Storyboarding links

http://nofilmschool.com/tag/previsualization/

http://nofilmschool.com/2013/09/storyboarding-tips-dreamworks/

http://nofilmschool.com/2012/10/diagram-shotlist-and-pocket-block-with-the-shot-designer-app/

How to Construct an Action Sequence

http://nofilmschool.com/2013/06/pros-cons-amazon-storyteller-free-storyboarding-tool/

http://nofilmschool.com/2012/05/storyboarding-ridley-scott-sam-mendes-conrad-hall/

 

Sam Mendez and Conrad L. Hall Analyze the ‘American Beauty’ Storyboards

http://nofilmschool.com/2013/09/sam-mendez-conrad-l-hall-analyze-american-beauty-storyboard/ 

Example – film trailer analysis

http://shannonholdermediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/film-trailer-analysis.html

Moodboard software

http://www.moodshare.co/#/login

Representation slideshow

Representation

Media Jobs

Media Jobs

AS Media Coursework – Evaluation questions

AS Media Coursework –  Evaluation questions

1. What kind of music genre do you think this magazine suits/reflects?
2. Which of the following aspects catches your eye first when you look at the front cover? Colour scheme, photograph, pose of model, text, language used, price, freebies, all of the above, some of the above, none of the above.
3. How do you feel when you look at the front cover?
4. Is the title a direct representation of the magazine’s theme and why?
5. After looking at the front cover, would you like to know more about the artist featured in the double spread and why?
6. Does the image and the font on the front cover help you to understand the genre and contents of the magazine and why?
7. If any part of the magazine was set out differently, do you think it would be more effective – which part and why?
8. What do you think the whole magazine is trying to communicate?
9. Does the layout of the magazine appeal to its intended audience and why?
10. Do you think the people in the magazine are shown to be realistic and interesting and why is this so?

Media Convergence and synergy

media synergy

Key Aspects Media Studies

Representation Task tv drama

Representation Task                                                    Name:                                      Date:

 

Who is shown? Groups/categories of people (– think demographics [age, sex, social class], + minorities [ethnic groups, disabled etc]) + how individuals are presented

 

 

How? (- think choice of images, connotations of technical & symbolic codes, captions & other language codes anchoring images)

 

 

What groups or categories are shown most?

Who is not represented?

Are there specific groups or categories only seen in specific places or roles? (ghettoised)

 

STEREOTYPES

Identify a range of stereotypes involved

Why are they used?

 

Comment on their use: offensive, out-dated, or used for deliberate comic effect?

For the exam – are stereotypes (Use examples):

a)    – informed

 

 

b)    – challenged

 

 

c)    – confirmed?

 

READINGS

How might specific different audiences respond differently to the preferred reading that is being offered?

 

 

 

Are these responses the producers of the material need to be aware of, or that they can ignore?

 

AS Media Television Drama Representation task 1 :

AS Media Television Drama Representation task 1 :

 

In small groups – using the hand-out (there’s some stuff on my blog too): Research and discuss television drama representation of – there’s some stuff on my blog too:

 

Age

Gender

Sexuality

Dis/difability

 

You must look at the subject in the following manner with examples:

Stereotypical

Exploitative

Demeaning

Complimentary

Affirming

Accurate

 

Some thoughts to help you plan/evaluate

 

What ethnic culture/age/race/gender/disability is being portrayed? What slice of life is shown?

Does it portray life as it really is?

Do actors play roles in a believable manner?

How well is character developed?

How is the environment portrayed?

Is the time period reflected accurately?

Are complex problems oversimplified?

Does it reflect society as it is?  Ideally?

What is being represented?

Are the roles played believably?

How well is the character developed?

Are representations over-simplified?

 

Foundation Portfolio workbook

foundation portfolio workbook final edition

Level 2 Media: Film Promotion

Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 6
Slide 7
Slide 8
Slide 9
Slide 10

CAMERA ANGLE / MOVEMENT/EDITING/SOUND

CAMERA ANGLE / MOVEMENT/EDITING/SOUND

TERM	MEANS
Wide Shot / Establishing Shot	Where setting is shown (lots of space)
Mid Shot	Shows top half of people but not close up
Two Shot	Shows 2 people (usually as a MID SHOT)
Close Up (and/or Reaction Shot)	Shows detail up close (ie, head & shoulders)
Over-the-shoulder-shot	Usually see one person confronting another
Low Angle	Camera looks up from below
High Angle / Aerial Shot	Camera looks down from above
Point of View Shot	The camera shows what a character sees
Tilt / Canted / Oblique	Frame is tilted to disorientate
Zoom	Use of Zoom lens to focus closely or move away without moving camera
Crane Shot	When camera is lifted away and upwards, indicates end of show/scene
Track / Tracking / Panning	Camera follows something moving and/or shows setting

 

EDITING – moving from one frame to another

TERM	MEANS
Fast Cut	for fast pace – is a cut every 5-6 seconds
Continuity / Invisible	aims to create a sense of reality and time moving forward, very subtle
Mix Cut	means an overlap of scenes
Fade Cut	suggests passing of time
Dissolve Cut	suggests flashback, dream sequence
Fade to Black Cut	suggests end
Wipe Cut	Pulls/pushes scenes like a windscreen wiper, popular in 1950s films.
Split screen Cut / Cross Cutting	used to show 2 scenes at same time (2 people on the phone).
Jump Cut	is when a shot follows a very different one (long to close up) which shocks viewer, the image ‘jumps’ out at them.
Freeze Frame	the effect of seemingly stopping a film in order to focus in on one event or element.
Eye Line Match	cuts from one character to what that character has been looking at.
Flashback	a scene or moment in a film in which the audience is shown an event that happened earlier in the film’s narrative
Graphic Match	two different objects of the same shape are dissolved from one into the other.
Montage	the juxtaposition of seemingly unconnected images in order to create meaning.
Visual Effects	visual effects are usually used to alter previously-filmed elements by adding, removing or enhancing objects within the scene.

LIGHTING

TERM	MEANS
Background	lights background of set
Cameo	Spot light, especially on the face
Fill	gives slight light to darker areas (reduces contrast)
High	where it is so bright there are no shadows
Low	offers a silhouette around objects (fine line of light around them)

SOUND

TERM	MEANS
Diegetic sound	any sound in the scene whose source is justified by something the scene, whether actually seen or not (i.e., a phone ringing, a siren in the distance, footsteps, a slamming door, an airplane going overhead, a band playing, etc.)
Non-Diegetic	any sound superimposed on the scene (i.e., score music, voice-over narration, etc.)
Sound Effects	sounds that are added to a film during the post-production stage.

Film Production Process

Film Production Process

 

Go onto wikipedia.org and look up “film production”. Find relevant subtitle to read up on.

	Details	Why is this important? Guess
Development
Pre-production           + Choose and discuss 5 important crew members:
Production
Post Production
Distribution & Release

 

Researching Case Studies

 

FILM:	Pride and Glory	Die Hard 4.0	Shutter Island	The Da Vinci Code
Director
Producer
Cast
Production Company
Distributor
Screenplay writer
Rating/Cert
Visual Effects Company
Soundtrack label
Release date
Gross $ made worldwide
No of theatres (cinemas)

 

 

Ext: research other case study films and add to notes in book

A2 Critical Perspectives in Media Exam

 

 

A2 Media Studies

Critical Perspectives in Media Exam

 

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Coursework

 

Revision Guide

A2 Media Studies Exam – Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Coursework

 

In Section A you answer both 1(a) and 1(b).

 

Question 1(a) will ask you to discuss the development of your skills from AS to A2 in relation to one or two of the following aspects:

• Digital Technology
  
• Creativity
  
• Research and Planning
  
• Post-production
  
• Using conventions from real media texts
  

 

In the exam you should spend about 30 minutes answering question 1(a). In order to do well on this question you must remember to:

• Discuss both your AS and A2 coursework
  
• Demonstrate progress from AS to A2
  
• Refer to specific examples from your coursework productions
  
• Use terminology
  

 

Digital Technology   Think about the different digital technologies you used at AS and A2, this is likely to include cameras (still/video), editing software, image manipulation software.   How has digital technology helped you capture your ideas for media production? How did digital technology allow you to be creative? What benefits do digital technologies offer? Are they any disadvantages? How did digital technology influence your work in post-production, e.g. in the creation of video effects, or editing images?   Think about the different digital technologies you used at AS and A2 and evaluate the use you made of them. You need to discuss what digital technology allowed you to do, e.g. editing techniques you used, your use of digital cameras, editing images, adding sound to a video.   Identify two or three examples for AS and for A2. Remember you need to show progression from AS to A2.

 

Creativity   How were you creative during your AS and A2 coursework? What elements of your coursework are original? What media texts influenced you? How did technology help you create the product you imagined?   Try to think of specific examples of creativity. You may want to discuss coming up with ideas for your product, or creative/inventive use of technical elements such as camerawork, editing, sound, and mise-en-scene. You could also consider how you used creativity to solve problems. Evaluate the effectiveness of your creative choices.   How has your creativity progressed from AS to A2? Was your Foundation production more reliant on conventions than your Advanced portfolio? Did the different briefs at AS and A2 encourage you to be more creative?

 

Research and Planning   How did your research into genre help you with your production? How did your research into audience contribute to your production work? How did your research into institutions responsible for the production and regulation of the media influence your production work? What pre-production planning techniques did you employ (scripting, storyboarding, shot-listing, etc.)? How effective was your planning – how did it help you in the production phase? What did you learn from planning your first production that helped you to improve your planning for the second? How did you use audience feedback to influence your production work while it was in progress?   Consider the research and planning activities you did at AS and A2. What was the purpose of these activities? How successful were they? How did your research and planning skills develop from AS to A2?

 

Post-production   Post-production means everything you do after filming for video work, and everything you do after gathering material (photos, text) for print work.   How much of your text was created only in post-production? What technologies did you use to modify your raw material? How did this change the meaning of your work? How did you use sound in post-production? How did you encode meaning in post-production?   Remember to think about the type of technologies you used, what they allowed you to do, and how your skills developed from AS to A2?

 

Using conventions from real media texts   How and why have you used media conventions? How successful was your use of conventions? How and why have you broken/challenged conventions? How successful was this? How has your use of media conventions developed?   Remember you need to consider how your use of media conventions developed from AS to A2.

 

Question 1(b) will ask you to select one of your coursework products, either AS or A2 and analyse it relation to one of the following specified theoretical concepts:

• Narrative
  
• Audience
  
• Genre
  
• Representation
  
• Media Language
  

 

You will need to spend about 30 minutes answering question 1(b) in the exam. In order to do well you should:

• Demonstrate your understanding of media theory
  
• Relate theory to a range of specific examples from your coursework product
  
• Use theoretical and production terminology well
  

 

Narrative Theory

Todorov	Todorov argued that narratives follow a common structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium, and resolution. The significance of Todorov’s theory lies in the state of equilibrium and the resolution. What is the status quo at the beginning? How is the narrative resolved? What has changed? What ideological messages does this suggest?	What structure does your narrative have? What values are embodied by the equilibrium, and the way the narrative is resolved?
Propp	Propp identified a group of characters common to the narratives of folk tales who perform essential functions in the development of the story. They are: hero/subject (character searching for something), villain (opposed the hero), donor (provides an object to help the hero), dispatcher (sends the hero on the quest), the false hero, the helper, the princess (the hero’s reward), and the father (who rewards the hero).	Did you use any of Propp’s character types? How did you signify the character types you used? Why did you choose to use/not use these character types?
Levi-Strauss	Levi-Strauss argued that stories move from one stage to the next by setting up conflicts between two opposing elements that have to be resolved. Pairs of binary oppositions structure narratives. Often one element within a pair will be dominant over the other.	What binary oppositions are used? Are any elements of the pair dominant? What message does that suggest? How do the binary opposition relate to the main theme of your product?
Barthes	Barthes argues that the meaning of a text is produced through five ‘codes of intelligibility’. The enigma code is the questions that the narrative answers. When we want to know what happens next we are responding to the enigma code. The action code is the events that move the narrative forwards. The semic code refers to the elements which signify meaning. The symbolic code relates to the pairs of binary opposites that express the key meaning of the text. The cultural code refers to things which are common knowledge.	What elements of the narrative codes would be used to make sense of your narrative? What questions would the audience want answered (enigma)? What signifiers are used (semic)? Link your discussion of the symbolic to binary oppositions?

 

 

Audience Theory

Uses and Gratifications, Blumler and Katz	This model suggests that audiences have expectations which they expect to be satisfied by media texts.   The audience needs are: surveillance – telling us about the world around us, personal identity – influences how we see ourselves and our place in society, personal relationships – develop relationships with media characters; aids social interaction, diversion – provides escapism from daily life	Which of these needs are likely to be satisfied by your product? Are there any other pleasures your product offers?
Encoding Decoding Stuart Hall	The preferred reading of the text is encoded using technologies and conventions of the medium (technical and professional codes). Audience members will respond to the text in different ways. The possible responses are: dominant – the reader shares the text’s code and accepts its preferred reading negotiated – understands the text’s code, generally accepts the preferred reading but modifies it according to their social position and experiences oppositional – understands the code but rejects the preferred reading. The audience member will be reading the text from an oppositional position (e.g. a feminist reading).	What is your preferred reading? How did you encode it through your use of technical aspects (camerawork, editing, sound, mise-en-scene)? What different readings might the audience produce?
Social Context, David Morley	Reception theory – ‘the politics of the living room’. The meaning of the text will be constructed differently depending on the audience member’s position in society. Differences based on things like social class, gender, and ethnicity, may determine an individual’s cultural tastes. People from different social groups will have a knowledge of the codes of different types of media text	How might the social background of your audience members effect their interpretation of your product?

 

Genre Theory

Altman	Media institutions use genres as it allows for product differentiation. This means different genres of products are produced to appeal to different target audiences.	What is the genre of your product? Who is the target audience? What different genres in your chosen media might appeal to different audiences?
Cawelti	Genres are like myths. Genres tell a society about itself. The popularity of a genre suggests it reflects the values of society.	What values are suggested by your product?
Ryall	Genre supervises the relationship between the producers and the audience. Genre guides the production of the text by the producers, and the interpretation by the audience.	How did you use genre when producing your product? How did genre make it easier to for you to communicate meaning to the audience?
Neale	Genres are made up of not just groups of films, but also audience expectations, and discourse including marketing, and media discussion. Genres help audiences understand texts.	What expectations might your audience bring to your product? How would genre help them make sense of your product?

 

Representation Theory

Saussure	Meaning is constructed by the creation and interpretation of signs. A sign is made up of the signifier (the object, word, etc.) and the signifier (the meaning it creates). Representations are constructed through signs which signify a meaning. Signs can be polysemic, meaning they have more than one meaning (polysemy).	What signifiers did you use to convey meaning to your audience? What other meanings may the signifiers signify?
Mulvey	Female characters tend to be displayed for the visual pleasure of male characters and male spectators. For Mulvey, men look, women are looked at. Women are the object of the gaze (looked at), whilst male characters/spectators are the subject of the gaze (or the bearers of the look – the people looking). Women connote ‘to-be-looked-at-ness‘, and are the focus of a clearly male gaze. Mulvey identifies an important process whereby women are coded as the object of the gaze (and represented sexually). Her work has been criticised for only focusing on the male, heterosexual spectator, and ignoring the possibility of the male providing visual pleasure. Dyer has also questioned her distinction between object of the gaze=passive, subject of the gaze=active. A postfeminist perspective may view the position of object of the gaze as a position of power, and the subject of the gaze as a submissive position.	What are the differences in how males and females are represented in your product? Which characters provide visual pleasure? How does this relate to Mulvey’s argument? Which characters are represented as looked at (objects of the gaze) and which characters are shown to be looking (subjects of the gaze)?
Dyer	Dyer suggests that stereotypes perform a number of functions in media representations. He argues that stereotypes reinforce the idea that there are big differences between different types of people.	Do you use stereotypes? What messages do the stereotypes convey?
Baudrillard	Baudrillard is a postmodern theorist. He argues that representations no longer refer to real things. The representation has become more real to us than the reality, and has actually replaced it. Simulacrum – when a copy replaces the original. For Baudrillard images are now hyperreal – they have no relationship to the real. Celebrities are a good example of hyperreality – their media image constructs a reality which does not refer to an actual reality. Baudrillard would question the concept of representation as a process which represents the real.	Do your representations refer to a reality, or do they refer to other representations?

 

Media Language – this is the way the medium you used communicates meaning to its audience.

Narrative	How does the structure of your narrative reflect the genre of your product? Is your narrative determined by the medium you use, e.g. how does your narrative structure reflect the conventions of the music video?
Genre	How did you use generic codes to communicate to the audience? What are the specific generic codes of the medium you used? With music videos you need to consider the generic codes of music videos generally, generic codes of the genre of music, and possibly generic codes of the mode of the narrative (e.g. romance).
Technical Aspects	How did you make use of camerawork, editing, sound, and mise-en-scene to communicate meaning to the audience?
Representation	How did your use of media language allow you to construct representations?

 

Remember – Question 1(a) you must discuss both AS and A2 products. Question 1(b) choose either AS or A2. For both sections you need to have specific examples from your coursework products to support the points you make.

There is quite a lot of overlap between the different topics you may be asked on, so many examples could be adapted to the specific focus of the question.

 

All resources for Section A of the A2 exam are in the Media Shared Area in a folder called A2 Media Resources Summer 2010.

 

If you have any questions, or have completed practice exam questions you would like me to mark email me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take one hour to complete the questions below.

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

1(a) Describe how your creativity developed through the production of your coursework. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.          

 

In question 1(b) you need to choose one of your media productions to write about.

 

1(b) Analyse media language in one of your coursework productions.

 

Take one hour to complete the questions below.

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

1 (a) In your own experience how did your post-production skills develop through your coursework productions?

 

In question 1(b) you need to choose one of your media productions to write about.

 

1 (b) How would you expect an audience to respond to your coursework production?

 

 

 

Take one hour to complete the questions below.

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

1(a) Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making.  Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.          

In question 1(b) you need to choose one of your media productions to write about.

 

1(b) Analyse media representation in one of your coursework productions.

 

Take one hour to complete the questions below.

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

 

In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

1 (a) “Digital technology turns media consumers into media producers”. In your own experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions?

 

In question 1(b) you need to choose one of your media productions to write about.

 

1 (b) “Media texts rely on cultural experiences in order for audiences to easily make sense of narratives”. Explain how you used conventional and/or experimental narrative approaches in one of your production pieces.

 

Take one hour to complete the questions below.

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

1(a) Describe how your use of media conventions developed during the production of your coursework. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.          

In question 1(b) you need to choose one of your media productions to write about.

 

1(b) Analyse the role of genre in one of your coursework productions.

Take one hour to complete the questions below.

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production

In question 1(a) you need to write about your work for the Foundation Portfolio and Advanced Portfolio units and you may refer to other media production work you have undertaken.

1 (a) Describe the development of your skills in digital technology and post-production in your coursework. Refer to a range of examples to explain how your skills developed over time.

 

In question 1(b) you need to choose one of your media productions to write about.

 

1 (b) In what ways did you create a narrative in your coursework production?

Music Video Codes and Conventions

 

 

 

Music Video Codes and Conventions

 

 

 

 

 

The purposes of music videos

 

 

Purposes: promotional; extension of income; extension of outlets (music channel,

direct DVD or CD sales, website, download); links to films or TV programmes

(synergy); producers’ strategies (major label, independent, artist self-produced)

 

 

 

The styles, conventions and techniques of music videos

 

 

Styles: popular music genres; in-concert and ‘as live’ footage; animation (stop

motion, digital); interpretative; narrative; impressionist; surrealist; pastiche;

parody; referencing; homage; influence of commercials

 

Conventions: lyric interpretation; extending or consolidating song’s meaning;

allusion; links to other artists

 

Techniques: cutting to beat; effects; miming and lip sync; playback and lip sync;

multiimage; camera movements; camera angles; chroma key

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music video production

 

 

Originate ideas: choosing music track; analysing music track (meaning, content,

imagery, narrative, duration, pace, style, semiotics); performer’s style;

performer’s image; video’s style; creative concept

 

Research: sources for locations; found footage (video archives, libraries,

websites, copyright, waivers)

 

Planning: script; storyboard; shooting script (camera movements, takes, angles,continuity); selection of technical and performance crew; team roles and responsibilities; production organisation and schedule; location recces; risk assessments; permissions to film; clearances

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