Convergence

Blog Post Order

Put the dates below into your posts and they will miraculously present in the correct order.

17/03/14   Textual Investigation 1 - Genre 
16/03/14   Textual Investigation 2 - Narrative 
15/03/14   Evaluation
14/03/14   Final Insert
13/03/14   Final DVD cover
12/03/14   DVD Insert Draft
11/03/14   DVD Digital draft
10/03/14   DVD Pencil draft
09/03/14   Film Planning presentation
08/03/14   Film Marketing Presentation (distribution)
07/03/14   Audience feedback
06/03/14   DVD Cover conventions
04/03/14   Contact Sheet
03/03/14   Type Choices
01/03/14   DVD Analysis

Exemplar Evaluation 10/10 marks

Link to the A* evaluation is HERE

Evaluation for Media Production

Objective
To complete the production element of the GCSE Media Studies course. This part is worth 10 marks of the 80 available for production.

Task

Make a copy of the above presentation HERE
Complete using the writing prompts and a selection of relevant images.

Presentation
Embed on your blog. Help is HERE

Deadline
Tuesday 7th of October 2014

Post list for Media Production

If you are unsure about what these tasks are - either email me or look on the course blog.

deh@thomasadams.net

Deadline Friday 19th Sept @ 3.15pm.

DVD Cover analysis

Type Choices

Photo Contact Sheet

DVD Cover conventions

Audience feedback

Marketing presentation (distribution)

Film Planning presentation

DVD Sleeve draft

DVD Insert draft

Final DVD Sleeve

Final Insert

Key Terms Sets 1,2 & 3.

Revise sets 1, 2 and 3 for a test on Tues 16 Sept, period 3.

DVD Insert draft - HWK

Objective

To complete the Production element of your GCSE Media Studies course you must also create a suitable insert for your DVD cover.

Task

In pencil or pen, on A4 sheet, design a suitable insert for your DVD.
Those aiming for an A/B grade will be required to create 4 sides (imagine both sides of a folded A4 sheet.
Students who wish to draft their inserts using Photoshop are welcome to use 41 outside of lesson times to complete this task. Use THIS INSERT TEMPLATE 
Look through the presentation above for examples of elements you could include.

Presentation

Photograph or scan and post to your course blog.

Checklist for assessment

Interesting design that includes some of the conventions of an insert.

Deadline

Bring in for period 3, Tues 9th Sept. 
To get ahead, post it to your blog before the lesson.

Creating your DVD Sleeve.

In order for to recap and brush up your Photoshop skills, I have placed all 4 of the tutorial links in the sidebar. They are only 5 mins each, but watching them will result in a much better result, less frustration and a higher grade. Below is a reminder of what each of the 4 videos teach you.

Tutorial 1
creating a new document
importing your draft
locking / hiding layers
copying and pasting images
resizing images
the 'Move tool' & 'auto select'
saving your document

Tutorial 2
copying and pasting images from the web
moving layers up and down within the layer stack
rectangular Marquee tool
cropping an image within the document
zooming in on detail
using FX to add drop shadow and stroke
flipping images

Tutorial 3
intermediate Layers
creating Groups
downloading, colouring & resizing type
FX menu - Drop shadow and Stroke
custom shapes

Tutorial 4
filling with colour
blending modes
creating Marquee tool selection
gradients
altering opacity

FIlm Distribution Terms 2

Revise for a test, Tuesday next week.

Film Distribution Terms 1

Revise these terms for a test on Friday the 27th of June.

Film Distribution Cycle

Film Distribution

Objective
To evidence your understanding of the distribution cycle of a film.

Task
After researching the distribution cycle, you are to produce a timeline for your own film. Using a Google presentation, present the separate stages that you envisage happening. Base all of your choices on the case study of a similar film or the resources below.
Make a copy of this presentation and embed it onto your blog.

Presentation
Google Presentation embedded on your blog. Post title: Film Distribution timeline.

Checklist for assessment

TBC

Time allocated
1.5hrs

Resources
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/movie-marketing.htm

Deadline

Friday the 27th of June.

Conventions of a DVD Cover

Objective
To understand the conventions of a DVD cover.

Task
Look through the slides above.
Make a copy of the DVD Covers Google Presentation HERE (pic below) and comlpete the conventions task

Presentation
Publish the Presentation and embed on your blog. 
Post Title: DVD Cover Conventions - Size: Width 720 x Height 440

Checklist for assessment
Conventions in the correct place, neat presentation and embedded on your blog.

Deadline
tbc

Basic Type Presentation

Type Terms set 1

Revise for a test on Friday 20th of June.

Type choices

This task relates to your DVD cover, the one you are designing.

Objective
To enable you to see the range of typefaces (fonts) available for use on your DVD Cover.
To assess the suitability of certain chosen typefaces.

Task
Using an A4 document, collect together five typefaces for Dafont that you believe might be suitable for your film poster title. On the same page, note the reasons for and against.
Then point out the one that you are going to use.

Presentation
Use any method you wish. E.G. Print off to annotate and then scan, Google presentation, Photoshop etc.
Post to blog with post title: Type choices.
Areas for Assessment
5 purposeful typefaces that reflect the subject matter in different ways.

Deadline
End of lesson Mon 23rd June.

Media Key Terms Set 4

Revise for a test on Friday 13th of June,  period 4.

Exemplar analysis presentation.

DVD Cover Analysis

Objective

To further understand the way in which media products are designed.

Task

Complete a detailed analysis of a DVD Cover. Choose one that is within the Genre as your film idea.

Presentation

Use a Google Presentation. Download the template HERE, the make a copy.
Post straight away to your blog.

Checklist for assessment

?

Deadline

tbc

Media Key Terms Set 3

Revise these terms for a test on Tuesday the 20th May. 
The test will also include terms from set 1 and 2.

Media Key Terms Set 2

Revise for a test on Friday the 16 May.

Pencil Drafts

Coursework blog list so far..

This is a list of what coursework should be on your blog so far:

Photo Contact Sheet - annotated
Audience Feedback and summary
DVD Sleeve draft - Photoshop
DVD Sleeve draft - Pencil drawn
Film Planning presentation

This quality of this work will form the basis of your report. You will be not only marked on the content of the work but also on post titles, correct images and sizes.
The reports will be completed after the lesson on Monday the 12th of May.

Media Key Terms Set 1

Revise for a test on Monday the 12 May.

Contact Sheet Annotation.

Objective
To collect together your photoshoot and evaluate the success.

Task
Using Adobe Bridge, create a 3 x 4 contact sheet.
Export as a .pdf.
Open in Photoshop and annotate -

• Circle image that are good. This might be due to them being in focus, correct composition etc. 
• Cross out images that are not to be used. Out of focus, badly cropped, wrong position etc. 
• Write simple notes against the photos, 'out of focus', 'too far away' or 'too dark', 
• Make your annotations obvious - write in pink? 

Within the post and underneath the contact sheet, comment on the following:

• What were your intentions for the shoot? Why take these images? 
• What are the successful elements, What worked well? 
• What were the unsuccessful elements? What didn't work well? 
• If you were to take these images again, what would you do to make them more suitable? 
• Do you believe that you have all the shots you need for the project? If not, what others do you need to take? 

Presentation
Save as a jpeg and post to your blog.

Checklist for assessment
Lots of concise and insightful evaluation of your photos.

Deadline
End of Lesson, Friday 28th March.

Analysing a Film Poster - Vid Tutorial

Audience Feedback Homework.

The assessment criteria for a level 3 and 4 research marks asks you to:

'...present findings relevant to the production in terms of...audience [and] users.'

To score these marks, you will be expected to evidence how you have used audience research to inform your production. 

Simply put, you will explain your idea to a focus group, show them your DVD cover and ask a series of set questions to gauge their impressions. 

Objective
To get your planning mark up to a level 3 or 4 (6-10 marks).

To complete audience research that will influence the outcome of your production task.

Task
Gather three friends, family and/or acquaintances.

Explain your publicity campaign. Read the synopsis. Explain the genre.

Then show the drafts from your blog.

Record their feedback on THIS proforma.

Write up your findings and your response to this.

Presentation
Photograph / scan the feedback sheet.

Write up your findings and post them and the the feedback sheet to your blog.

Post title: Research task - Audience.

Checklist for assessment
Scan or photo of Audience Proforma / Paragraph summing up your findings.

Example
HERE

Deadline
Start of lesson, Friday March 21st.

Photoshop Basics / Creating a DVD Cover 4

This tutorial covers:

• filling with colour
• Blending modes
• creating Marquee tool selection
• gradients
• altering opacity

Photoshop Basics / Creating a DVD Cover 3

This tutorial covers:

• intermediate Layers
• creating Groups
• downloading, colouring & resizing type
• FX menu - Drop shadow and Stroke
• custom shapes

Photoshop basics / Creating a DVD cover 2

This tutorial covers:

• copying and pasting images from the web
• moving layers up and down within the layer stack
• rectangular Marquee tool
• cropping an image within the document
• zooming in on detail
• using FX to add drop shadow and stroke
• flipping images

Photoshop basics / Creating a DVD cover 1

This tutorial covers:

• creating a new document
• importing your draft
• locking / hiding layers
• copying and pasting images
• rsizing images
• the 'Move tool' & 'auto select'
• saving your document

DVD Cover Draft (digital)

Objective
To continue forming ideas for your DVD cover.

Task
Using THIS TEMPLATE and photoshop, create a digital draft cover for the DVD release of your film. This will be based upon the drawing that have just created.
Annotate in the manner of the example above. Note that I have included labels about colour, textures and other informative info. Labels must not be just about obvious stuff.

Presentation
Photograph and post to your blog. Post title: Draft DVD cover (digital)

Checklist for assessment
Clear images/ informative labels / interesting design / conventions followed / relevant typography

Deadline
tba.

DVD Cover Draft (by hand)

Objective
To begin forming ideas for your DVD cover.

Task
Using THIS TEMPLATE download and print it—design the cover for the DVD release of your film.Annotate in the manner of the example above. Note that I have included labels about colour, textures and other informative info. Labels must not be just about obvious stuff.

Presentation
Photograph and post to your blog. Post title: Draft DVD cover (hand)

Checklist for assessment
Clear drawing / informative labels / interesting design / conventions followed.

Deadline
tba.

Planning your film.

Objective

Flesh out the idea for your film before you make the DVD and Magazine cover.

Task

Below is a presentation with slide headings that will help you organise your idea.
Create and embed your own Google presentation. Mine is HERE

Presentation

Embed on your blog. 720 x 420.

Checklist for assessment

All slides are brimming full of the required information.

Semiotics for beginners

Objective

To allow you to deepen your skills when analysing media texts.
To strengthen and clarify the messages within the media texts you create.

Task

Following my introductory presentation (above) you are to make a copy of the Semiotics presentation HERE.
You are then to complete the tasks set out on the presentation.

Presentation

Embed the presentation on your course blog. 720 wide X 420 tall.

Checklist for assessment

All of the tasks completed. Numerous 'connotations' should be completed.

Semiotics Flashcards homework.

Revise this semiotics set for a test next Friday period 4.

Posting a Presentation to your blog

Post to be completed...

Please ensure that the following posts are completed and posted asap.

(Preferably before parents evening)

Film Genre Grid
Sci-Fi Film Research
Stock Characters
Film Pitch
Todorov’s Theory
Playing with Narratives / Emily
Audience Involvement
Cam Lang Framing
Cam Lang Angle
Cam Lang Movement
Deconstructing cam lang
Intertextuality
History of film

Film Promotion - Posters

FIlm Posters
Posters and Trailers have been used to promote film for many years, but the nature of film marketing has changed a great deal since the 1990s. However, posters are still a vital part of the marketing process, so it is always worthwhile studying their conventions.

Tasks:

1. Make a copy of this presentation HERE and publish it to your blog.
2. On the following slides are typical conventions of film posters. Your task is to scour the web and search for examples to illustrate the examples.
3. Try to use different examples for each slide.
4. Use screenshots: cmd-shift-4
5. Replace the covers on the front slide with your own favourites.