The GCSE EXAM SECTION B

B321

Unit B321: The Individual Media Studies Portfolio

This is a controlled assessment unit, 25–30 hours, internally assessed and externally moderated.
120 marks, 30% of the total GCSE marks.

Candidates produce an individual portfolio containing a COMPARATIVE ANALYTICAL ASSIGNMENT, a production exercise and a planning and evaluative commentary. The comparative analytical assignment is based on at least two media texts from a selection of set topics produced by OCR.


Choose ONE.....

Compare the representation of gender in Outkast's Hey Ya (2003) and Haim's The Wire(2013)

Compare the representation of gender in Outkast's Hey Ya (2003) and Haim's Forever (2013).

Compare the representation of gender in Outkast's Hey Ya (2003) and Haim's Falling (2013).

This is a controlled assessment unit, internally assessed and externally moderated.
Candidates will produce an individual portfolio containing:

• a comparative analytical assignment (60 marks), based on at least two actual media texts
• a production exercise (40 marks) linked to the assignment

• an evaluative commentary (20 marks) on the planning process and the production exercise,
together with evidence of planning.

You will be working with a particular genre of music to produce a CD cover. This will entail you (individually) designing and producing a CD cover (using original photography) and showing some familiarity with Photoshop, Illustrator and In-Design.

A minimum of two media areas must be covered in the portfolio as a whole. The assignment will focus
on the following media key concepts:
• media language
• representation.

Blog Guide

What should be in your Blogs now? (January 2014)  (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.

THE EVALUATION (30 marks)

This will be explained and completed in the first two weeks of January.

EVALUATION CHECK

1.       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).

GCSE Media 14 Candidates

Leyla Ahmed
Leonardo Coelho
Zeineb Awad
Celyn Perez-Dizon 
Mahid Iqbal 
Aya Rasheed
Romar Louis Bagunu
Saleena Ameer Khan
Shahad Muradi
David De Abreu
Fatima Khan
Randy Mankoto
Shem Smith
Mai Jaf
Alex Bellantoni
My GCSE Media Blog