20th December 2013

See how up-to-date you are and I expect every one in the New Year to be completely green!
Work really hard over the festive period to get as much filming done as you can.
Merry Christmas and see you in 2014!

13th December. Are you up to date?

CD packaging

Below are some very simple CD designs. Does your chosen artist choose a simple CD design or do they favour a more complex booklet design? Why?

















Again you will have to analyse three from your chosen artist using the same criteria for analysis as with your magazine advert. Remember to analyse the back and front and the image used to print on the actual CD.
Please select three different CD covers for your chosen artist and analyse them in terms of:

• Colour
• Costume
• Brand Identity
• Layout and positioning, including combination of text and image
• Shot choice
• Framing
• Lighting
• Location
• Font choice
• Language choices

Magazine adverts for albums and singles

Below are three very different magazine adverts for albums and singles. Why do you think they are so different? What do they connote about their artist?
Please select three different album/single magazine adverts for your chosen artist and analyse them in terms of:

• Colour
• Costume
• Brand Identity
• Layout and positioning, including combination of text and image
• Shot choice
• Framing
• Lighting
• Location
• Font choice
• Language choices

Shooting schedule

The Christmas holidays are a lovely time to relax and spend quality time with family and friends. However, if you're an A-Level Media student it is also a brilliant time to get some shooting done!
In order to do this please produce a shooting schedule for the holidays. They should look something like this:

6th December How up-to-date are you?

Actors and props

You now need to show how you are organising your actors and props.
Props:
You need to create a post which explains which props you are going to use and why. Explain why you are going to use a particular object or a particular colour for an object.
For example, why do Foo Fighters use a red screen and police helmets/uniforms with numbers on them in their music video for 'The Pretender'. Is it because they are trying to connote the idea of individuality versus conformity and the re screen shattering being the blood, anger and violence that the individual has to go through to 'pretend' to fit into society? You need to consider these connotations of your props and what possible meanings your audience will deconstruct.

Actors:
You will need to go through a similar exercise with your choice of actors. Upload photos of them and explain why they are your choice. "Because they are free and willing to do it" is not a good enough reason!
For example, why did The Chemical Brothers choose Christopher Walken to star in their music video for 'Weapon of Choice'. Did they choose him because he connotes a bored business man waiting for his room to be cleaned or his life to improve? Did they choose him because his face and hair are weathered and grey and it looks like he needs a weapon of choice to survive his dull life? Did they choose him because his previous acting roles have always been quite individual and surprising just like the surprise in the video that this unseeming man turns into a flying, dancing, singing hero?

Please explain EACH idea as in-depth as you can.

Yipee, some of you are turning yellow. Finally!!

Learning how to use iMovie

You'll notice on my checklist that I have added a column between your rough cut and audience testing. In order to complete the iMovie learning task/column, you will need to upload to your blog what you have learnt about using iMovie from completing your rough cut.
You will need to use the following headings in order to complete this effectively:

• Importing audio and visuals
• Using the keyboard to manipulate audio/visuals
• Clipping and trimming
• Using transitions
• Layering audio and visuals
• Including text
• Advanced features of iMovie (including effects, using the map tools)

Please include screen shots to show your editing learning journey!
Work hard,

Mrs S

Are you up-to-date 22nd November?

More iMovie help

These are particularly good as they deal with audio editing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR22ELOe4mA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXuT8Nel-7I

Beyond the basics with iMovie 09

The below three videos will help you move beyond the basics with iMovie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=867BT573eYc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l90ovqsaTyQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbPXEqr751E

iMovie 09 Editing Basics

The following video is only 6 minutes long and will really help you with editing basics such as trimming your footage and how to view your footage in detail.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KHwiCTMyJE

Costume ideas

You need to consider the costume for all of your actors/performers in your music video. Put images on to show what you are describing. Remember to consider fashion choices, colour choices and details right down to tiny pieces of jewellery. You must explain your costume choices as well as describing them. For example, if you want your lead character to change from a 'red dress in 1940s style' to a 'black dress, slashed at the shoulders' make sure you explain why the costume changes have been made.
Again, remember to refer back to your artist's music videos to investigate their costuming first.
Mrs S

18th November-how close are you to filming your music video?

Get your rough cuts done! That is all!

Storyboarding

Now you have audience feedback from your rough cut you can use this to polish your ideas for your final music video storyboard.
Your storyboard needs to include images you would like to shoot, timings of how long you want each scene to last, camera work including angles and movements, such as panning or tracking, and transitions you want from each scene. I think at least 2 A3 pages need to be used in order to make it detailed enough.
Your storyboard should be so detailed that anyone who reads it could use it to film your video.
Work really hard now as we only have 5 weeks until the Christmas break and all of your filming and most of your editing will be complete by then.
Mrs S

Are you up to date on 15th November?

Are you up to date?
Well done to all of the students who are now up to date. Some of you are working very hard. You must all now get your rough cuts and audience testing complete before you can move onto the next phase.

Are you red, yellow or green? 11th November

Rough Cut

Over the half term, I would like you to create a rough cut of your initial ideas. What is a rough cut I hear you cry? A rough cut is a draft run of your filming. You should use your initial ideas to film as much as you can. You should not end up with a polished finished video, but you should end up with a piece of film that you can practice editing on Friday 9th November.
You can use a school video camera, your own video camera or even a mobile phone to record. You will need to make sure you can upload your filming to the macs.
A rough cut can also be used to get audience feedback to make sure you do not produce something that your target audience just don't like! Put your rough cut on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and your artist's webpage and get as much feedback as you can. This feedback will be invaluable in your drafting process.
Work hard over half term.
Mrs S

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBNcF0kjekQ
This is an example of a rough cut music video from a real band.

Are you up to date? 25th October

Whoops! Quite a few of us are turning red. Despite red being the colour of Christmas it does not make me feel jolly.
I like the colour green, so get working hard over half term to make you get the green light from me!
Mrs S

Audience Testing

So, once you have completed your initial ideas please test them on your target audience. Get audience feedback via youtube, facebook, twitter and perhaps the artist's webpage.
Make sure you write up and analyse the feedback you receive and start to use the feedback to refine your initial ideas.

Work hard.
Mrs S

Are you red, yellow or green?

18th October. Are you up-to-date?

Initial ideas for your music video

Right! You've chosen your artist and the track and now you need to consider lots of initial ideas for your music video. Remember to include a debate/discussion of:

• Is it going to be narrative or performance based? Why?
• A few narrative plot ideas. Why?
• Location ideas-and any benefits or problems with those locations. Why?
• Some camera shot ideas. Why?
• Some camera trickery ideas (e.g. panning, two shots, tracking). Why?
• Any special effects? Why?
• Costuming ideas. Why?
• Prop ideas. Why?
• Actors needed including your reasons for selection

You might want to include screenshots of drawings and photos of props and locations.
Remember these are just initial ideas that you will test out before refining down your ideas.
Work hard.
Mrs S

Analysis of track lyrics

You have now chosen the track that you want to produce the music video for. Please analyse the lyrics and title of the track. Make sure you analyse this in-depth. Think about imagery and symbolism created by the words the artist has chosen. This should look a lot like you have analysed a poem. If you get stuck consider the following: repetition, assonance (sounds), sibilance, alliteration, rhyme scheme.
Good luck and work hard!
Mrs S

Directors' previous music videos

Your chosen artist has probably worked with one or two other music video directors. Research them. Find out their typical style, which other artists they have worked with and analyse the most popular music videos they have produced. Make sure your analysis is at A-Level standard. Use the work we did on the Daft Punk and Madonna music videos as an example.

14th October Are you up to date?

Name	Blog	QWC	Performance/narrative analysis	Notes from class	Initial Music video analysis	Consideration of artists	Consideration of tracks	Artist’s star image	Artist’s target audience
Natalie	Y	N-spelling mistakes	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N
Annabel	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Louise C	Y	Y	1/2	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Shazida	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Toni	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	1/2	N
Parris	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Richard	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	1/2	N	N
Nathan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
George	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N
Louise W	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	1/2	1/2	N	N