2014-15

Chew Valley School

AS Media Studies Main Task

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Chew Valley School

AS Coursework Checklist – Main Task

(There should be at least one blog post about each stage)

Task KC Done?

PLANNING AND RESEARCH

Decide who you are going to work with and blog a production company name and logo

I

Upload your preliminary task film to your blog via YouTube P

Evaluate your preliminary task (see page 3) on your blog – what have you learned that you will need to remember for the main task?

P

Complete the ‘jelly baby’ task for two of the film pitches (see page 4). Upload your photos to the blog with an explanation of your shot choices.

ML

Pick your film brief (see page 5) and justify your choice on the blog. P

Research films from the genre of your film brief and blog a list of identifying traits of the genre – things you will need to include.

ML

Blog a graphic breakdown of the opening of a film from within your genre (see breaking down film titles on page 6)

ML

Research the opening sequence of several films (similar to your film brief). Each member of the group should blog a full textual analysis of at least 1 opening (use of camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene) in the style of a G322 Section A answer.

ML

Pick another film opening from your genre and choose the 9 key screen shots from it (see www.artofthetitle.com for inspiration). Annotate and blog the 9 shots describing why they are the key shots and what you can take from them as inspiration.

ML

Create a mood board, scan or photograph it and upload it to your blog, write a short entry on why you have used what you have on the board.

P

Audience research – research which films people think have good openings, what attracts people to films and what puts them off. Blog your findings.

A

Go to http://www.uktribes.com and use it to help define your perfect audience member. Blog a complete picture of your audience member, from clothes to the food they eat, music they listen to. You can get a friend to dress up in the appropriate costume and take photos.

A

Go to the ‘Pearl and Dean’ website (http://business.pearlanddean.com/audience_profile) and investigate how they categorise their audiences. Can you fit your film to their ideas? See Audience Segmentation (page 8) and categorise your audience using these ideas.

A

Research the institutions that might produce, distribute and exhibit your film (use http://launchingfilms.info/ and http://www.launchingfilms.com/links/). Which distributor fits your genre and audience?

I

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Task KC Done?

Define the key elements you must include in your opening to conform to the expectations of the genre you have chosen, the audience you have chosen and what is expected of a film opening. Blog a check list.

ML

Create a story arc for the whole of your film; blog a brief synopsis. ML

Investigate narrative theories (Propp, Levi-Strauss, Barthes etc.), find an interesting way of presenting them and blog how your story fits them (or doesn’t) – see page 9

ML

Create a storyboard (either drawn or photo-strip) P

Plan the sound of your movie – are you having a soundtrack, or just Foley sounds? Blog where you’ve found your sound and why you have chosen what you have.

P

Create an animatic of your storyboard P

Blog a shot list and shooting script P

Plan locations and take location shots. Blog your reasons for choosing these locations. Seek permission to use the locations.

R/P

Do a risk assessment (see page 5) and blog it I

Cast your film and take casting shots. Blog your reasons for your casting.

R

Plan and collect all props and costumes – blog your list with photos R

PRODUCTION

Shoot your film – remember to take production stills for your blog P

POST-PRODUCTION

Make a rough edit and check that you have all the shots you need P

Do any re-shoots and pickups needed P

Complete finished edit P

Post your finished film to your blog via YouTube P

EVALUATION (see page 10)

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

ML

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups? R

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I

4. Who would be the audience for your media product? A

5. How did you attract/address your audience? A

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

P

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

P

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Evaluating your preliminary task

Section 1: Filming Process

What went well?

What mistakes did you make?

What have you learned to take forward to your main task?

Section 2: Meeting the brief

Your brief was to film and edit a sequence in which a character opens a door, crosses a

room and sits down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then

exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action,

shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. You should try to make this interesting!

Evaluate how well you have met the brief.

Section 3: Technical Skills

Evaluate your preliminary task in relation to each of the following technical skills. How well

have you done with:

using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;

using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;

shooting material appropriate to the task set, including controlled use of the camera,

attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;

using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and

appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

As with all work in media, you will be rewarded for using technical terms and specific

examples, ideally referenced to a time code in your video. It may also be helpful to include

screen-captures of particular shots or edits to illustrate your points, and still images from

your video shoot to demonstrate what roles you took on.

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Jelly Babies! You are going to use jelly babies and a camera to mock up the start of a film in 5 shots.

1. Choose two of the film briefs:

a) Thriller – An indie thriller about someone who is different from everyone

else, aimed at a female audience.

b) Horror/Thriller – A ghost story; scary but able to be rated PG.

c) Independent – An independent movie with a young protagonist.

d) Comedy/drama – A comedy drama that would appeal to a teenage

audience.

2. For each brief, you have 5 shots, anything else you can find in the room and as many jelly babies as you need.

3. Plan how you are going to mock up the opening titles of your brief. Remember you have only 5 shots and you have to give a lot of information. How are you going to imply the genre, the gender of the characters, the mood of the movie?

4. Take your five shots and upload your results to the blog with an explanation of what you did and why. (There will be prizes for the best ones).

5. Each member of your group must comment on your jelly baby task. What was easy, what was hard, how did you make meaning, how did you use the camera?

6. Repeat the process for the second of your chosen briefs.

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Film Briefs

Choose one of the following briefs:

1. Thriller – An indie thriller about someone who is different from everyone

else, aimed at a female audience.

2. Horror/Thriller – A ghost story; scary but able to be rated PG.

3. Independent – An independent movie with a young protagonist.

4. Comedy/drama – A comedy drama that would appeal to a teenage

audience.

The Pitch

During the pitch you need to convince me that you will be able to successfully

make the film, and that you have a good idea for your interpretation of the

brief.

• Think about how you are going to appeal to your audience.

• Give a brief account of the plot of your film.

• Discuss the locations you are going to use.

• Think about the logistics of your film.

The pitch should be no more than two minutes long.

Risk Assessment

Complete a table to risk assess your film shoot:

Hazards

(potential

dangers/hazards

that could result in

significant harm)

Persons at

Risk

(who?)

Existing

Controls

Level of

Risk

(with existing

controls,

Low,

Medium,

High)

Further Action

Required

(where level of

risk is medium or

high)

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Breaking Down Film Titles

1. Pick an opening (film) from www.artofthetitle.com or another film of your choice from YouTube.

2. Watch the sequence several times over 3. Get a big sheet of plain paper and mark out a timeline, then go through and write on

it where each title comes in. (See ‘Juno’ example as a model below)

You could improve on this by adding colour.

4. Mark the following on the timeline: a. Description of each different sequence of shots (what you see) b. Titles – mark them with a ‘T’ number them, and describe what they tell you. c. Sound d. Company credits

5. Scan the breakdown and upload it to your blog.

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Analysing Opening and Title Sequences

All analysis must be detailed and focus on:

The media language of the sequence Representations where appropriate

The target audience and the impact on the audience

An evaluation of the sequence

You will be rewarded for reference to specific shots, time coded to the embedded video clip

Ideas of things to write about

Title Sequences Opening Sequences

Music o Style o Atmosphere o Genre o Instrumentation

Titles o Font/lettering o Animation o Transitions

Mis-en-scene

Use of camera

Editing o Transitions o Speed/pace

Genre o How is genre denoted?

Information given o Famous stars o Recognisable institutions (e.g.

Disney, Dreamworks)

Mis-en-scene

Use of camera

Editing o Transitions o Speed/pace

Genre o How is genre denoted?

Narrative o What do we learn about the

story? o How is that information

conveyed?

Representation o What do we learn about the

character(s)? o How is that information

conveyed?

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Audiences can be broken down by: age

gender

By demographics (ethnicity, geographic location...)

Social Class:

social

grade

social status occupation

A upper middle class higher managerial, administrative or professional

B middle class intermediate managerial, administrative or professional

C1 lower middle class supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative

or professional

C2 skilled working class skilled manual workers

D working class semi and unskilled manual workers

E those at lowest level of

subsistence

state pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or

lowest grade workers

Social Values / Mindsets

Mindset Group Characteristics

Self actualizers Focused on people and relationships, individualistic and creative,

enthusiastically exploring change, 'in a framework of non-prescriptive

consideration for others'

Innovators Self-confident risk-takers, seeking new and different things, setting their own

targets to achieve

Esteem seekers Acquisitive and materialistic, aspiring to what they see are symbols of success,

including things and experiences

Strivers Attaching importance to image and status, as a means of enabling acceptance

by their peer group, at the same time holding onto traditional values

Contented

conformers

Wanting to be 'normal', so follow the herd, accepting of their circumstances,

they are contented and comfortable in the security of their own making

Traditionalists Averse to risk, guided by traditional behaviours and values, quiet and reserved,

hanging back and blending in with the crowd

Disconnected Detached and resentful, embittered and apathetic, tending to live in the 'ever-

present now'

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NARRATIVE THEORIES

Tzvetan Todorov

Narratives depend on conflict to create a disequilibrium. The resolution of

these conflicts creates a new equilibrium.

Claude Levi-Strauss

Narrative depend on conflict between two opposites (called BINARY

OPPOSITIONS) – good and evil, truth and lies, rich and poor – and the

resolution of this conflict resolves the narrative.

Roland Barthes

Narratives move forward through a series of codes which the audience

understand. Enigma codes create “mini-cliffhangers” or puzzles which the

audience want to solve. The resolution of these puzzles satisfies the audience.

Vladimir Propp

Narratives are organised around recognisable character types and actions

which the audience recognise. This creates automatic sympathy, distrust, or

fear. The vindication of these feelings when the sympathetic character wins

out satisfies the audience. Texts which overturn these expectations can also be

satisfying!

Character Types Actions

The Hero

The Villain

The Donor

The Dispatcher

The False Hero

The Helper

The Princess

The Princess’s Father

Preparation

Complication

Transference

Struggle

Return

Recognition

Syd Field

Narratives are organised into a three act structure: setup, confrontation,

resolution. There are clear links between Field and Todorov.

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MAIN TASK EVALUATION

Questions to address:

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and

conventions of real media products?

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this

product?

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the

progression from it to the full product?

Presenting your evaluation

You need to present your evaluation digitally, either as:

A podcast

DVD extras such as director’s commentary or “making of” video

A blog post with interactive elements such as video, stills

A PowerPoint via Slideshare/Scribd or (better) a Prezi

A website

…or a combination of two or more of the above

You need to view the evaluation as a creative task and the exploit the potential of the

format chosen through the use of images, audio, video and links to online resources

You can take most questions separately (though 4 & 5 belong together)

You can address each question in a different format – some might lend themselves more to

commentary, some to presentation, some to written blog posts

Vary the presentation and make it clear which question you are addressing in each format.

See the PowerPoint for more details.