A Level Media Studies

Here is a copy of the coursework ‘to-do’ list and the time line Gantt chart from today’s lesson. It shows you when you need to have completed each phase of your production. I will also post this to the coursework page.

Nice.

Mr. M

Look at this trailer if you’re doing brief one for coursework. It’s a good example of a trailer for TV drama which fulfills your brief. The main thing to notice is the fairly complex use of sound (there’s about 3 layers of audio track). Also note the very fast pace of the editing which creates tension and drama. Also think about how much of the narrative / characters / themes are conveyed. The trailer does not give us a clear story, but it does convey the programmes tone and briefly outline some of the areas of story. This is what you will also need to do with your own original trailer. You will need to move around time and narrative sequence and layer audio tracks over fast editing to create a tone and ‘feel’ for your original show.

Comments welcome as always

Hi year 13…

It’s that exciting time of the year again when you begin your independent study projects.  This is a project where you choose the media text, and you choose the area of theory that you want to apply.  For an example of this, check out Stephanie’s blog where she has briefly outlined her plan of study.

Here are 4 things I want you to think about.

1. What media text are you planning to analyse
2. What areas of media theory are you planning to apply – can you mention some theorists?
3. Can you try to draft a title for your project (this can be changed as we go along)
4. How do you think you will present your study (a formal written analysis, or a video documentary, or a pod cast…  please say why you have chosen the form of presentation you have – again, this can be changed as we go).

Cool.

I look forward to your ideas.

I have posted your coursework briefs to a new page.  Look at the links at the top of the page and click on coursework briefs

Please start blogging ideas and research to your page.

Cool.

Use your knowledge of the Key Concepts to write an analysis of this film. You will need to think about…
 

• Media Forms.   What is the genre of this film and how do you know? Is the film doing anything original with the traditional genre and it what ways is it sticking to the codes and conventions we expect? Think about the media language – the type of camera work being used, the style of mise-en-scene… What does this bring to the production?
• Audience.  Who is the audience for this film?  How is the film addressing their target audience.   think about the audience responses – How might audiences respond to the film.
• Institutions.  What do we know about the institution responsible for the film production?  Is it independant or mainstream Hollywood?  What difference does this make to the budget and production?  How was the film funded and distributed.  How does the film compete with other films in its genre?
• Representations.  Think about the films characters… Do they conform to general stereotypes?  Or do they challenge the stereotypes we have come to expect?  What ideology does the film seem to be presentinmg to us about the world and cuture?  Think about the representation of the army, what about the representation of mansculinity?  For that matter what about the representation of  humanity?

If you can’t remember some of the key concepts then click here. 

Please leave a comment here when you have written your response and I’ll come read your work.

I look forward to your ideas…

Here’s the trailer to jog your memories.

So, Lessig’s point is that this sort of production is how young people speak.  It is how youth exercise their vocal chords through remixing the cultural symbols, songs and signs of mainstream culture.  It is a form of new ‘folk’ culture; where young people are not only ‘readers’ but ‘read/writers’ – not pirates but sharers, not passive but participators and producers, not merely consumers but contributors and collaborators!  This is how we give our world meaning!

As some of you say – ‘mash it up’.

You see, learning and expression is happening all the time – students at school may not need to be coerced into producing ‘work’ or learning product – they already are all the time!  The aim is not to teach creativity or production, but rather to teach the recognition that this is already what you are doing!

Here are some of my observations of the youtube clip above:

Firstly I think that its raw and low budget documentary style is very effective – it makes the footage seem like either a mock news reel, or maybe a piece of social media – like when people use their mobile phone cameras to capture significant news moments.  The camera closely follws Bush as he carries out an unprompted tour of the school grounds.  I love the commentary that this presents about the contrived nature of political visits.  When politicians visit schools they bring with them their spin teams who select students to be interviewed and carefully selected footage shows the primeminister interacting with fairly well briefed students in practically scripted scenaria.  This short viral asks the question – what if a controvercial and enormously powerful world leader just turned up one day to use the toilet! 

I also like the way one student so surprised to see the effigy of GW Bush that she yells out a question about Iraq and of course Bush’s mask just keeps smiling.  Another student jumps into the frame and puts on their own broad smile to have their photo taken with the former president – could this refer at least a little to the way politics and the world of celebrity entertainment has become media muddled?

Finally, the whole viral is set to the soundtrack of ‘Help’ by The Beatles.  This tune gives all the events a sense of irony as though Bush is out of his depth and in need of management.  Maybe he needs his political entourage to present him, tidy him up, find him a toilet and pick a route around the school which avoids the muslim students and their Iraq questions.  Maybe it also says something about the lonliness and difficulty of power politics that Bush grins his fixed smile to the words ‘I need somebody’… in someways the piece almost feels a little sad at times.

Okay, so maybe I’m reading too much into it (or probably not)… maybe it’s just a bit of fun – but analysis and interpretation are also creative acts. And my point which has to be true is that everything has meaning and gone are the days when we were just receievers, consumers and at best interpreters or critics – NOW we are MAKERS too!

Thank you to Lishy for this profound example!

So… We are proud to announce the Media and Film Studies trip to NYC 2010!

Please check out the letter below for all the details.

This is a fantastic opportunity.  Loads to see, more to learn and fun to be had.  This is a superb opportunity and the price is right (it may look high but this price includes so many special offers including excursions to the International Museum of the Moving Image and a backstage behind the scenes tour of the NBC Television studios (where they make Heroes, Saturday Night Live, Jerry Springer, Chuck, America’s Got Talent, Law and Order and The Office to name but a few).

There is a lot included in the price (ice skating in Central Park, Empire State Building) PLUS we’re staying at a great hotel.  I really hope as many of you as possible can make the most of this opportunity.

Check out the letter. 

Any questions, come see me or leave a comment.

Hi folks…

Ms A is away today so here’s something to think about.

How does the ITV show ‘X Factor’ appeal to such a large audience?

You might want to think about

• Representations of people, gender, races and places.
• Who is the target audience and how does the show’s mode of address appeal to the chosen audiences?
• How does the show use the audience responses to engage the viewers?
• How does the show use other media like the Wb and magazines and tabloid newspapers to keep a constant engagement with viewers.

 

Please post your comments here or on your own blog.

cool.

 

If you want to submit your homework task on the blog, please leave it as a comment to this post.  Or leave us your own blog address so that we can come and find your homework.  The task was an analysis of Genre in either ‘The Matrix’ or ‘Hot Fuzz’

Comments please or else hand your work in on paper. 

Ta

Dear year 12 and 13s…

Sorry – I have horrible germs and a permantly running nose – I have finally come down with the back to school bug!  Congrats to all of you still standing!

I am afraid I am not in school today so will miss your lessons but I have set work below… I look forward to reading your comments from my sick bed and will catch you all on Wednesday (13s) and Thursday (12s)

YEAR 12s

Last lesson we were talking about ‘REPRESENTATION’ – The study of how people and places are depicted in the media.  We talked about youth and gangs and the disproportionate and unfair representation of young people as knife carrying hoods!  Then we watched a bit of The Unit and talked about how America was represented as ‘Right’ and moral in the war in Afghanistan and how men are shown as strong and powerful heroes…

So building on that introduction to representation… here is a youtube video of a rap video by Ice Cube called ‘Gangster Rap made me do it’.  Ice Cube seems to rapping about his anger towards people who blame Gangster rap for violence in society.  What do you think about his point and what do you think about the representation of him in the music video?

Could you also read the article by Stanley Crouch called ‘Stop Whining About the Media’… you will find it at my other blog page – http://activenotpassive.edublogs.org/

Who do you think is right?  Is the media still often racist in its depiction of black people especially rappers, or is the media generally fair as Stanley Crouch seems to think…  Comments please.

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Year 13s:

Right… We are just beginning looking at Marxist perspectives of the Media.  Marxist Media Theory is going to become really important as we move on to studying new forms of digital and interactive media over the next 2 weeks or so.

Have a look at – http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/marxism/
This is a microsite from the University of Aberystwyth.  It has several pages on different developments in Marxist approaches to the Media.  This is quite heavy going to begin with, but I will work it through with you on Wednesday.  Please DO read it and try to spend some time understanding it so we can all feedback on Wednesday.

The main issue is around audience power and how audiences may be controlled or manipulated and whether audiences can really have power in relationship to the media or not…

You could also watch the following youtube clip – the first half is also about this issue of audience power!

Comments welcome as always – see you Wednesday.