Welcome!

Welcome to the Media Studies department: we're so pleased you've chosen our subject. Our department is made up of three full time teachers, Mr Skinner; Ms McLeod and Ms Schoburgh and we are all passionate about media studies: we hope you are too!

Over the next two years you will be following a programme of study put together from the OCR exam board specification which you can view here:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/download/kd/ocr_9646_kd_gce_spec.pdf

This two year course is divided equally between AS and A2. In both years there is a coursework component worth 50% and an examined component also worth 50%.

Our aims are to
 enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of the media and its role in your daily life;
 develop critical understanding of the media through engagement with media products and concepts and through the creative application of practical skills;
 explore production processes, technologies and contexts;
 help you to become independent in research skills and their application.

If you have never studied media before don't panic! You do not need any previous experience, just the motivation and enthusiasm to succeed. Media is a creative subject but you must also be prepared for the theoretical aspects too: this is why we require GCSE English at B Grade or above.

If you would like to view some past students work please click on the links in the tool bar to the right. You will find both AS and A2 level coursework examples both of which are A Grade standard.

Unit Content

AS Level

G321: Foundation Portfolio
This is a coursework unit where you will produce a media artefact. This process involves progression from a pre-production, preliminary exercise to a more fully realised piece. All work will be submitted on a blog so there is very little paper-work involved. The brief is to produce the front cover, contents page and feature article for a new music magazine which must be entirely original. You will learn the codes and conventions of music magazines; audience research skills; issues of representation; photography and Photoshop skills: and presentation skills. You will be required to complete an evaluation of your project in oral presentation form.

G322: Key Concepts (TV Drama)
This paper covers the two areas of Textual Analysis and Representation alongside Institutions and Audiences. In Section A, you will answer questions on an unseen moving image extract that is then linked to some aspect of the representation within the sequence. In Section B, you will study the film industry focusing on FilmFour. This exam is 2hr 15 minutes.

A2 Level

G324 Advanced Portfolio
This is a coursework unit where you will engage with contemporary media technologies to produce a media portfolio through a combination of two or more media and then present research, planning and evaluation in electronic format. This is a development of the skills from Unit G321. The brief is to make a music video promo plus a digipak and magazine advert for the album. You will learn theories relating to media language, audience, genre, narrative and representation. You will develop your creative ideas from a storyboard through to the final edited piece in Final Cut.

G325 Critical Perspectives in Media
This paper covers the two areas of Theoretical Evaluation of Production alongside a study of Contemporary Media Issues. In Section A, you will describe and evaluate your skills development in your production work and then select one production to evaluate in relation to a media concept. In Section B, you will develop theoretical understanding of the impact of Web 2.0 on media and citizens. This exam is 2hrs.

Taster Day

You will be spending a double period with the media department where we will develop some understanding of media analysis and basic skills in Photoshop and InDesign.

You will analyse the cover of a music magazine in order to develop understanding of page layout. You will also analyse cover images focusing on representational issues. This will culminate in the creation of your own cover for a new college magazine.

Jennifer Lopez

Britney Spears - Rolling Stone Covers

Summer Project: Preparing for the Coursework

A key media skill is to be able to analyse images using subject specific terminology to decode signs. When analysing still images you have to explore aspects of mise-en-scene and camera. There are links in the side bar that will take you to a fantastic site that will explain these terms in detail.

You task is to analyse the representation of a celebrity across four different magazine front covers. We have included Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez as examples in case you can't find your own one (above posts).

Use the following bullet points as a template to complete an 800 word comparitive analysis. Remember, you should explore the way that the celeb has been represented through the construction of mise-en-scene and use of camera shot.

• What magazines are you analysing and who are the target audiences for each?


• What type of shot has been used and why? What relationship does it create with the audience?


• Describe the costume in detail and what is says about the celeb. Has this changed over time?


• Have any props been used? What do these suggest?


• Describe the celebs body language and facial expression. What mode of address are they using and how would the audience react to this?


• How has colour been used to create meaning?


• What type of lighting do you think has been used? What atmosphere is created?


• What are the connotations of the setting and decor?


• Are there any intertextual references and what are the connotations of these?

Overall do you think that the way the celeb is represented depends on the type of magazine and/or target audience? Has the stars image developed and changed at all over time?