Happy New Year!

Greetings from Oxford!

Just a quick note to say keep up the hard work, this is the last leg of your A Level and I will be checking up on you from time to time just to be nosey!

All the best!
KW

Practical Production Deadline

Just a quick reminder that your deadline for your music videos is MONDAY 1st DECEMBER

You should all now be well into editing and ensuring your production logs are up to date!

Please take some time to look through the music video links on the blog - they are very useful.

KW

Time to start using the Music Video links!

You are almost ready to begin storyboarding so I suggest you begin be looking at the related links on music videos!

KW

ps: remember, you no longer have a lesson on Monday, this is now a double with me on Tuesdays!

Goodbye Again

We are now close enough to the end of the year for me to confirm that Yes I am leaving at the end of this school year i.e Thursday 24th July.

I will keep in touch through visits to the blogs. But from here on in the Blogs are no longer mine.


Dermot White

BYE BYE.

Year 13 has been and gone.
Please keep in touch with us.Let us know what great and wonderful things you are up to.

Missing you already.

DW/KW

'You can't be topical in a monthly'

ThosE preparing for the Magazine Industry exam will find it useful to read this interview with the editor of MARIE CLAIRE The article is from Monday's Media Guardian section and it contains some very useful opinions about the market.

DW

Sci-Fi Season on Film Four

How's this for timing?

Film Four's Sci Fi season starts this Monday (21st April) for two weeks, I suggest you find out which films are being aired by clicking on the title for a link to the listings. I have seen ads for the following:

The 5th Element (focus film)
The Fly (focus film)

Ideal chances to test your knowledge of the genre!

K Ward.

Reaction to ABC mag Circulation 2nd half 2007

"ABC's magazine circulation results for the second half of 2007, out last week, arrive full of blighted hopes and clouded futures. Are young men, oozing testosterone, the key to the future? Not when you see Loaded down 30 per cent in a year, Maxim 40 per cent, and Nuts and Zoo 8.9 per cent and 12.8 per cent off the pace respectively."
Peter Preston-The Observer,Sunday February 17 2008 Read the whole very relevant article here.

DW

Music Video Essays

All the first drafts have now been handed back so you must redraft during half term.

Here are some links that should be useful in this process:
1-The 3 part plan
2-Goodwins Music video analysis
3-Todorov and media writing.

DW

Titles change hands

Emap has completed the sale of its consumer media business, including leading magazines Grazia and FHM, to H Bauer for £714.3 million, following a majority shareholder vote last week.

Read more here.

DW

Minute by Minute.

BAFTA AND ORANGE'S “60 SECONDS OF FAME”

Want to decide who from your region walks the red carpet at this year’s Orange British Academy Film Awards?

Over the last 3 months, budding filmmakers across the UK have been shooting 60 second films for BAFTA and Orange’s “60 Seconds of Fame” short film challenge. Now the best films from each of the 15 BBC nations and regions, as chosen by expert BAFTA panels, have been short listed HERE. BAFTA is inviting you to have your say and visit the website to vote for your favourite film from your region. The filmmaker with the most votes in each of the 15 BBC nations and regions will win two tickets to the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2008.
DW

Gossip magazines.

Unvarnished versus airbrushed


"Don't get sniffy about gossip magazines. When it comes to attitudes towards women, the affectionate fun they poke at imperfect starlets beats the servile deference of the upmarket glossies every time"... says Julie Burchill in the Guardian. Read the full article by clicking here.

A2 Conference

Unfortunately the conference on 28th February has been cancelled, I am trying to find an alternative event.

Sorry!

KW

Magazine Industry-Media issues and debates

The Icon magazine mentioned in today's lesson can be found here.

You need to read this article from The Observer before next lesson.

The examiners report from June 2007 is worth a read and their comments on the magazine questions can be found here.


DW

The Home Run

Exams over.This is it.
The last part of A2 begins.
The Magazine industry will be under the spotlight in Mr White's lessons.
Can I remind you all to get the Guardian on a Monday. Last week there was an excellent supplement on NMT (Which some of you used for the resit prep.)This week (Jan 21st) there was a very interesting article about the magazine industry. You can find it here.

Read it before next lesson.

DW

EXTENSION-JAN24TH

UPDATE!
Because I'm great and you have exams, I have decided to give you a small extension on your supporting account, your new hand in date is
THURSDAY 24TH JANUARY (BY 4PM)

Do not ask for anymore time as the answer will be no!

KW

Critical research -Final stage

Click here for some examples of how other people answered the Crit Research exam.
Be patient and scroll down the document to see the exemplar material.

Click here for the examiners comments on Question 1-well worth reading in full.

Click here for the examiners comments on Question 2-It even comments on the different topics.Well worth reading.

DW

Critical Research

If you do not have a submission form for your exam notes you need to see me asap! Some of you were absent for the masterclass when we filled them out.

Click here for longroad media's guide to filling out the form.

Click here for some suggestions about how to tackle Question 2.



KW/DW

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a happy and well deserved Christmas break! Now for the horrible bit - I need to see ALL of your Critical Research notes completed by the end of this week, no excuses!
If you don't run them by either Mr White or myself, I will seriously consider withdrawing you from the exam because you will be very unprepared! I have also checked your blogs and the majority of you need to update!

KW

Year 13-Music Vids-Finished

Updated Dec 20th
The 1st one FINISHED is-from Namarata K,Chloe D, Cyrus M for The Paddingtons -Molly's Lips.


The 2nd one is from Navneeta. Georgia,Alec and Mateusz for Lily Allen- Everything's just wonderful..


The 3rd one is from Nathan S,Curtis A, Pavitar b for Lyfe Jennings-Greedy

The 4th one is from Kieran,Akil,Tamara for PINK - Dear Mr. President.


The 5th one is from Mazamal A,Kavita C, Ranjith D,Mark C for Linkin park- Leave out all the rest.

It only takes a minute...

Want to enter the ultimate short film challenge where 15 lucky winners will attend the Orange British Academy Film awards on 10 February 2008?
Visit here for more.

DW

Media box-Money

Mediabox offers those aged 13-19 living in England grants to make creative media projects for film, television, radio, online, print and multi media platforms.

Click the title 'Mediabox-Money' for more.

T Biggs Mills -yr13

Music and Editing.

There has been lots of talk about the chocolate advert featuring the gorilla. Here are 2 re-edited versions and the original. Watch them a few times and think about the music and editing.






Dw

TyLer JAMES-RESOURCES

We have a number of excellent documents used to make this video. We have the directors concept, the storyboard,the visuals (the look), the shotlist and the lyrics.

To access them you need to go to the shared school folders, find the media folder,click on the yr 13 media folder, then on the music video folder then on the tyler james folder.

You can also read the concept here

dw

Some interesting Videos.

The first one is from Nelly Furtado...it has a v 80's feel. (Click the title 'Some interesting Videos' for more interesting videos.)BECK



This one is DCS

This one is for Tamara/Akil/Kieran



BECK

dw

Another 'best video of all time award!'

Queen won this poll commissioned by O2 to mark their sponsorship of the best video category at the 2007 Q Music Awards, taking place in London on Monday.
This is part one of a Bohemian Rhapsody documentary .
The other parts can be found here here here here
and here


Click on the title 'Another 'best video of all time award!' for more.

DW

So, you think you are talented?

Here's an interesting opportunity for those keen to work in media. T4 are offering you the chance to work as a photographer/journalist/music video director/fashion tailor/presenter or rapper.

You need to be over 16. For more info and the details of how to apply before SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7TH click on the title 'So, you think you are talented?'.

DW

Tips and Tricks.

Now that the planning is well underway and you have had the opportunity to experiment with iMovie I think it is time to introduce some tips and tricks.

There are lots of sites out there dedicated to iMovie guidance and Macworld.com is one such site.

Click on the title 'Tips and Tricks' to have a read of some useful info from them.

DW

Animatic

When you have completed your research,treatment and storyboard you will need to produce an anamatic of your music video. This example shows you how simple this is- film your storyboard-. It allows you to tweek the storyboard and it should mean that the filming and editing is a more 'straightforward' process.


Click on the title 'Animatic' for more.

DW

Writing about Music Video

This video is similar to David Lynch's film and TV series Twin Peaks and follows the investigation of a young woman's strangulation by a white scarf. Richard Marx is the owner of the scarf, and the song is his story and protestations of innocence...
Read more analysis of the video by clicking on the title 'Writing about Music ...


DW

How (not) to make a music video?

Watch it closely. Then decide whether you will use the 5 steps.

Click on the title 'How (not) to make a music video?' for a link to the 'IMDB' for music videos.

DW

Music video

So, A new blog 'especially for you'.(Spot the song titles.)
Due to the sheer amount of useful information,links and exam info on the original blog we have decided to start this offshot to the main media blog. This blog is yours and the main one will focus on the wonderful yr 12's.

Have a look at these 3 videos in preparation for your A2 Production.








Click on the title 'Music video'for Wikipedia Music video History.

DW

Critical research advice.

Critical Research: Examiner Advice
The points below are taken from the overall report by examiners of media studies so they’re definitely worth paying close attention to! They are all specifically about the critical research unit.

Generally answered well however the following points were noticeable:
• Many candidates spent valuable time writing up to two sides explaining why they chose the topic and their focus area. Limited marks can be gained from this.
• While it was pleasing to see more reflection and evaluation in most candidates’ work, this was often very general and not specific to actual methods or sources that the candidate had used. Many candidates had not been taught the difference between reflection and evaluation.
• Many candidates did not reference their sources but talked generally about newspapers, websites & books.
• Some candidates explained and evaluated a range of methods, but cited only one source for each. A range of sources, where possible, should be cited.
• Explanation of logistic was often unclear. Phrases such as ‘I stumbled across..’ or ‘I was lucky to bump into..’ suggest a haphazard, rather than a logical and well planned, approach.
• There was an increased use of observation as a primary method and this was rarely appropriate, and often simply anecdotal, for example - ‘I observed that a lot of the people I know who do drugs listen to hip hop’.
• When addressing their sources, very few candidates really understand the difference between bias and balance.

Click on the title for Misbourne Critical research links.