Media Studies 2
MDS2 Course DescriptionTeacher in Charge: Tim Shipton.
PrerequisitesOpen - MSD1 preferred
Media Studies at Level Two allows students to delve into film making and the other forms of media that they engage with on a daily basis, helping them gain a better understanding of media-saturated society that we live in. This course builds on a lot of the learning in Level One Media Studies, however having done Level One Media Studies is not a requirement. Students will look at how representations are formed in the media. They will also analyse the influence that a specific film genre can have on society. They will write, plan and produce their own original piece of film.
•Representations in the media
•Film genre study
•Write a screenplay
•Plan and design a blueprint for a film trailer
•Produce a film trailer
Course Overview
Term 1
The start of the course is a refresher for students who took the Level 1 course and also an introduction for new Media Studies students. Following this students will look at how different groups of people and issues are represented in the media. Primarily this will focus on television advertisements but will also cross over to film, television series, posters and billboards.
Students will develop an insight into movie trailers, looking at the specific conventions of this media product and how it influences it's target audience. Students will write their own screenplay for a film trailer based on a specific genre.
Term 2
Using the screenplay for their trailer, students will now create a blueprint that will allow them to turn their screenplay into a reality. This blueprint will cover every logistical need required for a successful trailer to be created. This is an individual task but students need to plan to have up to three people working on the creation of the trailer.
This term students will develop their understanding of a media genre and will focus on a specific aspect of the genre. This involves students looking at examples of films from this genre and also beginning to write a practice essay.
Term 3
The bulk of this term is dedicated to taking the blueprint that was created last term and physically making it into an actual trailer. They will physically need to find everything they need. Then they will need to work together (if they have chosen to work in a small group of two or three students) to film all of the required footage. They will finally need to edit it all together and make it as compelling as possible for an audience to view.
During this term students will also continue their study of an aspect of the superhero genre. They will look at a range of aspects and look how each one influences the genre itself as well as the audiences who view this genre. By this stage students should know 2 -3 texts of the genre extremely well. This will lead into the senior exam week.
Term 4
This final term is dedicated to completing the study of their specific genre. While the bulk of the term is based on revision for the end of year exam, students will also be able to share their own films with the class and reflect on the challenges that are involved in film making.
Pathway