What is Media Studies?
From the internet to television, from cinema to video games, much of our waking lives is dominated by consuming, talking about and using the media. This course seeks to broaden and deepen the student’s understanding of the media and the role that it plays in society.
What will you study ?
At AS level, you will learn how to use the shoot and edit video, working on projects in groups, culminating in a piece of coursework where you make the opening of a new film, including the soundtrack and titles using the professional program Final Cut. You will research and plan this project on a group blog. For the exam, you have to be able to analyse a sequence of TV drama, so we will work on building up your skills of analysis. You will also study the way a particular media industry operates, such as the games industry.
At ‘A2’ the coursework involves another group production, this time of a music video and website, again accompanied by a planning blog and this time also by DVD extras, such as a commentary. For the exam, you will study debates about the media through particular case studies and you will be asked to reflect upon the production work undertaken throughout the course using particular critical perspectives to which you will have been introduced.
How will you study this subject ?
There will be analysis of examples of a range of media texts, from music videos to video games. You will use the internet for research, take part in small group and whole class discussions, note-taking and essay writing. In your own time, you will be expected to broaden your research into specific unit related areas. Much of the time will be spent working with others in making media products, so the course is very ‘hands-on’.
Assessment
The coursework in both years is worth 50% of your overall grade and the exam 50%. Both exams involve a mixture of applied skills and knowledge.
