Using ShowMe for Micro Analysis

You need to be analyzing a range of films and title conventions constantly.  This means investigating ways that you can highlight this to me and the moderator - that you understand your genre and what to look out for.

The video below was made using ShowMe on the iPad.  I've selected a few screenshots from the internet, although I could have done this watching an opening on Youtube and using the screenshot function.  I can pause, change photos, and continue my recording to create a nice sequence of analysis.  Below I am focusing on how the protagonist is shown in each frame, but I also noted other details.



ShowMe what you can do!

Blog on . . .

Using Voice Thread and similar tools for textual analysis

Here is a voicethread I created for a sample analysis about The Ring. 

Watch the clip first then listen to my commentary at the end - once you get the hang of video doodling it really is a  great way to show creativity, innovation and save typing detailed analysis.

 

 

SCRIPTING - BRINGING THE STORY TO LIFE

You should have a firm idea of what happens in your film.  Now is the time to develop this into a working script, your opening two minutes.

Students who go out and film without storyboards and scripts rarely succeed in producing a successful opening.  Good planning will lead to a good production.

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-Movie-Scripts

I am not expecting a full script, but I DO EXPECT to see a script of some sort outlining description and dialogue of what happens in the first two minutes. 

1. Once you have a script you can start to storyboard.
2. Once your storyboard is complete, then you can create an animatic. 
3. Once you have the animatic, you can start to think about where your titles and credits will appear. 
4. Once you have done this, you will create your shooting plan and shot list.
5. Once this is done, and assuming all your other planning materials are complete, THEN you are ready to go out and film.

You should be ready to film on the first day back after Christmas.

Health and Safety Considerations for Filming

Being prepared and well planned is an essential skill for practical productions within the media industry.  Film companies and TV production crew never just turn up at a location unannounced and start filming, they have already a clear idea of what lies on the horizon.

By completing a recce (a pre-visit) of your preferred location, you should be able to identify any potential difficulties when filming.  This can include moving objects like cars and trains, to structures like buildings, steps, etc.  It's also a great way of finding out what the light is like, noise levels, and for collecting ideas together.

Below is a professional template used by film companies when assessing suitability, and below that is a AS Media Studies student exemplar.  READ through it, most of it is common sense.

You must complete one of these before filming, you cannot film without one!

Film production risk assessment form from Graveney School

 

And here's the student exemplar http://anne-mariegmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/risk-assessment.html 

 

A walkthrough is a very good way of covering yourself, this is where you arrive at location, film and discuss what you can see (hazards, possible shooting locations).  

Given the advent of phones that can do anything, you need to research where you are going to film your masterpiece.  You will know where you want to film, but you should give as much evidence as possible (photographic) showing where you will shoot.  Is it a public place or private home?  If shooting in the public, you should really consider the danger posed to you and by you - ask your teacher for a letter confirming your role as a media student and by no means should you go wandering around town at night with a mask and real knife...you'd be surprised by how many students have done this.

 

PEER ASSESSMENT OF BLOGS

YOU ARE GOING TO MARK EACH OTHER'S BLOGS USING A TEMPLATE GIVEN TO YOU IN CLASS

Below are the links to individual student blogs.  Have a look at what they are producing:

Exemplar blogs -

12B

Ahmet - Katranciproduction.blogspot.co.uk  

Baris - karakurtproduction.blogspot.com

Trenay - http://trenaywatkins.wix.com/asmedia

Daniel - temenuasmedia.weebly.com

Paige - asmedia-haynes.weebly.com

Shanice - shaniceming.wix.com/asmedia

Amid - amidojubanire.wix.com

Melisa - melisamedia.weebly.com

Mehsan - asmedia-mushtaq.weebly.com 

Mark - markkamara.wix.com/as-media 

Bradley - bradleyfish.wix.com/bradleyasmedia     

William - William-asmedia.weebly.com

Unal - unall.weebly.com 

12C

Guv - guvasmedia.weebly.com

Leonita - leonitamurtezi.wix.com/leonitaasmedia 

Cansu - http://cansukalan.wix.com/cansu-k-as-media--

Seda - http://www.eldeksedanur.wix.com/asmedia

Cassie - http://cassieale6.wix.com/cassandrasstory

Ijah - http://underlineproductions.weebly.com

Terrence - http://telfersmedia.weebly.com 

Jordan - http://jordankouasmedia.blogspot.co.uk

Oumie -  http://oumiejoofasmedia.blogspot.co.uk  

Ameer - ameerahmedasmedia.blogspot.co.uk

Alicem - http://alicemasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Using a Video Camera

Please take five minutes to review the presentation below about camera techniques. Then you should visit this website and look at the online tutorial about using a camera and planning for a shoot.

http://www.mediacollege.com/video/camera/tutorial/

In addition, the outcomes from doing this should be blogged about.  I suggest you complete a camera micro analysis of a film opening that uses camera in a particularly creative way.  I also suggest you look at student exemplar AS work on Youtube as a good point of reference - your work will appear on Youtube also, so unless you can't take criticism I suggest you polish up on these skills.

Video Camera techniques - A-level from alevelmedia

Below is an idiots guide to filming for idiots.


 

 

That is all - why aren't you blogging?

Moodboards, mindmaps and adding to your Blog - Research and Planning Extras

Okay, blogs are still looking a little thin.  Here are some very simple ideas to consolidate your ideas onto your blogspot, weebly and wix accounts. 

 http://www.slideshare.net/guest7d6423/mediapresentation-almost-done2-3263152

The above presentation talks about the technical elements of a specific type of film.  Here the students have looked at a range of films and talked about the technical elements: typical types of camera shots, editing style, mise-en-scene, sound, titles and narratives. 

I expect you all to do something like this - simply complete your PowerPoint and then embed it by uploading your content to slideshare or authorstream, both free to register and use online. Simples! 

MOOD BOARDS

A mood board is a visual representation of your ideas.  If you are researching genre, you could create a number of mood boards, for example, a collage of movie posters related to that genre.  the mood board below represents a student's idea about what type of imagery and iconography they expect to see in a kidnap scene.

http://liampenng321.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/moodboard.html & http://bobbiebrownsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/action-movie-mood-board.html

Whilst the blog post is not particularly detailed, there is a brief explanation of intention and I can acknowledge that they have thought about the genre by collecting a range of ideas and iconography.  What would improve this is a list of sources and films they've drawn inspiration from. In this example, they have made their own and then posted a picture of it online with an explanation.

http://ascvhsmediacjc.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/g321-genre-moodboard.html

PREZI

This is a useful tool to show a process or an idea.  I suggest you set up a free account and experiment using it.  The example below is a useful one because the concept is simple 'Developing a Title for our Film' and the logic is evident as the Prezi progresses.



Be creative and have fun!  Next assessment point is next week.

Creating Your Pitch - A Rough Guide

Format: 

• You will present, to the class, the ideas and thought processes that have gone into coming up with your film. 
• The pitches will be filmed as evidence of planning (you can put this on your blog) and you can use a variety of presentation methods to help you. 
• You will then consolidate all your materials into a lengthy blog post that will form your assessed piece 5.

You can use the IWB (projector/whiteboard) to present a PowerPoint or Prezi and to show media and images related to your pitch.  Be creative, be bold, don't just read your presentation off the screen.

Core contents:

Introduction, if you are working alone then you are going to introduce yourself as your film company, e.g. in my case I would say that I am representing RAM Productions.

It is advisable to have your film logo up on the screen during this time, and for high end marks you should talk a bit about your brand and ideology (what kind of films your company makes, e.g. quality thrillers that appeal to mass audiences worldwide).

You are there to present your ideas for a new film called . . . (insert your title here).  There should be an explanation of how you came up with this name.  Remember, shorter, one word titles work better; films with 'The' at the start are also okay.  Anything above this usually has to be genre related, e.g. 'The Hills Have Eyes' clearly has horror connotations, as does 'The Last House on the Left'.  Whereas, an action film called 'Will Wants Revenge' sounds lame, boring and uninspiring, whereas 'Revenge' is more apt.  Test it out on your audience, do some audience research, or VOX pops.

 WHAT HAS YOUR AUDIENCE RESEARCH SHOWN YOU??

Talk us through your list of ideas and how you settled on the original (remember, film titles change right up until the film is edited, so don't worry if you're unsure - YOU CAN CHANGE LATER).

A good starting point is to talk about comparable films, by comparing and contrasting similar films you are telling us that you understand your chosen genre and have a clear vision of how you will apply the codes and conventions of this type of film.

Plot
You should talk about the films storyline (from start to finish), this is similar to reading the back of the DVD cover or the blurb on a film's website or cinema listing.  Don't forget to talk about key binary oppositions and character roles within your film.

The opening two minutes
Think about how your film is going to start.  Usually you will be introduced to the main character or the main plot catalyst that will drive the film forward.  What films gave you inspiration for your opening?  Give us a taste of what's to come.

The Cast
Whilst you won't actually get Tom Cruise to star in your film, if you are making the type of film that he would star in, then talk about how you want him cast in your film.  Who is your dream team for this cast? List and discuss. 

 

ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE - IF WE ARE FALLING ASLEEP IT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T DONE A GOOD ENOUGH JOB OR COMPLETING THE INITIAL RESEARCH.

Locations
Start thinking about location scouting, what resources you have available to you and where you will film the majority of your film.  If you don't have all the materials when you come to pitch, don't worry, just make sure it goes under your planning folder.

Q & A
Factor in time for questions.

Student exemplar of a film pitch.  Watch it and evaluate:

• What their film is called - would you watch it, is it appropriate?
• What technologies they have used (the audio link is not working but is intended for blog and shows interactivity).
• How clear they are in their aims (where they want to film)
• How they have shown understanding.

Film pitch from kiransaghir95

And what about this example - how have they reflected on audience?

1. http://astleyemmaasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/week-1-opening-film-brainstorm-101011.html
2. http://astleyemmaasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/our-film-title-ideas-and-final-decision.html
3. http://astleyemmaasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/our-pitch-21111.html

Here, three posts nicely lead into one.

KEY POINT: What you want to achieve, how you will achieve it, what you have learnt from the process.

BLOG BLOG BLOG

The BBFC - Age ratings for your film

You need to have a working knowledge of how films are categorized, especially when it comes to pitching your film.

You need to have a good working knowledge of your target audience, which is why conducting audience research is essential.  Make sure your questions and focus groups are completed thoroughly before deciding on an age rating for your film.

Use this guide http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/student-guide to help you decide what age rating you will market your film as.

BBFC Questions for Media Coursework

You should use the  http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/student-guide to help you answer these questions.

1. When was the BBFC set up?  More importantly, why was it set up?
   
   
2. What is the main function of the BBFC?  This can include examples of some of services that they offer.

You will need to research and think carefully: Why do we need the BBFC?  Ideally, you should find examples of cuts and rejections that they have made in the past and how they have responded to press complaints.

1. What is the process of rating a film?  How will you take this into consideration when planning your film?

NEXT STEPS

Find an example of a film linked to your chosen genre.  What age rating was it?  You can search the BBFC to see what was said about this and you must translate this information across.

There are several case studies to choose from.

You will be coming up with a pitch at the end of the week bringing together all of your ideas so far.  

As ever, all of this information should be put into a blog post to show knowledge and understanding of media institutions, audiences and the role of the producer.

Audience Research - getting started

Remember, without a clear idea of who your audience is your film opening is unlikely to be a success.  Secondly, audiences are closely linked to genre - it is because of audiences that genres exist, because audiences like to know what to expect when they go to see a film.

You will need to reflect on your genre research and think about why audiences enjoy watching that type of film you are going to make.  With that in mind, you are able to start developing a questionnaire.

As well as considering some audience theory (pick and mix theory, uses and gratifications) we need to be able to classify our audience first.  We need to know who they are and what makes them tick.

How do institutions use this information? 

Well, not only do they carry out extensive research into audiences, but they also carry out test screenings of some films to gauge an audiences reaction, to know whether to change endings, make cuts, etc.   Why is it that DVDs have so many deleted scenes and alternate endings?  Because of the audiences, because they ultimately pay to watch your film, because audiences matter.

Where do you start?

Most people decide to do a questionnaire targeted at their preferred audience.  Next week you will be looking at age ratings and classifications and will use these results to help build a profile of your typical preferred audience (psychographic profile). 

Many students make really bad questionnaires without thinking about what it is they want to achieve. You have an idea of what type of film genre you want to produce, so make it relevant to what you want to make.  If you don't, what you end up with is a series of useless answers and irrelevant pie charts.

So think hard about the type of questions you want to ask your audiences, and explain (to me and examiner) why you are asking them.  See this example by a student and note how she thought about why she wanted to ask these questions.

http://astleyemmaasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/horrorthriller-film-genre-audience.html

Methods

Don't just use a plain paper questionnaire, be creative.  Use survey monkey https://www.surveymonkey.com/ to help you create a quick online tool that will do the hard work for you.  Remember to post this on Facebook and Twitter to get more success.  A questionnaire completed by four of your best friends is a pretty lame start; a questionnaire completed by 20+ teenagers/adults of varying background might yield more interesting results.

You can also do surveys, voting polls and even video interviews (VOX pops) about what they like or dislike about certain film genres.  The example below is certainly not perfect, and seems more like an homage to Made in Chelsea, but it is showing students engaging with the task and having fun.  Fun people, making films is fun!

BLOG = (THOUGHT PROCESS + ACTION + CREATIVITY) / RELEVANCE

Once you have completed your audience research you should reflect on the process of researching your audience and what your findings show you.  Don't just do things without considering how they are taking your project one step closer to completion.

Blog on!



Genre Research - Your Film

You need to have a clear understanding of film genre before you begin planning out and producing your opening sequence.

Let me talk you through a few exemplars about how you can approach this:

We all know that genre means type, and that you are going to produce a certain 'type' of film opening.  So what are the genres?

http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html

Gives you the basic codes and conventions of each genre and talks about some of the sub genres available.  A good starting point is to prevent this visually through a word cloud.  Here's one I made at www.worditout.com although I could use www.wordle.net but only works on home pc.

Here I have a quick reference of what I'm looking to find.  Alternatively, if I want to choose a sub genre, I suggest you look at this:

 

 

Film Genres from newestprod

Now that you have identified the genre, you need to research it. 

When did the genre come about?  You can answer this by looking into the oldest films of this type.  So for Gangster I would probably research a classic black and white film, then a classic modern gangster film, and then one contemporary.  See below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mob_film

1. The Public Enemy (1931, W Wellman)

This is one of the earliest, classic gangster films starring James Cagney, an iconic Hollywood actor who was typecast as playing a tough guy (stock character for such a genre). 

When analyzing the type of films typical of your genre it is worth analyzing all promotional material associated with it, such as movie posters like the above.  This shows typical codes and conventions of the genre (the high key lighting, costume, use of dark colours, shadows, the colour red, representation of men as being dominant). 



The clip above is not the opening, but it does highlight the typical codes and conventions we have come to associate with the crime/gangster genre.

2. I could look at another similar film made at a later date, like Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987), but instead I think looking at a film like Scarface would be more appropriate.

Interestingly enough, Brian De Palma also directed this film in 1983, so there is scope to do some director research, since it seems De Palma might be a bit of an auteur when it comes to producing gangster films.  The poster is significant and still holds dear many of the conventions associated with crime (guns, bold contrasts, use of red text, chiseled expression) and has Al Pacino, also a star of films such as Godfather, Carlito's Way, Heat, etc.  There is a pattern.  As you research, you will also discover a pattern in your genre.

 

 

This clip links to other famous scenes from the movie.  You need to analyse and comment on what you see and hear.  These are the codes (repertoire of elements) that you need to explore in your film.

Lets think about clip number 3.  Perhaps a British Gangster Film would be good, and a current one too.  There are loads.  Lock STock, Layer Cake, Gangster Number 1 all spring to mind.  Even the newest ones below are worth a look to show you have up to date working knowledge of the genre.




Don't forget to analyse all of the promotion material and create a mood board (a visual representation of the codes and convetions of the genre) on your blogs/websites.

The above is the bare minimum I expect.


BLOG BLOG BLOG!! You are not doing this enough!

Designing a Studio Logo

There are a number of tools you can use to do this.  Before we look at what they are, you need to think of some ideas about what your film production company will be called.

Start by thinking of your initials or group initials if you want to create an identity.  Alternatively, if you know what genre you want to make, then give yourself a genre appropriate name. E.g. for horror, you might want to call yourself 'Cold Steel Films' or something else with appropriate connotations.  For an action movie, perhaps you would use the term 'Magnum Films'.

My initials are RAM, so naturally I would want to make a film that has some iconography linked to this, below are some Google image examples.

This image is taken from a car manufacturer, the image has a nice metallic feel and looks bold and sleek.  All I need to do is add the word productions. This is a classic image of a ram, so I could crop and only use part of this image - the horns are biggest giveaway.

Here the horns have been adjusted slightly and an existing text slogan already exists




The programs I will be using are Photoshop, and an online website called http://www.flixpress.com

There are two approaches, either make my logo from scratch in Photoshop or use a free automated template in Flixpress to create an animated logo.

Above I have made sure that I used the film and video preset (file - new - preset - film and video - PAL Widescreen) and coloured the background black.

I have edited the image by removing some of the background (magic wand tool) and positioning it within the safety lines.  By right clicking any of my layers I get 'blending options' which allows me add effects like glow, shadow and emboss (great for 3D effects).

The font I used above was taken as a screenshot from www.dafont.com the nice thing about this website is that you can choose themed fonts, e.g. action, horror, drama, comedy. 

• Alternatively, see what I've made below using Flixpress. 

Here I am able to customise the theme and get the right look.

You should all be blogging about the evaluation of how you made your film production logo:

• how did you start
• how did you generate ideas
• if you were in a group
• how will you choose the one to use in your film.

Screenshot lots of evidence to highlight on your blogs (screenshots, images, completed logos)

Creating a Brand - Film Studios and Logo Analysis

Now that you all know how to film a basic moving image sequence, your next task is to come up with a production company name and logo before we embark on developing an idea and creating a successful film opening. 

How will I do this?

Initially, you will need to complete some research on film studio logos. 

Can you identify who the main six studios are?  Give examples to highlight your understanding.

Before you look at film production companies in more detail, you will need to analyse film studio logos and think about what each of their idents connotes to audiences. See the example below.

Universal

 

"The word universal connotes global success, as if announcing to audiences that the films produced by this company have universal appeal and are recognised worldwide.  The fact that the text 'Universal' has a gold rim around it suggests high quality; that the films produced will survive the test of time, reflecting the 'golden' age of Hollywood film production.  The logo denotes that the sun shines behind the globe, which can also suggest that Universal is a beacon, a leading light in film production . . . "

 

I could write more, perhaps use some examples of their great films which highlight this.  Remember, this is a film studio, the company with the money that pays the film companies to produce the films for them, they will then distribute this film around the world. Sometimes, they distribute their money to their own film companies or organizations who have a financial interest in the country.

 

• You can try entering the name of a film studio into Wikipedia and looking at who the parent and subsidiary companies are.

 

At the start of your film you will be using the studio logo that you would want to finance your production.  You should visit www.boxofficemojo.com and look at what types of films each distributor specialises in and what is commercially successful.  You can often find patterns by looking at the type of films they make.

 

Here's the studio logo for Universal, look at how it has changed over the years. Is the brand's ideology still the same? Universal have always produced groundbreaking movies, what evidence is there in the logos to suggest that?

And here's some more film studio logos for you to compare and analyse.  Whilst I do not expect you to become a whizz at computer animation, I will show you of some shortcuts and ideas for making something as effective.

Film production companies

In the first 2-3 minutes of any film opening, the first two things you see tend to be the studio logo, followed by a film production ident.  Have you ever seen a Jerry Bruckheimer film?  If you haven't, by watching the ident below, we can probably assume (as audiences) that it will involve dark storylines, action, be exciting and have a certain finesse.



How do I know this?  Well, I just watched the same sequence as you did.  The connotations of each image is significant, and when lighting strikes, what does that say about this film company?

• Branding is closely linked to the key concept of Ideology. 
• Ideology, you will recall, represents a company's or person's views, values and opinions. 
• What you stand for and firmly believe in is known as your ideology or instilled belief. 

Creating a brand for your film production company will take careful consideration and time.
If you work on your own, the film company should represent elements of your personality and fit the mood of the film.  Likewise, if you decide to work in groups, you should create a logo or acronym which binds all of your ideas and tastes together.

Calling yourself 'Happy Clown Films' creates certain connotations. I would not expect you to make horror films with this branding unless you used Pennywise imagery from IT.  Choose wisely - see the next post on Logo Design.

Reflection on the Preliminary Task

The vast majority of you have now completed this exercise.  Well done!

Now it's time to reflect - and BLOG - about your experience.

Firstly, lets do a little audit of skills and technologies that you used to create your prelim.  You should be able to identify what you have used in the creation of your blog.  Here's an example:

"My brief for my preliminary task was to demonstrate an understanding of continuity editing, this meant filming a sequence whereby a character walks through a door and sits or stands opposite another character, and exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue.  I would need to highlight my understanding of media language by filming a match on action shot, shot reverse shot, and not break the 180 degree rule."

Most of you did this.  Some of you failed first time round, some even failed second time round, mainly because you crossed the line or needed to show another shot.  I need to see them before you post your completed prelim to check if it works and to make sure that you have passed. 

If you did fail - good, you will have more to reflect upon and know how not to fail when it comes to producing your final piece. 

Tools Used

• Computers/internet - to view the blog and watch examples on the blog of good and bad practice
• Storyboard sheets - to sketch initial ideas (take pictures of them if you did this) If you did stick men, how did you improve upon this?
• iPads - you used the camera function to take digital images of each shot, then you cropped each one so that you could use them in a storyboard
• Apps - you used shot designer to map out your location, and you may have used storyboards to experiment with orientation and pre-visualize. Evidence these on your blog!
• Walkthrough using Camera - you may have used your iPad to take pictures of your filming location before you filmed (good practice) and created a slideshow in shot order.
• Casting - you will have emailed or texted or tweeted your friends to get involved in your productions.
• Note/Word - if you were properly organized you would have scripted the dialogue.
• Videolicious - this app lets you talk through your storyboards in sequence, particularly useful if your drawings are really bad and you want to explain what's going on.
• MovieMaker - you may have edited the animatic in moviemaker first to add titles, narrate or even just see if the sequence works.  Again, you could have used still images or those created in Storyboards.
• iPads - many of you used the video function to film your prelims - how was that? Some of you held the iPad the wrong way round (durghh!) - don't make this mistake again - hold it like a TV screen 14:9 ratio, not 9:14 - that's just wrong.
• Cutecut - although limited to 30 seconds, many of you experimented with this because you have used this before.  It works and can truncate your movie (see below)
• blogger/weebly/wix - whichever one you have chosen, I expect you to have documented the whole process outlined above.

1.

2.

 

3.

4.

 

REFLECTION

 WWW

• So, what do you like about the prelim you created? 
• Explain how you found completing the task. 
• How have you improved as a result of doing this? 
• Do you understand the rules of continuity editing, the 180 degree rule, match on action shot? 
• Which shot are you most proud of and why?

 

EBI

• Why did you fail first time round?
• What shot looked wrong and which did you have to refilm?  Explain your reasons for this.
• How's your framing - do you have the right amount of headroom or are you way off? 
• What if you weren't using iPads, how did you find the filming exercise?
• How could you improve?
• and incase you missed the last one, how could you improve?

 Bottom line, you could all improve - please make this very clear in your posts.

 







Re-examining the conventions of an opening title sequence

Look at this presentation and think about what you expect to see in the first 2-3 minutes of your opening.

 

Conventions of Title Sequences from reigatemedia

Make sure that you continue to watch film openings and complete basic analyses on a regular basis.

BLOG BLOG BLOG!!!

How to use Slideshare to improve your blogs

Below is a tutorial showing you how to upload all of your powerpoints that you complete for your AS coursework.

SlideShare Tutorial from ceheit3

Using Voki and other avatars in your blogs

 

The above was created in Voki in less than two minutes.  There is a simple text to voice translate tool that lets you share your thoughts in minutes.  Simply grab the embed code when you have finished and embed it into your blog or weebly or wix using the html function.

 

 

Production diary - schedule - please see what is expected from you by half term

Year 12 AS Media Studies Production Diary 2013-2014

Over the coming weeks you will be completing your Foundation Portfolio in Media Studies (coursework unit worth 50% of your AS grade).  It is important that you keep all your written notes organised and filed, as well as regularly updating your blogs/websites 2-3 times a week.

Below is a table that outlines some key dates for you to independently plan ahead. Remember, if you are not blogging, you are falling behind with your coursework.  (40-50 blog posts is expected for a C grade or above, 50-60 for a B, 60-70 for a low A, 70+ for an A* equivalent)

Ø  You are expected to spend at least 2-3 hours a week working on your blogs for homework

Week	Learning Objective	How was this demonstrated?  What was the outcome?
WEEK 1 30th Sept  – 6th October	You will understand the aims of the coursework brief. You will create a production schedule for your coursework. You will analyse a range of film opening sequences.	Creation of a blog account and a summative reflection talking about the weeks ahead.  Creation of an action plan for the next four weeks, adhering to deadlines on Bridge blog. Two analyses include the use of key words and media language (denotation, connotation, camera shots and angles); they also discuss genre, mise-en-scene, narrative and typography.
WEEK 2 7 – 13th October	You will understand the assessment criteria for the preliminary exercise task. You will identify the importance of good planning through constructing appropriate planning materials to help shoot and edit the preliminary task	Completion of the preliminary exercise in groups, showing an understanding of the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot (2-3 lessons).  Evidenced on the blog with personal reflection and evaluation on the activity, including storyboards, scripts, screen-grabs, animatics, pictures and other planning materials.
WEEK 3 14th – 20th October	You will complete an audit of new media technologies that you can use within your coursework over the coming weeks (apps, online software). Complete your preliminary task using the criteria from week 2 and evaluate your strengths.	There will be evidence of new media technologies presented on your blog, including Voki, Voicethread and Prezi. Your blog will have a comprehensive entry about your experience completing the preliminary task, including embedding the final sequence into a video player.
WEEK 4 21st Oct – 27thth Oct	You will understand the importance of ideology and branding in terms of film institutions and production. You will design, construct and analyse your own film studio logo.	Completed logo design and analysis with interpretation and reflection. Further analysis of film openings using new media. Completed action plan for half term and remainder of autumn term.
HALF TERM	MAKE SURE ALL BLOG POSTS ARE COMPLETED.	Ø  All blogs must have easily accessible content, including the use of labels and menu bars. Ø  At least two opening sequences have been analysed. Ø  genre is discussed and identified; Ø  The preliminary task has been undertaken and successfully completed and evaluated. Ø  You have come up with a name for your production company including any design ideas you might have.

RESPONDING TO POSTS

You should make a habit of blogging. 

• An A grade students typically completes 70+ blog posts and shows the journey from inception to completion.  
• A C grade student does around 50+, and so on. . .  

When you complete an exercise in Media, the model student will go on their blog and talk about how it will help them.  Typically, they may start with "Today in class we looked at . . . " to put the blog into context, then they will talk about how they hope it will help them. 

Here's an example of a student using BlogSpot (part of a group of 2) that I taught a couple of years ago.  She got straight A's in Media.  http://astleyemmaasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/ she also did the whole coursework from start to finish in 13 weeks.

If you need some guideposts on other things you can be doing for your film opening, then I suggest you look here http://www.alevelmedia.co.uk/page27.php It is especially useful for those students who need to consider genre and what type of film they like before embarking on an idea.

Prelim Planning

If you find that the storyboard App is too fiddly for you, then just use the good old fashioned storyboard sheets here , we can then convert these into animatics and bring your ideas to life - great pre-visualistion tools!

The Preliminary Task

Before you even begin to properly plan and develop your opening sequence, you need to have a secure understanding of basic filmmaking techniques.  In particular, an understanding of continuity editing, the shot-reverse shot, and the 180 degree rule.

How am I assessed?

The exam board states that you must complete this exercise before moving on to your construction.  Essentially, the preliminary task is marked under the planning section (20%) AO3 & AO4.

What do I have to demonstrate?

To show your understanding, you must complete the following task:

'film a sequence in which a character walks through a door, sits opposite another character and exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue.'

Sounds simple enough, but you'd be surprised how many people cross the line.  What do I mean by crossing the line?  See the video below:

 

Success Criteria

 

Unlike demonstrating your understanding of each shot type, which you did successfully for Mr Gourley in his lesson, you are expected to plan this out in detail and edit it to a professional standard.  Look at the following student exemplars of good and bad practice. 

 

Bad:

 

 

The main failings of this piece are the fact that it breaks the continuity flow (the character having shirt shown and then jacket zipped right up).  There is also really bad shot-reverse shot framing and even a jump cut, so it would be a fail.  This group would have to reshoot the whole thing until they get it right.  Don't rush - a shoddy preliminary task will most likely lead to a shoddy opening sequence.

 

Better:

 

Whilst not perfect, this group really go for it in terms of experimenting with camera shots, angles and editing techniques. They meet the criteria for the preliminary task within the first 30 seconds, but then decide to be experimental, even applying simple titles. 

I recommend that you use the preliminary task to get used to using the technology effectively.  There isn't really a match on action shot (hand going for the door, close up of handle opening, walking through door) but there is enough evidence to see that students are embracing the course. This exercise is essentially a warm up to the real thing.

Examiner Tip: Show that you care, seeing the preliminary task as a chore won't fill you, your teacher, or the moderator with confidence that you really thought about your project.

Apps you will need - Storyboards and Shot Designer.  I will demonstrate these in class.

 

Title Sequences - Homework

Reflecting back on the work we did on genre, I would like you to choose your own film opening and talk about how genre is established in the first 2-4 minutes of the film.

Example:

 

You can pick any film you like, even develop your first homework piece, but you must get used to using key media language and using the embed tool.

Key Terms to use in your analysis:

• Repertoire of elements
• codes and conventions
• signs, signifier and signified
• iconography
• genre
• representation
• narrative
• audience - expectations, positioning

Please read through your notes and make sure you follow this blog to get class updates.  You will be asked to use Voicethread next week for some of your tasks - so download the app.

This will count as your second of four film opening analyses and part of AP1.

The Art of the Title Sequence

Your G321 Foundation Portfolio brief is to produce the first two minutes of a new film to include titles, credits and original music.

Let's start by analysing what a title sequence really is.

 

Title sequences are an art form, almost as important as the opening scene from a movie.  According to Syd Field, Act 1 (The Set-up) happens in the first 10 minutes of a film.  Within this time it is likely that you will have some sort of prologue or intro into the narrative or conflict that will drive the film forward.  A title sequence not only acts as a breather from the action (which can sometimes be quite full on in certain movies) but a time to reflect on the enigma codes set up by the director; title sequences also give a flavour of the movie using several signifiers which help affirm audience's expectations about the genre and narrative.

 

The title sequence for Se7en was a well considered production that, if you see from the link below, involved a great deal of conceptual artwork and photography to get the right look. You can also look at the Art of the Title Feature about the work of David Fincher (an auteur).

 

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/se7en/

 

1. Your first task (and one of your first blog posts) is to write an analysis of this title sequence.
2. The nearpod code to help you is VIKSP
3. You need to take at least 9 appropriate screenshots from the sequence to analyse.
4. You will need to post this on your blog using: links, an embedded video clip, images, formatted and spellchecked analysis.

 

 

Student Blogs - Media Hub

Below are the links to individual student blogs.  Have a look at what they are producing:

Exemplar blogs -

12B

Ahmet - Katranciproduction.blogspot.co.uk  

Baris - karakurtproduction.blogspot.com

Trenay - http://trenaywatkins.wix.com/asmedia

Daniel - temenuasmedia.weebly.com

Paige - asmedia-haynes.weebly.com

Shanice - shaniceming.wix.com/asmedia

Amid - amidojubanire.wix.com

Melisa - melisamedia.weebly.com

Mehsan - asmedia-mushtaq.weebly.com 

Mark - markkamara.wix.com/as-media 

Bradley - bradleyfish.wix.com/bradleyasmedia     

William - William-asmedia.weebly.com

Unal - unall.weebly.com 

12C

Guv - guvasmedia.weebly.com

Leonita - leonitamurtezi.wix.com/leonitaasmedia 

Cansu - http://cansukalan.wix.com/cansu-k-as-media--

Seda - http://www.eldeksedanur.wix.com/asmedia

Cassie - http://cassieale6.wix.com/cassandrasstory

Ijah - http://underlineproductions.weebly.com

Terrence - http://telfersmedia.weebly.com 

Jordan - http://jordankouasmedia.blogspot.co.uk

Oumie -  http://oumiejoofasmedia.blogspot.co.uk  

Ameer - ameerahmedasmedia.blogspot.co.uk

Alicem - http://alicemasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/