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.