Parents evening: Thursday 4th December

Please see me to get a parents evening appointment with myself and Mr Groves on Thursday (5-7pm).

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Todorov’s theory of narrative states that all narrative plots follow the same basic pattern:

1. State of equilibrium
2. Disruption to that equilibrium
3. Recognition that disorder has occurred
4. Attempt (or attempts) to resolve the situation
5. Return to equilibrium or establishment of a NEW equilibrium

This pattern can then be re-started in subsequent narratives (eg sequels).

For example, the film Die Hard:

1. Equilibrium: John McClane (Bruce Willis) is meeting his wife for Christmas at her office Christmas party at the Nakatomi Building.
2. Disruption: Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his team of terrorists take over the Nakatomi building in order to break into the vault.
3. Recognition: McClane isn't in the room when the terrorists storm in so is aware of the situation AND outside of their control.
4. Attempted resolution: The police try sending in a SWAT team (failed resolution).
5. Equilibrium/New equilibrium: McClane kills Gruber and saves the hostages. He and his wife leave happily together.

This week’s work:

1. Come up with a film in your chosen genre and analyse how it does/doesn’t fit into Todorov’s Theory of Narrative (like above)
2. Decide if your film is going to follow Todorov’s narrative theory
3. Devise the plot for your film
4. Decide at what point in your narrative your film is going to start and how much your opening scene is going to show
5. Develop a script for this opening scene

Work for Tuesday 25th November

Sorry that I'm not in school for our Tuesday lesson. Here's what you need to do:

1. I've left a folder with my feedback on your research section. This details what you have done well but also what you could do to improve. Please take a look at these targets and make these improvements over the next week. 
2. Prepare questions to put to Niv Adiri during the Q&A session at the Oxfordshire Schools Film Festival on Tuesday. I expect you all to turn up with questions in mind and suitable materials for taking notes - you won't get to interview many Oscar winners in your life so don't waste the opportunity. MEET ME AT WHEATLEY PARK MAIN RECEPTION, 8:30-9:00. DON'T BE LATE.
3. Read the blog post below re: plagiarism. This is very serious as it could lose you marks or, if there has been a very serious breach, disqualify you completely.

Next steps for coursework:

When you have completed the 'Research' section of your portfolio, it's time to start planning. We will look in more depth at what this will involve in subsequent lessons but first of all...

You all should have decided the genre you want to work in for your final production and started examining the conventions of films within this genre. Specifically, makes notes (including embedded videos and images if possible) on:

• Characterisation: who are the stock characters in your genre? How are they represented? Are there differences between the portrayal of men/women? Or different ethnicities/nationalities? Think about the work you've been doing with Mr Groves on representation.
• Narrative/Plot: what is the 'standard' plot line within this genre? What generally happens and in what order. Think about Todorov's narrative theory here.
• Conventions/Motifs: what things always tend to happen? Are there any recurring themes or stylistic elements that generally crop up?
• Camera angles and movement: are films in your genre often shot in similar ways? Why are these angles/movements used? How does it affect the audience and our interaction with the film?
• Camera cuts: fast? slow? different paces for different moments in the film? Style? Genre?
• Sound (diegetic and non-diegetic): what do these add to the film? How do they affect the audience's response to it?

Make sure you have a blog post explaining what genre you plan to work in (and why) and then have blog posts discussing these ideas in relation to that decision.

Plagiarism + Referencing

Just so that you're all aware, it's OK to include content on your site that other people have written, so long as it is clearly referenced and you say where you get it from: a note at the end of the paragraph/section/blog post is fine.

However, it would be even better for you to internalise that information and write it in your own words, using your own examples. This will show the examiner that you really understand the concepts rather than are able to cut'n'paste.

Niv Adiri - the Oscar winner you are going to meet next week

Here is an article about Niv Adiri, the Oscar-winning sound engineer who will be the special guest at the Oxfordshire Schools Film Festival next week. Have a read and start thinking about questions you might want to ask him during the Q&A session.

http://www.haaretz.com/life/arts-leisure/1.573037

There is a trailer for Gravity, the film for which he won his Oscar, at the bottom of the article that might interest you in terms of how sound can help create mood and atmosphere in a film.

I need to confirm numbers with Wheatley Park this week so I need all permission slips by Friday at the latest.

Slips for the trip

I still need parental permission slips from the following students if you want to attend the trip to the Oxfordshire Schools Film Festival at Wheatley Park on Thurs 27th November:

Imed
Sophie
Adil
Denzel
Eleanor
Daniel
Elliot

Please get these to me in the next couple of days (it can't wait until our next lesson as there is paperwork I need to do before then in order for this trip to take place). If I don't have your slip by the end of this week, you will not be able to go on the trip.

Effective research brainstorm

After looking at a Level 4 blog, here are the features you decided constituted Level 4 research:

Research section - Self-assessment

You are going to self-assess the work you have done so far - using the table below, which is based on the exam board mark scheme. 

You have to look at what is currently on your blog, but an X in the box that best describes how well you have done each element and then add any comments/targets in the last collumn. These targets will then be your homework. I will mark your blogs following our lesson tomorrow (Tues 18th Nov), so you have until then to make sure everything is up to date and as good as it can be.

For an idea of the kind of level you are looking to achieve, here is an example of a blog that got a Level 4 for Research and Planning: http://thrillerblog2011.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Element	Missing	Minimal /Incomplete	Basic / Partially complete	Proficient	Excellent	Comments/ Targets
Initial work
Jelly Babies film opening
Jelly Babies film opening deconstruction
Preliminary task
Research notes on 180° rule
Research notes on match-on-action
Research notes on shot/ reverse-shot
Research notes on panning shot
Research notes on tilt
Research notes on hand-held filming
Storyboard
Preliminary task video
Preliminary task deconstruction
Research for main task
Film credits analysis
Analysis of Sophie Barrett’s Level 2 video
Analysis of Level 4 video
Genre conventions analysis

Work for Thursday 13th November - genre conventions

I'm sorry that I won't be in our lesson on Thursday. Please see the blog posts below re: the analysis of a Level 4 video we started in our last lesson and the trip to the Oxfordshire Schools Film Festival on Thursday 27th November.

In today's lessons, in your groups:

• decide what genre of film you want to do for your coursework practical
• define the genre conventions of films within that genre (what things do you expect in terms of plot, characterisation, filming, sound/music, etc?)
• find clips on YouTube that show examples of each of these genre conventions and explain what mood they create and how they impact on the audience

Trip to Oxfordshire Schools Film Festival: Thursday 27th November

Make sure you get your parent/carer to complete the consent form for the trip to the Oxfordshire Schools Film Festival at Wheatley Park on Thursday 27th November. NO SLIP, NO TRIP.

If you haven't got a letter, please come and get one from me ASAP.

You will need to make your own way to and from the venue. I will meet you at Main Reception no later than 9:00am. The festival ends at 12:30pm, at which point you will have to make your own way back to school - there will be plenty of time for you to get back in time for P5 at 1:30pm.

Transport
The U1 bus will take you from London Road/Headington to the nearest bus stop to Wheatley Park (it's the one just before the turn-off for the A40).

Here is a map of how to get from that bus stop to Wheatley Park.

Equipment and Expectations
You will need to bring pen and paper to make notes throughout the day, And, needless to say, you are expected to conduct yourselves with the maturity, courtesy and respect that you'd expect of a group of A-level students.

Level 4 analysis

As a counterpoint to the low-level videos we have watched in class, please do an analysis of this Level 4 video, done by a group of Cheney students a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JsRsSmRSv8 

Use the mark scheme from my previous blog post to analyse what they have done well for the FOUR elements you are marked on for your final piece:

• titles
• sound
• filming
• editing

As always, make sure you write your analysis up as a blog post.

Photographer needed

The Cheney Rowing Team are in need of a photographer. If you are interested, please contact Katherine Smart. It would be a great way to practise your skills and would be a useful addition to a portfolio if you were looking to apply to an arts or photography course/degree.

Blogger checklist

Here is a outline of what you should have on your blogs at this point. Please make sure ALL of this is done AND posted onto your blog (if it isn't on the blog, it doesn't exist) by our next lesson (Tues 11th Nov). NO EXCUSES.

Initial work

• Jelly Babies film opening (embedded video)
• Jelly Babies film opening deconstruction

Preliminary Task

• Research notes on:
• 180° rule
• match-on-action
• shot/reverse-shot
• panning shot
• tilt
• zoom
• hand-held filming
• Storyboard
• Preliminary task video (embedded YouTube video)
• Preliminary task deconstruction (including screen shots from your preliminary task)

Research

• Film credits analysis (five films from five different genres): embed the YouTube video and make notes on:
• Sound/Music
• Visuals
• Font
• How it establishes genre
• Analysis of Sophie Barrett's Level 2 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rdeENt8a0Zc
• Make a list of mistakes that Sophie makes (that you aren't going to make in your production)
• Identify where she does demonstrate the skills needed in the practical element of the coursework (see the mark scheme in earlier post)

Embedding YouTube videos into a blog post

If you want to embed YouTube videos into a blog post, here is a video that shows you how:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnuwB35GYMY

Some good examples of AS coursework videos

Here is a link to some examples of genuine student videos from AS coursework portfolios. There is a range of quality so you can start to see what makes a really good piece of work:
http://ocrmediastudies.weebly.com/coursework-with-levels.html

Another top band AS video:
http://yaleblock1mediaproject.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Here is a top band piece by a group of Cheney students a couple of years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JsRsSmRSv8

A low band video (for what NOT to do):
http://www.chrisadamschrisadams.blogspot.co.uk/



Have a look at these in relation to the practical coursework mark scheme:

LEVEL 1: 0–23 marks

The work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the creative use of any relevant technical skills such as:

• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

LEVEL 2: 24–35 marks

There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical skills:

• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

LEVEL 3: 36–47 marks

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:

• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

LEVEL 4: 48–60 marks

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Film opening credit - genre analysis

Create a blog post or each of the films you analysed over half-term:

• include the YouTube clip
• write up your notes on:
• Sound/Music
• Visuals
• Font
• How it establishes genre