This document outlines the requirements for the AS Media Studies Foundation Portfolio unit. Students will choose between a print or video brief and produce a preliminary exercise and main task for their chosen medium. They will also complete research and planning work, and an evaluation addressing questions from the exam board. The portfolio aims to assess students' technical and creative skills, application of knowledge, and research abilities. It will be internally assessed and moderated externally. Marks are awarded for the planning, construction, and evaluation components.

1. Foundation PortfolioAS Media Studies

2. AS G321: Foundation Portfolio in MediaThe purpose of this unit is firstly to assess your ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills (AO3); secondly to assess your application of knowledge and understanding in evaluating your own work, showing how meanings and responses are created (AO2); and finally to assess your ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (AO4). The unit requires you to engage with contemporary media technologies, giving you the opportunity to develop skills in these technologies.

3. Continued…This is a coursework unit, internally assessed and externally moderated. You will produce two paired media artefacts in response to briefs set by OCR plus some appropriate evidence of research and planning. Set briefs are paired in order to provide progression from a pre-production, preliminary exercise to a more fully realised piece and will be in the same medium. This offers the opportunity for skills development to be assessed, as well as a final finished piece.

4. BriefsYou will choose from two briefs – print or video.You will be required to produce a preliminary exercise for the medium of your choice.There will then be a main task which builds on the skills used.Your work must be accompanied by research and planning which will be recorded electronically.An evaluation is required which addresses questions set by the exam board.

5. Print brief – Preliminary exerciseUsing DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally you must produce a mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate your grasp of DTP.

6. Print brief – Main taskThe front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.If done as a group task, each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the magazine, following the same house style.ALL IMAGES AND TEXT USED MUST BE ORIGINAL, PRODUCED BY YOU. MINIMUM OF 4 IMAGES PER CANDIDATE.

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

8. Video brief – Main taskThe titles and opening sequence of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.All video and audio material must be original, produced by yourself, with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.

9. Research and planningThis can take the form of any one, or a combination of two or more, of the following:A presentation using slideshow software such as PowerpointA blog or websiteA podcastA DVD with ‘extras’

10. EvaluationYour work is to be accompanied by an evaluation in which you will address a number of specifics set by the exam board (see separate presentation on this).The evaluation will also be completed electronically.It MUST contain some element of audience feedback

11. Mark SchemeAs mentioned earlier, the coursework is marked by your teachers (internally assessed) and the marking is then moderated by the exam board. Your mark is for the main task ONLY.Marks are awarded as follows: (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.