Media
Media Studies at Beaumont is a (relatively) new subject that has been added to the Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 provision. BTec Creative DIgital Media was introduced in Sept 2019; GCSE Media Studies in Sept 2021; and A Level Media Studies in Sept 2023.
All three courses have proved incredibly popular with students as the transferable skills (analysis, visual communication, problem solving, presentation, critical thinking, time management) taught are invaluable to a range of professions – not only within the Media industry.
Key Stage 3
Not applicable
Key Stage 4
GCSE Media
Examination board: Eduqas
- Students analyse how media products like TV programmes and music videos use images, sounds, language, and representations to create meaning.
- They learn about the media industry and how it affects how media products are made.
- Students also investigate media audiences, exploring who are the people who watch, read, and consume the products, and consider how different people might be affected by media products differently, and why.
- There is also a significant amount of practical work where students create their own advertisements, magazines, and film marketing material – applying what they’ve learned about how meaning is constructed in the media.
Component 1 (Exploring the Media):
- Section A explores a range of print media products, set by the exam board. These include print adverts, newspaper front pages, film posters, and magazine covers.
Students will analyse media language, considering how elements influence and communicate meanings in media products. They will also explore the concept of representation and relevant representations of gender, ethnicity, age, issues and events in the media.
- In Section B students will develop knowledge and understanding of key aspects of media industries, including ownership, funding, regulation, production, distribution and technology. In addition, they will consider relevant aspects of media audiences, such as targeting and categorisation, consumption and use, and theoretical perspectives on audiences.
Component 2 (Understanding Media Forms and Products):
This component builds on the introduction to key areas provided in Component 1.
- In Component 2, students will gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of media language and representation, as well as extending their study of media industries and audiences.
- They will also develop knowledge and understanding of how relevant social, cultural, political and historical contexts of media influence media products
- In this component students will explore particular media forms in depth through both of the following topics: television crime drama; and music video and online media.
Component 3 Creating Media Products
- This component draws together knowledge gained throughout the course by requiring students to apply their understanding of the media synoptically to an individual practical media production for an intended audience in response to a choice of briefs set by the exam board.
- The set production briefs will change every year, requiring learners to create a production in a different genre/style and/or for a different intended audience. The following media forms are selected for students to choose from:
- Advertising and Marketing: Film – print-based marketing material for a new film.
- Magazines – create a new print or online magazine.
Assessment
- Component 1: Written examination (end of Yr 11) – 1 hour 30 mins, 40% of qualification
- Component 2: Written examination (end of Yr 11) – 1 hour 30 mins, 30% of qualification
- Component 3: Non-exam assessment – 30% of qualification
Key Stage 5
There are two qualifications on offer for key stage 5 students:
A Level Media Studies
Examination board: OCR
- This course is designed to widen students’ intellectual horizons through the analysis of both global and historical media.
- Throughout the course, students will foster a development of critical and reflective thinking to encourage engagement in the critical debates surrounding contemporary media.
- Students will study the media in an academic context and apply the knowledge and understanding gained to the process of creating their own media productions.
Paper 1: Media Messages
- Section A (News and Online Media) consists of two linked in depth studies that focus on contemporary news in the UK, requiring students to explore how and why newspapers and their online counterparts are evolving as media products, and the relationship between both online and offline news.
- In Section B (Media Language and Representation), students explore the use of media language and representation in the following media forms: magazines; advertising; and music videos.
Paper 2: Evolving Media
- In Section A (Media Industries and Audiences), students explore media industries and audiences for: radio; video games; and film.
- For Section B (Long Form Television Drama), students engage in one in-depth study of television as an evolving, global media form. They study one complete episode of a contemporary English language long form TV drama (Stranger Things) and one complete episode of a non-English language long form TV drama (Money Heist).
Paper 3: Making Media
- Students create a cross-media product in response to a brief set by OCR. A choice of two options are offered: Print & Online Magazine or Music Video & Artist’s Website.
Assessment
- Paper 1: Written examination (end of Yr 13) – 2 hours, 35% of qualification
- Paper 2: Written examination (end of Yr 13) – 2 hours, 35% of qualification
- Paper 3: Non-exam assessment – 30% of qualification
BTec Level 3 – Creative Digital Media Production
Exam Board: Pearson
- This is a practical vocational course aimed at students wanting to develop a range of research, creative and production skills; as well as professional understanding of the media industry and the expertise required to succeed.
- The course is assessed through coursework and two external exams.
Unit 1: Media Representations
- In this unit, students study a range of media from different sectors, such as music videos; short film extracts; animation; news programmes; websites; digital games; and print adverts in order to explore how meaning, messages and values are constructed through formal and stylistic elements.
- This unit will provide students a foundation for understanding semiotic analysis and the ‘reading’ of media texts, which is important when consuming messages and producing representations through the production of their own digital media product.
Unit 4: Pre-production Portfolio
- This unit enables students to develop their understanding of the essential pre-production work that takes place as part of a creative media production.
- They will gain an understanding of the requirements of the planning stage, from finance and logistics to regulations. Students’ investigations will help develop the pre-production skills and experience needed to carry out their own tasks and to produce a digital media product.
- Students create a portfolio and manage the pre-production for their own creative digital media production (short fictional film).
Unit 8: Responding to a Commission
- This unit is assessed through a task set by the exam board. Students receive a commission for a media production two weeks before the supervised assessment in order to carry out research activities into the subject.
- In this unit, students will learn how to respond to a commission brief with ideas based on the required content, style, audience, purpose and approach proposed by the client.
- Students will work within the requirements and constraints of the client’s specifications and consider their response in terms of ethos, budget, platform and duration.
Unit 10: Film Production (Fiction)
- This unit focuses on the process of producing a short narrative film or film extract that uses generic conventions.
- In this unit, students investigate how conventions of narrative storytelling are used by filmmakers, looking at formats and generic conventions. They then prepare for a film production by creating and gathering the materials and preparing the cast and crew.
- Students need to bring together a range of elements to successfully produce their product and use post-production techniques to deliver a final outcome.
Assessment
- Unit 1: Written examination (end of Yr 12) – 2 hours, 25% of qualification
- Unit 8: Written examination (end of Yr 13) – 6 hours, 33% of qualification
- Unit 4: 3x written assessments (Yr 12 & Yr 13) – 25% of qualification
- Unit 10: practical & written assessment (Yr 12 & Yr 13) – 17% of qualification
Where can Media Studies take you?
- You can go onto study Media, TV or Film at University as a practical degree, a theoretical degree or a combination of the two. This can lead to a very broad range of professions in media, film and journalism.
- A good degree in a subject like Media Studies can also develop a wide range of transferable skills including analysis, visual communication, problem solving, as well as communication, presentation and organizational skills.
- Hertfordshire boasts a thriving film and television industry, anchored by major studios like Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden (home to Harry Potter and Mission: Impossible) and Elstree Studios (The Crown, Star Wars).
- This sector supports over 5,000 jobs and contributes hundreds of millions annually to the local economy. With cutting-edge facilities and proximity to London, the county attracts global productions.
Useful links
