Intent Statement

• The Media Department at King James focuses on a curriculum that is designed to ensure that students develop a deep understanding of the theory behind media production and the techniques involved in the creation of a wide variety of media products.  In addition to this the intent is to ensure students develop a wide range of professional, practical skills which will enable them to pursue a successful career in the sector. The curriculum will: 

• Develop students’ ability to deconstruct and analyse media products, and understand how meaning is created and communicated to audiences.  

• Allow students to develop an understanding of different audiences and the representation of age, gender, sexuality, disability and ethnicity. 

• Enable students to debate how representation in the media affects and influences behaviour in society, and help them to develop an appreciation of the power of the media industry and how today’s consumers rely on media products and technology. 

• Enable students to become fluent in the use of Adobe industry software for graphic design, photo manipulation and film editing through a varied range of practical production tasks which become more sophisticated as students progress.  

• Develop student’s ability to communicate with confidence, both verbally and in writing, using media related vocabulary and subject specific terminology, to help them work towards a successful career in the industry.   

• Allow students to apply their knowledge to plan, develop, manage and produce a variety of media products from concept to completion, overseeing crew when applicable and seeking solutions to issues as they arise. 

• Promote enthusiasm and a passion for the subject and raise awareness of the diverse range of careers that students can pursue with a media qualification. 

Department Information

Thanks to rapidly developing technology, our demand for Media products is increasing and the Media Industry is booming. From watching TV to streaming movies, reading newspapers to playing computer games, listening to music to social networking, we all access a variety of media products every day and this presents an exciting variety of career opportunities for young people.

The Media Studies Department offers practical courses at both Key Stage 4 and 5 designed to give students a broad overview of the different sectors in the Media industry including Publishing, Moving Image, Audio, Interactive and Gaming. Coursework assignments are carefully designed to allow students to develop specialist knowledge and technical skills through practical tasks which allow them to develop a product from concept to completion.

Students work with industry standard software, Adobe Creative Suite, and develop skills in Film-Making, Editing, Graphic Design, Journalism, Photography, Photo-Manipulation and Marketing. Opportunities for developing Project Management and Team Work skills are also integrated into the course.

Key Stage 5

Pearson BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Creative Digital Media Production

(Equivalent to 1.5 A Levels) 

The course involves completion of six units as follows: 

• Unit 1: Media Representations- Mandatory unit - Externally assessed 

• Unit 4: Pre-Production Portfolio - Mandatory unit - Internally assessed 

• Unit 6: Media Campaigns - Mandatory unit - Internally assessed??? 

• Unit 8: Responding to a Commission - Mandatory unit - Externally assessed 

• Unit 14: Digital Magazine Production - Optional unit - Internally assessed 

• Unit 16: Factual Production - Optional unit - Internally assessed OR 

• Unit 10: Fictional Production  

(The choice of completing Unit 10 or 16 is made according to the interests of the cohort) 

Educational activities

Activities have included a weekend residential trip to Leeds and Bradford to visit Emmerdale Studios, Leeds University, The Great Escape Rooms and Bradford Media Museum. Students have also worked with Degree students at Teesside University and benefitted from the film making facilities on offer, and taken part in workshops at the BBC Academy’s “Media Cities” event.  

In July, students in Year 12 visit Sunderland University Media Festival; although at the end of their course, students in Years 13 and 14 are able to join this trip. In September, Year 13 students are able to take part in an International Trip to Malta, which has been the location for many popular films and TV shows. Optional fundraising activities take place throughout Year 12 to help subsidise the cost of this trip for students who wish to take part. 

As part of the course, all students benefit from Q&A sessions with visiting speakers and are invited to write press articles which are published in Local Press and on the Academy website. Students also organise fundraising activities to promote Team-building and Management skills with funds donated to a Charity of choice. 

Year 12

Students will complete three units. They will gain an understanding of the impact that the media industry has upon audiences and how media products are created. Students experience and analyse a variety of media products from different sectors to assess how messages and meaning are communicated to the consumer. They explore the extensive pre-production process which must take place before the onset of any production, and plan their own Digital Magazine product for a specified target audience. This planning is executed in Unit 14 when students proceed to production of a finished product.

In June, students will sit the Unit 1 exam on Media Representations which is conducted online, and also complete Unit 8 exam Responding to a Commission for the first time. There will be two further resit opportunities for each exam in Year 13.

Year 13

Students will study either:  

Fictional Film products in terms of Narrative Structure and Codes and Conventions of Genre, and analyse how Camera work, Lighting and Sound is used to communicate meaning to the audience. They will then plan and produce a scene from their own Movie concept.  

OR 

Factual Products leading to the planning and production of a Documentary on a topic of their own choosing. This unit is chosen according to the personal interests and preferences of the cohort. In both, students take full control over the management of the project. 

In the final unit students will explore Media Campaigns and develop skills in Campaign Production to produce a Cross-Platform Campaign of their own. 

Exam resit opportunities are available in both January and June for Units 1 and 8. Students are able to re-sit one or both exams as required to improve their overall grade but will retain the highest grade achieved at the end of the course. 

Learning Journeys

Media