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Media Studies
The
GCSE Media course will enable you to use your media literacy through a comprehensive
exploration of media products. These will be studied focusing on the key areas
of : Media Languages and Categories, Media Messages and Values, and Media Producers
and Audiences.
You will develop the skills necessary to analyse media texts, understand how and by whom they are produced, explore issues of media ownership and appreciate how new technologies are changing the way in which we consume the media.
Awareness of how the media industry has changed over time is created through the compulsory study of both new and pre-21st century media texts. Coursework, constituting 50% of the overall assessment mark, consists of a media portfolio of three assignments.
You will study a range of Media concepts which will form a theoretical basis for the study of, television sit-coms, music magazines, and news broadcasts on television, newspapers, radio and the Internet/or advertising on television, cinema, print, radio and the Internet.
Skill
You will need to:
- Appreciate the ways in which the producers of Media texts use specific ‘languages’ to communicate meaning to an audience.
- Respond to Media texts showing an informed understanding of the messages and values conveyed.
- Demonstrate an understanding that Media texts are products produced within an industrial context.
Assessment
Terminal Examination 50% - involving the study of music magazines (3hr paper). Coursework 50% - to include a portfolio of written work and Media design work. You will be entered at one of two tiers:
- Foundation Tier (Tier F), targeting G to C
- Higher Tier (Tier H), targeting D to A*
Why Should I Study Media?
“ … In the modern world media literacy will become as important a skill as maths or science. Decoding our media will be as important to our lives as citizens as understanding great literature is to our cultural lives” (Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport).
The media is an integral part of our lives and in order to appreciate the effect it has on us we need to be media literate. This GCSE offers you the chance to develop the skills necessary to analyse media texts, understand how and by whom they are produced, explore issues of media ownership and to appreciate how new technologies are changing the way in which we consume the media.
You will also develop an awareness of how the media industry has changed over time through the study of both modern and ‘classic’ media texts. You will also be able to apply your knowledge of the media to the production of your own media texts. These will be assessed as part of your course.
Will I Be Watching TV and Making Films?
As part of your course, you will have to read media texts, as much as you would read books, plays and poems in English Literature. Some media texts are delivered to the audience via broadcast or digitally recorded mediums. Therefore, yes we will be viewing media texts on the TV, but viewing is not a passive activity so don’t expect to sit back with a nice cup of tea!
You will be able to make your own films at this stage and if this is what you would like to do, you can continue with your studies to AS level where the production of a short video sequence is integral to the course.
How Will GCSE Media Studies Benefit Me?
It will:
- Give you an insight into what ‘the media’ is all about and increase your understanding of media texts (films, TV programmes, magazines etc).
- Help you to understand how the media works in society to shape our ideas and beliefs.
- Give you the skills to analyse media texts so that you can recognise their codes and conventions and appreciate how media producers use those to create meanings or messages for audiences.
- Enable you to develop practical media production techniques by making your own print media product.
- Give you an opportunity to use ICT.
- Help you to reflect on how the media has changed over time and appreciate how new techniques are changing the ways in which we consume the media.
Introduction to OCR Media Studies – Advanced Level
This subject offers you the opportunity to combine a theoretical understanding of the mass media in society and methods for analysing media texts (eg. Television programmes, films, advertising, the press) with the development of practical skills for media production. The balance of theory and practical work means that you will learn about how media industries operate research and investigate issues and debates about the role of the media in society, analyse texts from a variety of media, and produce texts of your own.
Before You Start This Course
It would be helpful if you have studied GCSE Media Studies, but it is not a requirement. Other subjects which would go well with Media Studies are English Language, English Literature, Performing Arts, Theatre Studies, Sociology, Art and Design, Communication Studies and Film Studies. With a qualification in Media Studies you could go on to Higher Education or work in the media or a related field.
This Subject is Made up of 6 Units
To get a certificate for Advanced Subsidiary GCE, you will need to have studied for an attempted 3 AS units of assessment. To get a certificate for Advanced GCE, you will need to have studied for an attempted 3 AS units, together with 3 A2 units.
The units you will study for AS are:
Unit 2730 Coursework: Foundation Production - In this unit you will make one media production accompanied by an individual Production Log. You will need to plan, construct and evaluate the work with regard to the form and style of the production and its intended audience. This will be marked by your own teacher/tutor and externally moderated by OCR.
Unit 2731: Textual Analysis - In this unit you will answer one compulsory question dealing with textual analysis of technical aspects of the moving image medium and one compulsory question on a comparative study of two texts.
Unit 2732: Case Study: Audiences and Institutions - This unit assesses your knowledge and understanding of media institutions, production processes, technologies and related issues concerning audience consumption and reception.
The units you will study for A2 are:
Unit 2733: Advanced Production - In this unit you will make one media production demonstrating advanced creative and practical skills. You will need to plan, construct and evaluate the work with regard to the form and style of the production and its intended audience. This will be marked by your own teacher/tutor and externally moderated by OCR.
Unit 2734: Critical Research Study - In this unit you will carry out independent and sustained research on a topic from a set list produced by OCR. The research will involve detailed and comparative textual analysis, investigating academic and critical perspectives and carrying out primary research into media industries and audiences. This will be independent work, supervised by your teacher/tutor. This unit will be assessed by a 2-hour exam.
Unit 2735: Media Issues and Debates - In preparing for this unit you will study issues and debates arising from the media in society, broken down into three areas – broadcasting, film, and print. For each area there will be three set topics provided by OCR. This unit brings together your understanding of textual analysis, institutions, representation and audiences. This unit will be assessed by a 2-hour exam. You will also get the opportunity for a residential trip to Disneyland Paris to support your studies.
