Summary of news articles relevant for Audience, Institution & Distribution question on digital technology

Average movie ticket prices have gone up.

·        3D and iMax are more expensive and have pushed average prices up.

·        A lot of success for 3D films recently.

·        In 2013, average ticket prices hit an all-time high.

The future for film has already been written

·        It is now possible to make films at a low cost.

·        Competition for audiences is fragmented (broken up) over multiple platforms e.g. games, online, TV.

·        The film industry has changed due to changes in audience behaviour.

·        The growth of social media has created a new audience – no longer passive but active creators, collaborators, distributors and even financiers of film.

Disney movies anywhere

·        Disney have launched a digital movie locker – which allows users to store and stream digital versions of films.

·        Allows users to buy a Disney, Marvel or Pixar film a single time to access on smartphone, tablet, computer or internet TV.

·        Codes unlock digital copies + extra bonus features.

·        Keychest is giving Ultraviolet a run for its money by offering extras.

·        Currently only available on Apple TV, iPhone and iPad.

·        Customers need an iTunes account to access it.

·        Disney didn’t sign up for Ultraviolet and seemed behind but now they have caught up.

End of film

·        Paramount pictures has become the first major studio to stop releasing movies on film.

·        ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ is the first major studio film that was released all digitally (there were no film copies).

·        This is likely to encourage other studios to do the same.

·        In 2011, Disney issued a warning to theatre operators that it would stop distributing films within a year or two.

·        Theatres are installing satellite systems to digitally beam films into cinemas.

·        Digital technology allows cinemas to screen higher priced 3D films.

·        92% of cinemas in America have already converted to digital.

 

How digital cinema works

·        Digital production – quality is better than film, easier and cheaper.

·        Main obstacle is nostalgia for film + familiarity.

·        Digital means less work for distribution companies so their workforce would get smaller.

·        Piracy is easier with digital films.

·        Money is an obstacle - $150,000 to convert a theatre to digital – which will put many smaller cinemas out of business.

·        Production + distribution companies save millions in switching to digital.

·        Audiences prefer the look of digital.

·        Convergence of home entertainment technology and professional theatre technology means audiences can have the cinema experience at home.

·        Digital provides opportunities to improve surround sound, varied programing and interactive cinema.

Coursework evaluation

Tomorrow period 2 we will be looking at how to set up your coursework evaluation and looking at some examples of previous candidates' work and ideas for presenting their evaluation using a range of different media.

The blogs we are going to look at are:

http://thrillerblog2011.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Evaluation

http://bethberrettrc.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/evaluation-1-in-what-way-does-our-media.html

http://ashleighhayrc.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/evaluation-of-finished-production_2590.html

http://charlielandrc.blogspot.co.uk/

All these blogs post their responses to the evaluation questions in order (question 1 being the oldest post and question 7 the newest) and use one blog post per question. They consistently imbed images, PowerPoints (through Slideshare), Prezis and screen shots of the editing functions - although the answers are comprehensive and detailed (like an essay).

Evaluating Our Constructs and Performance Week Reminder

Hi year 12,


This week we will be focusing on EVALUATION of our Media Constructs. We are going to look at ways of presenting our answers to the seven key questions to show off our skills in using Media Technologies.

Click on the link below and look at the EVALUATION and FINAL PRODUCT sections to gain an insight into the level of detail required to get top marks.

We will go over this together in class.

http://misslowdon.wix.com/as-foundation-portfolio-video#!evaluation/vstc8=page-3

Also, with another Performance Week coming up, I will give you some revision materials to look at for Q1 on Representation in TV Drama. Remember - it's a process and use this opportunity to practice your exam skills: note- taking, time management and building your confidence.

You have the markscheme but it's always useful to remember the three areas where we can gain marks in the exam are (50 marks total = 50 % of exam, 25% of your AS level grade):

 - Choosing examples that are relevant to the question and making sure you write a bit about all FOUR areas (students across the country in sometimes get stuck when writing about editing, so we will look at this together). A maximum of 20 marks.
- Link each point you make back to specific exam question. Analyse the connotations/signifiers and keep linking to REPRESENTATION. A maximum of 20 marks.
- Use key film language correctly (e,g types of shot/edit/sound) and again, make it relevant to the question you're answering...

Mrs Ackerman

Production preparation

Happy New Year, year 12 Media Crew!

We hope you've had a great holiday. I have e-mailed you a call-sheet template for Monday's lesson as we will be using these to help schedule/troubleshoot our production work.

Below is a lonk to a handy website where they have lots of film production advice to aid you in your planning. Have a look and take what you need. I know you're all raring to go. See you on Monday!

http://howtofilmschool.com

Mrs A

Directed Study Task - for Thursday 19th December

We are going to be doing script work on Thursday so can you please have a look at some film scripts on www.imsdb.com in preparation for the lesson so that you are familiar with the style and format of a script prior to writing one for your own film.

DEADLINES/Your AS Level Examination Date for OCR...

...is Friday the 23rd of May, in the morning.
I am excited, because myself and Mr Smith know you will do exceptionally well with a bit of hard work over the next few months.
Coursework should be completed in December with any refinements and analysis done by January.
Then I will continue to work with you on TV Drama and Representation and Mr Smith will work with you on Audiences for Question 2.

Some light reading on Representation to help you prepare for your exams! [Directed Study Task]

Glen Creeber whole text from J Thrasher

Or the text size may be easier for you to read from the SlideShare at this web address:

http://www.slideshare.net/mediamonkeyslides/glen-creeber-whole-text
 

Half-term Independent Study Task - Narrative theory research

As part of your research (make sure you all a research label to all these tasks) you will need to summarise some key narrative theories, and use a film/films you know well in order to demonstrate these theories.

In your research there should be at least a paragraph each devoted to Todorov, Propp, Levi Strauss (not the maker of jeans), and the 'Equlibrium theory'.

Look at PowerPoint presentations on Slideshare to help you.

 

 

Search YouTube for films you have watched and know well. Then try to identify the different stages of the narrative (e.g: Beginning/Exposition, Complication, Climax/Crisis, Resolution) and take a photo of the corresponding scene using the snipping tool.

 



Mr Smith's lesson on Sound & Music in Film

Your learning task (22nd October)

As part of your research, and in order to develop your understanding and awareness of what you will be evaluated on in your blogs, please look at the following OCR AS Media Student blogs:

Kamini

Snehal

Anujan

Imagine you are the OCR Media Studies moderator. Try to predict what each student was awarded  out of 100 marks - with 20 marks for research and planning, 60 marks for construction, and 20 marks for evaluation. The grading bands are as follows:

 

 

• As part of your ongoing research, try to look at as many examples of media students' blogs to 'borrow' ideas - particularly students looking at producing a film opening in the thriller genre!

Research tasks

Can you all have your Hitchcock prezis completed by Tuesday's lesson, so we can embed them into your media blogs as part of your genre research? The other research topics will be on going, but we want to complete the bulk of the research by half-term. We want you to be using a range of different media platforms in order to present your research.

Mr Smith's lesson on Editing

Good Morning Media Crew,

Your homework before our trip to Aardman is to formulate ten questions to ask on the day. The questions could be about the creative process of making Film and Television products, about working in the Media, or about Aardman's ethos as a company.

You could also link your findings to the Thriller genre, as Aardman often play with the conventions in some of their work.



On an unrelated note:


For those of you who want to use I-Web to present your foundation portfolio coursework here's a tutorial if you want to practice in advance:


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44673657/Z%20-%20Wiki/Resources/Software%20Tips%20%26%20Advice/iWeb%20Tutorial%20PDF.pdf

Mr Smith's lesson on conventions of Thrillers

Watch This For Inspiration Before Week 7

As you know, you will be thinking deeply about how to make meaning and atmosphere with music for your Foundation Portfolio film - even if it is only two minutes long.
 Since we analysed the opening shots of "Brick" last week, I have posted (below) an interview with Nathan Johnson, who composed the score for the movie. Remember what we discussed about Independent Cinema? Well, Nathan Johnson tells us just exactly how low-budget he went by creating a "junkyard orchestra." Watch it and be inspired!

http://vimeo.com/4703447

Lesson analysing opening sequence of Luther

Lesson on camera angles, shots and movement

L03 camera work from englishteacheruk

Top Boy Series 1, Episode 1

Lesson on Media language and the Filmmaking rules

Introduction to AS Media Studies lesson

Link to the examples of student work we looked at today

http://misslowdon.wix.com/as-foundation-portfolio-video#!examples-of-final-products

Follow the links on the page above to explore the exemplar videos made by AS Media students.

Homework task:
Choose the opening of one of the thriller films we mentioned.
Write three paragraphs about the clip in a very basic way to show your prior learning before we embark on the media course.
 What makes this film obviously a "thriller" in the opening two mins?
 Can you comment on the use of Sound and Image in the clip you have chosen (think back to our class discussion/evaluation of our sample clips)?

 Does the clip spark any ideas for when you create your own "construction" (the video production)?