Research for Pre-Production

MS2 Media Production Processes (25%) Coursework

This involves completing three components:

· One pre-production

· One production which develops from the pre-production

· One report on the production process

This unit is designed to enable you to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skills in media production processes through research, planning, production and evaluation. (50% of AS — 25% of A2)

You will have gained an understanding of media texts through your work on MS1. You now need to apply your knowledge and understanding to create your own media products. There are three parts to the coursework;

· Pre-production work which shows your research and planning

· A media production which has developed out of the pre-production

· A report of 1200-1600 words

The pre-production must be linked to the production. Here are some examples of linked tasks;

· A storyboard of the trailer for a new BBC1 television crime drama (pre- production) and the trailer for that drama (production)

· A script or shooting script for the opening sequence of a teen horror film (pre- production) and a marketing campaign for a new teen horror film, to include at least the dvd cover and one poster (production)

· Draft designs for two magazine front covers (pre-production) and a double page spread for one of those magazines (production)

The pre-production must be completed individually. If you choose to create an audio/visual production then you can work in groups for this element.

The production can be completed in groups but it must be made clear what your role within the group is

A report of 1400-1600 words needs to be written to show your knowledge and undrerstanding

The guide below should help you to conduct your research. Put the key words highlighted in red into a search engine and explore their meaning further.

1) Take a historical perspective and explore the development of film posters from early illustrations to the use of images from the film http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_poster Although the creator of the poster is usually anonymous some are renowned as artists in their own right. Explore their work on this link to Wikipedia. A favourite of mine is the poster for ‘Star Wars Episode One’. The original films were so well known that the poster worked in a very unconventional way. The shadow of the boy is that of Darth Vader. The artist is counting on the audience to be aware of the content of the earlier films to read the text successfully. It is a risk as it gives minimal information about the content of the film but the power of the image is greater. Due to our collective cultural inheritance, blockbusters like Star Wars are familiar to a global audience. It is expected that most audiences will understand the preferred reading of this text, which is that the young boy who is the protagonist in the film will grow up to be Darth Vader.

2) Develop this historical perspective in the genre that you will be working in. For example, for the ‘Horror’ genre you could research the ‘Hammer House of Horror’ films which feature monsters such as ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Dracula’. Observe the house style that they used. In the 1970’s films such as ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and ‘The Exorcist’ moved the genre away from monsters to psychological terror. The 1970’s also saw the infamous ‘video nasties’ that were banned and induced a moral panic. Films such as ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ and ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ are easily available today but audiences were protected from these when they first came out. A recent trend has been films in a genre that has been named ‘Gorenography’ which suggests they are extreme in their content. Perhaps the modern audience for horror films has become de-sensitized. Films such as ‘Saw’ and ‘Hostel’ are examples of this genre. The changing tastes of audiences and their threshold for being shocked reveals a lot about changing attitudes in society. There are some films that were made in the past that equally may not have been made today. In the case of ‘Straw Dogs’ the content has been altered in a re-make catering to a different audience to the infamous original. Revealingly different countries have differing attitudes towards what should be censored. American audiences are considered prurient about sexual content whilst European countries are maybe more concerned about the violence in American film.

There are a number of studies about the effects that the media has on society. It is a controversial topic often discussed in the media after a violent incident such as the Columbine massacre and the Jamie Bulger murder. The effects of screen violence can be explored further.

3) Research local legends and urban myths to gain ideas for your own film. Local legends may lead you to ideas about locations and a possible narrative for your film. For example, paranormal activity in Ipswich http://www.paranormaldatabase.com/hotspots/ipswich.php may lead you to create a narrative about poltergeist in a local hotel or you could find out more about the ghosts that haunt Hampton Court.

Urban myths are often used as narratives in horror films as they tap into commonly held fears of the target audience which are young adults facing common anxieties about the new pressures that they are facing. They are often cautionary tales or merely fantastical. However, they all have the power to scare the key demographic of 16-24 year olds in some way.

Consider the story of the babysitter and the man upstairs and see how it has been adapted into a number of films such as ‘When a Stranger Calls’. This urban legend plays on the common fear of being alone and being responsible for the welfare of others.