Try and incorporate these into your writing to improve your media specific terminology.
camerawork
cause and effect (Blair Witch)
chronology
colour
contrapuntal sound (Holly)
costume and props
cultural identity
diegetic sound
expectations
exposition
genre
globalisation
hollywood
iconography
identity
ideology
lighting
marketing
messages & values
mise-en-scene
narrative
non-diegetic sound
oligopoly
paradigm
performance
pleasure
plot
poster campaign
reading
resolution
talent
technological determinism
trailers
Monday, 13 December 2010
Checklist for new deadline, first week we are back
Please ensure you have completed the tasks from the previous post. In addition you should have the following on your blog:
Research and Planning that displays an excellent use of technology and media specific language.
You need to show:
1.interactive research on the generic conventions of all of your products.
2. research into your target audience, profiles, questionnaires, results.
3. Evidence of your planning process, eg storyboards, shot lists & an animatic
You should also highlight the links between your research and your products. You need to address these and more points in a directors commentary.
Completing the following activities will add a great deal to your blog and give you a more confident approach for your directors commentary/evaluation (which realistically will probably have to be recorded in January if you don't have the technology at home).
So you should complete these activities before the start of term. When you have completed them, write a script for your directors commentary and then we can help you record it in the first week in Jan, of course it would be better if you had already done it at home!
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)
Look at Art of the title sequence? Do the same with nine of your frames.
You should go through the final version of the project and select nine distinct frames which you screengrab and drop into a photoshop in the same style as the website. You will be using these to write about how typical or not of opening sequences your particular design is, so choose them carefully.
Once you have the nine frames neatly in Photoshop, screengrab the whole thing and post to your blog, then write an analysis of how you have used such conventions.
The aspects to consider across your nine frames are:
The title of the film
Setting/location
Costumes and props
Camerawork and editing
Title font and style
Story and how the opening sets it up
Genre and how the opening suggests it
How characters are introduced
Special effects
How did you attract/address your audience?
You could use YOUTUBE's annotation tools to add NOTES, SPEECHBUBBLES, and LINKS to your video:
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=92710
These annotations will highlight the ways in which your Film trailer or short film links to other similiar films in order to attract the particular Audience you have previously identified.
Your annotations will refer to genre conventions, use of music, similiarities with other movies and what you have identified as the Unique Selling Point of your imaginary film.
Research and Planning that displays an excellent use of technology and media specific language.
You need to show:
1.interactive research on the generic conventions of all of your products.
2. research into your target audience, profiles, questionnaires, results.
3. Evidence of your planning process, eg storyboards, shot lists & an animatic
You should also highlight the links between your research and your products. You need to address these and more points in a directors commentary.
Completing the following activities will add a great deal to your blog and give you a more confident approach for your directors commentary/evaluation (which realistically will probably have to be recorded in January if you don't have the technology at home).
So you should complete these activities before the start of term. When you have completed them, write a script for your directors commentary and then we can help you record it in the first week in Jan, of course it would be better if you had already done it at home!
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)
Look at Art of the title sequence? Do the same with nine of your frames.
You should go through the final version of the project and select nine distinct frames which you screengrab and drop into a photoshop in the same style as the website. You will be using these to write about how typical or not of opening sequences your particular design is, so choose them carefully.
Once you have the nine frames neatly in Photoshop, screengrab the whole thing and post to your blog, then write an analysis of how you have used such conventions.
The aspects to consider across your nine frames are:
The title of the film
Setting/location
Costumes and props
Camerawork and editing
Title font and style
Story and how the opening sets it up
Genre and how the opening suggests it
How characters are introduced
Special effects
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 2
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Pick a key character from your trailer or film. Take a screengrab of a reasonable sized image of them. Think of one or more characters from other films with some similarity to them (but maybe some differences too!), find an image on the web of that/those characters and grab it as well. Drop the two into photoshop, as a split screen. Export this splitscreen image as a jpeg then drop onto your blog and write about the similarities and differences in terms of appearance, costume, role in film etc.
So for example if you have a lone cop type character, look for other lone cops to compare him with...
Pick a key character from your trailer or film. Take a screengrab of a reasonable sized image of them. Think of one or more characters from other films with some similarity to them (but maybe some differences too!), find an image on the web of that/those characters and grab it as well. Drop the two into photoshop, as a split screen. Export this splitscreen image as a jpeg then drop onto your blog and write about the similarities and differences in terms of appearance, costume, role in film etc.
So for example if you have a lone cop type character, look for other lone cops to compare him with...
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
For this question, you are going to do a 'director's commentary' style voiceover explaining some of the key features of your opening
You will need to script the voiceover which deals with institutional issues to include:
discussion of your production company name and logo and the role of such companies
What does a production company do?
the idea of a distributor and who that might be and why.
where the money might have come from for a film such as yours
why the various people are named in the titles- which jobs appear in titles and in what order and how have you reflected this?
what your film is similar to 'institutionally' (name some films which would be released in a similar way)
You need to refer to actual company names and processes so you may need to do a bit more research
For this question, you are going to do a 'director's commentary' style voiceover explaining some of the key features of your opening
You will need to script the voiceover which deals with institutional issues to include:
discussion of your production company name and logo and the role of such companies
What does a production company do?
the idea of a distributor and who that might be and why.
where the money might have come from for a film such as yours
why the various people are named in the titles- which jobs appear in titles and in what order and how have you reflected this?
what your film is similar to 'institutionally' (name some films which would be released in a similar way)
You need to refer to actual company names and processes so you may need to do a bit more research
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 4
Who would be the audience for your media product?
You should have a profile of your target audience and an explanation of what kinds of taste they might have- where they would shop, what music they would listen to, what their favourite Tv programme would be, etc.
make sure you have posted it on the blog and write a few notes on why they would watch your film.
You should have a profile of your target audience and an explanation of what kinds of taste they might have- where they would shop, what music they would listen to, what their favourite Tv programme would be, etc.
make sure you have posted it on the blog and write a few notes on why they would watch your film.
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 5
How did you attract/address your audience?You could use YOUTUBE's annotation tools to add NOTES, SPEECHBUBBLES, and LINKS to your video:
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=92710
These annotations will highlight the ways in which your Film trailer or short film links to other similiar films in order to attract the particular Audience you have previously identified.
Your annotations will refer to genre conventions, use of music, similiarities with other movies and what you have identified as the Unique Selling Point of your imaginary film.
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 6
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Take a picture of yourself holding the kit you have used. This might just be the camera and tripod, and a Mac but there may be other things you want in the shot.
Drop the image onto your blog and annotate it, adding all the programs and other technology you have used as screengrabs and what you learnt about it/from using it. Your written text need only be minimal. You could include reference to all the online and computer programs you have used such as youtube, flickr, blogger, final cut,photoshop,vimeo garageband, etc.
Take a picture of yourself holding the kit you have used. This might just be the camera and tripod, and a Mac but there may be other things you want in the shot.
Drop the image onto your blog and annotate it, adding all the programs and other technology you have used as screengrabs and what you learnt about it/from using it. Your written text need only be minimal. You could include reference to all the online and computer programs you have used such as youtube, flickr, blogger, final cut,photoshop,vimeo garageband, etc.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Review of work and updated deadlines.
Time is pressing on now.
Deadlines are:
Practical Work: Friday10th December
This should consist of either:
1. A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the
following three options:
a website homepage for the film;
a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
a poster for the film.
2. An extract from a new documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes,
together with two of the following three options:
a radio trailer for the documentary;
a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary;
a newspaper advertisement for the documentary.
3. A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or
animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options:
a poster for the film;
a radio trailer for the film;
a film magazine review page featuring the film.
On Monday 13th December and Tuesday 14th we will record your audience feedback.
You must have all your work ready to show and a list of 5 questions that you would like your audience to answer. We will structure it in the same manner of last years work. To get maximum benefit your whole portfolio must be ready as branded package.
The rest of the week must be spent preparing your evaluation. This should be presented as a directors cut and answer the following questions:
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation
stages?
Bearing in mind the time lost due to the snow you are going to have to work very hard to get this completed in time.
Deadlines are:
Practical Work: Friday10th December
This should consist of either:
1. A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the
following three options:
a website homepage for the film;
a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
a poster for the film.
2. An extract from a new documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes,
together with two of the following three options:
a radio trailer for the documentary;
a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary;
a newspaper advertisement for the documentary.
3. A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or
animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options:
a poster for the film;
a radio trailer for the film;
a film magazine review page featuring the film.
On Monday 13th December and Tuesday 14th we will record your audience feedback.
You must have all your work ready to show and a list of 5 questions that you would like your audience to answer. We will structure it in the same manner of last years work. To get maximum benefit your whole portfolio must be ready as branded package.
The rest of the week must be spent preparing your evaluation. This should be presented as a directors cut and answer the following questions:
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation
stages?
Bearing in mind the time lost due to the snow you are going to have to work very hard to get this completed in time.
Monday, 15 November 2010
Clarification
After speaking to the OCR advisor today, they confirmed that there is no specific time for the trailers because in the industry they vary so much. The guideline however, is 1 minute 30 seconds..
Remember, you are not telling the story, you are getting the audience interested & intrigued.
Remember, you are not telling the story, you are getting the audience interested & intrigued.
Monday 15th November
You should be editing your footage this week.
Try the 'share' tool in imovie to make a quick version of your rushes to upload to You Tube and embed in your blog. Remember, in your evaluation you need to reflect on, amongst other things, your use of digital technology and your creative development. This will also make it easy to show to your focus group and get some audience feedbacl.
Keep checking the site, 'Get Ahead in OCR Media' it seems to be updated quite often with questions and tips, from students and examiners.
Try the 'share' tool in imovie to make a quick version of your rushes to upload to You Tube and embed in your blog. Remember, in your evaluation you need to reflect on, amongst other things, your use of digital technology and your creative development. This will also make it easy to show to your focus group and get some audience feedbacl.
Keep checking the site, 'Get Ahead in OCR Media' it seems to be updated quite often with questions and tips, from students and examiners.
Friday, 12 November 2010
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
We looked at the Chief examiners site today
Here is the link for it
Take his advice!
Favourite the site on your blog and yourtoolbar so you don't miss anything!
Take his advice!
Favourite the site on your blog and yourtoolbar so you don't miss anything!
Exams after Christmas
You will have a mock exam after Christmas. It will be based on the exam you will take in June which will be on the Theoretical Criticism of your productions. To prepare you for this you need to be aware of the issues that could come up and keep a track of your development in terms of the key concepts and your skills and understandings. Use the sheets below to plot your development.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Mini deadlines
There will be other blog submissions to upload but for now here is a guide to the speed at which your film should be taking.
Week beginning:
1st Nov: Upload footage
8th Nov: Editing
15th Nov: 1st Rushes completed: show to Focus Group
22nd Nov: Re-edit
29th Nov: Final edit: show to focus group for audience feedback
6th Dec: Write evaluation
13th Dec: Submit whole project and blog.
Week beginning:
1st Nov: Upload footage
8th Nov: Editing
15th Nov: 1st Rushes completed: show to Focus Group
22nd Nov: Re-edit
29th Nov: Final edit: show to focus group for audience feedback
6th Dec: Write evaluation
13th Dec: Submit whole project and blog.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Explain your idea in 25 words & post
You have to do this because I said so, because the chief examiner said so.
If you want to pass, do as I say, ok.
Monday, 18 October 2010
18th October
All research & planning coming to an end now.
Remember to label all your posts very clearly and you must have at least two posts each week.
Your aim for this week is to:
1. Get one page of your storyboard filmed and edited as an animatic, this means putting transitions and sound on, perhaps a voice over, even special effects.
2. Set up 'logistics' of filming over 1/2 term. Create a shooting schedule that details, equipment, props, locations, who, what, where, how etc.
You may find it useful to create a call sheet for the different locations:
The daily call sheet is a filmmaking term for a sheet of paper issued to the cast and crew of a film production, created by an assistant director, informing them where and when they should report for a particular day of shooting. Call sheets also include other useful information such as contact information (e.g. phone numbers of crew members and other contacts), the schedule for the day, which scenes and script pages are being shot, and the address of the shoot location. Call sheets may also provide logistical information in regards to the location. It is common to find weather information, sunrise/sunset times, local hospitals, restaurants, and hardware stores. Call sheets also detail information about cast transportation arrangements, parking instructions and safety notes
3. Pick 5 points from your research that you have discovered and that influenced your ideas. Make the connection between your research and your product explicit.
Remember to label all your posts very clearly and you must have at least two posts each week.
Your aim for this week is to:
1. Get one page of your storyboard filmed and edited as an animatic, this means putting transitions and sound on, perhaps a voice over, even special effects.
The daily call sheet is a filmmaking term for a sheet of paper issued to the cast and crew of a film production, created by an assistant director, informing them where and when they should report for a particular day of shooting. Call sheets also include other useful information such as contact information (e.g. phone numbers of crew members and other contacts), the schedule for the day, which scenes and script pages are being shot, and the address of the shoot location. Call sheets may also provide logistical information in regards to the location. It is common to find weather information, sunrise/sunset times, local hospitals, restaurants, and hardware stores. Call sheets also detail information about cast transportation arrangements, parking instructions and safety notes
Here is an example of a call sheet or production sheet, note how detailed it is.
Friday, 24 September 2010
For Amy, documentary spec
7. An extract from a new documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes,
together with two of the following three options:
a radio trailer for the documentary;
a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary;
a newspaper advertisement for the documentary.
together with two of the following three options:
a radio trailer for the documentary;
a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary;
a newspaper advertisement for the documentary.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Examiner's Report on Advanced Portfolio Jan 10
The best film trailers did not attempt to tell the plot of the film in narrative order and included a
great variety of shots, using fast cuts to create an effective and atmospheric trailer. However the
majority followed the narrative of the film and were overlong and would have benefited from a
greater variety of shots and tighter editing. Some of the weakest looked more like submissions
for the short film brief!
Film posters were the most successful aspect of the ancillary tasks submitted and showed good
understanding of conventions. Magazine front covers were the most inconsistent. The weakest
showed little understanding of generic conventions.
There were some informed and effective TV documentaries, that demonstrated understanding of
the appropriate conventions, explored with technical skill and which had succeeded largely
because they had been built on genuine stories and featured real interviewees and mise en
scene and used thoughtful cutaways, relevant to what was being talked about. These
productions also clearly demonstrated a detailed level of planning. Some Centres submitted
much weaker TV documentary productions, where candidates had clearly fabricated the content
of their documentaries using people to play characters in the documentary who were clearly
reading a script when being ‘interviewed’. Sound was a real problem with a large number of
productions, with inconsistent sound levels and background noise under the voiceover. The
ancillaries for this brief were met with different levels of success: newspaper adverts were
generally well produced but a number of candidates used found images in their construction.
Double page spreads of listings magazines were the weakest element, with most of the DPS
being taken up with listings for TV channels and only a small amount of space being used for the
original production. The best created a full DPS about the programme with still images from the
programme and detailed and creative text. Few candidates produced radio adverts and those
that did tended to be weak with just a voiceover outlining the programme and little variety of
content, such as clips from the programme. The best productions had clearly been planned with
consideration of the channel it was to be broadcast on and target audience. This was evident in
the style and content of the programme and the ancillary texts with clear channel identity and
scheduling. There was only one candidate who appeared ‘confused’ producing a documentary
extract with the Channel 4 ident before the production started then producing ancillary texts
indicating the programme was to be broadcast on BBC1.
A few candidates worked to the short film brief and these were largely successful with clear
narrative and characterisation, careful construction of mise en scene, titling and camerawork.
Centres need to be more careful about originality in soundtracks, however. The posters for these
films were generally effective although the film magazine review pages were less successful.
There were very few radio trailers for the films. Evaluation
The best Evaluations took a multi-media approach. Whether as a presentation, a blog entry, or
as a DVD extra, an effective evaluation used clips and stills from the production work, feedback
from the audience - often as video or audio clips - and reflective analysis. Of particular note are
those candidates who created video-based evaluations which included talking heads, clips from
production work (often paused and annotated), and interviews with the audience. The direct
addressing of the four set questions was also a characteristic of a focused evaluation.
However, the Evaluation more generally tended to be the weakest element of candidates’ work
and the most over-marked. The worst evaluations were those on blogs or presentations that
consisted entirely of text, especially when responses to the set questions were either very short
or difficult to find amongst the rest of the material in a largely unstructured piece of writing. A
small number of candidates made the mistake of answering the set questions for Foundation
Portfolio, which was not acknowledged by the Centre. Most candidates did address the required
questions but in many cases their answers tended to be descriptive. Many evaluations took the
form of largely text-based essay-style answers on blogs or on numerous PowerPoint slides,
which many Centres then inappropriately rewarded as being excellent use of digital technology
and ICT. In one case a candidate was filmed reading her answers, which does not constitute
excellent use of digital technology. A number of Centres submitted DVDs of candidates either
being interviewed by a teacher answering the questions or delivering a presentation of their
evaluation to a class using a PowerPoint presentation. Some of these were extremely overlong,
in one Centre averaging 20 minutes per presentation. One centre filmed their presentations with
very faint audio, the candidates standing in front of the classroom door (which was opened in the
middle of presentations by other members of the Centre!) and with the view of the PowerPoint
on the screen being partially obscured by a desk top fan. This was not a very useful experience
and perhaps the sound and ‘mise en scene’ of this could be reconsidered for future submissions.
Advice
• The expectations of the unit are greater than for the old 2733 and this needs to be
reflected in the marking
• The best submissions were those making the most of the electronic basis of the new spec,
thoroughly integrating audio, video, image and web links to the written word during the
planning and research stages and the evaluation
• Encourage candidates to blog or use VLEs where possible, on an ongoing basis; this will
prove especially useful in preparing for G325
• Ensure candidates answer the four questions in their Evaluation
• Teach the skills for the ancillary tasks not just the main tasks
• Set an internal deadline well in advance of the Board’s deadline
• Complete print-based coversheets, filling in all sections accurately
• Where there are fewer than 10 candidates send all work to the moderators without waiting
for a sample request
great variety of shots, using fast cuts to create an effective and atmospheric trailer. However the
majority followed the narrative of the film and were overlong and would have benefited from a
greater variety of shots and tighter editing. Some of the weakest looked more like submissions
for the short film brief!
Film posters were the most successful aspect of the ancillary tasks submitted and showed good
understanding of conventions. Magazine front covers were the most inconsistent. The weakest
showed little understanding of generic conventions.
There were some informed and effective TV documentaries, that demonstrated understanding of
the appropriate conventions, explored with technical skill and which had succeeded largely
because they had been built on genuine stories and featured real interviewees and mise en
scene and used thoughtful cutaways, relevant to what was being talked about. These
productions also clearly demonstrated a detailed level of planning. Some Centres submitted
much weaker TV documentary productions, where candidates had clearly fabricated the content
of their documentaries using people to play characters in the documentary who were clearly
reading a script when being ‘interviewed’. Sound was a real problem with a large number of
productions, with inconsistent sound levels and background noise under the voiceover. The
ancillaries for this brief were met with different levels of success: newspaper adverts were
generally well produced but a number of candidates used found images in their construction.
Double page spreads of listings magazines were the weakest element, with most of the DPS
being taken up with listings for TV channels and only a small amount of space being used for the
original production. The best created a full DPS about the programme with still images from the
programme and detailed and creative text. Few candidates produced radio adverts and those
that did tended to be weak with just a voiceover outlining the programme and little variety of
content, such as clips from the programme. The best productions had clearly been planned with
consideration of the channel it was to be broadcast on and target audience. This was evident in
the style and content of the programme and the ancillary texts with clear channel identity and
scheduling. There was only one candidate who appeared ‘confused’ producing a documentary
extract with the Channel 4 ident before the production started then producing ancillary texts
indicating the programme was to be broadcast on BBC1.
A few candidates worked to the short film brief and these were largely successful with clear
narrative and characterisation, careful construction of mise en scene, titling and camerawork.
Centres need to be more careful about originality in soundtracks, however. The posters for these
films were generally effective although the film magazine review pages were less successful.
There were very few radio trailers for the films. Evaluation
The best Evaluations took a multi-media approach. Whether as a presentation, a blog entry, or
as a DVD extra, an effective evaluation used clips and stills from the production work, feedback
from the audience - often as video or audio clips - and reflective analysis. Of particular note are
those candidates who created video-based evaluations which included talking heads, clips from
production work (often paused and annotated), and interviews with the audience. The direct
addressing of the four set questions was also a characteristic of a focused evaluation.
However, the Evaluation more generally tended to be the weakest element of candidates’ work
and the most over-marked. The worst evaluations were those on blogs or presentations that
consisted entirely of text, especially when responses to the set questions were either very short
or difficult to find amongst the rest of the material in a largely unstructured piece of writing. A
small number of candidates made the mistake of answering the set questions for Foundation
Portfolio, which was not acknowledged by the Centre. Most candidates did address the required
questions but in many cases their answers tended to be descriptive. Many evaluations took the
form of largely text-based essay-style answers on blogs or on numerous PowerPoint slides,
which many Centres then inappropriately rewarded as being excellent use of digital technology
and ICT. In one case a candidate was filmed reading her answers, which does not constitute
excellent use of digital technology. A number of Centres submitted DVDs of candidates either
being interviewed by a teacher answering the questions or delivering a presentation of their
evaluation to a class using a PowerPoint presentation. Some of these were extremely overlong,
in one Centre averaging 20 minutes per presentation. One centre filmed their presentations with
very faint audio, the candidates standing in front of the classroom door (which was opened in the
middle of presentations by other members of the Centre!) and with the view of the PowerPoint
on the screen being partially obscured by a desk top fan. This was not a very useful experience
and perhaps the sound and ‘mise en scene’ of this could be reconsidered for future submissions.
Advice
• The expectations of the unit are greater than for the old 2733 and this needs to be
reflected in the marking
• The best submissions were those making the most of the electronic basis of the new spec,
thoroughly integrating audio, video, image and web links to the written word during the
planning and research stages and the evaluation
• Encourage candidates to blog or use VLEs where possible, on an ongoing basis; this will
prove especially useful in preparing for G325
• Ensure candidates answer the four questions in their Evaluation
• Teach the skills for the ancillary tasks not just the main tasks
• Set an internal deadline well in advance of the Board’s deadline
• Complete print-based coversheets, filling in all sections accurately
• Where there are fewer than 10 candidates send all work to the moderators without waiting
for a sample request
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Presentations
Well done for some excellent presentations. Make sure you upload them to your blog. Take the time to look at each others then write a feedback comment for each other on the blog comment. Its important that you use your blogs in the most interactive way possible.
You all have lots of information and activites to plough through over the next couple of weeks. I would like you to upload your responses to these onto yours blogs in the most user friendly way possible. You can record yourself straight onto the computers in almost a 'video diary', manner, discussing your ideas. Short responses or powerpoints are fine, but the exam board doesn't really want essay type responses. I will be looking at your blogs after every lesson and giving you a grade, -, = or + for the effort and level of response. Remember, sixth formers can have detentions and if there is nothing there you will have one! You are expected at this level to work outside of lesson time as well. I would suggest at least four hours a week.
Trailers:
Look here for activities to go with your sheets.
Short Films:
Look again at the 'About a Girl' worksheets and work through those for a detailed analysis of a short film.
You all have lots of information and activites to plough through over the next couple of weeks. I would like you to upload your responses to these onto yours blogs in the most user friendly way possible. You can record yourself straight onto the computers in almost a 'video diary', manner, discussing your ideas. Short responses or powerpoints are fine, but the exam board doesn't really want essay type responses. I will be looking at your blogs after every lesson and giving you a grade, -, = or + for the effort and level of response. Remember, sixth formers can have detentions and if there is nothing there you will have one! You are expected at this level to work outside of lesson time as well. I would suggest at least four hours a week.
Trailers:
Look here for activities to go with your sheets.
Short Films:
Look again at the 'About a Girl' worksheets and work through those for a detailed analysis of a short film.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Proposal for Advanced Portfolio
This needs to be handed in on Wednesday 8th September
Name:
Title of Brief:
Outline of ideas:
Auxiliary Products:
Target Audience: (age, gender, socio/economic group)
How will your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products? What is your inspiration?
How will your main product and ancillary texts compliment each other?
How will you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
How will you incorporate the following concepts?
Genre
Narrative
Representation
Audience
Media language
Timeline: the final product is due in on Friday 17th December. Draft a timeline for your research, planning, production, post-production (including audience feedback). How are you going to get it all done?
Name:
Title of Brief:
Outline of ideas:
Auxiliary Products:
Target Audience: (age, gender, socio/economic group)
How will your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products? What is your inspiration?
How will your main product and ancillary texts compliment each other?
How will you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
How will you incorporate the following concepts?
Genre
Narrative
Representation
Audience
Media language
Timeline: the final product is due in on Friday 17th December. Draft a timeline for your research, planning, production, post-production (including audience feedback). How are you going to get it all done?
A2 G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media
A2 G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media
You will be assessed on your ability to:
1. plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills (AO3);
2. Your knowledge and understanding in evaluating your own work, showing how meanings and responses are created (AO2);
3. Your ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (AO4).
4. You need to demonstrate engagement with contemporary media technologies, and develop your own skills in these technologies and in your presentation skills.
In the evaluation the following questions must be answered so you must bear this in mind during the planning and production process.
• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
• How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
• What have you learned from your audience feedback?
• How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation
stages?
Choose from either:
A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the
following three options:
• a website homepage for the film;
• a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
• a poster for the film
Or
A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or
animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options:
• a poster for the film;
• a radio trailer for the film;
• a film magazine review page featuring the film.
You will be examined on your Portfolios in
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
You answer 2 questions.
Question 1(a) requires candidates to describe and evaluate their skills development over the
course of their production work, from Foundation Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio. The focus of this
evaluation must be on skills development, and the question will require them to adapt this to one or
two specific production practices. The list of practices to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Digital Technology
• Creativity
• Research and planning
• Post-production
• Using conventions from real media texts
In the examination, questions will be posed using one or two of these categories so you need to prepare answers for all.
Where candidates have produced relevant work outside the context of their A Level media course,
they are free to additionally refer to this experience.
Question 1(b) requires candidates to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media
concept. The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Audience
• Media language
In the examination, questions will be set using one of these concepts only, you can use either your Foundation or the Advanced Portfolio to answer this depending on which is most suitable. So again you need to prepare answers to all of these and consider the concepts when planning and producing your artefacts.
You will be assessed on your ability to:
1. plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills (AO3);
2. Your knowledge and understanding in evaluating your own work, showing how meanings and responses are created (AO2);
3. Your ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (AO4).
4. You need to demonstrate engagement with contemporary media technologies, and develop your own skills in these technologies and in your presentation skills.
In the evaluation the following questions must be answered so you must bear this in mind during the planning and production process.
• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
• How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
• What have you learned from your audience feedback?
• How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation
stages?
Choose from either:
A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the
following three options:
• a website homepage for the film;
• a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
• a poster for the film
Or
A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or
animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options:
• a poster for the film;
• a radio trailer for the film;
• a film magazine review page featuring the film.
You will be examined on your Portfolios in
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
You answer 2 questions.
Question 1(a) requires candidates to describe and evaluate their skills development over the
course of their production work, from Foundation Portfolio to Advanced Portfolio. The focus of this
evaluation must be on skills development, and the question will require them to adapt this to one or
two specific production practices. The list of practices to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Digital Technology
• Creativity
• Research and planning
• Post-production
• Using conventions from real media texts
In the examination, questions will be posed using one or two of these categories so you need to prepare answers for all.
Where candidates have produced relevant work outside the context of their A Level media course,
they are free to additionally refer to this experience.
Question 1(b) requires candidates to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media
concept. The list of concepts to which questions will relate is as follows:
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Audience
• Media language
In the examination, questions will be set using one of these concepts only, you can use either your Foundation or the Advanced Portfolio to answer this depending on which is most suitable. So again you need to prepare answers to all of these and consider the concepts when planning and producing your artefacts.
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Comedy
Cinema going becoming a national past time. Cinema screening would go on all day. Remember there was not television, audiences would visit the cinema to watch the news reels, the national anthem was played and everyone would stand. A feature film would be on the bill but would be supported by shorter films. Comedians such as Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin amused the masses across the Atlantic, the start of globalisation??
Notice in the Laurel and Hardy clip how the editing is so much more involved. They are still using 'slapstick' techniques as they are coming from the silent era.
Notice in the Laurel and Hardy clip how the editing is so much more involved. They are still using 'slapstick' techniques as they are coming from the silent era.
Pageant of New Romney, Hythe and Sandwich (1910)
One of a number of short films G.A. Smith made to demonstrate his patented Kinemacolor process, this showcases a traditional historical re-enactment performed by people from various South Kent towns.
It also provides a graphic illustration of the Kinemacolor process's major drawback. Because it relied on alternating frames being filmed and projected through red and green filters, any movement would lead to minute differences between red and green elements, leading to the colour fringing that's all too evident in this particular take.
Link to BFI site
It also provides a graphic illustration of the Kinemacolor process's major drawback. Because it relied on alternating frames being filmed and projected through red and green filters, any movement would lead to minute differences between red and green elements, leading to the colour fringing that's all too evident in this particular take.
Link to BFI site
The Great Train Robbery 1903
These films show film makers attempts at creating a 'narrative'. This one in particular shows how important editing and using different shot types is.
The film used a number of innovative techniques including cross cutting, double exposure composite editing, camera movement and on location shooting. Cross-cuts were a new, sophisticated editing technique. Some prints were also hand colored in certain scenes.The film uses simple editing techniques (each scene is a single shot) and the story is mostly linear (with only a few "meanwhile" moments), but it represents a significant step in movie making, being one of the first "narrative" movies of significant length.
The film used a number of innovative techniques including cross cutting, double exposure composite editing, camera movement and on location shooting. Cross-cuts were a new, sophisticated editing technique. Some prints were also hand colored in certain scenes.The film uses simple editing techniques (each scene is a single shot) and the story is mostly linear (with only a few "meanwhile" moments), but it represents a significant step in movie making, being one of the first "narrative" movies of significant length.
Le Voyage dans la Lune 1902
A Trip to the Moon (French: Le Voyage dans la lune) is a 1902 French black and white silent science fiction film. It is loosely based on two popular novels of the time: From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne and The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells
The film was written and directed by Georges Méliès, assisted by his brother Gaston. The film runs 14 minutes if projected at 16 frames per second, which was the standard frame rate at the time the film was produced. It was extremely popular at the time of its release and is the best-known of the hundreds of fantasy films made by Méliès. A Trip to the Moon is the first science fiction film, and utilizes innovative animation and special effects, including the iconic shot of the rocketship landing in the moon's eye
It was named one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th century
Still influential today...
The film was written and directed by Georges Méliès, assisted by his brother Gaston. The film runs 14 minutes if projected at 16 frames per second, which was the standard frame rate at the time the film was produced. It was extremely popular at the time of its release and is the best-known of the hundreds of fantasy films made by Méliès. A Trip to the Moon is the first science fiction film, and utilizes innovative animation and special effects, including the iconic shot of the rocketship landing in the moon's eye
It was named one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th century
Still influential today...
This is a good example of post modern, intertextuality. Intertextuality is the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts. It can refer to an author’s borrowing and transformation of a prior text or to a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another. The term “intertextuality” has, itself, been borrowed and transformed many times since it was coined by poststructuralist Julia Kristeva in 1966. As critic William Irwin says, the term “has come to have almost as many meanings as users, from those faithful to Kristeva’s original vision to those who simply use it as a stylish way of talking about allusion and influence”. Kristeva's ideas have been linked amongst others to Saussure's (1913) theories of semiotics and Roland Barthes. Barthes's many monthly contributions that made up Mythologies (1957) would often interrogate pieces of cultural material to expose how bourgeois society used them to assert its values upon others. Roland Barthes's incisive criticism contributed to the development of theoretical schools such as structuralism, semiotics, existentialism, Marxism and post-structuralism. While his influence is felt in every field concerned with the representation of information and models of communication, including computers, photography, music, and literature. Barthes’ work was ever adapting and refuting notions of stability and constancy means there is no canon of thought within his theory to model one's thoughts upon, and thus no "Barthesism". His works remain valuable sources of insight and tools for the analysis of meaning in any given manmade representation.
The beginnings of Film, the 1890s
The first films produced were short. Film was very expensive, they didnt have batteries to power cameras etc.
The Lumiere Brothers were groundbreakers in the field. Each of these films are 17 metres long, when handcranked translates to 50 seconds. They mainly produced 'actualities', that reflected everyday life, or mini documentaries. Maybe you would like to produce an 'actualite' of your own?
They toured with their work using a Cinematograph which effectively functioned as camera, projector and printer all in one.
The Lumiere Brothers have been credited with over 1,425 different short films and had even filmed aerial shots years before the very first aiplane would take to the skies.
The Lumières pioneered not just the technical attributes of the camera but also its artistic attributes, creating a dialogue of REALISM that has always been a crux of cinema.
These early, silent films are useful to look at, not only to give you some historical context into the development of film, but also to pin point the evolution of the visual language and grammar of film that has formed the codes and conventions we take for granted today.
The Lumiere Brothers were groundbreakers in the field. Each of these films are 17 metres long, when handcranked translates to 50 seconds. They mainly produced 'actualities', that reflected everyday life, or mini documentaries. Maybe you would like to produce an 'actualite' of your own?
They toured with their work using a Cinematograph which effectively functioned as camera, projector and printer all in one.
The Lumiere Brothers have been credited with over 1,425 different short films and had even filmed aerial shots years before the very first aiplane would take to the skies.
The Lumières pioneered not just the technical attributes of the camera but also its artistic attributes, creating a dialogue of REALISM that has always been a crux of cinema.
These early, silent films are useful to look at, not only to give you some historical context into the development of film, but also to pin point the evolution of the visual language and grammar of film that has formed the codes and conventions we take for granted today.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Timeline for Advanced Portfolio
| Task | Deadline |
| Research into short film or film promotion. Generic research into at least 4 short films. Liar chart of aux products. Theory of film genre. Storyboards, animatic, photoshoots, sketches, drafts, screen shots, skills development from Foundation | On going- keep adding to blog |
| Aims and context 1. The situation: opens the story and may be disrupted. 2. Whose situation is it?- identifies the protagonist. 3. Central quest or conflict? What has the protagonist to resolve? 4. Who stands in the way of success? The antagonist. 5. How does the quest end? Show, don't tell! If its a genre specific film then define those conventions you will use. Consider, sound | Friday 9th July |
| Scripting: 1st draft Mood board about film | Friday 16th July |
| Drawn storyboard & location stills Upload to blog as an animatic | Wednesday 21st July |
| Shooting schedule prepared for shooting over summer hols | Wednesday 21 1st July |
| Summer hols: 1. Shoot footage for short film or trailer 2. Continue with research on blog 3. Complete FM1 Exploring Film Form –analysis of your choice of 2-5 minute film extract, (if you are taking Film Studies) | |
| Submit coursework for film studies Upload footage, edit & produce first rushes by | Monday 13th September Friday 24th September |
| Presentation of 1st edit to audience. Prepare questions you want target audience to answer in feedback session. Begin research for aux products. | Monday 4th October |
| Catch up on any outstanding work | 25th October ½ term |
| Research, plan and shoot for auxiliary artefacts. Poster, radio trailer or film review for Short film. Homepage, poster or magazine cover for Film Promo | Individual deadlines for these, plan your time ! |
| Re-focus on editing, re shoot parts that need it. Final presentation with aux products Record focus group feedback | Friday 3rd December |
| Analyse your work in terms of Media Language, Genre, Narrative, Representation, Audience. Write a script incorporating this as a ‘Directors commentary’ to be recorded over your film. This is instead of a formal written evaluation so it must be good! | Friday 10th December |
| Edit above footage. Ensure blog is complete, all research etc in place. Submit | Friday 17th December |
The Creative Process: Aims & Context: Friday 9th July
Please answer these questions on a new blog by 9th July.
Working title- these ideas may well change, it is a creative process so expect fluidity.
1. The situation: opens the story and may be disrupted.
2. Whose situation is it?- identifies the protagonist.
3. Central quest or conflict? What has the protagonist to resolve?
4. Who stands in the way of success? The antagonist.
5. How does the quest end?
Show, don't tell!
If its a genre specific film then define those conventions you will use.
Consider, sound
Working title- these ideas may well change, it is a creative process so expect fluidity.
1. The situation: opens the story and may be disrupted.
2. Whose situation is it?- identifies the protagonist.
3. Central quest or conflict? What has the protagonist to resolve?
4. Who stands in the way of success? The antagonist.
5. How does the quest end?
Show, don't tell!
If its a genre specific film then define those conventions you will use.
Consider, sound
What you have to do
Media Studies A2
G324 Advanced Portfolio due in Friday 17th December
Brief 1: Short Film
A 5 minute film & two of the following;
A poster
A radio trailer
Or a film magazine review page.
If you are totally stuck then use this brief:
Produce a short film with the title ‘The Man Next Door’. The film should be designed for digital distribution and should deal with issues pertinent to contemporary British Culture.
Short films are booming because of digital technology. Simon Quy writes that they are ‘Often a laboratory for experimentation and innovation’, rather than a shorter version of a feature film. He goes on, the short film might be considered as the literary equivalent of the poem or short story…..crystaline creations of precise, prismatic intensity, offering the careful refinement of the directors idea, the distilled essences of his/her imagination’.
Emphasis on clear narrative and characterisation, careful construction of mise en scene, tilting and camerawork.
This can also be used for:
Film Studies: FM1 Exploring Film Form
A short film or extract from a longer film with emphasis on visual communication.
Or Brief 2: Film Promotion
A trailer & two of the following;
Homepage for the film
Poster
Magazine cover featuring the film.
Produce a viral marketing campaign for a new film, aiming to attract an audience primarily through social networking sites and you tube. Trailer and website are primary marketing tools. Poster and mag cover the secondary phase adopting mainstream, ‘above and below the line; marketing techniques after the viral campaign has secured media interest.
Cloverfield campaign (associations with Lost and Alias
Step up from AS You will be expected to consider the decisions and creative process in the Critical Perspectives exam. This will be a ‘synoptic assessment’. Synoptic means, bringing everything together in an overview.
In terms of Media Language, Genre, Narrative, Representation, Audience
What this means is that by the end you will have produced at least 5 media products, you may have produced other work for an EPQ or your own projects. Eventually you will write about the above terms so bear them in mind whilst keeping your blog.
1. Focus on creative decisions informed by institutional knowledge.
2. Focus on creative decisions informed by theoretical understanding.
3. Evaluate, don’t describe.
4. Relate your media to ‘real media’ at the micro level (egs of intertextuality).
5. Deconstruct yourself- mood board
6. Choose micro examples to relate to macro reflective themes.
7. You probably followed & challenged conventions, be aware that in the Web 2 world, media literacies are changing.
8. Include broader media culture- other things you have done.
9. Use a ‘metadiscourse’- how is making a short film for a level different to one for a competition?
10. Use an academic mode of address & back up your points with quotes.
TOP TIPS!
1. PLANNING (you should spend most of your time planning & researching)
2. USE THE BLOG (put everything you look at one it and make it as dynamic and multi layered as possible).
3. PACE OF THE EDIT (some people have great ideas but if the shots are held too long for no narrative reason it can look amateurish).
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Examiners Report
Film Trailer:
The best film trailers did not attempt to tell the plot of the film in narrative order and included a great variety of shots, using fast cuts to create an effective and atmospheric trailer. However the majority followed the narrative of the film and were overlong and would have benefited from a greater variety of shots and tighter editing. Some of the weakest looked more like submissions for the short film brief!
Film posters were the most successful aspect of the ancillary tasks submitted and showed good understanding of conventions. Magazine front covers were the most inconsistent. The weakest showed little understanding of generic conventions.
Short Film:
A few candidates worked to the short film brief and these were largely successful with clear narrative and characterisation, careful construction of mise en scene, titling and camerawork. Centres need to be more careful about originality in soundtracks, however. The posters for these films were generally effective although the film magazine review pages were less successful. There were very few radio trailers for the films.
Evaluation
The best Evaluations took a multi-media approach. Whether as a presentation, a blog entry, or as a DVD extra, an effective evaluation used clips and stills from the production work, feedback from the audience - often as video or audio clips - and reflective analysis. Of particular note are those candidates who created video-based evaluations which included talking heads, clips from production work (often paused and annotated), and interviews with the audience. The direct addressing of the four set questions was also a characteristic of a focused evaluation.
However, the Evaluation more generally tended to be the weakest element of candidates’ work and the most over-marked. The worst evaluations were those on blogs or presentations that consisted entirely of text, especially when responses to the set questions were either very short or difficult to find amongst the rest of the material in a largely unstructured piece of writing. A small number of candidates made the mistake of answering the set questions for Foundation Portfolio, which was not acknowledged by the Centre. Most candidates did address the required questions but in many cases their answers tended to be descriptive. Many evaluations took the form of largely text-based essay-style answers on blogs or on numerous PowerPoint slides, which many Centres then inappropriately rewarded as being excellent use of digital technology and ICT. In one case a candidate was filmed reading her answers, which does not constitute excellent use of digital technology.
Advice
The expectations of the unit are greater than for the old 2733 and this needs to be reflected in the marking
The best submissions were those making the most of the electronic basis of the new spec, thoroughly integrating audio, video, image and web links to the written word during the planning and research stages and the evaluation
Encourage candidates to blog or use VLEs where possible, on an ongoing basis; this will prove especially useful in preparing for G325
Ensure candidates answer the four questions in their Evaluation
Teach the skills for the ancillary tasks not just the main tasks
Set an internal deadline well in advance of the Board’s deadline
Complete print-based coversheets, filling in all sections accurately
Where there are fewer than 10 candidates send all work to the moderators
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