Media Studies 3
MDS3 Course DescriptionTeacher in Charge: Tim Shipton.
PrerequisitesOpen - MSD2 preferred
The media exerts an enormous amount of influence and dictates many of our fashions, trends and tastes. In this course you will analyse how the media represents us. You will also use a range of digital technologies to write, plan and produce your own short film. This course blends both theory and practice. It also includes a field trip to the Hobbiton film set.
- Analyse how New Zealand and New Zealanders are represented in the media
- Explore the relationship between a media genre and society
- Write an original screenplay based on a genre of your choice
- Plan and design a blueprint to create an original short film
- Produce your own short film
Course Overview
Term 1
The start of the course is a refresher for students who took the Level 2 course and also an introduction for new Media Studies students. Following this students will look at how New Zealanders of different genders, ethnicities, professions, ages and social groups 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 map out their own original idea for a short film. This will involve looking at some examples of short films from here in Aotearoa and also overseas. Using screenwriting software they will then write an original screenplay for their own short film. Their film will need to belong to a distinctive genre and students will learn the tools and techniques to help that to happen.
Term 2
In this term students will refine their screenplay and create a blueprint to turn that screenplay into a short film. for their short film. This blueprint will cover every logistical need required for a successful short film 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.
Students will also look at a media genre and explore the relationship that it has with society. A distinctive genre will be used as our focus in class but students will have the opportunity to consider a genre of their own choice and will apply their learning. Students will look at examples from a small selection of films and write a practice response 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 short film. Students will need to manage their own time in order to achieve this and will also have the opportunity to work individually or as a pair or small group of three students. The completed film must be clearly identifiable as belong to a particular genre. Pre-production, production and post-production all need to be completed this term.
Students will also take some time to review their understanding of genre and society and prepare for the end of term exams. They will need explore ways in which genre can be both a positive and negative influence and also how it can be influential in ways that may not be immediately obvious. During this term students will also continue their study of an aspect of the superhero genre. They This will lead into the senior exam week.
Term 4
This final term is dedicated to completing the study of the relationship between a media genre and society. 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.