Media at University

Click on the title of this post to go to the Higher Education Blog created by the Media department at Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge. It details and comments on a range of media related courses available at different universities around the country. If you're considering studying Media at university, you'll need to think about whether you are more interested in the practical or theoretical side of the subject. Most courses emphasis one approach over the other, though some try to combine the two.

http://longroadmediahecourses.blogspot.com/

A Desire To See Streetcar

This is on now at the BFI. Any Y12's want to go?

http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/a_streetcar_named_desire?utm_source=20081107sb&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20081107sb

Follow this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jheqph2-0sU

Paxman Patronising? Well I never.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/08/us-elections-2008-usa
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/08/dizzee-rascal-paxman-jeremy-bbc
The above article in The Guardian has transcript of Jeremy Paxman's interview with Dizzy Rascal after Obama won the American Presidential Election. Lots of issues to explore here - representation of ethnicity, audience appeal, dumbing down, news and institutional values. . Read the article and reference the points and 'experts' in your exam responses. You can also look at interview on Youtube

Guardian Film Competition

I know the Advanced Production deadline is looming but if any of you feel inspired the Guardian are running a really interesting film competition - the deadline of which is also the 19th December. 1st prize is the chance to be mentored by a top Channel 4 executive and gain experience working for a film or TV production company. Second prize is a Macbook Pro - that's Mr. Gibbs sold on the idea.
If anything check out the site just to read the text written by Mark Ravenhill.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/youtubecompetition

WHERE IS THE BLOODY (chamber) HOMEWORK

Follow the link if you dare. If you do not comply the blood will flow and flow and flow...


http://www.talkingpets.org/?mid=28400639

Films and Other Items to Make You a Fit and Proper Media Student

The good people of 12.22, frustrated at my 'obscure' references, requested that I post a list of film recommendations. I've decided to add the odd great bit of TV drama or TV comedy in the hope that you will search them out, watch and enjoy. Inevitably, not all of the items on this list will appeal to all but hopefully you'll find something to both entertain and challenge you. This list will evolve and grow as more gems come to mind. Be aware that many of these may be 18s certificate or be considered offensive by some members of the community. However, great art often has the potential to offend because great art challenges conventional thought.

For a list of thrillers to look at go to labels on the right hand side of this blog and click on the label "psychological thrillers."

Coen Brother's films: Blood Simple (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Bother Where Art Thou (2000), No Country For Old Men (2007)

Hitchcock Films: Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963), North By Northwest (1959), Vertigo (1958), Rear Window (19540, The Lady Vanishes(1938), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), 39 Steps (1935), Rope (1948)

Stanley Kubrick: Dr. Strangelove (1964), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), 2001 Space Odyssey (1968), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

David Lynch: The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), Twin Peaks TV Series 1&2 (1990-91), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992), The Straight Story (1999)

Woody Allen: Take the Money and Run (1969), Zelig (1983), Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), Hannah and Her Sisters(1986), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

Martin Scorcese: Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Goodfellas (1990), Raging Bull (1980), Casino (1995), Age of Innocence (1993), The Departed (2006)

Francis Ford-Coppola: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather II (1974), Apocolyspe Now (1979)

Classic TV Comedy: Monty Python's Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers, The Day Today, Brass Eye, I'm Alan Partridge, Blackadder, The League of Gentleman, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Classic TV Drama: Prime Suspect, The Sopranos, The Wire, Our Friends In The North, Life on Mars, Pride and Prejudice, Deadwood.

The Bloody Chamber - Close analysis example

Below is an example of close analysis that Ms Georgiou and I have scripted. You will be expected to apply the assessment objectives to this example, then to comment and grade it providing justifications for your choice. These should then be posted on this blog by adding a comment.

**************************************************************************************
Explore how Carter uses a range of techniques to create tension and comment on their effectiveness.

Throughout ‘The Bloody Chamber’ Carter explores the potential for and consequences of female curiosity and independence. This extract presents the reader with the moment at which the narrator is faced with the cost of her desire for knowledge.

When the narrator enters the ‘subterranean privacy’ of the chamber in search of her husband’s ‘soul’, the word ‘subterranean’ develops the demonic characterisation of the Count, beginning the comparison of the chamber with ‘hell’. Carter develops the contrast between the innocence and inexperience of the narrator and the malevolence and sexual ‘depredation’ of her ‘stark’ physical environment as a way of creating a tense, fraught atmosphere for the reader.

“One false step, oh, my poor, dead girl, next in the fated sisterhood of his wives; one false step and into the abyss of the dark you stumbled” p27

Carter’s description of ‘the abyss of the dark’ signifies both the ‘torture chamber’ and her fateful marriage to the Count and for the reader has a greater significance as they too are invited to consider whether the narrator has made the same ‘false step’. Carter structures the narrator’s discovery of her predecessors chronologically which leads the reader to the conclusion that the narrator is the next victim of the Count’s violent sexual desires.

Throughout this collection of short stories, Carter subverts our expectations of traditional images. In the opening of the story the narrator refers to the "unguessable country of marriage" which echoes Hamlet's reference to death. This pairing is revisited in this extract with yet more subversion of traditional symbolism.
"...this skull...had been crowned with a wreath of white roses, and a veil of lace, the final image of his bride"
The link between marriage and death, sex and violence is made explicit here when the narrator sees the extent of the bargain she has entered into and the consequences of sexual curiosity. The word "crowned" suggesting a ritualistic idolisation of the female, whereas the "white roses", traditionally symbolic of love and innocence become reminiscient of the white funerial lillies associated with her husband when described as a "wreath". The final clause of the sentence places emphasis on the word "bride", reminding us and our narrator of her position and possible destiny.

The Bloody Chamber -Mr Gibbs' class.

OMG-we have to do this real quick or we just might have our throats ripped to shreads...!
Task: To produce a 300 word insert that will fit like a glove into the named stories-The Snow Child-The Company of Wolves-The Werewolf. You have the snow white sheet with the detailed suggestions but you may-if you so desire and if you dare, decide upon your own points of digression.
To get the juices flowing you will need to produce the following and number them in the following way:

1-a 50 word proposal that outlines your intentions and all the twists and turns your plot will contain.
2-an outline of the themes, settings, symbols you intend to include.
3-a brief description of the literary devices you will use and their intended effects.

If you fail to post then stay out of the shadow and on the path............

13:51 Hamlet Class THEMES IN HAMLET

Post the work that we have been looking at in class by way of COMMENTS

Momento Homework

Now you've seen the film, you're homework is to discuss what you've seen by posting comments about it. You each have to post at least one comment and keep it clean. I also want to see you trying to use the media terms you've been introduced to so far. So what do I want you to write about? Overall I want you to give your opinion of the film. In particular, I want you to comment on how you feel the use of a non-linear narrative structure and colour impacts on the audience. You should also discuss how you feel the film does or doesn't meet your expectations of a thriller. You're comments should be posted by Wednesday 1st October - before class.

Max Mosley Case

This is a crucial case study to be used when discussing privacy and the press.  Luckily, the Guardian have neatly packaged lots of relevant articles in the one place - click on the title above to start learning about what the case was all about and what the judgement means for how newspapers will act in the future.

Congratulations!

Well done to everyone on their exam results today.  We were really pleased to see that at both A2 and AS you managed to do substantially better than the national average in achieving A grades.  I hope that all of you departing Year 13s manage to get onto your chosen course or into a job that you enjoy.  Do stay in touch.  As for the AS students, enjoy the rest of your holidays and see you in September.

Real Debate

Last night's Richard Bacon programme on 5 Live radio had a really intense debate about the role of newspapers and the news media in a democracy. Tim Luckhurst, who used to edit the Scotsman newspaper and is now Professor of Journalism at the University of Kent made some really forceful arguments in favour of traditional journalism and paid for newspapers as a way of holding government to account and offering readers a properly informed choice because of their investment in fact gathering when news reporting. They differ from blogging and other forms of citizen reporting because of this and their wider perspective. Richard Bacon tried, in vain, to get him to accept that blogging is an equally democratic source of information as it provides readers with a perspective they may not find elsewhere. However, Luckhurst insisted that ultimately blogs tend to be more opinion based and therefore cannot replace proper investigative in holding government to account. Neither can they offer readers the more rounded perspective on issues as they report a story from a very local viewpoint.

You should be able to listen again by clicking on the title above and clicking on Monday's programme. I heard the debate from about two hours into the programme, though it was already in full flow by then. This would be very useful for both Broadcast News and Freedom of the Press.

The Paparazzi Point of View

The Guardian has an interview with Darryn Lyons, who runs Britain's biggest picture agency. They sell paparazzi photos to newspapers and magazines. You may have seen him on TV - the Australian with the multi-coloured mohican. In the interview he offers a range of opinions on the role of his agency and the paparazzi in today's society, claiming that celebrities largely rely on people like him for their careers - including those like Abi Titmus who have deals with the agencies to take a cut of 'paparazzi' shots of them sold to newspapers. Interestingly, he now has a website where members of the public can submit their own photos of celebrities to be published - http://www.mrpaparazzi.com/. The existence of such sites begs the question, how can you regulate 'the press' when it's the public as much as the press industry who are now generating what might be considered invasive images. How does the PCC control how much members of the public 'harrass' celebrities in order to take photos of them?

Past Papers

Click on the title above to go to the OCR's link to past papers for AS and A2 Media Studies......and good luck!

Sci-Fi on Film Four

Film Four - that's the dedicated film channel that is available for free on Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky - are having a Sci-Fi season at the moment, giving you the opportunity to watch three sci-fi movies a night. Check out the details at http://www.channel4.com/film/filmontv/index.html
This is a great opportunity to see everything from 50's shock and B-movies to big budget classics like Fifth Element.
It is studying - so long as you engage your brain and think about the use of generic conventions, how the genre is / isn't moved forward etc.

Real Life Mags - Not So Aspirational

The brother has a blog.....and he doesn't even teach Media. Have a look at his observations regarding a recent 'real life' mag.

Revision Session - Format War (Blu-Ray) Article Questions

As promised, I’ve typed up the questions you wrote in yesterday’s revision session. Overall, they’re quite impressive. Below are the questions relating to the Format War (Blu-Ray) article and you can find the article by clicking on the title of this post. The questions for the Wii article are on another post. Where groups didn’t finish their questions, I’ve put them together those from other groups that didn’t finish. I’ve also allocated marks differently for some questions – where it is obvious that answering the question wouldn’t require 20 marks worth of thought and writing.

There are two ways that you can benefit from this exercise.
1) Complete the answers to the questions under timed conditions – you should allow yourself no more that ½ hour to complete these.
2) Comment on each other’s questions. You may find that in trying to answer the questions that they actually reveal a misunderstanding of the issues or that they could be worded more accurately. You may think that they don’t warrant the amount of marks allocated.Halimo's Group
1a) Identify three advantages of HD DVD (6)
1b) Name 4 pieces of evidence that indicate that Sony is dominant in the market. (8)
1c) Explain what is meant in the passage by:
i) ‘digital convergence’ (3)
ii) ‘high definition’ (3)

2 a) In what ways does the article suggest that format wars impact upon consumerism? (5)
2 b) Using your wider knowledge of NMTs, explain how producers now expect more from producers of technologies. (20)


Samaah’s Group
1a) Name three institutions that are now using Blue Ray? (6)
1b) Give 4 reasons why consumers are switching to Blue Ray? (8)
1c) Explain what is meant by:
i “digital convergence” (3)
ii “pirated” (3)

Danni’s Group
1a) Identify 3 institutions that have decided not to use HD-DVD (6)
1b) State 4 reasons why Sony’s Blue Ray won the Format War (8)
1c) Explain what is meant in the passage by:
i “next generation format war” (lines 8 and 9) (3)
ii “digital convergence a reality” (line 14) (3)

2 a) In what ways does the passage suggest that Sony’s Blue Ray victory affects the market? (5)
2 b) Using your wider knowledge of NMTs, discuss how Blue-Rays future will affect home cinema (20)

Revision Session - Wii Article Questions

As promised, I’ve typed up the questions you wrote in yesterday’s revision session. Overall, they’re quite impressive. Below are the questions relating to the Wii article and you can find the article by clicking on the title of this post. The questions for the Format Wars (Blue Ray) article are on another post. Where groups didn’t finish their questions, I’ve put them together those from other groups that didn’t finish. I’ve also allocated marks differently for some questions – where it is obvious that answering the question wouldn’t require 20 marks worth of thought and writing.

There are two ways that you can benefit from this exercise.
1) Complete the answers to the questions under timed conditions – you should allow yourself no more that ½ hour to complete these.
2) Comment on each other’s questions. You may find that in trying to answer the questions that they actually reveal a misunderstanding of the issues or that they could be worded more accurately. You may think that they don’t warrant the amount of marks allocated.

Rehana’s Group
1a) Name three advantages of the Wii remote? (6)
1b) Give four examples of ways in which consumers are exploiting Wii equipment by using it for unintended purposes. (8)

1c)
i) Explain what is meant by the term “unlocked” and how unlocking impacts on Apple (3)
ii) What is meant by the “homebrewing community”? (3)


2 a) In what ways does the article suggest that the Wii is a revolutionary piece of technology? (5)
2 b) Using your wider knowledge of NMTs, discuss the extent to which audiences influence developments in technology. (20)


Carollee’s Group and Makeda’s Group
1a) Name three advantages of the Wii (3)
1b) Identify the ways in which the Wii attracts audiences (8)

1c)
i) Explain what the writer means by “a game of cat and mouse” (3)

ii) what is meant by a “family game platform”? (3)

2a) In what ways does the passage suggest that an audience are always looking to expand new technology (5)

2b) In what ways does the article suggest that Nintendo is limiting the Wii’s convergence with other technologies (5)

Morrissey Case - Vanilla Views From Now On?

You may have heard about the singer Morrissey winning a defamation case against The Word magazine recently. The Guardian raises the question what the implications of this case will be for reviews in newspapers and magazines. Read the article to find out what the issues are. You should really start commenting on these cases as it will help you develop your arguments for the exam.

Genre Questions

As per discussion here are the Genre questions you came up with. As a form of revision / practice I suggest that you have a go at all of them between now and the end of the course.
Post your attempts as comments with your name on them and write the essay question you are doing at the top of the comment. Mr Meade and I will look through as many as possible so check the blog for feedback.

1) To what extent do genres restrict filmmakers and institutions?
2) Explain why certain genres are just as popular today as they were 50 years ago.
3) How has the development of technology changed genre over time?
4) What are the benefits and limitations of genre to audiences and institutions?
5) What role do generic conventions play in audience appeal?
6) How do generic conventions help or hinder the film industry?
7) "Films should not be categorised by genre, but by their directorial style" Discuss in relation to the concept of film genre.
8) "The defining lines of genre are becoming increasingly blurred causing audience expectations to become confused" Discuss this statement with specific reference to the development of genre over time.
9) How do institutions adapt film gneres to target change in their audiences?
10) What are the limitations and benefits of hybrid genres?

Genre Questions

How far has the development of new technologies impacted on genre?

Remember to build your answer around the key concepts you have studied at Y12 and Y13. If you don't know what they are SHAME ON YOU!

News from Iraq. Is it a Fraud?

Rageh Omaar, a former BBC correspondent in Iraq, details how difficult it is to report the full truth of what is happening in Iraq due to the increasing insecurity in the country. He makes that point that the British public are not getting the full story about what is happening in the country because of the dangers facing Western journalists in the country. Whereas five years ago, at the start of the war, all sorts of journalists, from big Western news outlets like CNN and the BBC to local and independent one, could go report with relative freedom now only those who can afford the massive insurance costs can do so - i.e. big news organisations like the BBC, Sky and CNN. Even so, they report under real constraints, having to be accompanied by large security forces and from within heavily guarded compounds.

Action Adventure Glossary

Let's hear it for the good people at Long Road Media in Cambridge again. They've got a brilliant glossary of terms for Action Adventure movies on their Action Adventure blog (and you thought we were slightly strange for having one blog for the whole cluster). It covers lots of special effect terms which will help you spot different effects when we get back to doing a bit of textual analysis.

Foundation Production - Development of Ideas

Haven't seen you all for a while but I hope you've been busy over half-term, if not filming then at least refining your ideas and plans. I was at an exam board meeting today and saw lots of great student work that I hope you'll all match and surpass. What really excited me - and Mr. Gibbs worries about such excitement - was seeing how easily you could all be keeping track of your ideas and planning by using a blog. This is actually going to be a requirement in future years but for now you can have a look at what the students at Long Road College in Cambridge are doing right now. You can also look at some of their thrillers, or at least rough cuts, by looking through the different pages. I strongly recommend you take a look at this in your down time. We won't have time to go through it in class given your hectic production schedules.

Foundation Production - Audience Research

Right. A few of you have been muscling in on my Year 8 lessons wondering about what to do with the questionnaire for your audience research. So here's the deal.

Ultimate aim: find out information about your audience so that you can be sure your film will appeal to them.




Types of Info:
Demographic (age, gender, ethnicity, social class etc.)

Psychographic (attitudes, beliefs, self-image etc.)

Lifestyle and Media Consumption (hobbies, magazines, films, TV etc that they consume and why)

Opening of Films - specifically ask them about what engages them at the start of a film, stops them from switching it off etc.

Length

General rule of thumb is that it should have enough questions to gather the info that you need but not so many that your respondants would be reluctant to complete it. You may find that between 10 and 20 questions will suffice. We've asked you to have a draft ready for Wedneday, 16th January so that we can have a look at them and help you to refine your questions to the point where you can eke out as much information from as few questions as possible.

If you are reading this let as many others as possible from Year 12 media know about it.