Monday 13 December 2010
Wednesday 17 November 2010
Monday 15 November 2010
Monday 8 November 2010
Is your blog up to date? 8/11/10
Minimum blog posts for Audience and Institution
Hot Fuzz storyboard
WARP/Working Title research
Film pitch for social demographic
Overview of budget and spends for film
Budget cuts
Warp fact sheet
Production documentary notes
Production essay
Flow chart
This is England notes – social realism
This is England ‘86 – rationale, budget, who was involved
Prezi – new technologies and examples
Preliminary tasks:
Magazine + evaluation (conventions used and the skills you@ve developed)
Film + evaluation (conventions used and the skills you@ve developed)
Hot Fuzz storyboard
WARP/Working Title research
Film pitch for social demographic
Overview of budget and spends for film
Budget cuts
Warp fact sheet
Production documentary notes
Production essay
Flow chart
This is England notes – social realism
This is England ‘86 – rationale, budget, who was involved
Prezi – new technologies and examples
Preliminary tasks:
Magazine + evaluation (conventions used and the skills you@ve developed)
Film + evaluation (conventions used and the skills you@ve developed)
Monday 25 October 2010
Production Overview - Flow Chart
Use the following link (click on image) to produce a flow chart of the production process. Make specific examples from Working Title, Warp and Hollywood films.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Monday 11 October 2010
Thursday 22 July 2010
Cinema takings at record high
One was the year of A Clockwork Orange and decimalisation. The other was that of Avatar and the shattered economy. But while 1971 and 2009 were wildly different in terms of the technological limits of the films on offer, new figures published today show that they shared similarly buoyant levels of cinema-going.
They record that last year was the best ever in terms of box office takings and the second best year since 1971 in terms of admissions, fuelled by the continuing growth of 3D and the through-the-roof success of Avatar, as well as the enduring, recession-resistant appeal of the big screen.
The figures were published in the UK Film Council's annual statistical yearbook, a mammoth, eye-hurting publication that is nevertheless packed full of interesting data on film trends, showing that cinema-going appears to be bucking the recession.
For the first time, the yearbook will be available in full online. The council's chief executive, John Woodward, said the point of the figures was "to allow everyone to stand back and have a look at the big picture yourself and take your own view".
Woodward said, in terms of jobs, inward investment and contribution of cinema to the British economy, "there is absolutely no doubt the film sectors are firing on all cylinders". He added: "The figures prove that film really matters to people, it's an absolutely integral part of their leisure time."
In terms of box office, it was a record year with takings topping £944m. Cinema admissions also shot up from last year's healthy 164 million to 174 million, not quite beating 2002 (176 million), but still up 6% and the second highest number since 1971.
To put that in perspective, cinema-going began declining in the 1950s and 1960s with the arrival of television and plummeted in the 1980s with the video revolution, reaching a nadir in 1984 (The Karate Kid, Ghost Busters) when admissions were down to 54 million people. The arrival of multiplex cinemas soon after drove a steady increase, hitting a peak eight years ago when several blockbusters came out, from Spider-Man to the second Lord of the Rings and the second Harry Potter film .
The UK Film Council statisticians examined the correlation between recessions and cinema admissions going back to the 1970s.
David Steele, the council's head of research and statistics, said: "It does appear that, over time, cinema admissions are recession resistant."
One reason for that, he said, was that if people did start cutting back on luxuries and cancelling foreign holidays, they were then even less willing to give up going to the pictures.
The 3D revolution arrived in earnest, with 14 3D films accounting for 16% of UK and Ireland box office revenues, up from 0.4%. There are still sceptics but Steele said: "It does not appear to be a flash in the pan."
The biggest 3D film of them all, Avatar, played a big part in the financial health of the movie industry. Not only did it replace Mamma Mia! as the biggest grossing movie of all time, it replaced 1998's Titanic in the council's inflation-adjusted top 20. Third in that list is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, with Jaws in sixth place and The Full Monty in ninth.
Other interesting stats show that comedy accounted for 24% of releases and 20% of box office, while drama was 21% of releases but just 7% of box office.Avatar made science fiction the box office king.
There are tables showing the strength of British talent at making movies, both in front and behind the camera. One shows that between 2001 and 2009, 14% of all film awards were won by Britons. Another shows that of the top 200 movies at the box office between 2001-09, 30 were based on stories or characters by British writers. And Orlando Bloom may want to print out the table showing the top UK actors' frequency of appearances in the top 200 films.
The list goes Bloom, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Jonathan Pryce, John Cleese, Ewan McGregor and Christian Bale.
It is not all good news though. UK independent film makers face difficult times with producers finding it harder to make the films and lowering their budgets.
Woodward said: "This is where I'm worried. Independent production has always been a tough business but the overall value of low budget independent film production in the UK fell by 18% in 2009. Budgets fell from £1.7m to £1.5m. And the overall number of films made fell from 77 to 71. I'm not saying it is a catastrophe; what I am saying is that there is something quite serious going on."
Much of the problem stems from the global economic downturn and also the failure so far of the movie industry to work out how best to make money from the internet.
"The evidence is that the transition into the digital world is going to be quite bumpy," said Woodward.
Alongside the yearbook, the council also published film production statistics for the first half of 2010 which show a fall in inward investment, down from £617m in the first half of 2009 to £557m. That figure is healthy though if you compare it with £218m in 2008 and £333m in 2007.
The big inward investment movies – or Hollywood funded – of 2010 include the final Harry Potter, John Carter of Mars and the next Pirates of the Caribbean.
In terms of this year all the evidence shows that 2010 could be just as good as 2009, despite a miserable June when the World Cup meant there was nothing on so nobody went to the cinema; or nothing good was put on because it was thought nobody would go.
Tuesday 6 July 2010
Mr Nicolle's A2 Induction Lesson - Trailers
Today's lesson and Tasks
Resources
Trailers booklet (below)
Trailer hyperlinks (below)
Analysis Grids (printed and in room)
Objectives
Read the booklet below up to page 5 making sure you complete the questions on page 3.
Analyse TWO trailers using the grid on page 5.
Outcomes
Understand the requirements and options regarding A2 coursework.
Two completed analysis grids on trailers
An understanding on the construction and appeal of trailers.
Starter
For your A2 Coursework you will produce:
a media portfolio, comprising a main and two ancillary texts
a Blog presentation of your Research and Planning
an electronic Evaluation
MAIN TASK:
A promotion package for a new film, to include:
• a teaser trailer
PLUS two of the following three options:
• a website homepage for the film;
• a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
• a poster for the film.
Activty One
Read through the booklet below and complete the questions on page 3. Email your responses to m.nicolle@lc.leics.sch.uk
G352 Trailers Induction
Activity Two
Use the printed trailer grids to complete your analysis of any TWO of the following trailers
The Air-bender
Twilight:
500 days of summer:
Saw V:
Precious:
Street dance:
Bridget Jones’ Diary:
You will need to bring these with you to your next lesson with Mr Nicolle.
Resources
Trailers booklet (below)
Trailer hyperlinks (below)
Analysis Grids (printed and in room)
Objectives
Read the booklet below up to page 5 making sure you complete the questions on page 3.
Analyse TWO trailers using the grid on page 5.
Outcomes
Understand the requirements and options regarding A2 coursework.
Two completed analysis grids on trailers
An understanding on the construction and appeal of trailers.
Starter
For your A2 Coursework you will produce:
a media portfolio, comprising a main and two ancillary texts
a Blog presentation of your Research and Planning
an electronic Evaluation
MAIN TASK:
A promotion package for a new film, to include:
• a teaser trailer
PLUS two of the following three options:
• a website homepage for the film;
• a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
• a poster for the film.
Activty One
Read through the booklet below and complete the questions on page 3. Email your responses to m.nicolle@lc.leics.sch.uk
G352 Trailers Induction
Activity Two
Use the printed trailer grids to complete your analysis of any TWO of the following trailers
The Air-bender
Twilight:
500 days of summer:
Saw V:
Precious:
Street dance:
Bridget Jones’ Diary:
You will need to bring these with you to your next lesson with Mr Nicolle.
Sunday 4 July 2010
Photoshop induction work
Download the tutorial and keep it open so you can keep referring to it whilst you create your magazine cover.
AS Induction work
AS Induction work
Wednesday 30 June 2010
Sunday 27 June 2010
A2 Music Video Theory Blog
At A2 you will be studying Music Videos in preparation for your coursework. I have set up a brief blog which covers the basics of theory which you'll need for both your coursework and exam. This means that a potential 75% of you A2 grades are available for learning and applying these theories.
The link for this blog is HERE
Those of you in my class should be familiar with Steve Neale's belief that 'genres' are instances of repetition and change, essentially that is what we'll be examining at A2. To get you thinking watch the clip below by Australian comedy trio 'Axis of Awesome', you should recognise 90% of the 'same' songs.
The link for this blog is HERE
Those of you in my class should be familiar with Steve Neale's belief that 'genres' are instances of repetition and change, essentially that is what we'll be examining at A2. To get you thinking watch the clip below by Australian comedy trio 'Axis of Awesome', you should recognise 90% of the 'same' songs.
Tuesday 15 June 2010
Review of AS course
1. What did you enjoy most during the AS course?
2. Was there anything you didn't enjoy? If so, explain why.
3. How would you feel if you hadn't been given the choice between creating a magazine or film opening? Explain your answer as fully as possible.
4. Do you think we could improve the AS course in any way?
5. What advice would you give to new Year 12 students taking Media Studies?
2. Was there anything you didn't enjoy? If so, explain why.
3. How would you feel if you hadn't been given the choice between creating a magazine or film opening? Explain your answer as fully as possible.
4. Do you think we could improve the AS course in any way?
5. What advice would you give to new Year 12 students taking Media Studies?
Monday 14 June 2010
Intro to A2 Course - Question 1a
This presentation explains exactly what you need to do during the induction period for A2 Media. Although it may seem a long way off, this work is essential for your A2 Exam. Read the PowerPoint and follow the instructions. Begin by evaluating your skills development in the use of technology. Try and make your presentation as exciting as possible.
Thursday 20 May 2010
Revision Questions and exam technique for Institutions and Audiences
The key assessment objectives for Institutions and Audiences and TV Drama are:
AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates, using terminology appropriately and with accurate and coherent written expression. ( 30% of the mark)
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created when analysing media products and evaluating their own practical work. ( 20% of the mark )
Write a brief plan which addresses the question's most important key words.
Think about your institution(s) and how they target their audiences in the UK.
what are/were the issues and patterns for:
Production
Distribution and Marketing
Exhibition
Exchange
Technological Convergence (can be in any of the above)
Synergies (can be in any of the above)
Cross Media Ownership, etc.?
Remember to analyse the exam question for its key words and phrases to ensure that your answer's ARGUMENT is relevant. It's good exam technique to use some of the question's key words and phrases in your introduction to get you started with your essay's argument. You also need to refer to the question's key words and phrases regularly in subsequent paragraphs in which you make various points in your argument.
AO1 is the most important assessment objective for Institutions and Audiences: (The UK Film industry if you're in Miss Frearson or Miss Elger's group, Music if in Mr Ford and Mr Smith's group) You can show a broader context by making comparisons with big US institutions and their films/artists to throw light on the issues facing UK based institutions for choices of genre, budgets, casting, technology, special effects, marketing, exhibition, the targetting of audiences, critical reception, etc.
Practice Exam Questions
Answer the questions below, making detailed reference to examples from your case study material to support the points made in your answer.
1. Eric Fellner, who heads Working Title Films argues, "It's not the film industry, it's the film business".
To what extent to you agree with this statement? (obviously only do this if you've studied film)
2. "Media production is dominated by global instutitions, which sell their products and services to national audiences." To what extent do you agree with this statement?
3. To what extent is production, marketing and distribution important for an institution's success in the British marketplace?
4. How important is technological convergence for institutions and audiences within a media area which you studied?
5. To what extent have audiences influenced and affected an instution which you have studied?
6. Discuss the issues raised by an institution's need to target specific audiences within a media industry which you have studied.
7. To what extent has exhibition and exhange affected an institution which you have studied?
AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates, using terminology appropriately and with accurate and coherent written expression. ( 30% of the mark)
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created when analysing media products and evaluating their own practical work. ( 20% of the mark )
Write a brief plan which addresses the question's most important key words.
Think about your institution(s) and how they target their audiences in the UK.
what are/were the issues and patterns for:
Production
Distribution and Marketing
Exhibition
Exchange
Technological Convergence (can be in any of the above)
Synergies (can be in any of the above)
Cross Media Ownership, etc.?
Remember to analyse the exam question for its key words and phrases to ensure that your answer's ARGUMENT is relevant. It's good exam technique to use some of the question's key words and phrases in your introduction to get you started with your essay's argument. You also need to refer to the question's key words and phrases regularly in subsequent paragraphs in which you make various points in your argument.
AO1 is the most important assessment objective for Institutions and Audiences: (The UK Film industry if you're in Miss Frearson or Miss Elger's group, Music if in Mr Ford and Mr Smith's group) You can show a broader context by making comparisons with big US institutions and their films/artists to throw light on the issues facing UK based institutions for choices of genre, budgets, casting, technology, special effects, marketing, exhibition, the targetting of audiences, critical reception, etc.
Practice Exam Questions
Answer the questions below, making detailed reference to examples from your case study material to support the points made in your answer.
1. Eric Fellner, who heads Working Title Films argues, "It's not the film industry, it's the film business".
To what extent to you agree with this statement? (obviously only do this if you've studied film)
2. "Media production is dominated by global instutitions, which sell their products and services to national audiences." To what extent do you agree with this statement?
3. To what extent is production, marketing and distribution important for an institution's success in the British marketplace?
4. How important is technological convergence for institutions and audiences within a media area which you studied?
5. To what extent have audiences influenced and affected an instution which you have studied?
6. Discuss the issues raised by an institution's need to target specific audiences within a media industry which you have studied.
7. To what extent has exhibition and exhange affected an institution which you have studied?
Tuesday 18 May 2010
Saturday 15 May 2010
Institutions - Music
The world's largest music company has admitted that piracy cannot be stopped.
Francis Keeling, head of digital at Universal Music Group International, said: "Are you going to stop piracy? No you're not.
"To try and set that as an objective is just not going to succeed. Can we make piracy socially unacceptable?
"Absolutely, and that has to be our ambition around the world." Mr Keeling was speaking at the Great Escape music convention in Brighton.
He is responsible for striking deals to get artists including Lady Gaga, Eminem and Rihanna onto digital services outside North America.
He added: "We've got markets like Spain and Italy, where [people say] 'You buy music? What are you doing buying music when you can get it for free?'
"Clearly those markets are in the situation where, unless we can turn those markets around, we're going to have a major problem having a music business there."
Full weightUniversal has been prominent in the fight against illegal file-sharing.
It has also thrown its full weight behind the UK's Digital Economy Act, which will bring in sanctions against serial offenders, including the possibility of temporary internet suspensions.
The controversial law was approved last month and Mr Keeling stressed it was the "right solution".
He also said he was confident the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government would "remain supportive" of the bill.
The details of the sanctions and how they will be imposed now have to be worked out.
"The solution needs to be fair, proportionate and implemented well," Mr Keeling told delegates.
Friday 14 May 2010
Ethnicity Theory - Alvarado et al. 1987
Four Key Themes In Racial Representations
- exotic
- dangerous
- humorous
- piteous
Friday 7 May 2010
Blog checklist - please read!
In order for the moderator to easily check your work, you must ensure you have done the following by Friday 17th May:
1. Labelled all posts relevant to your coursework as either Foundation Portfolio or Coursework. You can do this easily by going into "Edit Posts" and highlighting all of the relevant posts.
2. Put your final piece (either film opening or mag front cover/contents/dps) at the very top of your blog so it is the first thing the moderator sees. You will need to "Edit Posts", click on your blog entry, click on "Post Options" and edit the date.
3.Put your Preliminary task underneath your c/w - only the prelim which relates to your c/w needs to be posted so if you created a film opening the magazine prelim doesn't need to be on there and vice versa. To do this follow the instructions for point 3.
4. Write a post to the moderator explaing what you have done and how they can navigate around your blog e.g. click on the "Coursework" label where you will find all of my Research & Planning and Evaluation.
1. Labelled all posts relevant to your coursework as either Foundation Portfolio or Coursework. You can do this easily by going into "Edit Posts" and highlighting all of the relevant posts.
2. Put your final piece (either film opening or mag front cover/contents/dps) at the very top of your blog so it is the first thing the moderator sees. You will need to "Edit Posts", click on your blog entry, click on "Post Options" and edit the date.
3.Put your Preliminary task underneath your c/w - only the prelim which relates to your c/w needs to be posted so if you created a film opening the magazine prelim doesn't need to be on there and vice versa. To do this follow the instructions for point 3.
4. Write a post to the moderator explaing what you have done and how they can navigate around your blog e.g. click on the "Coursework" label where you will find all of my Research & Planning and Evaluation.
Wednesday 5 May 2010
Cannes 2010 : Logitech Video Contest
It just doesn't get any better than Cannes in the summertime! MOFILM will be there again alongside the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival, with nine of the world's biggest and most well known brands with our biggest prize pool yet! Make a winning advertisement for one of them and you could be right there with us, screening your work for the ad world's elite.
LINK
Monday 3 May 2010
Friday 30 April 2010
Thursday 29 April 2010
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Sunday 25 April 2010
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Digital Innovation - UK Film Council
This is a useful document for current information on the development of digital production, distribution and exhibition.
UK Film Council - Digital Innovation
UK Film Council - Digital Innovation
Tuesday 20 April 2010
Monday 19 April 2010
Sunday 18 April 2010
Thursday 15 April 2010
The Business - Understanding Filmmaking
Filmmaking is a very complex business, whichever way you look at it. First there is the idea, then writing the script, then the financing, casting, crew, prep, shoot, post... the list seems to go on forever. Even experienced professionals struggle to understand how all the various parts of the filmmaking process fit together.
http://www.skillset.org/film/business/
http://www.skillset.org/film/business/
Sunday 28 March 2010
AS Evaluation Questions and Activities - Print
Useful websites to help you can be found in the link bar on the right hand side. The film version can be found here
For the final 20 marks of the project, you must complete seven tasks on your blog, posting them in this order, with the question heading at the top of each task. You may do them as a pair/group, but must post individual copies on each blog. Make sure you answer each question as well as producing the visual elements. Try not to write more than 1500 words in total.
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of music magazines)
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 (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of music magazines)
As part of your planning and research you should have looked at Music Magazines and selected a particular sub genre (e.g. Indie, pop, r&b, dance etc) to re-create. Find an example of a pre exisiting music magazine which matches your magazine, paste it into your blog and highlight the key generic conventions of the magazine (the list of terminology can be found HERE)
You should go through the final version of your project and select elements which follow conventions and any which do not.
The aspects we would like you to consider across your nine frames are:
The title of the magazine
Graphology/page layouts
Costumes, props, iconography used to reflect genre
Camerawork and framing of images
Title, article, header etc font and style
Genre and how the magazine cover, contents and spread suggests it
How your artist(s) are represented
Colour scheme
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 2
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Pick a key image of your artist from your magazine (ideally the cover image). Take a screengrab of a reasonable sized image of them. Think of one or more recording artists/stars from other magazines with some similarity to them (but maybe some differences too!), find an image on the web of that/those stars and grab it as well. Drop the two into photoshop, as a split screen. Export this splitscreen image as a jpeg then drop onto your blog and write about the similarities and differences in terms of appearance, costume etc.
So for example if you have a female R&B star on your cover, look for other female R&B star to compare them with (remember to try and ensure that they are of a similar age, race etc)...
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
For this question, you are going to do a 'director's commentary' style voiceover explaining some of the key features of your magazine cover
You will need to script the voiceover which deals with institutional issues to include:
discussion of your production company name and logo and the role of such companies
What does a publishing company do?
the idea of a distributor and who that might be and why. start here
where the money might have come from for a magazine such as yours here
what your magazine is similar to 'institutionally' (name some magazines which would be released in a similar way)
You need to refer to actual company names and processes so you will need to maybe do a bit more research into magazine publishers like emap
When you have scripted, record the voiceover using iMovie, windows movie maker etc on a new audio timeline, then export to quicktime and embed on blog. (this is a good example of what you can do. It was created for A2 and a slightly different question but the style is correct).
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 4
Who would be the audience for your media product?
You should have a drawing of your target audience member and an explanation of what kinds of taste they might have- where they would shop, what music they would listen to, what their favourite Tv programme would be, etc.
make sure you have taken a photo of it, post it on the blog and write a few notes on why they would buy your magazine.
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 5
How did you attract/address your audience?
Take a screen grab of your magazines cover, content and spread and place into iMovie, movie make etc. You will then use YOUTUBE's annotation tools to add NOTES, SPEECHBUBBLES, and LINKS to your magazine:
These annotations will highlight the ways in which your Magazine links to other similiar films in order to attract the particular Audience you have previously identified.
Your annotations will refer to genre conventions, use of iconography, similarities with other magazines and what you have identified as the Unique Selling Point of your imaginary film.
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 6
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
In pairs, take a picture of each other holding the kit you have used. This might just be the camera and tripod, and your Macbook but there may be other things you want in the shot.
Drop the image onto your blog and annotate it, adding all the programs and other technology you have used as screengrabs and what you learnt about it/from using it. Your written text need only be minimal. You could include reference to all the online and computer programs you have used such as flickr, blogger, facebook, photoshop, vimeo, scribd, slideshare etc.
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 7
Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
Concentrate on mise en scene and camerawork.
Grab some images from both tasks and put them on the blog and show what you know about shot types, magazine terms etc. Explain how you've improved.
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