MEDIA STUDIES (OCR)
AS Course Outline
What is AS Media Studies?
Media Studies is designed to harness and develop students' analytical skills through the deconstruction of media products. It is the study of individual media texts (such as movies, TV shows, magazines, and websites) and focus will largely be on the institutions that made them, how they were made, why they were made, who they were made for, and the rules that govern their production.
Students will learn to deconstruct and evaluate media texts, with a strong focus on TV Drama. They will be examined on four elements; Technical codes & conventions, representations of social groups (such as gender, age, ethnicity and sexuality), institutions (including processes of production, distribution, marketing), and audiences (with strong emphasis on the relationship between audiences and institutions).
There is a very large coursework element in AS Media Studies which require students to work independently on some elements. Students will be required to create a media product as well as a relevant selection of supporting pre-production products. In addition, students will be required to reflect on their own work, critically evaluating its strengths and weaknesses. These tasks will enable students to produce industry-standard products. There will also be opportunities for class trips to see the professionals at BBC's Television Centre in action.
What Skills Will Students Develop When Studying Media Studies?
- Media Studies enables students to maturely understand how the media affects the audience and enable them to look behind the scenes of a media product.
- Students will be able to use the media for their own benefit and will have a healthy grasp of issues that affect the production of different media.
- After completing the subject, students will confidently be able to debate media issues and learn the skills of persuasive argument and counter-argument.
- Students will develop their essay writing skills during the course and will have to assimilate information and present it in a clear and concise way.
| Media Studies (OCR) AS Specification | |
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Unit One |
Foundation Portfolio in Media This is a coursework unit where students' ability to plan and construct media products is assessed. Set briefs are offered in order to provide progression from a pre-production, preliminary exercise to a more fully realised piece and will be in the same medium. This offers the opportunity for skills development to be assessed, as well as a final finished piece. The following briefs are offered:
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Unit Two |
Key Media Concepts (TV Drama) Textual Analysis and Representation:
Institutions and Audiences:
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Equipment and Software Required for Media Studies
It is imperative that all students have their own laptop and Adobe Photoshop CS4 or CS5 installed on the laptop prior to enrolling on this course. The laptop must have at least 2GB of RAM and 2GHz processing speed.
Structure of the Course
This course will be taught for 6 lessons per week. Homework will be set weekly and deadlines must be adhered to. Reading of textbooks and media coverage in broadsheet newspapers is essential.
Recommended Reading
OCR Media Studies for AS (Third Edition) Julian McDougall
