Category: Component 1

Over the next two years in Media Studies I would like to develop skills that will help expand my knowledge and improve my work. I would like to work on my organization as this will make it much easier to stay on top of work. I would also like to become more creative and have many unique ideas. This will help my work to stand out rather than just keeping it simple and staying inside the box. I will research and find inspiration from different sources such as Pinterest.

Planning -I would say I am good at planning and setting out my work, if I know what I want to do in my head it becomes much easier to express it to others. Lists and mind-maps help me come up with ideas and produce a plan.

Transferable skills – I am also studying biology and sociology. These subjects give me skills that I can also use in Media Studies. Some examples are:

• in Sociology, there is a high volume of writing. This is helpful as it improves my writing skills and I feel more confident when adding to my blog as I know how to form my sentences and express ideas.
•  in Biology, there is a lot of vocabulary to remember. I have to find my own ways of memorizing and jotting down important things. Because of this, I have found that mind maps/lists are the best way to remember what I need to know, I can do this with information and unfamiliar things in Media Studies so I can fully understand each lesson.

Regarding my technological skills, I think there could be room for improvement. I am comfortable with my abilities but will be using a lot of software that I have not before, so I need to ensure I am confident with how to use them so I can produce high-quality work.

These are some examples of the media I consume daily. This includes music, television, online shopping, news, and books. These types of media offer entertainment, personal identity, information, and social interaction. Reading/listening to these things makes me a ‘consumer’ of media, whereas interacting or making my own media makes me a ‘prosumer’. I would call myself a consumer. I like having a wide range of media as it is very varied and inspires my style. Having this knowledge is very helpful as when it comes to producing my own magazine I will know what media is best to include and how it caters to my audience. I can also inspire the style of my magazine from others I aesthetically enjoy.

Having knowledge of what goes into media gives me a greater understanding of how I can use it to my advantage when producing my own. I will be able to choose relevant aspects that engage the reader and keep them interested such as informational and entertaining media. I now understand that using colour schemes, bold texts, relevant and snappy information etc will catch the audience’s eye and increase my magazine’s popularity. I will avoid using dull colours, crowded imagery, or lengthy paragraphs on my title page as this is not attractive and would reduce interest.