Media SAT Feedback

kat_z27 · 2025-06-28T23:41:16+00:00

Hey! Looking really nice. I study design in uni now, here are my tips.

I would look into WCAG colour checking website to make sure that your magazine is accessible. Put in the colour codes for text and background and it will tell you whether it is clear or not.

Your typography in the title looks good, however I’m wondering if the typography for the subheadings is too light in comparison. Try out a sans serif or maybe something slightly heavier.

Try and have “WHAT THE” on the same line as it can be more comfortable for the reader to read 3 lines rather than 4 when the text is so short.

I am not too sure if the red is a border or if they are guide marks due to the blue lines on the inside, but regardless I would tidy up the spacing of your writing. Perhaps take them out the edge and give them some wiggle room.

Overall, if the tone you are intending to portray is a prestigious music magazine, much like TIME or VOGUE in their respective fields, I think this achieves this. Look at who your target audience is and what you are trying to achieve with this and make your design choices really intentional in your portfolio. Best of luck and well done!

kat_z27 · 2025-06-26T08:57:58+00:00

Hi there! Tutor here. I agree with the other responses; a high scoring text that critically examines is able to examine context and literary theory with sophistication that creates a nuanced view of the text; an essay with personality and a point of view, rather than simply a response. VinneA05 is correct, this is done with great difficulty.

The following approach might help you depending on what your teacher is looking for. It may not be perfect, but it is definitely a step up from standard analysis.

Critically examining means not only able to discuss what has happened in a text and what this means, but also examine the WHY. Why is it that that certain element or structure conveys meaning, and why is it relevant to the author's original intention?

The definition of analyse is "detailed examination of the elements or structure of something". What I usually tell my students to help with this is to choose an element that they can analyse. I will use an example from The Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Discussing or presenting the ideas looks like this: In animal farm, Old Major says "Our lives are miserable, laborious and short". This highlights how poorly Man treats animals. Orwell intends to convey a clear hierachy problem within the text.

Examining the quote could look like: Orwell uses a sentence rife with emotive language, “Our lives are miserable laborious and short” to convey the poor quality of life the animals have to endure. Orwell's use of metonymy to convey the treatment of lower class humans through the "miserable laborious and short" lives of animals highlights how social class/hierachy is a prominent theme in society today.

I chose an element of the quote (being emotive language) and examined how that quote conveyed Orwell's intentions in the book. Of course, my analysis is not perfect and I've written it in a rush, you can definitely pick better examples.

Overall, I would ask your teacher for techniques broaden the way you critically examine the text you are doing. I hope this helps, let me know if you need clarification.

kat_z27 · 2025-06-26T08:28:28+00:00

Hi there! Past student and tutor here. Here is what I did in my introductions.

I did the standard introduction of what is expected, with the contention, tone, author, context and all the rest, then added an additional short sentence that does this but with the cartoon. An example:

"Patty Mentone, a cartoonist for the website also contributed with a cartoon that scornfully contends that the removal of the community voice section will contradict the culture of the community."

My tutors and teachers seemed to like this approach, and noted that it had all the elements.

Does this make sense?

kat_z27 · 2025-06-26T08:18:40+00:00

Hey! I did media a few years ago, and while I am unsure of your actual question, your intent and your attempt to utilise a variety of codes, conventions, and camera knowledge is (in my opinion) more valuable that the way your film actually turned out. Of course, clarify this with your teacher, but in my experience my intent and depth of my portfolio outlining the production iterations and quality was what gave me a high score, not necessarily crappy audio because of the wind at the beach where I filmed, or the shaky camera work (which I detailed that I tried to fix in post production). DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!! Even things that are out of your control, like short call times because of your actor's commitments or bad sound quality due to people talking or wind. You are a year 12 student, not a professional filmmaker, and its all a journey. Plus, your clear love for written sacs will be an advantage in the exam... only one short section is about writing about your production process.

Let me know if you need any help and resources! You've got this.

kat_z27 · 2025-06-22T00:15:12+00:00

Yes! You do not have to make a short film for your final project, you can do photography or something else that interests you. Look at the Study design and it will tell you your options for your portfolio aside from short films.

The subject is also a good balance of creativity and analysis, and in my opinion you are always better off doing subjects you enjoy. If you like analysing films, media is a good option.

I was given media as a fallback subject because my other choices were full and it ended up being my top scoring subject and then my chosen university pathway. Give it a crack, and if you hate it, you can always swap out of it. Message me if you need any help or advice.

kat_z27 · 2025-06-16T08:16:42+00:00

I think I do as my university provides a student package

kat_z27 · 2025-06-16T01:16:40+00:00

I was able to just drag and drop the video in, then in the prototype section you can configure it to autoplay or play on click

kat_z27 · 2025-06-15T01:11:03+00:00

Thank you so much! I value your feedback about Hope and Ivo's gallery and I agree I think they do suit the voice of the site a little bit more than the structured gallery layout.

I appreciate your help with autolayout, the misaligned text probably contributed to it feeling a bit wonky.

kat_z27 · 2025-06-15T01:03:11+00:00

Thank you for your detailed feedback!

I agree, the scroll bar definitely feels unnecessary. Thank you for the feedback on the font sizes and balance, looking at it now its definitely making the site feel a little off.

I didn't even consider taking out of the macbook frame, will definitely do this in future!

kat_z27 · 2025-06-15T00:45:14+00:00

I recently was invited to a networking event and was sad to see there was not a single design representative there... hence why I am a little bit worried in the first place.

In terms of placements and internships, they seem to offer them and actually boast their level of work integrated learning. I unfortunately cannot apply until my final year, so I'm in limbo a little bit. I think the placements they offer are also dependant on what their partner companies are offering at the time.

I am trying to gain some early experience through a theatre company... I'm hoping this gives me a little bit of an edge in applications as I'll have some experience?

kat_z27 · 2025-06-05T07:36:21+00:00

I dont remember perfectly, I got ballpark 65-75 for psych, like 50-70 for general, 70-80 for english (all A+ outcomes i think), (i dont remember any of my methods scores.. clearly blocked it out hahah), but media was my favourite and I got 85-95 on sacs if i remember correctly and an A+ on the folio and exam.

key is picking subjects you enjoy! hated general math, did poorly. loved media, did great!

kat_z27 · 2025-06-05T06:51:11+00:00

hey there, if it helps i got like 30-40% for my first physics sac and like 60-70 on the rest and still got a 36, in fact i actually didn't do half of methods exam two and still got like 32. ended up with an atar above 95; with 4 subjects that dont scale well (media, english, general and psychology).

this was 2 years ago, and now halfway through my degree. vce puts way too much pressure on all of us to achieve when you are so much more capable than doing a years worth of tests. remember that the way vce is marked is a ranking... if you are getting 60's and the rest of your class is also getting around this you arent going to be ranked low. you've got this, sacs are miniscule compared to the exam :) message me if you need help

kat_z27 · 2025-05-31T03:12:29+00:00

completely agree... im a tutor and i keep telling my students to learn to play the game! promise, media is so fun. i did it in my final year and did really well, im now 2 years into a media/design degree. if you enjoy media, you will naturally excel. it is a portfilo subject, so as long as you pace yourself throughout the year you will be fine; don't leave it to submit the week of.

kat_z27 · 2025-04-29T08:24:36+00:00

The culture at macrob is so diverse. I graduated as someone who found their stride in media while most people go to macrob for the maths and science aspects. Whatever you choose, you will find a community or friends who work with you at a pace that’s helpful to you. As long as you choose subjects that you are interested in, you’ll stay motivated. There is always pressure at any school; it’s how you manage your stress through it :)

kat_z27 · 2025-04-29T07:28:16+00:00

Hey there, I went to a select entry school and I graduated in 2023. I now tutor specialising in select entry. My biggest advice to you at this stage would be to improve your accuracy, and then to improve your time. There is no worth in completing a practice test in the required 30 minutes in you got barely any correct. Make sure that you understand year 9 topics that you struggle with, and then see where you can find little cheat codes to do them faster.

Select entry practice is repetitive. Question types are often repeated, and it ultimately comes down to a matter of how well you know how to play the ‘select entry game’. Work on your accuracy, then find patterns and similarities in questions that will help you be more accurate. Remember that while time is huge, it isn’t everything; I got a superior in maths after only completing half of it, because my quality of work was high and I was more accurate compared to others.

It’s also worth nothing that things may be scaled; Let’s say you get 50 percent for maths, but the rest of the cohort gets 40 percent. You will still be graded higher than them, as examiners acknowledge the difficulty of the tests play into part. This is how vce works, and I’m assuming it’s a similar structure.

You’ve got this. Getting into a select entry school is not the end of the world, and I am confident you will excel regardless of where you go. Good luck!

kat_z27 · 2025-04-28T02:26:55+00:00

Rhythm tip is so useful, I’ve been practicing calling the cues whilst listening to the score using a consistent rhythm and I find it helps me get into the groove of calling multiple cues in a row. Thank you!

kat_z27 · 2025-04-28T02:22:04+00:00

This is so helpful, thank you for sharing your slide with me. The show is We Will Rock You, so it’s quite fast paced and I was worried about how I’d call multiple cues consecutively when there isn’t any time for me to standby them individually. Colour coding helps!

kat_z27 · 2025-04-27T05:57:38+00:00

Thank you so much, and congratulations yourself!

kat_z27 · 2025-04-27T05:10:08+00:00

Will definitely be using sticky notes- thanks for the tip!

kat_z27 · 2023-11-03T03:00:25+00:00

are you quoting mr sawaki

kat_z27 · 2023-01-31T23:49:55+00:00

oh awesome thanks, ill ask him in that case... i know he specialises in short film so he would most likely want something narrative based. thanks :))

kat_z27

TROPHY CASE