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.