Tuesday, 27 April 2010
FINAL DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY!
ALL FINAL EVALUATIONS MUST BE POSTED TO THE BLOG BY 6PM THIS FRIDAY (30TH) AT THE VERY LATEST. ANY LATE WORK BEYOND THAT TIME WILL BE SUBJECT TO MARKS BEING DEDUCTED, OR NOT BE MARKED.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
ONGOING EVALUATION WORK
You should have posted your draft evaluation by now. This was not an optional deadline, and so if you haven't met this, you should expect less advice and feedback than those that met the deadline. In case you need to refer to the brief again when you redraft, it appears below.
Remember the key point - the evaluation must not look like, or be written as an essay. It needs to be more like a detailed presentation - lots of images, bullet points and lots of terms and evidence of knowledge of the thriller genre.
THE EVALUATION
DRAFT DEADLINE: MONDAY APRIL 19TH ON THE BLOG
An evaluation must be completed by every student individually in the group, and must be on the blog by the final deadline: April 30th.
You are strongly recommended to obtain your own copy of your product before the end of term so that you can make precise references to shots in the sequence. You will need to supply your own blank dvd for this. For the purposes of audience feedback and your own evaluation, you are also strongly advised to upload the film to youtube (through your own account, or ours – ask Andy Paul or Richard Ellis). When you have done this, put a link on your blog.
The exam board states that the evaluation must address the questions appearing below. There is no word count specified, but you must ensure that your answers address each of the questions fully.
You should support your evaluation with visuals (eg new additions of youtube extracts as evidence of a point, or references to existing visuals on the blog, such as animatics or photo location research.)
NB: the evaluation must not be written as an essay. The examiners are looking for creative use of the blog here to make this task visually interesting with plenty of incorporated visual material, embedded moving image, precise bullet point responses, and hyperlinks as well as informative and analytical discussion which uses media terms and answers questions in full.
The questions that must be addressed are as follows:
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Here you should show that you understand the conventions of a thriller, and use terms to explain this. Make sure that you discuss enigma, restricted and unrestricted narration, typical elements of mise en scene (the 11 areas, and specifics within them eg low key lighting), iconography, protagonist, antagonist, binary oppositions, use of camera, use of sound, use of typical themes and issues, and how the 3 stages of narrative are used. You need to refer to examples to support your points, but you may use your research and planning analyses to do this.
You need to explain how your product uses those conventions and forms of a thriller film, and how you have tried to do something unique and different. Provide precise detail from frames of your product to support your points. If you have had any feedback from members of the target audience (through youtube, for example), then you should incorporate comments as supporting evidence.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
You will continue to work on this section after Easter.
‘Social groups’ refers to the types of social groups your characters belong to; for example, their gender, age, social class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Here, you need to consider the same questions on representation as you are going to use to frame your work on representation in TV Drama. For example, you need to ask who is being represented by your product (Gender? Age? Ethnicity etc)? Be sensible about this, and focus on the main characters in your product. You then need to ask How they are represented? Here you need to analyse the representation of your types of characters in terms of the use of technical codes (eg camera, mise en scene, editing, sound). You should consider whether these are positive or negative representations of this social group, and how this is achieved. You might also discuss who has the power or higher status in your film opening. Is this more in line with traditional or modern representations of the types of people you have chosen to represent? Next you need to ask Why? Here you need to explain why you have represented a particular character (eg a woman) in this way. Perhaps you wanted to create empathy with the audience, or perhaps you wanted to indicate that he/she is an antagonist? You may need to link this to the conventions of a thriller, but you must explain clearly your rationale for creating the characters this way. You will need to specify who your audience is for the product, and why you think the characters help to target this audience. Perhaps your representation fits in with standard stereotypes? If so, you will need to discuss why this is, and explain why you did this. Do not simply describe what kind of person your character is: description is not textual analysis, and will not achieve a pass grade! Use screen grabs, stills or storyboard material to illustrate- material from your work and real media products.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Here you need to consider the distribution route for your product. You will receive some teaching on this after Easter, so do not attempt to write this section until after Easter. Use links and visuals here to illustrate where possible.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Your audience must be clearly stated, in terms of gender and age. You should also suggest which other real thriller films your audience has enjoyed (try to find evidence of this).
How did you attract/address your audience?
Here you need to explain why your audience would enjoy your film. Select detail from your film to support your answer, including material on for example, the story told through the narrative, the use of camera, the use of mise en scene, the use of character, the reference to certain themes or issues, and the use of sound. You should use screen grabs from your film or stills to illustrate your points
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Here you need to include a list of all of the technology you used for this main task. You could include images of you using some of the equipment. You need to explain what you learned about the camera (methods, procedures etc), and what you learned about using the editing software to create a sequence that an audience. Provide an honest evaluation of your success as an individual and as a group; you should use the peer evaluation to support your answers here.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?
Here you need to explain how you think you have progressed from the preliminary task to the main task. You should discuss your development of technical skills (use of camera, sound editing, vision editing, your use of continuity editing (if this has improved!), your construction of character and story. Try to provide links to the earlier posts (refer to entries in your archive).
If you need help with uploading anything to the blog, or with uploading to youtube, allow plenty of time to ask either Richard Ellis or Andy Paul.
You should assume that this work will need to be done in your own time – lessons will not be allocated to this work, and we return to exam work after Easter.
DEADLINE FOR DRAFT EVALUATION TO BLOG – MONDAY APRIL 19TH.
FAILURE TO POST YOUR EVALUATION BY THIS DATE WILL PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING PROPER FEEDBACK FROM YOUR SUPERVISOR, AND WILL SERIOUSLY JEOPARDISE YOUR RESULT.
Remember the key point - the evaluation must not look like, or be written as an essay. It needs to be more like a detailed presentation - lots of images, bullet points and lots of terms and evidence of knowledge of the thriller genre.
THE EVALUATION
DRAFT DEADLINE: MONDAY APRIL 19TH ON THE BLOG
An evaluation must be completed by every student individually in the group, and must be on the blog by the final deadline: April 30th.
You are strongly recommended to obtain your own copy of your product before the end of term so that you can make precise references to shots in the sequence. You will need to supply your own blank dvd for this. For the purposes of audience feedback and your own evaluation, you are also strongly advised to upload the film to youtube (through your own account, or ours – ask Andy Paul or Richard Ellis). When you have done this, put a link on your blog.
The exam board states that the evaluation must address the questions appearing below. There is no word count specified, but you must ensure that your answers address each of the questions fully.
You should support your evaluation with visuals (eg new additions of youtube extracts as evidence of a point, or references to existing visuals on the blog, such as animatics or photo location research.)
NB: the evaluation must not be written as an essay. The examiners are looking for creative use of the blog here to make this task visually interesting with plenty of incorporated visual material, embedded moving image, precise bullet point responses, and hyperlinks as well as informative and analytical discussion which uses media terms and answers questions in full.
The questions that must be addressed are as follows:
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Here you should show that you understand the conventions of a thriller, and use terms to explain this. Make sure that you discuss enigma, restricted and unrestricted narration, typical elements of mise en scene (the 11 areas, and specifics within them eg low key lighting), iconography, protagonist, antagonist, binary oppositions, use of camera, use of sound, use of typical themes and issues, and how the 3 stages of narrative are used. You need to refer to examples to support your points, but you may use your research and planning analyses to do this.
You need to explain how your product uses those conventions and forms of a thriller film, and how you have tried to do something unique and different. Provide precise detail from frames of your product to support your points. If you have had any feedback from members of the target audience (through youtube, for example), then you should incorporate comments as supporting evidence.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
You will continue to work on this section after Easter.
‘Social groups’ refers to the types of social groups your characters belong to; for example, their gender, age, social class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Here, you need to consider the same questions on representation as you are going to use to frame your work on representation in TV Drama. For example, you need to ask who is being represented by your product (Gender? Age? Ethnicity etc)? Be sensible about this, and focus on the main characters in your product. You then need to ask How they are represented? Here you need to analyse the representation of your types of characters in terms of the use of technical codes (eg camera, mise en scene, editing, sound). You should consider whether these are positive or negative representations of this social group, and how this is achieved. You might also discuss who has the power or higher status in your film opening. Is this more in line with traditional or modern representations of the types of people you have chosen to represent? Next you need to ask Why? Here you need to explain why you have represented a particular character (eg a woman) in this way. Perhaps you wanted to create empathy with the audience, or perhaps you wanted to indicate that he/she is an antagonist? You may need to link this to the conventions of a thriller, but you must explain clearly your rationale for creating the characters this way. You will need to specify who your audience is for the product, and why you think the characters help to target this audience. Perhaps your representation fits in with standard stereotypes? If so, you will need to discuss why this is, and explain why you did this. Do not simply describe what kind of person your character is: description is not textual analysis, and will not achieve a pass grade! Use screen grabs, stills or storyboard material to illustrate- material from your work and real media products.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Here you need to consider the distribution route for your product. You will receive some teaching on this after Easter, so do not attempt to write this section until after Easter. Use links and visuals here to illustrate where possible.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Your audience must be clearly stated, in terms of gender and age. You should also suggest which other real thriller films your audience has enjoyed (try to find evidence of this).
How did you attract/address your audience?
Here you need to explain why your audience would enjoy your film. Select detail from your film to support your answer, including material on for example, the story told through the narrative, the use of camera, the use of mise en scene, the use of character, the reference to certain themes or issues, and the use of sound. You should use screen grabs from your film or stills to illustrate your points
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Here you need to include a list of all of the technology you used for this main task. You could include images of you using some of the equipment. You need to explain what you learned about the camera (methods, procedures etc), and what you learned about using the editing software to create a sequence that an audience. Provide an honest evaluation of your success as an individual and as a group; you should use the peer evaluation to support your answers here.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?
Here you need to explain how you think you have progressed from the preliminary task to the main task. You should discuss your development of technical skills (use of camera, sound editing, vision editing, your use of continuity editing (if this has improved!), your construction of character and story. Try to provide links to the earlier posts (refer to entries in your archive).
If you need help with uploading anything to the blog, or with uploading to youtube, allow plenty of time to ask either Richard Ellis or Andy Paul.
You should assume that this work will need to be done in your own time – lessons will not be allocated to this work, and we return to exam work after Easter.
DEADLINE FOR DRAFT EVALUATION TO BLOG – MONDAY APRIL 19TH.
FAILURE TO POST YOUR EVALUATION BY THIS DATE WILL PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING PROPER FEEDBACK FROM YOUR SUPERVISOR, AND WILL SERIOUSLY JEOPARDISE YOUR RESULT.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Audience Feedback
Don't forget that for the questions on audience (defined audience and targeting) you will need to get some feedback from people representing your audience. If your audience is a youth audience, you can use other students to comment, and this can be done via the blog, via social networking sites (eg facebook), or via youtube, if you have uploaded the film to it. There may be some time to get some feedback in class from peers, but you shouldn't rely on it, and should aim to get your own feedback. If your target audience is adult, you will need to invite representatives of that audience to comment too. You should get audience members to comment on the film opening as a thriller opening - does it look like one? - and also to comment on what appeals to them about the product. Ask for advice if you need it.
DEADLINE TODAY!
You should have posted the draft evaluation by today. If this has not been done, you can no longer expect the same level of advice as those who have done so. If you leave posting anything much longer, you may also lose substantial marks for planning (organisation). This section is worth 20 marks and can make the difference of a whole grade!
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
DRAFT EVALUATION TO BLOG BY END OF EASTER
Over the Easter holiday, you will need to write a draft version of your evaluation direct to the blog. In one lesson this week, you will receive advice and instructions on writing this. Listen and read it yourselves carefully before you start on it, but make sure it is done by the deadline (the exam board deadline follows soon!)
Friday, 19 March 2010
EDITING NOW
You should now be editing your rushes. If you have not been given the go-ahead yet by member of staff, make sure that you do asap. Remember to blog all of the processes you have followed in filming and editing, explaining any techniques you have used, and saying why - this should involve detailed reference to actual shots in your sequence (referred to by number or content of shot), with use of terms (eg continuity terms) and thorough discussion of processes.
DEADLINE FOR EDITING (SOUND, IMAGE, TITLING) BY THE END OF TERM - 1ST APRIL
DEADLINE FOR EDITING (SOUND, IMAGE, TITLING) BY THE END OF TERM - 1ST APRIL
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Rushes Deadline Friday March 12th
You should have logged your rushes to your mac by Friday 12th March. If you have had problems getting the filmed material ready by this deadline, you should have spoken to one of your teachers to let them know, so that you don't lose marks for planning. If you have successfully met the deadline, we will endeavour to look at the rushes during Monday to check for obvious errors or insufficient material. You should not start to edit until you have been given the go-ahead by one of your teachers.
Once you have been given the go-ahead, you will be able to use the lessons this week to edit. Don't forget that the editing deadline (for all editing including sound and titling) is just before the end of term. You may need to book additional sessions for editing, but you will not be allowed to book more than 2 sessions on any one day.
Once you have been given the go-ahead, you will be able to use the lessons this week to edit. Don't forget that the editing deadline (for all editing including sound and titling) is just before the end of term. You may need to book additional sessions for editing, but you will not be allowed to book more than 2 sessions on any one day.
Monday, 8 March 2010
DEADLINE APPROACHING!
As you should be aware, the deadline for logging your rushes to the mac is Friday 12th March. Your supervisor will look at the rushes as soon as possible after this date, and suggest any further filming or re-shoots that may be necessary. You should not start editing until you are given the go ahead for this.
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Homework, following lessons on title sequences
Additional Homework on Titles and Credits
Using the website "Art of the title sequence" at http://www.artofthetitle.com/, blog another 4 title sequences of your own choice.
Filming
You urgently need to start filming. The next deadline is approaching (12th March). Any animatics not yet completed, need to be ASAP. We need to judge if your proposals are practical, and are not compromising your health and safety.
Film Titles and credits
The Orphanage
1. Are the titles/credits Separate to the moving image, incorporated into/superimposed over the moving image, or is it in the form of a mini narrative?
2. Conduct a textual analysis. You will have formed a strong idea as to what the opening credit sequence is trying to communicate. Cherry Pick "eight" significant aspects relating to its construction. You need to blog "How" the credit sequence has been constructed in order to communicate this. Consider two aspects of Mise en scene, two relating to sound, two relating to camera work and two relating to editing.
Old Boy
1. Repeat the process for "Old Boy"
DEADLINE FOR THIS WORK IS MONDAY 8TH MARCH
Using the website "Art of the title sequence" at http://www.artofthetitle.com/, blog another 4 title sequences of your own choice.
Filming
You urgently need to start filming. The next deadline is approaching (12th March). Any animatics not yet completed, need to be ASAP. We need to judge if your proposals are practical, and are not compromising your health and safety.
Film Titles and credits
The Orphanage
1. Are the titles/credits Separate to the moving image, incorporated into/superimposed over the moving image, or is it in the form of a mini narrative?
2. Conduct a textual analysis. You will have formed a strong idea as to what the opening credit sequence is trying to communicate. Cherry Pick "eight" significant aspects relating to its construction. You need to blog "How" the credit sequence has been constructed in order to communicate this. Consider two aspects of Mise en scene, two relating to sound, two relating to camera work and two relating to editing.
Old Boy
1. Repeat the process for "Old Boy"
DEADLINE FOR THIS WORK IS MONDAY 8TH MARCH
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Filming Deadline
The filming of your raw footage (rushes) is due to be logged onto your mac by March 12th:
Deadline Three
Filming – all “rushes” (unedited, raw footage) to be completed and logged on your mac.
All Filming processes, decisions and choices clearly recorded on the group blog.
Friday 12th March
Deadline Three
Filming – all “rushes” (unedited, raw footage) to be completed and logged on your mac.
All Filming processes, decisions and choices clearly recorded on the group blog.
Friday 12th March
Friday, 26 February 2010
Deadline for Planning Today!
By the end of today, you should have completed all of the tasks on the deadline sheet, including creating the storyboard and uploading it as an animatic. You need to get the go-ahead before filming, but you should seek to get this asap to ensure that you don't waste time. For our comments on storyboards, animatics and other blogged material, keep visiting the comments boxes, and check my blog.
Monday, 22 February 2010
Animatic
Don't forget to allow time to draw each frame of the storyboard (each frame representing the shot) with all of the information required. Consult your notes, film language booklet and the displays on the classroom walls to remind you. Timing notes are essential to plan effectively.
Allow plenty of time to produce the animatic, and notice any frames of the storyboard where you might not have thought about the progression of the shot (remember the storyboard only shows a frame or snapshot of the shot as a whole). Allow time to upload the animatic to youtube and then to the blog.
Allow plenty of time to produce the animatic, and notice any frames of the storyboard where you might not have thought about the progression of the shot (remember the storyboard only shows a frame or snapshot of the shot as a whole). Allow time to upload the animatic to youtube and then to the blog.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY
Check now that you have completed all of the tasks for the deadline. You are in danger of losing marks for planning if you have not done everything required.
Monday, 8 February 2010
Extended Deadline 2
Due to the extension of the previous deadline, we have had to extend the next deadline for pre-production planning to FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26TH. By that time, you must have completed the following:
Deadline Two
Completed Storyboard and planning for your opening sequence:
-a synopsis for the film opening (about 100 words), and some indication of what the narrative would contain after the opening,
- the storyboard as an animatic (uploaded to blog),
- the script,
- list of roles,
- imagery of locations and decisions about locations,
- prop research,
- health and safety considerations,
- prop and location images and decisions,
- lighting decisions. All this Blogged under heading: “Pre-Production Planning”(clearly label which group member has taken responsibility for each of the various posts). Again, consider format – images, text, screen grabs, embedded video, hyperlinks, animatics.
Deadline Two
Completed Storyboard and planning for your opening sequence:
-a synopsis for the film opening (about 100 words), and some indication of what the narrative would contain after the opening,
- the storyboard as an animatic (uploaded to blog),
- the script,
- list of roles,
- imagery of locations and decisions about locations,
- prop research,
- health and safety considerations,
- prop and location images and decisions,
- lighting decisions. All this Blogged under heading: “Pre-Production Planning”(clearly label which group member has taken responsibility for each of the various posts). Again, consider format – images, text, screen grabs, embedded video, hyperlinks, animatics.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Extended Deadline
Due to delays in teaching following the snow, we have had to extend your deadline for research to Monday 8th February. Please make sure that you have uploaded 5 ANALYSES OF THRILLER OPENINGS EACH BY THAT TIME. You can access examples of thriller openings through my links to the right of this post, or find your own examples. Try not to repeat analyses in your group - divide them up between you. Use the format given in class for Seven to help you, but remember that the research should be linked to your ideas as much as possible - don't just research in a vacuum - there should be a sense of purpose to your comment. Use terms whenever you can.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Beginning Research and Planning
You are starting to do research in class. You should have done the following already:
- watched thriller trailers in class to identify conventions and blogged a summary version of the conventions
- applied these conventions to at least 1 whole short animated film in class (The Simpsons Cape Feare, and/or Wallace and Gromit A Close Shave). You should be blogging your analysis of these films as a thriller. You can blog these as a group post.
- beginning individual research on openings (starting with class analysis of the opening of 'Seven' and going on to study several more of your own).
You will all be marked individually on research, so it is essential that you make individual posts on this - create a heading '........'s analysis of the opening of....', and that all of you post equally. It is useful to discuss the openings however, so that you agree what you are inspired by.
- watched thriller trailers in class to identify conventions and blogged a summary version of the conventions
- applied these conventions to at least 1 whole short animated film in class (The Simpsons Cape Feare, and/or Wallace and Gromit A Close Shave). You should be blogging your analysis of these films as a thriller. You can blog these as a group post.
- beginning individual research on openings (starting with class analysis of the opening of 'Seven' and going on to study several more of your own).
You will all be marked individually on research, so it is essential that you make individual posts on this - create a heading '........'s analysis of the opening of....', and that all of you post equally. It is useful to discuss the openings however, so that you agree what you are inspired by.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
What Next?
You should by now have completed all of your posts related to earlier interim deadlines for the Preliminary, and your evaluation so far. This coming week we will be screening the finished products in your video gaming lessons, and your teacher will suggest areas for technical improvement (eg framing, continuity editing, use of mise en scene and delivery of the scenario). You should use these to improve your work for the Main Task.
You all need to upload the preliminary to your blog. If you are unsure of how to do this, speak to either Andy or Richard in the edit suite.
You are about to start work defining the thriller film and analysing existing examples as part of your research work for the main task. It is important to realise that although you will study some examples in class, a substantial amount of research is meant to be independent and conducted by your group to inspire your own product - so do not rely on lessons to provide you with all of your research material! Start looking at the openings of thriller films or tv programmes you know, and study the techniques used.
You all need to upload the preliminary to your blog. If you are unsure of how to do this, speak to either Andy or Richard in the edit suite.
You are about to start work defining the thriller film and analysing existing examples as part of your research work for the main task. It is important to realise that although you will study some examples in class, a substantial amount of research is meant to be independent and conducted by your group to inspire your own product - so do not rely on lessons to provide you with all of your research material! Start looking at the openings of thriller films or tv programmes you know, and study the techniques used.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
snow today!
I hope you were able to enjoy the snow!
Please aim to get the evaluation blogged (and any other missed posts) by the end of today. We will assess these and post comments on your blogs. Next week we will evaluate the finished product.
Please aim to get the evaluation blogged (and any other missed posts) by the end of today. We will assess these and post comments on your blogs. Next week we will evaluate the finished product.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Deadline Tomorrow!
You should all be aware that the deadline for the Preliminary Exercise is tomorrow. You need to read the comments I have posted to make last minute improvements. Many of you have still a lot to post in relation to the interim deadlines set for the task, and many of you need to do the evaluation. It is essential that you all contribute to the blog, and that you post your own evaluation.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Preliminary Exercise Deadline
You will need to finish the preliminary exercise by the end of this week. If you weren't able to finish editing before xmas because of the snow, you will need to finish in your own time early this week, so that you can go on to the Evaluation (due at the end of this week). You will have 2 lessons to work on the evaluation, but you may need more of your own time, particularly as you each have to post your own evaluation onto the blog.
Welcome!
If you are reading this, you are probably being supervised by me for your Foundation Portfolio. You need to make sure that you are following this blog on your group's blog, so that you get messages quickly. I will be using this blog to post advice, deadlines, suggestions for research, links and individual and group feedback.
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