AS MEDIA STUDIESFOUNDATION PORTFOLIO IN MEDIA

Introducing Your Main Task

Napoleon Dynamite opening sequence http://vimeo.com/5524216

Preparing Minds

What is: Action match? Shot/ reverse shot? 180 degree rule? Blog?

Why are they important?

Success Criteria

We will Note down key information about final

task Answer and ask questions, where

relevant Plan a basic research/ development

schedule

What you need to do

Blog including detailed research/ planning (20 marks)

Titles and opening of new fiction film - 2 mins (60 marks) Continuity features:

Action match Shot/ reverse shot 180 degree rule

Other features Titles (essential) Genre-specific features (e.g. mise-en-scene/ music) Range of shots/ camera movement (essential) Range of edits/ effects (if appropriate)

Evaluation (20 marks)

Examples

I will email you a dropbox link allowing you to access these.

Effective Openings

The Fall Fight Club

Weekly Tasks

Maintain blog (at least 3 entries a week – OCR suggest one a day) Include images/ video clips supporting

work (planning + work in progress) Consider all aspects of production

process, including institutions, audience and representation

Include as much detail as you can, justifying choices made

Link to your work in progress Thorough outline of production

process

Planning – Lvl 4

Planning and research evidence complete and detailed

Excellent research into similar products and potential target audience

Excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props

Excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding

Excellent level of care in the presentation of research and planning

Time management is excellent

Production work should demo Material appropriate for target audience

and task Titles used appropriately according to

institutional conventions Sound, images and editing used

appropriately Material shot appropriate to task set,

including: controlled use of camera attention to framing variety of shot distance close attention to mise-en-scene

Editing so that meaning apparent to viewer and with selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects

Demonstrate

Steadiness of shots where appropriate

Framing shots, including/ excluding elements

Variety of shots/ distances Shooting appropriate material Selecting mise-en-scene

Colour/ lighting/ objects/ setting Editing for meaning using

appropriate effects Accurate use of sound/ image Appropriate use of titles

Production Checklist Places

Rehearsal Setting

Production Base Transport

Post-Production People

Call sheets Actors Technical

Camera Continuity

Support

Things Props Costumes

Technical Script Cameras

Media Log sheets Storyboards Schedule FX/ SFX

What do you need to know?

Pre Production Research Scripting Storyboarding Location scouting Production schedule Call sheets

Shooting Logging shots Continuity

Evaluation

Evaluate / reflect upon creative process/ experience

Evaluate electronically, guided by key questions

Should not be solely textual; combination of text/ image/ presentation/ video/ audio etc.

Examples of suitable formats for the evaluation: A podcast DVD extras Detailed blog entries PowerPoint/ Prezi Director’s commentary “Making of” documentary

Evaluation Questions

Following questions must be answered: How does product use, develop or challenge forms

and conventions of real media products? - Must research these

How does product represent particular social groups? -Must aim to include a social group

What kind of media institution might distribute product and why? - Research studios and distribution

Who would be audience for product? – Research audience

How did you attract/address your audience? – Evidence from planning/ final product

What have you learnt about technologies from process of constructing product? – Evidence from blog (shooting/ editing)

Looking back at preliminary task, what have you learnt in progression to full product?

Evaluation – Forms/ Conventions Need to be able to identify

conventions Will come from research into openings Should be explicit in the first stages of

your blog to revisit in evaluation Includes media language,

representation, use of titles, use of music, mise-en-scene etc (effectively, macro and micro features

Could be done as a video including comparisons of your work and your research

Evaluation – Social Groups Product must include a social group.

For example: Teenagers Ethnic groups Social demographics

Consider work on representation and apply this when researching and planning

May affect genre/ form of final piece

Evaluation – institutions

Need to know which kind of companies make and distribute movies of genre/ style you are making Mainstream or niche? Conglomerate or indie?

Info from Wikipedia/ IMDB/ Box-office mojo

Demonstrated through research and choice of distributor/ studio for final piece

Evaluations - audience

Need to know who watches your genre of film – demographics/ psychographics

Can do primary/ secondary research Should find data from the web (e.g.

box-office figures) as well as market information, if available

Might consider primary and secondary audiences (e.g. “Lego Movie”, Pixar films etc.

Evaluation – attracting aud How was final piece designed to

meet audience needs? Evidence from your piece compared to

existing pieces Interviews/ vox pops with target

audience reflecting on film Detailed deconstruction of what you did/

why you did it – could be in Prezi form, for example, including stills/ clips

Evaluation - technology

Need to regularly blog about engagement with tech (cameras/ editing) Identify problems and solutions Take photos/ screengrabs Record clearly what you did at the time Will effectively be a reflexive post Can take into account development from

start of course Should be incisive and clear – the more

primary evidence the better

Evaluation - comparison

Compare your preliminary project(s) with your final piece What did you do better? How did you improve?

Consider both planning and production as well as editing

Where is the evidence For example, a comparison of shots/ edits

from your final piece; a reflection on planning exemplified from early stages of blog

Timeframe – Dec 2015

By Fri 27th November Decision made about genre/ form of final video Research begins into opening sequences, institutions

and audiences. Social group to be represented identified

By Friday 18th December Research into existing opening sequences completed

(min five) each example analysed in detail with regard to questions to

be posed in the evaluation, notes made on how example might be of value to projects

At least one blog entry dedicated to each of institutions (e.g. distribution companies, studios), audiences (some evidence) and representation (reasons)

Planning begins in earnest

Timeframe - Dec/Jan 2015-16 19th Dec-4th Jan (Christmas “holiday”)

Pre-production planning undertaken (regular blog updates)

Include: Scenario Script Sketches Storyboards Location scouting Prelimary footage Animatics Call sheets, props lists etc. Etc.

Timeframe – Jan/Feb 2016

5th January All pre-production planning (including storyboards,

production schedules, call sheets etc.) completed/ posted to blog in digital form.

Might also include test footage and mood boards 1st February

All material required for project shot, converted and uploaded onto media servers During the period 06/01-30/01, you are invited to

periodically upload brief examples of work to blog for peer and staff review

12th February Rough edit completed and uploaded to blog for peer/

staff review 22nd February (including half-term “holiday”)

Final cut begun

Timeframe – Mar/Apr 2016

7th March Final edit completed and uploaded to blog and media

server in order to gather audience response and feedback

9th March 15 min presentations of work, including initial

evaluations and outlines of audience response 

11th April (including Easter “holiday”) Detailed blog entries answering the evaluation questions

uploaded, coupled with a video commentary

Next Steps

You will have three weeks to complete planning

This gives you: 21 days 9 lessons + non-contact periods

You need: Minimum 5 films in detail (screengrabs,

clips, analysis) Audience data (primary/ secondary) Representation issues Institutional information

How are you going to organise your time?

First thing to do…

Look at some examples of successful blogs: Elleah Stanton Antonia Hendry Zoe Crick Kathryn Dowson Katie Boal James Corker

Plenary

Questions?

Task one Complete a blog entry explaining the

institutional conventions of film titles Use the “Art of the Title” website to help

you