matt - is this any use for you?

cover for 20th november

sorry guys I have  a horrid cold/flu thing and so no voice, disgusting cough, aches etc - you do not wanna be in a room with me

I have emailed the technician asking him to have all video cameras moved up to CM21 with Ms Moore / still cameras are on the desk in my office. Post-it notes are in a box on the purple table by the darkroom door in WG11

TODAY - we need to start to plan for the film so
DRIVING QUESTION: how can you effectively show development of an idea, from basic to preparing to shoot?
CHALLENGE: work as a scriptwriter, producer and camera operator: present all these aspects of your film ideas in a way that is visually appealing but includes a lot of information
ACTIVITY IDEAS:

1. begin with a simple plot discourse - outline your narrative story in a paragraph then outline the plot
2. use post-it notes to sketch different shots/frames, arrange and photograph - remeber to include dialogue etc
3. photograph location types
4. photograph 'stills' you will use of characters
5. video a discussion/talking head outlineing your idea/why/how/etc
6. upload examples of clips that are similar in style or technique and annotate how they relate to your own idea

This is now time to be creative and excite your potential audience

There are lots of ways to do this - by the end of Mondays lesson I need to see a range including some of the above choices and some of your own.

Some blogs are looking excellent - others less so - please do not forget to add evidence of planning and developing ideas - upload the narrative work, upload storyboards, upload photographs of you filming etc

Thanks - see you when i am back in

research and planning: AUDIENCE

Challenge: you need to present a structured 'picture' of your target audience using recognised / valid ways of measuring and defining an audience.

The audience grouping that you choose must be a recognised media audience
The exhibition and distribution method you choose must be a real one and you must state your intended method / instrument

choose one or more of the following methods as a start point: you will get more marks if you are creative and interactive in how you present your decision:

1. powerpoint
2. a video
3. role play
4. voice thread  - see an example of a sprowston student work  here http://lukeandersona2media2012-13.blogspot.co.uk/ the site introduction is available here  https://voicethread.com/media/misc/IntroductionToVoiceThread.mov4. it is free to use log-in and choose a free account here is a good place to start https://voicethread.com/support/howto/Account_Types/Free/
5. a prezi
6. a web page - wix.com is easy to use and free - find it here: http://www.wix.com/

Try to have fun as this will come across to your audience

try to link it to your own genre / style and intended film

we will begin todays lesson in discussions

research: using critical theories: Audience

you need to be able to show both knowledge and understanding:

KNOWLEDGE
means knowing about  facts, terms and concepts
UNDERSTANDING
means being able to use them in discussion, essays or planning - owning the knowledge and being able to re-use it in your own words and  use it to influence your own production.

Build your understanding of the work in the last lessons by: initially Deconstructing the Pete Buckingham paper Audiences: Trends, Profiles and Patterns: What People Go to See, Why and How to Reach Them

then

complete tasks 1-3 on the sheet:

Task 1

Read the article and make notes on the following points

Q1- page 1 – read and consider – what does he suggest influences audience patterns – is he correct in your opinion?

Q2 page 2 – what kind of audience are you  - what are your own viewing habits – how do audiences behave in the cinema

Q2b: what instruments could you use to find out about viewing habits / successful genres and narratives?

Task 2

Read pages 3-4 and think about how he explains WHY people go to the cinema; what do they want from a cinema experience and a film; what blocks them from getting involved.  Then make notes to answer Q3 & 4 reflecting on yourself as a consumer:

Q3 – motivation & behaviour

a.       Why do you watch films?

b.      What qualities attract you ( you could consider  film / actor/company/innovation / reputation etc)

c.       How do you consume films (exhibition: how it is shown – cinema/dvd/streamed/downloaded/tv as well as who with or where)

Q4. Driver and barriers – annotate his list and then create your own. – what dissuades or persuades YOU.

Task 3

Produce a report exploring the following points:

·         The different ways in which film industries and institutions categorise audiences (companies that make films and those who distribute or exhibit them)

·         The reasons they do so

·         The ways in which producers and film writers can consider audiences

·         The reasons why they do so.

·         What affects you as an audience member

You can use any method to present it – essay / prezi / powerpoint etc But you must include more than just words – links / diagrams / photos etc.

Deadline – First lesson next week

Hy 3^rd Nov 2013

Narrative: critical theories and generating ideas - short film genre

You have been given an outline of a variety of critical theories and we have discussed how to apply to specific films / your ideas for your own productions

Some of the theories we have covered include:

Vladimir Propp: characters as function / actions as function

Barthes: action / enigma codes

Tzevetan Todorov – Equilibrium & disequilibrium

Levi-Strauss - binary oppositions

Allan Cameron's theory of Modular Narratives

Representation theories

Audience theories

narrative conventions: a restrictive and unrestrictive narrative

there are others - to extend attainment research and find some of your own - produce evidence of your independent research into narrative codes and theories - link them to exisiting films as examples for your points/opinions

HOMEWORK 1: present research and findings as a powerpoint.  – link to  specific media texts

Today's tasks: 21st October - generating narrative ideas.

to avoid having a narrow range of ideas you need to provide different versions of narrative structure

1.  generate an initial narrative story and discourse - be original
2. create three versions of your concept each of which meets a different critical narrative theory 
3. change your narrative explore the effect changing the narrative - for example restricted, non-linear or episodic: change the chronology, apply parallel concepts

present all of your ideas in an interactive and creative way - you must include links and quotes plus media texts as examples

generating evidence of understanding narrative and genre theories - source material

this slideshow presents the theories of narrative in a simple yet clear way - it may give you some ideas for creating your own
Media narrative codes from Elaine Humpleby

Semioticsforbeginnersaslevel 111012150554-phpapp02 from Elaine Humpleby

Audience pete buckingham what people go to see from Elaine Humpleby

Research and Planning: 16th October - Narrative

main task today  -  present your narrative outline to the rest of the class

> you need to present your:

1. narrative plot
2. narrative story
3. character outlines
4. events, enigma codes and hooks
5. proposed location / style

You need to be prepared to discuss and justify your ideas - 

our questions will check the content of your presentations:

• who is your target audience?
• how will you establish your plot/enigma and hook the audience interest?
• what genre conventions are you meeting/breaking?
•  is it a good concept
• is it a realistic proposal?

 BE PREPARED to make notes on a post-it and pass it to the person presenting

This activity will generate evidence for your Evaluation / focus groups

Remember the next lesson will focus on Genre: codes / theories / institutions and audiences. Bring a pen, paper and your brain active and alert. - it is a double and we are in WG11

research and planning: Narrative - 14th October 2013

main task today  -  create a simple narrative outline
present:

1. narrative plot
2. narrative story
3. character outlines
4. events, enigma codes and hooks
5. proposed location / style

You need to present to the class and be prepared to discuss and justify your ideas - this will be next lesson so be ready

after presentations the next lesson will focus on Genre: codes / theories / institutions and audiences. Bring a pen, paper and your brain active and alert. 

research and planning: Narrative codes and systems

critical theory

the basics:

Narrative

Narrative is defined as “a chain of events in a cause-effect relationship occurring in

time” (Bordwell & Thompson, Film Art, 1980).

Diegesis

The internal world created by the story that the characters themselves experience

and encounter.

Story and plot

Story – all events referenced both explicitly in a narrative and inferred (including

backstory as well as those projected beyond the action)

Plot – the events directly incorporated into the action of the text and the order in

which they are presented

Narrative Range

Unrestricted narration – A narrative which has no limits to the information that is

presented i.e. a news bulletin.

Restricted narration – only offers minimal information regarding the narrative i.e.

Thrillers

Narrative Depth

Subjective character identification – the viewer is given unique access to what a range of characters see and do

Objective character identification – the viewer is given unique access to a

character’s point of view such as seeing things from the character’s mind, dreams,

fantasies or memories

then it can be more complex:

Modular Narratives “articulate a sense of time as divisible and subject to manipulation”.

Cameron has identified four different types of modular narrative:

• Anachronic

• Forking Paths

• Episodic

• Split Screens

Anachronic modular narratives involve the use of flashbacks and/or flashforwards, with no clear dominance between any of the narrative threads. These narratives also often repeat scenes directly or via a different perspective. Examples include: Pulp Fiction and Memento.

Forking-path narratives juxtapose alternative versions of a story, showing the possible outcomes that might result from small changes in a single event or group of events. The forking-path narrative introduces a number of plotlines that usually contradict one another. Examples include Groundhog Day and Run Lola Run.

Episodic narratives are organised as an abstract series or narrative anthology. Abstract series type of modular narrative is characterized by the operation of a nonnarrative formal system which appears to dictate (or at least overlay) the organization of narrative elements such as a sequence of numbers or the alphabet. Anthology consists of a series of shorter tales which are apparently disconnected but share a random similarity, such as all ‘episodes’ being survivors of a shipwreck.

Split screen narratives are different from the other types of modular narrative discussed here, because their modularity is articulated along spatial rather than temporal lines. These films divide the screen into two or more frames, juxtaposing events within the same visual field, in a sustained fashion. Examples include Timecode.

todays tasks

FIRST - discussion in pairs - for tasks 1-2

1. discussion and identification of the term NARRATIVE - what do we understand it to mean?
2. story versus plot versus PLOT - what is the difference

upload evidence of understanding of both to BLOG

THEN

create my original narrative structure and pattern:

Q which narrative conventions will i use / break - video discussions?

research and planning - what is an OTS - 24th Sept 2013

You need to include awareness of the conventions of an OTS into your blog - demonstrate that you understand what are the conventions and how they then apply to short films

Follow this link and complete the task relating to se7en

http://asmediaproductionsschs2014.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/conventions-of-ots-se7en.html

for the second task complete the tasks but using only short films - deconstruct and analyse/compare the OTS to three different films.

deadline = 30th September

research and planing: textual analysis 2 24th Sept 2013

It is vital to demonstrate an ability to deconstruct and learn from other films, to explore genre and demonstrate an ability to reflect on what makes a good film.

without it you will gain a lower mark AND make a weaker film

Today you need to research and then watch / deconstruct some of the following films

• Boy & a Bicycle by Ridley Scott
• Dear phone by peter Greenaway
• DOODLEBUG bu Christopher Nolan
• TELLING LIES by Simon Ellis
• EIGHT by stephen daldrey
• gasman by Lynn ramsey
• The short & curlies by Mike Leigh

all are on Cinema 16

you will need to add three posts and embed links to one of the three in each of of them - then in the post

1. add a synopsis of the film and the director
2. deconstruct the narrative / style and sound
3. make notes on the ideas it gives you

Use clear and suitable titles to your posts: begin with Research and planning : deconstruction - then film title/director

Be creative in presentation methods e.g. you could make one a powerpoint from slideshare, one a talking head and one a 'tradtitional' post

Research & Planning: textual analysis

It is vital to demonstrate an ability to deconstruct and learn from other films, to explore genre and demonstrate an ability to reflect on what makes a good film.

without it you will gain a lower mark AND make a weaker film

Today we will watch the following American short films

• FREIHEIT by George Lucas (1966)
• DAYBREAK EXPRESS by D.A. Pennebaker (1953)
• VINCENT Tim Burton(1982)
•  GEORGE LUCAS IN LOVE by Joe Nussbaum (1999)
• FEELINGS by Todd Solondz (1984)

AND MAYBE

• NECROLOGY (ROLL CALL OF THE DEAD) By Standish Lawder (1969)

you will need to add three posts and embed links to one of the three in each of of them - then in the post

1. add a synopsis of the film and the director
2. deconstruct the narrative / style and sound
3. make notes on the ideas it gives you

Use clear and suitable titles to your posts: begin with Research and planning : deconstruction - then film title/director

Be creative in presentation methods e.g. you could make one a powerpoint from slideshare, one a talking head and one a 'tradtitional' post

short films research 2 - genre and mise en scene: The last man on earth

The Last Man on Earth

watch the film

1. Complete the film analyse sheets and again summarise what you have learned.  
2. make a list of how the scene was styled - props, cast, lighting, sounds - what makes it work

add your notes to your blog with the title as this post

extension

present research into a range of films with the same title

short films: research 1 - GENRE - identify conventions: case study: about a girl (2001) Brian Percival

activity 1:
complete:
worksheet 1 Thinking about short films - add as much detail as possible
                 discuss your findings: add your findings to your blog with the title  Short films: research 1 - GENRE - identify conventions

Activity 2: - watch About a Girl (2001) Brian Percival
you can see it at
http://onlineshortfilms.net/watch/about-a-girl-video_433221e80.htm
(this works but may be hard to watch at school)

: watch it and then complete worksheet 2: textual analysis - making notes for close study - add as much detail as possible

extensions and further work - explore the websites in the short film gadget box- choose further films to watch

earning marks

remeber that you will get better marks for using a variety of methods
consider using :
VIMEO
PREZI
SLIDESHARE
VOX-POPS
TALKING HEADS VIDEOS
SURVEYS: surveymonkey or polleverywhere

Advanced practical production portfolio introduction brief

As a starter brief you need to complete the following

1. create a new blog for A2 called (name)a2mediastudies2014.blogspot.com
2. make sure it is added here
3. research sweded films
4. choose a 'big' film to swede
5. store all evidence in your blog: storyboards, research, dialogue plans, links, filming stills. representation, production planning notes.....EVERYTHING
6. research film posters - (teaser / character / theatrical) and then draft and design a poster for your own film
7. research online and offline magazine reviews of short films - design and make your own
8. publish film, poster and review on an online professional sharing site

all evidence should be on your blog - every week add some review/evaluation comments on the process

DO NOT FORGET

• SOUND
• TITLES
• EDITS
• SPELLING

all are very important