Media Studies

We live in a media saturated world, with both a situated culture in which we actually live and a mediated culture of technology that is rapidly becoming equally important and influential, especially on young people.
The irony is that young people are the least well equipped to cope with this media saturated world, yet are most immersed in it.

So our mission at Southfield School is to teach students how to make sense of the media.  It is not to dissuade them from engaging, but encouraging them to look at media texts critically and thoughtfully.
All our Media courses are rooted in the study of four main areas: industries, representation, audience and media language.  The study of industries enables students to realise that media is a business and that powerful corporations dominate media production.  The study of representation enables students to see that the media presents groups in different ways and creates stereotypes.  The study of audience also enables students to see how different groups are targeted.  Finally, the study of media language empowers students to deconstruct media texts of different genres and mediums to see how they convey their messages.
Alongside the analysis of media, students get to create and innovate.   They learn how media texts are made, but also get to make them.  At GCSE they make a print magazine, in Level ½ BTEC they produce print and video texts and in Level 3 BTEC they create a short film.  This makes media an exciting subject and one that provides students with viable, vital skills for the world of work.  In short, students explore, project and harness their creativity, learning how to entertain and influence audiences and communicate powerfully using a range of media technologies.
Media Studies at Southfield prepares students for the future, for the careers that don’t yet exist.  The flexibility of mind and the analytical, critical faculties media helps develop, means that the subject is constantly changing to adapt to the changing media landscape and our rapidly evolving world.  

KS3-4 Pathways (Southfield) OCR GCSE Media Studies 
KS4-5 Pathways (Southfield) Peason/Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate Creative Digital Media     
KS5- Higher & Further Education
Pathways		 BA Media Studies                            
The Access to Higher Education Diploma - Media Studies    
Careers 

Jobs directly related to your degree include:
Digital marketer.   Media buyer. Media planner.  Media researcher. Music producer. Public relations officer.
Social media manager                                                                                                                                                                            Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
Advertising account executive   Broadcast journalist   Event manager  Film director   Magazine journalist
Media researcher   Photographer   UX designer    Writer
                                                                                                          Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here      
KS4 Specification links  https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/media-studies-j200-from-2017/
KS5 Specification links https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/creative-digital-media-production-2016.html
Year 10

Unit 1 - Paper One Section A

Key questions/concepts

  • How does a director create a Media Text?

  • How does sound, editing, camerawork and mise-en-scene combine?

  • How do the elements of a TV show create effective representations?

  • Social context and its effect on audiences.

Timeframe

  • September - November

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Mise-en-scene  The things we see within the frame. 
 Camerawork   Angles and distances of the camera.
 Diegetic Sound   Sound that occurs within the 'story world'.  Non-diegetic sound is dubbed on. 
Editing  The use of montage to create meaning. 
Representation  How people are shown, stereotypes.

Wider reading

 

Unit 2 - Paper One Section B

Key questions/concepts

  • What are major studios?

  • How do tentpole movues attract audiences?

  • How do films target demographics?

  • How does 360 Branding work in different mediums?

  • How does a 'four quadrant' approach generate success?

Timeframe

  • January- February

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Major Studio  A vertically integrated conglomerate specialisng in feature films.
Tentpole Movie  A moive designed to ensure profits and minimise risk.
Demographics  Different groups within a wider society- gender, age, ethnicitiy etc. 
360 Branding  The marketing of a product to the 'four quadrants.'
Four Quadrant  Men, women, boys and girls and all demographics therein.

Wider reading

 

 Unit 3 - Music Videos Uptown Funk and If I Were A Boy

Key questions/concepts

  • What are the unique features of music videos?

  • How do music videos use representation?

  • How does beat-matching and MTV cutting affect meaning in music videos.

  • How does the encoding of media language differ with the song's message?

Timeframe

  • January - February

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Beat Match  Matching the rytyhm or pace of cuts to the visuals.
MTV Cuttung  The fast paced style of editing pioneered by MTV. 
 Encoding   The creating of meaning to be decoded by the viewer. 
 Asynchronous   Where sound does not match with content.
Fourth Wall  When the invisible barrier between performer and audience is broken. 

Wider reading

 

 Unit 4 - Music Magazines

Key questions/concepts

  • What is a magazine publisher?

  • What are the key aspects of print media language?

  • How do conventions vary with target audience?

  • Compare and contrast specific texts with different audiences.

Timeframe

  • February - March

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Publisher  The producer and distributor of a media text.
 Media Language   The codes and conventions unique to a specific form eg print.
 Target Audience  The demographic group a media text is aimed at.
 Convention   The rules of a specific text type- design and layout.
Masthead  The title of a magazine. 

Wider reading

 

 Unit 5 - NEA 

Key questions/concepts

  • How do we respond to a brief?

  • How do you investigate your target audience using primary/secondary research?

  • How do you design the key components of a magazine?

  • How do you use Adobe Spark to create your magazine?

  • How do you create a statement of intent?

Timeframe

  • April - July

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Brief  The request from a client to create a text and their requirements.
 Primary/Secondary Research   Investigating your prodcuction with exisiting and self-generated research. 
Component   An aspect of a text.
 Adobe Spark  A free application for creating print texts.
Statement of Intent  A short piece of writing that explores the major choices in your production. 

Wider reading

Year 11

Unit 1 - Radio One Live Lounge

Key questions/concepts

  • What is the history of Radio One?

  • What is Public Service Broadcasting?

  • How does the Live Lounge use the conventions of radio?

  • How does the Live Lounge appeal to its niche audience?

  • How does the Live Lounge justify the licence fee?

Timeframe

  • September - November

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Radio One  A radio station set up in 1967.
 Public Service Broadcasting   The use of media to deliver socially desirable texts that appeal to wide audiences.
Blind Medium  A medium where there are no visual elements.
Niche Audience  A highly specific audience.
Licence Fee  Money that must be paid to the BBC to access their products and TV.

Wider reading

 

 Unit 2 - The Observer Newspaper- Contemporary

Key questions/concepts

  • How does liberal ideology affect content?

  • What is a broadsheet newspaper?

  • How does readership affect design and layout in newspapers?

  • How do digital and traditional print newsapers differ?

  • What are news values?

Timeframe

  • December - February

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Liberal  A political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights and tolerance.
Ideology  A set of beliefs.
 Broadsheet  A more serious style of newapaper (used to a  larger, broadsheet size.)
 Digital   A newspaper accessed via the internet.
 Physical Text   A printed text, one that is tangible.. 

Wider reading

 

 Unit 3 - The Observer Newspaper- Historical Examples

Key questions/concepts

  • How have the conventions of newspapers changed over time?

  • How has society changed since the 1960s?

  • How has liberal ideology changed over time?

  • How does social context affect news values?

  • How does media language change over time?

Timeframe

  • February - March

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
 Ewspaper Conventions   The rules and codes of a newspaper.
Social Change  How the society we live in adapts. 
 Social Context  The world in which we live..
News Values  The types of stories a newapaper considers important. 
Media Language  The rules of a genre, in this case newspapers.

Wider reading

 

 

Year 12

Unit 1 - Media Representations

Key questions/concepts

  • How do producers encode and readers decode texts?

  • How does semiotics and denotation/connotation apply to representation?

  • How do codes and conventions create representations in different genres such as film, television, music videos, adverts and print texts?

  • How do representations change in different social and temporal contexts?

Timeframe

  • September - January

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Encode/decode The producer selects meanings that they intend the reader to interpret (decode) in certain ways
Denotation/Connotation Semiotics is the study of signs, comprising denotation= the thing itself and connotation= the associated meanings
Stereotype and Countertype Stereotype is a fixed representation, a countertype challenges this
Conventions Conventions are the rules of media texts, they vary with medium
Social and temporal contexts Texts exist in different societies and times, and are read in different ways

Wider reading

 

 Unit 10 - Learning Aim A

Key questions/concepts

  • What are the and conventions of specific genres?

  • How can we undertake micro-analysis of an extract from a generic text?

  • How can we undertake macro-analysis of a generic text?

  • How can we explore stylistic codes of specific genres?

  • How can we explore and contrast generic tropes?

Timeframe

  • September - February

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
 Codes and conventions The elements that are used to create a specific generic text
Micro-analysis A 'zoomed-in' approach focusing on sound, editing, camerawork, mise-en-scene
Macro-analysis A 'zoomed-out' approach exploring the whole text in terms of structure and genre
Stylistic codes Elements a director selects that are individual to their approach to film-making
Trope Any recurring event or code in a media genre

Wider reading

 

 Unit 4 - Pre-Production Portfolio Learning Aim A

Key questions/concepts

  • What is pre-production for a moving image text?

  • What pre-production is required for a fictional film?

  • How do we budget for making a short film?

  • How do we organize and plan the making of a film- what methods could you use?

  • How do you manage the complex logistics of creating a short film?

Timeframe

  • February - April

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Pre-production  Anything that is done before the text is actually filmed and edited
Fictional film Any film text that is not 'true' or 'real' i.e. not a documentary or live-stream
Budget The money allocated or required to make a film
Production schedule The planned timeline for a film production
Logistics The equipment and organization needed to make a film text

Wider reading

 

 Unit 4 - Learning Aim B

Key questions/concepts

  • How do we generate ideas for a short film?

  • How do we create a synopsis for a short film?

  • How do we create a  screenplay, storyboard and shot list for a short film?

  • What Health and Safety and ethical considerations are there?  

Timeframe

  • April - July

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
SWOT Analysis Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in selecting a brief
Synopsis A summary of the film, written in the present tense
Screenplay The correct form for writing a movie script, different from a drama script
Regulation The rules and guidelines that govern the production of short films
Risk assessment A form designed to assess the potential hazards in filming, and how to prevent them

Wider reading

Year 13

Unit 8 - Responding to a Commission

Key questions/concepts

  • How do we respond to a brief?

  • How do we conduct secondary and primary research?

  • What is included in a rationale?

  • What persuasive and rhetorical  techniques can you use in a pitch?

  • How do construct a storyboard and justifications that enable someone to visualize your production?

Timeframe

  • September - January

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Brief The instructions a client gives to a creative team
Primary and Secondary Research Primary research is undertaken by the researcher, secondary has already been created
Rationale A detailed report that outlines the approach to the brief
Justification Text that accompanies a storyboard and elaborates upon the visualization
Pitch A short, persuasive explanation of your idea to gain funding or support

Wider reading

 

Unit 10 - Learning Aim B

Key questions/concepts

  • How do we film our product in an efficient and systematic way?

  • How do we ensure that we can access the footage we need?

  • How do we action our pre-production paperwork to ensure a safe and smooth production?

  • What do we need to do to find copyright free music and foley sound?

Timeframe

  • September - December

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Iconography The visual and symbolic elements of a genre
Post-production Editing and adding non-diegetic sound to your production
Conforming or subverting genre conventions Sticking to, or deliberately breaking the conventions of a genre
Logging  Recording and collating the start and end timecodes of shots
Final cut The completed version of the text

Wider reading

 

Unit 10 - Learning Aim  C and D

Key questions/concepts

  • How do we transfrom our pre-production vision into an actual film?

  • Who will be responsible for shooting, recording sound and directing the film?

  • Eye-line matching and use of establishing/master shots.

  • How will diegetic sound be effectively recorded?

  • What will you do to address any mistakes of continuity or potential reshoots?

Timeframe

  • January - March

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Mise-en-scene The things that we see within the shot
Continuity Editing Ensuring that the sequences of the film create a seamless illusion of reality
Master shot Comes after the establishing shot and establishes how the scene will be read
Diegetic sound Sound present in the story world
Reshoot Part of a film that has to be re-recorded due to mistakes

Wider reading

 

Unit 4 - Learning Aim D

Key questions/concepts

  • Explain in your evaluation how logistics were managed in your project

  • Explain in evaluation how creative processes were managed

  • Evaluate the success of your Project Management

  • What have you learned from this process?

  • What would you do differently?

Timeframe

  • March - May

Key vocabulary

Word/phrase Definition
Evaluation The making of a judgement about the value or worth of the short film
Creative Processes The steps you undertook to create a successful film
Project Management Controlling the success of the production in  finite timescale
Reflection The ability to think about and learn from the process of making the film
Picture Lock The finished version of your film that is no longer to be edited

Wider reading

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