BBC Bitesize Commissioning Brief – Geography

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Commissioning Brief

GCSE Geography CCEA Revised Specification 2017

Overview

Geography is the study of the earth’s landscapes, peoples, places and environments – both its

physical features and its political and cultural characteristics. It involves a synthesis of facts, figures,

ideas and perspectives to help us understand and protect the world we live in.

GCSE geography is available to students studying the curriculum with the CCEA exam board. Around

2000 - 2500 students in Northern Ireland will sit the exam in summer 2017. The current CCEA

specification is changing. Students starting GCSE geography in September 2017 will be learning from

the revised specification.

BBC Bitesize currently offers an expanded programme of study for GCSE geography that caters for

the AQA, OCR, Edexel, and WJEC examination boards.

To ensure the resource is relevant and user-friendly for students in Northern Ireland, all written

content currently on Bitesize will be restructured and adapted for CCEA students. New resources are

required to enhance existing content and for new and revised Study Guides relating to the updated

CCEA GCSE geography specification.

BBC Bitesize Commissioning Brief – Geography

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Summary of deliverables

We require the following content for Geography:

o Video: Approximately 30 minutes of animation across the commission

o Infographics: A minimum of 35 infographics across the commission

Indicative budget: £60,000

Bitesize Brand Values and Tone

Quality learning resources with high production values, tailored to the needs of the audience

Clear, concise delivery of the key educational points in bite-sized chunks Accessible to every level of academic ability and learning style Factually correct, high-quality and curriculum-relevant Simple, straightforward language Funny, quirky or irreverent tone where appropriate Innovative educational media format

Audience

The target audience for this commission is 14-16 year old students studying GCSE Geography.

From our audience research, we have found that students:

79 % of students surveyed use Bitesize for geography revision

The majority of students prefer physical geography topics over human geography

Enjoy revision tools that are short, snappy and precise

Prefer videos and diagrams to text

Prefer bullet pointed text rather than long paragraphs

Enjoy interaction in learning i.e. quizzes and tests

Require case study’s that are specific to Northern Ireland where possible

The Subject CCEA GCSE Geography is comprised of three units of study.

UNIT 1: Physical Geography UNIT 2: Human Geography UNIT 3: Fieldwork

River Environments Population and Migration

Coastal Environments Changing Urban Areas

Our Changing Weather and Climate Contrasts in World Development

The Restless Earth Managing Our Environment

*For a more detailed breakdown, see Appendix Item A: Suggested Content Breakdown.

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Content for Delivery

Bitesize Components

Infographics o These sit within the Revise Chapters.

o Infographics are core to Bitesize and are used to explain and creatively lay out the structures,

theories or other complex topics students must understand

For this commission we estimate that you will produce approximately 35 iGFX.

iGFX must be supplied in the following formats;

Original: Adobe Illustrator file with all layers

Desktop: PNG, 624px wide x up to 624px high, 300dpi

Tablet: PNG, 464px wide x up to 464px high, 300dpi

Mobile: PNG, 304px wide x up to 304px high, 300dpi

App: PNG, three sizes specific to the Bitesize app (to be confirmed in contract)

(All Graphics must adhere to the Bitesize Style Guide, which is available to download from the

commissioning site)

Animation o Age-appropriate animation, delivering clear learning outcomes as detailed in the CCEA

specification

o BBC Digital and Learning will be responsible for clearing and paying for any music sourced

for production by the contracted company. Please note: any copyrighted material –

including clips, images and/or commercial music must be signposted to the BBC Production

Team at the earliest stage to ensure rights clearance. It is at the BBC’s discretion to agree the

use of any copyrighted material. Clearance confirmation will be given based on value for

money

A BBC sourced Education Consultant will advise and offer guidance on the content during each stage

of production.

For this commission we require approximately 30 minutes of animation. Each separate animation

is likely to be between 2-3 minutes in duration and should contextualise or give an overview of the

topic.

*For more detail, see Appendix Item B: Video spec for delivery

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What we’re looking for…

Creative Proposal

Companies are invited to submit a creative proposal. Your proposal should include:

Storyboards/creative approach

For this proposal we expect a storyboard or animatic inclusive of a first draft script for one sample

animation – ‘The Water Cycle and Drainage Basin System’ within The Drainage Basin Study Guide.

Tell us what your overall creative approach will be to this content and you must include reference to

any expert consultants you’ll use.

Production schedule

Please provide a top-level schedule of major milestones/project management approach.

Note: A project management system will be required (i.e. Trello, Slack, Basecamp or other tool) to

manage the production of the content and to allow the BBC to track the project’s progress and

record feedback.

Indicative budget

Within your indicative budget, you will need to make allowances for all production and content costs.

Writer

A writer to draft scripts for the animations. You are free to suggest writers, but they will need to

have approval from the BBC production team before production starts.

User Testing

There should be at least two user-testing sessions during the course of the production. These should

include working with at least two different schools who are teaching Geography.

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Working with the BBC

There will be a minimum of 4 face-to-face meetings during production (this does not include the

project initiation meeting). In addition, we require a weekly content report/update (via phone or

teleconference). The 4 face-to-face meetings will be with the production team in Belfast – so your

travel expenses should be considered within your budgeting.

Project Initiation Meeting – This first meeting will be a chance to meet the production team in

Belfast. We will discuss the editorial scope of the project, confirm the timeline for delivery and hear

content plans and ideas.

Meeting #2 – This meeting will take place at the mid-point of the pre-production process and will

focus on proposed video content (scripts, storyboards, talent, style and tone), and iGFX samples

(looking at approach and style).

o Checks on text style and tone

o Production schedule/milestones

o Formal Input from the Education Consultant and user testing

Meeting #3 – This meeting will be scheduled for the mid-point of the production process and will

assess content produced to date and next steps including:

o Production schedule/milestones

o Formal feedback from the Education Consultant and user testing

Meeting #4 – This final meeting will be scheduled around the end of the production process to focus

on how the content fits together within the Bitesize framework.

o Production schedule/milestones

o Formal feedback from the Education Consultant and user testing

Company and project team profile

We want to hear from companies who are passionate about learning and enthusiastic about creating

content for one of the BBC’s premier online brands.

Audience awareness will also be key; do you know this audience and their needs? Have you

produced content for them before? Can you produce content that will resonate with them?

Please include details on the skills and experience of the key members of your project team.

We would like to see evidence of your capacity to deliver this content.

Links to relevant portfolio examples

Please send links to content you have produced which you think are relevant to this commission.

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Indicative Budget: £60,000

Please provide a budget breakdown to show how you intend to cost the project. Payment schedule

to be agreed upon award of contract. Typical payment might be:

50% on signature of contract

50% upon final delivery

Working together

Who is responsible for what? You will be responsible for:

Project management and production of deliverables to agreed deadline and budget

Chairing regular production meetings and communicating project plans and status

We will be responsible for:

Sharing project documentation

Collaboration throughout the production and delivery

Enabling access to any relevant BBC archive

Sign-off at milestones on all content, and on final delivery – within an agreed timeframe

Post-production paperwork to be completed in format supplied by BBC (WebasC)

We will be jointly responsible for:

Ensuring the learning outcomes are met

Ensuring that content is best-fit for the Bitesize audience

Quality assurance of content

The BBC Learning team Emma Dunseith - Executive Producer

Peter Matassa – Producer

Gareth Hawthorne – Assistant Producer

Paul McGarvey – Researcher

Schedule/project management

All Bitesize productions follow an iterative development process and we will feed back as

Final delivery and sign off for the project is 10th November 2017

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This project is highly dependent on specific delivery dates that will be defined in the contract. As

such we would like you to give particular attention to clause 9 in our standard terms which states

the following:

If you fail or are due to fail to deliver a Deliverable (or any part thereof) due at any stage specified in

Schedule 2 for any reason not directly and solely attributable to the BBC, the BBC shall (without

prejudice to any other rights or remedies available to the BBC under this Agreement or at law) be

entitled to terminate this Agreement

Should this situation arise and the BBC is forced to terminate, the BBC would only be liable to you for

anything delivered prior to termination. For this reason we would ask that you give timeframes and

delivery the highest priority.

The pitching process

Shortlisted companies will be invited to Belfast to pitch their proposals.

(An allowance of £250 toward travel costs to Belfast is available if based outside Northern Ireland)

Learning experience is not a prerequisite, but a thorough understanding of the needs of the

Bitesize audience and clear approach to addressing those needs is expected.

Deadline for submissions, pitch deliverables and selection requirements are outlined below:

Commissioning Schedule

Commissioning brief published 26 June 2017

Deadline for creative proposal submission 15 July 2017

Deadline for notification of shortlisted proposals 19 July 2017

Pitch meetings (Belfast) 3 August 2017

Commission decision deadline 4 August 2017

Contract signed 8 August 2017

Project initiation meeting 8 August 2017

Full delivery of commission 10 November 2017

BBC Bitesize Commissioning Brief – Geography

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Proposal Deliverable List

Company Overview, Portfolio and Project Team

Project Overview

Creative proposal for ‘The Water Cycle and Drainage Basin System’ animation

Production Schedule and Project Management approach

Budget Breakdown

Selection

The BBC will use the following standard criteria to evaluate the pitches submitted:

Quality of the idea proposed – suitability for Bitesize audience

Prior experience of company

Ability to meet editorial requirements

Core staff experience

Project management / production plan

Pricing / value for money

Presentation of response

Next Steps

All proposals should be submitted via email to Gareth.hawthorne@bbc.co.uk by 15th July 2017.

Please use Submitted Proposal: GCSE GEOGRAPHY as the subject line.

This is an open brief published on the BBC Learning Commissioning website. Please note that this document is for information purposes only and does not form part of a contractual agreement with the BBC. This is a stand-alone new media commission and the BBC will require all rights in the content, worldwide and on all platforms. The commission will be contracted using the BBC’s New Media Rights Framework 2 agreement. Further information on the BBC New Media Frameworks can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/technology-online/how-we-work/new-mediarights-framework.shtml

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APPENDIX

Item A: Suggested Content Breakdown

TOPIC 1: Physical Geography

Sub Topic

Study Guide

Notes/Potential Pages

River

Environments

1. The Drainage Basin

The water cycle

Drainage basin system

Characteristics of the drainage system

How a river changes downstream

2. River Processes

Erosion

Transportation

Deposition

3. River Landforms

Waterfalls

Meanders

Floodplains and levees

4. River Map Skills

Interpret aerial photos and OS maps

5. Flood Management

Causes of flooding (Case study)

Impact of flooding

Flood management methods

Sustainable river management strategy (Case study)

Coastal Environments

1. Coastal Processes

Constructive and deconstructive waves

Erosion

Transportation

Deposition

2. Coastal Landforms

Erosional landforms

Depositional landforms

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3. Coastal Map Skills

Interpret aerial photos and OS maps

4. Coastal Management

Reasons for coastal defence

Methods of coastal defence

Sustainable coastal management strategy (Case study)

Weather

and Climate

1. Measuring the weather

Differences between weather and climate

Measuring the elements of the weather

Sources of data for a weather forecast

2. Factors Affecting Climate

Latitude, prevailing winds, distance from the sea and altitude

3. Weather Systems

Air masses affecting the British Isles

Frontal depressions across the British isles

Anticyclones in the British Isles

Synoptic charts and satellite images

4. Extreme Weather

Extreme weather on people and property (Case Study)

The Restless

Earth

1. Plate Tectonics

Structure of the earth

The crust and plates

Convection currents cause plate movement

Formation of landforms at plate margins

2. Rock Types

Formation and characteristics of basic rock types

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3. Earthquakes

Causes and global distribution of earthquakes

Focus and epicentre

Measuring an earthquake

Physical consequences of earthquakes

Causes and impact of earthquakes (Case Study)

4. Volcanoes

Characteristics of volcanoes

Potential global impact of a supervolcano

TOPIC 2: Human Geography

Sub Topic

Study Guide

Notes/Potential Pages

Population and

Migration

1. Population Change

Definitions of population change

The demographic transition model

2. Population Structure

Compare and contrast the population structure of an MEDC with an LEDC

Social and economic implications of aged and youth dependency

3. Migration

Push and pull factors

Barriers to migration

Difference between economic migrants and refugees

Challenges faced by refugees and destination country (Case study)

Changing

Urban Areas

1. Urban Land Use

Characteristics and location of urban zones

2. Settlement map skills

Interpret aerial photos and OS maps

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3. Inner City Issues in MEDCs

Issues facing MEDC inner city areas (Housing, traffic, cultural mix)

4. Urbanisation in MEDCs

Evaluate one MEDC urban planning scheme that aims to regenerate and improve the inner city zone (Case study)

5. Urbanisation in LEDCs

Location, rapid growth and characteristics of shanty town areas (Case Study: LEDC)

Contrasts in

World Development

1. The Development Gap

Use social and economic indicators to identify and describe differences in development

Evaluate the use of social and economic indicators of development

The advantages of using the HDI

Factors that hinder development in LEDCs

2. Sustainable Solutions to Unequal Development

How three Sustainable Development Goals attempt to reduce the development gap

Appropriate technology

Evaluate the success of one appropriate technology product

Fair trade and the advantages it brings to LEDCs

3. Globalisation

What is globalisation

How globalisation helps and hinders development (Case study: a BRICS country)

Managing our Environment

1. Human Impact on the Environment

The Greenhouse effect

Carbon Footprint

Effects of climate change

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2. Managing Resources

Waste hierarchy and the concept of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’

Benefits and disadvantages of one sustainable, renewable energy source

The 2015 International Climate Change Agreement

3. Sustainable Tourism

Positive and negative impacts of mass tourism

Responsible tourism

Ecotourism

How ecotourism can protect the environment (Case study LEDC or an MEDC)

TOPIC 3 – Fieldwork

Study Guide Notes / Potential Pages

Geographical enquiry process

Introduction to Fieldwork

Planning

Planning an enquiry and developing an aim and hypotheses

Fieldwork techniques and methods

Data collection methods and measuring using primary and secondary sources

Processing and presenting data

Using graphs and maps to present ICT information

Analysing and interpreting data

Analyse and interpret fieldwork data

Drawing conclusions and evaluating

Draw conclusions

Evaluate the fieldwork and the conclusions drawn in the fieldwork

Preparing the fieldwork statement and table of data

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Item B: Video Spec for Delivery

VIDEO

Deliver on a hard drive (exFAT) two formats of each video (one compressed and one uncompressed).

Compressed:

Container format: .mp4 or .mov

Maximum file size, 50GB

Video Codec: H.264 / QuickTime

If your system gives you the option to choose between baseline, main and high profile for H264

export, high is preferred.

Frame size: 1920 x 1080

Frames per second: 25 (progressive scan)

Bit rate/ Quality: Constant/100%

Audio

Codec: AAC

Channels: Stereo

Bit rate: 320 kbps

Sample rate: 48 KHz

Sample depth: 16 bit

For online there is no set level – if it is consistent and you can hear the voice over the music mix and

it is not too low or distorted, it is fine.

Uncompressed:

Deliver an uncompressed version on separate channels.

This can be the source files used within the editing system, with Video, Voice, Music, SFX and

Graphics on separate channels.

Graphics must be rendered on separate channel for translation.

Video Codec is AVC Intra Class 100. Premiere and FCP you can use the DPP AS-11 HD export

setting.

If delivering animation, use the uncompressed Animation Codec.

H264 source footage from DSLRs is acceptable.

Please refer to this link for output https://www.digitalproductionpartnership.co.uk/what-we-

do/technical-standards/programme-delivery-standards/

MUSIC

Commercial music should only be used in the videos if there is an editorial reason to do so and this

needs to be agreed with the BBC prior to inclusion.

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SUBTITLES

To deliver an XML for subtitles for each video (English SDH)

Using a form of XML called TTML EBU-TT-D (Time Text Markup Languages)

Section 26 - http://bbc.github.io/subtitle-guidelines/

For file format please refer to this link http://bbc.github.io/subtitle-guidelines/ from section 23.

There are other useful guides in this file but a basic style guide and example will be supplied later.

DOCUMENTATION

The following Post Production Documentation must be completed on the following templates and

returned as complete within seven days of the delivery date:

Metadata for each video written by a teacher/educational consultant

2 x post production transcript for each piece of video – one timecoded and one without

timecode