What to do this week - 26th Jan -Setting up your group Blog

This week you need to set up another blog for your GROUP. This you will need to name as a production company - it can be anything sensible. You need to set it up using a GROUP email - so perhaps a googlemail account and one you ALL KNOW and ALL KNOW the password for!
Please let me know your additional blog address. See the yr13 page for examples.

You need to show 
what your group has produced, 
the processes you have been through and 
the progress and decisions/revisions you have made.

These things should appear:

On your GROUP BLOG you will post the following every week/lesson:

    * Your Plans for filming and shooting
    * Details of your group discussions and any decisions you've reached
    * Pictures -  and video footage - of shot locations, test shots/shoots, video your meetings/group working (use short snippets to put on your blog)
    * Costume Lists and other organisational things you've done
    * Your storyboards
    * Scans of the planning you've done in your booklets (scanner in C23)
    * Other group discussions and decisions (such as music/mood/narrative)
Once you're filming and then editing:
    * Progress you've made on your film
    * Discussions about edits and cuts you've made
    * Reviews of footage/rushes
    * How this all links to audience and making meaning (and perhaps genre!)
    * Difficulties and Progress you've made with the software (Final Cut Express)
    * Group meeting outcomes
At the end:
    * you will post your video

On your INDIVIDUAL BLOG you will post:

Your personal response to:
    * Plans for filming and shooting
    * Your group discussions and any decisions you've reached
    * Your role in organisational aspects of the planning and shooting
    * The plans you've made (storyline/storyboard etc)
    * Your feelings and thoughts about  group discussions and decisions 
Once you're filming and then editing:
    * Progress you've made on your film
    * YOUR ROLE in filming/editing/organisation/sound - make it clear what YOU have done
    * Discussions about edits and cuts you've made
    * Your personal reaction to footage/rushes
    * How this all links to audience and making meaning (and perhaps genre!)
    * How you're linking what you're doing to what you've learnt on the course (applying theory)
    * Difficulties and Progress you've made with the software (Final Cut Express)
    * Group meeting outcomes
At the end:
    * you will blog your responses to the evaluation questions - BUT these will NOT be typed!

You will also be asked from time to time by your teachers to add things on your blog and these will also need to be added. Basically your group blog shows off your work for marking but your INDIVIDUAL blog shows your contribution to that work and your response and as such has marks attached to it in addition to those you get for the group blog.

Any questions, please ask :-)

How to make your BLOG amazing and get a Level 4!

So for a Level 4 Individual Blog

1. Regular postings and updates, with no long gaps between them (unless these are explained)

2. Ongoing evidence of individual research, analysis, theory and ideas 

3. Ongoing evidence of development, change and progress including diary style summaries of your individual contribution to the project as a whole

4. Ongoing reflections/ thoughts/comments on the progress of the group project

5. Communication between you, the teachers and the group

6. Links to the main blog, the group members blogs, group blog

7. Labelling of posts, using a labels list

8. List of links to external websites you have found useful/inspirational

9. Availability of the correct tools for editing posts, browsing etc

10 Your own unique blog style to represent you as a media student/film consumer

What you should be doing whilst shooting/planning

Year 12

Tuesday 20^th Jan 2011

What to do?

1.  Editing/Log on session with Steve

2.  Finalising all planning sheets up to (and including) ‘Shooting Schedule” just after Things that could go wrong on the shoot” in your Pink Production Booklets (page 18)

3.  Editing your preliminary Sequence

4.  Researching Opening Sequences and blogging your results/analysis. Please use BULLET POINTS and SCREEN GRABS (Cmd, Shift and 4)

 

A reminder: ‘CHILDREN OF MEN’ ESSAY ON BLOGS DUE TOMORROW – FRIDAY 21^st Jan

 More detail on blog post immediately previous to this one

What Now? Week Beginning Jan 17th 2011

1. You should be working on your 'Children of Men' 'essay' which needs to be posted on your blog by Friday (21st).

2. For a major part of your research, which in itself is part of your coursework portfolio, you need to have evidence on your blog of your own individual research into similar products to the one you're creating. Therefore you need to post your own bullet pointed notes on 3-5 opening sequences. There are several available to you on the Opening Sequences blog (linked above left) with a skeleton list of points you should/could cover and a link to imdb.com for the individual title.

These posts can use all available creative means so please feel free to use audio and video clips and to screen grab and post the snapshots in your text. This can be easily done on a mac by using CMD, SHIFT and 4 at the same time, just as you did with the Pillow Talk/Fringe exercise.

Use the internet to help you as much as possible and please refer to where you read things (it shows you are using independence and your own initiative) and utilise your own film collections or YOUTUBE for opening sequences of film. Please don't use TV openings, although using ONE would be acceptable. 

Use your teaching packs to help you (there's a sheet inside the pink production booklet) and the information posted on the blog.

3. Continue with your planning but do keep a note of the changes you make and how what you have learned about Opening Sequences has shaped/altered/affected your plans.

Conventions of Opening Sequences

Conventions of Opening Sequences Comicdoc

Essay on "Children of Men" (2006)

Now we've watched and analysed the opening of "Children on Men"  [Wikipedia] in class in detail, you need to answer the following essay question - ON YOUR BLOG. It needs to be like a proper essay and about 1500 words long.

The title is:

"How effectively does the opening sequence from 'Children of Men' (2006) use the forms and conventions of film openings? What is your personal response as a member of the audience?"

Don't forget to use specific detail to back up your points - use the blogs and lesson notes to help you.

You should aim for a 2:1 ratio where you spend approx 1000 words on the first part of the question and 500 words on your personal response. This section is about what you personally think but you must STILL USE the theoretical concepts and ideas we have been using in class (and that you have used for the first part of your answer) when discussing your thoughts i.e. ==> not just a ramble/meander/wimper or dribblesome twaddle - but a rigorous informed opinion based on media concepts!

The Deadline is one week from the day set so:

12B1 - Friday 21st Jan


12B2

12E1 - Friday 21st Jan

Children of Men Extract

Here's the LINK to the youtube version for mediamonkeymovies

Opening Sequences - extra notes

You need to watch and make notes on as many different openings as possible BUT these need to be done in detail (tricky but over, rather than under do, it). You need to grasp the conventions and functions of openings AND you must be able to distinguish between opening sequences and trailers (as often student film openings can seem like trailers). 

You need to see a whole range but have a clear understanding of what YOU can actually achieve (as well as what is required/expected). Juno type sequences can only be achieved by the most arty/ICT & Film literate/dedicated with any degree of success.

Although some sequences don’t have credits, or take a while before the credits start, you’re only doing a few minutes and interspersed credits are what is expected. This is artificial but there it is. The credits need to feel integral and not added on after – examiners are looking for this.

YOU need to aim for:

1.    coherence

2.    introduction of narrative elements and genre

3.    clarity of sequence

4.    interspersed credits

5.    great, atmospheric music you have created to match visuals

6.    intercutting (probably between titles and narrative or titles and two narratives)

7.    a sensible pace (not too slow (zzzzzz…) or too fast (trailer))

8.    no student clichés (boys with guns, being gangsters, girls running in woods screaming)

9.    strong control of MES

10. Well filmed, edited and competent diegetic sound

You will need to analyse a range of openings themselves on their blogs – either ours or ones from Youtube. You only need to do 3-5 ON YOUR BLOGS but you still need to cover a range of styles and your blogged work must allow for you to blog the key conventions of openings in your own words through examples. (i.e. through ‘research’). (see post on MAIN IDEAS for Opening Sequences).

You will then need to show how what you have learned has been worked into your choices/planning/treatment for your project.

Don’t forget to watch STUDENT EXAMPLES – good and bad.

List of openings you could use for research:

Personal favourites (very good examples): Jaws, Children of Men, Apocalypse Now, Cleaner, Juno, Legally Blonde, Zombieland, The Phantom of the Opera, Se7en, Strange Days (Caution bad language), The Mummy, The Prestige, Watchmen

Opening Sequences - Form & Function - MAIN IDEAS

Opening Sequences                               

Narrative functions

• To introduce character
• Establish narrative structure
• Captivate audience  / interest
• Establish core themes
• Introduce core iconography
• Establishes audience expectation through use of generic conventions

Narrative conventions:

• Predominance of action codes
• Significance of soundtrack – establishing mood
• Use of titles as credits/ event signifiers
• Pace
• Setting Enigma Codes 

Media Language

How are the following used – what effects do they create? What parts do they play in the crucial opening sequence?

• Lighting
• Music
• Sounds (and not just non-diegetic)
• Costume
• Other MES
• Editing Style
• Editing Pace
• Camera Movement
• Credit sequence – style, colour

MOOD – ATMOSPHERE

REPRESENTATIONS

Who is being represented? In what way?

Dialogue?

Enigma?

Action Codes?