BTEC Media

RWSCurriculum Transparent

Intent and Vision

In BTEC Media, we have the Ravens Wood vision at heart of our curriculum planning, and it has informed the learning journey of our students. Our vision for Media Studies is to embed conceptual and theoretical knowledge of exam areas into the more practical and engaging elements of the course. The aim of this approach is to stimulate intellectual curiosity through experiential, hands on, applied learning. We want Media Studies students to be able to engage with and question the Media that they consume on a day-to-day basis, and to enable them to critically evaluate the role of the Media in society. We believe that our GCSE acts as a pathway into the three disparate qualifications that make up our curriculum offer at KS5; A Level Media, BTEC Media and A Level Film Studies that allow our students to specialise in a range of courses at Higher Education. Perhaps more importantly, we expect that they can take the skills and knowledge that they gain from Media Studies and apply it to their world view irrespective of their decision to study related disciplines outside of our curriculum offer.

Key Concepts that Underpin the Curriculum

Media Language
Representation of Social Groups
Representation Theory
Audience Theory
Genre
Analysis of Media Texts
Media Platforms
Industrial Context
Film Production
Narrative
Pre-Production
Production
Post- Production

Key Features of Learning

We believe the best way of doing this is to encourage students to be critical of Media. To see how Media producers use different techniques to achieve a preferred reading. They will engage with different Media platforms to consider how each decision made by the producer had led to an audience response. The curriculum is refreshing for all students as our lessons include modern case studies that are continuously adapted to fit with the news of the time, so students use their prior knowledge and skills to articulate their opinion on each matter. Each unit intertwines with another, which provides consistency for students, allowing them to develop their skills within different areas of the course before creating their own Media. We have also incorporated opportunities for students to experience true to life scenarios, allowing them to deeply understand the purpose of study and how it applies to the Media industry. Students will pitch their idea as a response to a brief to an external figure to justify their decisions for a specific media product. We believe these skills are essential to prepare students that would like to work within the industry. Students will adopt the skills that they have learnt over the two years within a Media product, where they will be expected to manage their team and make decisions based on their understanding of the key concepts.

How Does our Curriculum Shape Learners?

Our curriculum helps students to develop their understanding of decisions made by Media producers, to allow students to critique the misrepresentations within the Media that they experience daily. By critiquing Media, students will understand how Media influences viewpoints of society. The curriculum allows students to develop their analytical skills through analysing Media which impacts their decisions for their own Media productions.

The Learning Journey: End Points for Each Academic Year

Year 13	By the end of Year 13, students will be able to confidently apply their knowledge of Media techniques to a brief and create a fictional film production using media language to create a directorial intent, relevant to a specific genre. Unit 8 - In January, students will have completed a controlled assessment where they respond to a brief provided by the exam board. This activity allows students to think logically and creatively, using research and pre-production considerations to envision a creative and sustainable idea. This component is highly relevant to the Media industry as it allows students to understand industrial processes and real-world scenarios, preparing them for a career in Media. Unit 4 and Unit 10 - Students will have produced work for their fictional film production of a genre of their choice. This unit allows students to produce a pre-production portfolio to aid the success of their production. Students can work independently or as a group, however everyone will be expected to film and edit their production to maximise the development of their production and post-production skills. This implements content from the full course of study as students will need to consider how they choose to represent the characters in their film and which creative decisions they wish to make through media language.
Year 12	By the end of Year 12, students will have completed the examined Unit, analysing and critiquing media representations through a range of unseen set texts, and would begin learning content for the Unit 8 exam to develop their understanding between the decisions of existing media producers, and becoming your own producer, meeting the requirements of a client. Unit 1 - In January, students will have sat a 2-hour exam where they are given a range of unseen media texts which they analyse looking at how media language influences audience response and representations. Students will need to engage with the texts by providing their opinion, evaluating the issues regarding the representations and how it may influence viewpoints of society. Unit 8 - After the January exam, students will have looked at the industrial world of Media in preparation for their controlled assessment in Year 13. Students are provided with a brief and conduct a range of practical tasks to prove their understanding of the expectations which are then pitched before an external judge. Students will have understood how the Media processes work in the real world and the expectations of the assessment.
Year 11	By the end of Year 11 students will have covered the entire media theoretical framework including Political context and have completed their NEA. NEA: Completed by the end of the September half term. Students will have studied the core concepts of Genre, Narrative, Media Language, Representation, Mediation, Audiences & Institutions and Context for the following Media Platforms: Radio: Students will have learned about Radio, specifically the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. They will be able to analyse an Episode of Live Lounge for media messages and apply the theoretical framework to the study of Radio, including the application of context. Students will practically consolidate their learning in the construction of a roleplay of a segment of a radio show. Magazines: Students will have learned about Magazines, specifically the Mojo Magazine. They will be able to analyse the front cover of Mojo for media messages and apply the theoretical framework to the study of Radio, including the application of context. Students will practically consolidate their learning in the construction of the design a front cover of a Music, Special Interest Magazines. Newspapers: Students will have learned about Newspapers, specifically the Observer, both online participatory and in print. (Contemporary and historical). They will be able to analyse several editions of the Observer including three font covers from the 1960’s for media messages and apply the theoretical framework to the study of Newspapers, including the application of context. Students will practically consolidate their learning in the construction of an article for the front page of a Newspaper or the construction of social media for an existing newspaper.
Year 10	By the end of Year 10, students will have covered the whole media theoretical framework (except Political context which will be covered in Year 11 in the News topic). Students will have been introduced to Uses and Gratifications, Audiences and Representation. They will have pitched a product for a media platform as an introduction to the variety of media platforms that exist. Students will have studied the core concepts of Genre, Narrative, Media Language, Audiences & Institutions and Context for the following Media Platforms: Promoting Media (Film): Students will have learned about the advertising and marketing of a Film product including advertising in terms of trailer, in television and in print and have covered intertextuality and video games relating to the film. They will be able to analyse media messages and apply the theoretical framework to the study of Film. Students will practically consolidate their learning in the creation of a Film advertising campaign. Television: Students will have learned about contemporary and historical Television Dramas, specifically Cuffs and The Avengers. They will be able to analyse media messages and apply the theoretical framework to the study of television, including the application of wider cultural, historical, industrial and social context. Students will have practically consolidated their learning in the creation of a TV show budgeting task with a focus on the difference between state and commercially funded PSB remits. Music Video: Students will have learned about the form and function of Music Videos, specifically ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars and ‘If I Were a Boy’ by Beyonce. They will be able to analyse media messages and contexts and apply the theoretical framework to the study of music videos. They will have practically applied this to the completion of research and planning for their own music videos for their NEA. Students will be prepared with the skills and knowledge required to shoot their video over the summer break. Students will have practically consolidated their learning through the Research and Planning portfolio for their NEA.