The VCE Media SAT

The VCE Media SAT is a media product that you will work on for the entire year. Is is made up of three different outcomes and contributes to 40% of your final study score.

The Media SAT needs to meet three criteria:

1. It must be your own work. Your SAT will go through a rigorous authentication process as per VCAA regulations. What this means is that you need to be able to prove to your teacher that the SAT has been constructed by you. Whilst others can help you create the product, you need to be clearly the producer of the work. This also means you should keep copyrighted material in your product to a minimum,
2. It must be handed in on time. VCAA states that to receive an S for a Unit, work must be handed in on time. You must meet all timelines given to you by your teacher. Your research, experiments and pre-production will be due in Semester One, and the Realised Product in Semester Two. You cannot start the production phase on your media product until Unit 4 commences.
3. It must be one of the following forms and meet the specific length:

• A video or film production of 3–10 minutes in length, including title and credit sequences.
• An animated production of no more than 10 minutes in length, including title and credit sequences.
• A radio or an audio production of a minimum of 8 minutes in length, including title and credit sequences.
• A digital or an analogue photographic presentation, sequence or series of a minimum of 10 original sourced images shot, processed and edited by the student.
• A digital or traditional print production of a minimum of 8 pages produced and edited by the student.
• A digital and/or an online production that demonstrates comparable complexity consistent with the other media forms.
• A convergent or hybridised media production that incorporates aspects of a range of media forms and is consistent with product durations and the descriptors listed.

Whilst making the SAT, you will work through the five stages of the Media Production Process:

1. Development. In this stage you will explore the ideas, genres and styles that will make up your media product and investigate different ways of creating your own product through various media codes and conventions. You will also have a chance to experiment with technologies and processes to trial different effects you may want to achieve.
2. Pre-production. When creating your pre-production documentation you will set the context of your product, audience and narrative and also create all the form specific pre-production documentation needed to create your product.
3. Production. This is the stage where you will capture or create your planned product.
4. Post-production. This is when the final product is editing or resolved considering the production context you created in your pre-production. This stage includes refining your product based on reflecting on the work and also any feedback you receive from your audience, teachers or other students.
5. Distribution. The reason you made your product in the first place! This is when your audience will get to experience your media product. This might be at a film screening at your school, a gallery or via an online portal.

The Media SAT is broken into three Outcomes:

Unit 3, Outcome 2: Media production development

The Media production development includes the research of a selected media form that will inform the pre-production and production of your media product. It is the development stage of your media production and includes two different sections; the exploration and investigation for your media product and the experimentation and reflection of media codes and conventions.

Unit 3, Outcome 3: Media production design

Media production designs are a set of written and visual documents for a finished media product. The MPD should be detailed enough that somebody else would be able to pick it up and make the product how you intended. The MPD includes two main sections:

Creative context. The creative context explores the reasons why you are making your product how you are making it. It includes a statement of intention, the intended audience, the intended audience, your proposed creative style and the opportunities and constraints that you are working under.

Pre-production documentation. This section includes any pre-production that is required of the media product including the industry conventions of the media form you have chosen to work in. The pre-production documentation includes written and visual representations of the final product and also the roles, tasks and timelines that are required for production and post-production.

Unit 4, Outcome 1: Media production

This includes the production and post-production of your media product. The production of your product needs to be clearly your own work, even if people will be helping you make it. The post production of your product will include refinement, feedback and reflection.