Year 11 Media Studies

Subject Overview

Term 1
In term 1, we spend the first few weeks exploring ‘It’s a Media World’ where students engage in various forms of media to understand how large and all-consuming it can be. The focus of this short unit is recognising students’ own media consumption, the history of media, and the importance of being media literate. After this introductory unit, we move into our first assessment that looks at the close viewing of a selected text. This is a film 101 unit for students to learn and understand various film techniques ranging from camera work, sound, lighting, and mise-en-scene. The goal is to have students recognising how these techniques contribute to the meaning and effect of a selected text. In previous units we have looked at various music videos and short films with students generating their work as a report.

Term 2
The focus in term 2 is the production assessment. This is a challenging, yet incredibly rewarding process where students have the opportunity to create a short film from scratch. In pairs or small groups, Year 11s are required to make a narrative music video that meets the requirements of a brief. Previous years have explored a high school theme, either to an 1980s or 2000s song, and a prop such as a diary or a facetime call. This brief changes from year to year, but there is always a theme and prop that must be included. This assessment really pushes our students to work collaboratively and practise industry-level processes to create a product that they can be proud of.

Term 3
We spend a large portion of term 3 focusing on our genre study. In this unit, we explore the characteristics that make up a media genre. Students learn to give reasoned explanations of how and why these conventions are used in the genre by looking at the history and exploring where it is today. Previously we have explored the superhero genre and had the chance to watch films created by Marvel, DC, and Disney. These films help students gain knowledge on the genre, and are used as evidence to support their arguments. Please note that this is prep for the external and will be revisited at the end of the year.

Term 4
Towards the end of term 3, and the beginning of term 4, we will be exploring scriptwriting. Students will have the chance to utilise their genre knowledge and create their own superhero short film script. We teach students how to write a traditional screenplay using industry-level scriptwriting practices and tools. This is a great opportunity for students to be creative and move beyond typical essay writing. This assessment is something that is carried into both Level 2 and Level 3.

The rest of term 4 will be focused on revision of the year’s content and refining essay writing skills ahead of the end of year exam. Using their practice essay from term 3, students will explore how to develop their knowledge, arguments, and writing through various revision activities. The key thing for this exam is to be able to write a strong argument and prove it with detailed evidence. Please note that this is a written examination.