12D Christmas task list

For 12D...

Your production ideas are sounding good, culminating in the excellent focus groups over the last two lessons. You now need to work through the following tasks over Christmas (though don't forget to have a break and recharge the batteries for an intensive Spring term!)

Task 1
Mr Bush has put some fantastic resources together for our benefit - read the through the following documents and write at least one thing you learned or found useful from each one:

• The coursework brief (Brief 1, Broadcasting Task a.i.) you have been issued with for your practical production.
• MEST 2 General Advice & Guidance (really good for seeing what you research you need to gather).
• The Specific Guidance for 2013 Briefs (Brief 1: again, highly useful).
• The specification outline of the unit.
• The MEST 2 mark scheme.

Task 2

Start writing weekly progress reports on your production work (reflecting on the group's work: WWW/EBI, and outlining your specific contributions - crucial to ensure you are given the mark you deserve) and Action Plans (stating clearly who's doing what and by which deadline) on your blogs.

Task 3

Keep posting up images on your blogs so that it becomes a visual diary of your progress. Take pictures at planning meetings. Get shots of potential actors. Go out location spotting. Scan in sketches, storyboards and shot lists etc.

Task 4

Ensure you've carried out detailed research into media institutions/channels (E4, BBC3, C4, etc.) that might broadcast your programme. Identify their audience, typical programmes, audience ratings, history, etc. Write up a blog post with detailed research on at least three institutions/channels.

Task 5

Ensure all previous work is complete:

• Existing product research into five TV programmes similar to your production idea - including their target audience and textual analysis of an opening scene
• A minimum 500-word write-up of your focus group discussion (details further down on the blog)

Finally, in the words of Mr Bush, well done to Akshay and Harvy who have taken the initiative and set up a brand new Media Studies blog called Mise En Media where they intend to share loads of ideas about the subject - theories, production tips, etc. It's a brilliant idea and already has some great revision resources on it (a keywords glossary and a summary of media theories). But the best posting for this task is a list of Practical Production Tips they picked up from a media conference they went on last week. Read it carefully - some great advice. 

Have a great Christmas - next up is the production rollercoaster of the Spring Term so be ready!

Coursework: Programme Pitch

For 12E...

Apologies - a mammoth posting, but it's vital you read this very carefully. Come and see me/email me if you have any questions.

Please work on the following during today's lesson (p3, 18/12) and complete for homework (for the first lesson in 2013). Feel free to choose the order to complete them...

A. Make sure you look carefully at the following key documents, making notes on your blogs to help you...

• The coursework brief (Brief 1, Broadcasting Task a.i.) you have been issued with for your practical production.
• MEST 2 General Advice &Guidance (really good for seeing what you research you need to gather).
• The Specific Guidance for 2013 Briefs (Brief 1: again, highly useful).
• The specification outline of the unit.
• The MEST 2 mark scheme.

B. Ensure you complete weekly Progress Reports (reflecting on the group's work: www/ebi, and outlining your specific contributions) and Action Plans (stating clearly who's doing what and by which deadline) on your blogs. Each group has been given a detailed list of tasks after yesterday's tutorials. Make sure this is on your blog and you're acting on it.

C. Keep posting up images on your blogs so that it becomes a visual diary of your progress. Take pictures at planning meetings. Get shots of potential actors. Go out location spotting, etc.

D. Carry out a focus group interview with 5-6 people from the target demographic. Ask qualitative questions where you can get detailed answers. Record the interview on your phones and write up a summary of the key findings on your blogs using the bullet points on the link to guide you.

E. Ensure you've carried out detailed research on your blogs into media institutions/channels (E4, BBC3, C4, etc.) that might broadcast your programme. Identify their audience, typical programmes, audience ratings, history, etc.

F. Make sure you've analysed at least five programmes similar to your idea and posted the details on your blog. You should continue doing this throughout your production as it's important to keep developing ideas.

HOLIDAY TASK

Your holiday task is for your group to prepare a programme pitch (where you try to 'sell' your idea to get development funding).

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

• Overview of the idea (programme treatment) explaining the genre of your programme (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, CLAMPS); 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 programme would appeal to the 15-35 E4 demographic. Refer to audience demographics (CAGES: class, age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality) and psychographics. Use Young & Rubicam's 4Cs.
• Address what content is likely to be in this programme that would mean it could be shown before the watershed. Use the OFCOM Guidelines (Section One: Protecting the Under Eighteens) to help you.

For each of the three bullet points above, make sure you have your own individual notes on your blogs as this will be necessary when submitting your research/awarding grades.

After Xmas - on 7th January 2013 - you will pitch your ideas to the 'commissioning editor' to see if your idea will receive funding. Everyone in the group must play a full 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! Get in role! Rehearse your performance! Be convincing! Use this guide about how to prevent Death by PowerPoint, especially the checklist on slide 58.

Finally, well done to Akshay and Harvy who have taken the initiative and set up a brand new Media Studies blog called Mise En Media where they intend to share loads of ideas about the subject - theories, production tips, etc. It's a brilliant idea and already has some great revision resources on it (a keywords glossary and a summary of media theories). But the best posting for this task is a list of Practical Production Tips they picked up from a media conference they went on last week. Read it carefully - some great advice.

Good luck getting this done. it's a lot of work, admittedly, but the coursework is worth 50% of the grade remember and we want you to be ready to start shooting after the holiday. I don't want to hear excuses from people/groups who've left everything until the last minute and then run out of time but if you have any problems over the next fortnight then please feel free to email me.

Ill Manors: TEDx Lecture, Website

12D: please work on this during p1 on Tue 18/12 and complete for HW (to be handed in on the first lesson in 2013)...

A. Remind yourself of what Plan B/Ben Drew says in his TEDx lecture...

Plan B: 'Find out what kids are good at. It will change their lives'

Embed the video on your blog and write up the answers we discussed in class:

1. What are Plan B's beliefs/politics? What are his values/ideologies? Explain.
2. Who is the target audience of the TEDx lecture? Demographics? Psychographics? How do you know? How does this compare to the audience for his music/films?
3. What does Plan B say about the media? Explain how this can be linked to Cohen's media theory of moral panics? Read this summary of moral panics and the definition from Wikipedia and use them in your answer.

B. Look at the Ill Manors website. Spend some time exploring it, watching clips, reading etc. Then, on your blog, write a description/summary of all the features it includes, explaining how each one might engage/interest the potential target audience. 

Make sure you consider and comment on the concept of synergy (read this PowerPoint link, make some notes on it - it may only work at home).

C. Find one example from all three of the separate columns (broadcast, print, e-media) on the Case Study Checklist. 

Post up the examples on your blog. 

Analyse each one, identifying their key features, codes and conventions, and saying how they would be useful/effective in promoting the film/DVD/album release.

12D Focus groups

The audience research focus groups for our MEST2 TV show ideas have been incredibly useful and so many good ideas have been shared and developed. You now need to write up your own group's recording in a blog post. The blog post should include the following:

• A brief introduction to what the focus group involved
• A list of key quotes from the focus group recording (you don't need to identify who said each quote and using bullet points is fine)
• What you learned from the discussion and how this will impact on your final product
• A detailed breakdown of the target audience for your TV programme now you have completed some audience research: gender, age, social class, education/employment, race/ethnicity, psychographics etc.

The focus group audio recordings are available on the GHS VLE. Go to: Departments > Media Studies > Shared Documents

I expect your blog post to be at least 500 words - it may well be even longer.

Due: Tuesday 8 January

Ill Manors Trailer Analysis

12D - please complete for Monday 17/12.

Watch the Ill Manors trailer again and answer the following questions on your blog...

1. What are the typical codes and conventions of film trailers - what information is usually provided?
2. How are trailers distributed? 
3. How does Ill Manors use trailer conventions?
4. Who is the target audience? Does it have a unique selling point or use particular techniques to appeal to the audience? Consider the way the scenes are edited together – does the trailer give away any clues about the narrative? Are the main stars visible in the trailer? Is there information about the director of the film? Is there information about the release date? Is a narrator’s voice-over used? 
5. How has the genre of the film been represented through characters, settings, lighting, colour, music, camera shots/movements/angles and editing?

Case Study Checklist

These are the different aspects that need to be covered when researching the case study...

 

12D Ill Manors Film Research HW

Complete the following on your blogs by Mon 10/12:

1. Research all the Institutions involved in the production of Ill Manors. List them with a summary of what their contribution to the film was.
2. How much Ill Manors cost to produce (its budget)
3. How was Ill Manors funded?
4. What is the target audience for Ill Manors?
5. Who is the main distributor of Ill Manors?
6. How was Ill Manors promoted?
7. Compare this with a big budget blockbuster. What are the main similarities and differences?
8. How does the trailer for Ill Manors hook audiences into the narrative and pose questions that the film will answer? Identify 3 ways/techniques.
9. How does the trailer for Ill Manors balance plot and spectacle?
10. Think about the certificate of Ill Manors (18 certificate). Research film certification and outline what is deemed acceptable for this certificate. What is the difference between a 15 certificate and an 18 certificate?

MEST2 Creating Media: Research and Planning (12D)

There are three stages to your research and planning.

Existing product research: Watching and analysing existing programmes and advertising campaigns in the genre you are working in.

Target audience research: Both researching the target audience of existing shows/channels AND conducting audience research into your own idea (focus groups)

Pre-production: All scripts, storyboards, shot lists, sketches, contact sheets, Photoshop drafts etc.

IMPORTANT: Research, planning and evaluation are all to be completed and assessed individually.

Your first task involves completing existing product research:


Complete the following as an extended blog post or a selection of five blog posts:

1. Find five programmes similar to the idea or genre you want to produce.
2. Write an analysis of a two-minute opening sequence using everything you have learned about film language (camerawork, sound, mise-en-scene etc.) for each of the five.
3. Research the target audience for each show and produce your own assessment of who each show appeals to and why.

Deadline for your existing product research: Thursday 13 December

Mr Halsey

Cover Work 12E p1/2 03/12/12

Please complete this task in the lesson, preparing for your Practical Production coursework.

DO NOT leave the classroom. Mr Babu and a cover teacher will register/supervise you.

Discuss in your groups, make detailed notes (p1), and post up your own summaries on your personal blogs (p2).

Include research ideas, links to similar texts/institutions, and analyse some examples, making a note of some of the key genre codes/conventions, media language techniques, audience appeal, etc.