Goodnight and good luck

Dear Year 13,

It's been an absolute pleasure teaching you this year and I'm very sorry that I won't be able to take you through to the end of the course - but you are in more than safe hands with Miss Matthey. I wish you the very best of luck: work hard and get the results you deserve.

Make sure you get your filming complete and uploaded onto FinalCut as quickly as you can to give yourselves time to edit your videos and work on your ancillary tasks.

Good luck with it all and I look forward to seeing how you get on.

Mr Kirkaldy

Using the Mac Suite outside of lesson time

We are having problems with students using the Mac Suite as a common room rather than a place to work on Media and/or Art projects.

Students who don't study Media or Art have no reason to be in the Mac Suite. If they want to socialise, they can do that in the Sixth Form area; if they want to work, there are other computers available to them around school.

Likewise, students who ARE studying Media or Art are only allowed in there to work specifically on these subjects. It is not a place to eat, socialise, watch films/videos, listen to music or work on other subjects. 

If the Mac Suite continues to be abused in this manner, your access privileges will be removed from your ID cards and you won't be able to use the Mac Suite without teacher supervision. This would be a great shame and a huge inconvenience to you as you work on your coursework productions.

Please heed this warning and be self-policing in regard to this issue. That includes using your card to allow non-Media/Art students into the Mac Suite.

Homework for Thur 1st Dec

OK...we're looking to make sure planning is all wrapped up (see what I did there) in time for Christmas. So...your storyboards should be complete and on your blogs. You also need to make sure you have completed the following planning tasks in time for our next lesson:

• rough drafts of your ancillary task design (think in terms of synergy across the different media productions)
• location shots - use googlemaps and actual photos from the location(s)
• costume design - also analyse how the costumes will help portray your character(s) in the way that you want them to be represented
• props - have photos of all props you'll need for your shoot

This all needs to be done until BY Thursday (ie not IN Thursday's lesson). You can either find a convenient time to meet as a group to do this or allocate different tasks to people within your group and share your work across your blogs.

I want to finish this planning work so that we can move on to planning your filming and getting on with the practical construction of your work.

Storyboard checklist

Here is the list of things we agreed as a class should be in a high-quality storyboard:

• Shots in order that will be displayed in your final video
• Drawings that accurately reflect what will be on the screen (framing, mise-en-scene)
• Brief description of what is happening
• Shot duration
• Camera angles
• Audio - specific lyrics linked to specific parts of the video?
• Transitions
• Camera movement

Deadline for completed storyboards is Friday 18th November.

Next week we will start planning your ancillary tasks.

Storyboard exemplars

Miss Matthey P5

Miss Matthey isn't in today as she is ill. Please use the lesson time you have P5 to work on your coursework.

A-level Media Studies student's fake John Lewis advert

Just look where your Media coursework could get you...

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/06/festive-fake-viewers-fooled-by-students-john-lewis-christmas-ad?CMP=fb_gu

Planning section checklist

Here is a list of things I would expect to see in your Planning section:

• Outline of initial ideas (all three productions)
• Continual blog posts updating on developments, new ideas, group meetings/discussions, etc
• Risk assessment(s)
• Storyboard(s)
• First draft of print/web designs
• Costume design
• Props
• Audition videos
• Location shots
• Rushes (initial draft shoots)
• Non-diegetic sound clips (soundtrack music, effects, etc)

In tomorrow's lesson (Fri 4th Nov), I'd like you to present your first initial ideas for your three productions: what song/artist are you going to do your video for? what kind of 'feel' are you going for in your video and ancillary tasks?

Wheatley Park Film Festival trip - CANCELLED

I'm really sorry but the trip to the Wheatley Park Film Festival on Friday has been CANCELLED as there are a number of other events happening on that day and there are too many staff already involved. Apologies.

Research section deadline: Friday 21st October

You need to have finished your Research section before half-term (Fri 21st October). This is so I can mark them over half-term and give you an idea of what level/grade you are looking at for your work so far and anything you could do to improve.

See my previous post 'Research checklist' for what you need to have done. And remember to look at the example blog we looked at from last year. This was A-grade work so look at what they've done and see what elements you want to replicate: http://cheneya2media2016-sophiehodgson.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Research

Cover work for Miss Matthey

Miss Matthey isn't in school today due to illness. She has sent the following work for you to complete in your double lesson with her P3/4:

Students to watch opening trailers of Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, 2001- A Space Odyssey, Inception, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Donnie Darko. Ask them to research how this reflects postmodern concepts of Pastiche, Hyperreality, Time Bending, and Altered States and how it differs from the idea of a Grand Narrative. They can do this independently in the library and be ready to discuss on Monday.

Homework: video analysis

By next lesson, everyone in your group needs to have completed a DETAILED analysis of a music video in your chosen genre.

Think about the skills we are looking for:

• analysis of codes and conventions
• annotated screen shots
• application of media theory: eg representation of different groups within that video (class, age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, etc)

Use the blog we've been looking at in class as a reference point for what good work looks like.

REMEMBER: IF IT ISN'T ON THE BLOG, IT DOESN'T EXIST. UPLOAD YOUR WORK!

Research checklist

Based on your analysis of a successful A2 Research section, here are the things we've agreed as a class we're going to do in our own research:

• Analyse videos from within your chosen genre:
• specific screen shots: looking at camera angles, lighting, mise-en-scene
• codes and conventions of her genre
• use media theory to deepen analysis
• Annotated versions of ancillary tasks
• Audience questionnaire
• Audience mood board
• Analyse existing media coursework: evaluate strengths/weaknesses - lessons for her own video

Skills that are important to remember:

• Incorporate different types of media: text, videos, imagery, own work
• Presentation and writing style are important

Sample videos

Using the video mark scheme, put these sample videos, all genuine student work, into rank order (worst to best):

And lastly, this one (only works as an embedded video): http://a2media-steph.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/finalised-music-video.html

Video mark scheme

Here is the mark scheme for the music video. Have a look at the elements you are marked on and start to think about how this will affect the way you approach your work over the course of the next few months:

Level 1 (0-14 marks)
Work is likely to be unfinished. There is evidence of a minimal level of ability in the creative use of any of the following technical skills:

• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot sizes and close attention to mise en scene
• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects
• recording and editing sound with images appropriately.

Where a candidate has worked in a group, there is only minimal evidence of a contribution to construction.

Level 2 (15-23 marks)
There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical skills:

• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot sizes and close attention to mise en scene
• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects
• recording and editing sound with images appropriately.

Where a candidate has worked in a group, a basic contribution to construction is evident.

Level 3 (24-31 marks)
The candidate is expected to demonstrate proficiency in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot sizes and close attention to mise en scene
• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects
• recording and editing sound with images appropriately.

Where a candidate has worked in a group, a proficient contribution to construction is evident.

Level 4 (32-40 marks)
The candidate is expected to demonstrate excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot sizes and close attention to mise en scene
• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions, captions and other effects
• recording and editing sound with images appropriately.

Where a candidate has worked in a group, an excellent contribution to construction is evident.

Example Research section

Have a look at this Research section from a former student: http://cheneya2media2016-sophiehodgson.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Research

Using the mark scheme you already have on your blogs, what level would you give this student?

As you go through it, make a list of the things you think make a good Research section. We will use this to build a class checklist for what EVERYONE is going to do for their own Research sections.

Wheatley Park Film Festival - Friday 4th November

Wheatley Park School hold a student film festival every year and this year it's being held on Friday 4th November. Media and Film students from schools across Oxford meet and share work and take part in Q&A sessions with professionals from within the film industry.

I'd like us all to attend this event as I think it's something you would all gain a great deal from. We've been in the past and it's always been a really successful trip.

The timings would be:
09:00:   Meet at Wheatley Park
13:00:   Return to Cheney

You would have to make your own way to and from Wheatley Park (there are regular buses).

I would like to show some examples of your work from last year (along with some of last year's Year 13 work) so have a think about whether you'd like your work to be put forward.

Opportunity with the BFI

There is an amazing opportunity to work with the British Film Institute (BFI) on the BFI Film Academy here in Oxford. If you are interested in film as a potential career path, this is definitely something you need to have a look at: https://www.filmoxford.org/youth-training/bfi-academy

Welcome to A2 Media Studies

"Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more..."
Henry V, Shakespeare

Your A2 coursework is EVEN MORE IMPORTANT than you AS coursework. Why?

1. You have to do more work (3 media products rather than one)
2. It's still worth 50% of your overall A2 grade but...
3. ...Section A of your exam is the Theoretical Evaluation of Production, which asks you to review and analyse your practical work - so your ability to produce and then analyse your practical work is worth 75% of your overall A2 grade
4. The marking criteria is harsher at A2 as the exam board are expecting to see progress in your technical ability from AS

Marking

The breakdown of how your A2 coursework is marked is exactly the same as AS:
Research and Planning: 20%
Practical Productions: 60%
Evaluation: 20%

Section A of the A2 exam: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

You will answer TWO questions related to your practical work over the past two years (AS and A2). 

1 a): Describe and evaluate how your skills have developed between AS (Foundation Portfolio) and A2 (Advanced Portfolio) in relation to ONE/TWO of the following skills areas:

• Digital technology
• Creativity
• Research and planning
• Post-production
• Using conventions from real media texts

1 b): Select ONE of your media productions (your AS film or one of your three A2 productions) and evaluate it in relation to ONE of the following media concepts:

• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Audience
• Media language

So...let's get cracking

First of all, set up your A2 blog:

cheneya2media2017-YOURNAME.blogspot.com 

And then, as a group, complete your AS coursework reflection sheet.

Add this information to your own individual blogs.