TUESDAY THE 5TH APRIL

In today's lessons we looked at the opening 5 minutes from series 1 of Benidorm and series 1 of The Thick of It. Both these comedy dramas offer dramatically different styles and approaches to production and demonstrate different aesthetics and shooting styles as well as contrasting editing techniques.

Our representations focus for Benidorm was intially CLASS but we also explored FAMILY, AGE and COUPLES.

In looking at The Thick of It we examined representations of POLITICIANS, STATUS and OFFICES.

All of you who were there should write up your notes and post these on your blogs.

This Thursday we will be looking at other unseen texts in Periods 1 & 2 and writing some paragraphs in preparation for the exam.

Period's 3&4 will be focussed on Portfolio Assessment including your group blogs. Please ensure that these are ready and available to view.

TARGETS

Here are the class targets for all of you which will be coming out in your Spring Targets report sent home this week.

• Download and read film institution support guide from blog and use in revision for exam
• Watch and analyse TV drama regularly with a focus on representations and how they are created through camera, mise en scene, sound and edit.
• Complete Foundation Portfolio (coursework) including evaluation questions ASAP.

They are obvious and you know them. In addition you all need to work on becoming more secure with your use of terminology (not just knowing the terms but knowing how to apply).

Check out this website for some useful information.

Media Know It All

Most of all, spend time each day applying the knowledge you have by writing practice paragraphs on every TV drama you watch.

PRESENTATIONS

Today we will be viewing your presentations of the research which you completed at the BFI.

We will also be taking a look at the revision booklet I have posted online and how this can support you in your preparation for the exam.

Please all ensure that you have your presentations ready by 1.40pm but don't panic and don't feel embarrassed, they are only meant to last a few minutes and should be really focussed of the three key area of the film industry you have been studying.

• Finance, development and pre-production
• Production including developments in technology
• Distribution and exhibition including film marketing

All of course connecting with the audience, how they become aware of the film and how they consume it. 

BFI Trip

BFI Library trip - Research 

Each of you have been given a film to research. I will give you each a question sheet tomorrow (it will help you focus your research).

Amanda - Atonement

Chandni - Love Actually

Aneta - Bridget Jones

Ash - Sean of the Dead/ United 93

Latasha - Nanny McPhee

Amira - A Serious Man

Loren - Four Weddings/ Green Zone

There will be a range of articles indexed for each film plus the printouts on Working Title will

cover most of the ground as they should range from pre-production notes to on set interviews

to the marketing round of reviews etc. 

There will also be books on Working Title for you to look at.

Please BRING A PEN AND PAPER. 

FILM REVISION BOOKLET - INSTITUTION

Revision Booklet Film Industry

AS MEDIA TARGETS + SCHEDULE FOR NEXT FEW WEEKS!

TARGETS


Please ensure that you have all created SMART targets for yourselves using the principles set out below:


S - specific, significant, stretching
M - measurable, meaningful, motivational
A - agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented
R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented
T - time-based, timely, tangible, trackable


These should all be achievable and measurable and we all know that the final measure is exam and coursework success but before that is defined for you, YOU must define what you hope to achieve.


DEADLINES


To concentrate the mind:


Coursework blogs/websites MUST Be completed by Thursday 5th of May - at this point all I will want from you is the URL of your blog or website. This is what I will be marking and submitting and I will have one week to do this for all of you and all of the A2 students for Media Studies and English Language and Literature.


FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO (COURSEWORK)


Must include:


RESEARCH AND PLANNING

• Research and Planning for both main task and preliminary exercise detail and variety is helpful, poor spelling, grammar and unchecked work will lose you marks. 20 marks are available.
• All thought processes that you went through in the planning and research stages
• Storyboards, drawings, planning, photos of cast and locations, shooting logs, risk assessments etc.
• Research into similar products, analysis of opening sequences, trailers, posters, marketing and demonstration of good understanding of how film drama openings are constructed.

EMBEDDED VIDEO OF: 

• Your preliminary exercise(s) whichever you were involved (ensure that it is clear what you did and that you have made some evaluation of it). In your group it is likely that both will be on your blog - make it clear which is yours, your involvement and your understanding of what has been learnt - failure to do this will automatically lose you 15 marks out of the 100.
• You completed FILM OPENING production viewable as an embedded video using your YouTube account. Check it works if it doesn't then you will get 0 out of 60 for the production.
• Any ancilliary tasks you completed including trailers, documentaries, research, evaluations etc.

EVALUATIONS:

• All 7 evaluations questions MUST be answered in detail there are 20 marks available for this.
• A variety of approaches is useful and it is certainly best NOT to write them all.
• Filming these evaluations is a good way to demonstrate that you KNOW what you are doing but time is short so don't over stretch yourself and leave it too late to shoot, edit and upload.

LESSON SCHEDULE:

Till end of term:

Week beginning 28th March

Tuesday's lessons: 

P6&7    Focussed on feedback from essays on Film case study and prep for BFI trip on Thursday.

Thursday's lessons: 

P1-4     BFI trip leaving school 9am arriving back 1.30pm. Bring notebooks, pens, paper and brains.

HOMEWORK: mock essay on Film case study for following Thursday.

Week beginning 4th April

Tuesday's lessons: 

P6&7    TV Drama viewing and analysis

Thursday's lesson: 

P1&2    TV Drama essay writing

P3&4    Assessment of Foundation Porfolio bogs/websites Evaluations (you all must have something ready by this date though possibly not with completed evaluations.)

HOMEWORK: evaluations of Film Openings answering all 7 questions MUST be completed during the Easter Break. 

EASTER BREAK

Monday 11th April

10-3  - Coursework catch-up and completion session.

You can ALL work on your blogs to ensure that they are complete by the beginning of the summer term. If you need to film you can use any suitable camera or camera-phone and you will have to edit by any means possible as the school will not be available for you to use.

SUMMER TERM

Week beginning 25th April

Tuesday 26th April

P6&7   Film Case studies review and mini essay

            Check FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO BLOGS/WEBSITES - must be complete by this date!

            After school catch-up till 4.30 for unfinished blogs/websites

Thursday 28th April

P1&2   TV Drama analysis and practice essay

P3&4   Final Touches to Foundation Portfolio - checking all links work, ensuring all spelling, grammar      etc is accurate.

HOMEWORK: complete practice essay, CORRECT ANY OUTSTANDING ISSUES WITH BLOGS/WEBSITES.

Week beginning 2nd May

Tuesday 3rd May

P6&7    Film Case Study

Thursday 5th May

P1&2    TV Drama

P3&4    FP final review

NO COURSEWORK ACCEPTED BEYOND THIS DATE

Week beginning 9th of May

EXAM PREPARATION WEEK

TV DRAMA

Please find the powerpoint for this Thursday's lessons on TV Drama.

AS TV drama exam prep

Please be prepared for Tuesday's lessons when we will be exploring essay writing skills in detail.

HOMEWORK: DUE 15th MARCH

Create a POSTER and STORYBOARD the teaser trailer for your film that you pitched 


A film distribution company will know what attracts people to films and so they will tailor their marketing campaigns to appeal to what audiences want. They will need to communicate information about a film to audiences in a way that will make them not only aware of the film but also in a way that will make them want to see it

• WHO – will it appeal to, who is the Target Audience
• WHEN – Timing is everything
• HOW – do you make your Target Audience aware of the film.  How do you make them want to go and see it

1. Using the Storyboard template, create a teaser trailer for your film pitch


The Teaser Trailer tells you some basic information about the film, which will:


• Make you aware that the film will be opening in the future
• Make you aware of who is in the film
• Make you aware of the genre of the film
• Give you an idea of the story of the film


The teaser trailer gives you ideas and also awareness about the film.
Awareness:


• When will the film open?
• What type of film is it?
• Who is in it?


2. Create a Poster for your film


Consider:
• Information posters give you
• Highlight key aspects of the film
• Strap line
• Colour
• Certification

Marketing

FILM CASE STUDY

Please ensure that you have completed the half term homework by next Tuesday.

Also, ensure that you have posted a summative paragraph reflecting on yesterday's lessons exploring the role of the Film Producer and Working Title Films.

Please also check earlier posts regarding deadlines for your portfolios - again, today there was a poor turn out of students using the iMacs. Time is running out for completing your film openings, portfolio blogs or websites and evaluations.