Introduction
Begin by writing on the board “Media are constructions that re-present reality.”
Ask students:
What does this mean? (Two key ideas: First, that media texts are created – every part of a media text is the result of a decision made consciously or unconsciously regarding what to include and exclude as well as how to present what is included. Second, that audiences perceive media texts – correctly or not – as representations of reality.)
Give students the example of a documentary: we accept it as a representation of reality, but the director had to make decisions about what footage to include and what to leave out, what music to use on the soundtrack, and even where to point the camera – pointing a camera in one direction automatically means you’re leaving out everything that camera isn’t pointing at.
Note to Teacher
This lesson is based on the media literacy key concept that all media are constructed. To familiarize your students with these concepts, you may want to show this Media Literacy 101 video. It is available in the Student Material in the Introduction chapter of this lesson.
Now introduce the idea that media are influenced by commercial considerations – how much money it costs to produce media, how the producers will make money off media, how media will appeal to the audience that will pay for it (either directly or in time and attention). Ask students if they can think of any examples of how commercial considerations influence media creation. (For example: TV has commercials because that’s how TV shows are paid for; big-budget movies that appeal to youth are mostly released in the summer because that’s when young people have time to see them.)
Note to Teacher
This lesson is based on the media literacy key concepts that media have commercial implications, as well as social and political implications. To familiarize your students with these concepts, you may want to show these Media Literacy 101 videos. They are available in the Student Material in the Introduction chapter of this lesson.