AS Media is finishing...

So AS Media is coming to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed doing Media for AS as I have gained skills in terms of analysing TV dramas, note taking and gaining knowelege on film institutions and the distribution of films. Everyone said that Media is hard and a very challenging subject which they were right about however, the subject has persuaded me to work hard for the grade I want to carry on with it at A2. I am now more confident with the exam as I actually enjoy doing the practice papers as I feel that they are quite easy if you know your stuff and know how to phrase a particular question. Doing the film opening was the biggest challenge as it was very stressful and it took up a lot of time however, I found it fun going out filming; especially when we got the shots that we wanted and put it all together when we edited. I found working in my group very rewarding as we all got on well and worked as a team. Overall, I am very happy with what we created at the end of it as it was such a relief. If I get into A2 Media, I can guarantee that I will work as hard as I feel I did for AS Media.

Media Essays

So over Easter, we were given 5 essays to do. 1 for Section A and 4 for Section B. At first I was very hesitant about doing the 4 essays for section B. Even though I tend to do better on that section, I am less confident with it but I gave them a go and this week I got the results back. I am proud to say that I got a level 4 on all of them which I was very pleasantly surprised with. I feel that by gaining those results, I have now gained more confidence in giving relevant information on distribution of films and institutions. I am now waiting for my results back from my Section A essay which I hope I have done just as well on.

Finished Evaluation

So me and Sophie finished our evaluation. We filmed ourselves on the Mac and we did each question individually rather than filming it in one big chunk. For introducing the questions, we had a black screen with the question in white writing before we answered it to break everything up. We then included pictures and video clips of our film wherever necessary to back up a statement that we made. Lastly, we added a backing song while we were talking. We chose When I Was A Youngster by Rizzle Kicks because we felt that it contrasted with the concept of our film opening. Overall, I quite enjoyed doing our evaluations because it allowed us to sum up everything that we had learnt and explain why we did certain things for our film. By doing this evaluation, I have also gained some editing techniques that I may use in the future for extra media purposes.

Outtakes

This is a video we made of our outtakes from all of the times that we went out filming.

Representation of Disability.

Rep of Disability on Prezi

Netflix

The other day, a leaflet about Netflix came through my door in the post. The leaflet was explaining the deals they have and why it is so good to have; clearly trying to persuade the public to sign up to Netflix. In my opinion, I don't think that this is an affective way to gain someone's attention because normally, I would just look at it and throw it away which is what my parents did. I think a more effective way is television ad's and internet ad's because lots of people use the internet and TV nearly every day and I believe that it would distract people a lot more allowing them to stop what they are doing and look at the ad. On the other hand, even though I don't think the post is the most affective way, the colours that were used on the leaflet were eye-catching. The colours used were, Red, Yellow and Black.

Class and Status Presentation.

Representation of Class and Status on Prezi

Vlog on the planning of our evaluation.

Labels

All my labels have now been added to my blog so it is easier to access my posts. It is also easier for me so that if I want to edit a post, I can just go straight to it by clicking on the link on the left hand side rather than scrolling down.

Film Evaluation Ideas

I was contemplating whether to work with someone else in my group or to work on my own and I have decided that I will now be working with Sophie from my group. I feel that I work best in a team and that we can both contribute ideas towards the evaluation task.
A few ideas that me and Sophie have came up with are:

To have the question appear at the bottom of the screen as we are answering a question.

To maybe have a split screen for when we mention my film with a clip of it to make sure the moderator knows what we are talking about and so that it is not just us asking a question all the time because that may get boring after a while.

To either take it turn answering the questions or to answer the questions together with both of us giving our input.

We still have loads of ideas coming up which will be blogged about in the near future.

DONE!

Our film opening is finally finished. Enjoy!

Section A - Disability

This extract portrays Disability in a negative way. In the wide shot of the woman in the wheelchair after she gets hit by the frisbee, she is shown as weak and fragile which not all disabled people are. Also, the fact that she has a minder with her lives up to the theory of disabled people needing someone there at all times and being incapable of looking after themselves causing them to lose independence and freedom.



This clip however shows Disability in a positive way. Due to Craig Moon having down syndrome, he still comes across as confident when meeting his siblings for the first time in the mid shot as appose to people with disabilities having low self esteem. He seems happy in his own skin evidently by the constant smile on his face throughout the clip.

Evaluation Questions

We have started taking into consideration our Evaluations of our film openings that we are going to be doing soon. As a class, we spoke about all the ways that we could do it for example, having someone there to ask you the questions while you answer them, doing it by yourself and embedding clips of your film into it etc. We also spoke about doing it in pairs or by ourselves. In my opinion, I think doing it as a pair is a bit risky due to one person not saying as much as the other however I like to work with others so I may work with someone. On the other hand, working independently would be a challenge for me so this may be an option for me as well.

The questions for the Evaluation are:


1. In what ways does your film opening use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

2. How does your film opening represent particular social groups?

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your film opening and why?

4. Who would be the audience for your film opening?

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this film opening?

7. Looking back at your prelim task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the final film opening?

Our Title

This is our newest draft of our film opening and we have now added our title which is 'The Herione'. We chose this because of the Herione that drops out of the girl's pocket at the end but also because it is the female word for 'Hero' which shows the contrast between good and bad.

Nearly finished!

So we have nearly finished our film opening! We just need to fix our titles and one of our film openings and then we're done. Also, we have decided to scrap the idea of someone's feet being in a close up shot approaching Elisha on the bike. Instead, we just have a low angle shot of Elisha on the bike realising something has dropped out of her pocket (drugs). Due to me and my group deciding that the certificate should be a 12A, we changed it to a 15 because of the new ending we have chosen.

Vlog 6 - Me and Eisha

What we did on our 'last' day of filming :)

Rich Mix Trip - Tuesday 6th March

On the 6th of March, we went to the the Rich Mix Centre to help us out with our exam that we will be taking in May. In the first part of the conference, we were given tips by Pete Fraser, the chief examiner of OCR A Level Media Studies about methods on how to take notes, how to structure our answers and useful things to include to gain full marks. We also were given the chance to do a few activities in terms of analysing screen shots and practicing taking down notes from a clip. In the second part of the conference, Charlie phillips, the lead editor of the popular TV Drama 'Sherlock' came in and spoke to us about the way he edits the episodes and how challenging it is but fulfilling at the same time. After this, we watched an episode of Sherlock which I thoroughly enjoyed. The framing and editing techniques were amazing and so abstract which was pleasing to the eye. After we had watched the episode of Sherlock, we were then able to ask Charlie any questions that we had about his career, about editing etc.

Overall, I found this trip very useful because even though I know what to do for section A and B, it was good to have it made clearer by the chief examiner himself as I am less worried for the exam now due to picking up a new method of note taking and having figured out new ways to structure my answers in Section A and B.

Vlog 5 - Me and Sophie; Second film company

Vlog 4

Vlog 3 and first production company.

First production company below.

Film Draft 3

As you can see, we tried adding the scene at the end but as a group we don't think that the scene fits in so we are going to try something new. We were thinking of maybe having a mugging or a phone call. Just something that will leave the audience wanting more. In our film opening, we have also duplicated our shots so that it looks jumpier.

Section B - How often would you go the cinema if you had a HD TV to use at home for streaming via renting DVD's, LoveFilm, Netflix etc?

When given the circumstances of using resources to watch film through a HD TV like LoveFilm, Netflix, renting DVD's, recording etc, I asked 10 people the question of how often they would go to the cinema despite all of this. These are the answers that I got:


Person 1 - "I would still go to the cinema because I feel that the atmosphere is a lot better than at home. Also, it depends how much it would be to keep renting DVD's, downloading etc."


Person 2 - "I would still go to the cinema just as often for the new releases and also the viewing experience that you get like a massive screen, surround sound etc and the sociable aspects that you get."

Person 3 - "I think I would continue going to the cinema because I think going to the cinema is a completely different experience than watching a film at home. However, if I had a HD TV, I wouldn't rush to watch a film that had just come out if I could wait for it to be released on DVD or on LoveFilm and watch it at home."

Person 4 - "I would carry on going to the cinema because of the experience you get. Also, going to the cinema is much more enthralling than at home. At the cinema, you feel the suspense more when watching a film due to the dark setting. Also, you get to see the reactions of the other people watching."

Person 5 - "I would only go to the cinema if one of the latest releases was a film I really wanted to see. Also, if a film like Avatar is released, I would go because you would be able to see the full effects better on the big screen than at home."

Person 6 - "I would still go quite often as I enjoy the atmosphere of seeing a film in the cinema and also the film would look better on a big screen rather than just on a HD TV at home. The film would be a lot more enjoyable for the audience in my opinion."

Person 7 - "I don't think I would go the cinema as often unless the film was an amazing 3D film because it would be a waste of money when you could watch the film at home when it's released on a hard copy. Especially if I had a HD TV."

Person 8 - "I would still go now and again for the atmosphere. Especially with an action film that I really wanted to watch because they are so much better on the big screen and you can see all of the details better."

Person 9 - "I wouldn't go the cinema as much seeing as I would have the opportunity to watch the film in my own home when it's released on a third party site like Netflix. I would maybe only go if the film looked really exciting for me to go and see at the cinema with the bigger screen and sound."

Person 10 - "I wouldn't go to cinema a lot if I had a HD TV because I wouldn't have to wait in long queues as much and sit in audiences of loud eaters and kissing couples etc. Also, I would be able to pause/rewind/fast forward the film a much as I want."

Based on the answers that I got from my chosen 10 people, only 3 of my participants would not go to the cinema as often if they owned a HD TV to watch films on via Netflix, LoveFilm, DVD's etc due to the amount of money spent at the cinema, being able to pause/fast forward/rewind a film how many times you want and being in your comfort zone by staying at home. On the other hand, most of my participants (being 7) would carry on going to the cinema as often as they do because of the social aspects you get at the cinema e.g going with friends and family and the atmosphere you can experience being the bigger screen and surround sound.

Deadly Question 2 - Me and Sophie

Real question - The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing.

Translated question - The importance of different forms of media (TV and film) working together to create a piece as a whole in production, distribution and marketing.

Various forms of media often combine with other forms for it to then be displayed to the public for example, the internet can be shown through television and the internet combines with newspapers, film, video etc. Also, this means how companies and institutions come together to produce a piece to display for example the film 'Snatch' was distributed by the companies Columbia Pictures (UK) and Screen Gems (USA) showing that these two companies have collaborated as one to create something at the end.

Section B half term work.

Media on Prezi

Haywire and The Vow Review

During the half term, I watched the films Haywire and The Vow. Both of these films are very different in terms of genre however they're openings are interesting in terms of the differences between the two.
The opening of Haywire is quite slow paced as not much is going on. The music is very wild western themed to go with the atmosphere of the opening which is a close up shot of the main girl looking at the cafe where she is meeting someone. As it goes on, it becomes a lot more fast paced due to the fighting that starts to happen.
In The Vow, it starts slow paced just like Haywire however it begins to liven up a lot more quickly than Haywire does because there is a lot more going on in the opening scene in terms of mise en scene and sound. Also, it focuses on the two main characters, not just one main character.
I thoroughly enjoyed both films however, I enjoyed The Vow more because I felt that I was constantly gripped to The Vow more than Haywire due to the plot, music etc.

What I need for Section B

So for Section B, the key three things that I will need to abide by are:

Production: Making films.

Distribution: Promoting films and allowing audiences to access them via Cinema, DVD and other media related resources.

Consumption: Audiences paying to watch films, buying and renting them on Dvd/Blu Ray and other media related resources.

These three points are a necessity to include and expand on in Section B to gain full marks.

New Idea - Dialogue

As well as adding jump cuts to our film opening, we are also adding dialogue so that the film opening isn't just full of music throughout. The dialogue will consist of Elisha either getting good news or bad news which will leave the audience on edge and leave the film opening with a cliffhanger. We as a group believe that it will make it more interesting and engaging for the audience.

Filming in the snow

So today was by far the hardest, most challenging day of filming! Firstly, our main goal was to get a dolly shot of Elisha on the bike riding in the snow which consisted of me pushing the trolly whilst Megan was sat in it with the camera but using the trolly was so hard and stiff that getting the shot seemed like it was never going to happen. We tried several ways of doing it and nothing worked so we then tried me pulling the trolly away from Elisha while she rode towards us instead of me pushing the trolly behind her. Even though it was still very hard, it was a bit easier and we got the shot in the end. Our film opening has started to look like a music video so by changing that, we have tried to duplicate some of our shots so that it looks more choppier and diverse. Because of the snow, doing the shots took a lot longer but it was all worth it. Hopefully if the snow stays, we will try and get some more shots for our opening :)

Snow!

On the way to our filming destination to carry on with our film opening! We have SNOW! Let's see how today plans out. I will blog later about how it goes :)

Article for Section B

New Idea

As a group, we discussed that our film opening was becoming too much like a music video which we didn't want. We discussed a few ideas as to how we could change it and this is what we came up with.

The representation of class/status in This Is England.

In my last Media lesson, me and my class watched This Is England. The characters in This Is England are represented as low class due to where they live and the things that were going on in society at the time e.g the miners strike and Margaret Thatcher being PM. This Is England was set in Sheffield, England in the 80's where there wasn't much respect for other races apart from British people and there also wasn't a lot going for the characters living in the set area leading them to cause havoc and go off the rails due to their poor upbringings. The characters of the film all split apart and two groups of 'friend's' are formed: one including Woody and Lol and the other including Combo and Shaun, a young lad lead astray by Combo who's own beliefs influence him. Woody, Lol and their group of friends seem nihilistic and rebellious by drinking etc. Combo, Shaun and their group however are even more rebellious but self destructive too by drinking and smoking weed. They then gain the roles of leaders of their 'artificial tribe'. The dress sense that the characters have seems very preppy yet casual for example most of them wear Fred Perry tops, jeans, Doc Martens and big jackets however, they were not worn in a smart way but in more of a scruffy, rough way indicating that they do not know how to present themselves due to their status' in society. Lastly, the characters, mostly the males, do not speak in a civilised way. They swear a lot and speak in an aggressive tone leading us as an audience to perceive them as stereotypical teenagers living up to their self-fulfilling prophecy.

Another successful day of filming

So today we went filming again and got some shots that we have never done before like a tracking shot of Elisha coming towards the camera on the bike, a close up shot of Elisha's face while on the bike and a high angle shot of Elisha on the bike riding into the distance. Also, we continued on from the aerial shot we did previously carrying on the clip for longer. Here are some pictures of us working on it.

Media changes over time.

So over Christmas, I watched one of my favourite films, The Wizard Of OZ. While watching it, it never really occurred to me how much Media resources have improved. I noticed that old films are really grainy and mostly, the scenes are just taken in one whole shot but of different angles however in films that are more up to date, resources have been created since then to allow films to be 3D and HD. Also, films nowadays have more camera movements and a lot more transitions depending on genre of the piece. I am looking forward to all the other media related resources that technology bring us in the future.