GCSE Assgmt3 Music Video research planning portfolio

1. GCSE Media Assignment 3 PLANNING guide 1
ASSIGNMENT 3 planning GUIDE
You can submit a maximum of 12 sides of A4 as evidence of research and planning. There is also a 7-800
word Evaluation justifying your own choices. Below, I set out some of the tasks you need to undertake to
create a high marks evidence portfolio. First, a reminder of the exam board description of the brief:
NOTE THE EMPHASIS ON CLEAR INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION.
While there may be some common elements, such as storyboards, your 12 page evidence portfolio is also
individual, as is the evaluation.
It needs to be clear that your
decision making and production
design are linked to knowledge and
understanding: research into
conventions and audience has
informed your:
 Framing (including shot
variety, but also careful
consideration ofwhat to include AND exclude)
 Editing (including SFX, pace and appropriate variation of this, and enabling a general audience to follow a
preferred reading. None ofthis is achievable withoutgood shotvariety)
 Mise-en-scene (setdressing & props,careful costuming & make-up reflecting the genre, well-chosen locations)
You should all strive for L6 (A/A* grade). A summary of what this means you need to evidence:

2. GCSE Media Assignment 3 PLANNING guide 2
RESEARCH + PLANNING > CONVENTIONS:
an overall assessmentis made of how strong this is: ‘independent and effective’ v ‘successful’
v ‘appropriate’ (L6, L5, L4 desriptors). You need especially to evidence that you have
carefully researched and considered the media language seen in existing music videos. This
can be through some combination of the following, often requiring screenshots for illustration;
a ‘top 10’ (or top 5) format is a good way to organise/present your findings – the screenshots
below are from 2 of my vodcasts onmusic promo:
 DETAILED ANALYSIS OF A SINGLE VIDEO where you get
in-depth on the media language used, demonstrating (using
consistent colour coding to highlight technical terms) an ability to
apply semiotic analysis (using accurate denotation to identify
signifiers and what they signify/connote)
 GENERAL VIDEOS: ANALYSIS OF A GROUP OF VIDEOS
you should note your general expectations of music video content
and style, providing 2+ examples for any point you want to list as
a typical convention. You could also note unusual examples too if
you wish, especially if this will help justify your own production
design choices.
 GENRE/ARTIST – you need to provide a clear summary of any
distinctive video conventions for this genre/artist, again with clear
and specific examples. Locations, dance/movement/body language, performance style,
costume/make-up, narratives, direct address (looking directly at the camera), shot
types/angles and editing (including pace, SFX), any representation of the audience in the
video, demographics of typical characters (age, gender etc). Look at the 2016 StG A2 Nine
Inch Nails video for an excellent example of a student reflecting singer Trent Reznor’s intense
microphone style.
An example of research by A2 student Joe, and how this was clearly reflected in his excellent (A-grade)
video. Joe did a complete reshoot after feedback that the footwear ‘Trent’ was wearing by itself made
the footage less than convincing – seemingly small details of mise-en-scene are generally crucial to
achieving verisimilitude/convincing an audience. You will have made an outstanding video if it is not
immediately clear that it is a student video.

3. GCSE Media Assignment 3 PLANNING guide 3
PRE-PRODUCTION WORK:
This is a wide category, with clear overlaps into the above points, including evidence of the
following:
 LOCATION SCOUTING – pics/details of places considered [include any options
considered, not just final choice]; links to existing videos [evidence with screenshots];
evidence of sample shoot to test suitability of location, and clear reflection on any issues with
any location; permission to shoot where relevant. Briefly note what if any technology you
used as part of this research.
 SET DRESSING, PROPS – evidence how you changed elements of sets & detail props
used; explain why using existing video screenshots to help justify choices. Before and after
pics are useful; small shots of Amazon (etc) order/item pages useful too. Include all music kit
if shooting a band)
 CHARACTERS, CASTING,
COSTUME – clear summary
of each individual character in
the video: their
costume/make-up/look
[remember, small details are
important, eg footwear, hair,
hat, jewellery], with clear links
to existing videos through
screenshots. Try tophoto cast
in a contrasting everyday look
to help show how you’ve
controlled their video look.
Detail how you undertook
casting, and whether there
were any changes following
sample/test shoots – if so,
explain why. What skillsets
did you ask potential cast to demonstrate [eg can play instrument, dance]? Did you use social
media for any part of this work? [Screenshotfrom an A2 evaluation video, where they discussed the
representation issues ofthe costumes they’d used]
 IDEA PLANNING – you can use part of pitch; at least mention it and how you responded
to initial feedback. How/why did you pick this artist/track? Lyric timing sheet: you should
use 1 or more copies where you’ve handwritten or typed into content ideas. Storyboard: you
can’t include a full storyboard, though you could scan/photo sheets to include, say, 6
reduced-size sheets on 1 side of A4. Shotlists and/or call sheets: show your shoots were
clearly planned – this is especially important evidence. Clearly captioned ‘behind-the-scenes’
photos – useful for any part of pre-production evidence, eg: directing cast (perhaps
demonstrating movements for them to follow), carefully framing shots, setting up for
shoots…). A simple summary of how your idea evolved, noting all the ideas from the start to
the final (editing may lead to some final changes!
 PRODUCTION SCHEDULE – simply summarising all the steps taken (not just shoots but
ordering props/costume, finding costume from among peer group, going to locations, editing
sessions and sample scenes etc) helps show organisation

4. GCSE Media Assignment 3 PLANNING guide 4
AUDIENCE:
as you’ve seen since assignment 1, every media text starts out in pre-production with a clear
sense of who the target audience is … though there is generally an outlined secondary
audience as well as a primary/core target audience. At the very minimum this would include
an age range and gender indication, though there are many more demographics you could
include. You need to show awareness and clear application of such theories as the uses and
gratifications model here. You can’t simply assume a target audience, you need to research
it, and will evidence:
 INITIAL AUDIENCE OUTLINE start with a clear, detailed summary of your primary
target audience, plus a secondary market, with some details of how you will appeal to them. A
moodboard is a useful tool for this: using scissors and glue or Photoshop to combine images
that you think sum up the interests and lifestyle of a typical target audience member (eg film:
what film?; watch: what watch?; jeans: what jeans…and so on)
 AUDIENCE SURVEY students sometimes go OTT with this, though worse is to do little or
nothing on this – you’ll lose a lot of marks if there’s no substantial evidence of audience
research. You can research various themes using 1 or more survey ‘form’ (this might be video
based):
o CONSUMPTION + UGC: do your target audience watch music videos? Using what
media (TV shows/channels; websites?) or platforms (smartphone, tablet, laptop, TV
with Chromecast etc)? Do they encounter/view/share any music videos on social
media like FB, Twitter? Have they ever made, or taken part in, an amateur/parody
music video? Do they think that the music video is a significant media format for
today’s teens?
o ARTIST/GENRE: test the extent of awareness of each (NB: its not a problem if few do
if your choice is quite obscure/non-mainstream). Use images and/or audio clips and/or
video clips and ask if they can identify genre, artist and/or track. You could test genre
and artist separately; its useful to know what sort of market there is for your genre –
an artist that’s not so well known can tap into this with good marketing (including your
video!).
o EXPECTATIONS/FEEDBACK: You can ask what specifically they’d expect to
see in a video in that genre/by that artist (you can use the track audio, maybe with
visible lyrics, as a prompt). You could BRIEFLY sum up your idea and seek
feedback. You should seek and sum up audience feedback for each sample scene
or rough cut, being clear what impact (if
any – you don’t have to be guided by this)
this has had on planned changes.
 BBFC: helping show your grasp of
institutional factors, you may recall from
the 2016 Y11 BBFC visit that the film
censor also age regulates music videos,
currently on a voluntary basis. Check their
ratings system: what age rating might your
video receive – and is this likely to reflect
your target market?
This 2015 A2 group undertook exemplary audience
research – MUCH more than is expected ofa GCSE
student, but worth browsing for inspiration!

5. GCSE Media Assignment 3 PLANNING guide 5
INSTITUTION:
this is not as important as the 3 other major points above (R+P: CONVENTIONS; PRE-
PRODUCTIONWORK; AUDIENCE) but it would be useful to show some grasp of this on 1
of your 12 sheets, perhaps with sample stats, quotes, screenshots of exemplars (examples that
make a point about a trend). You could address such themes as:
The decline of CD sales and rise of streaming, plus the revival of vinyl
How artists/record companies are turning to additional alternatives to revenue from
recorded music: monetising through tours (and VIP tickets), merchandising, tie-
ins/product placement/sponsorship (especially major pop artists) – if you’re planning
to reflect this, make sure the reason why is clear in your 12 pages and/or 7-800 word
Evaluation.
The rise, fall and rise of the music video: seemingly dead and buried with the demise of MTV
as music video platform, YouTube and mobile platforms (smartphones, tablets etc) have
actually seen a huge rise in the consumption of videos, with ‘UGC’ [ask!] and viral vids like
Gangnam Style, with the endless remakes of this showing the line between audience and
producer is no longer clear cut
How many artists are now releasing a music video for every track, not just singles: recent
examples include The Pixies and Metallica. Why do you think they’d do this? Look closely at
the strategy of your artist, and other acts in the same genre.
Indies v majors: as you’ll learn if you do AS Media, in every media industry there is a small
number of dominant multi-national conglomerates, and Indies find it very difficult to
compete with their distribution muscle and marketing budgets – including production
budgets for music videos. ‘Convergence’ suggests that Indies have a better opportunity to
compete thanks to digitisation (think about the kit YOU are using!!!)…
PRESENTING YOUR WORK
You are formally assessed on this, so keep it neat, use clear (sub-)headings, highlight terminology
with colour/bold as I have here.
MARKSCHEME FOR CONSTRUCTION +
EVALUATION
The Evaluation needs to reflect your grasp of all 4 Key Concepts, and incorporate a range of specific
media terminology and theory – for example, accurate denotation of shot types, with analysis of
what this signifies, connotes, anchors etc. Remember MARI:
MEDIA LANGUAGE
AUDIENCE
REPRESENTATION
INSTITUTION
On the final page – the descriptors for L4-6 and of the Evaluation

6. GCSE Media Assignment 3 PLANNING guide 6