Unit One : Media forms, representations and Australian stories
The media plays an important role in shaping society and the values and beliefs of the audience. The construction of media products suggests a sense of realism and naturalism that belies their nature as codified representations that re ect the values of media makers and audiences at the time, location and context of their construction.
Representations rely on a shared understanding of media forms, codes and conventions and the processes of selection, omission and construction. Representations are influenced by social, industrial, economic and technological factors existing at the time, location and context of their creation, production, distribution and consumption.
Students are introduced to the concept of audience and what it entails. They consider how audiences engage with the media to construct and negotiate understandings of the world and themselves through their participation in the consumption, reception, production, curation and distribution of media products.
Notions of identity and self are implicit in the ways audiences select, create, share, engage with and read media products. Through the examination of a range of media forms and products, students consider how representations of self and identity are constructed, distributed, engaged with, consumed and read. Students consider different readings of media products and how meaning is suggested through the complex relationships between content creators and producers, media forms and audiences.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain how media representations in a range of media products and forms, and from different periods of time, locations and contexts, are constructed, distributed, engaged with, consumed and read by audiences.
Area of Study 2 Media forms in production
Representation, the construction of meaning, distribution, audience engagement, consumption and reception of the media provide the inspiration for students to explore ideas and develop media productions.
Students work in two or more media forms to design and create media exercises or productions that represent concepts covered in Area of Study 1. Students evaluate how the characteristics of their selected media forms, which they design and produce, influence the representations and construction of the productions.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to use the media production process to design, produce and evaluate media representations for specified audiences in a range of media forms.
Area of Study 3 Australian stories
Stories have always been a pivotal part of culture. Australian media is built on fictional and non- fictional stories that reflect our local, national and global cultural histories. Media creators and producers develop an individual style through the use and crafting of narrative and structures that engage different audiences and their interests. Audience readings of meaning are mediated through a shared understanding of the media codes and conventions used to construct narratives in media products.
The creation of narratives in media is contextual. Institutions and individuals involved at each stage of production constrain and shape narrative development in response to the cultural, institutional, economic, social and political constraints in which they work. Factors including government regulation, finance and the economic sustainability of production play a part in the development and distribution of Australian narratives. These factors are most evident in fictional works, games, photography, print and non- fictional narratives such as news and current affairs, podcasts and advertising.
Students study a range of narratives in two or more media forms, exploring the context and features of their construction and how they are consumed and read by audiences. Narratives selected for study must be by Australia media creators and producers with primarily Australian content.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse how the structural features of Australian fictional and non- fictional narratives in two or more media forms engage, and are consumed and read by, audiences.
Unit 2: Narrative across media forms
Fictional and nonfictional narratives are fundamental to the media and are found in all media forms. Media industries such as journalism and filmmaking are built upon the creation and distribution of narratives constructed in the form of a series of interconnected images and/or sounds and/or words, and using media codes and conventions. New media forms and technologies enable participants to design, create and distribute narratives in hybrid forms such as collaborative and user-generated content, which challenges the traditional understanding of narrative form and content. Narratives in new media forms have generated new modes of audience engagement, consumption and reception.
In this unit students further develop an understanding of the concept of narrative in media products and forms in different contexts. Narratives in both traditional and newer forms include lm, television, sound, news, print, photography, games, and interactive digital forms. Students analyse the influence of developments in media technologies on individuals and society, examining in a range of media forms the effects of media convergence and hybridisation on the design, production and distribution of narratives in the media and audience engagement, consumption and reception.
Students undertake production activities to design and create narratives that demonstrate an awareness of the structures and media codes and conventions appropriate to corresponding media forms.
Area of Study 1 Narrative, style and genre
In this area of study students explore and examine how narratives construct realities and meaning for audiences. Narratives are constructed and shaped referencing a rich production history. This includes the personal and distinctive style of media professionals who play leading roles in the construction of the narrative, the selection and manipulation of media codes and conventions that stem from a range of cultures and histories, and the influence and constraints of contextual factors affecting the creation, construction and distribution of the narrative.
Notions of audience, engagement, consumption and reception play a key role in understanding how a narrative is formed. Audiences are able to articulate their personal preferences in the type/s of narratives they engage with, consume and read. These preferences are related to the construction of narratives. Students study at least two narratives in two different media forms gain an understanding of the construction of narrative.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the intentions of media creators and producers and the influences of narratives on the audience in different media forms.
Area of Study 2 Narratives in production
Narratives are created through a production process that involves the conceptualisation and development of ideas, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution. The production and distribution of narratives involves skilled use of media technologies, often in collaboration with others, where each individual undertakes specific roles and responsibilities required at each stage of the production. While the production of narratives is a creative process, they are produced for specific audiences and are constrained by the contexts in which they are produced, distributed, consumed and read. Students apply their theoretical learning to create and construct narratives in the form of media exercises that demonstrate one or more concepts covered in Area of Study 1.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to apply the media production process to create, develop and construct narratives.To achieve this outcome the student will draw on key knowledge and key skills outlined in Area of Study 2.
Area of Study 3 Media and change
Developments in media technologies have dramatically altered the media landscape and the relationship between the media and its audiences. Media convergence and hybridisation collapses traditional media boundaries and significantly alters the ways audiences engage with, consume, read, participate in, influence and are shaped by the media. Digital technologies, interactivity, immersive content and participatory practices have become a feature of creation, production, distribution, engagement with, consumption and reception of the media. Media industries and institutions have adopted and adapted aspects of convergence to build and maintain audience share through new forms of interaction. All engagement with media is creatively, culturally and economically situated. Audiences are media consumers, producers, and products, often simultaneously. This is particularly evident in social media where public and personal communication is combined. Such platforms facilitate convergence between communities and commercial opportunities that are developed, built and maintained through common interests and creativity. New media can be conceptualised combining information and communication within the social contexts in which they operate. Changes in the media have social, emotional and ethical consequences for individuals and society. New media forms, products and processes are often controversial and may be mistrusted or devalued by existing media institutions, some audience segments and groups in society. Students examine the technologies, processes of production, characteristics, distribution, engagement with consumption and reception of media products in new media forms.
Students investigate the relationship between emerging and pre-existing media forms, products and institutions. They evaluate the impact of developments on individuals, society and culture.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to discuss the influence of new media technologies on society, audiences, the individual, media industries and institutions.
The award of satisfactory completion for a unit is based on whether the student has demonstrated the set of outcomes speci ed for the unit. Teachers should use a variety of learning activities and assessment tasks that provide a range of opportunities for students to demonstrate the key knowledge and key skills in the outcomes. The areas of study, including the key knowledge and key skills listed for the outcomes, should be used for course design and the development of learning activities and assessment tasks. Assessment must be a part of the regular teaching and learning program and should be completed mainly in class and within a limited timeframe.All assessments at Units 1 and 2 are school-based. Procedures for assessment of levels of achievement in Units 1 and 2 are a matter for school decision.For this unit students are required to demonstrate three outcomes. As a set these outcomes encompass the areas of study in the unit.Suitable tasks for assessment in this unit may be selected from the following:
audiovisual or video sequences
radio or audio sequences
sequences or presentations using digital technologies
Suggested Texts: This course has commonly used the Heineman Media text -which at this time is being revised for the new Study design
Students can however review the chapters released provided here