MEDIA PRODUCTION

Media education is the process through which individuals become media literate able to critically understand the nature, techniques and impacts of media messages and productions.

Media Smarts


Producing or creating media texts is an essential component of media education. Our students need to analyze and evaluate media texts, but they must also have the opportunity to create media in a variety of forms. Through these hands-on experiences, students begin to understand the key concepts of media literacy.

media-literacy.pdf

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The media texts created by students do not have to be sophisticated or complex productions. Cell phone cameras, desktop publishing programs, storyboards, magazine collages and even popular action figures are all easy options for bringing media into your classroom.

There is a very close connection between reading and writing or producing texts. For more ideas please see Reading Media Texts in the Reading section of Literacy Today.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

As is true for the written text, media texts are produced by following a production process from the idea to the final product.

Whether students are producing a school newspaper, a photo essay or a book trailer they are always encouraged to follow the same process. Even though the steps may look different depending on the genre of text to be produced, audience, purpose and technology being used, students cannot make a media text without moving through each of the stages (not necessarily in a linear fashion).

PREPRODUCTION

      • Planning, brainstorming, scripting, storyboarding, gathering costumes or props, rehearsing, etc.

PRODUCTION

  • Actual shooting of video or photos, recording, etc.

POSTPRODUCTION

  • Everything between production and the completion of the final media text including:

  • Editing video footage

  • Editing the soundtrack, adding sound effects, music, etc.

  • Adding titles and graphics

  • Adding special effects

  • Re-shooting certain scenes if required.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

MediaSmarts has a wealth of resources and information for teachers.

To help teachers introduce the key concepts of media literacy to their students, MediaSmarts has partnered with Concerned Children’s Advertisers to develop a series of videos and accompanying lesson plans on each of the key concepts.

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