Unit 4 Responding To a Media Brief Question

48104/PM
General Certificate of Secondary Education
June 2011
To release to candidates on or after 1 June 2010
GCSE Media Studies (Double Award)
Unit 4 Responding to a Media Brief 48104/PM
Controlled Assessment
Campaign: Promoting a Positive Image of Young People
GUIDANCE TO CANDIDATES
In this unit you are expected to work on the set brief which is given on page two of this document.
You should read it carefully and discuss it with your teacher before you start work. You need to
produce the following for assessment:
1. A portfolio containing your Research and Planning and a Presentation.
2. Two production pieces using two different Media Forms.
3. An Evaluation (500 words).
The deadline will be set by your teacher.
The maximum mark for this unit is 90.
klm

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GCSE Media Studies (Double Award) 48104/PM June 2011
Campaign: Promoting a Positive Image of Young People
Brief
“Negative media coverage can have a negative affect on young people’s lives.” [p14, ‘Media
Portrayal of Young People – impact and influences’, National Children’s Bureau report, Dec 2008]
Research has shown that most media representations of young people are negative, and often
focus on ‘issues’ such as crime, gangs and social exclusion. When there are positive
representations, they tend to be about extraordinary young people with rare talents. ‘Average’
young people making a constructive contribution to their communities are rarely featured at all. As
a consequence most young people do not feel that people like themselves are represented in the
media.
The National Foundation for the Celebration of Youth (NFCY) is a new charity. A major part of their
work is to improve the portrayal of young people in the media. The NFCY would like to challenge
the current media position by showing media institutions an alternative representation of young
people.
As a media student, aware of the impact the media can have on its audience, the NFCY would like
you to contribute to a national campaign that presents a positive image of young people. You can
do this best by focusing on the young people in your own region, area or community.
You will need to investigate the issues surrounding the way young people are represented within a
range of media products and the impact this representation has on the audience. You will also
need to research the positive contributions made by young people in your local region, area or
community. Given your research into the impact of the representation of young people, you will
need to decide on and identify your target audience – whose views do you want to influence the
most? You will then need to develop your own ideas for promoting a positive image of young
people via the local or national media.
You will need to plan and produce an integrated campaign using two of the following media forms:
• Print and Electronic Publishing, including newspapers, comics, magazines etc.
• Moving Image, including television, film and video
• Radio, including commercial, network, public broadcasting, community etc.
• Web-based Technologies / New Media, including websites, podcasts, gaming etc.
Your teacher has been asked to act as an agent for NFCY and is fully committed to this initiative.
Your teacher will set you a strict deadline which you must observe.

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How you will be assessed:
You need to produce the following:
(1) An Individual Portfolio of your Research and Planning, and a Presentation, which will
include:
• your research into the issue of the portrayal of young people in the media and into the
positive contribution made by young people in your local region or your local community
• research and pre-production materials detailing information about the content of the
campaign, its target audience and how the production work will be organised and scheduled
• one idea and treatment for each of the two media forms you choose to work in
• a presentation of your ideas to the client prior to production to gather feedback
• detailed pre-production work for each of the two linked media products that form your
campaign. (45 marks)
(2) A Campaign that consists of two fully realised linked media products (e.g. a documentary video
and a website, or a radio advert and a poster). (35 marks)
(3) An Individual Evaluation which will consider the success of your campaign and your own role
in the production process. This review and evaluation should be approximately 500 words (or
equivalent) in total. (10 marks)
You may, if you wish, work as part of a group of up to four members to complete your planning and
production. You will, however, be assessed on your individual contribution, so you must record the
contribution you personally make to the final outcome.
The Portfolio and Evaluation must be individually produced, even if you are a member of a
production group.
According to the specification you will be assessed as follows:
AO3 Demonstrate research, planning and presentation skills.
AO4 Construct and evaluate your own products using creative and technical skills.
Your marks will count as 30% of the Double Award.

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Candidate Guidance
This flowchart shows you an example of how you could approach your integrated campaign.
Individual research and investigation into
the issue given in the brief.
Decisions about target audience and
suitable content for the campaign – e.g. its
purpose, overall ideas/themes, slogans.
Media Form 1
e.g. Radio.
Media Form 2
e.g. Print.
Ideas and Treatment. Ideas and Treatment.
Presentation of treatments to client and
gather feedback.
Integrated campaign
ideas.
Pre-production work for
Media Form 1.
Pre-production work for
Media Form 2.
Further development of ideas
incorporating feedback.
Integrated production - a campaign
comprised of products in both media
forms.
Individual evaluation.
Gather feedback on finished products
from target audience.

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What you need to do
You will work with two different media forms from the following main headings:
• Print and Electronic Publishing, including newspapers, comics, magazines etc.
• Moving Image, including television, film and video
• Radio, including commercial, network, public broadcasting, community etc.
• Web-based Technologies / New Media, including websites, podcasts, gaming etc.
In your response to the brief you will:
• carry out individual research (primary and secondary) into the issue(s) contained in the brief
in order to identify appropriate content for your response
• decide on the appropriate target audience (or audiences) for your campaign and carry out
some individual research into the media products that appeal to them so that you
understand how to attract their attention
• put together suitable ideas for your response to the brief using tools such as mind maps,
brainstorms and flow diagrams
• decide which of these ideas are most appropriate to your target audience and which
elements can be used across the integrated campaign
• write a treatment for each of the two media forms you choose to work within. The
treatments you create will need to be credible, workable and drawn up with a clear audience
in mind
• in a presentation to your client explain the reasons for your choice, providing detailed and
realistic assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of your treatments within a media
context. Gather feedback from your client.
• develop detailed pre-production work for the two ideas, selecting the most appropriate tools
for your chosen media. Depending on the media chosen, these could include storyboards,
net plans, dummies, mock-ups, shooting scripts etc.
• practise a range of different skills in your two chosen media, with an emphasis on selecting
a variety of appropriate production techniques to add interest and reward audience
expectation
• create two products in two different media forms, bringing the products to a high level of
realisation suitable for exhibition to an audience as a linked campaign
• present your work to an audience, using this as an opportunity to gather feedback.

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• offer an individual evaluation of your integrated campaign. This will include:
- a critical account of your role in the production process
- your assessment of the success of your campaign in meeting the demands of the
brief
- your assessment of your success in meeting the needs of the target audience.
Where appropriate, you will learn to work effectively as part of a team, demonstrating the skills
necessary for group work, such as co-operation, consultation, delegation and shared responsibility.
Copyright © 2011 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Unit 4 Responding To a Media Brief Question

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