VCE Media study guide
VCE Media · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
VCE Media is a Victorian Certificate of Education study, accredited from 2024, covering Units 1–4 in media. The accreditation period from 2024 is stated on the VCAA Media study page, where the VCE Media Study Design sets out areas of study, outcomes and assessment for Units 1–4 from 2024. The study is intended for Victorian senior secondary students undertaking the VCE, and it combines school-based assessment with an external written examination. School-based assessment includes a School-assessed Task (SAT), with assessment criteria, task scope, authentication and record forms described in the administrative information document. The VCE Media study guide has 4 sections and about 1,149 words.
01Media Foundations: Codes, Conventions and Narrative
VCE Media begins with the language of media texts. You need to distinguish technical codes (camera, lighting, sound, editing), symbolic codes (colour, gesture, costume, mise en scène) and written codes (captions, typography, dialogue in print).
300 words, about 2 min02Media Production: Pre-production, Production and Post-production
This domain covers the production process as a designed, documented workflow. You need to know the purpose of a production design plan : intention, audience, research, script or storyboard, shot list, equipment and location planning, and a timeline.
297 words, about 1 min03Media Contexts: Institutions, Audiences and Australian Media
This domain examines media within social, cultural, industrial and historical contexts. Learn how media institutions operate: ownership, funding models (commercial, public service, subscription), regulation, and the influence of convergence and platform economics .
268 words, about 1 min04Media Influence, Values and Analytical Writing
This domain focuses on how media texts construct and circulate values, ideologies and representations , and on the analytical writing the exam rewards. You must be able to identify stereotypes , countertypes and underrepresentation , and analyse how representations of gender, race, class, age and ability are constructed through codes and conventions.
284 words, about 1 min