Media Studies

(highlighting indicates assessment focus for that half term)

media language

·         media representation

·         media industries

·         media audiences.

Students are required to study media products from all of the following media forms:

·         television

·         film

·         radio

·         newspapers, magazines

·         advertising and marketing

·         online, social, participatory media

·         video games

·         music video

Reviews of films will be analysed to allow clear development of appropriate language and terminology for describing films.

Key films to be used are Rocky, War of the Worlds and Million Dollar Baby.

Assessment is based around written tasks analysing how effects are created in trailers and films.

The psychology of colour will be introduced and applied to magazine covers.

Assessment is based around the design and analysis of a magazine cover.

Guiness and Budweiser adverts to be used.

Mercedes Benz Superbowl advert to be used – links to cultural references (deal with the devil, price of fame).

Assessment is based around the design and analysis of the Mercedes advert.

Development of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the benefits/dangers of social media will be explored.

Games and narrative will be analysed as well as the role of characters (protagonists and antagonists) as well as the escapism of video gaming.

Imagery, popular genres and changing styles will be analysed.

Assessment is based around designing a storyboard for a music video and analysing the features of the storyboard.

This unit is taught now because students need to learn the scope of media studies before embarking on exploration of specific forms of media.

This unit is taught now because film is highly accessible and covers many areas of other aspects of media studies therefore developing transferable skills.

This unit is taught now because students have developed sufficient skills to allow their own creativity to be allied to their newly developed theoretical knowledge. It allows them to express their own interests.

This unit is taught now because students have sufficient skills to deal with the aspect of representation which has many different aspects that require close investigation – gender, race and class underpin these ideas.

This unit is taught now because it is the apotheosis of most students’ media experiences – they play games and understand gaming which develops on from the previous aspects of media studied.

This unit is taught now because it pulls together the skills previously acquired and allows them to be applied to another form of media – music videos as a reflection of society is the culmination of looking at audiences, industries and representation.

Content is well judged, detailed, shaped & convincingly developed.

Some ambitious vocabulary & technical language.

Shows a straightforward awareness of the purpose and some connection with the audience.

Content is relevant & sometimes clear.

There is some range of vocabulary.

Answer is focused on the task and shows some awareness of the audience.

Content is sometimes relevant.

Use relevant words related to media language, representation, media industries and audiences.                                                       

Use all your evidence effectively.

Analyse and evaluate language, structure and form.

Use a thoughtful approach and show a secure understanding of the text.

You use most of your evidence effectively.

Analyse some technical devices using appropriate technical language, structure and form.

Use a straightforward approach and show an understanding of key parts of the text.

Use relevant evidence.

Make some reference to the meanings and effects of media features, language, form and structure.

Use some relevant evidence.

Refer to a meaning or an effect created by language, form and structure.

Content is clearly organised & purposefully shaped.

Some ambitious vocabulary & language devices.

Writing is mostly controlled, clear and has some detail.

Content is organised, has shape & direction.

Vocabulary is beginning to develop with some use of technical, media based language devices.

Writing has some control, clearness & some content is relevant & sometimes clear.

There is some range of vocabulary.

Writing is sometimes controlled & clear.

Content is sometimes relevant with obvious ideas.

Use relevant technical words.

Use critical analysis and show a perceptive understanding of the extract / text.

Use all your quotes / evidence effectively.

Analyse and evaluate language, structure and form.

Use a thoughtful approach and show a secure understanding of the text.

You use most of your evidence effectively.

Analyse some technical language, structure and form and features.

Use a straightforward approach and show an understanding of key parts of the text.

Use evidence.

Make some reference to the meanings and effects of language, form and structure.

Use some quotes / evidence.

Refer to a meaning or an effect created by language, form and structure.

Content is well judged, detailed, shaped & convincingly developed.

Some ambitious vocabulary & language devices.

Shows a straightforward awareness of the purpose and some connection with the audience.

Content is relevant & sometimes clear.

There is some range of vocabulary.

Answer is focused on the task and shows some awareness of the audience.

Content is sometimes relevant.

Use relevant words

Use all your quotes / evidence effectively.

Analyse and evaluate language, structure and form.

Use a thoughtful approach and show a secure understanding of the text.

You use most of your evidence effectively.

Analyse some language, structure and form.

Use a straightforward approach and show an understanding of key parts of the text.

Use evidence.

Make some reference to the meanings and effects of technical language, media features, form and structure.

Use some evidence.

Refer to a meaning or an effect created by technical features, language, form and structure.

Refer to historical context relevant to the media industry.

(Order will vary according to intake and curriculum)

Learning will take place through well-structured, differentiated lessons delivered at an appropriate pace using challenge and assessment for learning. Engaging starters to provide social, cultural and educational opportunities for learning. Lessons are scaffolded to promote challenge and differentiation by outcome. There will be a strong independent style of learning once students are equipped with the skills to work on their own – this is crucial in developing their skills required for the project based element of Media Studies at GCSE.

Levelled assessment each half term.

Use of DIRT marking to allow reflective learning.

Following Whole School Literacy Policy as displayed in all classrooms and:

• Use capital letters and full-stops correctly.
• Use commas and apostrophes correctly.
• Spell regular words correctly.
• Use homophones correctly.
• Use a wider range of vocabulary.
• Use semi colons and colons.
• Use clear sentences.

Social: Studying of social class and how media categorises individuals and families.

Moral: Through topical issues such as the morality and advertising and manipulation of thought through media.

Cultural: Through the history of various aspects of media – the history of film and advertising.

Spiritual: A sense of wonder in the diversity of media.

Flight paths in the cover of exercise books as well as Behaviour Watch Tracking System.

Introduction to Media Studies – key terms relating to media language, media representation and media industries.

• media language: how the media through their forms, codes and conventions communicate meanings

• representation: how the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups

• media industries: how the media industries’ processes of production, distribution and circulation affect media forms and platforms

• audiences: how media forms target, reach and address audiences, how audiences interpret and respond to them

Students will study the skills of enquiry, critical thinking, decision-making and analysis

• acquire knowledge and understanding of a range of important advertising and marketing issues

• develop appreciation and critical understanding of the media and their role both historically and currently in advertising and marketing

Spectre Film must be studied in relation to media industries only. Students will study Spectre only in the context of cross-media study which explores the convergence of media platforms and technologies and in the context of the study of media industries. In order to develop an awareness of Spectre as part of the Bond franchise, students will consider selected key pages from the Official James Bond 007 website

Start of NEA work – magazine project

The research may include:

• analysis of the use of media language in similar media products to identify the codes and conventions of the particular genres and forms

• analysis should focus on how specific techniques such as layout and composition, camerawork, editing and sound are used to create meaning, and the way in which representations of events, issues, individuals and social groups (as appropriate) are constructed, considering how choice of elements of media language influences meaning

This requires a detailed study of music through focusing on two contemporary music videos and the online, social and participatory media surrounding the artists. In addition, students study one music video from the past to enable students to develop their understanding of media language and of how representations reflect, and are influenced by, relevant contexts.

Newspapers: The Sun

Students will have knowledge and understanding of The Sun as an evolving media product in terms of the relevant newspaper industry and audience issues it illustrates. In order to develop this awareness, students will consider one complete print edition of The Sun