Guidance
Extracts from the Media Studies syllabus. Read very carefully.
The Production Portfolio offers candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in research, planning, production and evaluation and their understanding of the following media key concepts:
• audience
• institutions
• media language
• genre.
The purpose of this unit is to assess:
• candidates’ skills of research, planning and presentation and planning through the construction of their own practical production (AO3)
• candidates' ability to construct and evaluate their own products using creative and technical skills (AO4).
Evidence of research, planning and each candidate’s contribution to the production must be presented in an individual Production Log. The Production Portfolio The Production Portfolio will consist of the following:
• the Production Log
• the Production itself
• the Evaluation
• the Appendix – to include a range of additional material appropriate to the product, such as: shots of websites used to collect audio samples, extra (interesting) audio not used in final magazine show, emails relevant to research.
The Production Log.
The production log will provide important evidence to the teacher and moderator of the individual candidate’s role and personal contribution to the production. It must be completed individually and is expected to include the following:
• evidence of research to include recordings from a minimum of THREE magazine style radio shows with analysis of their codes & conventions and timings of content. Use of Freesound.org and Free Music Archive to collect audio samples for use of the group productions.
• evidence of planning, such as the structure of the radio show, script, photographs of OB, timings for each of the elements of the show: eg, collection and editing of the vox pops, preparation for interviews, the interview(s) itself, post-production of interview material.
• key dates, decisions and deadlines
• a record of the individual candidate’s exact contributions to the production, such as microphone work (portable and ‘studio-based’), photography, interviews, writing, audience research, redrafting of script, audio editing and screen shots of multi-track construction.
Evaluation
The individual evaluation is to be produced by the candidates under supervised conditions. The presentation of the evaluation may take the form of any one, or combination, of the following:
• a written commentary
• a slide presentation (PowerPoint, Keynote, Impress)
• a podcast – video and/or audio • a DVD with extras.
Those candidates offering a written commentary should aim to write between 500–800 words. A slide, presentation (which centres may wish to video), should include 10–15 slides. A podcast/DVD with extras should be about 3–5 minutes in length.
The Production Portfolio offers candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in research, planning, production and evaluation and their understanding of the following media key concepts:
• audience
• institutions
• media language
• genre.
The purpose of this unit is to assess:
• candidates’ skills of research, planning and presentation and planning through the construction of their own practical production (AO3)
• candidates' ability to construct and evaluate their own products using creative and technical skills (AO4).
An extract from a magazine-style radio programme with a specified audience. The extract should demonstrate a mixture of sound elements, such as title music, presenter, OBs, vox pops, recorded interviews and appropriate sound effects. A sound script should be included. Maximum length: four minutes.
• Audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects. If candidates are working in a group, each group member is expected to take on a specific role such as director, sound engineer, editor, presenter, reporter.
Evidence of research, planning and each candidate’s contribution to the production must be presented in an individual Production Log. The Production Portfolio The Production Portfolio will consist of the following:
• the Production Log
• the Production itself
• the Evaluation
• the Appendix – to include a range of additional material appropriate to the product, such as: shots of websites used to collect audio samples, extra (interesting) audio not used in final magazine show, emails relevant to research.
The Production Log.
The production log will provide important evidence to the teacher and moderator of the individual candidate’s role and personal contribution to the production. It must be completed individually and is expected to include the following:
• evidence of research to include recordings from a minimum of THREE magazine style radio shows with analysis of their codes & conventions and timings of content. Use of Freesound.org and Free Music Archive to collect audio samples for use of the group productions.
• evidence of planning, such as the structure of the radio show, script, photographs of OB, timings for each of the elements of the show: eg, collection and editing of the vox pops, preparation for interviews, the interview(s) itself, post-production of interview material.
• key dates, decisions and deadlines
• a record of the individual candidate’s exact contributions to the production, such as microphone work (portable and ‘studio-based’), photography, interviews, writing, audience research, redrafting of script, audio editing and screen shots of multi-track construction.
Evaluation
The individual evaluation is to be produced by the candidates under supervised conditions. The presentation of the evaluation may take the form of any one, or combination, of the following:
• a written commentary
• a slide presentation (PowerPoint, Keynote, Impress)
• a podcast – video and/or audio • a DVD with extras.
Those candidates offering a written commentary should aim to write between 500–800 words. A slide, presentation (which centres may wish to video), should include 10–15 slides. A podcast/DVD with extras should be about 3–5 minutes in length.
What should be in your Blogs now? (December 2013) (B324)
A. The Production Log
RESEARCH (15 marks)
1. GENRE RESEARCH (secondary research method)
Examples of the codes and conventions of the GENRE of Magazine Style Radio. Aim to analyse at least FIVE examples; this will really show that you understand this GENRE.
2. AUDIENCE RESEARCH (primary research method)
AUDIO Examples of the INTERVIEWS you have completed with your AUDIENCE (these are in the SHARED AREA)
Photographs of your interviews showing examples of your TARGET AUDIENCE.
Write a brief summary explaining what you have learnt from this research.
3. TOPICS RESEARCH (the three or four topics of your show).
PLANNING (15 marks)
1. Schedule of who is doing what & when (A table grid). In your group who has responsibility for what and when are these jobs to be done?
2. A Radio Script…See The Radio Handbook pages 83-92 for how to set this out.
3. A plan showing how the TWO INTERVIEWS, OB and VOX POPS are linked with the different topics of the MAGAZINE STYLE RADIO SHOW
B. THE PRODUCTION (60 marks)
1. An explanation of using two different types of microphone: portable and studio based (usb microphones)
2. At least FOUR screenshots of your editing. This is really important because it shows your ability to edit and to make creative decisions.
3. A photo of your PRESENTER doing her job/his job presenting ..using usb microphone
4. Photos of your reporters from their OB using portable recorders.
5. The finished AUDIO recording (minimum 3.30 maximum 4.00 minutes)
Make sure you organise a folder in your personal area with all the audio (in order) appearing in your Blog. This will have to be recorded to a CD when your Blog is printed before being sent to the Moderator at the Exam Board.
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THE EVALUATION (30 marks)
Level 4 (24–30 marks)
• There is a detailed evaluation of the monitoring of decisions and revisions.
• There is a detailed discussion of how the brief related to research into similar media texts and target audiences.
• There is excellent understanding of the forms and conventions used in the production.
• There is excellent understanding of the significance of audience feedback.
• There is excellent ability to communicate.
• There is a thorough evaluation of the success of the finished media text in meeting the original brief.
• There is an accurate command of appropriate medium-specific terminology.
EVALUATION CHECK
11. Explain the strengths and/or weaknesses of FOUR of the decisions you made in the construction of your show. The decisions you discuss should be (INSTITUTIONAL): how we allocated roles in the production team; (REPRESENTATIONAL) how we decided to present an issue or a character in the show; (GENERIC) how I/we communicated the GENRE of the show through using its CODES and CONVENTIONS; (MEDIA LANGUAGE) how we used the LANGUAGE of radio to good effect. The Language of Radio is how you arranged the INDEXICAL SIGNIFIERS to make a meaningful communication. Discuss an example of multi-tracking to explain this.
2. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the research you undertook into OTHER MAGAZINE STYLE RADIO PROGRAMMES. –research methods (listening, reading, websites). Did you do enough research to really understand this GENRE of Magazine Style Radio? Did you just do some SEARCHES or did you really complete a cross checking research approach?
3. Explain the strengths and/or weaknesses into the research you completed into the TARGET AUDIENCE for your MAGAZINE STYLE RADIO. How do professional organisations like the BBC and the Radio Centre (commercial radio)research into their radio audiences? (semi-structured interviewing…open & closed Qs. Interviewing in places to suit interviewees, street, café, park)
4. Identify THREE or FOUR examples of the CODES and CONVENTIONS you used in the construction of your MAGAZINE STYLE RADIO PROGRAMME . Explain how these examples help to create the GENRE of YOUR MAGAZINE STYLE RADIO SHOW.
5. Identify and explain some strengths and weaknesses in the planning of your Radio Show. Did you and your group work to scheduled deadlines? Were some tasks harder to produce than you thought they would be? What were the main challenges of team work? How did you deal with group disagreements?
6. Explain how you organised and used AUDIENCE FEEDBACK to discover the strengths and weaknesses of your FINISHED show. You really do have to play your show to real people and collect their responses. You must also collate and summarise your findings.
7. How successfully have you met the details of the BRIEF? Refer to the constituent elements in your show explaining how you managed to put together: two interviews-jingle-vox pops-OB-presenter role …so that the whole lot sounded convincing to your TARGET AUDIENCE.
8. How have you shown evidence that you UNDERSTAND the concept of INSTITUTION?
I can think of two ways. One is through using the RADIO INDUSTRY’s website (RADIO CENTRE)to show what you have learned about AUDIENCES for radio and speech radio in particular. The second way is through understanding how your creative team worked together as a group. In a way your small group was an INSTITUTION producing a media text (ie. YOUR MAGAZINE STYLE AUDIO SHOW).
