89. AS Coursework: Foundation Production Report Guidelines

Foundation Production- Report Production Report = 30 marks Report should be up to 2000 words in length and should cover the following areas.

Part 1 – Brief and research into similar media texts / target audience This 500 word section MIGHT include:

What form of media are you producing?

Research carried out and how it affected your decisions when planning.

State CONVENTIONS of the GENRE and which particular GENERIC CONVENTIONS you have.

How audience expectations are aroused of the film, mag or game: e.g. audience expects certain things to happen which will be RESOLVED at the film’s CLOSURE.

Mention any SIGNS or SYMBOLS which will engage the audience. Hollywood-style chain of cause and effect (CAUSALITY) will usually follow e.g. detection, twists in plot, passage of time.

What concepts there are to incorporate. For example in the thriller: Point of View Shots, Mise-en-Scene, identifiable characters often those identified by PROPP BINARY OPPOSITIONS will be present throughout e.g. GOOD v EVIL, LAW v CRIME etc.

Although only a TWO MINUTE FILM is required, most of the audience’s expectations will be whetted by this opening – the audience will be trying to unravel the ending. Think of these 2+ mins as the BASIS FOR A STRUCTURED FULL-LENGTH PRODUCTION and mention theories of TODOROV etc.

With the mag the front page will form most of the audience’s expectations of the rest of the magazine- they will predict the content. With the advert for a game and the front cover the same applies.

MENTION STYLE e.g. Film-Realism, Lighting Codes, duration of shots, framing priorities, camera movements, camera mountings (e.g. handheld), use of COLOUR, use of DIEGETIC and NON-DIEGETIC SOUND (Sound from film or external and studio imposed).

Magazine- modern/trendy, young etc games- aggressive, strategic etc. Mention any DIRECTOR or STUDIO, publishers etc you imitated e.g. Hitchcock, Universal in 1930s, Film Noir, Hammer, Blair Witch team, Tarantino, Sugar, Cosmo Girl etc

What is the TARGET AUDIENCE e.g. age, nationality, social class. Classification and censorship issues?

Part 2 – ‘Planning the production’ (500 words).

Describe PLANNING MEETING to work out STORY and PLOT. Describe RECCE to find LOCATIONS, Costume decisions, make-up, attributes of people chosen as ACTORS and STAR QUALITY of these people (what do they symbolise in their on screen persona). How much detail is in storyboard?

Describe SHOOTING SCHEDULE, Describe role of DIRECTOR, what PROPS and COSTUMES were chosen e.g. found, made, adapted, improvised. Mention YOUR role in the planning. Mention role of TITLES in MARKETING film to the TARGET AUDIENCE.

Describe initial planning meetings/brainstorming for the print based tasks. What choices did you make and why? Deadlines and allocation of tasks to group members. Describe the focus group and how it affected your final production- what did you alter and why?

Part 3 – 500 words on ‘Constructing the production – technical decisions’ and revisions. Why does your production have a distinctive appearance. For still and moving images explain use of ESTABLISHING SHOT (and, for film accompanying sound, explain use of MASTER SHOT and the TRANSITIONS from shot to shot. CUTS and FADES and DISSOLVES). Explain why different shots were chosen e.g. what did that CLOSE-UP mean, why was it followed by a TWO-SHOT etc.

Edit decisions.

Choice of music for film, choice of fonts, choice of FILM/mag/game NAME, imposition of titles, name of production company and star names.

Part 4 – ‘Evaluation of finished product’. 500 words on what went right and what went wrong. Praise yourself first, and then pull the production apart with criticism e.g. incoherent story, bad planning, dodgy camera movements, missing edit, failure of actors to behave, dead batteries.

Consider Technical Competencies. Hold shot steady, frame a shot, vary shot distances, shoot material appropriate to task set, edit so that meaning is apparent, use varied shot transitions, captions and other effects selectively and as appropriate for the task, use sound with images.

WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED. IMPRESS EXAMINER LIKE THIS… · Produce documents and compile them in a PRODUCTION FILE · Invent a FILM COMPANY, publishing company · Obtain a FILE and cover it with name of you production company and the name of the FILM in the SAME STYLE as your OPENING TITLES. · Design all paper used in the same way.