Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91253 about?

Accepted Answer

This standard asks you to make a finished media product (like a video, website, magazine, or radio show) based on a design and plan you've created. You need to use the proper conventions for your chosen medium, show you can control the production technology, and make something that appeals to your intended audience. The key is proving your product reflects all the thinking and planning you did beforehand.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91253?

Accepted Answer

1. Create a detailed design and plan that includes a concept (your creative idea with target audience and purpose), a treatment (how you'll actually make it happen), and practical details like locations, equipment, permissions, scripts, and storyboards 2. Produce a finished media product in your chosen format (such as a 3+ minute video, 5-page website, 30-minute radio show, or magazine spread) that actually works and is ready to show 3. Use the key conventions of your media type correctly (for example, if it's a film, you use proper cinematography; if it's a magazine, you use layout and typography properly) 4. Demonstrate control of the technology you're using throughout production—whether that's cameras, editing software, design tools, or audio equipment 5. Make a product that appeals to and reaches your target audience in a meaningful way

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91253?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You finish a media product that uses some of the right conventions, shows basic control of your equipment, follows your plan reasonably well, and has some appeal to your audience. Merit: You complete a well-crafted product with thoughtful choices, properly incorporates the key conventions of your medium, shows consistent and practiced control of the technology, and has clear appeal or impact on your target audience. Excellence: You deliver an integrated product that shows creativity, uses all conventions effectively with a clear sustained focus, demonstrates precise control of your technology, and genuinely captures and holds your audience's attention with real impact.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91253?

Accepted Answer

1. Not doing enough pre-production work—students skip the detailed concept and treatment, jumping straight to filming or publishing without a solid plan to follow 2. Failing to properly reflect the design and plan in the final product—the actual product doesn't match what was planned, showing the student didn't actually follow their own blueprint 3. Weak audience focus—making a product without genuinely considering who it's for and what will appeal to them, resulting in something that misses the target audience's needs and interests

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