Media Studies

KS4 GCSE Media Studies

The GCSE in Media Studies will enable candidates to:

• Develop enquiry, critical thinking and decision-making skills through the study of media texts, audiences and institutions

• Develop their appreciation and critical understanding of the media and its role in their daily lives

• Develop their practical skills through opportunities for personal engagement and creativity

• Understand how to use media key concepts to analyse media texts and their contexts

Structure of the course

Unit B321: The Individual Media Studies Portfolio

Candidates produce an individual portfolio containing a comparative analytical assignment based on at least two media texts, a production exercise and a planning and evaluative commentary.

This unit is internally assessed and externally moderated.

This unit focuses on comparative analysis and enables the candidates to demonstrate their understanding of the following media key concepts:

• Media language

• Representation.

It also offers candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in planning, construction and evaluation through the production exercise.

The following topics are offered:

• Documentaries

• Film genres

• Popular music

• Celebrity

• talk radio

• Soap opera

• Sport and the media

• News

• Advertising

• Video games

Unit B322: Textual Analysis and Media Studies Topic (Moving Image)

This examination has two sections.

Section A: candidates answer three questions to examine Genre, Media Language and Representation.

Section B: candidates answer one question on TV and/or Radio Comedy relating to Institution and Audience.

This unit is externally assessed.

The following topic is offered for Section A:

• Action adventure films.

By analysing and responding to a short, unseen moving image extract, candidates demonstrate their understanding of the following media key concepts:

• Genre

• Media language

• Representation.

Section B is based on a media topic and tests candidates’ understanding of the following media key concepts:

• Institutions

• Audiences.

The following topic is offered for Section B:

• TV Comedy and/or Radio Comedy.

Unit B324: Production Portfolio in Media Studies

Candidates produce a major practical production portfolio in response to briefs set by OCR, together with an evaluation.

This unit is internally assessed and externally moderated.

The Production Portfolio offers candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in research, planning, production and evaluation and their understanding of the following media key concepts:

• Audience

• Institutions

• Media language

• Genre.

Briefs are offered in the following media areas:

• Print

• Video

• Audio

• Website

• Cross media.

Print

1 The front page and one inside page from a local newspaper, including some original photography.. 2 An extract from a new magazine aimed at a specific audience, to include the front cover, contents page and a double-page spread article, using some original photography.

3 A print-based advertising campaign for a new product, such as a new clothing range, to include a brand name design, two full-page magazine advertisements and a billboard poster, using original photography.

4 A new computer/video game cover in an appropriate format (PC, PlayStation, Nintendo, etc) and two magazine advertisements for the release of the new game, using some original photography.