Higher Media Assignment Higher Assignment Breakdown 50 of

Higher Media Assignment

Higher Assignment Breakdown: • • 50% of grade Marked out of 50 Consists of two sections: • Section 1 - Planning (25 marks) • Section 2 - Development (25 marks) Aims: To use your understanding of the key aspects and production skills to help you plan and create a media product independently to a specified level of finish. Due: End of first week in March - Completed short film; full write-up of section one and two.

Higher Assignment How is it marked? In section 1, Candidates summarise their planned media content and justify the specific decisions made with reference to the following: a) the brief - where you explain how you negotiated the brief and came up with your idea. b) creative intentions - where you explain what your creative vision is for the piece (in terms of style, narrative, themes, representations, film language etc. ). c) audience research - where you explain in detail your research into your chosen target audience, and the effect it has had on your planning. d) content research - where you explain how your research into other similar productions has affected your plans for your own production. e) institutional context research - where you explain how your research into Institutional factors (internal and external) has affected your planning. 5 marks for each section

Higher Assignment When? • You will have some class time to work on the assignment • A lot of the research / planning / filming / editing will need to be done in your own time • The more time and effort you put in, the better the end result will be

Higher Assignment The Brief: • Create a short moving-image media text that will entertain and/or inform and/or educate a target audience of your choice Level of finish expected: • A complete short film or trailer • Minimum of 45 seconds long • Maximum of four minutes long

Higher Assignment Step 1 - Negotiate the Brief To be negotiated: • • Purpose(s) Description of media product: genre/length/tone etc. A target audience The level of finish expected You need to write your own version of the brief specifying your purpose, medium, genre and target audience.

Higher Assignment Step 2 – Creative Intentions Detailed description of how you intend to create your product, with reference to other similar texts you have looked at as part of your research: • Narrative – how will you use narrative structures, codes and conventions? • Language – how do you intend to use film language? • Representation – what representations do you intend to create? What ideologies will they reflect? • Preferred Reading – what do you want audiences to learn/understand from your product?

Higher Assignment Step 3 – Audience Research • Describe the audience research you have done – give as many specific findings as you can • Clearly explain how these findings have affected your plans – the more specific and detailed you are, the better. Its fine to base more than one planning decision on a research finding as long as the link between them is clear. • You are aiming to make at least five points showing how your audience research has affected your planning

Higher Assignment Step 4 – Content Research • Content research consists of looking at other examples of the kind of media content you are creating (e. g. Horror trailer, comedy sketch, public information film etc. ) and making detailed notes on what makes it effective (think about narrative structure / codes; representation; technical and cultural codes; mode of address etc. ) • You should aim to research at least 3 different pieces of relevant content, and you are aiming to make at least five specific points showing how your content research has affected your planning.

Higher Assignment Step 5 – Institutions Research • Describe the Institutions research you have done, and explain clearly how it has affected your planning decisions • Institutions can be internal (your budget, equipment, time constraints, cast and crew etc. ) or external (copyright law, BBFC certification, ASA guidelines, health and safety law, access to locations etc. ) • You are aiming to make at least five specific points showing how your institutions research has affected your planning.