1. Media Studies
A2 Coursework
MS3: Media
Investigation
& Production
Name: __________________________
Project: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________

2. What’s it all about?
The MS3 Coursework brings together all elements of the course and builds
upon; the knowledge, understanding and skills you’ve already gained.
It will test your understanding of the different elements of the A-level
specification.
It is designed to allow you to:
Demonstrate research skills
Demonstrate your knowledge of media concepts and apply them to
the analysis of media texts
Organise relevant information clearly and coherently using media
language and terminology as appropriate
Explore an area of contemporary media in depth
Use your research to inform a media product
Build on existing, and develop new technical & creative media skills
Evaluate the success of your project as a whole
Choose a subject to research that you really enjoy and have an interest
in!

3. Media Investigation & Production
The facts:
50% of A2
25 % of A-level
Three separate components with a maximum of 100 marks.
Research Investigation 45 marks
1400-1800 words
Practical Production 45 marks
3-4 pages for print. 3-4 minutes for audio visual
Evaluation 10 marks
500-750 words
As you can see equal weight is given to both the Research Investigation and
the Practical Production. So it’s vitally important that you do not prioritise
one over the other.
However, we will see they are both
very closely connected.
The exam board specifies that you
cannot create work based on the
same form or medium as your AS
level coursework. Therefore you
will need to consider carefully
which area of the media you will
focus on for this project.
Firstly, let’s look at what it’s all
about...

4. The Rules
So what exactly are you doing? Watch out, here comes the science bit…
1. You are required to submit an individual investigative or analytical essay
of NO MORE than 1800 words – this is your Research Investigation
The exam board get a bit funny about essays being more than this
therefore, we will stick stringently to this limit.
2. You will select a title with a CLEARLY DEFINED FOCUS so that a clear
area for research is revealed
You will choose one of the nine options available, you will choose which
texts you study.
3. You MUST base your response on one (or more) of the following
concepts:
i. Genre
ii. Narrative Form
iii. Representation
You’ll see that most of the choices are based on representation. This
is because it is quite a ‘meaty’ subject. However there are plenty of
academic writings on all three of these subject areas. You just have to
remember that the key area you study will inform how you plan your...
4. Media Products must be based on your Research Investigation. They can
be done in groups if the product is Audio Visual but MUST be undertaken
individually if they are print based.
This is included to allow you to really show off the technical skills you
developed in the AS level, and to give you the freedom to be as creative
as you can the exam board wants these to look professional – remember,
however, it must be connected to the Research Investigation.

5. The Research Investigation
1. At each step of your research, try to have clear objectives in mind. Are
you clear about what you are trying to get out of each piece of research
you do?
2. It’s useful to set yourself questions that you want your research to find
answers to. This should help direct you and help you to set priorities.
3. Make a record in the form of a log of every source you use and every
piece of research you do, because if you don’t you’ll forget the sources
you’ve used.
4. You may need both primary and secondary research in your essay…
Primary research involves doing your own original work to find out
about something.
Primary Research
Your textual analysis
Emails/letters/telephone calls
Secondary research involves making use of other people’s research to help
you with your area of investigation.
Secondary Research
Books/study guides
Newspapers/magazines/journals
Video/DVD/television
Surveys/data
Websites/Radio

6. Example research log
Suitable for Theoretical / Academic research and also Institutional context
research:
Research Questions
Source:
If book: title/author/publisher/year
If visual: title/director/production company/year
Useful quotations including page no.
Summary of Findings and Evaluation of Source

7. Different Sources
Obviously, there are going to be many, many different places for you to research.
It is worth bearing in mind that there are different types of source. Aim to cover
as many of these as possible:
• search engines
• academic sites
• media industry websites
• fan/official websites
• magazines
• academic books
• popular books
• TV and Radio programes
• DVDs / Videos
• Questionnaires
• Interviews
• newspapers & news archives
The majority of your research will be from academic books, academic websites
and analysis of texts. When it comes to websites – be dilligent and be sure to
scrutinise them. It is well documented that not everything on the web is the
gospel truth!
The Question of Wikipedia
Throughout this project you may hear me curse the, dubiously, good name of Wikipedia, the
online encyclopedia. Let me make the following statements:
I do not hate Wikipedia, In fact, it is one of the most valuable resources for Pub Quizzers
the world over.
I do NOT expect to see it as a reference in your bibliographies. When completed, this
project will constitute six months of research and independent academic study. If either
the examiner or I see Wikipedia as your supposedly ‘thorough research’ then it
undermines the work you have put in.
Wikipedia is not without its uses. Many of the articles are actually derived from some
kind of academic research and Wikipedia is a place for collecting them. Use it as a
starting point to find substantiuated and academic resources- but remember to
scrutinise the external links & bibliography. Anything which cites: ‘Heat’ magazine is
unlikely to be reputable.

8. How to… lay out a bibliography
A bibliography is a detailed list at the end of your essay of all books you have
cited (quoted from) in your essay as well as books which may have influenced
your thinking on your essay.
A bibliography always contains:
Author(s)
Full title of book/article/journal
Date of publication
Publisher
Edition number
Top tip: Every time you photocopy a chapter from a book or jot down a
quotation. Write down all the above details so you won’t be stuck when you
come to write your bibliography.
Examples of how to lay out your references:
Cohen, S (2002): Folk Devils and Moral Panics Third Edition: Routledge.
If you are citing an article within an edited book:
Keer, P: F For Fake? Friction over faction in Goodwin, A and Whannel, G (Ed) (1997):
Understanding Television: Routledge.
If you are citing an article from a magazine:
Mills, S: What’s the story in Balamory? Media Magazine, Issue 13 September 2005.
If you are citing from a website:
Where possible you should include the authors name and date of publication
but this is not always clear. As a minimum you should cite the main URL
address in a clearly defined section.
Internet sources:
www.bbc.co.uk (date accessed 22.10.10)

9. All references need to be listed in alphabetical order by author’s surname.
Top tip: I’m not going to mark you down for not having the commas, colons
and brackets exactly right. You will notice there are many slight differences
between how people lay it out but follow these main rules and your
referencing will be correct.
How to… footnote your references
The Harvard Referencing system is the most commonly used referencing
system. Any ideas or direct quotations taken or influenced by other people
MUST be referenced. The Harvard System requires you to reference
quotations or ideas taken from others in the main body of your essay. For
example: “Television has changed the way British families have behaved”
(Anderson 2009: 53). This referencing technique can look a bit odd (Cohen,
1979: 21) and break up the flow of your essay. A less noticeable way to
reference is to use footnotes.
After you have quoted from a text or discussed a theory place the cursor in an
appropriate place1 then on the toolbar…
Reference (tab)
Insert Footnote (button)
The footnote system will automatically re-number if you need to add in
additional footnotes later.
1
This is what it looks like! You need to add the author’s surname, year of publication and page number e.g.
Cohen, 1979: 21

10. Writing the Research Investigation
You will submit multiple drafts of your Research Investigation as you go along
– however it is important to know exactly what the examiner is looking for.
Here is the mark scheme to use as a guide for knowing how good your essay is
and what areas need improvement.
Level/marks A04: Demonstrate the ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate
research
Level 1: 0-17 Limited evidence of research. Minimal application of this research which has
been presented in an unclear and unfocused way.
Quality of written communication will be limited, frequently unclear.
Frequent errors in the use of language. Little or no evidence of ability to
structure ideas.
Level 2: 18–26 At the lower end of this level, there will be evidence of basic research.
This will have been applied in a simple way. Basic ability to present research
[18-22] demonstrated.
Quality of written communication will be basic but sufficiently clear to allow
communication. Frequent errors in the use of language.
Limited ability to structure ideas.
At the upper end of this level, there will be evidence of research from a
reasonable number of sources. There will be some attempt to apply this
[23-26] research and present it with some coherence.
Quality of written communication will be mainly clear. Some errors in the use
of language. Some ability to structure ideas.
Level 3: 27-35 At the lower end of this level, candidates will undertake sound and relevant
research from a range of appropriate sources. This research will be applied in a
[27-31] sound way and presented with supporting points.
Quality of written communication will be sound and clear.
Reasonable level of accuracy. Sound ability to structure ideas.
At the upper end of this level, the research will be good, covering a good range
of sources and will be applied in a detailed way. It will be presented
[32-35] appropriately with good references.
Quality of written communication will be good. Good level of accuracy. Good
ability to structure ideas.
Level 4: 36-45 Research will be excellent, covering a wide range of sources. These will be
analysed and applied in a sophisticated way and presented a logical and
coherent manner, supported by a range of sophisticated points.
Quality of written communication will be sophisticated. A high degree of
accuracy. Sophisticated ability to structure ideas effectively.

11. The Production
Although you will be writing an essay at a very high standard you are also
expected to create a media product which not only, reflects the level of
research you have done into your chosen topic (whether that is Genre,
Narrative or Representation), but also showcases high quality production
values in terms of technical ability and creativity.
This must be RELEVANT to your essay & NOT SLAPDASH!
There are some choices that need to be made:
Audio Visual work can be done in groups and needs to be
approximately 3-4 minutes long.
Print based work must be done individually and must be 3-4 pages.
A combination of Audio Visual & Print based materials can be
completed but the same rules apply. i.e. Print based – must be
individual, AV - can be group.
IMPORTANT: If you are completing any group work – you must have a
clearly defined role. You will also need to agree as a group on a medium from
the start and have relevant individual research investigation titles.
HINT: Although you are only going to be marked on your final product do
not underestimate the importance of pre-production work. Write scripts, plan
shoots meticulously, draw storyboards – this will save time and effort. The
better prepared you are at every stage, the more creative you can be when
you get there!

12. Considerations for your Production
The mark scheme for the production focuses on both: Your technical &
creative skills AND your ability to link the product to the Research
Investigation.
Level/marks AO3: Demonstrate the ability to plan and construct media products using
appropriate technical and creative skills.
Level 1: 0-17 Limited ability to plan and construct media products. Technical and creative
skills will also be limited. Limited ability to use the research investigation to
inform the product.
Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be limited,
frequently unclear. Frequent errors in the use of language. Little or no
evidence of ability to structure ideas.
Level 2: 18–26 Basic ability to plan and construct media products. Technical and creative skills
demonstrated will also be basic. Basic ability to use the research investigation
[18-21] to inform the product.
Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be basic but
sufficiently clear to allow communication. Frequent errors in the use of
language. Limited ability to structure ideas
At the upper end of this level, there will be some ability to plan and construct
media products. Some technical and creative skills will also be demonstrated.
[22-26] Some ability to use the research investigation to inform the product.
Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be mainly clear.
Some errors in the use of language. Some ability to structure ideas.
Level 3: 27-35 Sound ability to plan and construct media products. Technical and creative
skills demonstrated will also be sound. Sound ability to use the research
[27-30] investigation to inform the product.
Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be sound and clear.
Reasonable level of accuracy. Sound ability to structure ideas.
At the upper end of this level, there will be a good ability to plan and construct
media products. Good technical and creative skills will also be demonstrated.
[31-35] Good ability to use the research investigation to inform the product.
Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be good.
Good level of accuracy. Good ability to structure ideas.
Level 4: 36-45 Excellent ability to plan and construct media products. Sophisticated technical
and creative skills will also be demonstrated. Sophisticated ability to use the
research investigation to inform the product.
Quality of written communication (where appropriate) will be sophisticated. A
high degree of accuracy. Sophisticated ability to structure ideas effectively.

13. Projects
These are the nine projects to choose from, choose wisely because you’ll be
studying this for the next ten months – think about what texts you might use
as case studies and consider whether you would be able to make the product.
Individual Projects: Print Based
Independent Research Video Games – investigating genre, narrative & postmodernism
Media Product Game covers and Gaming magazine style reviews of new game
Independent Research Representation of gender in women’s magazine’s
Media Product Cover and inside pages of a typical women’s magazine
Independent Research Representing fear – moral panics in the press and online
Media Product Creation of a moral panic in a newspaper and/or online news site
Group Projects: Audio Visual
Independent Research Investigating narrative in music videos
Media Product Creation of a music video
Independent Research Documentary – Genre/Narrative/Realism
Media Product A trailer or opening sequence from a documentary
Independent Research Alternative narrative structures in film
Media Product Trailer or opening of a film using unusual narrative devices
Individual Projects: Print Based or Audio Visual
Independent Research Representation of homosexuality in film
Media Product DVD cover & magazine review or film trailer with gay protagonist
Independent Research Genre and the social realist film
Media Product DVD cover & magazine review or film trailer for social realist movie
Independent Research The evolution of the sitcom genre
Media Product Teaser campaign & review or sequence from new sitcom

14. The Evaluation
Once you have completed the Research Investigation and made your
Production you must evaluate & analyse the links between the two. It must
be written well and show you understand what you are talking about!
Level/marks AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding when analysing media
products and processes and evaluating their own practical work, to
show how meanings and responses are created
Level 1: 1-3 Limited ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the
production. Limited reference to degree to which research informs
production.
Quality of written communication will be limited, frequently unclear.
Frequent errors in the use of language. Little or no evidence of ability to
structure ideas.
Level 2: 4-5 Basic ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the
production. Basic reference to degree to which research informs production.
[4] Quality of written communication will be basic but sufficiently clear to allow
communication. Frequent errors in the use of language.
Limited ability to structure ideas.
Some ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the
production. Some reference to degree to which research informs production.
[5] Quality of written communication will be mainly clear. Some errors in the use
of language. Some ability to structure ideas
Level 3: 6-7 Sound ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the
production. Sound reference to degree to which research informs production.
[6] Quality of written communication will be sound and clear.
Reasonable level of accuracy. Sound ability to structure ideas.
Good ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the
production. Good reference to degree to which research informs production.
[7] Quality of written communication will be good. Good level of accuracy. Good
ability to structure ideas.
Level 4: 8-10 Excellent ability to apply knowledge and understanding when evaluating the
production. Sophisticated reference to degree to which research informs
production.
Quality of written communication will be sophisticated. A high degree of
accuracy. Sophisticated ability to structure ideas effectively. #
As you can see this is only worth ten marks.

15. MS3 Proposal Form
Name:
Individual
Research
Title:
Aims:
Research
Methods:
Primary
Texts:
(Which
texts will
form the
basis of
your
textual
analysis?)
Product: AV/Print based (circle)
Group members (if applicable):
Production piece(s):
Possible
Constraints
/Difficulties
When you have an idea fill in this sheet and submit it to me for consideration.

16. A final word…
This project is an excellent opportunity to do very well in your A2 media studies.
It is also a chance to become an expert in a subject that you are interested in.
And obviously, you will be practising skills that you will need for the rest of this
course, your other A-level courses, as well as any work you may do after you
have left college.
Make the most of it!
Research thoroughly and do not underestimate the usefulness of talking
through, and keeping me updated with what you have achieved at regular
intervals.
Two last points:
Firstly: The research essay and the media product are worth equal marks and
must be connected – if you lose sight of this at any point, you will not fulfil the
potential this project has to offer your final Media Studies grade.
Secondly: Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated at any stage of the project. Any
text or sentiment copied without being attributed is plagiarism. You are
cheating others as well as yourselves and if the exam board finds any then
there could be quite serious implications.
This is not intended to scare anyone but simply raise awareness of the issue. Any
doubts, ASK SOMEONE!
And finally,
May the Force be with You!