Prelim Task

THE BRIEF, EVALUATION + HOW ITS ALL MARKED

THE BRIEF

Your mission is to carry out the following brief:

Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.
Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.
All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.

The coursework is worth 50% of the AS (same at A2) and the marking (detailed later) is divided into 3 sections:

RESEARCH AND PLANNING: 20%

PRODUCTION: 60%

EVALUATION: 20%

Your work is marked partially on my observations of your approach and level of organisation, but fundamentally its a DVD and your blog that are marked.

EVALUATION

Even before you start shooting (let alone planning) your production, you need to keep this final stage in mind. If you start (b)logging notes on this now it will save you a lot of stress as the final deadline (in May!) approaches. You are tasked with answering these questions (see below for details on how this is marked):

• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? 

• How does your media product represent particular socialgroups?

• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? 

• Who would be the audience for your media product? 

• How did you attract/address your audience? 

• What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? 

• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

HOW ITS ALL MARKED [ie THE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA]

When I'm marking all this, I've got to write a paragraph for the exam board justifying the marks I've given you. The grid embedded below summarises the criteria I have to follow, and so you're advised to occasionally re-read this and ask yourself where you think you'll fall within the marking scheme!
For each section there are key components of the work which I have to assess as being one of the following:

MINIMAL
BASIC
PROFICIENT

EXCELLENT

If you think you're currently at the 'minimal' or 'basic' level for any of these, ask yourself (and me!) what you can do to jump up to at least proficient.

Blog improvements

I have recieved a number of comments from DB on a variety of posts signifying changes and improvements I could make to enable my blog to become better. 

These include:

• Make sure text is NORMAL size and black, not grey. Solid analysis of shot1, but add some semiotic terms. 2+3 you've given the wrong shot type - ask me to go through this with you on Shot types - Les Miserables
• Quite good but I think you could add to and improve on this - and you certainly should add some imagery/links to this on Analysis of This is England figures
• Good. Now highlight terminology. Watch out for presentation issues like blank lines at the end of a post on This is England frame analysis
• Post title? Don't quote my words back at me unless you're clearly setting them out as a quote and providing the source. We discussed this in a lesson and I've added a post with much more you can put in your own words.

I then made the following changes according to the criticism I received from DB:

• On the Shot types - Les Miserables post I have now changed the tables of the shots so they are correct and I have also expanded in each case and gone more in depth.
• On the Analysis of This is England figures post I have now gone more in depth on the the analysis of figures and I have now added some images to enable the post to be more aesthetically pleasing.
• On the This is England frame analysis post I have now changed all semiotic key terms we have learned so far to pink so that they stand out whilst reading. I have also eliminated all the white space at the bottom allowing the post to look more professional. 
• On the Charles Gant's rule post I have now added extra content which is in my words avoiding the idea of plagiarism. I have also quoted the post I received the initial information from.

Les Miserables analysis

Director: Tom Hooper
Released: 2012
Budget: $61,000,000
Gross: $441,800,000
Setting: The film was set in 1700's France in the depth of the French revolution. However it was filmed in England.
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen etc.
Wins: 3 oscars
IMDB

Charles Gant's rule

- What are the key points from Gant's analysis about Working Title in this article?

At first Gant describes Working title as being 'the winner' This refers to the fact that they have the two top slots in the chart momentarily with films Everest and Legend. He describes both films as 'Successfully coexisting in the market' despite the worries of having them release only one week apart. Cant then goes on to state how the perceptions of working title are due to change because of the latest succession they have had in films such as Rush and The Theory of Everything in 2013.

- What 'rule' is Gant famous for, how does it work, and can you find an example in the current or recent UK/US box office which demonstrates this? (look for a rough fit, not mathematical precision) As well as a tag, you'll find a links list on box office (the 2nd one after the tag cloud)

There is a greater multiple than x10 when comparing US and UK box office, but the general point of the vastly larger scale can be seen. There may seem a bit of a mystery then as to why there is less than x10 the screens, but this reflects the much higher ticket prices typically charged in the US (2800 screens v 500). The film is unusual in one regard though: around 75% of the global take is from the USA alone; this has been typically around 50%, but recently has been declining to nearer 40% as China's cinema industry in particular grows in scale. [source]

 This then means that all directors aim there films at an american audience as they believe they will make the most money in America. Therefore they adjust the film to suit the american needs often leaving the film unrealistic. 

This is England frame analysis

• The text is centrally framed to show its importance.
• The picture behind it allows the reader to identify the setting of the film and allows the reader to understand the directors interpretations on what England is really like.
• White bubble font is used which usually signifies childishness and youths. It includes black smudges or holes which signifies an element of decay which is portrayed as representing England as a decaying country in a sense.
• The use of uppercase letters connotes that the title is a statement and that the viewers are forced to interpret England the way the director does. 
• The use of upper case text also anchors the reading that it is a statement.
• The use of a tower block of flats in the background denotes that the film is about working class people.

• The use of an extreme long shot enables the viewers to have a look at a bigger picture and are able to view more of the setting in the frame.
• The setting connotes one of a council estate in a poor working class area.
• The use of graffiti on a church connotes that no respect for authority is shown in that specific area. Also the graffiti states 'Maggie is a twat' which when analysed enables the reader to realise a disrespect for the prime minister and the party in government at that time.
• The vast row of identical small council houses signifies that there are many, many working class people like Shaun and his family.
• The use of an old car denotes that the film is also set in the past and there aren't many luxuries in that area. This is also an example of verisimilitude as it helps the viewer set the date.

Analysis of This is England figures

This is England was released initially in 2006 in the UK and was produced by Warp films who were in collaboration with a number of British film distributors and producers. These companies include: Film 4, who helped provide financial assistance to the film makers which enabled the use of tv rights. Em Media and Screen Yorkshire also provided financial aid in producing the movie as This is England is an Indie movie.

This is England was directed and written by British director Shane Meadows. Shane meadows is an example of a social realist enthusiast. However he has directed a number of movies, tv shows and short films also. Examples of these movies include 24:7, Dead mans shoes and also once upon a time in the midlands. The movies that Shane Meadows has directed tend to vary in genre and style despite his social realist views.

Social realism is an international art movement in which film makers draw attention to the everyday working class conditions of the poor. This movement is favoured by many directors such as Shane meadows. These types of enthusiasts are usually against the current social structure in our societies and how people are socially immobile. There are many films which fall into the social realist genre, such as: Ill manors, Trainspotting, Adulthood, Kidulthood, Kes and other British films.

Shot type- Les Miserables

Shot 1

This shot is at a low angle of an extreme long shot. This shot is used to signify the power that the subject controls. The shot includes a dull array of colours except the small amount of sunlight trying to pierce through the clouds this can signify that there is hope in the atmosphere trying to perceive through the darkness. The colours give the viewer an idea of the miserable, dull atmosphere created.

Shot 2

This shot is a medium close up as you can see down to his chest. The shot is used to allow the use of hand gestures and slight movement. This shot shows only some part of the subject in detail. This shot however shows the emotion in the subjects face. This emotion can be denoted as being content which can then be connoted that he is content as he is the man who has the power in this situation.

Shot 3

This shot is a medium close up shot at a high angle. This shot enables the viewer to see the emotion of the subject. The emotion that the subject is showing is one of anger or pain which when connoted can mean that the subject is possibly a prisoner of some kind. Also this shot exposes the subject to look vulnerable and in a way, small, this signifies that the subject has no power.