Course Format
- Five credits (integrated)
- One semester (two classes per school year)
- Five months
- 20 Grade 11 students per term
No Bells, No Periods
We structure our days as a group, taking into account the needs of the group and the individual. If the class needs to spend all day understanding how lenses work and how focus can be used to tell a story, we spend all day on these topics.
Problem-Solving
Most of what we do centres on figuring out how to solve real-world problems in video and film production. Some of these problems are technical (e.g., how to cope with fast-changing light conditions), others are artistic (e.g., how to get a good performance out of amateur actors), and a few are general (e.g., how to achieve the most, given the limitations you have to work with).
Resource-Based Learning
We will assemble as many web-based, print, media and human sources as possible so students can draw on a wide variety of information as they search for solutions to the problems they have encountered.
Integration
For every activity, we will try to include as many components from the communications media, English language arts and physical sciences curriculums as possible. There should be many opportunities for this integration.
Workshops
Your video productions will be carefully and respectfully reviewed by every member or your Media School class. For the past forty years, creative writers have used this workshopping process to respond to and improve writing. We will be taking a similar approach to our video productions.
Working Solo, Working in Groups
Students have opportunities to work in groups and as solo artists. When working in groups, students take turns working in different aspects of production. Eventually, students are asked to select and develop a specialization in one aspect of production that interests them.
Public Performance
We encourage students to enter festivals and contests, and to submit their productions to series television programs and broadcast networks. We also hold our own film festival to showcase student work.
Portfolios
Both post-secondary film and television programs and prospective employees in the industry want to see what you have created. Each student will build a portfolio (often called a demo reel) of the work they have created in Media School. This will serve as the basis for applications for further education or apprenticeships in the industry.
Real World Connections
We invite, or visit, as many individuals and facilities as possible in the local TV and film industry. Students also receive certification in Set Safety and Set Protocol through PA Training Seminars and Saskatchewan Polytechnic.