MEST 2 Film Pitch

For all Year 12 students...

Organise yourselves into the groups that you want to work in for your practical productions (remember that the maximum number allowed by the exam board in a group is four) and complete the MEST 2 blogs task (see posting below).

Look carefully at the following documents, making notes to help you...

• The brief you have been issued with for your practical production coursework.
• The specification outline of the unit.
• The MEST 2 mark scheme.

Your first task is to prepare a film pitch (where you would try to sell your idea to Prime Time Productions to get the budget you require of £5m).

Prepare a presentation in which you can make use of PowerPoint, video, multimedia (Moviemaker) etc. to include the following for your pitch:

• Overview of the idea (film treatment) explaining the genre of your film (its use of conventions, iconography, etc.); a synopsis of the narrative (referring to narrative theory, e.g. Todorov, Barthes, Levi Strauss); details of setting (mise en scene); characters (use Propp's character terminology, refer to stereotypes: challenged/reinforced?), etc.. Ensure you also discuss some film language ideas (cinematography, lighting, sound, editing) and employ competent use of the key concepts (MIGRAIN) and media terminology.
  
  
• Explore fully how your film would appeal to more than the mainstream 16-25 youth market. Refer to audience demographics (gender, class: socio-economic group, ethnicity) and psychographics. Use Young & Rubicam's 4Cs.
  
  
• Address what content is likely to be in this film that would mean the trailer could only be shown in cinemas showing films that have been classified as 15 or 18. Use the BBFC Classification Guidelines to help you.

Bear in mind that in order to make a meaningful trailer (where you condense the narrative using a montage of shots) you must understand the full narrative structure of your film.

After Xmas - on 4th January 2010 - you will pitch your ideas to the 'film board' to see if they consider your idea suitable for funding. You must all play a part in the pitch process!

Remember from here on in this is all about being CREATIVE, let's see the creativity start flowing now and not just have people reading from the whiteboard! Use this guide about how to prevent Death by PowerPoint, especially the checklist on slide 58.

To get an idea of how NOT to pitch a film please see the Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn attempt!

MEST 2 Blogs

For all Year 12 students...

In your production groups, set up a new blog that will record your progress in Unit 2 (Creating Media).

We expect this to help you because...

• It will be a place where your group can suggest ideas, make decisions and draw up action plans.
• As a result you will be clearer with each other about what needs to be done - how, when and by whom.
• You will receive comments, feedback and peer assessment about your ongoing work from other groups, as well as reflecting on it yourselves - writing weekly progress reports, carrying out self-assessment by identifying www/ebi and next steps.
• Over time it will serve as on online record of your achievements (the group's and yours, as an individual) that you can use as evidence of the pre-production work - research and planning - needed for submission to the examiner.
• This will be monitored by your teachers and will ensure you are rewarded fairly when it comes to assessment.
• It will be helpful to refer back to when writing your formal 1500 word evaluation (for the examiner).

Once the blog is set up you each have the following tasks to complete and submit as separate posts on your blog before Monday 4th January 2010...

• A short outline of your project so far (obviously this may change but use info from the film pitch - above - you're also doing for homework).
• Information about the research that you have done so far and the ideas it has given you.

Remember - every individual in the group must make their own separate posts. Also, make sure you include your name at the end of each one so you can be identified. And, crucially, make sure that one person in the group posts up the blog web address, project working title and group members at the end of this message so that a quick link to it can be added on this page.

You will be required individually to add to this on a weekly basis, to cover the following...

• outlining the work planned and equipment to be used;
• reporting on what was achieved;
• reflecting on the outcome and whether it was different from what was planned and why.

It will also be expected for there to be photos and stills from your shoot and production as it starts to take shape...storyboards, still frames from the footage you've shot, print production drafts, etc.. The whole thing should eventually look like a big online scrapbook of your project that will culminate in the finished piece - uploaded and streamed into people's homes via the internet. Of course there will be credits, commendations and perhaps even prizes for the most committed and interesting bloggers.

Also, for homework, check out the MEST2 Blogs from last year (12C1 Groups 08-09) that you can get to via the links on the sidebar to the left (scroll down a bit). In particular, look at the outstanding example from the group that produced the horror trailer, Obsession - that, understandably, got a grade A.

It's also worth looking at some Med 3 blogs from earlier years (when the specification was a bit different but where they still completed a video production). Particular good ones include Lost is a Reflection, Teenage Daze, Guilt, A Life of Grime, and Three Shades of Red. Get going!!

Film Language Essay

For 12C2 students...

Write an essay analysing a 2-3 minute extract from a film of your choice. There is no word limit but it must be at least 750-1000 words.

The essay must be word-processed and handed in on paper on - Monday 14th December 2009 - but also posted on your blog (with the clip as well if you get this from YouTube, but you could get it from a DVD instead).

Remember that spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, introductions, conclusions, etc. will all be assessed, as well as your ability to apply the key terms you've learnt from the Film Language pack. (Keep the pack close at hand when writing). You'll need to demonstrate your other learning on this course so far - covering MIGRAIN: the other key concepts. And use the keywords from the media glossary too.

It's not enough simply to describe the features being used; you also need to explain their purpose/effect on audiences...WHY has the director chosen to use a particular technique?

12C2 h/w for Ms Jones

Answer the following 12-mark question:
What techniques does the opening sequence use to appeal to a weekday mainstream audience? Remember: those who are aiming for a grade at the top of Band 4 should apply some media theory. Due on Thursday, December 17th.

Case Study Intro yr 12

Prepare a presentation to outline your case study texts. Please include:

1. Intro to the three texts you have chosen for your study. What links them e.g. is it genre, target audience etc.
2. Why have you chosen them (this must link back to the purpose of the study).
3. Find some primary evidence of how these texts have been promoted across the three platforms to esnure that these are suitable for a case study.

Remember that you can choose either TV or film texts or a combination. The key thing is that these texts must have been promoted, distributed and consumed across the 3 platforms.

You might want to consider a big Hollywood blockbuster vs a British Independent film and an art-house film or big US TV imports vs British produced TV shows etc.

DUE: Next lesson