Wednesday, 12 July 2017

AS into A2!

As I told you this morning I have looked at all your blogs [well those that had anything on them anyway!] and given you a summary of findings in class.

To summarise what you should have on your blogs before you return in September:
  1. An analysis of an existing Film Poster - identifying key conventions [DENOTATION] and explaining their use and effectiveness [CONNOTATION] [see earlier post with example]
  2. Your own poster for your horror film AND an analysis of it.
  3. An analysis of a film review for a magazine [see earlier post with example]
  4. Your own film review AND an analysis of it.
  5. I will be showing you this Film Noir documentary in class tomorrow. Afterwards you need to do a post of your own of Key Conventions of the Film Noir genre [or is it a style??] [also see earliest(?) post on this blog] WITH images and / or short clips illustrating the key ideas.
  6. Finally, do some research into the History of Film Noir, put the research with examples of films on a post.
Here is the link to the documentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpBC3BUpbHc if it fails just type in PBS American Cinema Film Noir narrated by John Lithgow.

And have a great summer all of you, I will miss you.
Mrs Scales

Thursday, 30 March 2017

Final push

Mr Mottershead is very kindly available on Tuesday 11th to open up the Mac Room [K4] and he will have told you what time.


The ABSOLUTE deadline is 9 a.m. Monday 17th April so that we can moderate when we get back to school. And yes, EVERYTHING has to be finished by that date.

Helpful hints for your film review and poster

The internet has a wealth of examples so use it - type in film poster [or review] analysis - and then click on images to see a range of examples - some good some basic! Remember not all are A level standard!


Here are screen shots of some of those I found:




There are also some slideshare presentations like these:



Remember you have to analyse existing examples yourself and then use the same conventions for a similar vehicle [ie magazine or billboard / bus stop etc]
Also remember that for both, you need to show your research and the final product along with a quick evaluation [remember one of the evaluation questions is the continuity between the ancillary products and the film itself.]
For the film review you need to discuss the magazine your review is going into. Maybe house style, use of language or register, purpose or intent of the review within the magazine, bear in mind the target audience of the magazine.
For the poster you need to consider where exactly will your poster be seen, by whom and what you need to think about regarding what you can show.




Tuesday, 14 March 2017

Marking criteria for G324



G324 Advanced Portfolio in Media
Research and Planning
Minimal Level 1         0–7 marks                          Basic Level 2          8–11 marks                                                             Proficient Level 3        12–15                                   Excellent Level 4         16–20    
·         There is minimal research into similar products and a potential target audience.
·         There is minimal organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props.
·         There is minimal work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding.
·         Time management may be very poor.
·         There is minimal care in the presentation of the research and planning.
·         There is minimal skill in the use of digital technology or ICT in the presentation.
·         There are minimal communication skills.

Marking Criteria for Evaluation
Each candidate will evaluate and reflect on the creative process and their experience of it. Candidates will evaluate their work electronically. The format of the evaluation has some flexibility and its form can be negotiated between teacher and student: it may take place with individual candidates or with the production group as a whole, or each individual candidate or production group may make a formal or informal presentation to the whole class.
The questions that must be addressed in the evaluation are:
1.    In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

2.    How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

3.    What have you learned from your audience feedback?

4.    How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Minimal Level 1     0–7 marks             Basic Level 2        8–11 marks                                                        Proficient Level 3           12–15                    Excellent Level 4      16–20
·         There is minimal understanding of the forms and conventions used in the productions.
·         There is minimal understanding of the role and use of new media in various stages of the production.
·         There is minimal understanding of the combination of main product and ancillary texts.
·         There is minimal understanding of the significance of audience feedback.
·         There is minimal skill in choice of form in which to present the evaluation.
·         There is minimal ability to communicate.
·         There is minimal use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation.
Film/Television/Video
Marking Criteria for the Media Text
In this piece of work, in terms of production 40 marks will be allocated to the main task and 10 marks each for the two ancillary tasks. In arriving at these marks, centres should use the relevant mark scheme below for whichever media is being assessed. Within the section of the main task, centres should consider the relationship between the tasks and ensure that a sense of brand identity across the package is evident. This should be taken into account at this stage.
Where candidates have worked in groups, the teacher is asked to indicate clearly on the mark sheets any differences in the contributions made by each individual to the group’s work. The teacher should also make clear on the mark sheet the quality of the brand identity across the package as a whole.
In arriving at a level, teachers are advised to adopt a ‘best fit’ approach.                           Main Task
Subsidiary Task
Level One
0 – 14 marks
0 – 3 marks
Level Two
15 – 23 marks
4 – 6 marks
Level Three
24 – 31 marks
7 – 8 marks
Level Four
32 – 40 marks
9 – 10 marks




Level 1                        Minimal
Work likely to be unfinished.
There is evidence of minimal ability in the creative use of any of the following technical skills:
·         the ability to hold a shot steady;
·         framing a shot appropriately;
·         using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
·         shooting material appropriate to the task set;
·         selecting mise-en-scène;
·         editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer;
·         using varied shot transitions, captions and other effects selectively and appropriately;
·         using sound with images and editing appropriately.
Where a candidate has worked in a group, there is only minimal evidence of a contribution to construction.
Level 2                                  Basic
Level 3                                  Proficient
Level 4                                  Excellent

Tuesday, 7 March 2017

A few words about the ancillary tasks for your course work

You need to produce 2 additional items to your film each worth 10 marks.
  1.  A film poster
  2. A film review for a print magazine.
Regarding the Film Poster: if working in a group I recommend you each choosing a different place / location and audience. For the Film Review, again, I recommend each of you choose a different magazine and audience for the review.


Both artefacts are to be found on your blog, we do not need hard copies!


Both will need to show evidence of research into similar products done - so analyse 2 film reviews from different magazines, and a range of posters - perhaps from different eras. And then analyse your own finished products and show how you took inspiration from existing examples. Please ensure any wording is readable! Check that you have understood and applied the conventions for these items.
[look on the internet for examples - you will find many student examples choose wisely!]


These have to be completed as with the rest of the work by 16th April. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Thursday, 9 February 2017

Evaluation Questions

G324 A2 Production Coursework guidelines and Evaluation questions


Production work for the main text in the Advanced Portfolio may be in the same medium as AS work (in order to allow for the development of skills within a particular medium) or a different medium (in order to allow for breadth of experience of different media forms). The ancillary tasks will ensure that all candidates have the opportunity to explore a different medium at some point in their production work.
The production element and presentation of research, planning and evaluation may be individual or group work (maximum group size is four candidates). Where candidates have worked in a group, the evidence for assessment may be presented collectively but centres will still assess candidates on an individual basis for their contribution to aspects of the work, from planning, research and production to evaluation.
Though there is no formal individual essay component for this unit, in the G325 examination, candidates will be asked to write about the work undertaken from this unit and from the AS coursework unit. It is therefore recommended that candidates undertake some form of written reflection as practice for the exam.
G324 is marked and internally standardised by the centre and marks are submitted to OCR by a specified date, a sample is then selected for external moderation. The unit is marked out of a total of 100 marks: 20 marks for the planning and research and its presentation; 60 marks for the construction [40 for the main product and 10 each for the two ancillary products]; 20 marks for the evaluation.
All students please note:
In the evaluation the following questions must be answered:
  • In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


  • How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?


  • What have you learned from your audience feedback?


  • How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Please note that although you need to answer these questions on your blog and they are worth 20 marks, you will also need to assess your various pieces of coursework in the exam too. So it is well worth doing this well!

Tuesday, 17 January 2017

Notes from the Film Noir Course at the Arts Theatre Cambridge

Genre or Style?


Genre defined by conventions: narrative / plot structures / character archetypes / iconography /conservative and cynical mood.


Style defined by cinematic techniques: lighting [high contrast and sharp] / mise en scene / sound / background very important / camera put in unusual places / imbalances - these last came from Weimar cinema and out of the era of Expressionism.


Expressionism originated in Germany, linked death and sex.


Women as Femmes Fatales or as redeemers; promise of sex or security; take advantage of male weakness caused by war. Feminism was a by-product of defeat in war; men not happy. Women sexualised on screen and made sexual criminal. Binary oppositions - attraction and repulsion.


Male Gaze - audience put in position of male viewer, sexualising women on screen.


Historical Context: patriarchy upset post-war; popularity of pulp fiction; gender tensions; the monstrous outsider - immigration post-war into America.


The Hays Code - 1930s. No detail on the crime being committed [see Double Indemnity]; time limit on kissing; sex and violence alluded to but shown as wrong.


Blinds - visually like a trap.


Narrative Structure - flashbacks and / or voice-overs; non-linear ie not ABCDE but more often EABCD.


Voice-over creates a 'doppleganger' as if the character has been split in two - we see them making mistakes and hear them commenting on them..