Media Production and Analysis

Conrad HoggNovember 30, 2017March 10, 2019

The Media Production and Analysis General and ATAR courses aim to prepare all students for a future in a digital and interconnected world by providing the skills, knowledge and understandings to tell their own stories and interpret others’ stories. Through the consumption of global media work, awareness of global issues creates a collective consciousness and sense of responsibility, giving rise to the notion of audiences also being global citizens. Through the process of investigation, students engage with topics, issues and themes, which have global and local relevance, and artistic movements and styles which in turn, create new notions of media aesthetics. The production of media work enables students to demonstrate their understanding of the key concepts of media languages, representation, audience, production, skills and processes as well as express their creativity and originality. When producing media work, students learn to make decisions about all aspects of production, including creative choices across pre‐production, production and post‐production phases. This provides an opportunity for students to reflect on and discuss their own creative work, intentions and outcomes. Within this process, skills are developed enabling students to manipulate technologies which simulate industry experiences.

Year 11 ATAR Course

Unit 1 - Popular Culture

In this unit students analyse, view, listen to and interact with a range of popular media, develop their own ideas, learn production skills and apply their understandings and skills in creating their own productions. In contexts related to popular culture, students have the opportunity to explore a variety of popular media work, and learn how to interpret the meanings created by codes and conventions. Students in the course of the unit study the following contexts: the impact of social media on society, critically examining the role of the citizen in producing media content, as well as emerging and popular television drama genres including mockumentary. Students develop production and analytical skills and apply their understanding of media languages and audiences while learning about and working in specific production contexts.

Unit 2 - Journalism

In this unit students will further their understanding of journalistic media. Students will analyse, view, listen to and interact with a range of journalistic genres, and they undertake more extensive research into the representation and reporting of groups and issues within media work. Students in this unit will study the practice and profession of television journalism within the context of the Australian news media industry. Students extend their understanding of production practices and responsibilities. They become increasingly independent as they manipulate technologies and techniques to express their ideas in their productions

Assessments

Production
50%
Response
30%
Written Examinations
20%
There will be examinations at the end of each semester and/or unit.

Year 12 ATAR Course

Unit 3 - Media Art

This unit provides the opportunity for students to explore and select from a range of media art and develop their understanding of media aesthetics. Students analyse, view, listen to and interact with contemporary and traditional examples of media art, identifying techniques and themes, meanings that are created and audiences’ interpretations. They consider the representation of values and technological developments that influence perceptions of art within media work. Students in this unit will study the practice and profession of independent filmmakers within the context of art and national cinema. Students are encouraged to experiment with technologies, structures, codes and conventions to express their ideas and creativity. They have the opportunity to extend their production skills and processes and the emergence of personal style.

Unit 4 - Power and Persuasion

The focus for this unit is power and persuasion, which includes the influential nature of media used as a form of propaganda and political persuasion. Through this broad focus, students extend their understanding of persuasive media, examining the way the media is able to reflect, challenge and shape values and attitudes. They critically analyse, view, listen to, and interact with a range of media work, considering the purposes and values of producers and audiences. Students in this unit will study the impact of globalisation and media convergence on the reporting of world events, examining the treatment of issues and how these are represented to global audiences. Students synthesise a range of ideas, skills and processes to create their own media productions that express their views.

Assessments

Production
50%
Response
20%
Written Examinations
30%
There will be examinations at the end of each semester and/or unit.

All students enrolled in the Media ATAR Year 12 course are required to sit the WACE examination. The examination is based on a representative sampling of the content for Unit 3 and Unit 4. Students will sit a written examination of 2.5 hours and submit a completed production submission for the practical examination component.

Courses