Media Studies - National Moderator's Report

Insights

91252: Produce a design and plan for a developed media product using a range of conventions

Performance overview

This standard requires students to complete a concept, treatment, and pre-production activities for a developed media product. 

Moderated samples that met the standard demonstrated detailed designs and a clear understanding of the chosen medium or genre, making it evident how the plan could progress from concept to final product. Reflection and reworking of ideas was clearly evidenced.

Practices that need strengthening

Common issues seen in moderation included treatments and pre-production activities that lacked sufficient detail, and some content choices that were inappropriate for the intended audience. The inclusion of scripts/drafts and storyboards/layout mock-ups can help to provide the level of planning detail expected. Further understanding of media conventions for the selected medium/genre was an issue. This could be mitigated by undertaking and incorporating relevant research into the plan at the treatment stage. Design choices should be explicitly linked to the target audience and justified in terms of their potential appeal. 

Reflection and reworking of ideas was often missing from designs or noted only as a brief summative reflection. The inclusion of test footage and rough cuts could provide evidence of design choices being tested or developed through practice or iteration, in order to better evidence this requirement.

Three short courses are available for this standard to support assessors. ‘Unpacking the Concept’, ‘Exploring the moving image treatment’, and ‘Exploring the plan and practicalities’ can all be accessed via Pūtake, NZQA’s learning management system. 

The document ‘Clarification for Media Studies production standards’ may also be useful.

Clarification for production standards

91494: Produce a design for a media product that meets the requirements of a brief

Performance overview

This standard requires students to complete concept, treatment, and pre-production activities that demonstrate design choices to meet the requirements of a brief and show evidence of reflection and/or refinement.

Moderated samples that met the standard included detailed designs that referenced research and/or stakeholder feedback when reflecting on and refining design choices. Equal attention was given to content and use of technological aspects in the designs.

Practices that need strengthening

Further focus on meeting the brief was a common issue identified, particularly in terms of ensuring appropriate content for the specified audience and meeting the specified word count for print, or the duration timings for film.

The need for further evidence of ongoing reflection and refinement to better reflect the iterative nature of the design process was also needed, particularly at Merit and Excellence. In addition, draft materials could better evidence the convincing/effective design choices required for Merit/Excellence by incorporating:

• Initial concepts.
• Location scouting.
• Test footage/layout.
• Rough cuts.
• Documented evidence of ongoing reflections and revisions. 

Assessor Practice Tool samples for this standard are available, containing a range of evidence for grading. These can be accessed via Pūtake, NZQA’s learning management system. 

91495: Produce a media product to meet the requirements of a brief

Performance overview

To meet the standard, students must produce a media product using production technology and media conventions with control to meet the requirements of a brief. 

Moderated samples that successfully met the requirements of this standard demonstrated consistent control over both production technology and media conventions, and were aligned with all specified requirements of the brief.

Practices that need strengthening

Common issues included audio/audiovisual products that exceeded the duration specified in the brief or contained material that was unsuitable for the specified audience. Greater control over production technology was also needed, particularly with camera shots, transitions, and sound consistency. 

For print products, further control of writing conventions was an issue, predominantly the use of accurate punctuation and grammar. The use of pre-existing sourced templates and stock photos prevented students from demonstrating the selection, application, and level of crafting required at curriculum level 8.

Assessor Practice Tool samples for this standard are available, containing a range of evidence for grading. These can be accessed via Pūtake, NZQA’s learning management system. 

91497: Write a media text to meet the requirements of a brief

Performance overview

This standard requires student to write a media text, applying media conventions with control to meet the requirements of a brief.

Evidence that met the requirements of this standard demonstrated consistent control over the conventions of the selected text type and clearly met the specified brief requirements in terms of duration or word count. The most popular media product types selected were screenplays, followed by magazine pieces.

Practices that need strengthening

The need for further control of media conventions was a common issue in moderation. Further control of industry screenplay formatting conventions and the use of accurate punctuation was another common issue. Scripts which did not meet or exceeded the duration specified in the brief were also an issue. Following the industry guideline for scripts of 1 page per 1 minute of film would better ensure that the duration requirements of the brief are met.

Further evidence of consistent control of spelling, punctuation, and grammar for magazine articles was an issue. Some samples also required tighter control of media conventions specific to the selected text type, particularly when writing feature articles or opinion pieces. Where the brief specified a local, community audience, sourcing local interviews to provide context and colour would better enable students to engage/command audience attention for Merit/Excellence.

Assessor Practice Tool samples for this standard are available, containing a range of evidence for grading. These can be accessed via Pūtake, NZQA’s learning management system. 

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