Component 3. Advanced Portfolio
This is a coursework component, internally assessed and externally moderated.
Candidates build on the skills developed in Component 1 to engage with contemporary media technologies. They produce a media campaign through a combination of three media (video, print and website), selecting from a choice of set briefs and detailing the process of the planning, research and production of their work online, in a blog format. Finished products and creative critical reflection will also be presented on this blog.
This component assesses the following objectives:
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created when analysing media products and when evaluating their own practical work.
AO3: Plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills.
AO4: Undertake and apply appropriate research.
Set briefs
The set briefs each contain a major task along with two associated minor tasks; the weighting of each element should be roughly two thirds to the major and one third to the minor tasks combined. This should guide expectations about the scope of the separate elements.
The set brief options are as follows:
Option 1: music promotion package
A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music video (major task), together with a
website for the band and a digipak for the album’s release (minor tasks).
Option 2: film promotion package
A promotion package for a new film, to include two trailers (major task), together with a website for the film
and a poster for the film (minor tasks).
Option 3: documentary package
An extract from an original documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes (major task), together with a website for the documentary and a poster for the documentary (minor tasks).
Option 4: short film package
A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes (major task), which may be live action or animated or a combination of both, together with a website for the short film and a postcard advertisement for the film at a short film festival (minor tasks).
Tasks may be undertaken individually or as a group. There should be a maximum of four members to a group. Images and video should be original material only. Sound should be predominantly original (dialogue and atmospheric sound), though music taken from an acknowledged source may be used as part of the soundtrack.
Creative critical reflection
On completion of production, candidates must reflect upon their work, using digital formats such as director commentaries, slideshows with voiceover, podcasts, prezis or screencasts. The emphasis should be upon creative use of such tools to critically reflect on the work, guided by the following compulsory questions:
1. How do your products use or challenge conventions and how do they represent social groups or issues?
2. How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?
3. How do your products engage with the audience and how would they be distributed as real media products?
4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
