WACE ATAR Media Production and Analysis study plan
WACE ATAR Media Production and Analysis · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Media language and codes and conventions & Media representations and ideology
Identify and label the five technical codes (camera, acting, editing, lighting, sound) and the symbolic codes in three short Australian screen texts, writing a one-line justification for each label
Distinguish denotation from connotation in six print or online advertisements and annotate the connotative chain each one builds
Define the core genre conventions of at least two media forms (for example news bulletin and music video) and test three texts against those conventions
Explain how codes combine into conventions that position a reader, using two worked examples in your own words
Your checkpoint
A codes-and-conventions glossary of 25 terms, each with a definition, one original example and a note on the effect it creates
Media representations and ideology & Critical analysis and evaluation of media works
Analyse how selection, omission, framing and anchoring construct a representation of one social group across two contrasting news outlets
Apply a recognised representation framework (such as stereotype, countertype, tokenism or symbolic annihilation) to three texts and justify each classification
Trace how a media text encodes a dominant ideology and identify at least one oppositional reading it suppresses
Write a comparative analytical paragraph that quotes specific textual evidence rather than describing content
Your checkpoint
A 600-word comparative representation analysis of two news texts covering the same event, with a labelled evidence table
Audiences and media influence & Media institutions, ownership and economics
Summarise the core claims of at least three audience theories (uses and gratifications, reception theory, cultivation or agenda-setting) and state what each predicts about audience behaviour
Design a short audience research instrument of eight to ten questions and pilot it on three people
Map the ownership chain and revenue model of two Australian media organisations and explain how each model shapes content decisions
Explain the difference between ratings, reach and engagement measures and identify which one each organisation relies on
Your checkpoint
A one-page audience research report presenting pilot findings and linking them to one named audience theory
Media technologies and production processes & Practical production skills and processes
Describe the production workflow from pre-production through distribution for one media form and identify the decision made at each stage
Draft a production bible for your own short work containing a synopsis, treatment, shot list and risk assessment
Operate one editing tool to complete a 30-second sequence that demonstrates continuity, match-on-action and one deliberate discontinuity
Log the technical and creative choices you made and explain why each served the intended audience
Your checkpoint
A completed 30-second edited sequence plus a production bible and a 300-word process log
Australian and global media contexts & Media representations and ideology
Compare an Australian media text with an equivalent international text and identify at least three contextual differences shaping each
Explain how regulation, funding and cultural policy shape Australian content production, citing a specific obligation or scheme
Analyse how a global format is localised for an Australian audience and evaluate what is retained and what is changed
Assess the effect of media concentration and platform distribution on the diversity of Australian voices
Your checkpoint
A 500-word case study comparing one Australian and one international text, with a context comparison table
Practical production skills and processes & Media technologies and production processes
Refine your production using feedback from at least two respondents and document each change you accept or reject with a reason
Apply an accessibility or distribution consideration (captions, aspect ratios, platform cut-downs) and record the technical adjustments
Complete a final export to specification and verify it against a written delivery checklist
Evaluate your own production against its stated purpose and audience, naming one strength and one limitation
Your checkpoint
A finished short production delivered to spec, with a feedback log and a 400-word self-evaluation
Critical analysis and evaluation of media works & Media language and codes and conventions
Deconstruct one unfamiliar text under timed conditions, moving from codes to meaning to evaluation in a structured response
Build an analytical essay structure that integrates textual evidence, theoretical framing and evaluative judgement
Write two timed analytical responses of 40 minutes each and mark them against a criteria rubric you construct
Identify your three weakest analytical habits from marked work and write a correction plan for each
Your checkpoint
Two timed practice essays with self-marked rubrics and a written correction plan
Media representations and ideology & Audiences and media influence & Media institutions, ownership and economics & Australian and global media contexts
Consolidate all eight domains into a single concept map showing how representation, audience, institution and context interconnect
Answer a mixed set of short-response questions across the lighter domains and check accuracy against your own notes
Rehearse a full exam-style paper under time conditions and record your pacing at each section
Review every flagged weak point from weeks 1 to 7 and confirm each is resolved or explicitly scheduled
Your checkpoint
A completed full-length practice paper with a marked score breakdown and a one-page final revision sheet
Milestones
Week 2: You can analyse any unseen text for codes, conventions and representation without prompts, and your written analysis cites textual evidence rather than summarising content
Week 4: You have a finished 30-second edited sequence, a production bible and a process log, and you can explain every technical and creative decision in them
Week 6: Your production is exported to specification, has been revised in response to documented feedback, and you can state its intended audience and purpose in one sentence
Week 8: You have completed a timed full practice paper across all eight domains, scored it against criteria, and hold a revision sheet covering every remaining weak point