Coursework Handbook

Coursework Handbook
Cambridge International AS Level
Media Studies
For examination from 2021

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 Coursework Handbook

The portfolio component of the course

Component 1: Foundation Portfolio (AS level)

Learners may work individually or in small groups, up to a maximum of four learners per group. Those
working as part of a group should have clearly defined roles. All learners are required to maintain separate
blogs outlining the creative processes. These should include specific details of their individual role within the
group task.

Learners should provide evidence of their work through the following tasks:

Task 1 – maintaining a blog based on the creative processes

Learners should set up and maintain a blog outlining the creative processes that are adopted during the
production of the final products. The blog should be set up at the outset of the research stage and should be
maintained regularly, outlining the research, planning and production stages, including refinement,
reflection and editing choices.

Task 2 – researching and planning a media production

Learners should choose between two options for their media production:

1. Film opening task (video)

2. Magazine task (print)

Research should be based on the media form they plan to create and should consider the full range of codes
and conventions of their chosen form of media. Research should cover the range of professional products
upon which the learner could base their work.

Learners should evidence all of their research and use this material within their blogs and when producing
their Critical Reflection. They should ensure that they engage with the key areas: forms and conventions,
production contexts, the role of technologies, audiences and representations.

Task 3 – implementing the plan and creating a media production

Learners should produce a two-minute video, or a front page, contents and double page spread for a new
magazine. Creative choices should be based on research and evidenced and justified in the blog. Media
productions should demonstrate a clear understanding of the codes and conventions of their chosen genre
or, in the case of the magazine option, present a clear house style.

Task 4 – evaluating the project

This is a compulsory part of the coursework and should be embedded within the blog.

Learners are required to produce a Creative Critical Reflection on the production process presented in a
digital format. Acceptable digital formats may be used such as director commentaries, slideshows with
voiceover, podcasts, Prezis, screencasts etc.

As this is a creative critical reflection, creative flair should be strongly encouraged in order to clearly
demonstrate the learner’s knowledge and understanding. The Creative Critical Reflection should be
shaped and guided by the following compulsory questions:

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 Coursework Handbook

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?
2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?
3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Teacher involvement
Sufficient work must be carried out under the direct supervision of a teacher to enable them to authenticate
the coursework marks with confidence. This is particularly important if the production work is carried out as a
group.

Guidance may be provided in terms of the choice of production brief, taking into account the resources and
technology available. While teachers should not offer suggestions for production, they may recommend
viewing of relevant materials to facilitate a critical engagement.

Links within the syllabus

The skills and knowledge required in the coursework correspond to the taught content of the course, and
learners should seek to integrate the discussions and analysis presented in class into both the written and
practical elements of their coursework.

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 Coursework Handbook

Planning and developing the coursework

This suggested step-by-step process is useful for learners to follow.

1. Set up and maintain a blog to map the research processes

2. Determine groupings/individual status and develop chosen brief

3. Complete activities to research the codes and conventions of the chosen media form, generic
conventions, use of technical, symbolic and written codes and, where applicable, use of sound and
links to other media platforms

4. Carry out storyboarding, casting, scripting, recce reports, risk assessments for the production

5. Carry out production

6. Reflect on the production and edit where necessary

7. Evaluate the product in light of the contemporary media landscape

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 Coursework Handbook

1. Setting up and maintaining a blog

Learners must set up a blog (using their preferred website builder) and upload their completed work
throughout the year.

Examples of blog entries can be found on the link below:

https://mariastreang.wordpress.com/

http://proudfilmopening.blogspot.co.uk/

Learners should aim to update their blog regularly in order to ensure a continuous narrative of the production
process.

2. Determining group/individual status and deciding on a brief

Learners may work in groups of up to four people. When determining groups it is worth considering the skill
set of the learners over friendship groups. Each learner should adopt an area of expertise. This does not
necessarily mean that they are the only person to work on this element, but that they lead on that part of the
production. Possible roles might include ‘director’, ‘technical’, ‘creative’ and ‘editor’.

As the Creative Critical Reflection is produced individually, learners should review the contribution they
make within their allocated role as well as part of the group as a whole at this stage.

Once groupings and briefs are decided learners should complete an Outline Proposal Form (OPF).

3. Carrying out research to inform the planning stage

Learners should evidence detailed research into relevant media forms and be able to demonstrate a
confident engagement with the conventions of the form before deciding which brief they are going to follow.

(Film Option)
Watching the opening sequence to a range of films in the appropriate genre, making notes on:

• how many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
• what images are prioritised in the opening sequence?
• what connotations do the images carry?
• how is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
• how does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
• what strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
• how has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions
and editing techniques.

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This research should be included on the learner’s blog including images of sequence stills that are annotated
with:
 Technical terminology
 Camera angles
 Genre specific conventions
 Notes about the speed of transition (that may not otherwise be apparent from the still images)

Learners may carry out this initial research in pairs if preferred, and analyse a specific genre that interests
them.

(Magazine Option)
Using a range of magazine front covers, learners should follow a list of the technical terms for the
conventions used on magazine covers, such as:

Buzz Word, Puff, Coverline, Masthead, Barcode, Anchorage Text, Superimposition, Slogan, Unique Selling
Point

Learners should match the terms to the section of the magazine covers it relates to and discuss how
effective each element is.

Learners (either individually or in pairs) must research a genre of magazines such as: Home, Music, Car,
Teen, Gossip, or Gaming and establish answers to the following questions:

• looking at the magazine website, who is this magazine’s primary audience? What techniques have
been used to appeal to the target audience?
• in what way is the design of each page the same/similar? This is called ‘house style’ and will need
to be replicated in the learners chosen magazine production (if this house style is to be the learners
house style)
• how have images been used to ensure they also appeal to the target audience?
• what are the connotations of the images used?
• what different types of articles are included in the magazines?
• how does the layout of the different entries vary? (Drawing up pages that include boxes located
where the text falls is a useful activity)
• make a note of where and how often online and social media links are situated.

Learners should clearly show which genre they researched and what their findings were in their blogs.

4/5. Implementing the plan

The production plan should develop from the research stage and should evidence creative decision-making
and planning based on media techniques and codes and conventions that have been identified.

For each shot learners should consider:

Symbolic Codes:
Technical Codes:
Genre Expectations:
Mise-en-Scene:
Transitions:

Ambitious students may attempt to challenge or subvert these codes and conventions. However, learners
who do attempt this must justify and document such decisions in detail in both their blog and their Creative
Critical Reflection work.
Learners working on the film option are encouraged to draw up a range of planning materials to
demonstrate the development of the production, including; storyboards, location scouting, recce reports, risk
assessments, auditions and casting, sourcing of props, costumes or makeup, and the rehearsing and
blocking of key movements.

It may help learners to construct their storyboard one dimensionally to begin with: planning the narrative first,
then the mise-en-scene/generic conventions, then the camera shots, sound, movement and finally the
transitions.

Once the storyboard has been completed learners can start to film their production. Where time scheduling
matters (night-time/daytime) it is advisable that learners film all narrative segments consecutively to
maximise continuity of the mise-en-scene contained in the sequences.

When implementing a plan for the magazine option, learners should determine the specific pages they are
going to recreate and draw up blank versions of the productions that are labelled with the learners’
intentions.

They should also include recce reports for locations for photo shoots, contact prints of original images,
conduct risk assessments etc. As with the film option it is important at this stage to use correct and specific
terminology, for example, close up shot of a teenage girl wearing sunglasses/medium shot of someone on a
stage playing guitar and include other appropriate mise-en-scene in the shot such as a drum kit, keyboards
and mixed lighting etc..

Before they create their mock-up, learners should decide on:

• an appropriate house style for their chosen genre of magazine,
• the content of any articles
• a range of possible images (which can be cutdown and modified during post-production)

Creating a mood board that explores the options for the house style, potential use of colours, formatting of
page numbers, fonts and images can be a useful stepping stone to making some of these decisions.

When this planning stage is complete, learners can start to construct their productions.

6. Reviewing and editing the coursework

It is likely that some teacher guidance will be given during the production process in terms of facilitating
discussions that encourage a higher level of application and engagement with creative processes. However,
as part of the learning process, it is also valuable for learners to take part in whole class feedback on their
productions. This is known as evaluating ‘dailies’ by production crews who analyse the work completed on
each production day.

A media marketplace will be organised (date TBC) in which learners can watch the rough edits of film
productions and browse the developing magazine productions to provide feedback prior to the final edits on
the coursework productions. A standardised feedback proforma (seen on the next page) will ensure that the
feedback is suitably critical whilst also being constructive.

After the media marketplace learners will have time to implement any changes.

Market Place Feedback Proforma

Observations/Likes/Dislikes Recommendations
What symbolic codes can
be identified as supporting
the genre of the production?

Does the end product have

a clear house style?
(magazines)

What might stop this product

being viewed as a
professional product ready
for publication/distribution?

What aspect of this media

production do you feel works
particularly well?

If you were to re-edit this 1) 1)

product yourself what would
your top three priorities be?
2) 2)

3) 3)

Other recommendations for

re-editing: (camera angles,
transitions, spellings,
grammar, layout, links to
producers/social media/other
media forms, use of
colours/lighting)

7. Creative Critical Reflections

Learners should reflect on the creative processes and assess the success of the decisions they made during
the production of the media product.

All learners should produce an individual Creative Critical Reflection which should also include the role
they adopted if working as part of a group.
The Creative Critical Reflection should draw on evidence from the research, production and editing stages
and be presented using a range of digital applications as appropriate, to best demonstrate the learner’s
knowledge and understanding, such as: a director commentary, slideshows with a voiceover, a podcast,
Prezi or screencast presentation.

The completed Creative Critical Reflection should be the penultimate post in the learner’s blog, the
production being the final entry.