MEST2: Research and Planning

You need to complete the following tasks for your Research and Planning/pre-production. Everything MUST be posted on your blog and regular tutorials will check progress.

Deadline: Christmas

Existing product research (INDIVIDUAL)

Find five programmes similar to the idea or genre you plan to work with. Remember the E4 target audience specified in the brief.

Write an analysis of the two-minute opening sequence to each TV programme you research using the aspects of film language you have learned (camerawork, editing, sound, mise-en-scene).

Research the target audience for each show and write about why the show would appeal to that audience.

Institution research (INDIVIDUAL)

Research E4 and BBC3 - two channels that boast a similar target audience to your brief. Find out their history, what type of shows they focus on and notable successes.

Audience research and planning (GROUP; INDIVIDUAL WRITE-UP)

Outline a highly detailed target audience for your TV show. Use demographics AND psychographics to profile your audience.

Conduct audience research to test how appealing your idea is to your target audience. This may involve conducting a focus group interview in class.

Pre-production (GROUP; INDIVIDUAL WRITE-UP)

In your group as a whole, you need to produce the following planning documents:

·         Project schedule

·         Script

·         Storyboard

·         Shot list

·         Mise-en-scene: casting details, location scouting with photographs, props, costume and make-up, lighting.

Each of these planning documents MUST be in the correct format - e.g. TV script layout, storyboard sheets etc. and uploaded to your blog (you may need to scan/photograph documents to do this). You can also use online resources such as the BBC Writers' Room (bbc.co.uk/writersroom) to help with script layouts and more.

Audience theory - tasks

We've covered a LOT of audience theory this week - now it's time to apply it to some examples and answer some questions.

Hypodermic needle theory
Read this article from the Daily Mail. How can you link this news article to the hypodermic needle theory?

Two-step flow model

Read this article on young YouTube star Jamal Edwards. How can you link Jamal Edwards to the two-step flow model?

Uses and Gratifications theory

For each of the four categories (diversion, personal relationships, personal identity, surveillance), choose one media text and write about how it fits that particular audience use or pleasure. Use images and clips to illustrate your points.

Dependency theory

1. What do YOU primarily use the media for: entertainment or information? (Or something else?)
2. To what extent do you feel we are dependent on the media?
3. Has our dependence on the media changed over the last 10 years? 

All of these questions are your homework this week - due next Monday 2 December.

12E cover work: Monday 18 November - Mr Halsey

Hopefully you're getting a good idea of Psychographics and audience profiling - it's crucial that you think about audience in this kind of depth. Today I've got three tasks for you:

Task 1
Take the Psychographics questionnaire that will tell you what YOUR motivations are and which group YOU fit in best. There are 50 questions so it will take you a little bit of time. However, one important point: it DOESN'T work on Google Chrome (I know we always ask you to use Chrome!) so you need to copy and paste the following link into Internet Explorer and complete the questionnaire on there:

http://www.4cs.yr.com/uk/

The website is very slow so wait for it to respond and then click the big red button to do the questionnaire. Make sure you save your results - copy and paste them into a document so you have them for future reference.

Task 2
Type up the results of your Psychographic profile on your blog, explaining whether you agree with the profile you have been given. Write down TEN brands that appeal to you AND fit your Psychographic group.

Task 3
For each of the seven Psychographic categories, find an advert on YouTube that appeals to that group. Explain WHY you think each advert would appeal to that psychographic group, using some of the descriptive words from the original handout and linking to specific details in the text. (This link will help you if you don't have your handout).

You have both Monday and Tuesday to complete these tasks - anything you don't complete is homework due next Monday 25 November. I will be back in soon and I look forward to seeing what Psychographic group each of you is placed in.

Good luck!

12D cover work: Monday 18 November - Mr Halsey

We were going to screen our preliminary exercises today but I'm going to postpone that until Thursday's lesson - I hope to be back later in the week if everything is OK at home.

Today, you firstly need to make sure your preliminary exercise is finished - that is very important. Mr Babu can help you with the final edit or exporting from Premiere Pro - you also need to hand in a copy to Mr Babu and upload it to YouTube so we can screen it on Thursday.

When you've finished the preliminary exercise, you now need to evaluate it - this is a crucial skill that you will need for your main coursework production later in the year.

Your evaluation needs to include the following:

• Clear reference to the brief, your planning process, how your storyboard/shot list helped create the final product and what you would do differently next time in terms of pre-production
• Detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your film
• Confident use of media language, particularly film language, showing clear understanding of the key concepts of Media Studies (MIGRAIN)

Here's a good example from last year to help you.

Your evaluation needs to be a minimum of 500 words and is due for next Monday 25 November.

Good luck!

12D cover work - Preliminary exercise

Year 12 - I'm sorry I won't be in but the good news is I am a father! Baby Samuel was born this morning and we're doing OK.

You need to continue your Preliminary Exercise - the deadline is Monday. Mr Babu can help with editing and exporting your finished films.

I'm sorry I'm not there to help but I'm sure you're going to produce some excellent examples of good quality filmmaking.

Tue 12/11/13: 12D Cover Work p5/6

Get in a pair and do an additional Psychographics exercise (as well as ensuring last week's homework is complete and on your blog).

All completed work is due in the lesson on Thursday 14/11/13.

Tue 12/11/13: 12E Cover Work p2

Make sure you've completed your detailed shot lists and that everyone in your group has posted them up to their individual blogs.

Book out a camera with Mr Babu and start shooting!

He'll have to give you a quick tutorial about how to use the basic functions. Make sure you're confident about this before leaving the classroom.

And remember not to disturb other classes going on!

Audience - psychographics

In your pair, you need to put together a presentation in which you create an example couple for your particular psychographic group and suggest what their media consumption might involve.

First, create an example couple that represents your psychographic group (just like the Mosaic profiles). This Mosaic profile of UK groups and types might help you - can you find a group that matches your psychographic group?

Tell us a bit about the couple – who they are, where they work/study, what they like doing in their spare time. Bring them to life.

Next, outline their media consumption:

Print: What newspapers/magazines does your group read (if any)? Is this on paper or tablet?

Broadcast: What TV programmes/channels do your group watch? Radio stations? TV package – Freeview or Sky? Films?

E-Media: What technology do they own? What websites do they visit (if any)? 

Finally, work out who is going to present what - one person should introduce the couple before the other talks about their media consumption.

The presentations will be in Tuesday's lesson - so be ready!

Preliminary Exercise - Example

Here's an example from last year with a good evaluation, using media terminology well.

Also, this Prezi has examples of the three features you need to include in your production.

Homework (12E, for Tue 12/11)...complete shot list and post up on blog. Make sure you have organised locations/props for your shoot next lesson and rehearsed dialogue etc. 

Match on action, shot/reverse shot, 180 degree rule

The following clips and links should help you with the key skills you need to demonstrate in your preliminary exercise.

Match on action

Look at this YouTube clip for match on action - the cuts you want to look at in particular are at 2 seconds, then again at 18 seconds:

Shot/reverse shot

Shot/reverse shot uses over-the-shoulder shots to show a conversation between two characters. Look at this example from the Hunger Games movie - specifically between 0.50 and 1.30.

With shot/reverse shot, you need to observe the 180 degree rule. Draw an imaginary line between the two characters facing each other and then make sure the camera never crosses that line during the filming of that scene. This video is a brilliant explanation of the rule:

Good luck!

Y12 Preliminary exercise

Preliminary exercise: continuity task

Your preliminary exercise involves filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. 

This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. 

Time allowed: two weeks

You are advised to work in the group that you will work in for your MEST2 coursework project.

Good luck!

12E Narrative task (homework/Tuesday lesson)

I'm sorry I won't be in for Tuesday's lesson - I'm on a course. The work is as follows:

Come up with your own narrative for a new film or TV programme. Write a 250 word summary of the storyline using everything we have learned:

• Protagonists
• Linear or multi-stranded narratives
• Enigma and action codes
• Equilibrium
• Propp’s character types

You have Tuesday's lesson to do this but will need to finish it for homework.

Due: next Monday 11 November