The following films, books, TV series, documentaries etc are highly recommended for A-level media students who wish to no only achieve the best possible grade in this subject, but also truly understand it, how media products work, and how all of these ideas and theories slot together.
This list takes a scattershot approach. I will add to it as I find things, or as I am recommended things by you lot or other teachers Nothing is categorised or in order. So just dig in and learn something new!
Ways of Seeing - John Berger's six part documentary is 'media studies: the show. It's no exaggeration to say that media studies as a subject wouldn't exist without this series. It mainly centres on semiotics and structuralism, and concentrates on how images create meaning. This is literally 75% of what this subject is. If you watch just one thing, watch Ways Of Seeing!
Adam Curtis is a British documentary maker who makes films that blend the line between 'art' and 'documentary'. He has a very particular style that blends titles, stock footage and voiceover in a highly effective way. You'll see what I mean. He is fixated on the idea that we are all being manipulated, by media, the government, the powerful, by everything really. He's a bit of an acquired taste but is your portal in to advanced media theory
Adam Curtis on Rupert Murdoch
Adam Curtis on The rise and fall of the TV journalist
Bitter Lake - Adam Curtis documentary where he argues that the ridiculously complicated situation in the middle east in the last century has been reduced to a simple binary between good and evil to legitimise war, and has made everything so much worse
HyperNormalisation - Adam Curtis documentary. "How we got to this strange time of great uncertainty and confusion where those who are supposed to be in power are paralysed and have no idea what to do".
Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Another Adam Curtis documentary about conspiracy theories, Trump, Brexit, and why everything is so bad :( (switch off the captions to get rid of the Portuguese subtitles)
Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe - You'll know him as 'the guy who made Black Mirror', but before he did, Brooker made a range of grumpy TV shows criticising 'the media'. Screenwipe is a great exploration of everything that's wrong with TV, and is highly recommended from a media perspective
Manufacturing Consent - This classic documentary, based on a book by polymath Noam Chomsky, explores how news media works by constructing ideological perspectives and forcing the audience to consent to these ideas. It's scary stuff. This is a scary subject!
Countertop coffee - why on earth do those viral videos that make no sense exist, and why are they so popular despite the fact literally everyone hates them?
The nightmare videos of children's YouTube — and what's wrong with the internet today - James Bridle discusses the terrifying world of YouTube for kids, and who children are exploited using bizarre and irrational imagery predicated on algorithmic logic. Very creepy!
Black Mirror - "What if phones, but too much?" (available on Netflix)
The Social Network - Drama about the founding of Facebook. Pretty fascinating to watch now given recent criticisms of Facebook...
Game Studies Study Buddies is my current favourite academic podcast! It's pitched at university undergraduate level, so definitely a stretch, but explores a range of theoretical perspectives related to the field of video games studies. Also check out some familiar faces like Stuart Hall! Above all it's a great podcast to kickstart your love of reading academic books!
The Story Of Film: An Odyssey - Absolutely excellent documentary about the history cinema from a highly emotive and personal perspective, from the always dependable Mark Cousins. Yes, this is technically more film studies than media studies, but it's all connected... I think it's on Netflix