https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/cambridge-technicals/digital-media/#level-3

Why choose Digital Media?

This course allows students to apply their practical skills and knowledge in preparation for further study, Higher Education, or the workplace. It is refreshing and contains exciting content, that’s up to date, engaging, fit for purpose and suitable for the needs of students today. This course has been designed in collaboration with experts spanning the breadth of the sector, the Cambridge Technical in Digital Media focuses on the skills, knowledge and understanding that today’s universities and employer’s demand. This level 3 qualification is on a par with an A Level and is recognised by both universities and employers.

Students develop professional and social skills through interaction with performers, clients, and peers; as well as theoretical and technical knowledge and understanding to underpin these skills. This course provides a perfect balance of creativity and technicality through the design and production of media products used within the industry.

Students will develop conceptual ideas, and visualise these all the way through the production cycle; from planning and pre-production right through to editing, postproduction and presentation of products. They’ll also learn how to analyse target audience requirements, research market demand, and bring a media concept alive working in line with legal and regulatory requirements, in a safe and effective way, protecting themselves and those they’re working with from injury or harm.

Students will also gain an understanding of how different businesses and organisations in the media sector work. When it comes to progression or employment, students will learn about the variety of opportunities available to them, and the roles and responsibilities of media businesses and organisations within the sector. This will make sure students develop clear ideas about where they might like to take their career and what progression routes they’d like to follow.

Entry Criteria and Person Specification

This course is aimed at someone with good IT knowledge and those who have studied IT or a Creative Media course at KS4 achieving at least a grade 5 (B) or Merit in an equivalent qualification. Good literacy skills are essential, and students should have knowledge of different multimedia software packages. Students who do well in this subject have a real interest for IT and technology.

This course is ideal for someone who enjoys variety with a balance of coursework and exams. Students should be well organised with the ability to meet deadlines and be able to work effectively independently. Communication and presentation skills are developed throughout this course and are crucial for the media sector and therefore students should be confident to present their ideas to an audience. Working collaboratively forms a large part of the course so students must be able to work effectively as part of a wider team.

What do students say?

“Digital Media is a great course that continues on from Creative iMedia at GCSE and teaches you skills in graphics design and how to make media products from a client’s request.”

“In Digital Media we have realistic workloads with work that develops our understanding in an evolving digital environment.”

“Digital Media has helped me better understand production and what really goes on behind the scenes.”

“Digital Media has enabled me to expand my knowledge in the IT industry which supports my future strongly!”

“The course is taught thoroughly, and we are often encouraged to work in collaboration with our classmates developing teamwork, independency and leadership skills.”

“In Digital Media there is a great combination of activities involving independence and collaboration that broadens our understanding of the industry. This course will undoubtedly support us into higher education and work.”

Students work

KS5 Student Work Examples

Syllabus Outline

Year 12

Unit 2 – Pre-Production and Planning (90 GLH)

This is a mandatory unit that forms the foundation of the course. The knowledge and understanding developed in this unit are transferable to a number of other units.

By completing this unit, students will understand the pre-production process the creative media industry follows when creating a product. They will learn how to carry out research in the planning stage of a media production and about the various acts of legislation that need to be considered. Students will learn about the constraints that need to be considered when planning a new media production, including timescales and resources. They will understand how to create preproduction documents in relation to client requirements and how to plan projects to meet these needs.

Unit 3 – Create a Media Product (60 GLH)

Media products have a range of different purposes. Whether it is to advertise and promote a product or service, inform an audience of a cause, or engage and entertain an audience.

The aim of this unit is for students to develop knowledge and understanding of the production processes of producing a media product from one of the following:

• Print-based product
• Audio-visual product
• Audio product.

Students will apply their learning gained in unit 2 to plan and produce a media product. They will complete planning materials to take forward in the production and post–production stages of an intended media product.

Students will plan, produce, and edit original content for their intended product.

By completing this unit students will have the skills to:

• Create a proposal to meet a client brief
• Produce planning materials
• Create and manage original content for the product
• Apply editing techniques.

Unit 21 – Plan and Deliver a Pitch for a Media Product (30 GLH)

A media product does not simply exist in a vacuum. There is much work to be done before the product is finally consumed by an audience. Like most commercial products, a media product starts life as an idea in the mind of its creator or creators who then must sell the idea to those who have the means to produce it. To convince the producers that it is a good idea, the creator(s) have to show how the end product might look or sound, and convince them that there is a unique selling point to attract a particular audience.

Students will choose to focus on either print, audio, or audio-visual media. By completing this unit, students will be able to generate ideas for your own media product based on a client brief, pitch the ideas to a client, and be able to respond to feedback to prepare the idea for pre-production.

Year 13

Unit 1 – Media Products and Audiences (90 GLH)

Whichever sector of the media students want to work or specialise in, all media institutions work to create products that meet the needs of specific target audiences.

The aim of this unit is for students to develop their understanding of how different media institutions operate in order to create products that will appeal to specific target audiences. Students will learn about the different ownership models within media industries, and they will learn how to analyse different media products within the sector in order to understand the fundamentals of how meaning is created for audiences. Students will learn about how audiences are categorised, researched and targeted by media producers. They will also learn about how media institutions distribute and advertise their products to audiences.

Unit 20 – Advertising Media (60 GLH)

Advertising media is around us daily, from billboards in the street to adverts watched daily on the television. Different types of advertisements are used together to create campaigns that grow a brand and an organisation’s image, and promote all types of products and services used to entice the public at large.

In completing this unit, students will understand advertising campaigns and how audio-visual, print based or audio advertising media are used within them. They will plan an advertising campaign for a product or service, selecting the appropriate media components to produce

1. Students will produce original media components for incorporating into a campaign, considering the market and its target audience, as well as legal and ethical constraints, to ensure that all components comply with the required codes and conventions of the genre.

Unit 24 – Cross-Media Industry Awareness (30 GLH)

Television, games design, web design, radio, and print production. You’ll find that in the digital age many of these sectors are finding it easier to work together to create cross-media products that target global audiences. As a result, there are many different job roles that you can work or specialise in across a range of sectors, and the skills and qualities you are likely to need to succeed in the media industry are becoming ever more diverse.

The aim of this unit is for students to develop their understanding of how different media sectors operate and what products they produce. They will develop awareness of how concepts and brands are adapted into different products (such as books into films) in order to widen audience reach. Students will learn about the impact that new technologies have on the industry in terms of revolutionising the production and distribution of their products and opportunities for synergy. They investigate different job roles within the media industry, comparing and contrasting the skills needed, and plan a suitable route of progression into the career that they have an interest in. Students will also be given the opportunity to investigate a job role in order to gain an understanding about a position within a wider hierarchy in a specific sector.

How the Course is Assessed

Year 12

Unit 2 will be examined in June of Year 12 via a 2-hour (80 marks) written paper.

Unit 3 is a coursework project which is internally assessed and externally moderated.

Unit 21 is a coursework project which is internally assessed and externally moderated.

Year 13

Unit 1 will be examined in either January or June of Year 13 by a 2-hour (80 marks) written paper.

Unit 20 is a coursework project which is internally assessed and externally moderated.

Unit 24 is a coursework project which is internally assessed and externally moderated.

Career Prospects

Achievement of this qualification can support progression to go on and study in a Higher Education institution either on relevant Digital Media or IT degrees or support progression on to other degree courses.

Digital Media is a vocational option that provides students with essential knowledge and skills that will prepare them for apprenticeships, further education and/or the workplace.

The transferable skills that are developed in the study of digital media such as communication, problem solving, time management, research, and analytical skills will allow access to a range of career opportunities. However, there are certain sectors that are particularly relevant:

• Digital industries e.g. game design, web development, software developer etc.
• Film and TV production
• Advertising and digital marketing
• Social media
• Graphic design
• Event manager
• Public relations
• Journalism

Textbook

Cambridge Technicals Level 3 Digital Media (Cambridge Technicals 2016)

Victoria Allen, Karl Davis, et al.

Hodder Education; UK ed. edition (5 Sept. 2016)

ISBN-13: 978-1471874734

Further Information

If you would like further information on any aspect of the course, please contact Miss Sarah Harris – Head of IT (sarah.harris@thepolesworthschool.com)