Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level GCE Media Studies

AS G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media

Brief:

Preliminary exercise 1: using Photoshop produce a CD cover front and back for the release of a new album or CD single.

Preliminary exercise 2: using Photoshop produce the front cover of a new college magazine, featuring an original photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. You must also produce a contents page that lists the main features of your college magazine, helps orientate the reader and maintains a consistent house style.

*if you fail to complete the preliminary tasks you lose 25% of you total mark for the main task

Main Task: using Photoshop produce the front page, contents page and double page spread of a new music magazine.

All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate, minimum of four images per candidate.

Marks for the AS G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media:

Research and Planning (20 marks)You are marked on your research into similar products and potential target audience; organisation of models, props, photo-shoots, bands/artists; drafting and screen grabs from Photoshop that illustrate how your ideas have developed; time management and ability to meet deadlines; use of digital technology or ICT in the presentation of results.*All research and planning must be presented digitally and uploaded to your blog.

Construction (60 marks)For this category you are marked for the main task only. The aim of the two preliminary tasks is to give a sense of progression and to prepare you for the main task. As such the preliminary tasks need not have a high degree of ‘finish’ nor will it detract from the overall mark.

However, in the event of the preliminary task not having been undertaken, you will be marked out of 60 using the OCR marking criteria and then have 15 marks deducted as a penalty for not completing the preliminary tasks. This is an OCR requirement and can be found on page 57 of OCR specification Appendix B: Sample Marking Criteria (go to www.tinyurl.com/lgxasq and hit on specification link).

Evaluation (20 marks)You will evaluate your main task electronically. The evaluation MUST contain audience feedback – either questionnaires and/or a filmed focus group. In addition you must address the following questions set by OCR in your presentation.

The questions that must be addressed in the evaluation are:

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

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

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

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

5. How did you attract/address your audience? (Include evidence of audience feedback)

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

You must use Powerpoint for your evaluation presentation; the evaluation is NOT and extended essay; the presentation must include screen grabs of your work and notes under the key evaluation questions with examples from your creative work to illustrate your points. Remember that we are working in a visual medium. You cannot just cut and paste a word essay and read it out to the class! You are welcome to

integrate audio/visual material; the evaluation can take the form of a director’s commentary with JPEGS/MPEGs that you edit in Premiere.

In the evaluation you will be marked on:

Your understanding of the forms and conventions used in the productions.

Your understanding of the role and use of new media in various stages of the production.

Your understanding of the combination of main product and the preliminary tasks.

Your understanding of the significance of audience feedback.

Your skill in choice of form in which to present the evaluation.

Your ability to communicate.

Your use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation.

*The Research and Planning and Evaluation should be seen as an exciting way to present information; people working in the industry have to present their work to clients before they get paid; it is essential that they present the information in a lively, creative and engaging way; this is not a boring old essay; it is a piece of creative work in its own right.

For design ideas make sure you look at “The Art Directors’ Handbook of Professional Magazine Design”; also have a look at www.issuu.com and the shelves at Borders for ideas on magazine layout, typography and design.

The deadlines below have been agreed by the academic staff. They have been set in stages so that you can monitor your own performance during your Foundation Portfolio in Media. After submitting work on time you will receive detailed feedback on your progress during the project and you will be given an individual action plan on ways to improve your work*. The deadline dates are final, however please feel free to submit work before the deadline dates and move onto your next task.

Friday 2nd October 2009 Complete Production Tasks 1 -10 (CD design)All work must be uploaded to your blog by 4pm

Friday 6th November 2009 Complete Production Tasks 11 – 18 (college magazine)

All work must be uploaded to your blog by 4pm

Friday 20th November 2009Complete production tasks 19 – 25 (magazine analysis)

All work must be uploaded to your blog by 4pm

Friday 4th December 2009 Complete production tasks 26 – 28 (audience research)

All work must be uploaded to your blog by 4pm

Friday 18th December 2009 Complete production tasks 29 – 33 (pre-production planning and design)

All work must be uploaded to your blog by 4pm

Friday 12th February 2010 Complete production tasks 34 – 39 (magazine design)

Friday 19th March 2010Complete evaluation tasks 40 – 41

Evaluation presentation must be uploaded to blog by Friday 19th March 2010

You will be asked to present your work to the group during week commencing 22nd and 29th March 2010

*You will not be allowed to change or alter work after the final deadline Friday 12th February 2010

Below is a complete list of all of the tasks for the AS G321 Advanced Portfolio in Media. Please tick the tasks off when you have completed them.

1) Set up your google mail account at www.google.co.uk

2) Set up your blog at www.blogger.com

3) Set up a slide share account at www.slideshare.net

4) Set up a twitter account at www.twitter.com

5) Join Survey Monkey at www.surveymonkey.com

6) Join Issuu at www.issuu.com

7) Copy and paste a mood board collage of some of your favourite CD covers; you can complete the collage in Photoshop and export as a JPEG.

8) Import your CD cover collage into Powerpoint and list the main elements of your chosen CD covers; how are the band presented or represented? Does the band or artist appear on the CD cover? How does the language and imagery of the CD cover tie in with the overall image of the band?

9) Take some original images for the front and back cover of your new CD

10) Complete the CD cover assignment. Copy screen shots of your Photoshop design work as it develops. Hit the print screen button and paste into a word document. You need to produce a step-by-step Photoshop guide that illustrates how you produced you CD cover. You need to get into the habit of doing this throughout the Foundation Portfolio – get into good habits early.

END OF PRELIMINARY TASK ONE: upload to your blog by Friday 2nd October 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11) Do some research on existing college/university magazines; what features do these magazines contain? How are they laid out? Why would they appeal to students?

12) Decide on the main features and house style of your college magazine; begin initial flat-plans and sketches for your college magazine; include examples of magazines or photo-shoots that have inspired you.

13) Design a suitable masthead for your college magazine – go to www.dafont.com for font styles; take a range of original photos to include in your contents page

14) Take an original medium close-up photo of your model for the front cover of your college magazine

15) Complete your college magazine front page in Photoshop; copy Photoshop screen grabs of your college magazine into a word document during production

16) Complete your college magazine contents page Photoshop; copy Photoshop screen grabs of your college magazine into a word document during production

17) Cut and paste all college magazine planning work (including screen grabs) into a Powerpoint and upload to your slideshare; embed your slide share into your blog.

18) Export completed college magazine front cover and contents page as a JPEG and upload onto your blog.

END OF PRELIMINARY TASK TWO: upload to your blog by Friday 6th November 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

19) Create a mood board collage of your favourite music magazines; make a few comments on why you like each magazine (i.e. photography, layout, design, attitudes and values of the magazine etc). Make a few comments on who you think the magazine is aimed at. Who buys the magazine and why? Go to www.abc.org and find out the circulation figures for your music magazines. Go to the magazine publisher’s web site and see if you can find a ‘reader profile’.

20) Paste your mood board and copy up your notes onto a Powerpoint; upload your Powerpoint to your slide share account and embed onto your blog

21) Analyse three music magazine front covers using technical language; the front covers can be different issues of the same magazine or three totally different music magazines. Choose a magazine that you really like and that will inspire your new music magazine.

22) Scan and copy your three magazine front covers and type up your notes onto a Powerpoint; upload your Powerpoint to your slide share account and embed onto your blog

23) Analyse three music magazine contents pages using technical language; again the contents pages can be different issues of the same magazine or three totally different music magazines.

24) Scan and copy your three magazine contents pages and type up your notes onto a Powerpoint; upload your Powerpoint to your slide share account and embed onto your blog

25) Analyse three music magazine double page spreads using technical language; again the double page spreads can be different issues of the same magazine or three totally different music magazines

END OF PRE-PRODUCTION TEXTUAL ANALYSIS: upload to your blog by Friday 20th November 2009----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

26) Audience research and questionnaires; find out what magazines your target audience read; what bands they are into; what websites do they regularly use; how much do they spend on music magazines per month; do they go to gigs or festivals; how much do they spend on physical and download music; where do they access new music; do they illegally download music; do they live stream tracks – if so which sites do they use; where do they watch music videos – TV/online; what music TV shows do they watch; what do they look for in a music magazine etc. Use www.surveymonkey.com to upload questions and email your survey to your target audience.

27) Present survey responses in a visually interesting way

28) What have you learnt from your survey; has anything surprised you; how have the results from your survey helped in the design, layout and content of your magazine

END OF RESEARCH AND PLANNING: upload to your blog by Friday 4th December 2009 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

29) Pre-production sketches – early names for your magazine; masthead designs; photo-shoot ideas; contacting bands for an interview; flat-plans; examples of early Photoshop design work; you can upload your thoughts onto Twitter as the project develops and your ideas change

30) Pre-production mood board(s) – bands, styles, magazines, styling, photo shoots etc that have inspired you; again relevant web-links can be posted onto your Twitter

31) Scan, copy and paste your pre-production sketches and mood board(s) to your slide share and embed onto your blog

32) Type up a reader profile for your target audience; present your reader profile in a visually interesting way; the reader profile must be based on the results from your survey – go to www.tinyurl.com/kppacf and choose the top Google link to see an NME reader profile

33) Type up a five line paragraph that states what your new music magazine is all about and why it will appeal to its target audience; what is the USP of your new music magazine; what is the house style; what is the tone and register; upload to your blog

Upload tasks 29 – 33 to your blog by Friday 18th December 2009-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

34) Plan photo shoot; upload ideas and test shots to your blog

35) Organise interview for your double page spread

36) Write double page spread article

37) Draw flat plans and organise original images for your contents page

38) Copy screen grabs of your music magazine as it develops in Photoshop

39) Complete front page, contents page and double page spread; upload finished work to your blog

END OF CONSTRUCTION: upload work to your blog by Friday 12th February 2010------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40) Detailed audience feedback – this can take the form of a target audience questionnaire and/or a target audience focus group; if you decide on a focus group you must film the discussions; you need to decide on the feedback questions and present results in a visually stimulating way; feedback results then inform your evaluation comments

41) Decide on an interesting and engaging way to electronically present your evaluation; remember you must use visual material to illustrate your points; you can also choose to combine audio/visual material to illustrate your points. The evaluation is not an extended essay; it is a presentation of your thoughts and responses to the set brief. The evaluation must include results from audience feedback and address the following questions:

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? (Include evidence of audience feedback)

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?

END OF EVALUATION: upload tasks 40 – 41 to your blog by Friday 19th March 2010-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Booking & Care Guide

All stills cameras and camcorders are to be booked through Carl Truman. We have a selection of digital SLR cameras for you to use during this project. Please make sure that you save all of your pictures before returning the camera. Carl will erase all pictures once the cameras are returned.

If you need a camcorder, please make sure that you use the Sony Hard Disk Camcorders – these do not require tape which makes it a lot easier and quicker to transfer footage between the camera and the PC. Again make sure that you have copied all footage before you return the camcorder to Carl. Carl will erase all footage once the camcorders are returned.

When you book the cameras you will need to fill in a booking form and leave you student ID with Carl. It is advised that you do not book the cameras out for more than 3 days as it will prevent other students from using them.

The TV studio can be used for photographic work. The studio is booked through Derek Williams whose office is AA08.

You are responsible for the safety and upkeep of the camera and/or camcorder whilst it is your possession and will be held accountable should you lose or damage the camera, tripod or any other equipment you have borrowed.

It is the responsibility of the student that hired the camera to return it in its original condition irrespective as to whether you’ve worked as part of a group.

Please turn over for: