Media Studies AS/A Level

General information

Media Studies is a highly enjoyable and engaging subject designed to enhance your understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of various areas of the media. You will engage with various media industries on both a creative and critical level and explore production processes of various different mediums and be able to develop critical responses to them. The course encourages you to become an independent learner and be able to develop yout own personal responses to media industries.

Course content

AS Level - MS1: Media Representations and Responses:

You will be required to show how media texts are constructed and how audiences and users respond to and interpret them through exploring concepts around Texts, Representation and Audience Responses. Media texts may include; advertisements, radio, film, newspaper, website, music video, computer games etc. This will be a written exam based on an analysis of an audio/visual/print based text and drawing on your knowledge and understanding of media theory and key concepts.

MS2: Media Production Processes:

You will be required to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of skills in media production through research, planning, production and evaluation. You will be required to produce three pieces of work covering areas of pre-production, production and a report. The tasks will enable you to demonstrate essential technical and research skills. Examples may include; designing magazine front covers and a double page spread, script/shooting script for teen horror and a poster/DVD cover etc. This unit requires you to work individually and/or part of a small group.

AS Level students can progress onto the A2 Level Media Studies programme.

A Level - MS3: Media Investigation and Production:

This unit will develop your skills obtained at AS and requires you to demonstrate the importance of research in informing your media production and skills. You will be required to produce the following pieces for your portfolio; Research Investigation Project into an aspect of genre, narrative or representation. Production which can take the form of an audio visual or print based production. An Evaluation to accompany the production with an explanation of how the product has been informed by research. This unit requires you to work individually and/or part of a small group.

MS4: Media Investigation and Production:

This unit is synoptic and is designed to develop and bring together your understanding of the AS units into A2. You will need to demonstrate your critical understanding of different media industries including TV, radio, film, computer games, magazines, newspapers etc and critically discuss them in the written exam, focussing on text, industry and audience.

Entry requirements

7 GCSEs Grades A-C including English Language and one B grade in an academic subject.

Progression

University.