Film and Media

From the internet to television, from cinema to video games, much of our waking lives is dominated by consuming, talking about and using the media. Ongoing technological developments and more opportunities to interact with the media suggest their centrality in contemporary life can only increase and in a media-dominated world, this subject has the power to place you at the forefront of understanding the ever changing digital world around us. Studying film and media seeks to broaden and deepen our students’ understanding of the media and the role that it plays in society. Our provision for the subject is phenomenal. We have access to a live green screen in our very own dedicated TV studio and offer the very latest in digital technology, including a full suite of iMacs as a dedicated teaching space.

All students are welcome to film or media. The focus of both subjects is a visual medium that is both accessible and familiar to all our learners and in lessons students will study a wide range of contemporary examples. We break down the theory into manageable chunks and scaffold written analysis to ensure all learners can produce their very best work. Our lessons are structured in such a way that there is ample opportunity to support students as well as stretch and challenge the most able students, and we provide access to additional resources that will enable learners to explore media and film beyond the requirements of the specification. 

The study of real world media products in all our lessons, highlights the need for students to read and support their understanding of the real world.  The more students read about the world in which they live, the better able they are to comprehend the subjects we study.   

Recommended Reading: 

The most powerful reading to improve understanding will come from 20 minutes per day reading a combination of journals from Sight and Sound to Media Magazine.

The following are suggestions of books to consider, but the list of reading that is relevant is varied and should be adjusted to meet your own personal areas of interest. 

  • Film Art: An Introduction, Bordwell and Thompson
  • Master Shots Vol 3 : The Director’s Vision, Kenworthy
  • Representation : Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, Jessica Evans
  • Media, Gender and Identity : An Introduction, David Gauntlett

Useful Youtube Channels to subscribe to:

To really understand how the film and media industry works it is important to gain an insight into real industry practice.  We use real hands-on experiences through our in house TV Studio and Gallery to open up the inside world of Film and Media. We are able to offer the following enrichment opportunities as part of extending the Film and Media Curriculum: 

  • Film Club
  • Science Fiction Film Museum visit
  • KS5 Multi Camera recording of the school show
  • Into Film competitions

Curriculum Maps

Here you can browse the curriculum maps for each Key Stage. Use the tabs to select the subject and key stage you wish to view, and use the left & right arrows to browse through the slides.