OCR Level 2 Digital Media (Cambridge Nationals) Past Papers

Digital Media and Emerging Technologies questions reward specific knowledge of how different media technologies work and how they are changing. For copyright questions: know the difference between copyright (automatic protection for original creative works — lasts life of creator + 70 years), trademarks (registered brand symbols), and patents (registered technical inventions). Creative Commons licences modify copyright — know the key variants: CC BY (attribution only), CC BY-SA (share alike), CC BY-NC (non-commercial use only), and CC0 (public domain dedication). Emerging technologies questions often ask for the impact of a specific technology on media production or consumption. For AR/VR, be specific: augmented reality overlays digital content onto the real world (used in mobile gaming, retail 'try on' features, training simulations); virtual reality replaces the real environment entirely (used in entertainment, architectural visualisation, therapeutic applications). AI in media creation includes generative AI tools for images and text, deepfakes, and automated content curation — know both the creative potential and the ethical concerns. Pre-production documentation is a practical skill assessed in both examined and internal units. A storyboard should include: a visual sketch of each shot, the type of shot (wide, mid, close-up), camera movement (pan, tilt, zoom), duration, dialogue or sound, and transition type (cut, dissolve, fade). A production schedule must be realistic — allocate time for set-up, actual filming, and contingency. These documents exist to save time and money during production and should be detailed enough that another crew could follow them.