BBC opportunity for West Yorkshire vloggers

Time is limited to act on this, but it sounds a great opportunity (thanks to Karen Mitchell, School Careers Co-ordinator for passing on details); there's a video which hasn't embedded below at the source site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/shortform:

Shortform

   

The Brief

We are looking for a new generation of talented people who can make great short-form videos. We want to find the vloggers and digital content creators of the future by giving people from West Yorkshire an opportunity to showcase their work on a BBC digital platform.
This is a fantastic opportunity for the BBC to work with you, creating bite-sized video content that is inventive, provocative, intelligent, attention-grabbing and funny!
You do need to stand out from the crowd, but you don’t need experience to get involved.  Mentoring and masterclasses will be awarded to the freshest personalities with the greatest ideas. We’ll give you industry support to develop and create a final piece of short form digital content to showcase to BBC decision makers on March 28th in Leeds.

How do I get involved?

Peter Oborne task

This is an invaluable EX, furnishing multiple opportunities for extended EAA and incorporation of T...

AIMS:
Advance familiarity with style/nature of exam Qs
Update EX
Develop research skills, specifically skim reading and extracting key points with limited time
Make links between a single EX and wider EX/EAA whilst applying T
OBJECTIVES:
Read/make notes on Oborne case
Identify themes this touches on
Consider application to various exam Qs
Write up 2+ paragraphs applying learning

STEP1: FACT-FINDING + NOTING VIEWS/ARGUMENTS
Using the post Advertiser power and Daily Telegraph HSBC scandal, make a note of the key facts on this case. Include some initial notes on arguments/views you encounter. Keep notes brief; you can return to the source later for more detailed notes as need be.
STRATEGY: Prioritise skim reading several articles over detailed annotation of any one article to gain a wider perspective. Look for headlines that seem to indicate conflicting points of view.
TIME: 10 MINS

IPSO task

TASK: In the 5:10 it takes this video to play, make brief notes on examples of a Chomskian concept that this video illustrates and the song lyrics specifically mention...

This is a case where the terminology essentially is the EAA, or at least a starting point for it. Use one of the following to find relevant EXamples (the egs I give use the Daily Mail and Ed Miliband; you don't have to use these):

1. You could try searches such as '2015 daily mail miliband' (the 2015 gets recent results: eg), 'daily mail miliband press regulation' etc (what specifically did the Mail do to try to discredit 'Red Ed' Miliband when he was pushing for a tough press regulator?);
2. You could gamble on a quick browse of the Daily Mail, the most likely source...
3. You could try the appropriate MediaReg blog tag

Please don't click on 'read more' until asked to

Keighley Film Festival 2014

The 'RATMA' film fest is looking for entries - 10 min short films - why not have a go? Screenings are in April; full details at http://ratmaff.weebly.com/.

Prominence of student work on YouTube

I've blogged previously on the growing number of made-for-fun short horror films on YouTube (especially zombie flicks), reflecting the ongoing impact of digitisation and the accessibility of digital film-making today, but its worth noting too how the battalions of Media Studies students across the land are leaving their own legacy. As students conduct research into their chosen genre before setting out to create their own genre piece, increasingly they could be accessing other students' distilled research to do so!

When doing some tagging on archive posts I came across a mention of how prominent my students' work was on YouTube search results - so, a year or so on, I had another look, and sure enough, a 'slasher openings' on YouTube (Nov 15th 2013) produced the following top results:

IGS student work came top of the pile in this search

You can help make your work more widely seen by using YouTube categories and tagging.

Audience research blogging

This is a complementary addition to another post from the MusiVidz blog, where I've frequently blogged on audience issues (search or use the tags cloud to find examples to use for your research). That post also contains links to further blog resources, including on audience theory.


At the bottom of this post I've embedded a Word doc with detail on what steps to take to help evidence your work on research.

...............................................................................................................

As the Word doc at the bottom highlights, audience keeps cropping up in the markscheme for every element of the coursework and the exam! Failure to tackle this well, and provide clear evidence of having done so, will most likely cost you one or more grades.

Here's what you're trying to achieve - show that you've...

1. Clearly defined your (primary and secondary) target audiences, and edited this whenever evidence (eg through feedback) suggests this isn't working as you'd originally intended. Always blog on every change; its fine to admit that your initial idea of a target audience was inaccurate, so long as you're clear on why any revised outline is now accurate.
2. Tested your outlined target audience/s (see point 1!). Remember, evidence of this is key: simple video/vodcasts are useful, and will help reduce the workload for the Eval Q on this.
3. Researched the media profile of your act/track/genre (more genre for obscure acts); looking at where they appear should provide useful evidence. This includes not just radio, web and print (papers, mags), but also films (tie-ins, soundtrack/OST, dialogue references) and ads.
4. Listed any and all websites you might get useful aud feedback from - official and fan FB pages, Twitter accounts and hashtags, Instagram blogs, fan club and fansites etc. It doesn't take long to write up one post and add this to each. Be clear but brief on what you're doing and what sort of feedback you're after, with a clickable link for this.
5. Keep summarizing your findings as you go; if you do this as vodcasts you'll have covered ground for the Eval Q.
6. For every sample sequence or rough cut seek and separately post on feedback. This needs to be specific and directed; if you don't specific which elements you especially want feedback on, you'll get vague, general 'I dis/liked it' comments which tell you little.
7. Keep updating links lists to make it highly visible that you've done this.
8. Always add on your response. Be clear and specific. If you reject feedback, justify this.

Using Past Blogs for Inspiration
The previous post on audience highlighted one example of a student's audience analysis. I explained what was good about this, and what was missing that would push this up to the highest marks range (from basic/proficient to excellent).
Here's a few more past posts, with brief added commentary, for you to consider:

This 2015 A2 example is a good reference point: you can see a video questionnaire, and this being delivered to a class, teachers etc, as well as audience feedback on rough cuts etc. 

2013 - Daft Punk:
Audience outline: this was clear but too brief. It would help to add a picture of a person (either someone local or a googled image) and break down what characteristics (ie demographics, lifestyle, hobbies, consumption patterns/media use) make them an exemplar target audience member.
What was good here was the specific reference to the impact of target audiences:

We are also targeting a secondary tween audience. Many younger teens 12+ listen to music often associated with an older group as they aspire to be like them therefore we have included them in our target audience. We have not focused our project on appealing to them directly but we have considered them. For example excluding any references to sex, drug taking or drinking directly meaning our music video would be able to be played before the watershed hour. 

Evidencing research into suitability: this post was again quite brief, but made good use of data on what people view on YouTube (a reference/link is needed to the source though!) and a screenshot of data on 1 of their rough cuts from a YouTube channel.

Could have been more comprehensive, but useful evidence

Media profile: this group blogged on this twice, finding very useful examples: here and here, ... and then noted another example - this post demonstrates that you can be brief and still effective. What these posst needed was clearer, explicit analysis of how these findings would influence the design of any of the 3 texts. The group realised the helmets were iconic and so belatedly decided to incorporate this into all 3 texts, an idea that partly emerged from this research - so they should have highlighted this point! To be fair, this post contained good analysis and a useful summary.

Digipak aud feedback: this wan't neglected; this post contains early feedback on a dummy design (ie missing a lot of detail, really a proof of concept or mock-up - a little like an animatic for a video)

Using social media: as well as a separate company blog (Quack Cuts), this group ran Twitter and Facebook accounts, and blogged on these. Simple really, just screenshots and a quick note! They also used fan forums. All quick and easy to set up, and you can help push traffic (thus comments) there by using your Facebook pages etc. These can also be useful if you work on a secondary, viral concept which helps to link the 3 products.


2012 - Girls Aloud:

Zeitgeist terminology1: sexposition

The 1st in an irregular series: as 'Use of Terminology' accounts for 20% of your exam marks (both AS and A2), I'll keep an eye out for any relevant newly-coined terms suming up elements of our new media age, starting with this one: SEXPOSITION, blending sex and exposition (to provide narrative information to an audience).

If you happen to stumble across any interesting new media terms, please pass on as a comment or email!

Here's where I picked it up (the full article is a book review, which sounds promising, and starts with a linked reference to one of the best/most inspiring books on film I've ever read):

In these days of meth-dealing school teachers, it's easy to forget how shocking the idea of a criminal protagonist used to be. The conventional TV wisdom, enforced by advertisers, had always been that Americans would watch films with morally compromised heroes, but that they would never allow them into their living rooms. However, the proliferation of cable TV channels – and later, the introduction of DVD box sets – led to the creation of new, lucrative niche markets. HBO, a pay-TV channel that doesn't take advertising, produced the first wave of these shows as part of a deliberate corporate strategy: it was seeking out a sophisticated, affluent audience, and "adult themes", as they say, were a distinctive selling point. (HBO is of course famous for its use of "sexposition", a speciality of Game of Thrones: spicing up boring exposition with a gratuitous sex scene.) Its executives were famously hands-off and sympathetic to writers. Even so, when the time came to give the go ahead to The Sopranos, HBO's two pioneering bosses, Chris Albrecht and Carolyn Strauss, asked each other: "Should we do this? We should do this! Can we do this?" After shooting the pilot, Chase told his cast and crew: "You've been great. It's been lots of fun. Unfortunately, nobody is going to watch this."

Autumn1 2013 homeworks/deadlines

tbc

Links list of DB blogs

Find all the blogs you'll need (and then click on so that it will appear in your dashboard) at http://igsmediablogs.blogspot.com/

Template for shotlisting

Many of you are about to make some alterations to your AS work - and all of you need to take a detailed look at your AS work in the context of Q1a + Q1b for your A2 exam.
A key first step to successfully understanding the strengths, weaknesses and the media language used (by now you will have forgotten many of the creative (think DCRUP) decisions made, so need to revisit this!) is to break down precisely what you put on screen the first time around.
Use the AS exam framework as you add notes under denotation: consider sound, editing and mise-en-scene as well as general cinematography.
The 4th column in the doc embedded below boils down to one word: WHY ... although you could extend this -
WHY did you select the shot/sound etc?
WHAT were you trying to signifiy?
WHO were you thinking of as your target audience?
You could also note shots rejected, and also use this to note ideas for changes + improvements.

Having undertaken the process once, you should be able to work much faster; the key is clear, precise planning. Take this task very seriously indeed: its highly beneficial for any resubmission (even if that is limited to R+P/Evaluation) and half your A2 exam. Push yourselves to use precise, specific shot terminology and semiotic terminology. We will spend some class time revising this key aspect of the course.
Breakdown of a Media Text
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Free book!

You can read an entire book free at http://oreilly.com/catalog/wemedia/book/index.csp. It looks at the blurring of the divide between news media and audience through the development of new media

Elm St remake shows horror appeal

One of the basic tasks you have to fulfil for Media coursework is to show that there is an established audience for the genre you've chosen to work in, whether film or (for A2 from 2010-11) music video (+ poster + mag). Many of you have worked in horror; I've highlighted many examples from this regular FilmGuardian box office overview which you can check on the BritCinema and coursework blogs, but here's an excerpt from a very timely one:

A Nightmare On Elm Street scares up good business to take US No 1

Freddy Krueger's return is a sweet dream for Warner Bros as it prepares to mop up horror-film fans in the coming weeks when Iron Man 2 is expected to dominate

He's back … Freddy Krueger in the new A Nightmare On Elm Street

The winner
Warner Bros' remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street, from its wholly owned production company New Line, went top of the pile on an estimated $32.2m (£21.1m). The studio has got to be happy with that, bearing in mind that the movie features no A-listers, would not have cost the earth to make, and will remain the only big horror in the market for a while. A few more weeks of modest holdover business beneath the radar of Iron Man 2 and Warner Bros top brass should be expecting a theatrical run to the order of $65-75m before they unleash it on DVD.

EXAM DATES + REVISION CLASSES

G322 - AS EXAM Wednesday 9th June, p.m.
G325 - A2 EXAM Tuesday 15th June a.m.

I'll post details of revision classes for both below. Any resitting AS exam need to see me to get some revision guides

Media Studies Revision Classes Summer 2010

Vote Rupert

Interesting feature from The Guardian, in which they asked for alternative political posters, this being one of them. See more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/apr/26/election-2010-poster-politics?picture=361890219
[Lest you haven't worked it out, that is indeed Rupert murdoch, media magnate, pictured]

The Guardian is traditionally pro-Labour (though has been discussing backing the Lib-Dems this time) it should be noted. Roy Greenslade here (and many of the comments that follow) looks at The S*n's partisan coverage:

Somehow, I don't think The Sun favours a hung parliament. Front page: WELL HUNG.. AND SHAFTED with a merged picture of the faces of Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown (same copy online, but better headline: HUNG, DRAWN & THWARTED).

The inside spread article begins: "Nick Clegg was last night accused of setting the country on a collision course for political disaster by saddling us with a lame duck coalition government FOREVER."

Got the message? No? OK, here are extracts from the paper's leading article:

We need decisive economic leadership - which we WON'T get from a hung parliament. If the election produces chaotic deadlock, kiss goodbye to recovery...
Our futures rest on getting the economy right. That won't happen without a clear Conservative majority. A hung parliament, squabbling over every point, will be a disaster.

What's that? No-one reads Sun leaders? Fair enough, but I bet a good number read the caption accompanying the Page 3 girl.

So take heed of Becky's concern at the prospect of a hung parliament. "In legislatures with proportional representation," she says, (oh yes, she does) "minority or coalition government is often the norm. I'd hate to live in a country like Italy that has had 61 governments in 65 years - even if I do love Italian food."

And, for good measure, a left-field attack on Lib Dem law and order policy: No prison for Glitter under Libs: Fiends 'helped'

Surely, you've got the message now? Vote Tory - or else you'll be hung out to dry.

[The S*n is tagged as pornography by the school filter, so you can't click through to read the stories cited]

Volunteers wanted...

I'd like to be able to film one performance of the Jekyll and Hyde show (on this Weds-Fri, 730-930ish), perhaps including some behind-the-scenes footage. Any volunteers to film this, and/or operate the boom mike (we'd really need a team for this, as a couple of hours holding this up continuously would be a bit much!). Please add a comment if you're interested, and I'll confirm names tomorrow.

[UPDATE: I've provisionally got Joel, Emmie and Beth for filming on Weds, with Lucy + Helena doing behind-the-scenes material; another 1 or 2 would be useful though]

Media satire

You may have seen his (quite poor) Big Brother/zombie comedy on C4, or read his weekly column in ... The Guardian, and now he's back on TV highlighting the ludicrous patterns weaved by our news providers.
Very, very funny show (it is post-watershed, so expect some challenging material), and exceptionally useful for any Media student, covering ground we don't often get time to look at, and currently available to view on the iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qbyth/Newswipe_Series_2_Episode_2/

Lessons Friday 29th Jan

There will be no Media lessons tomorrow; there are details of a task for you to complete (for Monday) over on the Representation of Britishness blog.

Request for aud feedback on music vids

[have a look at the following if you wish...]

In order to help my students with an audience feedback task that I have set them this term, I'd be grateful if any members of this board community would encourage their students to have a look at the latest projects uploaded to our department YouTube site and to leave some constructive feedback on the music videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/hurtwoodhousemedia

We are particularly interested in any feedback to the latest 15 music videos posted and happy to reciprocate by arranging for our students to comment on other centres' work if you would like to send me the details.

Any help in this would be much appreciated!

James Baker

Head of Media Studies, Hurtwood House

Coursework resubmissions, resits

I'll take a list on Monday of anyone wishing to resubmit their A2 coursework, and/or resit any AS unit.
If you are resubmitting, you've got until the end of February to submit it; I won't accept anything beyond that date, no exceptions - so get cracking!
I've got detailed notes on all your coursework components which I'll pass on once typed up, but make sure you see me asap to work out where you can pick up marks through improvements

Library DVDs update

With the funds raised by selling 8 copies (so far) of the AS 2008-9 coursework DVD, I've ordered some additional DVDs for the library, primarily with the A2 exam topic of representation of Britishness in mind, but also for AS/A2 coursework ideas and the AS British Cinema exam question.
The latest additions (just ordered, so at least a week before they appear in the Lib) are:

Withnail & I
Danny Boyle Collection 3DVD: Sunshine/Beach/28 Days Later 
Hammer Collection: 5dvd The Devil Rides Out, Dracula: Prince Of Darkness, Quatermass And The Pit, The Nanny, + Frankenstein
Powell and Pressburger Box Set: A Matter Of Life And Death / The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp / I Know Where I'm Going

 This adds to the existing stock: a range of short film and music video compilations plus primarily Working Title and Warp Films/X movies (I need to double-check this list, especially the titles in upper case):

WORKING TITLE DVDs STOCKED

About a Boy
Ali G Indahouse The Movie
Atonement
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason
CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN
Coen Brothers’ Collection 4DVD – Big Lebowski, Blood Simple, Hudsucker Proxy, Barton Fink (see this blog for an overview)
Definitely Maybe

ELIZABETH
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The Guru
Hot Fuzz SE 2DVD
Love Actually
The Matchmaker
Mickybo and Me
My Beautiful Laundrette
My Little Eye SE 2DVD
Notting Hill
Pride And Prejudice
Sense And Sensibility
Shaun of the Dead
Wish You Were Here

WARP FILMS/X DVDs STOCKED

A Room for Romeo Brass
Dead Man’s Shoes
Donkey Punch [kept in F6]
Twenty Four Seven
This Is England 2DVD

SOME ADDITIONAL DVDs STOCKED (bold = set in/about N.Ireland)

An American Werewolf in London
Angel
BBFC 2DVD
The Boxer
Breakfast on Pluto
Bullet Boy
The Crying Game SE
The Frighteners
Hidden Agenda
In the Name of the Father
Resurrection Man [in F6]
Shakespeare In Love [UNIVERSAL/MIRAMAX, not WT]

Several of these are directed by Neil Jordan, an Irish director who has frequently worked with the actor Stephen Rea, but who has also directed the likes of Tom Cruise in mainstream Hollywood flicks. Hidden Agenda is by Ken Loach, and these two much-respected director's varying representations of this corner of Britain make for an interesting contrast, and an especially useful bit of viewing for A2 students!


We still have some of the AS coursework DVDs for sale - your folks may be interested, you might even enjoy one yourselves! Any money raised from these will go directly to adding to the Library stock you are able to borrow for the grand Yorkshire fee of nowt!