A2 Set Brief

For your Advanced Portfolio you have to produce a promotional package for a contemporary album of your choice which includes the following 3 media texts:

1. A music video for a song from your chosen album (video : the main task)

2. A CD digipack (CDD) design for your chosen album (print : the first ancillary task)

3. A music magazine advertisement (MMA) for your chosen album (print : the second ancillary task)

Frequently Asked Questions


Can I work in a group?


You are allowed to work either individually or in a pair only.

To begin with, you don't need to worry about this as all of the research work carried out between now and September will be done individually.


What does 'contemporary' mean when choosing an album?


For the purposes of this task 'contemporary' means that the album must have been released within 5 years of the time when your coursework is submitted - May 2018.

This means that the album you choose must have been released no earlier than May 2013.

Can I choose any album from May 2013 onwards as the focus for my coursework?

No. You need to choose an album by an artist who is relatively unknown. We will discuss what this means at a later point in time.


What is a CD Digipack?


Don't worry. We will research this in due course.


I have already decided on my album. Is this OK?

No. Undecide quickly! You will not be asked to make a decision regarding your album choice until we have undertaken the research stages of the coursework.


I don't know how to use Adobe Photoshop. Will this mean I am disadvantaged when it comes to producing the two ancillary tasks?


No. You will be shown how to use Adobe Photoshop when this is required. However, all of the PCs and Macs have this programme available for you to use and it would be a good idea to try to learn a little more about how it works independently.

How will my work be assessed?

In order to achieve the highest grade possible for your coursework it is important that you understand how it is marked.

You will receive a total mark out of 100 for your Advanced Portfolio. 

Grade boundaries work out (roughly) as follows:

A grade = 80+

B grade = 70+

C grade = 60+

D grade = 50+

E grade = 40+

The mark is broken down into 3 areas:

Research and Planning = 20 marks

Construction = 60 marks (Music Video 40, CDD 10, MMA 10)

Evaluation = 20 marks

How to Reach Level 4

Your research and planning has to meet the following criteria to be deemed as level 4.

• Planning and research evidence will be complete and detailed. This means for your main task and your 2 ancillary tasks.
• There is excellent research into similar products. Again, you have to have evidence of carrying out research into existing music videos, CD digipaks and music magazine advertisements.
• There is excellent research into a potential target audience. This has to happen after you have chosen your artist but before you start the planning of your products.
• There is excellent work on shotlists and storyboarding for video work and layouts for print work. This has to show real development from Year 12. For example, you will need to produce a detailed storyboard which will then be converted into an animatic for your music video.
• There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes and props. The quality of your actors 'acting'is not marked but you need to bear in mind that the people you choose need to be comfortable in performing for the camera. This is especially important for a music video as you need to produce a 'believeable' text. 
• Time management is excellent. This is seen by the trail of posts on your blog and reinforces the importance of managing your time effectively.
• There is excellent skill in the use of digital technology or ICT in the presentation of research and planning. This links to the idea of making your blog as media-rich as possible.
• There are excellent communication skills. Your blog isn't assessed for the quality of your use of English but real weaknesses in this area can affect your mark.
• There is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning. 

To get a level 4 for the construction element of your coursework then bear the following in mind. 

You get a mark out of 40 for your music video's construction and then a mark out of 10 for the construction of each of your ancillary products. 

This actually makes it easier to score highly IF your products are of a high standard. 

For video work, level 4 candidates are expected to demonstrate excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot sizes and close attention to mise en scene
• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects
• recording and editing sound with images appropriately.

For print work, level 4 candidates are expected to demonstrate excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• awareness of conventions of layout and page design

• awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size

• accurate use of language and register

• the appropriate use of ICT for the task set

• appropriate integration of illustration and text

• framing a shot, using a variety of shot distances as appropriate

• shooting material appropriate to the task set; selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting

• manipulating photographs as appropriate, including cropping and resizing

The evaluation is critical to your success. It is important that you know the questions in advance so that you can relate to these as your production work develops. 

There are only 4 questions as opposed to the 7 you had to answer for AS. They are:

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

In order to reach Level 4 the following criteria have to be met:

• There is excellent skill in the use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation.
• There is excellent understanding of the forms and conventions used in the productions.
• There is excellent understanding of the role and use of new media in various stages of the production.
• There is excellent understanding of the combination of main product and ancillary texts.
• There is excellent understanding of the significance of audience feedback.
• There is excellent skill in choice of form in which to present the evaluation.
• There is excellent ability to communicate