This document provides an overview of the Year 10 Media course, which includes three units: Horror Films, Stop Motion Animation, and Short Film. The first lesson introduces key concepts like genre, codes, and conventions that students will explore when analyzing horror films. It also includes a brainstorming activity where students list elements commonly seen in horror. Subsequent lessons focus on identifying codes and conventions in movie trailers, adding to a list, and comparing modern and older films like Psycho, looking at how they employ genre conventions.

1. Year 10 Media
2015: An overview and introduction to horror

2. Lesson Focus
Today we will:
• explore what you will study in Media this
semester,
• learn some key words,
• brainstorm what you already know about
the horror genre.

3. Success Criteria
By the end of the lesson you will be able to:
• show an understanding of what media is
and what we study
• define the words ‘genre’, ‘horror’, ‘code’
and ‘convention’
• list some things commonly seen in horror
films

4. What is Media?

5. Unit 1: Horror Films
• Assessment Tasks:
• Poster: “Codes” and “Conventions” of
horror
• Film Analysis: Psycho
• Recut movie trailer

6. Unit 2: Stop Motion
Animation
• Storyboard a short stop motion film.
• Shoot, edit and produce a stop motion
film.

7. Unit 3: Short Film
• Research the codes and conventions of
a genre other than horror.
• Plan, film and edit a film sequence
using these codes and conventions.

8. Key Words
• Genre: any category of literature or
other forms of art or entertainment. Eg:
horror, romance etc.
• Horror: an intense feeling of fear,
shock, or disgust. So, a horror film is
designed to make us feel this way.

9. Key Words• Code: a system of generally accepted
signs that help create and communicate
meaning. Eg: the colour red could
symbolise love or intense music could
mean something scary is going to
happen.
• Convention: something that is
commonly used within a genre. Eg:
Something that is used regularly in
horror films is the killer wearing a mask.

10. Your first unit: Horror
Getting Knowledge Ready:
in the next two minutes, jot down everything
that you can think of to do with horror films.
It could be titles, characters, things you
might see.... etc.

12. Horror Brainstorm
• In your book- draw up a brainstorm of
everything the class can think about
associated with horror.

13. Review
• Fill in your knowledge book with one
thing that you learnt today. A reminder of
the lesson focus.....
Today we will:
• explore what you will study in Media this
semester,
• learn some key words,
• brainstorm what you already know about
the horror genre.

14. Lesson Two
Horror Codes and Conventions

15. Lesson Focus Success
Criteria
• To be able to identify
‘codes’ and
‘conventions’ of horror
films when watching
trailers.
• To be able to tell the
difference between a
code and a convention.
By the end of this lesson I
will have:
• a list of codes and
conventions used in
horror films
• an understanding of how
films are ‘constructed’ to
scare the audience.

16. Key Words
• Construct: to arrange something
systematically to create meaning
• Movie Trailer: an advertisement for a
feature film that will be shown in the
future. The term "trailer" comes from
their having originally been shown at
the end of a feature film screening.

17. Draw up a table in
your workbook....
Codes: a symbol or sign
Conventions: something
commonly used
You will need a whole page

18. Recap of last lesson
• Before we start watching stimulus films,
list one example of a ‘code’ (and what it
symbolises) and a ‘convention’ that can
be found in horror films.

19. Stimulus Videos
• As you are watching these horror movie
trailers, take note of any common
elements that you see. Think about
other films that you have seen, as we
will continue to add to our list of codes
and conventions over the next few
lessons.

20. What are some of the
‘common’ things that you
are seeing in the trailers?

21. List some more of the
‘common’ things that you
are seeing in the trailers.

22. Review
Fill in your knowledge book for today:
Remember the lesson Focus was:
• To be able to identify ‘codes’ and ‘conventions’ of
horror films when watching trailers.
• To be able to tell the difference between a code and a
convention.
In the ‘what I’ve learnt today’ section, list
one code and on convention your learnt
about

23. Lesson 3

24. Lesson Focus
• To continue to develop your
understanding of codes and
conventions.

25. • Let’s start to add to our
list

26. Knowledge Books
Add the lesson focus:
To continue to develop your understanding
of codes and conventions.
Write in a code and a convention that you
did not know about, that we’ve added to our
list today. Please structure your response in
sentences.

27. Lesson 4
Exorcism and Psycho

28. Lesson Focus
• To continue developing our
understanding of horror codes and
conventions, particularly those used in
‘exorcism’ films.
• To access our Prior Knowledge of the
film Psycho
• To compare modern and ‘old’ horror
movie trailers
• To view Psycho, looking for examples
of horror film code and conventions

29. The Exorcism Films

30. The Exorcist

31. The Last Exorcism

32. The Rite

33. The Devil Inside

34. The Exorcism of Emily Rose

35. The Real Exorcism of Emily Rose

36. Psycho: Getting
Knowledge Ready
• What do you
already know about
the film Psycho?
• What do you think
might happen in the
film?
• What does the word
“Psycho” mean to
you?

37. Psycho Trailer
• Watch the trailer of Psycho and then
add to your predictions about the film.

39. Review
• Before we watch the film, fill in your
knowledge book. Today, I’d like you at
add something you learnt about the film
Psycho.