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Media Studies

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Entry Requirements

Normal BSFC entry requirements for an AS programme of study including at least a grade C in English Language GCSE. You will also need to be well organised, hard working and keen to succeed. 

About the Subject

Media Studies is designed to allow media students to draw on their existing experience of the media and to develop their abilities to respond critically to the media. It enables students to explore a wide variety of media, including digital media technologies, drawing on the fundamental concepts informing the study of the media: texts, industry and audiences.

The specification also encourages creative work to enable students to gain a greater appreciation of the media through their own production work and to develop their own production skills. At A2 in particular, students are given the opportunity to research a topic which will then form the basis for their production, thus encouraging them to create productions informed by an awareness of contemporary media issues.

The course is designed to encourage candidates to:

  • enhance their enjoyment and appreciation of the media and its role in their daily lives,
  • develop critical understanding of the media through engagement with media products and concepts and through the creative application of production skills,
  • explore production processes, technologies and other relevant contexts,
  • become independent in research skills and their application in their production work and in developing their own views and interpretations. 

General Information

At AS, the course involves:

UNIT 1 – Media Representations and Responses

This involves developing independent skills of critical analysis and developing the ability to understand how a media text works, how it is constructed, and how audiences respond to it. This part of the course also involves the study of controversies regarding media
representations and the possible impact of the media on audiences.

UNIT 2 – Media Production Processes

This involves practical work – using digital cameras and professional image manipulation/editing/DTP software to produce several pieces of work centred around a particular theme – for example, creating a
marketing campaign for a new film and storyboarding its opening sequence.

In second year, the course proceeds to a more detailed investigation of key media concepts such as genre, narrative and representation, as well as looking at the media industry and producing audio-visual coursework. 

What Next?

The skills you develop are good preparation for any career involving media/film journalism. It is also a good general A Level qualification to sit along side your other subjects