Pete's Media Blog

Pete's Media blog

Follow link to read about how you should approach the exam.

MEDIA CONFERENCE

Full payment now due.

Please make sure that you pay ASAP to secure your place.

So far only ONE has paid.

GROUP BLOGS

Very Important

Please can you make sure that EVERYONE in your production group has Admin rights to the blog so that they can all post OR create a different blog where you all know the passwrod. either way, you MUST make me admin as well.

Essays: if you have not yet sent me your essay this is now very overdue.

LOGINS

There are new logins for:

• Media Edusite - a very useful online resource for research
• Media Magazine - the subscription publication you are welcome to sign up for

Please check on FROG for these as I cannot for obvious reasons publish them on the blog.

SELF ASSESSMENT FORMS

RPP Self Assess

Pre Prod Self Assess

Use the forms about to support your research, planning and pre-production process.

Feel free to self assess regularly to ensure that you are making progress towards Level 4 in each area.

NB. Remember that you get marks for use of audio visual technologies - you may lose marks if you don't make the effort to demonstrate proficiency with the use of media technologies in the research and planning phases as well as the production and evaluation.

EVENTS

There are a couple of events coming up soon which may involved you.

Wednesday 24th September

Open Evening - helpers needed, 3 or 4 students who would like to assist on the day explaining what Media Studies is and working doing some practical work possibly with the year 6 visitors.

5-8pm

Thursday 9th October

Brentford Film Screening
in the Theatre

A celebration evening for all Brentford Media Studies students when their work will be shown and awards given. An opportunity to watch the work of the A2, AS and GCSE students produced in 2013/14.

Any of you who did Media GCSE, AS or A2 will be invited and it would be lovely if you could come with your family and friends.

6-7.30pm

Tuesday 16th December

Media Magazine Conference

Cost £20 plus your travel and food expenses. You will need to pay a non-returnable £5 deposit to secure your place by the beginning of October. Highly recommended for all AS and A2 students.

All day
(you will be able to apply for a 50% discount if you qualify for Free School Meals etc.)

AP GROUPINGS

Group 1

• Melina
• Sahar
• Nicole

Group 2

• Noreen
• Louise

Group 3

• Muna
• Gabriel

Group 4

• Michelle
• Bintu
• Anahita

Group 5

• Mayleen
• Nimo

Group 6

• Shane
• Alex
• Taro

Please make me aware of any changes ASAP. In addition can you in your groups establish a production company name and develop a logo.

You will also need to create a group blog/website for your company - invite all members of your group AND me. When we have joined give us all ADMIN rights.

Welcome Back

HW for Thursday Please address the questions on the sheet I gave out in the lesson. You can find a copy of it below along with the lesson presentation.

Actions to be completed might include: research into genre, convention of music video genre, representations of artists, technological research into conventions of digipak, securing written evidence of your artists consent etc.

Work should be presented on you blog.

A2 Welcome Back

Genre - Research 1

WELCOME BACK

Well done on some excellent results over the summer. There was I realise some disappointment as well but overall you have done really well.

This term we will need to build on the skills and knowledge you have developed and improve on both if we are to exceed our expectations and secure the highest grades.

This starts with ensuring that all work is completed and that you keep up to date with everything set.

C1 iMacs

The iMacs in C1 are being re-imaged over the summer. This work saved on the iMacs will be lost. However, it will also mean that we have clean and hopefully fully functioning iMacs in the autumn.

MUSIC VIDEOS - TOP TIPS 1

Please be aware that there are a couple of criteria which I would suggest we follow for your Music Video productions this autumn.

• You must include a singer/artiste if not the band in your video - the only exception is if you can present a coherent argument as to why the genre of music you have chosen does NOT use this convention often.
• Very clear and detailed consideration of mise en scene including set design, choice of locations, props and costumes, make-up and very importantly action - ask yourself the question, how are the visuals including what the singer/band/characters seen doing contributing to the mood, style, interpretation, marketing of the song.
• How will the research I do demonstrate that I know the genre well?
• How will I reference other texts within my own MV? (The other text might be from a range of media including MV, films, television, games, print etc.)

It is very important that you make a fast start with production in the autumn so as mush as possible needs to be prepared over the summer.

A2 Brentford University Feedback

Well done to all of you who work hard on completing the Brentford University work. As you will see from the new set of links down the side of this blog, I don't have all your submissions as yet. This may be because you have changed your blog address but not given it to me OR not uploaded your work.

Please let me know any blog address changes and ensure that your work is up to date ASAP.

Over the Summer break you have three pieces of work:

• make a music video in a day - keep developing your practical skills through filming and meet up with your colleagues at least once
• complete research into finding a music artist or band to work with on a music video use the links I have provided on Frog and here
• continue with analysis of music videos and MV theory in readiness for our fast start in the autumn

Below you will find the draft schedule for next year which shows you when things will happen.

A2 Draft Schedule 2014-5

WELCOME TO A2

This blog is a resources for you to use which will hopefully help in your learning over the course of the next year. It will give you access to links to important and useful resources as well as a tab to take you to FROG.

Over the next year, unlike previously, all lessons will be on FROG rather than on the A2 Blog. Please use FROG as a regular part of your Media education.

The most successful students at AS and A2 are those who engage fully with the course and take the time to go beyond the minimum. Wider reading, viewing, talking and writing are essentials for any student of any course but especially Media Students for whom the 'landscape' is even changing. SO if you find things which are of interest, BLOG about them AND LET US ALL KNOW.

There are a few things which are vital to consider for this coming term.

PRODUCTION

There is a strict production schedule which you MUST adhere to.

CONFERENCE

There is a media conference on the 16th of December which we will all be going to - if costs £20. Letters will go out in September.

MEDIA MAGAZINE

You have the option to get hard copies of Media Magazine - £12 for the year (four copies) - this is written specifically for As and A2 media and film studies students and you SHOULD subscribe.

Developmental Mock

Lacey, Tarryn, Keri and Kia

Please do the last question which is Jan 2013.

Give yourselves some planning and preparation time then 1 hour of writing ONLY.

Good luck.

A2 Mock Section a 09

G325 Section a Questions

A2 Mock Section a 09

G3251a ex

G3251b Ex

English Vocabulary tests

English Vocabulary tests

UK TRIBES

UK Tribes website

Use the above site to support your research into youth culture and your specific CI and Reps case study.

the password is: iblametheparents

MM competition

MM Application

Updated Assessment feedback

Assessment Notes Mar14

Alien Representation continued

Unit G325

Representation

Representation Theories

Unit G325: Collective Identity, The alien as political metaphor.

Collective Identity Alien Representations

AP ASSESSMENT

Assessment site

Use the link above to view some music videos and the marks they gained - please note that the best one has been marked as 60 this should of course be 40.

Where would you place your MV and therefore what might be a suitable mark for it.

Use the Marking criteria that I have already given you a couple of times to fine tune your judgement and then get others to peer review your assessment and moderate your mark.

Moderation Activities

View the MV blogs and sites and again review what they have done to obtain the grades they did.

In particular look at the evaluations and the grades gained and the content of those evaluations.

Once again, return you your own work and self/group assess giving marks for your ANC1 and 2, RPP and Evaluations using the marking criteria already distributed.

Review these marks with another from a different team and moderate.

Now feed the marks into your calculator to see what you will need to get in the exam to get the grade you want.

NEXT STEPS:

If this gives you a mountain to climb in the exam, consider what you can do NOW to improve marks for your AP. Also consider what you can do in your exam to improve your chances.

STAR THEORY

Stars

Essay for Thursday

Following up on Thursday's lesson. Please can you answer the essay question below with reference to the two texts shown/given and the teaching you have thus far received on collective identity and representation of Britishness.

Are the representation of Britain given by Cameron and Grant recognisably true and for what audience are they intended? In addition, do you think Cameron was aware of the similarity of his speech to the one in Love Actually and if so, what purpose did he have in 'copying' or referencing the 2003 film.

Your essay needs to show clear evidence of analysis of the texts technically, some understanding of representation theory (an opportunity for you to research using the resources available online) and obviously PEE.

Due Thursday

Evaluations 3

Evaluation 3

Assessment Notes

Please review your notes on the assessment page.

It is not too late to make some improvements and improve your grades.

More Media Theory

Media Know-ti-all

Click above link to explore Dyer's Stars theory applied to Pop Stars.

And below to view this week's Theory presentation.

A2 Schedule Dec to May

Music Video Theory

Evaluations - beginning the process

Evalautions AP

Evaluations Assessment Criteria

New Term

With the new term we will be starting this week on developing your evaluations. The focus on Monday's lessons will be to cover the following.

• Assessment and audit of AP - any group which has not finished the research, planning production and post production for the three products (MV, Digipak and Advert) will be expected to attend the extra curricula sessions on Tuesday after school until they have completed all.
• Planning of answers to the 4 evaluation questions - groups will produce a detailed one page plan for each questions detailing how they propose to answer. This should include an overview of the technical processes - use of video, stills, voice over, diagrams, audio etc. It is possible to answer all four questions in a single video or approximately 10mins. The key to success will be organisation, clarity, referencing and use of media terminology and theory. Level 4 is achievable if your work is not only well informed and coherent but also demonstrates flair through well chosen use of technology. (A good example of this is Rebecca Dunne and Lauren Humphrey's evaluation for this music video last year which was awarded 20 out of 20 - from memory.)

On Thursday we will begin looking at Collective Identity and Representation with a focus on Britishness and what this means. Each week we will look at texts related to Britishness and discuss how these texts reflect the collective identity of our nation. You will be encouraged to read widely and each week you will be expected to present from your reading something new you have explored relating to collective identity.

Things to consider:

• definitions of Britishness
• Britishness through sport and the arts
• The black British experience
• White working class British identity
• Asian Britishness and Imperialism
• British identity in flux - 1950 - 2014
• Royal Britishness
• English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish
• Values of Britishness

Text to begin viewing:

• British TV drama: soaps, Sherlock, doctor Who etc. how are values expressed, who is British identity developed and maintained.
• British comedy: stand-ups, sit-com etc. commentary on 
• documentaries which look at Britain: especially Charlie Brooker's 'Weekly Wipe', compare with news and newspapers
• British films: Harry Potter series, Bond, anything by working title - what makes them British, how do they develop identity of Britishness.
• TV news - especially BBC
• Newspapers: a range from The Sun, Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Times - differences and similarities.

For your information ALL PREPS have been cancelled and instead any student with unfinished HW will attend detention with their subject teacher - for me that means either Tuesday after school OR Friday after school (this week it will be Friday)

A2 AP End of Autumn