24. Careers Example 3 Gemma: ‘ I also have followed a career in the media world! I work for Sky Sports on Premiership football as an Assistant Producer. I get to cut all the stuff (features, music montages, analysis, openers and the like) that go out during the build up to the games. Not a very girly job but I love it!!’
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
Editor's Notes
Making decisions about your option subjects isn’t easy, especially if you haven’t studied the subject before and have nothing much to base your decision on. Or if you have studies it before, you will probably be finding it difficult to narrow down, and will be listening to advice from all sorts of different people, all of which is very persuasive. So at this stage it would be hard to answer the question - is Media Studies A level the course for you. But hopefully over the course of this presentation you will be able to figure it out. So firstly, particularly for those new to the school, a little bit about Media Studies at Latymer.
We are one of three Specialist Arts subjects. This means we can fund media professionals to come in and work with the students. We can keep up with modern technology and fund the purchase of new equipment. It means we can afford to employ a full time media technician to work with the students on their coursework. And very soon, it means we will have full access to the new Arts Studio, which is a multi-functional space, designed for use by the 3 specialist subjects. It also means we run many extra-curricular activities, that we hope the new y12s will get involved in. We have out own purpose built accommodation – 2 classrooms, 3 editing rooms, the media office where you can come for advice and help and the technical centre where you can book out equipment and have a chat with our lovely technician. There are 2 specialist media teachers who will teach you for 7 periods each per fortnight on the timetable. So what is the A level course all about?
Well its about learning new things and opening up your mind to new ideas. When you learn anything new, it should present challenge and surely that’s the whole point – to be inspired enough by the subject to want to face that challenge. Media is very hands-on, it’s about getting involved, getting creative and hopefully having some fun at the same time. So, what will you actually study on the course?
The main areas you will study on this course are listed here, but all these areas are impacted upon by cross media areas the web. Take film for example – all films have a strong online presence these days. Media Studies itself has links to other A level subjects like the ones listed – you could argue that it is a mix of all of those, yet it has it’s own unique character and its own way of doing things. So what will you learn during the course?
Well you will learn how to understand the media and how it works, and you will learn how to analyse the media and the way it is made. This is really one half of what this subject is about. But one of the best ways to learn about something is to have a go at doing it for yourselves and this is the other part of Media Studies – media production. We will teach you how and why it is done the way it is, then you can try out the techniques for yourselves – and most students say that this is the best bit. So what will you actually learn to do?
Moving Image - film and video - is our specialism at Latymer. We will teach you the proper techniques needed to shoot and edit using HD video technology, and we’ll also teach you the work related skills you will need in pretty much any profession that requires you to follow instructions, work with other people, use persuasion and sales tactics and make presentations to your boss or a client. There are plenty of opportunities for practical work, and coursework is predominantly practical, although underpinned by academic principles. We build trips, workshops and visits from professionals into the course to support and enrich the kind of learning you will be doing.
We provide you with everything you will need, and teach you how to use it from scratch, so being very technical before you start the course is not necessary at all. You will get training with all of these from your teachers and the media department’s technician who is always around to help you. So what does the course contain and how is it broken down?
Well 50% of the course is made up of coursework projects. This breaks down as 1 project per year and those are completed in a team. For your AS Assignment you will make the opening sequence of a film, in any genre, targeting any audience. In the 2 nd year, you will spend the whole of the first term on your music video coursework. For your A2 Assignment you will produce a range of materials to market a new band or artist and their debut album. This would include a music video, an album cover and a website. You will also have a one day workshop where we bring in a music video director to teach you how a music video is shot, and you will work with the whole class and hired in professional cameras to shoot a remake of a well known music video.
You will also sit an exam which is worth 50% of the total marks. The AS exam features 2 sections and you will have to answer 1 question from each section. Section A focuses on Television Drama, and you will have to analyse an extract from a television drama series and explore the ways it uses camera, lighting, editing style, sound and so on. Section B is all about the Film Industry and this is taught through a case study approach, where we choose 2 recent films to compare and contrast. This year we chose ‘Avatar’ and ‘Paranormal Activity’ which was very exciting as they were so new and so very different from each other. We also have a little trip up to East Finchley to The Phoenix Cinema to have a look in the projection box and learn how a cinema is run.
The A2 exam is also in 2 parts; Section A provides you with an opportunity to write theoretically about your coursework, and Section B focuses on media regulation. You will learn how the BBFC decide what certificates to give films, and you will find out how the Press Complaints Commission deals with complaints from celebrities who feel their privacy has been invaded by the tabloids, those who feel they were victims or slander and why some libel cases go to court and others don’t. Having an opinion and being able to argue your point of view is essential for the debates exam and our one day visit to the BBFC and the PCC will help you boost your understanding and your arguments are informed and therefore effective. There’s one more thing I haven’t mentioned which you guys would be eligible for in Year 13, so I musn’t forget to mention . . .
This trip is just for fun, although it is amazing the amount you will learn about film making and how a studio operates. It’s quite an expensive trip so kids start saving now if you want to go, but parents it’s not essential for them to attend the trip to do well on the course, so it’s entirely optional.
I like to think that Latymer students like a challenge and there are plenty of these built into the Media Studies course. They are mainly challenges to do with problem solving, coming up with ideas, using your imagination, learning to work with new people, with new technology and so on. But as with any A level there is an expectation of advanced knowledge and understanding of theory, and an ability to write about that academically. I think that’s probably enough detail about the course itself for the moment. At this point I want to focus on some of the other issues like
How to get onto this course, what you might want to study it with, frequently asked questions to do with university entrance and of course careers. Lets start with getting onto the course itself.
A willingness to learn and enthusiasm is much more important than experience. As long as Latymer offer you a place in the Sixth Form that is good enough for us! Media GCSE is helpful to have but not essential and there are 32 places available, so if you know you want a place don’t mess about – get your options form in asap!
Media students combine the subject with all other subjects offered at Latymer. If you are thinking about the way Media will combine with your other subjects, think about it as something a bit different - a very modern, relevant course with skills and learning that will benefit you in the future regardless of what direction you may want to take. Ultimately it’s a great introduction to studying the media in depth if that’s something that interests you. Many students do it with Art, Music, Drama and English because these creative/analytical subjects complement each other so well. Others will do it with Economics because of the industry connection; with the Sciences, Languages and PE as a good contrast, with History, Politics and RE because they are all about analysing and debating. It doesn’t matter what you do it with as long as you are happy and confident with the choices you have made. University advice is to choose 2 core (traditional) subjects and 2 free choice, although some people will deviate from this for good reason – eg medics, creatives etc. But students who take Media Studies A level at Latymer are well prepared for virtually any future fields of study or career. Ok what about getting into university.
Very few students at selective schools are given an opportunity to take Media Studies or to study it in such an academic way as ours do, to such a high standard. So our students leave with a unique combination of qualities and skills ie academic grounding and transferable skills – which means they are very competitive and therefore of interest to admissions tutors at a wide range of universities. Latymer students are likely to get in to their 1 st choice university course BECAUSE of their Media Studies A level, not despite it. In the end it all comes down to grades – not what you get initially but what you are predicted to get. Our students achieve outstanding grades – we have virtually 100% rolling average of A grades over many years at AS and A2 – and this compares to 10% at A grade nationally. This is an impressive figure even by Latymer standards. Over 50% of our current Y13’s are predicted A* too. Those kinds of predictions are what makes the universities take notice. Ultimately universities are interested in predicted grades and in students who enjoy their learning and have plenty to say for themselves. The combination of subjects is far less important that is made out, unless you are applying for something vocational like medicine when there is an expectation of doing 3 sciences. Even so, doctors need to be able to communicate and they something interesting to talk about, so Media is the ideal 4 th subject as far as I am concerned! Being able to talk about your subjects confidently, what you like about them and what you are learning is essential. If you did decide you want to apply for a media related degree, you will apply through the dept, and we will provide you with a full programme of advice and support. We only recommend the top courses; the expectation is of high grades combined with creative/industry potential evidenced through a pretty impressive dvd portfolio.
I have a list here of some of the media students from previous years who didn’t continue on with Media, and what they decided to do. There are so many hundreds of successful students who have passed through this dept over the last 15 years it was hard to pick a few so in the end I just went for a cross section to give you an idea. Ok now onto the careers.
The creative sector has grown at twice the rate of any other in the UK economy and in London and the South East there are 4,000 media companies employing over 24,000 people. So there are jobs out there for people with the right kinds of education, skills, training and experience. We will bring in media professionals to work alongside you during your course - scriptwriters, animators, film makers for example, to help you build up the experience you will need. But there are many other areas of industry that employ people with a knowledge of the media - the worlds of banking, law, insurance, sport and health, fashion and retail for example - all companies have to consider their image - their brand - and how they are seen in the media in order to attract as many customers and clients as possible. In any profession, your media skills will set you apart from other people, and you can use them to get ahead in any industry. The ability to persuade, sell, communicate, present yourself, and use technology creatively is essential for the majority of careers in our increasingly global, contemporary job market.
Indeed, the director general of the CBI recently emphasised the importance of transferable skills such as good communication, team work and problem solving , when he pointed out that these sorts of skills are considered as essential by employers in today’s competitive job market, along with, of course, a good education, the right kind of training and so on. So it’s not just people who want to go into the media that will benefit from studying the media and how it works. Media skills are needed everywhere – not just in the Media. Meet Aniquah, a past A level media student at Latymer,
Aniquah studied Economics at Oxford, but went on to draw on her media skills to get ahead in the business world.
So in terms of careers it’s completely flexible – you could choose to go further in the media or not. Despite what you read in the papers, you can see from the figures that there is a real need for young, dynamic media savvy youngsters out there ready to push the digital revolution onwards and upwards.
The industry is always looking for people with the right academic background, the necessary skills and the personality. Latymer media students often fulfil these requirements – its that unique combination of qualities and transferable skills again. And there are large numbers of ex-Latymer media students working in the industry. There are so many success stories and we have a wide network of role models, support and advice to hep you if you choose that path. Have a look at some examples of past latymer media students I have selected for you to give you an idea of the paths you could follow:
Meet Graham, quite an unorthodox young man with an obsession for music and media
Here’s Gemma, presenting at the Professional footballers Association awards in 2007
And Emma, whose favourite place at school was behind a camera and in the edit suite. . .
And Andre another real livewire who was always determined to make himself lots of money . . .
And finally, Abi, who recently scored herself a stint as a producer on this seasons strictly – here she is getting up close and personal with chris hollins and his winners trophy. . So hopefully that will give you a sense of what you can do with your media A level and your latymer education.
So here are some points just to sum up the main points. Ok now onto something a bit different. I hope you enjoyed the music video I showed at the beginning. I would now like to show you a short piece of film, made last year by 4 of our AS media students. They only have to make the opening few minutes of the film, including the credits. Hopefully some of the Y11 media students will recognise some interesting shots and techniques they have used to rack up the tension and make the sequence work well. At the end, decide if the sequence has made you want to watch more of the film to find out what happens – if so, they have done their job properly.
Now does anyone have any questions. If not, feel free to ask the girls anything about their experiences of the course. Thanks for listening.
![[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)