Some Lovely Christmas Revision homework!

You will need to watch and make detailed notes (which i will need to see) on Episode 2 - 4 of 'The Virtual Revolution'.

Here are the videos. DUE 7th JANUARY


All EPISODES ARE HERE IN A PLAYLIST


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPD4Ep_J81k&list=PL84AD44DF0973D098

A2 Coursework Deadlines

Your coursework deadlines are as follows:

Blog research and planning deadline - Monday 2nd December

Exam content delivery and revision - Monday 2nd December - Friday 20th December

Mock Exam - Week beginning Monday January 6th 2014 (Exact date TBC)

Final Coursework Deadline (Including trailer, poster, magazine cover and evaluation)
Friday 31st January 2014

Blogs are progressing really nicely, remember to keep visiting each others blogs for inspiration. The rest of this week and next week should be focussed on planning documentation, as research is pretty complete in most cases.

Homework 1

Complete 4 blog posts linking to Genre and preparing for your Pitch....

Due Wednesday

Genre Posts

Welcome back A2 media!

Your current task that we expect you to complete in lesson and in your own time are some posts on genre. One post should be a post describing why it is important to make a decision on genre before making your trailer, giving examples of generic micro aspects that feature in trailers you have researched.

The second post should detail your chosen genre and why you have chosen to make a trailer for a film of this genre. Don't forget that you are assessed on your ability to use a variety of ways of presenting information.

Please make sure that this is done by 11/9/13



Explosions are a generic trademark of the Expendables franchise and any other 'Action' movie.

Re-make of a Trailer

You should all have a much better understanding of the aspects involved in constructing a trailer by now. Your next major task between now and the break is to construct a shot for shot remake of one trailer of your choice. We will be looking for an attempt at recreating mise en scene, but our main focus will be on your attention to detail in terms of editing and cinematography. It might make sense, and save you some time to remake the trailer that you analysed for your in depth analysis, as you will already have a strong idea of what went in to constructing that trailer.

This task should provide you with the opportunity to generate a number of posts leading up to its eventual completion and comparison to the original.

If you are working on your own, you will be allowed to enlist the help of others within your class to help you perform the task within the time frame.

The group who produce the best trailer remake will win an award of our choosing.

Good luck, may the best group win!

Mr Southworth

Admin Rights

Only a few of you are following the blog and fewer still have added Mr Jackon and me as Admins to your A2 blogs. Please can you make these two things your priority,

Many thanks,

Mr Southworth

Media Blog Post Checklist:

Posts that must be complete and on your blog by the end of this week:

• 3 x Feature Trailer Analysis
• 3 x Teaser Trailer Analysis
• "What is a trailer?" post (Explaining the difference between teaser and theatrical trailers)
• In depth analysis of one trailer of your choice.
• Film poster Conventions Post
• First attept Film Poster and evaluation of it's success in terms of conventions
• Mise-en-scene lesson write up covering the three areas we discussed.

Posts that must be on your blog by the end of term:

• Trailer Remake (plus related posts)
• Initial Ideas for final trailer
• Genre Ideas for final trialer
• Moodboards
• Mind Maps/ Brainstorms
• Minutes from Meetings
• Audience Research

Posts that you might want to start thinking about adding next and adding to over the summer break:

• Storyboarding First Drafts
• Plot Synopsis
• Script Ideas
• First location ideas
• Props
• Wardobe
• Location
• Casting
• Distribution/Exhibtion Proposal
• Tagline
• 25 word pitch
• Full Proposal
• Advertising and Marketing Ideas

Mise En Scene

You should write up the tasks you did on Mise-En-Scene that you completed in the lessons last week and create a variety of blog posts around them. The posts should feature images and evaluation of each task, including reflection on the failures/successes of your mise sen scene from AS.

Film Posters

By now your Movie Posters should be complete. In terms of posts you can write about:

How you came up with your design ideas.
How your poster fits/doesn't fit the conventions of Movie Poster Design
Rvaluate the success of your poster in terms of communicating genre/content/release information and as a persuasive method of advertisment. All of these posts should include images of the design process and the finished article. If your work has already been displayed, it might be nice to include images of this. You can also evaluate the posters of others in the group, or discuss feedback you have recieved from your classmates.

What is a theatrical trailer/What is a teaser trailer?

For your second blog post (entitled 'What is a Trailer? What is a Teaser Trailer?) you should discuss each of the six following trailers. This should be both in terms of:

• A brief overview of each- what characteristics (i.e. titles) does each possess?
• A brief critical discussion of each trailer- do you think they are effective or problematic? Try to be specific about aspects that you enjoyed or found frustrating- please use screen grabs if this helps.

Finally, by exploring all six of these trailers, attempt to find some common ground between them. Summarise any recurring characteristics (you can make reference to any teaser trailer examples of your own).

Remember that you are encouraged to present this information in more than just writing- so, still images, Prezis or even moving image commentary may all prove more effective.

 

Teasers:

Slightly less familiar might be the concept of teaser trailers, which you could do (instead of a feature/theatrical trailer). The purpose of this is for you to understand that there are very few essential characteristics that you must include in your own trailer and for you to see some interesting marketing twists that teaser trailers incorporate- in short, to expand your idea of what a trailer needs to be.

 

Full Theatrical:

We are all somewhat familiar with what a trailer is. As long as you have been to the cinema, you will be aware that there are theatrical trailers where film companies are looking to entice you to come back and see an upcoming film. What you would need to identify is what a trailer must include and what it should include.

Trailer Research Task

For your first task we would like you to carry out some research into what makes an effective trailer. Visit the following website:

http://www.traileraddict.com

Pick three trialers that you are going to examine. Analyse each of the trailers according to what you think is effective about the following aspects:

Sound
Music
Mise-En-Scene
Cinematography
Editing
Choice of Titles
Special Effects
Narrative (What are the audience shown/not shown?)
Genre
Casting
Voice over

Do not choose the following trailers, as you will be exploring them for your second task.

Monsters University
Anchorman 2
Last Vegas
Paranoia
Insidious Chapter 2
Aurora

Welcome back!

Now that you are in A2, we are going to start your coursework early to give you the best chance at getting a good grade, and to allow more time to cover exam elements from September.

Your first few tasks will be as follows:

Trailer Research

What is a Trailer?

An in depth trailer analysis or timeline

Remake of a trailer

Mood Board

Sentence Pitch

See individual posts for more detail on how to complete each task. Remember that you will get a better grade for presenting information in more dynamic ways!

WE MEDIA QUESTIONS & EXAM EXPECTATIONS

LEVEL 4 Expects...

Explanation/analysis/argument (16-20 marks)


Candidates adapt their learning to the specific requirements of the chosen question in excellent fashion and make connections in order to present a coherent argument. The answer offers a clear, fluent balance of media theories and knowledge of industries and texts and informed personal engagement with issues and debates.

Use of examples (16-20 marks)


Examples of theories, texts and industry knowledge are clearly connected together in the answer. History and the future are integrated into the discussion at least once in each case.

Use of terminology (8-10 marks)


Throughout the answer, material presented is informed by relevant media theory and the command of the appropriate conceptual and theoretical language is excellent.

Complex issues have been expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing appropriate to the complex subject matter. Sentences and paragraphs, consistently relevant, have been well structured, using appropriate technical terminology. There may be few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

ALSO LOOK AT...

‘We Media’ and Democracy

•   What are ‘We Media’?
  
•   Where/how has ‘We Media’ emerged?
  
•   In what way are the contemporary media more democratic than before?
  
•   In what ways are the contemporary media less democratic than before?
  

Candidates might explore combinations of any two media in relation to the above prompts. Starting from Gillmor’s definition, all media that are ‘homegrown’, local, organic and potentially counter-cultural can be studied for this topic, as long as two media (eg web-logging and digital film uploading and sharing) are studied. Note that candidates should compare potentially alternative/progressive ‘we media’ examples with other examples of more orthodox production and ownership models and that the question asks candidates to consider media within an understanding of democracy so any contemporary examples that support their argument will be credited. 

A wonderful list of 

‘We Media & Democracy’

past questions…

Jan 2010

How far can the media in 2010 be considered to be democratic? 

Explore the claim that the ‘new’ media are more democratic than the ‘old’ media.

June 2010

Assess the claim that the media is becoming more democratic.

What is ‘we media’ and what difference does it make to citizens?

Jan 2011

Discuss the meanings of the term ‘we media’.

“We get the media we deserve.” Discuss, in relation to the role of media in a democracy. 

June 2011

Explain how some features of contemporary media are more democratic than others.

As a citizen, to what extent do you feel that the media provide you with a democratic service?

Jan 2012

“The media are controlled by those in power just as much as ever, despite technological and cultural change.” How far do you agree with this statement?

What role do the contemporary media play in safeguarding democracy?

June 2012

Are we the media in 2012?

Explain your view of the role of media in a democracy.  

WE MEDIA PART 7 - The Digital Divide

WE MEDIA PART 6 - Reality TV

GO TO THESE WEBSITES...

http://flowtv.org/2006/09/reality-tv-is-undemocratic/

http://www.economist.com/node/4382469

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/19/x-factor-louis-walsh

WE MEDIA PART 5 - CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Selected extracts from We the Media by Dan Gillmor

“We freeze some moments in time. Every culture has its frozen moments, events so important and personal that they transcend the normal flow of news.

Americans of a certain age, for example, know precisely where they were and what they were doing when they learned that President Franklin D. Roosevelt died. Another generation has absolute clarity of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. And no one who was older than a baby on September 11, 2001, will ever forget hearing about, or seeing, airplanes exploding into skyscrapers.

In 1945, people gathered around radios for the immediate news, and stayed with the radio to hear more about their fallen leader and about the man who took his place. Newspapers printed extra editions and filled their columns with detail for days and weeks afterward. Magazines stepped back from the breaking news and offered perspective.

Something similar happened in 1963, but with a newer medium. The immediate news of Kennedy’s death came for most via television; I’m old enough to remember that heart- breaking moment when Walter Cronkite put on his horn- rimmed glasses to glance at a message from Dallas and then, blinking back tears, told his viewers that their leader was gone. As in the earlier time, newspapers and magazines pulled out all the stops to add detail and context.

September 11, 2001, followed a similarly grim pattern. We watched—again and again—the awful events. Consumers of

We the media

News learned the what about the attacks, thanks to the televi- sion networks that showed the horror so graphically. Then we learned some of the how and why as print publications and thoughtful broadcasters worked to bring depth to events that defied mere words. Journalists did some of their finest work and made me proud to be one of them.

But something else, something profound, was happening this time around: news was being produced by regular people who had something to say and show, and not solely by the “official” news organizations that had traditionally decided how the first draft of history would look. This time, the first draft of history was being written, in part, by the former audience. It was possible—it was inevitable—because of new publishing tools available on the Internet.

Another kind of reporting emerged during those appalling hours and days. Via emails, mailing lists, chat groups, personal web journals — all nonstandard news sources — we received valuable context that the major American media couldn’t, or wouldn’t, provide.

We were witnessing—and in many cases were part of—the future of news.”

“This book is about journalism’s transformation from a 20th century mass-media structure to something profoundly more grassroots and democratic. It’s a story, first, of evolutionary change. Humans have always told each other stories, and each new era of progress has led to an expansion of storytelling.

This is also a story of a modern revolution, however, because technology has given us a communications toolkit that allows anyone to become a journalist at little cost and, in theory, with global reach. Nothing like this has ever been remotely possible before.”

 “In the 20th century, making the news was almost entirely the province of journalists; the people we covered, or “news- makers”; and the legions of public relations and marketing people who manipulated everyone. “

“Tomorrow’s news reporting and production will be more of a conversation, or a seminar. The lines will blur between producers and consumers, changing the role of both in ways we’re only beginning to grasp now. The communication network itself will be a medium for everyone’s voice, not just the few who can afford to buy multimillion-dollar printing presses, launch satellites, or win the government’s permission to squat on the public’s airwaves.”

“We can’t afford more of the same. We can’t afford to treat the news solely as a commodity, largely controlled by big institutions. We can’t afford, as a society, to limit our choices.”

Journalists

We will learn we are part of something new, that our readers/listeners/viewers are becoming part of the process. I take it for granted, for example, that my readers know more than I do—and this is a liberating, not threatening, fact of journalistic life. Every reporter on every beat should embrace this. We will use the tools of grassroots journalism or be consigned to history. Our core values, including accu- racy and fairness, will remain important, and we’ll still be gatekeepers in some ways, but our ability to shape larger conversations—and to provide context—will be at least as important as our ability to gather facts and report them.

Newsmakers

The rich and powerful are discovering new vulnerabilities, as Nacchio learned. Moreover, when anyone can be a jour- nalist, many talented people will try—and they’ll find things the professionals miss. Politicians and business people are learning this every day. But newsmakers also have new ways to get out their message, using the same technologies the grassroots adopts. Howard Dean’s presidential cam- paign failed, but his methods will be studied and emulated because of the way his campaign used new tools to engage his supporters in a conversation. The people at the edges of the communications and social networks can be a news- maker’s harshest, most effective critics. But they can also be the most fervent and valuable allies, offering ideas to each other and to the newsmaker as well.

The former audience

Once mere consumers of news, the audience is learning how to get a better, timelier report. It’s also learning how to join the process of journalism, helping to create a massive con- versation and, in some cases, doing a better job than the professionals. For example, Glenn Reynolds, a.k.a. “Insta- pundit,” is not just one of the most popular webloggers; he has amassed considerable influence in the process. Some grassroots journalists will become professionals. In the end, we’ll have more voices and more options.

Final Thoughts from Dan Gillmor

“The rise of the citizen journalist will help us listen. The ability of anyone to make the news will give new voice to people who’ve felt voiceless—and whose words we need to hear. They are showing all of us—citizen, journalist, newsmaker—new ways of talking, of learning.

In the end, they may help spark a renaissance of the notion, now threatened, of a truly informed citizenry. Self-government demands no less, and we’ll all benefit if we do it right.

Let’s have this conversation, for everyone’s sake.”

Social media & arab spring from tdcjackson