This is an exemplar to help you to gain audience feedback.
You must prepare and publish a post which allows you to evaluate your production.
Firstly, post your video production.
You are your own fiercest critic so start by making a bullet point list of your observations at this point of the edit
For example,
the volume of the music is too loud at points
one of the cuts is delayed and needs to be edited
lighting when shown on a projector may be an issue
we have yet to film the ending
the narrative may not be clear at this point
sound effects need to be added
Now prepare questions that you would like an audience to consider about your production.
Ensure they are open-ended allowing for discussion
For example, Do you think it fits the Thriller genre ?
becomes...
How does it fit the Thriller genre?
What is the narrative?
Can you notice the colour correction?
How does it fit the thriller genre?
How does the soundtrack create a mood or an atmosphere?
What is the audience for this short film?
Where would you expect to see this short film?
Is the pace of editing suited to the style of the film?
We switched the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 2.39:1 which is common to Thriller films. Do you like this style?
Is there enough dialogue?
Is the lighting an issue ?
Show this post and the video to a range of people and ask them to post a comment offering medal and mission feedback and to consider some of the questions that you have posed.
Extended learning activity
Publish a separate post about your print productions
Make a bullet point list of your observations
Ask a range of people to post comments offering medal and mission feedback.
This is the front page of 'The Sun' from Monday. Consider these questions;
What is your reaction?
What does it tell us about the newspaper and its proprietors?
Does the newspaper have the power to influence the public?
Is it refelecting the public mood?
What is the target audience for 'The Sun'?
How has the media reacted to this front page?
What is the image and why has it been used?
So what was the basis of the headline?
A polling company called 'Survation' carried out research to find out the level of support amongst British Muslims for those who go to fight in Syria.
As reported in 'The Huffington Post' 'The pollsters behind The Sun's controversial front page about British Muslims being sympathetic to Islamic State have disowned the paper's story, distancing themselves from how it was presented. Survation
carried out the poll for the paper, finding that nearly 20% of Muslims
expressed at least some sympathy with those who go to fight in Syria. The
Sun used that as the basis for a front page story saying one in five
Muslims were "sympathetic" to the jihadis of IS, seemingly ignoring the
fact that there are also more moderate groups fighting in the country.
The story has triggered a record number of complaints to the press regulator - over 1,000, more than The Sun's infamous opinion piece about migrants by then-columnist Katie Hopkins.'
Some would argue that popular music is not a strong point of French culture. They still revere 60's stars like Johnny Halliday and Serge Gainsbourg and are stuck in something of a time-warp. Others would say you are not looking hard enough and point to Daft Punk as a global French band.
Hip hop is a very popular genre of music in France. It appeals to urban youth who don't feel that they are represneted in mainstream culture. It is a form of rebellion and a voice for the marginalised and the dispossessed. It is political in a sometimes nihilistic way.
What are the messages in this video which has become a viral hit and topped the ITunes chart in France. Read this article about them
Here is a video made by Romain Gavras that also raises some of the issues that feed into a discussion of radicalisation in France and the issues society faces with marginalised youth.
This headline on Monday has caused outrage and lots of discussion in the media. It is a blatant attempt to dis-credit the leader of the opposition through a smear campaign.
It is a great example of political bias in newspapers and opens a wide nimber of questions that you need to consider about our national press.
I asked who reads a newspaper in all A2 classes and the answer was not many if at all. I asked how do you get your news? And the answer was via Twitter or other social media.
Is this a less mediated way of recieving our news ? Are the new 'gatekeepers' the people with the most followers or the celebrities or even friends.
We will consider the impact of ownership of news media on the messages we receive but while it is in the news it is worthwhile to look at the social media sensation that is Ronnie Pickering.
Who?
Ronnie Pickering.
If you missed it somehow here is the original incident in all its glory.
In our online world this video went viral and has since spawned a monster in the form of endless parodies and mash-ups.
This is my favourite.
There are rules in the online world. Vine has become popular as the shorter and pithier the parody the better. The platform of choice is You-tube and the attention span / time to engage the audience is shorter than ever. It is a skill to learn and editing is key.
Which brings me on to my point about media in the online age. This is a media text in all its unmediated glory. The mediation and representation comes in the comic parodies that poor Ronnie stars in.
The questions it raises are pertinent to our study.
How do we operate in this new world of social media?
How must we protect ourselves when in a moment of madness we do something that could make us overnight celebrities?
Is this the start of true democracy as the populace polices itself through the ritual of online humiliation?
Will it change society for the better?
Will the real unmediated stories come to the fore or will the news media still control the news agenda?
What are we laughing at?
Has real life and real footage replaced the need for mediated news?
Will the best stories, however, mundane create the news agenda?
On a similar note here is a real letter from my neighbour. As an experiment we will try and send this to various news outlets to see if we can set the news agenda and make something go viral...
If you have not seen Mr Judge's Star Wars trailer experiment check it out. Over 1.5 million views to prove our thesis...
Discuss the following trailer for a TV Drama starting its sixth series on Sunday.
Apply the key concept of representation.
You are going to analyse this sequence from a TV Drama. Apply the learning from previous classes and use subject specific terminology to de-construct the sequence. Your response will form your initial assessment.
Here are some guidelines from the exam board, OCR, on what you need to cover;
Use of the camera
• Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial
shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, and variations of these.
• Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.
• Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
• Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.
Editing
Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems.
• Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting,
parallel editing, cutaway; insert.
• Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow
motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.
Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties.
• Lighting; colour design.
Consider the concept of representation in relation to this extract from the British TV drama 'Spooks'
Here is a link to another extract used by OCR for an exam in the past. Candidates were asked to discuss the issue of representation of physical ability.
You will be given the script for the opening sequence of American Beauty. Follow the script and observe the codes and conventions of screenwriting.
Observe the conventions of 'sluglines'
EXT.ROBIN HOOD TRAIL.EARLY MORNING
EXT/INT - indicates exterior or interior
ROBIN HOOD TRAIL - indicates where the action is set
EARLY MORNING - indicates period of the day.
You will now be given a scenario drawn from your experiences of childhood. The ideas generated in previous workshops have informed these scenarios.
The film idea comes from a student whose
mother came in to ask if all the other children could be careful what they
asked her son to do as he had just eaten stones and chipped all his teeth.
We mixed this concept with some other
stories from childhood.
SCENARIO 1
Working Title
THE BOY WHO ALWAYS
SAYS YES
SCENARIO
These ideas are
taken from your workshops generating ideas for a short film about Childhood.
The ‘Boy’ in the title is being bullied and he gives
up his possessions.When the teacher asks
what is going on the bully accuses the ‘Boy’.The teacher is exasperated as the Boy agrees with the bully.
You must script, storyboard, film and edit the first
scene from this film.
Observe the conventions of the medium.
Include this key
quote;
‘So, let me get
this straight, what you are saying is that you willingly gave your mobile
phone, house keys and seven pounds fifty to this young man…’
SCENARIO 2
Working Title
THE BOY WHO ALWAYS
SAYS YES
SCENARIO
These ideas are
taken from your workshops generating ideas for a short film about Childhood.
The ‘Boy’ in the title is being explained in a
voice-over at the start of the film.
You must script, storyboard, film and edit the first
scene from this film. Script a voice-over and provide narration over a range of
shot types focusing on the boy.
Observe the conventions of the medium.
Include this key
quote;
‘The super-ego
acts as a break on our desires.It stops
the ego from causing chaos by acting on our desires. Imagine a child who had no
super-ego and had the liberating freedom to say yes to everything’
SCENARIO 3
Working Title
THE BOY WHO ALWAYS
SAYS YES
SCENARIO
These ideas are
taken from your workshops generating ideas for a short film about Childhood.
The ‘Boy’ in the
title is in a classroom and his teacher is becoming increasingly exasperated.
You must script, storyboard, film and edit a scene
from this film.
Observe the conventions of the medium.
Include this key
quote;
The teacher is standing
in a bin saying,
‘Do I Look like
Rubbish !’
If you feel creative and have your own idea then develop your own scenario.
The brief is as follows;
1) Write a script
2) Storyboard the scene
3) Film using a range of shot types and angles
4) Edit your footage into the opening scene of a short film.
Keep a note-book by your bed and immediately on waking or in the night jot down the dream while it is still there. Best tip for storytellers.
Dream example
A man is laying two tons of gravel on a garden patio. There was a sinkhole and in the corner of the patio a six foot hole appeared. A ball went into the hole and a child went after it. The gravel was only small stones, the child had jumped in to rerieve the ball and the movement meant the stones started filling up. The closer the man went the more stones moved and the child got stuck. the more the child moved the more stones smoved, like quicksand...
What does that mean?
Some of the most arresting images are ones that are abstract or have another meaning. Dreams have been used in film for a long time.
Luis Bunuel (Un Chien Andalou, 1929)
David Lynch (Eraserhead)
Define three dreams that you could use as a narrative
Levi-Strauss Binary oppositions
Analyse your narrative in terms of binary oppositions
Aristotle Poetics
Analyse your narrative in terms of Aristotle's ideas about a beginning, a middle and an end and the unity of time, place and action
Barthes Codes
Analyse your narrative in terms of Roland Barthes codes Todorov's equilibrium
Analyse your narrative in terms of Todorov's theory of narrative
Ex-student Alex Barton has created the following guide for students using the JVC cameras which allow for more creativity with audio and video
Preparing the shoot
This should be set for you but you can check
To make sure your videos work
best on the Apple iMacs, click on menu
> file format > QuickTime file format.
To change the size of the
shot: Menu > System Select >
Choose which standard you want. The film world films at 24/25 frames per
second, so click 1080-50/25.
This camera is excellent to
shoot in automatic. Click ‘full auto’ button just to get going.
3CCD means 3 charge coupled device which is just
something to with how much light the camera lets in. This camera works best in
daylight and thankfully, it works very well in automatic mode as well which is
every students dream. Avoid shooting in dark lighting it just looks bad.
Buttons everywhere! But what do they do?
At the front you have the lens which has a little shutter. Flick that shutter to open it. Next to that you
have the focus ring, if you turn
that the focus will increase/decrease.
Next to that you have a filter switch which you’ll use if
you’re outside in daylight. The switch acts as a pair of sunglasses- so you
probably wont need it in Tamworth.
The focus ring has two
different modes - Focus and Zoom.
There is a switch, which allows you to choose which one. Use this for Focus
rather than Zoom.
Auto Focus/Manual Focus- Auto focus usually does the job but if you want to
change settings click manual focus.
White balance switch- you can choose from Preset, A or B. You can change the white balance
and save it the resolution to A or B so you can use the same resolution in the
future. I advise to use the pre-set button which is the automatic function.
The A/B button
next to the white balance switch is for you to select which slot your SD card
is in so the camera knows where to save your work.
If we open up the side screen, there are even more
buttons!
Do not worry about the ‘User
3’ button.
The CAM/MEDIA
button allows you to choose whether to record or playback your footage. You’ll
need this if you’re out on location and you want to check your work as you go.
The quick review button allows you to quickly play back your last shot.
To the side of the microphone you have the audio
section.
Input 1
means you’re the microphone you’re using is in Input 1. Input 2 means the microphone you’re using is in input 2.
If you’re using the shotgun
microphone, switch the settings to ‘Mic+48
volts’.
Put headphones in the
microphone jack at the right side of the camera. You can change the volume of
your footage by changing the audio level in CH1.
On the other side of the
camera you have the zoom rubber switch which
will allow the cameraman to zoom in or out during recording. W is Wide and T is
Telephoto.
SDHC cards are compatible and
must be series 6 or higher. Don’t use SDXC
Ideally buy your own and you
can keep your footage
Mind mapping is an industry with people like Tony Buzan claiming rights over this method of generating ideas.
There are a number of web tools to help you to present your thoughts and this should be a key part of the creative process.
Your thoughts and ideas need exploring and this stage is often missed out in the planning of projects. Many ideas that do not have legs or are impractical can be filtered out and it allows several options to be considered before settling on one which excites you.
We are going to try a number of activities to generate ideas and the mind map is the way to record this thoughts. Be creative, use colour and images. It is constructive doodling, arranging ideas into a cohesive narrative.
Short Film
Activity One
The short films we have looked at are about childhood in some way
Try to think of stories from your own childhood. In this clip from 'Ratcatcher' Lynne Ramsay captures some of the magic realism of childhood. One could imagine the idea for this scene coming out of a memory.
Imagine a narrative which has the theme of childhood.
Use your own experiences and those stories that you know from school or growing up. Think of three and put them on the branches of your mind map.
For example, it could be about another child who you looked up to
A child who you were not allowed to play with
Roll some stories up together...
Child who had a nose bleed
had their ears pinned back
parents stopped you playing with them
Flooded the local church
Creosoted a dog
Had a fight with someone's dad at the kid's disco
Someone threw a stone that hit them in the head
Called the fire brigade and tragedy ensued
Argument with teacher about making a green salad
Some we came up with...
Stealing football stickers
Drawing with crayons on Aunt's wallpaper
Camping and putting a frozen doner kebab on the fire
Rubbing white stretch jeans on a dartboard
Being sick in a tent
Getting head flushed down toilet
Radiator falling on a student
Pulling achair from under someone
Hair removal cream
Two examples of visual incidents from a classroom were brought up which may have legs in a short film and we may come back to when scripting
A mannequin of body parts was taken apart and hidden from the teacher. The Skull was found in a hoody and various parts were hidden around the school
An irate teacher stood in a bin to make a point and said, 'Do I look like Rubbish?'
Maybe it is an early memory or a character at school whom you remember
Draw an image that represents each idea.
Activity Two
Now think about mise-en-scene and draw or list ideas on your mind map
Props
It may be something which establishes the time period
Costume - fashion
It may be having to wear something you didn't like, a big jumper or unfashionable shoes.
Activity Three
Develop a narrative
Use Todorov's theory of narrative to establish a plot.
If you are struggling for an idea use these familiar tropes.
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A trope is a commonly followed formula or plot
which is reproduced and becomes familiar to audiences.
Firstly try to identify a film that goes with each...
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Spider and the Fly
Love triangle
Romeo and Juliet
Oedipus – horrified when confronted with
truth
Superhero
Underdog
Escape
Heist
Sacrifice
Rivalry
Temptation
Judas
Metamorphosis
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Christopher Booker is a theorist whose ideas about narrative you can reserach and explore. He claims to have identified these types of narrative. Think of a film that goes with each...
Identify five types of shot that you could use in your narrative.
For example, a point of view shot will allow the audience to empathise with a character such as this one in Wasp which encourages the audience us to empathise with the children who are left vulnerable in a car park late at night with a range of threats. We feel their terror or discomfort as we are literally seeing through their eyes.
Maybe use Prezi software if you want to present your ideas digitally. If not then paper and pens are fine. The key thing is that you show the development of ideas on your web-log.
The cells above are good as there is a clear attempt to provide the director with a sense of what is to be included in the frame and what type of shot is to be used. There is not much further written direction which would allow more information, particularly about sound, so that links could be made with the script.
The shots planned in the storyboard can clearly be identified in the film.
This one contains relevant information but there is a sense of rough sketching and initial ideas being mapped out rather than a creative process being studied and aiding the choices made. Stick characters and things like a sun meaning a garden area are not indicating exactly what needs to be included in the shot. therefore the point of the story-boarding process has not been fully understood.
A digital story-board is a good idea, taking photographs on location recces. The problem here is that these are screenshots from the film and the storyboard is done retrospectively. For story-boarding to be effective it needs to be an essential part of the planning stage.
First Light have provided this guide to story-boarding which shows a range of shots that you could employ. The only part i would disagree with is the use of stick men if you cannot draw. Avoid this advice as the point of story-boarding is that you show the director and wider team exactly what is in shot. A stick man cannot do this.
Some students have used online storyboards which have some merit and are quite fun. This one is called 'storyboard that'. The limitations are that they don't allow the film making crew to alter the plan and storyboard on location or when an idea comes to mind. An ability to sketch or draw effectively is an essential skill. It allows you to visualise a scene and explain it through a drawing which replicates exactly what will be in the frame. An image tells a thousand words and this is the most effective way of sharing filmic ideas.
When assessing coursework this is an essential step that is often missed out and it is clear in the edit that this aspect of planning is not thorough. The best work has clear continuity with a depth of thought about mise-en-scene, camera angles and types of shot. It shows an awareness of film language and allows teams to work effectively. Sound is an aspect that is under-valued and by stipulating direction on the storyboard this becomes explicit in planning and not an afterthought.
There are a number of sites which will offer templates for storyboards and there is no rule as to which template is the best. Itis a creative process so choose the style which suits you.
I would favour this one as the frames are in widescreen and are big enough to add detail. Six cells to a page allows continuity and there is room for written direction in the box beneath which is essential for planning and indicating sound and the type of shot envisaged. There is always more detail to be explained and this space allows for revisions and notes during production.
Storyboard artists are increasingly in demand in the creative industries. Design agencies and advertising are two areas that require skilled artists to bring their ideas to life and to prepare pitches to clients clearly showing ideas. These examples are from Storyboard London, a company made up of storyboard artists working in a range of mediums and for a variety of clients.
In this advertising animatic the storyboard explains the narrative.
Take time over this stage and use your imagination to create a visual representation of your thoughts and ideas.
Use colour and aim to fill the frame with detail so that the director can recognise the type of shot and aspects of mise-en-scene such as facial expression and body language.
Make sure the image clearly reflects the script and direction explaining costume, location and props. Try to avoid any ambiguity between types of shot so that continuity editing is paramount and laws such as the 180 degree line of axis are not broken.
A02 Understanding
how form, structure and language shape meaning
A03 Explore
connections, comparisons and the interpretations of other readers
A04
Understanding the significance and influence of contexts
A01 Develop an informed response to the text
Just as in the exam you will be given a copy of the poem. The first thing you must do is annotate the text
A film extract from 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'
Key question - What is the poem about?
A02 Understanding
how form, structure and language shape meaning
Continue to annotate the text
Pick out key points about form, structure and language
Here are a set of prompts to help you;
Rhyme
Tone
Punctuation
Structure
Stanzas
Imagery
Title
Form
Imperative
Mood
Now concentrate on one verse
Choose a scribe and someone to feedback. Annotate your verse and feedback to the group
And here is a video of me annotating the text as an example..
A04
Understanding the significance and influence of contexts
Who is the 'speaker' in this poem?
How would you describe the 'voice'?
Here are some photographs of WH Auden
The poem was written in 1937.
How does this information help you to understand the poem further?
A03 Explore
connections, comparisons and the interpretations of other readers
The exam requires you to make reference to at least three other texts
Which texts do you think you could refer to if this was your unseen extract?
Here are three possible poems to explore;
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Remember
Remember me
when I am gone away,
Gone far away
into the silent land;
When you can no
more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn
to go yet turning stay.
Remember me
when no more day by day
You tell me of
our future that you plann'd:
Only remember
me; you understand
It will be late
to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you
should forget me for a while
And afterwards
remember, do not grieve:
For if the
darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of
the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you
should forget and smile
Than that you
should remember and be sad.
Christina
Rossetti
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Do not stand at my grave and weep –
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!
Mary Frye (1932)
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Do not Go Gentle Into That Good Night –
Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightening they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Dylan Thomas
You will need to conduct wider reading and further research to establish the context of the poem and how it has been received or read by different audiences.
Here are some links to help you. Click on the link and it will take you to the article, video or source.
