This document provides an overview and introduction to the A2 Media Studies course. It outlines the two main components: the Advanced Media Portfolio coursework unit and the Critical Perspectives in Media examined unit. For the portfolio unit, students will produce a music video, digital booklet, and webpage. They will also submit a blog and digital evaluation. The exam unit involves evaluating students' skills development and analyzing a production in relation to media concepts, as well as a postmodernism essay. Technical skills like editing, color correction, and green screening are emphasized. Strong organization, time management, and keeping up with current media trends are keys to success.

1. Welcome to A2 Media studies!So, what will we be doing?Advanced Media Portfolio - courseworkCritical Perspectives in Media – examLearning cool stuff, having lots of fun doing it, making some awesome products and getting cracking results!

2. A2 overview – G324Advanced Media Portfolio – G324Coursework unit worth100 marks - 50% of A2A significant body of work requiring excellent organisation, high levels of technical skill, unbridled creativity and a lot of time and effortResearch and planning – blog – 20 marksThree products make up the portfolio – a music promo video and two supporting products (typically a digipak and a webpage) – 60 marks (40, 10,10)Digital evaluation – 20 marksThis is what you are expected to produce to get top Level 4 marksExample 1 – music video – Puretone – ‘Totally Addicted to Bass’Example 2 – music video – Beastie Boys – ‘Triple Trouble’Example 3 – music video – Esser – ‘Work it Out’

3. A2 overview – G324Q - What do these music videos have in common?A - Technical skills (tekkers) in abundance including:Accurate lip synchLayering / splitscreen (multiple versions of same person in shot)Green screen / chromakeyHigh level editing techniques such as rapid cutting on the beatColour correction/lighting adjustmentsNext 5 weeks - you will ALL know how to do these things! (except the dinosaur bit)Your ‘tekkers’ needs to be strong so…That’s why we’ll be doing skills based lessons on Final Cut Express after an introduction to music video

4. A2 overview – G325Critical Perspectives in Media – G3252 hour examined unit worth 100 marks - 50% of A2Two Sections – 50 marks each – one hour on each questionSection A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks) Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks) Section A Question1a – you have to evaluate your skills development over the course of your production work - from Foundation Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio. You’ll be given a specific production practice focus for this in the exam. E.g. creativity, digital technology, post-production etc – 25 marksQuestion1b – you have to select one of your productions and evaluate it in relation to a media concept. E.g. representation, narrative, genre etc – 25 marks

5. A2 overview – g325Section B – Critical Perspectives in MediaWe study: Postmodernism and the Media – one big essay – 50 marksWe have to look at this concept through the past, the present and the futureWe need to understand it as a concept, a critical framework, a time period and the theorists who pontificate about it (Baudrillard, Strinati, Jameson, Lyotard)An intellectually challenging, thought provoking and highly stimulating unit of work!Past texts studied include:Film: 24 Hour Party People, Hot Fuzz, Catfish, ScreamTelevision: Flight of the Conchords, Extras, The Mighty Boosh, The Simpsons, various Reality TVWeb 2.0: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Internet memes (e.g. lolcats)Video games: WOW, GTA, Assassins Creed, Farmville, SIMSMusic: DJ Shadow, Gorillaz

6. Keys to success at a2Be organised – get your folders sorted nowUp skill your tekkers- especially Final Cut and PhotoshopBlog prodigiously and with quality on your production workPut in the hours for your production work – the most common link with outstanding Level 4 work is ‘amount of graft’Plan and execute your evaluations EARLY – it is the most commonly underdeveloped part of the portfolioRead, post and comment on the tccpomo blogFollow Pete Fraser’s blog – he’s the mac daddy of OCR Media Studies and is always posting interesting and relevant stuff Subscribe to things like this -- or this-- or this -- in general, keep up to date with things happening in the media, especially the digital side