Guide to the CIE A2 coursework, including breakdons of how marks are awarded

1. A2 COURSEWORK:A2 COURSEWORK: WHAT TO BLOGWHAT TO BLOG
Individual blog - Music video – Digipak -
Artist website - Multimedia evaluation
THE BRIEF: A promotion package for the release of an album, to
include a music video (major task), together with a website for the
band and a digipak for the album’s release (minor tasks).
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. [quoted from CIE]
ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES (‘AOs’ 2, 3, 4)
Marks are split between 3 ‘AOs’.
When providing marks for A02/3/4, your teacher has to comment on the criteria that follow. I’ve
indicated the differences between L5 (A/A*), L4 (B/C) and L3 (D/E); where nothing is noted for L4,
ignore the words for L5/L3 (eg, evidenced in detail on the blog with relevant/some examples of other media
texts L4 = evidenced in detail on the blog with relevant/some examples of other media texts).
A02 20 marks
The application of knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created in
media products is excellent/competent/apparent at a satisfactory level, as demonstrated
in the blog, in the finished products and in the creative critical reflection.
AO3 60 marks
The ability to plan media products is excellent/competent/satisfactory, with detailed
evidence across video, print and web work. Decisions and revisions are
detailed/evident/some evidence of as part of the process, showing a clear/some sense
of journey of the production. The finished products show clear/some evidence of being
the outcome of this process. The sense of branding across the three products is
excellent/competent/satisfactory. There is excellence/competence/satisfactory in the
appropriate use of technology in making meaning apparent for the viewer. Digital
creative tools are used to excellent/competent/satisfactory effect in the creative
critical reflection.
AO4 20 marks
The ability to undertake and apply appropriate research is excellent/competent/
satisfactory, as evidenced in detail on the blog with relevant/some examples of other
media texts, research into conventions, audience and institutional factors. The finished
products also demonstrate the effectiveness/evidence/some evidence of this research.
Research informs the creative critical reflection to a high/good/some degree.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 1

2. THE ‘4’ EVALUATION QUESTIONS
You could split these up – see my suggestion below. This may be the last thing you do, but you need
to gather notes and resources for this as you go; the better the blogged evidence of your Research and
Planning is, the easier the Evaluation becomes.
[exam board blurb:] On completion of production, candidates must reflect upon their work, using
digital formats such as director commentaries, slideshows with voiceover, podcasts, prezis or
screencasts. The emphasis should be upon creative use of such tools to critically reflect on the
work, guided by the following compulsory questions:
1. How do your products use or challenge conventions and how do they represent social groups or
issues?
= 1a How do your products use or challenge conventions? + 1b How do your products
represent social groups or issues?
2. How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?
3. How do your products engage with the audience and how would they be distributed as real media
products?
= 3a How do your products engage with the audience? + 3b How do your products be
distributed as real media products?
4. 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. [CIE]
These all link closely to your preparation for the exam, section A Q1a and Q1b:
Q1a will ask you to discuss, using specific examples and media terminology, how you progressed
from As to A2 in one or two of these fields:
• use of digital technology
• creativity
• research and planning
• using conventions from real media texts.
Q1b requires you to apply and discuss how your work in either your AS or your A2 coursework
reflects academic theory in one of these fields [MANGeR for short]
• media language
• audience
• narrative
• genre
• representation
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 2

3. Here’s an example of how the exam questions will appear on the exam paper:
MARKSCHEME:
All three aspects are assessed in Levels (L0-2 = U, L3 = D/E, L2 = B/C, L1 =A/A*). Marks are
given for three ‘Assessment Objectives’ (AO2, AO3, AO4). The grades are advisory; exact
grade boundaries aren’t fixed.
Mark out of: 100 60 20
 MINIMAL/LIMITED L0-2 (U) 0-39 0-23 0-7
 SATISFACTORY/SOME L3 (D/E) 40-59 24-35 8-11
 COMPETENT/EVIDENT L4 (B/C) 60-79 36-47 12-15
 EXCELLENT/CLEAR L5 (A/A*) 80+ 48-60 16-20
WORKING OUT OVERALL A-LEVEL GRADES
There are 4 units, each marked out of 100. You multiply the grade starting point by 4 to get the overall mark
you will need. Note that these grade boundaries can change a little following statistical analysis by exam
boards. Subtract any marks you already have from the A/B/C score to see what marks you will need to get.
A = 320 (A* = 90%+ on A2, ie minimum 180/200 and an overall A)
B = 280; C = 240 Work out what you need and note it below:
AS COURSEWORK AS EXAM A2 COURSEWORK A2 EXAM FOR A FOR B FOR C
/100 /100 /100 /100
Example 80 73 84 (237) 83 43 3!
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 3

4. A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 4

5. A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 5

6. A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 6

7. TRANSLATING WHAT AO2 REQUIRES
You can see another outline of what these mean in the main coursework guide. I focus below in
highlighting specific blogging topics/content you can cover to boost your marks in each ‘AO’.
In short: Contextualise your work by reflecting knowledge of the music industry, including how
audiences are targeted/marketing, and evidence your grasp of media language, semiotics and theory.
Main blogging themes 1: INDUSTRY CONTEXT
Digitisation + digital disruption: how the invention of the MP3, Napster (online piracy/file-sharing)
and its successors (eg Pirate Bay, BitTorrent), Amazon (cut-price CDs, lower margins for record
industry, closure of high street shops; big supermarket retailers like WalMart [USA] and Tesco [UK]
are now the biggest physical store CD retailers), and eventually iTunes (killed the album as people
buy tracks?), Spotify, YouTube etc further slashed CD sales. How do streaming revenues compare to
CD revenues? Provide some specific industry figures to back up the point!!!
When a digital upstart causes disruption by transforming and undermining traditional production,
distribution, and/or exhibition practices, it can be seen as a positive or a negative: new opportunities
for Indies to challenge monopolistic record labels and distributors/shops? Greater ‘consumer’ choice
and accessibility of music from all over the world (globalisation)?
What about the scenes, like Seattle, that come about when bands mix on a local level through the live
scene? Don’t the big conglomerates end up coming out on top anyway?
THEORY TIP: For binary opposite arguments, try Chris Anderson (the long tail
theory which argues that the near-zero (re-)production and distribution costs of
digital media mean retailers such as Amazon can sell a very few of a massive
number of items – ie, the small-scale producer can succeed, and continue earning
revenue for years after release); Anita Elberse (her Blockbusters book specifically
challenges Anderson, using data to show that digitisation has meant Amazon are
more reliant than ever on a small number of big chart hit acts; marketing spend
still dominates – she provides some great case studies, eg of Lady Gaga and
Jay-Z, and how they used various commercial partners or tie-ins). Andrew Keen
is also a useful thinker; he argues that we should boycott social media! Social
media can also disappear fast.
Retromania, reissues, back catalogue, editionalising and vinyl: Simon Reynolds’ book and theory
is useful here; convergence has meant that old music doesn’t just drift away and get entirely displaced
by new pop music and listeners; the likes of YouTube act as huge artificial memories, and the iPod
helped to ensure that the young include a lot of older music in their collections, or what they listen to.
Key term: convergence (see Henry Jenkins)
Some record labels with a large back catalogue can make more through repackaging and reissuing
albums than through the riskier, expensive process of gambling on producing and marketing new
acts. Digipaks are one means of enticing fans to buy material they already own in a new format; they
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 7

8. are designed to replicate vinyl, unlike the standard jewel case. Limited edition vinyl releases have
become an established hipster must-have, and many acts now release on CD/digipak (sometimes with
various collectible covers, or varying editions: 3CD or single CD, etc), download and vinyl. Reissues
often come with studio outtakes, or best of albums with 1, 2 or 3 new tracks (eg Black Sabbath).
Main blogging themes 2: SOCIAL MEDIA: to really engage with how
meanings are created you need to explore how social media have become a
central part of the process: web 2.0, UGC, viral, fan-made videos, former
audience etc.
This is highlighted within your MANGeR pack. Here’s a quick reminder:
Engaging with more traditional audience theory (web 2.0 undermines this!!!), such as U+G (the uses
and gratifications theory), is very useful too.
Main blogging themes 3: SEMIOTICS: this is a central aspect of all 3
AOs. If you continually make it explicit, specific and clear just how your decisions
are intended to manipulate and steer an audience to following – through your
encoded signs (signifiers) – your preferred reading, you will greatly accelerate
your Evaluation work, and have gathered useful exam material too.
I suggest one (or a series of) post(s): the semiotics of my idea, in which you at minimum analyse how
your choices (the signifiers you have chosen to include, but maybe also what you have decided to
exclude) relate to: audiences (primary, secondary); (sub-)genre (genres if hybrid!); representation
(normative, counter-hegemonic? Requiring sub-cultural knowledge [Bourdieu] to follow
intertextuality); narrative (especially editing choices so that meaning is clear enough)? This overlaps
with A04, which focuses more on your research into existing examples.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 8

9. REMEMBER: you are assessed on your research + planning; 3 products; and
Evaluation for this and the other AOs. It needs to be reflected at every stage, and you
need to try to make this as clear and explicit as possible: highlighting terms,
tracking the terms/concepts you’ve used and presenting as a Word doc or video,
tagging authors/theories, links lists, sub-headings …
TRANSLATING WHAT AO3 REQUIRES
AO3 60%
The ability to plan media products is excellent/competent/satisfactory, with detailed
evidence across video, print and web work. Decisions and revisions are
detailed/evident/some evidence of as part of the process, showing a clear/some sense
of journey of the production. The finished products show clear/some evidence of being
the outcome of this process. The sense of branding across the three products is
excellent/competent/satisfactory. There is excellence/competence/satisfactory in the
appropriate use of technology in making meaning apparent for the viewer. Digital
creative tools are used to excellent/competent/satisfactory effect in the creative
critical reflection.
ability to plan (all 3 products); evidence this
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE + UPDATES
 It’s not just the shooting schedule, its also managing your research timescale, and aspects
which I further break down below: location scouting, acquiring costume, casting…
 Have you shown how you’ve managed the challenge of three simultaneous productions:
video, digipak, website?
 Have you shown how you’ve responded to setbacks … or perhaps how you bounced back
from a poor/slow start?
 Are you using Google calendar (perhaps to aid group communication/planning)?
(MISE-EN-SCENE) CASTING - COSTUME
 Detail planned characters + your IDEAL look/abilities (eg dancing, beard…)
 Auditions? Advertising or publicising this? Pure pragmatism/availability?
 Costume (+ some props) are linked to final cast (size for example; their own wardrobe..).
Your ability to source and acquire key costume/props is important to evidence. Take every
opportunity to show how you are controlling and manipulating what appears on screen.
Make clear links to existing videos/other media where relevant.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 9

10. (MISE-EN-SCENE) LOCATION SCOUTING + RATIONALE
 Your schedule for visiting shortlisted sites to scout, and maybe grab some sample footage
 Reflect on visits/sample footage
 Clear linkage (AO4) to your research?
DOCUMENTS TO PROVE SHOOT PLANNING
 Storyboards – never waste time on beautiful drawing, but do make sure these are well
annotated with camera movement, basic editing (eg transition) + camera movement notes
 Track timing sheet – you might have multiple embeds of this showing your handwritten
notes as you plan and re-plan scene sequencing. Make sure that instrumental sections are
broken down, you don’t just have 20-odd sections marked ‘music’!!!! Carol Vernallis
would not be impressed! Mark specific elements such as chorus, verse (number for your
own reference), ‘the drop’ or any recurring motif you think might be a candidate for a
recurring editing/content accompaniment.
 Call sheets – you’re not really organised for a shoot if you haven’t done these and uploaded
before the shoot occurs. You can also re-embed with added notes; make sure you highlight
any coverage/extra, unplanned shots you took on the call sheet or as a list in a fresh post.
DOCUMENTS TO PROVE IDEA PLANNING
 A well-planned edit will lean heavily on hand-written notes; photo/scan anything like this
 An example would be shot lists; I had about 30 pages of notes on the clips I assembled for
my IGS 2014 film, which proved a major help
o Tagging (keywords) in FCutProX is another side of this – make sure you
screenshot/screen record evidence of this. You can screen record clicking into tags to
show the varying range of clips. If (and you should!) you ‘favourite’ bits of clips you
drag down to the timeline (just click f when you’ve selected your in/out points) you can
show these too
 Rough layouts – for website and digipak DRAW very basic sketches of what you intend.
This would be multiple pages for a website, and include both inner and outer panels for a
digipak, plus spine. Artistic skills are irrelevant, you’re showing planning of layout and
contents BEFORE sitting down at a computer to edit. You might do multiple versions of
this.
 An animatic using still images and even screenshots/clips from existing videos can be a
useful way to express your idea before you begin principal shooting. If you have the skills,
Flash or animation are fine too! Search for ‘Sublime Transcendance animatic’ on my
channel for an example – they used part of the track, but it works wo give a good idea of
what will come at a stage when shooting hasn’t yet commenced.
 A clear list of scenes. Sounds simple, but if you brainstorm multiple vignettes for a
narrative element, make sure this is seen, and that your definitive list of aspects/scenes you
will film is clearly expressed. What I mean is: make sure its clear you’ve broken your
production down into its parts, a key stage of pre-production planning.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 10

11.  Post-production planning will include a schedule of sample scenes, rough cuts, and
audience testing these and digipak/website drafts too.
Decisions and revisions; sense of journey of the
production.
Your blog archive should show frequent blogging throughout the process with no major gaps.
INITIAL IDEA/S, PITCH, GROUP/FINAL IDEA, ONGOING REVISIONS
Its good to evidence that you had several ideas.
The pitch preparation, research should be clear.
Your response to any feedback on this should be clear.
Your idea should be re-stated, even if little has changed, following the pitch and forming groups/final
production (track/idea) decision.
Of course, you might still change this a lot as pre-production gets underway; that’s fine, just make
sure you keep updating your blog on what changes and why they’re being made.
If the track itself changes, same point: make sure the what and why are clearly outlined.
PODCASTS
Needn’t be weekly (though that, or fortnightly, are an ideal).
Short, around 1 minute.
The 1st
has you saying hi I am/we are and I/we are/am working on [explain the brief + your idea
outline]. Coming up next, I will be working on…
The 2nd
and subsequent are simply since the last time I/we have … And coming up next, I/we will be…
Upload to and embed from sites like SoundCloud.
This also forms part of your audience interaction (see Evaluation Q3: How do your products engage
with the audience).
DRAFTING
For all three texts, if you spend ages editing without uploading evidence of your changes you’re
throwing away marks.
Keep uploading altered edits.
This starts with sample scenes; website with placeholder text/images (etc), digipak with placeholder
text/images (or just unpolished in all 3 cases).
Keep seeking and evidencing audience feedback … and reflecting on this.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 11

12. You might be re-drafting or experimenting with a very short clip, or small detail of the
digipak/website – great! Save/export your experiments and edit together, or even do a side-by-side
comparison.
The 2015 IGS A2 blogs are superb examples of most of this. Conal used ViewSync as a smart way of
showcasing multiple edits, and both posted multiple edits as they went, including homing in on
specific areas they experimented with.
sense of branding across the three products
This takes careful, thoughtful planning. You’ll want to gather content on the video shoots that won’t
appear in the video, for example!
 Mode of address: is there a mood/tone: humour, cheekiness, risqué, tongue-in-cheek,
earnestness, high art, intertextuality, interactivity … and how is this signified in each?
 How do you use the video characters/locations in the other texts?
 What behind-the-scenes footage is there from the video shoots on the website?
 Photography from the shoots for the digipak (and website/social media postings)?
 Is the track itself pushed heavily across the website and social media? Likewise the album?
How?
 Is there a viral/UGC element, linked to some aspect of the video, pushed on the website
and maybe linked through the inner panel imagery (and/or a QR code)?
 Font/s are hugely important – its worth searching for free truetype fonts online and trying
these out. If Wix presents limitations with fonts then think about how you can use
Photoshopped images (ie using downloaded fonts and exporting as a jpg) in place of Wix
text. As part of the journey, don’t just try out lots then post the one you like – evidence
your process.
 The website banner/masthead, and any logos for social media are critical. Look at my post
on Sly Antics’ website.
 It can be a great design idea to include faded/partially-erased lyrics over your digipak inner
panels (and maybe quote lyrics in places in your site … even a ‘name the track’ quiz based
on lyric excerpts on website/social media, or just tweeting lyric lines). The IGS Joy
Division student Jonny did a great job of this, and his Evaluation video includes a walk-
through of how he did it (as featured in my vodcast on digipaks).
 As you proceed through pre-production, production, and post-production, keep posting
clear details of anything you’re doing/planning that will strengthen the unified sense of
branding
appropriate use of technology in making meaning
apparent for the viewer.
Don’t just think of this as editing (and navigation within the site); its also about how you engage with
the audience through social media and your site. That includes the description of YouTube uploads
and tagging.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 12

13. Audience testing and reflecting on this is crucial.
Seek out fan sites, use any means available to gather views and test your ideas.
Don’t feel forced to simplify your video if you get feedback suggesting its meaning is confusing;
consider it, but also remember the need to encourage multiple viewings.
If audiences are bewildered though … don’t be precious, consider what content or choices are
obscuring the preferred reading.
Digital creative tools are used … in the creative
critical reflection.
You’ve got to:
 Use a RANGE of technologies to create + present your responses
 Apply critical theories within these (especially web 2.0; key for exam preparation Q1a +
1b)
 Demonstrate creativity in how you present your work
See http://musividz.blogspot.com/2016/04/cie-eval-q4-technologies.html for more detail
See http://mediatechtips.blogspot.lu/search/label/technologies for ideas on technologies to use
some TECHNOLOGIES YOU'VE probably USED
• DSLRs
• GoPro
• smartphones
• possibly camcorders
• other for audio
• greenscreen/chroma keying
• SD cards
• Macs
• screenshots
• screen recording (QT?)
• VLC for clip recording?
• online retailers
• search engines
• fan-sites?
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 13

14. • amazon look inside/google books (+ generally, the range of reading resources: try to list as
many as possible - you can use post screenshots for things like this)
• gif/giphy etc?
• FCPX
• download TrueType font
• blogs (incl. embedding multiple techs!!! Hyperlinks. Gadgets. Design and settings.
Comments. Branding...)
• YouTube (incl. tagging, titles, description, channel branding - you can access channel data!
Research; comments; annotations...)
• other social media: Facebook group? FB for feedback, cast comms? twitter etc for
marketing?
• Google calendar?
• EVAL TECHS... you must address what you used in the Eval (including this Q!!!)
• See http://mediatechtips.blogspot.lu/search/label/technologies
CREATIVE APPROACHES
It is crucial that you provide variety in how you present your responses - the format as well as the
platform/technology.
You can have fun with these; your responses don't have to be formal in their mode of address, so long
as you still convey the point!
Some ways of taking a creative approach:
CHAT SHOW INTERVIEW SETUP
Set up one or two cameras, with a coffee table between two seats (you've seen chat shows... glass of water ...).
EITHER take the role of interviewee AND interviewer yourself (keep the camera/s in place and film once
answering the questions, once asking them - you could change clothing! Then simply use the crop/trim tool in
Final Cut to combine the two clips as one shot - you'll need to film shots of each person being silent; a 2-
camera setup makes this quicker to edit) OR ask a friend or parent to sit in as interviewer (even less editing
then!).
Of course, the interview could be on radio ... (if so, including a snippet of what came before and after your
appearance would add to the level of creativity!).
MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER/E-ZINE INTERVIEW
Reflecting the basic layout of any of these, this is another option.
You could feature multiple interviews in a variety of formats.
SKYPE POST-SCREENING INTERVIEW!
I've been to a (2013) screening of a Universal Soldier sequel in the UK (Bradford's National Media Museum,
as part of a festival) where the director was interviewed afterwards via Skype (he was in the US). Details.
Again, you can get anyone to be the interviewer - you're scripting this! (In the context of a music video, this
could be a retrospective of a director or music artist's work; an awards ceremony; festival)
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 14

15. QUIZ SHOW
As my Family Fortunes post shows, there are lots of TV game shows you can replicate via websites. You'd
set up the quiz with the question/s and answers you want, ideally project this (or simply a decent sized screen
is fine) and play the host - it doesn't matter who plays the contestants, they're following your script!
ADVERT
There are lots of ways to do this.
You could highlight a use of technology by creating an ad that uses your work as an example (Apple use
filmmakers all the time to help promote Final Cut).
You could break up a lengthy video/vodcast with a commercial break and create basic ads ... for example for
the camera you used! Also: tripod + any other cinematography kit/hardware; software; Macs!; retailers you
got props from or even delivery firms (re-enact your stress needing a wig, clothing, make-up ... asap, and then
cheesy smiles as you get it...).
It could be a digipak (album) ad.
A trail for a music TV show featuring your video.
YOUTUBE
Two ways in particular: annotating a cut (best to re-edit a new version of the video, adding freeze frames
especially so you can neatly fit in for a decent length of time any notes you want to appear on screen) and
playlists (for example of videos that influenced your work).
NEWS REPORT
Lots of ways to play this - interview style; future anniversary report at the scene/s (you could detail your mise-
en-scene with this, for example [like Beatles heritage trails in Liverpool]); award show...
DVD EXTRAS
You'll have seen many of these, why not use one of these approaches?
GREENSCREEN
See this post - there are lots of creative ways to use this technology - and you don't even need to have a
greenscreen!
GIFS AND VINES (SHORT ANIMATED CLIPS)
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 15

16. A great way to make a standard blog post stand out is to use gifs or vines to create automated moving artefacts
in your post; see this guide.
FACE SWAPPING AND AVATARS
There are lots of apps for tablets, smartphones and computers that enable you to blend part of your face with
someone/something else's, a good means of adding a creative flourish to your work. Your own avatar is
another way to do this! (Face swap post; avatar post)
OTHER IDEAS
You should use Prezi (or an alternative); infographic (maybe as part of conventions response, or on
audience feedback)
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 16

17. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF KEY BLOGGING POINTS
blog on target audience(s); locations; cast + costume/make-up; other props + mise-en-scene; schedule
[a Google calendar + podcasts help evidence this; listing tasks]; rough mock-ups for digipak/website
layout/content; treatment +/or animatic for video [treatment could cover how the package blends
brand image]; clear pre-shoot preparation: storyboards, call sheets, cast communication/direction;
clear identification of roles: who is assigned to specific roles/tasks [included in schedule]. For
evidence, you only get credit for what you present through the blog: embed all planning docs
(photograph, scan; jpg/png/doc/ppt/pdf files etc can be embedded directly or via sites such as scribd
or google docs)
Decisions and revisions; sense of journey of the production – Track your idea’s evolution: initial
(brief) idea/s to pitch; review and detail ideas after pitch and group formation; detail changes (and
explain why: audience/teacher feedback etc) as you go; present mock-ups, rough cuts, trial
scenes/details (embed all files; focussed feedback on short clips/features is useful: consider creating
2+ versions). Routinely update on your own progress (podcast again helps for this, ditto schedule via
google calendarKeep saving/exporting as you edit, with clear file names: Assemble playlist of videos
as you go, and build a PowerPoint or equivalent with images as you go for later (Evaluation) use. ). If
you present any text simply as a near-complete product you won’t get marks for this.
sense of branding across the three products – this covers Eval Q2; if your blog is well maintained
and detailed you’ll find the Evaluation is much easier and quicker to complete. Keep building
evidence of the elements across 2 or more of your 3 texts that clearly link: screenshots, short vodcasts
etc.
appropriate use of technology in making meaning apparent for the viewer – how you’ve used
editing tools in particular to try to ensure your preferred reading (Stuart Hall’s theory) is followed.
This also incorporates social media (and blogging) through which you directly communicate meaning
to the audience! Furthermore, evidencing how you used technology to seek and get audience
feedback is relevant here. Screen recording walk throughs as you master new editing tools or make
significant changes is a good idea (add titles and/or a voiceover); these clips/shots will also help with
Eval Q4. You can address polysemy, narrative enigma and the difficulty of applying narrative
conventions + theories to music video (and websites?) – see the exam ‘MANGeR’ pack and ProdEval
blog.
Digital creative tools are used in the creative critical reflection – After all your blogging, tweeting,
web design and so forth you will have used plentiful technology … but you are also marked
specifically on how you used digital technology in the Evaluation itself. The word creative is
important too: it helps to have fun with how you present your work: as a TV show for example. Aim
for a variety of technology across your Eval Qs: Prezi, detailed multimedia blog post, vodcast, Vines,
GIFs … you have many options.
AO4 20%
undertake and apply appropriate research, evidenced in detail on the blog/through
products/Evaluation – some overlap with AO2 here, but its especially about your work on
conventions, audience and institutional factors/industry. Audience research is routinely highlighted
by exam board reports as being the weak link in student work.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 17
Blog posts such as these help demonstrate how you’ve applied technology to encode a preferred a reading for
the audience to follow, and will also later help considerably when it comes to the Evaluation questions. Short
screen recordings are a good idea as well as screenshots. Note how similar posts are numbered.

18. AUDIENCE So: start out with a clear out with a detailed outline of your intended target audiences:
core or primary, plus secondary; consider multiple demographics (age, gender, sexuality, social
class, nationality …) and psychographic or lifestyle factors (fashion, zeitgeist, early adopters, retro
[see Simon Reynolds book: Retromania!]) See MusiVidz audience post (top links list) and try the
MusiziVidz tags audience, audience feedback, audience interaction, audience in video, audience
theory, former audience. That last one links to ‘web 2.0’ theorists you can find summed up in your
MANGeR pack. You should come up with a moodboard which signifies the characteristics of a
typical audience member (perhaps two if you think male and female are fairly equally represented),
including a picture of a person (its fine to use a googled image).
Keep reflecting on this – very clearly highlight any changes (probably as a result of audience/teacher
feedback) with new posts: copy in or hyperlink the earlier audience outline and sum up any changes,
explaining why these have been made.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 18
Part of a blog post setting out the
initial ideas on who the target
audiences would be, complete with
image of a female and male typical
audience member
Look out for + blog on any media
appearances by your artist – this often
helps to provide evidence for
secondary audience appeal in
particular (eg [real example] Gaga on
the cover of a rock magazine aimed at
older males)

19. A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 19
In your exam (Q1a/1b) you’ll almost certainly discuss the challenge that ‘web 2.0’
poses for traditional audience theories; more recent theorists have questioned
whether the audience/producer divide still exists, and use phrases such as ‘the
former audience’ to denote their feeling that this divide has gone. That’s an
example of convergence of course! You’ll be highly engaged in social media, a key
website feature but also great for audience research and getting feedback…
Links lists are a key blog gadget: they help YOU + group
members quickly find material, and help your teacher +
examiner quickly see the extent of your work in any given
area. This student’s research and ‘journey’ are immediately
evident through links lists such as these

20. CONVENTIONS Even if your productions are
outlandishly niche and unconventional, you still need
to be clear on what the conventions are to judge this
against. You must justify any and all deviation from
the prevailing conventions as well as note where you
have reflected conventions. Do not think that means
you must produce utterly conventional work; just be
able to clearly justify your creative direction and
choices, always linking back to audience (branding,
promotion). For all three texts, though in more depth
with video, start by researching then summarising
general conventions of the format (see links list left).
Then, once a group has formed round a definite track
and idea, update this by researching any more specific
genre conventions (signifiers associated with the artist
or similar genre/era acts).
INSTITUTION Institutional factors include grasping the issue of distribution, and monetising
music – these days that often means tour and merchandise revenue primarily, but music streaming
and sales also have to be considered. You’re considering and researching the differences between
Indie and major status. The film industry has a ‘big six’ (big 7 if you include Lionsgate); the music
industry has an even more monopolistic (cf. Ben Bagdikian’s writing, also Chomsky’s propaganda
model) big three! Each of those conglomerates has a huge range of subsidiary labels. The likes of
Radiohead, Prince, Motorhead and Miley Cyrus have all reflected the disruption of digitisation to
traditional business models (respectively: pay what you like online; free with a UK national
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 20

21. newspaper; free with a UK rock magazine; free to download) – just a few examples blogged on in
MusiVidz (see above).
Industry signifers can be critical to audience response, and you must also take care to look for all the
small details on the digipak and website in particular. This also incorporates issues around format: vinyl,
downloads [MP3? AAC? FLAC?]; special editions; DVDs etc
COURSEWORK IN 5 STAGES
STAGE 1: RESEARCH GENERAL CONVENTIONS;
PRACTICE EXERCISES
STAGE 2: PITCH IDEAS, FORM GROUPS, DETAIL
AUDIENCES, RESEARCH GENRE/ACT
CONVENTIONS
STAGE 3: DEVELOP IDEAS – SCHEDULE, CAST,
SCOUT, PRACTICE SHOOTS
STAGE 4: ROUGH CUTS, AUDIENCE FEEDBACK,
EVIDENCE APPLYING RESEARCH
STAGE 5: FINAL CUTS, REFLECTION
(EVALUATION), APPLY EXAM THEORY
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 21
Experiment with cameras
and editing software; this
helps you understand
what’s required from music
video (much more footage
[coverage] than with film!).
Music video also requires
much more use of SFX –
experiment with layering,
green screen and more,
then try to plan such
technologies into your
idea…

22. KEY RESOURCES
You have access to a huge online archive (mostly tagged now – I’ve been progressively retro-
tagging) of posts on all aspects of the music industry, including detailed exemplars where I
show how you can analyse texts, vodcasts doing the same, and critical reflection on the
industry: the ‘MusiVidz’ blog.
The ‘ProdEval’ blog also covers the theory required for the A2 exam (and ‘MediaReg’ for the
final section of the exam).
You can also view a wide range of past student blogs, including their productions. As the CIE
syllabus is new, the links so far are for UK schools who follow a similar syllabus, producing a
music promotion brief (with an additional option to create magazine ads). The two selected
(IGS and Latymer) routinely get the UK’s highest marks (most of the IGS work from the past
two years got either 99% or 100% overall).
There are some useful books to consider, and you’ve got access to a huge range of music
videos online – but could also consider DVDs focussed on a particular artist or director, eg
Chris Cunningham, Anton Corbijn [to me the greatest of them all!], Michel Gondry, Spike
Jonze. Those last three have all made critically acclaimed feature films, using their videos as a
‘calling card’ – and of course both Working Title and Warp emerged from producers who
wanted to branch out from music video production!
KEY BLOGS
MUSIVIDZ: musividz.blogspot.co.uk/
PRODEVAL (‘THEORETICAL EVALUATION OF
PRODUCTION’): prodeval.blogspot.com/
All my blogs are listed and hyperlinked at
igsmediablogs.blogspot.co.uk/, including MEDIAREG
BROWSE ACTUAL STUDENT WORK
Use the dates in the link, or try tags to quickly navigate to
these.
See past IGS + Latymer student videos (yes, the standard
varies, but many got full marks):
http://musividz.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/student-examples-
latymer-school-and-igs.html
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 22
Tag cloud for ‘ProdEval’; all blogs
remain live works in progress – check
your Blogger dashboard for updates!

23. Browse past IGS student blogs: http://asmediablogs.blogspot.co.uk/ Latymer’s are also linked in a
post on student websites: http://musividz.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/websites-student-examples-of-
band.html
You can quickly find digipaks; completed blogs should start with Final Cut then digipak/mag ads.
SOFTWARE/HARDWARE
You can find many online resources, not least on YouTube, providing free tuition on Pinnacle (video
editing), Photoshop (image editing) and Wix (website building). I’ll be developing a brief guide on
Pinnacle,
and have
assembled
useful
resources
on Wix:
http://musividz.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/websites-using-wix-to-build-your-band.html
There are some great books (paperback, ebook in some cases too) not just going through the
menus and operations of particular cameras, but also cinema/photography… See
http://mediatechtips.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/online-course-on-digital-camera-use.html (look for sub-
headings on specific cameras).
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 23

24. BOOKS
See http://musividz.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/recommended-reading-material.html Austerlitz’ Money
For Nothing is a great, very readable history of music video; it will introduce you to innumerable
videos you won’t have heard of/seen before, and is a great research resource! Laughey’s Key
Themes in Media Theory is especially good for the exam. The ideas and arguments of Vernallis
and Goodwin on the media language of music video are especially useful for the exam. Many of
these are cheaply available second hand online.
A2 Coursework Guide by Mr Burrowes 24