A letter to AS Media Students

Dear new AS Media Students, 
The purpose of my letter is to inform you as to the structure of your Media course and what you can expect to do in the way of coursework. As a fellow Media student, I feel that I will be able to provide you with an accurate and truthful insight into the ups and downs of commencing with Media Studies as an A Level subject. 


Firstly, and most importantly, is your coursework. For my task I was instructed to create a front cover and article page for a specialist magazine. The research that I instigated consisted of analysis of existing media products, different genre magazines and current popular magazine publishers. I needed to gain an insight into the way the magazine producing industry worked in order to establish an acceptable market launch of my product. Identifying where there were gaps in the market for new magazines to launch a new magazine was difficult due to the extensive range of magazines that are available. However, once the publishing details has been cemented, research into genre began. I decided to create a new health and beauty magazine for teenage girls as I had identified that most existing health and beauty magazines were aimed at a more mature audience. I found this target audience very easy to work with seeing as I could identify myself with the age group. I had a personal understanding of what I would like to see in the magazine, but also collected responses and opinions from others in my target audience in order to gain a broad outlook. Using my questionnaire results, I was able to establish the conventions of my magazine which enabled me to create an effective and successful piece of coursework. Production of the coursework was the element that I found the most entertaining. I used my creative skill to create draft after draft of magazine covers and articles until my teacher and I agreed that I had reached close perfection. 


It was important to me that I was able to express myself and my own interests through my coursework, and I feel that I have done that successfully. Your coursework is a valuable aspect of your overall AS grade so care must be taken not to abuse the time that you have to get creative. Media is undermined as an "easy subject", but I can assure you that at A Level, this is not the case. You have to work just as hard and input as much effort into your work as you would with every other subject. Every piece of research that you submit and every draft that you construct, help towards achieving that overall final grade. 


The exam, also of equal importance is prepared for in class time with group revision sessions. You are taught every Media term imaginable so that when you go into that exam hall, you know exactly what you are doing and how to get the marks. Under pressure, it can be very hard to concentrate of remembering all the Media terminology that is required of you. As long as you prepare yourself and understand what is expected of you in the exam, then you will surely come out on top. My exam consisted of close analysis and comparison of two advertising campaigns of current media items. The adverts are played a number of times, leaving you time to make any notes before you begin writing. Confidence is key. The endless pages of writing and wiping sweat from your brow shows signs of achievement, you must not be afraid to work yourself to the bone! It is important that you do well in your Media exam as it can have a significant effect on your overall grade. It is just as important that you achieve your full potential in the exam, just like you did with your coursework.


I assure you now that AS Media Studies is no easy ride. You have to work hard and push yourself to the limits if you want to achieve those high-end grades. Independence and creativity is vital. Examiners look for expression of personality in writing in order to offer those extra marks. You must be prepared to put in those extra hours in order to get the job done. I advise you to stick to your deadlines, you will be making your AS course a whole lot easier for yourself. 


I have expressed my opinion on the AS Media Studies course and tried to advise you in the best possible way, based on my own failures and successes. I hope that you consider my letter useful and I wish you all the best of luck in your progression through the course. 


                                                                     Yours Sincerely,
                                                                                              Eleanor Huggan

Vladimir Propp's Theory of Character Roles

Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic who studied hundreds of old folk tales to see if they shared similarities in structure. From his study, Propp identified 8 character roles and 31 narrative functions common amongst folk tales. He then generalised these common conventions to other narrative structures.  

The 8 character roles: 

1) The villain/s

2) The hero

3) The 'damsel in distress'/princess - the object of the villain's evil plans and the reward for the hero's courageous duties

4) The father - who rewards the hero with his daughter

5) The donor - who provides magical property to the narrative, usually through some sort of object

6) The helper - who aids the hero in his duties

7) The dispatcher - who sends the hero on his way

8) The false hero

These portrayals of common character roles are now apparent in media all over the world. We commonly are presented with the roles of 'heroes' and 'villains' through the news; for example, Mother Theresa would be classes as a modern day hero whereas, Bin Laden would be classes as a worldwide villain. Propp has helped us to construct media personalities through the use of character roles which determined the general perception of any particular person.

Evaluation - Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback? 

(Click link below to view evaluation work)

http://www.slideshare.net/ehuggan/what-have-you-learned-from-your-audience-feedback-7928920

Crew and Cast Sheet

Call Sheet

Video Budget Sheet

The Bridge "Tears of Blood"

Evaluation - Question 5

If you were to make this product again, what changes would you make and how would you improve it?

I am extremely happy with the outcome of my three media coursework production pieces. However, if I were to make them again, there are a few things that I would consider to change and reconstruct. 

In relation to my short film...

I am happy with the storyline that is currently presented in The Bridge as it is clear and precise to the script. The music we chose to coincide with the film I feel fits perfectly to its purpose, increasing the horror of the dark walk home, the sympathy of the police station scenes and finishing the introduction and credits of the film to a tee. 

However, I feel that when shooting scenes for the film, we could have made more use of the tripod for smoother motion and transition. For the scenes where the camera works in character perception of the 'Mystery Man', holding the camera was perfectly acceptable as it insinuated that the camera was the man himself. In this sense, you would expect the camera movement to be untidy and unsteady as it moves with the character. However, when filming scenes where character perception was not necessary or apparent, we could have used to the tripod to give the scene a professional finish. Instead, scenes where the tripod could have been used ended up looking rugged in movement and somewhat untidy. 

Also, I found when watching back over our short film that we used too many transitions between scenes where they were not necessary. I noticed this especially with the walking scenes. This was due to the fact that we could not, in my opinion, create an effective walking scene without stopping and starting the camera to move to different positions. 

The scene in which Louise calls her mother would have been a lot more effective had it been shot using a tripod. Close-up's on Louise's face would also have improved the scene as it would have captured her facial expressions in reaction to what her mother is saying. When using close-up's, additional artificial lighting would have needed to be used as the setting was too dark, in order to clearly present Louise's face and capture these expressions. Another way we could have improved this scene was to assign another actor to play Louise's mother. We could have the included quick, sharp cuts from Louise to her mother as they spoke to gain a full understanding of the conversation, allowing the audience to feel a part of the scene. Instead by only having Louise in the scene, the audience have to guess what her mother is saying from Louise's response, which in a way, is enough. 

Towards the end of the walking scene as Louise approaches the bridge, the scene fades out to black. This is a problem I noticed when watching the film back as part of my audience feedback as my target audience picked up on this fault. The scene then quickly comes back into view before changing to the opening of the bridge. This look untidy and unprofessional as the scene is meant to make a sharp cut to the bridge opening. If I were to re-do the short film, I would ensure that this fault was removed for a clean finish. 

We faced another problem when tackling the screaming in the bridge. We attempted to elongate the scream using iMovie, to which there was no avail. We then attempted to record Holly (Louise) screaming again and for longer, and insert it into the scene. However, the microphone of the computer could not handle the pitch of the scream and the speakers began to crackle. We therefore, moved the screaming sound so that it would extended beyond when the scene had faded to black. This however, produced a lag in the storyline. The man grabs Louise and, after a few seconds, she starts screaming. Having the chance to do it again, I would re-record the bridge scene and ensure that Holly screamed for longer to create a smoother sound. 

The scene in the garage when the Mystery Man rapes Louise was one that we needed to take great caution with when shooting. We did not want to show the incident taking place, but instead wanted to suggest what was happening. However, I do not feel that the scene was effective in showing the incident taking place. If I were to shoot this scene again, I would ensure that it was more action-orientated in the sense of movement and struggle. I would ensure that people understood that Louise was being attacked, but not show the incident itself. 

Finally, the scene in which Louise finds the police officer who brings in her water to be her attacker, was not as believable as I wanted it to be. Her facial expressions were not realistic enough and the scene was not presented as dramatically as I would have liked. 

In relation to my poster...

Although I am perfectly satisfied with how my poster turned out, the one element that I would change if I had to in order to improve the article would be to add an image of Louise. I would take an image of Louise's face where she looks upset and distressed and place it over the entrance of the bridge. I would then change the transparency of the image so you can faintly see it behind the film title. This would indicate that something happens to this young girl in the bridge which is going to cause her great trauma. However, this would have then given the storyline away to the audience and the aspect I like about my current poster idea is that it does not do this.    


In relation to my film review article...
Again, I am satisfied with the final result of my film review as it looks professional and reflects elements of existing film reviews I researched. However, if I were to change anything, it would be the colour scheme of the film review. I would change the white background to black which would help to intensify the horror and mystery of the narrative. I would then change the writing to white to stand out against the dark background. I would also change the font style of the film title to 'Chiller' which is also apparent in my film poster, to create another resemblance between my advertising package. Considering the actual text in the film review, I would comment more on individual actor performance and condense the synopsis into fewer words so that more importance and value is placed on the editor's opinion. 
   

Evidently, the most issues that occurred were with my actual short film. If I were to re-do my short film and edit it according to my comments above, I feel that the film would have been a lot more effective. I enjoyed creating my short film with my partner as it gave us both a taste of what film producing is all about. I learned that there are a number of things that should be considered when filming new material and that the process can become very stressful. Although my audience feedback shows that they were happy with the outcome of the film and the supporting articles, I feel I could have improved upon certain aspects to enhance the professionalism of the piece. 

Evaluation - Question 4

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

Media technology played a huge part in the development of my media coursework. At each stage of the coursework, I found myself using different types of media production technology to complete tasks and research. Without access to this technology, my coursework would have taken a lot longer to complete and would have struggled to create my final products.  

The Internet:

I used to internet in a number of ways to help enhance my coursework. In my research, I relied greatly on the internet as my source of information. I used YouTube.com to locate and watch existing short films that would gain me an insight into how to make one for myself. There, I found a variety of different short films that have been created by both professionals and other Media students. Comments made by YouTube viewer about the films allowed me to depict what features I would need to include in my own product in order to produce an effective and popular short film. I used the comments made by viewers to determine audience perception of the product in order to improve my own. YouTube also allowed me to broadcast videos I had created in order to attach them to my blog. I also used IMDb.com in order to research existing horror/thriller films to gain an idea into the type of market I was entering into by making that particular genre of film. I found the film ‘Taken’ the most useful of all films as the narrative is similar to my own short film. The website provided many important details concerning the technical aspects, box office information and film production details of Taken which allowed me to determine the popularity of the film, how it was made and whether it would be justifiable to create a short film similar to it.  I used ‘Google’ search engine which enabled me to find images, information and websites quickly and more efficiently. Pearlanddean.com, a similar website to IMDb.com, provided me with more information about existing films, particularly concerning impact of target audience. From this website, I was able to define a suitable target audience for my short film based on the genre and other comparable films. Blogger.com was the blog site I used to document my coursework. This allowed for easy access to my work from any computer which made working at home much easier. Barb.co.uk was the website that helped me to decide on perfect broadcasting for my short film based upon figures of popular viewings on different TV Channels. This website helped me to select Channel 4 as my broadcasting channel based on existing programmes broadcast by the channel and how effective they were at drawing in audience numbers.

Filming:

For the process of filming, I used a video camera, camera tape, tripod and power lead to capture my film. The video camera enabled us to film scenes a number of times and watch them back in order to choose the best version to use in our short film. To prevent from problems with the battery in the video camera, we always had a power lead on hand to substitute for a dead battery. However, this power lead could only be used when an electrical supply was available. For the number of scenes that we filmed outside, there was no accessible electrical supply. Due to this, we had to ensure that before we commenced with filming scenes outside, the battery had to have been charged fully to allow for lengthy filming sessions. The tripod allowed us to create a smoother finish to movement of the camera when filming.  This was important when wanting to give scenes a professional finish as filming movement with handheld cameras tends to be uneven and creates jolting in scenes. All filming was recorded onto the same camera tape ready for editing.

I also used a digital camera (Samsung L313) to capture still-images of the bridge that I then went on to use in my poster.

Editing:

Throughout the editing process, we used MAC computers and the programme iMovie to edit and produce our short film. Having not used this programme before, we found it difficult to manage and locate around. However, once we had gotten used to how the programme worked, we were then able to produce a good standard short film. Using iMovie, we were able to import, crop and position scenes that we had filmed on the video recorder in order to create a logical storyline. We were also able to insert text into our short film to indicate passing time “The next day”, location placement “In the interview room”, illustrate the short film title scene and create rolling credits at the end. iMovie also provided a decent selection of sound effects that would help to enhance our narrative. For example, we used the sound of a “cold wind” to increase atmosphere in the walking scene, which it did effectively. Using un-copyrighted music that we found on the Internet, we were able to increase the professionalism of scenes that needed accompanying music to intensify the situation. The music helped to illustrate scenes when there was no allocation of dialogue.

I used Picasa3 software to edit my images for use in my ancillary products. I find this programme extremely easy to use due to familiarity with the software. The programme provides a range of different editing techniques and features that helped to enhance the outcome of my images. For my main image used on my poster, I increased the brightness and contrast of the image to emphasise the light and then increased the amount of shadowing to intensify the darkness, resulting in an effective looking image for a horror/thriller film.

Evaluation:

For my evaluation, I used Windows Live Movie Maker to create a video response to the first evaluation question. This allowed me to be more creative with my evaluation and construct my information in a more entertaining process. I found Windows Live Movie Maker very easy to use, although I had trouble when trying to upload the video to YouTube. I have also used other documenting software such as Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Word to produce the other responses to the remaining evaluation questions. 

Evaluation - Question 2

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


My two ancillary products, my film poster and film review page are marketing products that work to promote and enhance my short film production. It is important that through the ancillary products, an insight into the film is provided. In order to be effective as a complete package, the three production pieces must share a number of different aspects that allow them to become identifiable with each other. 

Much like the ancillary texts produced to support the second Spider-man film, it is evident that each of the products share a recurring theme. Spider-man is the character of main importance within the film and is therefore featured on all products. All three texts present Spider-man in a similar stance/position which offers him position of empowerment and authority. Both posters created for the film share the same title font, which suggests that this font is now related to the film and this is how people would recognise it. The colour schemes of each product are somewhat similar, although the poster on the left has been edited to a 'Sepia' effect. The colours of Spider-man's costume are however, still evident through the editing style. All aspects that have been commented on in relation to the Spider-man products must now be answered in relation to my own media production pieces. 


In addition to my short film, I was asked to produce two subsidiary products to compliment the main product in promotional value. By researching and evaluating a number of different existing products, I was able to identify common features that would need to be included as part of my supporting articles in order for them to be effective in purpose. 
I noticed, especially with a number of horror/thriller film posters that have been released that the colour scheme tended to include darker colours which effectively enhanced other aspects of the poster. Therefore, the colour scheme for my poster and the images I have used in my film review have been chosen purposely for their darkness in contrast with light. I used the editing programme Picasa3 to adjust the brightness and contrast of some of the included images in order for them to integrate with the intended colour scheme. The atmosphere of my short film is very dark and the setting has been chosen to emphasise this. Many of the scenes were shot at night time where there would be little in the way of natural light, which would ultimately decrease the intensity of the short film. Keeping the sense of insecurity in darkness apparent through all three media products not only intensifies the genre conventions, but also allows the products to become more successful as a package. 


The bridge is the focal setting in the narrative of my short film as this is where all the action builds to a climax. Therefore, I thought it would be important to emphasise the setting as opposed to any other aspect (i.e. character) of the film. The car used to transport Louise from the bridge to the garage is also of high importance. This is shown through the elongated driving scene featured in the film, used to heighten confusion amongst the audience. I have therefore, decided to combine an image of both the car and the bridge to use on my film poster. I believe this image works to full effect as it strengths the title of the short film, yet does not give anything away in the way of narrative. Images of the bridge and the car are then used in my film review as still frames from the film itself to allow the three products to be connected through image relation. The lighting effect created by the bridge helps to emphasise the genre of horror. Although the bridge itself is brightly lit with artificial lighting throughout, the surrounding areas are poorly lit, if at all. I found this to my advantage when filming as the poor vision leading up to the bridge intensified terror of the walking scene. We found that we did not need to use any other additional lighting to the scene as the lighting that already existed worked excellently to create shadowing and contrast between settings. 


I feel that the combination of my main product with my ancillary tasks fulfil their purpose of advertising and promoting the film and the brand image. They work effectively together to enhance the genre of the short film, but also contain their differences that help them to become identifiable each as new and imaginative products for the same promotion campaign. I did not use as many identifiable features on my film review page as the magazine is targeted at a range of different genres of film as opposed to just horror/thriller. I did not feel it essential to emphasise the genre of horror within the film review as I found with other existing products that magazines tend to follow closely with their consistent layout rather than changing to suit films they review. 


The products are appropriate for the target audience as although they are young adults, gruesome and inappropriate imagery must be used with caution. The images must not contain too much blood or unsuitable content that would deem the material inapt the target audience. If the target audience were 18 years and above, then I would have considered using slightly more horrific imagery to sponsor the poster. However, my target audience consists of those 15 years and above, creating restrictions in creation. Taking all this into account, I feel that the images I have included in both my ancillary texts are suitable for the age group the film intends to target. From personal experience, I find films to be more attractive when the supporting articles do not reveal excessive amounts the story. Instead, they should touch lightly on the narrative through the use of images and assisting text, but leave an essence of curiosity as to the storyline.


As a whole, I feel the combination of my main product and ancillary tasks work successfully to create an effective advertising package. However, if I were to do the task again, I would change a number of things to increase the recognition between each product. 

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Location 1: Skitts Hill, Braintree 
Hazard: Crash whilst driving
Avoidance: Ensure that the driver of the car has a full UK license and that they follow all precautionary driving methods to ensure that passengers in the car, other drivers and pedestrians are safe.

Location 2: (Garage) 42 Skitts Hill, Braintree
Hazard: Materials inside garage may cause injury to actors when walking through.
Avoidance: Ensure that a clear pathway is made through the garage for actors to take and that all equipment in there that may cause potential harm i.e. lawnmower are removed. 

Location 3: Braintree Town Centre, George Yard
Hazard: Problems with security guards. 
Avoidance: Inform all security guards in George Yard of the purpose of filming and gain written permission if necessary.

Location 4: Petworth Close, Great Notley

Hazard: Beware of oncoming traffic that may cause injury to actors.
Avoidance: Ensure that the roads are clear before filming and stop filming if a car were to pass by.
Have a first aid kit and phone on hand to call an ambulance if required.

Location 5: Footpath between Petworth Close and Grantham Avenue, Great Notley
Hazard: Be wary of pedestrians and oncoming cyclists.
Avoidance: A member of the crew must always be aware of passers-by. If they occur, seize filming until they have passed. Do not obstruct cyclists in case of an accident.

Location 6: (Underpass beneath A131) Great Notley Garden Park, Great Notley
Hazard: Be wary of any broken glass, stones or pavement curb that could cause potential injury to cast or crew. 
Avoidance: Ensure that the underpass is clear of obstructing materials before commencing filming.
Have a first aid kit and phone on hand to call for help if necessary.

Location 7: Reception, Chelmsford College, Chelmsford
Hazard: Keep walkways clear for passers-by.
Avoidance: Ensure all wiring for equipment is routed to prevent tripping.
Ensure that no equipment/crew obstruct passers-by.
One member of the crew must be on hand to guide oncomers around the equipment to prevent injury.

Location 8: Classroom, Chelmsford College, Chelmsford
Hazard: Trip hazards for other students in the classroom and risk of electrocution.
Avoidance: Ensure that all wires and equipment are safely routed to prevent hazards.
No equipment should be touched with wet hands. Hands must be perfectly dry before touching electricals to prevent injury from occurring.

Recce Notes

Information on Recce Notes:


Location 1: Skitts Hill, Braintree
Access: By car
Notes on Location: Driving scene. Carelessness during driving could cause a potential accident.
AC/DC: DC

Location 2: Braintree Town Centre, George Yard
Access: By foot, entrance by Town Centre Car Park
Notes on Location: Noise from passing pedestrians must be considered. No artificial light source required as the scene will be shot in late evening time – plentiful source of natural light.
AC/DC: DC

Location 3: Petworth Close, Great Notley
Access: By foot
Notes on Location: Walkway lit only by streetlamps. Effective as it allows the scene to feel more realistic and increases tension as sight is restricted. Impact of walking home in the night time is highlighted – makes it more horrifying,
AC/DC: DC

Location 4: Footpath between Petworth Close and Grantham Avenue, Great Notley
Access: By foot
Notes on Location: Walkway lit only by streetlamps. Effective as it allows the scene to feel more realistic and increases tension as sight is restricted. Impact of walking home in the night time is highlighted – makes it more horrifying,
AC/DC: DC

Location 5: (Underpass beneath A131) Great Notley Garden Park, Great Notley
Access: By foot from Grantham Avenue way or By car from Garden Park entrance
Notes on Location: Underpass is lit by electronic lighting to enhance vision of scene. Loss of light leading down to the underpass may be effective in increasing intensity of situation.
AC/DC: DC

Location 6: Chelmsford College, Chelmsford
Access: By foot
Notes on Location: Use of classroom – noise from other students in the next room must not be heard. Use of reception – students/staff walking through reception, receptionists on the phone.

Using the reception will allow for a realistic police interview reception area.

AC/DC: AC/DC

 

Evaluation - Question 1

Video for Question 1 - Evaluation

Click link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldtgo_zUDU0

The Bridge "Tears of Blood"

(Final product)