Updated December 2017.This document has been updated to address issues that have arisen from moderation.
Focus of the standard
Students will produce a developed media product from a design and plan using a range of conventions. The work must reflect level 7 of the curriculum, where the focus is on students applying their knowledge of conventions of current media texts to a production process, moving from the development of ideas to the completion of a final product for an audience.
To achieve the standard, students must demonstrate some control of production technology. While students may take responsibility as director for the overall product, or for organising aspects such as costumes or schedules, this is not sufficient to show control of production technology. All students should actually use the technology in the process of making the product.
It is important that students have the opportunity to show control over production technology. When producing a print product this may include the layout of the spread and the original sourcing and manipulation of photography and/or graphics to support the article.
Ensuring productions are suitable/appropriate
Teachers need to ensure that materials submitted for assessment are suitable for a school assessment. Students should be discouraged from choosing sensitive topics, and they need to ensure that the product is appropriate for the specified target audience.
Length of product and sufficiency
Explanatory Note 3 and the Conditions of Assessment outline what constitutes a developed media text. For example, a moving image production such as a short film or a film trailer will be a minimum of 3 minutes. While the brief may require a moving image product longer than this, students should not be disadvantaged by having to produce a product that is too long.
When completing a print product, the text type will influence the length of the product. For example, an A3 newspaper might be 1 page but may include 3-5 stories (depending on length), while a magazine layout will be at least two A4 pages and could include a feature article or a selection of related articles.
Tracking individual contribution
Students may work as individuals or in a group. When working in groups, students must show their individual contribution to the product, as students are awarded grades based on individual performance. See the Conditions of Assessment for guidelines on group sizes.