MEDA204 - Media Production and the Community

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

MEDA100 Making Digital Movies

Incompatible

MEDA303 Media Production and the Community

Unit rationale, description and aim

Media production and consumption is endemic in the community and plays a major role in Influencing peoples’ views and attitudes and thus demands careful design by its producers. Within this vast landscape there exists a plethora of production genre. There is a need for the encouragement of ethical and responsible media practitioners who have regard for community involvement and community needs that highlight diversity, with an emphasis on the cultural and linguistic diversity of both content and consumer. Such producers need to be aware of the need for impact with empathy, the importance of Social justice and diversity that encourages the voice of vulnerable people.

Students will work individually and in teams to produce video content that emanates from the community and has social justice issues at its core. Such content may take the form of a drama or documentary web series intended for distribution on line.

This Unit aims to help achieve this by promoting content production and research that is intrinsically based on community needs, ethics and social justice.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Discuss a key social justice issue which would provide an appropriate for the production of a video resource (GA1, GA2, GA3)

LO2 - Develop a script suitable for production in a community-based video series (GA1, GA2, GA3, GA5, GA9)

LO3 - Produce and post produce a video production suitable for inclusion in a community-based web series (GA1, GA2, GA3, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include:

• Studio production techniques
• Publishing for the internet
• Interview techniques
• Segment production
• Identifying key social justice issues and debates
• Building safe and supportive environments for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

The unit is delivered as a 3-hour workshop that uses theory to underpin production concepts. Many classes will be practical in nature. Here students can work with peers to develop and critique video production processes. These are sequenced in accordance with constructivist principles to develop formative tasks completed mainly in workshops, to a more complex summative task that allows students to apply their skills to a suitable video production.

MEDA204 builds on the skills attained throughout the media major. This Unit aims to introduce students to working with the community to produce video content. Many ACU media graduates have gone on to find employment in the non-for-profit sector as content producers with this in mind, students need to be aware of production genres and techniques suitable for this market.

MEDA204 prioritises the attainment and production of community-based practical outcomes which are evidenced in the assessment tasks. Students will be required to research, script and produce videos for and with community groups with social justice issues at their core.

Assessment strategy and rationale

 In MEDA204, students will be asked to demonstrate an engagement with video production, technology and cultural forms, at an advanced level.

They will be required to work with and research community issues. A range of assessment procedures will be used that combine to meet the learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit, consistent with University assessment requirements.

They will allow students to apply their research and skills to authentic outcomes directly relatable to their study and possible future careers or work in the community sector.

Such procedures may include analytic and/or descriptive writing tasks related to the practical work undertaken, the scripting of community-based video production, the production and postproduction of a community-based video production.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Boyd, A, Stewart, P & Alexander, R 2008, Broadcast Journalism, Techniques of Radio and Television News, 6th    edn, Focal Press, London.

Braverman, B 2014, Video Shooter: Mastering Storytelling Techniques, Focal Press, Burlington,

Grove, E 2014, Raindance Producers' Lab Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking, 7th edn, Focal Press, Burlington.

Millerson, G & Owens, J 2012, Video Production Handbook, 15th edn, Focal Press, London.

Musburger, R 2014, Single Camera Video Production, 6th edn, Focal Press, Burlington.

Westwood, Sue ; Westwood, Sue. (2017). Ageing, Diversity and Equality : Social Justice Perspectives (1st ed.). Routledge

Zettl, H, 2015 Television Production Handbook, 12th edn, CENGAGE, Stamford.