Media Unit 1
Outcome 3: Australian stories
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How are Australian stories structured in fictional and non-fictional media narratives?
The official part:
'Stories have always been a pivotal part of culture. Australian media is built on fictional and non-fictional stories that reflect our local, national and global cultural histories. Media creators and producers develop an individual style through the use and crafting of narrative and structures that engage different audiences and their interests.
Audience readings of meaning are mediated through a shared understanding of the media codes and conventions used to construct narratives in media products. The creation of narratives in media is contextual. Institutions and individuals involved at each stage of production constrain and shape narrative development in response to the cultural, institutional, economic, social and political constraints in which they work.
Factors including government regulation, finance and the economic sustainability of production play a part in the development and distribution of Australian narratives. These factors are most evident in fictional works, games, photography, print and non-fictional narratives such as news and current affairs, podcasts and advertising.
The voices and perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creators and producers are an important element in the Australian media landscape. Through engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creators and texts, students develop respect for and recognition of the world’s oldest continuous living culture and understand the significant contribution of Australia’s First Peoples to the Australian media landscape, through both contemporary and historical media narratives and voices.
Students study a range of narratives in two or more media forms, exploring the context and features of their construction and how they are consumed and read by audiences. Narratives selected for study must be by Australian media creators and producers with primarily Australian content. At least one narrative must be from an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander creator or producer.' (VCAA, Media Study Design, p24 https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/media/2024MediaSD.docx).
Outcome 3:
On completion of this unit you should be able to:
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analyse how the structural features of Australian fictional and non-fictional narratives in two or more media forms engage, and are consumed and read by, audiences.
To achieve this outcome you will draw on key knowledge and key skills outlined in Area of Study 3.
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Key knowledge:
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the structure of Australian fictional and non-fictional media stories arising from cultural histories and institutions
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media codes and conventions used to engage audiences and communicate meaning
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the influence of the style of media creators and producers in the construction of fictional and non-fictional narratives
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the impact of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and perspectives on our national identity and story
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the impact of institutional, economic, social and political constraints on the production and distribution of fictional and non-fictional narratives
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how audience engagement and reception of narratives is affected by their expectation, consumption and prior reading of a range of fictional and non-fictional narratives in a range of contexts
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media language.
Key skills:
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analyse structures in Australian fictional and non-fictional media stories arising from cultural histories and institutions
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analyse media codes and conventions used to engage audiences and communicate meaning
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analyse the construction of narratives through the fictional and non-fictional style of media creators and producers
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analyse the impact of Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander voices and perspectives on our national identity and story
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analyse the impact of institutional, economic, social and political constraints on the production and distribution of fictional and non-fictional narratives
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discuss factors that affect audience engagement and reception, such as consumption and prior reading of narratives in a range of contexts
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use media language.
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Success Criteria:
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Stories:
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Stories for a crucial part of any culture. They inform, entertain, and educate. Stories help shape, confirm, challenge and change beliefs within a society.
Stories entrench cultural values and shape a nation's cultural identity.
Through various forms of media narratives, Australian stories have been doing this for over a century. These narratives include moving image, still image, spoken word, print and the rapidly increasing number of digital/online ones.
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What we will be doing:
Understand Unit 1, Area of Study 3 - Australian Stories.
We will go over the 2024 VCE Media Study Design (briefly) to understand your learning outcomes for Unit 1 AOS 3.
We will be exploring a range of Australian Stories and Ch5 of the textbook.
Within our in class discussions, take notes! You will need these notes for your PART 2 SAC.
Join the conversation and participate within the collaborative tasks!
Task 1: Explore and Analyse Representations of First Nations People through Still Image
(Adapted from Chi, V 2024)
Activity: think-pair-share
Read 7 Aboriginal Photographers You Need to Know About.” The teacher discusses each photograph briefly with the students.
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You have 15 minutes to complete the task.
At the end of the task, each group will add their analysis to the class shared document (Google Slide), sharing their insights on the photograph about the representation of Indigenous people.
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Instructions:
Work in pairs. The teacher will assign one photograph from the article for each group to analyse.
Copy the photographs into a class-shared Google Slide document.
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For each photograph, address the following questions:
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How Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are represented in the photograph.
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Based on the details of the photograph and your understanding of Indigenous history and media codes and conventions, what do you think the photographer is trying to say or express in this photograph.
Task 2: Representations of Australians on the Global Media Stage and Media Codes and Conventions
(Adapted from Chi, V 2024)
Use your knowledge of media codes and conventions, identify evidence in the video that indicates stereotypical representations of Australians.
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Guiding Questions:
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What stereotypes are portrayed in the ad? (Knowledge)
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How does the use of media codes and conventions contribute to these representations? (Understanding)
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In what ways might these representations shape global perceptions of Australia? (Analysing)
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Task 3: Contemporary Australian Media Representation
(Adapted from Chi, V 2024)
Watch the SBS News segment on the success of Heartbreak High as a class.
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Why do you think Heartbreak High has become a global hit? (Analysing)
How does Heartbreak High differ from stereotypical representations of Australia? (Analysing)
Task 4: The Future of Australian Media Content and the Impact of Institutional, Economic, Social, and Political Constraints
(Adapted from Chi, V 2024)
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Read the article “Heartbreak High is a global hit. So why aren’t there more Aussie shows like it?” Take notes in responding to the questions as you read the article:
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1. The article asks the question: “Why aren’t there more shows like it?” What does the writer mean by shows like Heartbreak High? (Describe what makes Heartbreak High different to other Australian shows)
2. How would you explain why the future of Australian content on free-to-air television is uncertain?
3. The article states: “Early last year, the Labor government signalled the advent of long-awaited legislation that would force local and global streaming services to produce a certain amount of content from an Australian perspective.” Write two positives and two negatives of the Australian government to have quotas for local and global streaming services to produce Australian content.
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Have a class discussion after reading and note-taking.
View and explore the Australian Media Narratives through Music Videos
(Adapted from Chi, V 2024)
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Watch the following music videos as a class. As you watch each video, think about the media codes and conventions and lyrical elements. Pay attention to how the video portrays First Nations people, Australian culture and any references to historical events or social issues.
Research the lyrics of these songs and discuss their meaning. Unpack the social, cultural, and political contexts in which these songs were created by PowerPoints.
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Group Discussion: In groups of 3 to 4, discuss the following questions for each music video. You are expected to take notes on your workbook or laptop about the key points from your group discussion.
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What is the primary message or theme of the song? What emotions or ideas does the artist want the audience to feel or think about?
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Who were the intended audiences for these songs and music videos? ​​How might different audiences interpret the message and meaning of the song?
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How are First Nations people and Australian identities represented? Are there any stereotypes or symbols that are used to portray these identities?
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What impact does the historical and cultural context have on the meaning of the song?
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Class Discussion: Come back as class. Each group will share your insights and findings for one or more music videos under the teacher’s guidance. As groups present their findings, take notes on your workbook or laptop about the key ideas and key knowledge discussed. Use these notes for revision and practice SAC.
Guided questions:
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What similarities and differences did you notice between the music videos in terms of their messages? (Analysing)
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How do these music videos reflect the social and cultural attitudes of their time? (Analysing)
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In what ways do these songs contribute to or challenge the narrative of Australian representation? (Evaluating)
Deepening Analysis of Australian Media Narratives through Music Videos
(Adapted from Chi, V 2024)
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Activity: Individual Written Analysis of Music Videos
Watch three compulsory music videos in class. You will answer the following question for all three music videos (you are allowed to use dot points):
Extended questions (optional):
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What is the significance of the music video Treaty (1991) by Yothu Yindi? Explain how it addresses political and social issues relevant to First Nations people.
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Explain the political statement the band Midnight Oil is trying to make about the First Nations people through imagery in their Beds are Burning (1987) music video.
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Discuss how one or more symbolic codes are used to create an effect in the music video Down Under by Men at Work.
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Activity: Group Sharing and Peer Review
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Work in pairs, share your answers with your peer.
Teacher’s note: Give constructive feedback on each other’s analysis.
Focus on:
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Clarity and coherence of arguments.
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Use of media terminology and specific examples.
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Depth of interpretation and understanding of the music video’s context.
Activity 3: Whole Class Reflection
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Come together as a class. Each group will present one key knowledge that emerged from your group sharing session.
Create a class Padlet under the teacher’s guidance, share your reflections of music videos we watched in class.
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Reflection:
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What have you learned about the representation of Australian identities and First Nations people through these music videos?
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How do these music videos reflect or challenge stereotypes and cultural narratives?
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How does understanding the songs and music videos’ social, cultural, and political background influence our interpretation of their meaning, as well as how audiences perceived it at the time?
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Homework: Due by the end of Week 3, you may choose to complete your homework by handwriting or typing based on your preference.
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Select ONE of the three compulsory music videos for your homework. Answer questions 1-5 provided in Week 3 Activity 1 in well-structured sentences.
Extended Task (Optional): If you would like to challenge yourself further, choose ONE of the five music videos and answer all eight questions provided in Week 3 Activity 1.
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Activity: feedback and writing practice
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You will receive feedback on your Week 3 homework in the first lesson of the week. Reflect on the comments and suggestions given, focusing on areas for improvement that the teacher pointed out to refine your analysis.
We will go through the Mediaknite website, explore practice questions and the process of answering these questions by using appropriate media language.
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For this week, you will have the option of EITHER:
A) completing the five questions analysis of one of the music videos and the extended questions.
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B) Starting to unpack and write the answers to each of the questions on the Practise SAC. The Practice SAC will be provided in class.
Digging Deeper:
Knowledge: Identify media codes and conventions used in these music videos?
Understanding: Who were the intended audiences for these songs and music videos?
Apply: Explain in detail the way that one media code and one media convention could be further enhanced to improve the communication of meaning/messages.
Analysing: Explain how First Nations people are represented in the music video.
Evaluating: How does each music video support its intended meaning and communication? Provide specific examples from the music videos.
Creating: What are the "take aways" that you could apply to the making of your own Music Video to communicate an Australian Story?
Director: Jub Clerc
2022
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OVERVIEW
‘Listen to Country ... Country offers you so much ...’
And indeed it does.
Sweet As is a film that celebrates that special Indigenous connection to ‘Country’ – the term used by Australia’s First Peoples to describe the lands, waterways and seas to which they are inextricably connected. The term contains complex ideas about place, custom, language, spiritual belief, cultural practice, material and emotional sustenance, family and identity. Country embraces the seasons, stories and creation spirits. Country is both a place of belonging and a way of believing.
And as we are about to see in director Jub Clerc’s 2022 film, Country is also a place of healing – emotional, psychological and spiritual – for Indigenous people or, indeed, for anyone.
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We are on a journey, physical and profoundly personal, aboard a bus carrying Murra, Elvis, Kylie and Sean. Four unhappy and vulnerable teenagers take to the backroads and the awe-inspiring landscape of the Pilbara region of Western Australia, each armed with a film camera. This is a film very much in the ‘road movie’ genre; an effervescent story of growth, acceptance and the journey towards finding oneself. With postcard-perfect shots of remote Western Australia and a road-trip-worthy soundtrack of all-Indigenous artists, Sweet As is a joyous, cinematic, life-affirming ride.
‘Dingo’s Got My Baby’: Trial by Media | Retro Report | The New York Times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwd0iomlM1Y
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From the Archives - Azaria - the trial begins
First published in The Age on September 14, 1982.
In 1982, an Australian mother was convicted of murdering her baby daughter. She was later exonerated, but soon fell victim to a joke that distracted the world from the real story.
Produced by: Retro Report
Read the story here: http://nyti.ms/1oXUSvN
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Listen to the podcast here:
Michael and Lindy Chamberlain with a photo of baby Azaria. CREDIT:RUSSELL MCPHEDRAN
(source: https://www.smh.com.au/national/from-the-archives-1982-azaria-the-trial-begins-20190904-p52nw5.html)
For more resources:
'In 1986, Ray Martin interviewed Lindy Chamberlain, who had been accused of killing her nine-week-old daughter, Azaria, while camping at Uluru in 1980. Lindy’s case was incredibly divisive - as Ray remembers “half of Australia thought she was guilty and half thought she was innocent.” 60 Minutes was the only program to interview Lindy, and Ray looks back on the iconic moment as part of the program’s 40th anniversary.'
Bart Vs Australia
The Simpsons | Season 6 | Episode 16
1995
Director: Wesley Archer (as Wes Archer)
Writers: Matt Groening (created by), James L. Brooks (developed by)
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"After he makes a collect call to Australia and refuses to pay for it,
Bart sparks an international incident, with the Simpsons forced to
travel to the country in order to repair political relations." (IMDB)
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"Bart uses the quip ‘I think I hear a dingo eating your baby’ as an insult. To anyone who knows the Azaria Chamberlain disappearance would find this highly insulting."
Watch one of Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore’s Music Videos
o Analyse the media codes and conventions used to engage audiences and communicate meaning
o Identify similarities between the music video and the documentary and how these could indicate Sangiorgi Dalimore’s style
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View one of Michelle Grace Hunder’s photography series
o Analyse the media codes and conventions used to engage audiences and communicate meaning
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Watch the original documentary Australia Women in Rock and Pop music used as archival footage.
What similarities in non-fictional narrative structures are there?
1 How has audience expectations and technology influenced the style of documentaries over time? !
View an Australian fictional narrative and Explain similarities in themes and structures between this and the documentary.
Suggest how these structures may have arisen from cultural histories and institutions.
Suggested pairings:
o photography series by Tracey Moffatt
o Australian television episode, such as Safe Harbour
o an Australian film such as The Dressmaker (with ACMI resource here)
o animation by Shaun Tan The Lost Thing
o interactive graphic novel The Boat (SBS, Matt Huynh, 2015) & analysis here.
Digging Deeper:
Knowledge: Looking at the interactive graphic novel, can you identify two codes and two conventions?
Understanding: Can you give an example where you might have seen illustrations like this before?
Apply: What would happen if the colours were brighter less sombre/muted?
Analysing: How has the artist used codes to engage the audience?
Evaluating: Why do you think the artist has chosen to present this graphic novel in an interactive manner?
Creating: Research the “No Way” campaign of 2014 and compare this interactive graphic novel to a newspaper article, drawing upon the codes and conventions utilised to engage and communicate meaning to the audience.
WATCH:
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​Watch this promotional animation created by Healing Foundation: Intergenerational Trauma Animation
Digging Deeper:
Knowledge: Identify 2 codes and two conventions of animation that have been used here
Understanding: Can you think of another example of a media product where you might have seen a positive/negative representation of Indigenous Australians?
Apply: Is there something new that you have learnt about Indigenous Australians from watching this clip? Think, pair, share
Analysing: Explain how a heart has been used as a symbolic code within this animation. Discuss the denotation and connotation of a heart.
Evaluating: A stereotype is a media image that is repeated so often that it eventually comes to represent that group of people. How might a stereotype about someone who is an Indigenouse Australian be damaging?
Creating: Create a magazine layout that promotes a positive understanding of Indigenous Australians.
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Task:
PART 1
Magazine layout
Create a magazine spread about an Australian story that we have explored. You will need to conduct wider research on your Australian Story. In this magazine spread, you will:
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Introduce the Australian story of choice by briefly describing its presented narrative.
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Identify the media form(s) that you have engaged with & the intended audience.
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Briefly discuss the film’s production and reception.
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Discuss who made the film/photography/etc and describe their style as a director/photographer/etc.
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Analyse the chosen Australian Story’s narrative/story, commenting on, where appropriate:
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Opening, development and resolution
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Point of view from which the narrative is presented
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Explain one example of representation (ie gender, race, etc)
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Multiple storylines
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Establishment and development of characters
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Structuring of time
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Setting
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Analyse your favourite scene, commenting on the codes and conventions of the particular media form. For example, for a film, the director’s use of:
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camera techniques
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acting
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mise en scene
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editing
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lighting
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sound
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What are your overall impressions of the Australian Story? Has it changed or reinforced your perception of Australian media forms?
Checklist:
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Take notes from our in class discussions & text book questions. These will be used within your PART 2 SAC component. Note: participation within our in class discussions/collaborative activities and teacher observations will also contribute to your success here. (Criteria 1: Criteria 2:Criteria 3: Criteria 4 Criteria 5: Criteria 6:)
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Include Pre-production documentation in your digital folio. Use screenshots as research from narratives you reference. (Criterion 7)
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Consider the codes/conventions of Magazine layouts in your production/presentation (Criteria 8)
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Consider how you will present your magazine layout. Digitally? Printed on gloss paper stock? Etc (Criteria 9)
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Include production (InDesign screenshots, tools, decision making) documentation in your folio. (Criterion 7)
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Include post production documentation in your folio. (Criterion 7)
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Present your investigations into Australian Stories as a magazine double page spread for a film magazine, such as Screen Education, Metro Magazine, Empire, or another of your choice. Use a program such as InDesign to develop a layout. Demonstrate skill when using InDesign and document your process. (Criterion 7 & Criteria 9):
Tip: Use the assessment rubrics as your success criteria!
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TASK:
PART 2
SAC
This will be an open book SAC utilising the notes that you have taken from our in class discussions.
Australian Stories Questions
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• What cultural histories arose in your mind after analysing the media products studied in class?
• List the Australian representations that you noticed in the media texts you studied in class.
• What code and conventions were employed by the producers of each media text you studied in class?
• What impact on institutional, economic, social or political environments post the media text distribution?
• Discuss factors which impact on audience engagement and reception, such as consumption and prior reading of the narratives you studied in class.
Practice SAC Questions:
1. Australian stories arise from cultural and historical institutions. Outline the code and conventions employed in one of the media texts you watched in class. In your response, discuss how the code and conventions engaged the audience.
2. Compare the two texts and analyse the impact of the economic and political constraints on the production and distribution of each media product.
3. In the opening of both texts how was Australia represented? List the code and conventions employed by the creators to give audience meaning.
4. In one of the texts you studied in class discuss factors which impact on audience engagement and reception, such as consumption and prior readings of the narrative or characters.
ARTICLE:
Will Australia be first to force Netflix to make local content?
Article in The Age Newspaper, 6 May 2018 - By John McDuling
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Could Australia be the first country in the world to impose a local content quota on Netflix? It's question being asked in media circles, and one that could soon be answered.
The Turnbull government commenced a review of support for the screen content sector nearly a year ago. That raised hopes within the film production community that streaming services such as Netflix and Stan (which is part owned by Fairfax Media, publisher of this column) could be forced to produce fixed amounts of Australian content, like their traditional TV rivals.
"There is more Australian content on the US Netflix library than there is on the Australian Netflix library," Screen Producers Australia said last week in a submission to a (entirely separate) review of digital platforms by the competition regulator.
The lobby group for independent production houses argues Netflix should face similar local content obligations to those imposed on traditional players (for free-to-air broadcasters, 55 per cent of shows aired between 6am and midnight must be Australian).
The problem is, imposing a quota on a free-to-air TV, channel, which is broadcasting 24 hours a day, is a very different thing to imposing a quota on a steaming service, which is viewed on demand.
The lobby group for independent production houses argues Netflix should face similar local content obligations to those imposed on traditional players (for free-to-air broadcasters, 55 per cent of shows aired between 6am and midnight must be Australian).
The problem is, imposing a quota on a free-to-air TV, channel, which is broadcasting 24 hours a day, is a very different thing to imposing a quota on a steaming service, which is viewed on demand.