchandplanning
• Post-production
• Using conventionsfromreal mediatexts
In the examination,questionswillbe posedusingone ortwoof these categories.Where candidates
have producedrelevantworkoutsidethe contextof theirA Level mediacourse,theyare free to
additionallyrefertothisexperience.
Question1(b) requirescandidatestoselectone productionandevaluate itinrelationtoa media
concept.The listof conceptstowhichquestionswillrelate isasfollows:
• Narrative
• Genre
• Representation
• Audience
• Medialanguage

4. Medialanguage referstothe waysin whichmediaproducersmake meaninginwaysthatare
specifictothe mediuminwhichtheyare workingandhow audiencescome tobe literate in
‘reading’suchmeaningwithinthe medium.Forexample,the ‘language of film’,printlayout
conventions,webdesignandnavigationconventionsandrule economiesingaming.Thesemedium
specificlanguageswill oftenbe closelyconnectedtoothermediaconceptssuchasgenre or
narrative andcandidatesare at libertytomake such connectionstoa greateror lesserextentin
theiranswers.
In the examination,questionswillbe setusingone of these conceptsonly.
Candidatesmaychoose towrite aboutworkundertakenatAS or A2, maintask or
preliminary/ancillary.
Section B: Contemporary Media Issues
One questionto be answeredfromachoice of six topicareasofferedbyOCR.There will be two
questionsfromeachtopicarea.
The topic areasrequire understandingof contemporarymediatexts,industries,audiencesand
debates.Forthe purposesof examination, acontemporarymediatextisdefinedasbeingamedia
textthat waspublishedorreleasedwithinfiveyearsof the examinationdate.Forexample,inJune
2012 a contemporarymediatextwouldbe anymediatextfromthe periodof 2007 onwards.
Candidatesmustchoose one of the followingtopicareas,inadvance of the examinationand,
throughspecificcase studies,texts,debatesandresearchof the candidates’choice,prepare to
demonstrate understandingof the contemporaryissue.Thisunderstandingmustcombine
knowledge of atleasttwomediaanda range of texts,industries,audiencesanddebates,butthese
are to be selectedbythe centre /candidate.
Each topic isaccompaniedbyfourpromptquestions,andcandidatesmustbe preparedtoansweran
examquestionthatrelatestoone ormore of these fourprompts.There shouldbe emphasisonthe
historical,the contemporaryandthe future inrelationtothe chosentopic,withmostattentionon
the present.Coombe candidateswillfocusonthe followingcontemporaryissue:
Media and Collective Identity
• How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic / social
collective groups of people in different ways?
• How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?
• What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of
people?
• To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?
Candidatesmayanalyse the representationof and/or the collectiveidentityof one ormore
group(s) of people.Candidatesmightexplore combinationsof any mediarepresentationacrosstwo
media,ortwo differentrepresentationsacrosstwomedia.Some examplesare:
National cinema,televisionrepresentations,magazinesandgender,representationsof youthand
youthculture,post-9/11representationsof Islam,absence /presence of peoplewithdisabilityin
twomedia.

5. Key Dates
 W/c 26th September – Theory lessons will begin each week on Friday.
 Thursday 29th September – Lighting and green screen workshop.
 Tuesday 11th October – Treatment Deadline
 Tuesday 15th November – Research and Planning Deadline
 Tuesday 20th December – Shooting Deadline
 16th Jan – 27th Jan – Lessons will focus on preparation for Mock Exam
 W/C 30th Jan – Mock Exam
 Friday 10th Feb – Rough Cuts Deadline for Group Critique
 Friday 10th March – FINAL DEADLINE – Portfolio, Video and Ancillary Tasks
 Friday 20th March – FINAL DEADLINE – Evaluation
 Wednesday 7th June – External Exam

6. Useful Websites
OCR is the A Level Exam board. You can find past papers, specification details and
mark schemes on here:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/qual i fi cati ons/type/gcse/aml w/medi a _studi es/i ndex.html
The below are media blogs and websites to enhance your understanding of media
studies:
http://bl ogs.warwi ck.ac.uk/mi chael wal ford/tag/medi a_studi es/
http://beauchampmedi a.ni ng.com/
http://petesmedi abl og.bl ogspot.com/
http://getaheadocrmedi a.bl ogspot.com/
http://www.engl i shandmedi a.co.uk/mm/i ndex.html
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
http://www.medi aknowal l .com/as_al evel /al evkeyconcepts/al evel keycon.php?pageID=
represent
http://www.bfi .org.uk/si ghtandsound/
http://medi a.edusi tes.co.uk/
http://www.ani mateprojects.org/fi l ms
http://www.fi l msshort.com/
http://www.teachi t.co.uk/i ndex.asp?CurrMenu=132&T=303
http://www.bbc.co.uk/l earni ng/subjects/medi a_studi es.shtml
The following websites will help you make your blogs creative when doing research
and evaluations at A/S and A/2:
www.goani mate.com - create ani mati ons for free
www.voki .com - convert text to speech – onl i ne voi ce for websi tes
www.prezi .com - i nteracti ve presentati ons
www.pol l junki e.com - create onl i ne pol l s/questi onnaires
www.sl i deshare.com - upl oad and share documents to bl ogs
www.vi deo2mp3.net - convert vi deos from youtube to mp3
www.soundcl oud.com – upl oad audi o to turn i nto a podcast
www.wordl e.net - an onl i ne tool to produce creati ve themati c word
cl ouds/brainstorms
www.bubbl .us - onl i ne brai nstorm/mi ndmap creator

7. www.pi xton.com - an onl i ne comi c stri p creator
www.mashuparts.com - the abi l i ty to combi ne mul ti medi a to form another product
www.sketch.odosketch.com - onl i ne sketchi ng
www.mi ndmei ster.com - onl i ne mi ndmap creator
www.smartdraw.com - create 3d graphs or spi der di agrams
www.spi cynodes.org - onl i ne organi sati on tool for websi tes
www.gl i ffy.com - fl owchart creator etc
www.evernote.com - upl oad photos and make notes on top to preserve i deas
www.spri ngnote.com - create group notebook onl i ne
www.gl ogster.com - onl i ne poster constructi on
www.my-di ary.org - free onl i ne di ary
www.ani moto.com - create short 30 second vi deos out of photos or vi deo cl i ps
www.voi cethread.com - upl oad docs and al l ow peopl e to l eave comments
www.authorstream.com - upl oad and share powerpoi nts to bl ogs/websi tes
www.mi xbook.com - create photo al bums and share onl i ne
www.ti megl i der.com - create onl i ne ti mel i nes for projects/research
www.ti metoast.com - create onl i ne ti mel i nes for projects/research
www.prezenti t.com - onl i ne presentati ons
www.vcasmo.com - synchroni se vi deos and sl ideshows side by si de
www.wordi tout.com - word cl oud generator
www.sketchfu.com - Create a drawi ng, save and pl ay back as a movi e of the drawi ng
bei ng created. Embed i nto any webpage
www.openstreetmap.org - onl i ne edi tabl e worl d map useful for l ocati on detai l s
www.tadal i st.com - free to-do l i st creator
www.vi deo2mp3.net - convert vi deos from youtube to mp3
Magazines you should subscribe to and/or buy:
http://www.engl i shandmedi a.co.uk/mm/i ndex.html
http://www.empi reonl i ne.com/
http://www.bfi .org.uk/si ghtandsound/subscri be/