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Unit 3: Media narratives and pre-production

10 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How does documented experimentation with media technologies and processes inform a media production design?

experimentation with media technologies, codes, conventions and production processes, and the documentation of experimental findings to inform a production design

Experimentation: how to trial technologies, codes and processes, document findings, and use them to justify decisions in a production design.

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How do engagement, consumption and reception context shape the way audiences read media narratives across two or more forms?

the ways audiences engage with, consume and read narratives, and how the reception context shapes the meanings audiences make across two or more media forms

Audience engagement, consumption and reception: the three distinct ideas, how reception context shapes reading, and worked contrasts across forms.

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How do media narratives construct and circulate ideology, values and points of view to audiences?

the ways narratives construct and communicate ideologies, values and points of view, and how audiences read these in two or more media forms

Ideology: how media narratives embed values, beliefs and points of view, how dominant and alternative readings arise, and how audiences negotiate meaning across two media forms.

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How do technical, symbolic, written and audio codes construct meaning in media narratives across two or more forms?

the use of media codes, including technical, symbolic, written and audio codes, to construct and communicate meaning in narratives across two or more media forms

Media codes: how technical, symbolic, written and audio codes construct meaning in narratives, with worked examples across film and podcast forms.

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How do genre, form and story conventions shape audience expectations in media narratives across two or more forms?

the use of media conventions, including genre, form and story conventions, and how they shape audience expectations across two or more media forms

Conventions: the difference between genre, form and story conventions, how they set audience expectations, and how creators meet or subvert them across forms.

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How do research and experimentation with media technologies inform the development of a media production?

research into a media form and experimentation with media technologies and production processes to inform and document a media production

Production development: researching a media form, experimenting with technologies and processes, and documenting findings to inform a media production design for the SAT.

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How is a specified audience defined and used to guide the decisions in a media production design?

the definition of a specified audience and how the characteristics of that audience inform decisions made in the production design

Specified audience: how to define it with demographic and psychographic detail and use those characteristics to justify production design decisions.

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How are media representations of people, places, events and ideas constructed and read across two or more media forms?

the construction of media representations of people, places, events and ideas, and how these representations are shaped by the views and values of creators and read by audiences

Representation: how media re-present people, places, events and ideas, how creator views and values shape them, and how audiences read them across forms.

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How do the structural features of media narratives engage audiences across two or more media forms?

the structural features of narratives and how they engage, are consumed by, and are read by audiences in two or more media forms

Narrative structure: how setting, characters, plot, point of view, structure, mise en scene and conventions work across two or more media forms to engage audiences.

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How is a media production design developed and documented for a specific audience in a selected media form?

the development and documentation of a media production design in a selected form for a specific audience, including intention, style and conventions

Production design: stating intention, defining the audience, planning style and conventions, and documenting a feasible plan that guides production in Unit 4.

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