Component 1: Foundation portfolio

This is a coursework component, internally assessed and externally moderated, 50 marks.

Candidates produce a media product from a choice of two set briefs – a film opening or a magazine. They present evidence of the process of their work (research, planning and production) on an online blog. Candidates also reflect critically on their finished media product in a creative digital format of their choice, answering a series of set prompt questions. All work involved in creating the portfolio, including process, finished product, and creative critical reflection, is put online for moderation purposes.

The work may be undertaken individually or by a group (maximum group size is four candidates). Candidates must present the evidence for assessment individually whether they have worked in a group or individually. Centers must assess candidates on an individual basis. Each candidate’s blog should clearly indicate the candidate’s own role in any group activity to allow the teacher to assess the contribution of each individual within the group.

Set briefs

 Candidates must work to either the Film opening task (video) brief or the Magazine task (print) brief. Centers may select one or other set brief to offer to candidates, or may wish to let candidates choose between these two briefs themselves.

When centers choose which set brief(s) to offer to candidates, they should be guided by their strengths in terms of resources and expertise. Centers should also bear in mind that the key areas to address in the creative critical reflection will be: forms and conventions, production contexts, the role of technologies, audiences and representations.

The set brief options are as follows:
Option 1: Film opening task (video) Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film (to last a maximum of two minutes). Titles should follow the institutional conventions of commercial cinema. The task may be undertaken individually or as a group. There should be a maximum of four members to a group.

All images and text used in the main task must be original, and produced by the candidate(s). Sound should be predominantly original (dialogue and atmospheric sound), though music taken from an acknowledged source may be used as part of the soundtrack.

This task should be preceded by relevant preliminary exercises to build up candidates’ skills with equipment and their understanding of conventions.

Option 2: Magazine task (print) Main task: the front page, contents and feature article (of at least two pages) of a new magazine. If done as a group task, each member of the group should produce a unique edition of the magazine that follows the same house style. There should be a maximum of four members to a group.

All images and text used in the main task must be original and produced by the candidate(s) with a minimum of four images per candidate.

This task should be preceded by relevant preliminary exercises to build up candidates’ skills with equipment and their understanding of conventions.
Process Each candidate must complete an individual blog which is started at the beginning of the project. Each blog should contain:

• the process of research, planning and production 

• any refinement, changes or edits made, and reflections on key moments 

• all individual contributions to any task undertaken as a group

• evidence of any preliminary exercises

• the final finished product, clearly labeled

• the creative critical reflection, clearly labeled.

Some production elements such as storyboards may be shared by all members of a group. Collaborators who worked with the candidate on research, planning and/or production must be listed on the Individual Candidate Record Card under ‘other group members’.

Creative critical reflection 

Candidates must explore the following compulsory questions:

• How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or             issues? 

• How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text? 

• How did your production skills develop throughout this project? 

• How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?