Monday, 25 November 2013

Evaluation response - Excellent example

Remember your evaluation is an opportunity to show the examiners your skill as a media student. Consider the format in which Sophie has presented her evaluation, do not be tempted to write essay style answers be creative for instance a directors commentary.

By now all your editing should be completed and you should be considering your final audience feedback. Remember you should be spending 5 to 6 hours a week on this coursework if not more as it is worth 50% of your A2 mark.

http://a2mediacourseowrk.blogspot.co.uk

Thursday, 21 November 2013

Evaluation

Marking Criteria for Evaluation

The four questions that must be addressed in the evaluation are:

• 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?

Progress Update

Well done to those you of that have nearly finished your editing. We have some very promising work so far, now a few reminders:

* Update your blog on a regular basis with comments on how you are finding filming, editing etc.
* Remember the examiner wants to see the process of your work - so you must upload your videos on a regular basis even if not finished and explain where you are to date.
* Audience feedback is essential, ask your target audience what they think of your work so far and post their comments on your blog.
* By the end of half term you should all have completed your filming and finished your editing. I shall be checking your blogs during half-term.

Tuesday, 10 September 2013

BLOG PROGRESS UPDATE!!!

Many of you are already behind with your A2 coursework - don' make the same mistakes as in year 12 and leave everything to the last minute. It is imperative that you keep your blog up to date. See below the deadline checklist to help you keep focused.

Mr Ambrose and I shall be checking your blogs on a regular basis and commenting – heed our comments!

Evaluation of research findings completed 12th July
Planning and drafting completed (including shot lists, location recces, storyboards, mock-ups of layouts etc.) 6th September - at the latest
Production completed (main task) 21st October
Production completed (ancillary tasks) 8th November
Editing completed 25th November
Final audience feedback on production 29th November
Final changes made in response to audience feedback 5th December
Evaluation completed (refer to guidance and ensure you submit a full evaluation, using a range of digital technology)
12th December Final submission 13th December

Monday, 15 July 2013

Urgent message for Ms. James and Miss Osborne's class

Please bring your hard copy of your Research and Planning checklist to your period 1 lesson on Tuesday 16th July - with your column completed to indicate which tasks you have completed so far.

If you have lost your sheet, you can download and print another one off by clicking on the graphic below:

Monday, 1 July 2013

Guide to basic camera shots

Whilst you may have seen this before it is a good idea to refresh your memory as to the basic camera movements.

A reminder how to label your posts

At AS, some of your blogs were very difficult to navigate and it takes too long to find your main construction tasks, work out where to find the different parts of your evaluation etc.

This does not make for a very happy moderator!

Follow this step-by-step guide to start labelling your posts now and ensure that each part of your coursework is easy to locate and that you start off on the right foot with the moderator! Click on each screen grab to see an enlarged version.

Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Guide to different film genres

Drama

Western

Sci-fi

Horror

Making music videos: Film school

Documentary: Representation of women in music videos

Monday, 24 June 2013

Documentary Brief - some useful resources

http://documentarystorm.com/

http://www.slideshare.net/emhughes/basic-documentary-genres-outline

http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/Documentary/docu_index.php

Monday, 17 June 2013

Research and planning checklist

Please ensure you have a copy of your Research and Planning Checklist at the front of your A Level Media Studies file. This must be kept safe and updated regularly.

Click on the image to download a copy if you were absent in the lesson when they were given out.

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Checklist for ‘A’ Level Media Coursework

Checklist for ‘A’ Level Media Coursework

ALL

All blog addresses must be submitted via a central hub and contain links to all production work

Blogs must be meaningful and reflective

Have a look at the exemplar work at http://ocrmediastudies.weebly.com. Be honest and realistic when reflecting on your own construction work and planning improvements

Evaluations must make creative use of digital technology (E.g. A director’s ‘Making of…’documentary for music video or commentary recorded over main task or, at the very least, include screen grabs and not text only)

Evaluations must address issues of institution (e.g. publisher and distribution) and audience in detail

Variety of mise en scene (more than 1-2 actors and locations) must be used to achieved Level 4

Music videos should include elements of performance as well as/instead of only atmospheric interpretations

Teaser trailers must incorporate a sufficiently detailed narrative

For music videos, do not choose well-known songs. Choose obscure or ideally copyright-free music from sources such as www.jamendo.com
Magazines and newspapers must have a distinct house style – e.g. lettering, colour scheme
Pages must be set up as correct size
Indesign must be used for any print publications

Candidates must ensure they fully understand the details of the ancillary tasks and follow the instructions carefully

Digipaks must be complete – all panels included and ensure that your dimensions are correct

Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Introduction to film genre

From MediaKnowall.com

Film Genre

Film genre is an important concept for critics, film-makers and audiences, as well as media theorists. Film genre has both academic and practical applications as films are categorised by genre at every stage of their existence, from the initial approach the screenwriter takes, to where they end up on the shelves of your local store, to how their impact on cultural history is assessed. A lot of formal study has been conducted into the categorisation of film through various paradigms, and into how that categorisation informs our understanding of the film as text. There is also a lot of commercial interest in the way people classify and choose to watch movies — this is very important for the initial marketing of a movie, and for companies like Netflix or LoveFilm, who rely on genre categories to help their customers make their picks.
There are two basic approaches to the study of film genre:

Descriptive Approach to Film Genre

The first, and most straightforward approach to analysing film genre is descriptive, which involves viewing a film as belonging to a category, or as being an example of an established type. The film is perceived as sharing aspects and attributes (such as structure, theme, or visual style) with other films in the same category, and is analysed comparatively. This approach relies heavily on the use of genre paradigms, or readily identifiable elements such as costume, location, character archetypes, shot transitions, or plot content.
The descriptive approach involves putting a large number of films into a small number of groups — sometimes individual movies defy this kind of rigid categorization. Depending on how genre boundaries are drawn, a single film can be defined as belonging to several different genres at once. The descriptive approach sometimes means an over-emphasis on the formal and stylistic qualities of films, and doesn't take into account how a film's meaning and impact may change over time, and when viewed by different audiences. Genres can be as much about the differences between two films as about the similarities — if films are too similar to other examples within their genre, they're likely to be rejected by audiences as unoriginal.

Functional Approach to Film Genre

The second approach is functional, where the genre film is perceived as "collective expressions of contemporary life that strike a particularly resonant chord with audiences" (Experience & Meaning in Genre Films BK Grant, Film Genre Reader 1986). The repetitions of patterns in a genre film are the repetitions of social questions that we need answers to as part of our shared social experience e.g.

What is frightening, or what possibilities do we fear? (horror films)
What is criminal, or what are the boundaries of social morality that we must not cross? (gangster films)
What is morality? (melodramas)
What is acceptance and belonging? (romantic comedies)
What is alien? (science fiction)
What is the future? (science fiction again)

These questions get repeated from generation to generation, as values change. Therefore genre films are a product of their socio-historic context; watching them becomes a cultural ritual whereby hegemonic values are examined, and either shift or are reinforced.
A combination of these two approaches is perhaps the most successful one - whereby a film is considered as both part of a paradigmatic set, and as the product of a time and place.

Useful Links:

Generic Conventions & Genre Evolution
FilmSite.Org - a clear and simple introduction to genre from a descriptive point of view.
Genre Explained - downloadable booklet from Kingswood School
Google Movie Genre Portal

Sub Genres

Film genres derive from literary genres in the first instance. However, film genres must constantly evolve and mutate, spawning sub-genres, otherwise they will inevitably stagnate and become very repetitive. There are only a finite number of plots, after all, and telling a similar story over and over again within the same set of genre paradigms gets very dull. Subgenres can develop in response to a movie that pushes genre paradigms, and is successful, or in response to external socio-historic factors, and can cross traditional genre boundaries. For instance, the recent global economic meltdown has created a whole subgenre of movies about recession, from Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell (horror), to Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story (documentary) to Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Action Subgenres - by William C. Martel
Subgenres of the Hollywood Thriller - useful list by Lauren Flanagan
Sci-Fi Subgenres - sophisticated list from cuebon.com

Genre Hybrids

Film genres need to be fluid, consisting of a shifting, constantly evolving set of paradigms, otherwise cinema as a form would stagnate, with film-makers forced to tell the same stories, in the same style, over and over again. Given that there are only seven basic plots, the only way to keep thrilling and surprising audiences is to keep framing those plots in fresh genre combinations. Often these combinations are something of a 'mash-up', the putting together of conflicting genres that might not, initially, seem like a good match.
As horror movies are perennially popular, film-makers might start with a set of horror paradigms to guarantee audience interest, before throwing other tropes into the mix. This gives us genre hybrids like:

Horror Romance (e.g. Twilight)
Horror War (e.g. R-Point, Dead Snow)
Horror Historical Drama (e.g. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)
Horror RomCom (e.g. Shaun of the Dead)

Teaser trailer - example of textual analysis

Music video - An example of textual analysis

Film trailer brief: A guide to the marketing of films

Check out this really useful website for a guide to the marketing of films - including trailers:
http://www.launchingfilms.tv/marketing.php

You can also click here for a powerpoint I found on Slideshare - taking you through the marketing of Inception. You should also check out the case study of Cloverfield in the Media Magazine which is kept in the Media Suite.

Check out Slideshare for yourselves - you will find lots of useful materials!

Music videos: Applying the theory

Remember, when you are carrying out your research, you should be analysing music videos in detail.

Andrew Goodwin's theory is a useful starting point (and will be a useful framework for evaluating your own music videos during the process and at the end too):

Andrew Goodwin writing in ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (Routledge 1992)

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics(e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).

5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. There is often intertextualreference(to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).

Check out this powerpoint from Slideshare, which goes into detail about how you might analyse narrative in a music video.

Or, even better, check out Slideshare for yourselves - there are tons of useful materials saved on here!

Monday, 10 June 2013

Links to A2 students' blogs

Deadlines for A2 Media Production

Please ensure that these dates are saved somewhere safe and that you set yourself regular reminders. There is no need for you to aim for the latest possible deadline, so why not set your reminders for a few days in advance?

Many of you learnt the hard way at AS that leaving things until the last minute is NEVER a good idea and remember that like at AS, your time management and organisational skills are explicitly assessed in the 'Planning and Research' section.

My advice? Get into good habits from the START!

Remember, your Media teachers will be monitoring your progress here* and commenting on your blog posts regularly - but they will only be able to give you meaningful feedback if your blogs are up to date. Please post regularly - remember you can always label posts 'Work in progress' using the Labels widget in 'Settings>Labels' to indicate where posts are incomplete.

*The same colour code applies as before:
Red = Not on track to pass if you continue working at this level
Amber = On track to pass, but needs more work to achieve target grade
Green = On track to achieve or exceed target grade if you continue working at this level

Task	Deadline
New blog created for A2 coursework and address emailed to beaverwoodmedia@gmail.com	11th June
Brief selected and group roles confirmed (if applicable)	18th June
Preliminary research into existing media (including relevant theory, codes and conventions, textual analysis, audiences and institutions)	2nd July
Audience research completed	9th July
Evaluation of research findings completed	12th July
Planning and drafting completed (including shot lists, location recces, storyboards, mock-ups of layouts etc.)	6th September - at the latest
Production completed (main task)	21st October
Production completed (ancillary tasks)	8th November
Editing completed	25th November
Final audience feedback on production	29th November
Final changes made in response to audience feedback	5th December
Evaluation completed (refer to guidance and ensure you submit a full evaluation, using a range of digital technology)	12th December
Final submission	13th December

Lesson 3: Exploring the individual briefs in more detail

By the end of lesson 2, you should be in a position to starting considering the individual briefs in detail, ready to make your final decision.

You might like to spend the first couple of weeks researching two different briefs, ensuring that you know what is required and that you have chosen the most suitable brief for you (and your partner, if applicable).

Click here for a really useful resource for guidance on producing the Music Video Brief

A brilliant guide to help you manage the research and planning stages for the Film Trailer Brief. Click here

Check out some of these local newspapers for ideas and inspiration if you are considering the Local Newspaper Brief - but remember there is no substitute for getting your hands on a hard copy:
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/
http://www.slp.co.uk/
http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/
http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/

Click here for a really useful overview and a guide to kick-start your research into the TV Documentary Brief
Click here to watch examples of documentaries on BBC iplayer

Friday, 7 June 2013

Examples of successful blogs

Please note that the grades refer to the finished blog (i.e. planning + construction + ancillary tasks + evaluation) - not necessarily the main construction itself.

Music video 1 - Grade A

Music video 2 - Grade B

Film trailer 1 - Grade C

Film trailer 2- Grade C

Thursday, 6 June 2013

Introduction to the A2 coursework briefs

Unlike at AS, you have a choice of briefs which you could follow for your A2 coursework.

You can work individually or in pairs, but you are advised to choose your work partner carefully as this will be a very intensive and gruelling part of your studies - think AS coursework but MUCH harder and MORE work! - so friendships can crack under the pressure!

You will be starting work on your coursework during this term and you will be expected to complete much of the production over the summer holidays, so please bear this in mind when choosing your brief and your coursework partner (or whether you'd prefer to work individually).

Click here for an excellent overview of the briefs. We will discuss these in more detail in our lessons immediately after the AS-A2 transition activities.

Link to powerpoint

Post-16 File Policy

Although the majority of your work for the first part of the A2 Media Studies course will be monitored via your online blog, it is still essential that you adhere to the Beaverwood Post-16 File Policy and maintain an up-to-date Media Studies folder.

This will provide a useful reference point to check, for example, the course assessment objectives and unit weightings, but you should also file hard copies of sources you consult, notes that you make or drafts you create for your Advanced Production Portfolio, as well as exam revision notes later in the course.

Click on the hyperlinks to access the relevant documents.

Post-16 File Policy

Students should have a separate folder for each subject:

Each folder should have:

· Assessment objectives (linked below)

· Course outline - print relevant pages of specification: p9,p28-33,p36-38,p40,p42-43,p45
46,p57,p70-78

· Assessment policy for homework

· Reading lists, where appropriate

· List of useful websites

· Evidence of independent work

· Tracking sheet which includes the half termly assessment grades, all key homework grades, mock exam grades, practical assessments grades and public examination grades.

Examination Preparation (given out at least a month prior to public exams)

· Past papers

· Mark schemes

· Model answers

For each unit of study of the specification:

Index followed by:

· A separate section for each topic clearly labeled with dividers

· All work dated including handouts

· Up to date work (evidence of making up work for missed lessons)

Guide to research

Click here for a useful guide which you can refer to for all of your A level subjects.

Read the guide then complete the following:
Number 6 will take longest
1) Write a definition of the term research.
2) What is primary research?
3)What is secondary research?
4) What are the six key steps in producing research?
5)Look at page 10(Sources of Information). can you think of another advantage of internet research with specific relevance to media studies?
6)Look at each of the sources. How might you use each each type as you prepare for your A2 assignment?

Reflection on AS - self-evaluation activity

Click here to open the Learning Skills audit
You first completed this at the start of the year. How would you rate yourself now?

Evaluation of AS Foundation Production module

Consider the following and give honest and realistic answers.

· How successful was my research of real media? How could my research skills be improved?

• How successful was my audience research? How could I have made my results more meaningful in order to take them into account when producing my media product?

• How successfully did I keep my blog up to date? How could I have made better use of its multimedia capacity?

• How successfully did I manage my time? How could I have organised my production more effectively? How could I have improved my planning and drafting process (and showing evidence of these stages for the examiner?

• How successfully did I follow the conventions of real media? Where could I have improved?

• Which technology skills did I learn and develop? Which skills do I need to improve/learn in the future?

• How successful was my creation of my media text? Could I have improved or been more creative?

• Did my text fulfil the requirements of the brief in terms of Audience, Representation,Genre?

• How detailed was my evaluation? How could you have improved your discussion of the success of the finished product?

• Anything else?

Welcome back!

Welcome back to Beaverwood!

We hope you enjoyed the AS course (and your study leave!) and that you are feeling proud of your achievements. Now, it's on to the A2 course!

Lessons will start on Monday 10th June, when you will complete a series of self-evaluation activities to help you make an effective transition from AS to A2. All lessons will be in S13.

Your first task is to set up your blog for your A2 Media course. Please create this in the same way as you did for AS and email your blog address to beaverwoodmedia@gmail.com so that we can create a link to your blog on this hub.

Please check this hub regularly to access important information, resources and useful links during the A2 course.

We look forward to seeing you next week!

Good luck,

Miss O, Ms James, Ms Davies and Mrs Baker.