Presenation on Representation!

Hi

Your task is to produce a presentation (in any form you wish) on representation in your AS or A2 portfolio. You must address the following questions:
First Section: Your Portfolio

• How is your location/setting represented?
• Have you conformed by producing stereotype/s?
• How have you represented: - age; gender; status/social groups' disability/ability i(f applicable)

 Second Section:Theory

Research the following theorists:

Laura Mulvey   
Ferdianand de Saussure
Richard Dyer
 Jean Baudrillard

Identify one which could be applied to your portfolio - use detailed examples in your presentation explaining how. Remember examples are important!
 
Third Section: Contemporary Research
Can you locate a more contemporary theory on representation? What are scholars/research saying about representation in the media right now? Remember media is always changing! We live in rapidly changing world! The examiner appreciates it when you can demonstrate up to date theories too!

Lastly: Helping Others...
Could any of the theories you researched be applied perfectly to someone else in the group? Explain how.

You will need to deliver your presentation - ideally with resources/handouts - on Tuesday, 25th March.

Thanks

Miss Cassidy


                                                      

Thoughts on the Evaluation

Today I would like you all to show me your filming so far and the progression of ancillary tasks.

You will be provided with a mark scheme for the evaluation and a breakdown of each question. Remember the evaluation is very important - many students rush this without any thought to the presentation or the depth of their answers. Each of your answers are scrutinised very carefully! Examiners do like you to present each question differently - try to use technology in a creative way. Please do not present every question as a PowerPoint presentation or a  Prezi. Be different! Be creative! Consider how you could engage the examiner! See your blog as a brand in itself! You could create a brief video to demonstrate your new found editing skills or even the use of sound. If you are writing about technology it is important to use technology.

Remember the new deadline is : Thursday, 16th January.

Everything must be on your blog : Research&planning; production and evaluation. Read through your booklets, ensure every blog is uploaded.

Wishing you all a well-deserved break and a very happy Christmas!

Miss Cassidy and Mr. Swain

Filming

Hi

For Tuesday, I would like you all to have a piece of film for us all to evaluate and discuss. This will be a forum of sorts, where we can discuss and provide filming advice. Ensure you have your film on a memory stick with an explanation of your idea. We'll try to do this again the following week too.

So just to be clear:

• a piece of film at least 2 mins long.
• an explanation of your idea.

FOR TUESDAY!

Thanks

Miss Cassidy

Planning anf Construction

Pleased to see there are a lot more blogs! Keep updating!

Please make sure all of your research and planning posts are blogged as soon as - plus a 4 point action plan based on what you identified when marking previous students' work - how has this informed you?

You then must make a real start with your planning and construction. Follow your booklet closely to guide you!


Thanks

Miss Cassidy

Links for Assessing Main Tasks

Matt, Joseph and Zahra  you are going to assess:

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcYYLXZykJ4&feature=player_embedded

If you can not locate this, please visit the following blog:

http://sophiemullettmediaa.blogspot.co.uk/


Liam and Andrew, you are going to assess:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFX5ZYpJFKI


Try to access on the following link if you're having trouble:

http://matthallamsmoona2.blogspot.co.uk/


Lucy and Hannah, please view the following horror trailer:


http://paigehenburya2media.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2013-02-08T05:27:00-08:00&max-results=7

If you are all having problems with You Tube (which does happen!) please visit the OCR Get Ahead site and look at a sample A2 video:
http://getaheadocrmedia.blogspot.co.uk/

Get Blogging

Hello Bloggers!

Just a gentle reminder that you should be now working towards the planning stage. Ideally today , you should be preparing moodboards and creating a storyboard for your video. You should be following your booklet to guide you and keeping to those deadlines!

Please ensure that the following research blogs are posted by Monday:

• The research methods you will be using.Qualitative or quantitative? Primary or secondary Or both? Which will be most beneficial for your brief?
• Textual analysis of existing text of your genre - this should be at least two.
• Analysis of a previous student's work - someone who has chosen the same brief as you. Explain what they have done well  and how they have influenced your ideas.
• Directors of your genre and their influences.

By Tuesday, we should be all starting the planning stages of your c/work.

Happy Blogging!

Miss Cassidy

Welcome Back! Back to Work!

Welcome Back!!

I truly hope you had a great summer - a summer which hopefully gave you ideas and inspiration for the music video you really want to create. Did you take any snaps of bands,places or random weirdness which inspired you? For example, did you see any locations or people you would like to include in your video?
In today's lesson, we'll be discussing ideas once again, making a final decision and to research the history and evolution of your chosen genre.

Order of lesson:

• Discuss results, summer and further ideas.
• Overview of coursework and booklet
•  Make a decision!
• Begin research and to identify one of the first/seminal music videos of your chosen genre.

Miss Cassidy.

Reminders for everyone

Year 13!
Do not forget you are due to present (or re-present??) your presentation on representation this afternoon! Looking forward to discussing!


Year 12

Evertyhing needs to be blogged ASAP!!!

Miss Cassidy

Year 13: Post Production Section A

11How much of your text was created only in post-production? AS:    A2:

2.What technologies did you use to modify your raw material?  How did this change the meaning of your work? AS:    A2:

3.How did you use sound in post-production? AS:  A2:

4.How did you encode meaning in post-production?  AS: A2:

 5.Importantly evaluate your progress in post-production from AS to A2.

Blog It!!!

Calling Year 12!!!!

I know you have completed some excellent research - but where is it on your blogs? Can we please ensure it's blogged as soon as possible! We would like to mark your work and offer you guidance.

Thursday's lesson will be all about the construction process - making sure you understand what makes a level 4. So research stage should be complete by now.

You should be composing three blogs daily ideally. Do this from now on. Don't be afraid of the blog!

See you Thursday!

Miss C

Narrative.

Hi People!

This afternoon, you will all be given a particular narrativie theory to reseach.We will be discussing and trying to apply the theory to your portfolio.

Please produce a hand-out on your theorist for everybody in the group for Wednesday, 13th March.

Miss Cassidy

Question 1 Section A: Using Conventions from Real Media Texts

Using Conventions from Real Media Texts

 

 

You are going to deliver a presentation to the group on Friday 1^st March. Please be ready to deliver and to ask questions.

Remember we're getting our 'story straight' for the exam - you should ensure your presentation is included in your folders under Question 1 section A: Conventions from Real Media Texts

You may learn something from other presentations too! Please use media terminology in your presentation.

 

Using conventions from real media texts  (Section A of the exam).  You need to cover these questions in your presentation:

 

·         How and why have you used media conventions?

·         How successful was your use of conventions?

·         How and why have you broken/challenged conventions?

·         How successful was this?

·         How has your use of media conventions developed?

 

Remember you need to consider how your use of media conventions developed from AS to A2.

Critical Perspectives in Media (exam)

1a) This question will focus on how your skills have develpoed across the AS and A2 course. You will need to explore both portfolios. The following skills will need to be looked at in detail:

• creativity
• digital technology
• research and planning
• post production
• using conventions from real media texts.

The exam question will have one of the above as its focus.


1b) You will apply media theories to one portfolio. You will need to research and apply the following areas of media theory:

• genre
• narrative
• representation
• audience
• media language

So, let's begin our preparation with a review of both portfolios. Please type this on a word
document and organise your notes with clear headings over the coming weeks.
Please answer the following questions by the end of Wednesday's lesson (p5) - I am expecting to discuss our thoughts at some point in the lesson too.

1. In which area have you seen an improvement - from foundation to advanced portfolio? (see areas in question 1a)

2. What challenges did you face in each portfolio? Explain how you resolved challenge/s or if, as a result, you approached your advanced portfolio differently?

3. Whch area is your strength? (See areas in question 1a). Please give examples and consider if this strength has developed in the advanced portfolio.

4. What would you do differently? (For both portfolios)....(Is there an area of weakness still?)

5.Finally, what advice would you impart to a prospective media student?

Production stage: How can we progress forward?

We're mid-way through the production process, dealines are looming and I'm very aware that Final Cut Pro will not be fully installed on all machines in the Media Room until Friday. We have no access to A5 today. So, we're going to have think very carefully about how we can use our hour today to progress, to get things done. I would like to review the mark scheme with you  and of our progress so far at the start of the lesson. These are some of the tasks you can set yourself for today.

 

Tasks you could complete today to help you progress:

·         Capture footage appropriate for your genre. Footage you can work with. Get filming!

·         There are two machines with Final Cut Pro installed (in Media Room) – upload your work and practise with transitions and effects. Consider what would really work for your genre.

·         Use iMovie. Upload any footage you have and practise sequencing your work. You can always save your work and then upload to Final Cut Pro once it is installed.

·         Read through Final Cut Pro X chapter 7 'Applying Transitions' - identify transitions and instructions which may help you - blog these. Alternatively there are several tutorials on You Tube - listen carefully and blog instructins which may help you. This is a new programme -we're all learning together!

·         If your talent is unable to film , practise filming different shots and frames. Upload to IMovie or Final Cut Pro – practise and ‘play around’ with effects. What would work for your footage? Make a note of this, blog this.

·         Evaluate your storyboard? Do you need to amend or change? Blog why.

·         Ancillary tasks.  Begin drafting and creating – if you can.

·         Consider evaluation questions. Consider what you have done so far and make notes. Think of ideas to present your evaluation – you will have to be creative in your evaluation to achieve a level 4.

This is just a blog to 'hurry you along' ! Come on, get cracking! This Friday (in your double) I would like you to have completed a detailed storyboard/script and a focus group (if you can) ready to present your ideas to. We really should planning right now!

Some of you still have blogs missing on audience pleasures/uses and gratifications. Look at the Audience booklet I have given you today - read specifically through Hyperdermic Needle effect; Cultivation/Culmination and the Two Step Theory - which theory could apply to your genre?  Think very carefully about the Uses and Gratifications an audience would have for your genre or idea - which uses/gratification would apply to them - information? Personal identity? Social Interation? Personal Identitiy?

Just to clarify read though and consider:

• Hyperdermic Needle effect
• Cultivation/Culmination Theory
• Two Step Theory
• Which uses/gratifications would apply to your target audience?

Keep using your booklet as a guide! Remember Christmas is the deadline...

Miss C

To Do List

You should be nearing the end of the research stage! Plesse make you complete the following:

• consider key directors of your genre and their influence.
• define your audience - age, gender, lifestyle interests and social-economic group.
• consider digital technology you may use for production.
• mood board for your idea.
• the ideaology of your specific genre - this means the overall 'feel' and 'attitiude' of your genre. Will you include specific icons, tropes?
• you do need to think carefully about audience pleasure. What will your audience enjoy? Refresh yourself on the different theories listed in your booklet - could this apply to your specific genre? Did it ever?
• Plan the storyboard (please see booklet for details.)
• Set up a focus group and consider all of the above when you question them. Blog your findings.

Please don't ever just blog a defintion of a theory or a term - be analytical; apply theory/term to your own work.
Ideally all of the above needs to be done by Monday 15th October and you should be organising a recce , a cast and taking loacation shots next week. Please aim to stick tot his deadline.

Planning Plans....

OKaaaaaaaaay....


You need to make sure that you're thinking about how Laura Mulvey's theory applies to your genre and your idea. Make sure you add this to your Laura Mulvey blog.  Are there any other theorists you will need to consider? (See previous post)
Plan! Today you should now be thinking about your idea, storyboarding your idea and creating a moodboard. Consider a focus group consisting of your target audience- what will they think about your idea? Use their feedback as part of your research and planning. Perhaps you could also pose questions on their own opinions about the Male Gaze in this genre or any other theorists.
Go! Go forth and plan!
Miss C

Laura Mulvey and the Male Gaze (Sounds like a band from the 80s...)

“the gaze is male whenever it directs itself at, and takes pleasure in, women, where women function as erotic objects” Laura Mulvey.

Mr Hawkins has already mentioned her – so have you researched her? Do you agree with what she says? Find out what she says about the viewer and the ‘viewed’ in any narrative media text.  You might also want to think about a chap called Richard Dyer (another key theorist) or Stuart Hall. You need to consider if their ideas are apparent in your genre and if this will have implications in the planning of your own idea? Perhaps you need to think about this when speaking to a focus group.

Research this. Think about this. Blog about this. Laura Mulvey and the Male Gaze or any other theorist you think is interesting.

Next up - this should be the focus for the following week. Please try to complete by Wednesday 3^rd Oct:

• Narrative of an idea for your trailer/music video.
• What representations (gender, age , social groups etc)you intend to create in the narrative and how. Think about the theorists above.
• Audience. Define your audience. Talk to your audience, how do you know they would like this idea?
• Be specific when defining your audience:
• gender
• lifestyle
• interests
• socio-economic group
• explain why you have chosen this audience group: are they conventional? Is there a gap in the market? Are you appealing to a mass or niche audience?

P.s.I can not see any of your video deconstructions yet! Please make sure you deconstruct a text from the genre you are focusing on. If music videos – it needs to be the music genre i.e. pop, rock etc.

Peace out
Miss C

For Paige and Jade...

http://whatculture.com/film/10-reasons-why-hitchcock-would-turn-in-his-grave-at-modern-horror.php

To do list - complete by Monday end of period 1

Ok by the end of Monday first lesson (24/9) you need to do have researched and blogged the following:

• history, conventions which should detail memes and tropes of your sub genre.
• If you are creating a music video - is there an artist which has a particular niche for this genre? Do they have a specific brand or image?
• research influential directors and key films.
• a deconstruction of a key text from your sub genre - please use media terminology (shots, editing, sound, mise en scene and iconography).
• stop and reflect on research methods. What different research methods could you use?What will you have to research to inform your planning now? Which is the best method for you? Re-visit your AS blogs - what would you do differently.

Miss Cassidy