Component 1
COMPONENT 1 : FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO
This is a coursework component, internally assessed and externally moderated
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). Where
candidates have worked in a group, the evidence for assessment may be presented collectively but Centres
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.
Centres starting this course must ensure they have suitable technical equipment and up-to-date resources,
software and staff training. The minimum resourcing requirements for the delivery of the foundation
portfolio are:
This component assesses the following objectives:
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created when analysing media
products and when evaluating their own practical work.
AO3: Plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills.
AO4: Undertake and apply appropriate research.
Set briefs
Candidates must work to either the video brief or the print brief below. Centres may select one or other
brief to offer to candidates, or may wish to let candidates choose between these two briefs themselves.
When Centres choose briefs to offer to candidates, they should be guided by their strengths in terms of
resources and expertise. Centres 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 briefs are as follows:
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 preliminary exercises to build up learners’ skills with equipment and their
understanding of conventions.
Magazine task (print)
Main task: the front page, contents and double-page spread of a new magazine (if done as a group task,
each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the magazine, following 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 preliminary exercises to build up learners’ skills with equipment and their
understanding of conventions.
Process
Each candidate must have an individual blog which is started at the beginning of the project.
The process of research, planning and production, including refinement, changes and reflection on key
moments, and any individual contribution to a task undertaken as a group, is to be evidenced by each
candidate on their online blog. 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’.
Each candidate’s blog should also contain evidence of any preliminary exercises, the finished product and
the creative critical reflection (see below) and will comprise the complete evidence for the moderator at the
end of each project.
Centres should select blog software with appropriate capabilities to embed other applications.
Creative critical reflection
On completion of the product, candidates must reflect upon their work, using digital formats such as
director commentaries, slideshows with voiceover, podcasts, prezis or screencasts. The emphasis should
be on creative use of such tools to critically reflect on the production, guided by the following compulsory
questions:
This critical reflection should be presented individually, though candidates may collaborate in the production
of responses. In their critical reflection, each candidate should give a clear indication of their contribution
to such collaboration to allow teachers to allocate an appropriate mark. Collaborators who worked with the
candidate on creative critical reflection must be listed on the Individual Candidate Record Card under ‘other
group members’.
Portfolios are marked out of 100, using the criteria detailed in Section 7
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). Where
candidates have worked in a group, the evidence for assessment may be presented collectively but Centres
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.
Centres starting this course must ensure they have suitable technical equipment and up-to-date resources,
software and staff training. The minimum resourcing requirements for the delivery of the foundation
portfolio are:
- digital technology suitable for the construction of media texts within the briefs set
- Internet access suitable for research and presentation of student work
This component assesses the following objectives:
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created when analysing media
products and when evaluating their own practical work.
AO3: Plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills.
AO4: Undertake and apply appropriate research.
Set briefs
Candidates must work to either the video brief or the print brief below. Centres may select one or other
brief to offer to candidates, or may wish to let candidates choose between these two briefs themselves.
When Centres choose briefs to offer to candidates, they should be guided by their strengths in terms of
resources and expertise. Centres 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 briefs are as follows:
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 preliminary exercises to build up learners’ skills with equipment and their
understanding of conventions.
Magazine task (print)
Main task: the front page, contents and double-page spread of a new magazine (if done as a group task,
each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the magazine, following 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 preliminary exercises to build up learners’ skills with equipment and their
understanding of conventions.
Process
Each candidate must have an individual blog which is started at the beginning of the project.
The process of research, planning and production, including refinement, changes and reflection on key
moments, and any individual contribution to a task undertaken as a group, is to be evidenced by each
candidate on their online blog. 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’.
Each candidate’s blog should also contain evidence of any preliminary exercises, the finished product and
the creative critical reflection (see below) and will comprise the complete evidence for the moderator at the
end of each project.
Centres should select blog software with appropriate capabilities to embed other applications.
Creative critical reflection
On completion of the product, candidates must reflect upon their work, using digital formats such as
director commentaries, slideshows with voiceover, podcasts, prezis or screencasts. The emphasis should
be on creative use of such tools to critically reflect on the production, guided by 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?
This critical reflection should be presented individually, though candidates may collaborate in the production
of responses. In their critical reflection, each candidate should give a clear indication of their contribution
to such collaboration to allow teachers to allocate an appropriate mark. Collaborators who worked with the
candidate on creative critical reflection must be listed on the Individual Candidate Record Card under ‘other
group members’.
Portfolios are marked out of 100, using the criteria detailed in Section 7