We now have confirmed dates for BOTH A Level Media Easter coursework sessions.
The sessions will take place on:
Thursday 31 March 9am-3pm - Mr Bush
Friday 1 April 9am-3pm - Mr Qureshi
Mr Qureshi and Mr Bush have VERY kindly agreed to open up the Media department on those days between 9am and 3pm. Media computers and equipment will be available but if you want feedback and an idea of what grade you're working at on the Friday you will need to email your coursework teacher or speak to Mr Bush when he is there. Mr Qureshi will be on hand for advice and guidance but will be running the session single-handedly so please bear with him.
I won't be running any sessions this Easter because baby Halsey is due on 31 March so I'll be very much needed at home!
Good luck with the coursework and keep working to those phenomenal professional standards we know you are capable of!
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Post-16 Easter sessions
We have managed to arrange TWO A Level Media coursework sessions during the Easter holidays.
Mr Qureshi and Mr Bush have VERY kindly agreed to open up the Media department on Friday 1 April between 9am and 3pm. Media computers and equipment will be available but if you want feedback and an idea of what grade you're working at on the Friday you will need to email your coursework teacher. Mr Qureshi will be on hand for advice and guidance but will be running the session single-handedly so please bear with him.
Those key details again:
A Level Media coursework
Thursday 31 March 9am-3pm - Mr Bush
Friday 1 April 9am-3pm - Mr Qureshi
I won't be running any sessions this Easter because baby Halsey is due on 31 March so I'll be very much needed at home!
Good luck with the coursework and keep working to those phenomenal professional standards we know you are capable of.
Mr Qureshi and Mr Bush have VERY kindly agreed to open up the Media department on Friday 1 April between 9am and 3pm. Media computers and equipment will be available but if you want feedback and an idea of what grade you're working at on the Friday you will need to email your coursework teacher. Mr Qureshi will be on hand for advice and guidance but will be running the session single-handedly so please bear with him.
Those key details again:
A Level Media coursework
Thursday 31 March 9am-3pm - Mr Bush
Friday 1 April 9am-3pm - Mr Qureshi
I won't be running any sessions this Easter because baby Halsey is due on 31 March so I'll be very much needed at home!
Good luck with the coursework and keep working to those phenomenal professional standards we know you are capable of.
MEST2 Evaluation
Deadlines are fast approaching and you now need to be working on your MEST2 Evaluation. This is worth 20 marks and will make or break your overall coursework grade.
You can find the evaluation guidance here. You don't have to follow it exactly but you DO need to address each aspect in some way if you want to achieve a top mark.
The original MEST2 2016 brief is here. Remember, we have done Brief 1 (The Little Picturehouse) and within that (a) Broadcasting and (b) Print. You must make this clear in your introduction. Remember your evaluation also needs to address the third brief, e-media. This means writing in detail about what you would have done for the e-media task which is a film blog.
You will have one tutorial giving you final feedback on your evaluation on Wednesday 13 April. If you miss this deadline, you will not get any feedback on your evaluation.
The FINAL coursework deadline for all planning, production work and evaluation is Friday 15 April.
You can find the evaluation guidance here. You don't have to follow it exactly but you DO need to address each aspect in some way if you want to achieve a top mark.
The original MEST2 2016 brief is here. Remember, we have done Brief 1 (The Little Picturehouse) and within that (a) Broadcasting and (b) Print. You must make this clear in your introduction. Remember your evaluation also needs to address the third brief, e-media. This means writing in detail about what you would have done for the e-media task which is a film blog.
You will have one tutorial giving you final feedback on your evaluation on Wednesday 13 April. If you miss this deadline, you will not get any feedback on your evaluation.
The FINAL coursework deadline for all planning, production work and evaluation is Friday 15 April.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
March PPE: learner response tasks
Your March PPE result will hopefully show progress from January in your response to MEST1 Section A.
The most important aspect of any mock exam is making mistakes and learning from them. You need to closely analyse your performance across each question and identify specific ways you will improve for the full MEST1 mock exam after Easter and the real thing in May. Complete the following learner response tasks:
1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).
2) Read through the mark scheme. Pay particular attention to pages 5-8 that has anticipated content for each of the questions in Section A. How many of these potential points did you make? Did you successfully answer the questions?
3) Which was your strongest question? Why did you do better in that particular question?
4) Which was your weakest question? Again, try and identify why this happened. Did you misinterpret the question? Did you run out of time?
4) Read the Examiner's Report in full. For each question in Section A, would you classify your response as one of the more successful or less successful responses the Chief Examiner discusses? Why? What could you do differently next time? Write a reflection for EACH question in the paper.
5) Choose your weakest question in Section A and re-write an answer in full based on the suggested content from the Mark Scheme and Examiner's Report. The original clip from the exam is here.
Your blog answer needs to be comprehensive and meet the criteria for Level 4 of the mark scheme. This will be an absolute minimum of three well-developed paragraphs (and may be more) with specific reference to elements of the clip.
Complete this during the lesson you are given your paper back before continuing your independent Section B case study.
The most important aspect of any mock exam is making mistakes and learning from them. You need to closely analyse your performance across each question and identify specific ways you will improve for the full MEST1 mock exam after Easter and the real thing in May. Complete the following learner response tasks:
1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).
2) Read through the mark scheme. Pay particular attention to pages 5-8 that has anticipated content for each of the questions in Section A. How many of these potential points did you make? Did you successfully answer the questions?
3) Which was your strongest question? Why did you do better in that particular question?
4) Which was your weakest question? Again, try and identify why this happened. Did you misinterpret the question? Did you run out of time?
4) Read the Examiner's Report in full. For each question in Section A, would you classify your response as one of the more successful or less successful responses the Chief Examiner discusses? Why? What could you do differently next time? Write a reflection for EACH question in the paper.
5) Choose your weakest question in Section A and re-write an answer in full based on the suggested content from the Mark Scheme and Examiner's Report. The original clip from the exam is here.
Your blog answer needs to be comprehensive and meet the criteria for Level 4 of the mark scheme. This will be an absolute minimum of three well-developed paragraphs (and may be more) with specific reference to elements of the clip.
Complete this during the lesson you are given your paper back before continuing your independent Section B case study.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Mr Halsey ill - cover work Monday 14 March
Apologies - I've completely lost my voice so won't be in school on Monday.
The work is all on the blog - you need to aware of two key aspects:
1) Today you are starting your independent case study on British film. You have five films to choose from - watch each trailer today and have a look at details on IMDB before making your final decision.
You then need to work through all the tasks on the blogpost. You have Easter to complete the case study so make sure you answer each point in sufficient depth - you need to know your chosen film (and its associated marketing and promotion) as well as you know Ill Manors. Your initial deadline for Friday is to have chosen your film and found out all the basic information about it, including the critical reception.
2) Make sure you attend the guest speaker from Facebook on Wednesday morning - all details here and a brilliant opportunity for Year 12 Media students.
I'll be on email today if you have any questions and will see you in the lecture theatre on Wednesday P2.
Thanks,
Mr Halsey
The work is all on the blog - you need to aware of two key aspects:
1) Today you are starting your independent case study on British film. You have five films to choose from - watch each trailer today and have a look at details on IMDB before making your final decision.
You then need to work through all the tasks on the blogpost. You have Easter to complete the case study so make sure you answer each point in sufficient depth - you need to know your chosen film (and its associated marketing and promotion) as well as you know Ill Manors. Your initial deadline for Friday is to have chosen your film and found out all the basic information about it, including the critical reception.
2) Make sure you attend the guest speaker from Facebook on Wednesday morning - all details here and a brilliant opportunity for Year 12 Media students.
I'll be on email today if you have any questions and will see you in the lecture theatre on Wednesday P2.
Thanks,
Mr Halsey
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Facebook guest speaker: Wednesday 16 March
On Wednesday 16 March at 9.25am a guest speaker from Facebook is visiting Greenford.
Rishi Saha is the Head of Public Policy for Facebook in the UK having previously led digital communications at 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, with responsibility for online outreach and citizen engagement on behalf of the Prime Minister. His full Speakers for Schools profile is here.
Rishi will be a brilliant person to quiz on the impact of new and digital media on British society from government to social networking - a key topic for Media students.
This is essential viewing for all A Level Media students so make sure you are in the Lecture Theatre by 9.25am on Wednesday.
Rishi Saha is the Head of Public Policy for Facebook in the UK having previously led digital communications at 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, with responsibility for online outreach and citizen engagement on behalf of the Prime Minister. His full Speakers for Schools profile is here.
Rishi will be a brilliant person to quiz on the impact of new and digital media on British society from government to social networking - a key topic for Media students.
This is essential viewing for all A Level Media students so make sure you are in the Lecture Theatre by 9.25am on Wednesday.
MEST1 Section B: Independent case study
You've now studied your main case study, Ill Manors, in great detail and have A Field In England to offer a second case study on arthouse cinema and film distribution.
You need one more film case study for the exam and this one has to be independent - that means YOU choose the film and research it across broadcast, print, e-media and more.
Complete the following tasks on your blog:
Choose one of the following five big-budget British films:
Spectre (2015) (£170m budget)
Paddington (2014) - £40m budget
The Inbetweeners Movie (2011) - £3.5m budget
The King’s Speech (2010) - £11m budget
Suffragette (2015) - £10m budget
Case study research tasks
The basics
1) What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?
2) When was it released?
3) What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?
4) What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?
Broadcast
1) Write a close-textual analysis of the trailer using the MIGRAIN key concepts of Media Studies.
2) Find examples of television promotion on YouTube (adverts, chat shows, ‘red carpet’ interviews etc.) and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
3) Does the broadcast promotion use stars to create interest in the film?
Print
1) Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
2) Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
3) Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.
4) How is the film’s brand constructed? What does the brand connote? Does it remind you of any other brands or similar films?
E-media
1) Research the film’s presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. How does the film’s social media presence help promote the film?
2) Analyse the official website for the film. How does it use the film’s brand? What examples of synergy can you find with the other platforms?
3) Did the film run any kind of e-media based campaign to generate interest in the film?
4) Can you find any examples of the two-step flow theory online – did celebrities or journalists tweet or post about the film in order to promote it to their followers?
Audience
1) Who is the target audience for this film? Demographics and psychographics.
2) How does the cross-media promotional campaign target this audience?
3) What audience pleasures does the film provide? Think about the BFI lecture on audience pleasures in British film.
4) What similar films would the target audience enjoy? Justify your suggestions.
Institution
1) Which film studio produced the film? What other films have they produced? Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
2) Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed?
3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
4) What was the budget for the film?
5) How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?
6) Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?
7) What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?
Representation
1) What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
2) What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain?
3) How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors?
4) What values and ideologies can you find in your chosen film? (E.g. The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy etc.)
Case study comparison
1) What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.
You need one more film case study for the exam and this one has to be independent - that means YOU choose the film and research it across broadcast, print, e-media and more.
Complete the following tasks on your blog:
Choose one of the following five big-budget British films:
Spectre (2015) (£170m budget)
Paddington (2014) - £40m budget
The Inbetweeners Movie (2011) - £3.5m budget
The King’s Speech (2010) - £11m budget
Suffragette (2015) - £10m budget
Case study research tasks
The basics
1) What is the name of the film, the director and notable stars?
2) When was it released?
3) What genre is the film? What are the generic conventions that tell you the film belongs to this genre?
4) What was the critical reception? What is the film rated on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes?
Broadcast
1) Write a close-textual analysis of the trailer using the MIGRAIN key concepts of Media Studies.
2) Find examples of television promotion on YouTube (adverts, chat shows, ‘red carpet’ interviews etc.) and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
3) Does the broadcast promotion use stars to create interest in the film?
1) Read at least THREE reviews of the film and provide a quote from each one.
2) Find examples of print promotion (e.g. film poster, billboard adverts etc.) on Google images and post them to your blog along with an explanation of how these promote the film.
3) Choose ONE print advert and write a textual analysis of what it communicates to the audience.
4) How is the film’s brand constructed? What does the brand connote? Does it remind you of any other brands or similar films?
E-media
1) Research the film’s presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. How does the film’s social media presence help promote the film?
2) Analyse the official website for the film. How does it use the film’s brand? What examples of synergy can you find with the other platforms?
3) Did the film run any kind of e-media based campaign to generate interest in the film?
4) Can you find any examples of the two-step flow theory online – did celebrities or journalists tweet or post about the film in order to promote it to their followers?
Audience
1) Who is the target audience for this film? Demographics and psychographics.
2) How does the cross-media promotional campaign target this audience?
3) What audience pleasures does the film provide? Think about the BFI lecture on audience pleasures in British film.
4) What similar films would the target audience enjoy? Justify your suggestions.
Institution
1) Which film studio produced the film? What other films have they produced? Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
2) Which company distributed the film in the UK? What other films have they distributed?
3) Do they have a track record with this kind of film and this target audience?
4) What was the budget for the film?
5) How successful was the film financially? Why do you think this was?
6) Was this film more successful in the UK or worldwide/USA? Why do you think this is?
7) What certificate was the film given (12A, 18 etc.)? What was the reason for this certificate? Is the certification important for this film in terms of targeting its audience? Why?
Representation
1) What representations of people, places or groups can be found in this film?
2) What representation of ‘Britishness’ does the film contain?
3) How does the representation of Britain differ to Ill Manors?
4) What values and ideologies can you find in your chosen film? (E.g. The King’s Speech is extremely patriotic, pro-monarchy etc.)
Case study comparison
1) What similarities and differences can you find between Ill Manors, A Field In England and your chosen case study film? List all that apply.
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
MEST1 Section B: index
Now we are reaching the end of our work preparing for MEST3 Section B, we need to put together an index so we can easily access our work for revision.
Remember, you'll be answering ONE question in an extended essay on the film industry and need to refer to all THREE media platforms and at least THREE film texts in the essay. Your index should contain the following:
1) The British film industry: Media Factsheet questions
2) Institutional context of the British film industry: Factsheet questions
3) Ill Manors: film review
4) Ill Manors: trailer analysis
5) Ill Manors: music video
6) Ill Manors: TEDx lecture
7) Ill Manors: broadcast platform concluded
8) Ill Manors: print platform (newspaper interviews)
9) Ill Manors: print branding
10) Ill Manors: e-media Tag London campaign
11) Ill Manors: e-media social networking research
12) Ill Manors: official website analysis
13) A Field In England: reading, research and questions
14) Ill Manors & A Field In England: institution research
Remember, your index should link to YOUR blogpost for each of these tasks.
This is a significant amount of work and should prepare you well for MEST1 Section B. Remember, you'll have a full mock exam after Easter.
Next week: MEST1 Section B independent case study on a big-budget British film.
Index: complete in lesson but if you're missing anything make sure EVERYTHING is in order by next Friday.
Remember, you'll be answering ONE question in an extended essay on the film industry and need to refer to all THREE media platforms and at least THREE film texts in the essay. Your index should contain the following:
1) The British film industry: Media Factsheet questions
2) Institutional context of the British film industry: Factsheet questions
3) Ill Manors: film review
4) Ill Manors: trailer analysis
5) Ill Manors: music video
6) Ill Manors: TEDx lecture
7) Ill Manors: broadcast platform concluded
8) Ill Manors: print platform (newspaper interviews)
9) Ill Manors: print branding
10) Ill Manors: e-media Tag London campaign
11) Ill Manors: e-media social networking research
12) Ill Manors: official website analysis
13) A Field In England: reading, research and questions
14) Ill Manors & A Field In England: institution research
Remember, your index should link to YOUR blogpost for each of these tasks.
This is a significant amount of work and should prepare you well for MEST1 Section B. Remember, you'll have a full mock exam after Easter.
Next week: MEST1 Section B independent case study on a big-budget British film.
Index: complete in lesson but if you're missing anything make sure EVERYTHING is in order by next Friday.
Sunday, March 06, 2016
MEST1 Section B: Institution research
To finish our in-class case studies, we need to research the institutions behind the films. This means knowing the production companies that contributed to their production.
Create one blogpost for all of these tasks. Make sure you find enough time to complete this - there is a lot to research and it could take you a good couple of hours.
Ill Manors: Funding and production budget
- What was the estimated budget for Ill Manors?
- Where did the money come from? List the different organisations and companies that contributed funding to Ill Manors.
- How did the Ill Manors budget compare to a Hollywood blockbuster such as Skyfall?
A Field In England: Funding and production budget
- What was the estimated budget for A Field In England?
- Why did A Field In England manage to secure a higher budget than Ill Manors?
- Where did the money come from?
Film London and Microwave Film
Ill Manors was created partly thanks to Film London and Microwave Film. Revise the key details from your MEST2 research by answering the following questions:
Ill Manors was created partly thanks to Film London and Microwave Film. Revise the key details from your MEST2 research by answering the following questions:
- What is Film London and why does it exist?
- What is the purpose of Microwave Film?
- Choose one film funded by Microwave film and explain how it compares to Ill Manors (similarities and differences)
Vertigo Films and Warp Films
Your BFI Study Day on UK cinema focused on two important production companies in the British film industry: Vertigo Films and Warp Films. Revise what you learned on the trip by answering the following questions:
Certification: BBFC
Your BFI Study Day on UK cinema focused on two important production companies in the British film industry: Vertigo Films and Warp Films. Revise what you learned on the trip by answering the following questions:
- What are the most successful films Vertigo Films has been involved in?
- Why do you think those films were successful with their audience?
- What different film genres has Vertigo Films worked with?
- Where did Warp Films start out?
- What are the most successful films produced by Warp Films?
- How have Warp Films helped to develop new talent in the film industry?
- What titles have Vertigo and Warp Films produced that are similar to Ill Manors? Explain the similarities - it could be in terms of audience, location, content or genre.
Certification: BBFC
One final aspect of institution is the certificate a film is awarded for exhibition. This is decided by the British Board of Film Classification. Revise the key details regarding the BBFC from your MEST2 research by answering the following questions:
- How does the certification process work at the BBFC?
- Think about the certificate of Ill Manors (18 certificate). What is deemed acceptable for an 18 certificate? What is the difference between a 15 certificate and an 18 certificate?
- Why was Ill Manors given an 18 certificate? How might this have affected the Ill Manors target audience and commercial success?
- What was the certificate for A Field In England? Why was this certificate awarded?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages for a film in being given an 18 certificate?
You will have lesson time to work on these tasks but you will need to complete this for homework. Due date: confirmed by your teacher.
Friday, March 04, 2016
AS Media PPE - revision
A reminder that your MEST1 Section A PPE is Wednesday 9 March at 8.30am.
I've had a few requests for the PowerPoint slides from lessons earlier in the year. Hopefully the following will be useful:
Good luck with the revision!
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
A Field In England: the appeal of arthouse film
Through both coursework and exam preparation we have studied and researched arthouse film in some depth.
Understanding the audience appeal in terms of arthouse film is a vital part of this - and you'll need to discuss this in both your MEST1 Section B exam AND your MEST2 1,500 word evaluation.
Complete the following tasks to improve your understanding of arthouse film and the possible audience pleasures that the genre offers:
1. Read Beyond Hollywood: Reading Arthouse Cinema. This is in MM45 on page 24 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article.
2. What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
3. Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).
4. To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
5. What type of audience would A Field In England appeal to?
Complete this for homework if you don't get it done in the lesson - due next week.
Extension work
Those of you wondering about the success of the unusual release strategy for A Field In England may be interested in this BFI Insight report into the release and reception of the film. It breaks down the numbers in terms of cinema box office, TV, VOD and DVD sales. One of the conclusions was that social media was the driving force behind the marketing - important for next year's exam topic of New and Digital Media and also a strong similarity with our Ill Manors case study.
Understanding the audience appeal in terms of arthouse film is a vital part of this - and you'll need to discuss this in both your MEST1 Section B exam AND your MEST2 1,500 word evaluation.
Complete the following tasks to improve your understanding of arthouse film and the possible audience pleasures that the genre offers:
1. Read Beyond Hollywood: Reading Arthouse Cinema. This is in MM45 on page 24 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article.
2. What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
3. Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).
4. To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
5. What type of audience would A Field In England appeal to?
Complete this for homework if you don't get it done in the lesson - due next week.
Extension work
Those of you wondering about the success of the unusual release strategy for A Field In England may be interested in this BFI Insight report into the release and reception of the film. It breaks down the numbers in terms of cinema box office, TV, VOD and DVD sales. One of the conclusions was that social media was the driving force behind the marketing - important for next year's exam topic of New and Digital Media and also a strong similarity with our Ill Manors case study.
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