Blog Checking 14th December

I have just gone through and checked your blogs-here is a list of the completed/outstanding blogs.


These MUST be completed by 2nd January 2017. I will be setting after school detentions so that unfinished blogs can be completed the first week back after the holidays.


-Isobel, I have emailed IT again about the issues you're having with yours which is why I have left some of yours blank.

Completing Your Pitch Blog Post

Here is what you need to include AFTER you have embedded your prezi/powerpoint slides into a blog post:

 

 

Using the feedback sheets you receive, you need to write 2 paragraphs in your pitch blog post summarising how your pitch went:

Paragraph 1: Outline the positives and the things people liked about your pitch and ideas.

Paragraph 2: Outline any criticism or questions that people in the class had, and how you are going to address these issues.

 

Embedding a prezi or powerpoint in blogger

For your pitches, you have been asked to create a prezi or powerpoint presentation outlining your ideas. 

You should embed these into a blog post, rather than just creating a link to the file-it will look much more professional on your blog. I have included instructions for each below. 

Prezi: 

To embed a prezi

1. Go to your prezi dashboard.
2. Hover over the prezi you want to embed.
3. Click View prezi to go to its view page.
4. Click Embed in the button underneath the prezi. 
5. In the pop-up, click Copy code to clipboard.
6. Here you can change the width or height of the prezi using their respective boxes. You can also chose to allow viewers to pan and zoom freely or to constrain them to simple back and forward steps using the two check boxes.
7. Go into blogger and create a new post
8. In the new post, click the HTML button (beside 'compose' in the top left) and paste the embed code into your post.
9. Publish your post and view your blog to see if it works. If your prezi isn't the right size, you need to go back to the prezi website, adjust the width or height and copy the new embed code into blogger again. 

Here is a video explaining how to do it: 

It will look something like this: 

, 

Powerpoint: 

1. Go to slideshare.net and upload your powerpoint to it. 

2. Get 'embed in webpage' address information

3. Copy the embed code

4. Go into blogger and create a new post

5. In the new postHTML button (beside 'compose' in the top left) and paste the embed code into your post.

6. Publish your post and view your blog to see if it works. 

The slideshare below goes through it step by step. Keep in mind you are using blogger.co.uk and it is showing an older version of it, but the process is still essentially the same. 

How To Add Power Point Presentations To Blogger from guest66ae43

Pitching your Idea-Task and Blog Post

•Use Powerpoint or Prezi to create your pitch

•At least 5 minutes in length-every group member must contribute

•Choose your best idea and ‘pitch’ it to the rest of the class. You should discuss in detail:

•The plot of your thriller opening

•A storyboard of your opening

•Possible locations, costumes, visual effects

•One key moment of suspense you hope to create in the opening

Deadline: Tuesday 13th December 2016

Here are a few pointers as to what does and doesn’t make a successful opening…

 

• You are only producing an opening to a film. In the past, many groups have spent a long time thinking about plot twists and turns that would make a good film, but that are too complex to be used in a two minute opening.

 

• Keep ideas simple. Someone once said that ‘less is more’ and this is certainly true in terms of your thriller opening – the more successful openings are ones based on a simple narrative structure. Remember! It’s not necessarily the story that provides suspense but the way this story is filmed.

 

• Think about using everyday locations/characters/events. Audiences are far more affected by something happening in scenarios and with characters they can recognise than something they have no experience of.

 

• DON’T use ANY of these props/storylines in your opening:

• Hoodies
• Knives, guns, blood
• Mobile phones
• ‘Stalking’ storylines (i.e. no dark figures following people through parks/shopping centres/along canals)
  We have decided to ‘ban’ these things because they are not only overused but also tend to make for a predictable (and quite boring) opening. Bear in mind how many other colleges and schools there are across Britain that are making an opening – we want your work to stand out!
   
  Some guidelines on planning/presenting your pitch
   
  • Make sure you explore each technical area in detail. Although an interesting idea is a good start, without detailed consideration of all the technical areas you will not be able to show whether or not your idea is realistic in terms of actual filming and editing.
   
  • Make sure you complete a storyboard for your idea. It is far easier to get a sense of how to film your idea and how a sequence of shots will work if you use the storyboard. You also have room to include extra information about other areas, such as editing and sound.
   
  • When you make your pitch, try to express your idea in terms of technical areas. For instance, a pitch that begins “the first shot is an ECU of an eye then the camera zooms out to a medium long aerial shot that reveals a man lying on his bed” is far more effective than one that begins “there’s this guy and he’s lying on his bed” because the first one is easier to visualise than the second. The first also shows that consideration has gone into the practical side of things as well as just the initial idea.
   
  • As this pitch will constitute part of the planning mark for the entire group, it is advisable that each member of the groups speaks at least once during the pitch
   
  • REMEMBER: the more detail, the better. If you show that you have explored all areas of filming and producing your thriller opening in detail, then it is likely that you will be able to get started in the second half of next lesson. If not, then it’s back to the drawing (or story) board!
  Pitch deadline: Tuesday 13^th December 2016

Blog Task-Analysing AS Thriller Openings

With Miss Wride you should have been analysing AS Thriller Openings and completing a blog where you look at the conventions they have used as well as their editing and filming techniques.


Please ensure you complete a blog where you analyse at least 2 AS Thriller Openings (there are loads to choose from on youtube) and much like you did with The Sixth Sense, post the video and screenshots from it where you analyse their use of camera angles, editing, sound and mise en scene. Also discuss the thriller conventions they are demonstrating.


Try to evaluate-talk about what worked well and what could have been improved in each.


All blogs including this one should be uploaded by 16th December.

Blog Checking 23rd November

I have gone through and checked who is up to date on their blogs. Keep in mind that the first three were due a few weeks ago!



The final deadline for ALL of these blogs is by the end of the day Thursday 24th November.



I will be checking them again this weekend and will unfortunately have to set detentions for those who have not completed all of these blogs by then.



Thank you to those of you who are all caught up and doing a fantastic job!

Blue = completed to an extremely high standard

Green = complete with good detail

Amber = Started but not completely finished

Red = incomplete/not published

Types of Thrillers

A few of you were asking about the different types of thrillers. Here is the handout from earlier in the year:











For your initial ideas, try to brainstorm about more than just one type of thriller so you get a good range of ideas.

Initial Ideas Blog Task

Blog Task: Initial Ideas

1. Create a mind map of initial ideas for your thriller opening with your group.

2. You need to take pictures of this mind map and upload it to your blog.

3. You then need to use a camera to record yourselves talking through your initial ideas as a group. Upload this video into the same blog post.

4. Finally, write a short paragraph explaining what your overall initial ideas are, and your top three ideas that you are going to choose from. You will write more about these three ideas later.

Due Date: Monday 28th November 2016

Examples of mind maps:  

Some guidance on initial ideas

Here are a few pointers as to what does and doesn’t make a successful opening…

• You are only producing an opening to a film. In the past, many groups have spent a long time thinking about plot twists and turns that would make a good film, but that are too complex to be used in a two minute opening.

• Keep ideas simple. Someone once said that ‘less is more’ and this is certainly true in terms of your thriller opening – the more successful openings are ones based on a simple narrative structure. Remember: it’s not necessarily the story that provides suspense but the way this story is filmed.

• Think about using everyday locations/characters/events. Audiences are far more affected by something happening in scenarios and with characters they can recognise than something they have no experience of.

• DON’T use ANY of these props/storylines in your opening:

• Hoodies
• Knives, guns, blood
• Mobile phones
• ‘Stalking’ storylines (i.e. no dark figures following people through parks/shopping centres/along canals)
  We have decided to ‘ban’ these things because they are not only overused but also tend to make for a predictable (and quite boring) opening. Bear in mind how many other colleges and schools there are across Britain that are making an opening – we want your work to stand out!

Blogs to Complete:

Blogs that should have been completed so far:

1. What I hope to get out of studying media production
2. Prelim video uploaded and evaluated-explanation of what the task was and evaluation of what you did and what you can improve in your coursework as well as a link or embedded copy of the video
3. Conventions of Thrillers
4. Analysis of opening sequences from 3-4 thriller films (a different blog post for each film) -For each, you need to include pictures and screen shots. Try to pick out three suspenseful moments and using screen shots, discuss the camera shots, mise en scene, editing and sound within them. 
5. Discussion of The Sixth Sense – three key scenes that create suspense with screenshots, video clips and analysis of mise en scene, camera angles, sound and editing. 

The final deadline for these 5 blogs is Thursday 24th November 2016

AS Media Research & Planning

All of your coursework preparation, research, planning, evaluation, analysis and final product will be posted on here. You must blog weekly and individually creating a record of your progress. It is vital that you blog your thoughts, intentions and planning as you begin your preparations. It doesn't matter if you change your mind several times so long as you record those decisions and revisions as you go along. This blog is worth 50% of your coursework grade. Don't waste it by not writing your blog every week. Catching up later is almost impossible. It is also vital that you use all types of digital recording to do this, not just text.

• Images
• Power points
• Questionnaires for audience research
• Pie charts of your audience research results
• Graphics
• Shots you've rejected and reasons why
• Locations you've considered but rejected and reasons why
• Prezzi presentations
• Videos of your group discussing different decisions you have made
• Audio recordings of your evaluation of what you've done

The list is endless.

Please follow me on missgreeneasmedia.blogspot.co.uk as I will post blogs you need to complete and updates on your progress here. 

-Miss Greene