AS Film Studies – FM2: British & American Cinema

AS Film Studies Intro to FM2

AS Film 09/10 Micro Analysis Essay Titles

Joseph Allen – The Terminal (2004)

How does Cinematography & Mise-en-Scene create meaning & identity for the Audience, in an extract from ‘The Terminal’ (2004)?

Lucy Barrett – The Notebook (2004)

How do Sound & Performance create meaning for the Audience, in an extract from ‘The Notebook’ (2004)?

Louise Bone – 13 Going on 30 (2004)

How does Performance & Sound create a response in the Audience, within an extract from ’13 Going on 30’ (2004)?

Karis Bull-Welch – True Romance (1993)

How does Sound, Performance & Editing create a response from the Audience, in an extract from ‘True Romance’ (1993)?

Matthew Cowlin – School of Rock (2003)

How is Performance, Cinematography & Sound used to create a response from the Audience, in an extract from ‘School of Rock’ (2003)?

Daniella Crowley – Thirteen (2003)

How  does Cinematography & Sound create a response from the Audience, within an extract from ‘Thirteen’ (2003)?

Joe Currie – The Deer Hunter (1978)

How does Performance, Mise-en-scene & Cinematography create a response from the Audience, in an extract from ‘The Deer Hunter’ (1978)?

Poppy Dolan-Miller – Kidulthood (2006)

How does Performance, Mise-en-scene & Cinematography create a response from the Audience, in the final scene from ‘Kidulthood’ (2006)?

Darrell Duhy – Saving Private Ryan (1998)

How does Cinematography & Performance create a response from the Audience, in the Omaha Beach landing from the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998)?

Joe Fitzpatrick – Kill Bill: Vol.1 (2003)

How does Performance, Cinematography & Sound create a response from the Audience, in the fight scene from ‘Kill Bill: Vol.1’ (2003)?

Christopher Gale – Saving Private Ryan (1998)

How do Sound & Performance create meaning for the Audience, in an extract from ‘Saving Private Ryan’(1998)?

Lauren Graham – The Butterfly Effect (2004)

How does Editing & Performance create a response from the Audience, in an extract from ‘The Butterfly Effect’ (2004)?

Kurt Groves – The Strangers

How does Cinematography, Sound & Performance provoke a reaction from the Audience, in an extract from the film ‘The Strangers’?

Lillie Hand – Taken

How do Performance & Sound create meaning for the Audience in the opening extract of ‘Taken’?

Shauna Harrendence – Into the Wild (2007)

How does Performance & Cinematography create meaning for the Audience, in an extract from ‘Into the Wild’ (2007)?

Anthony Howell – The Dark Knight (2008)

How does Cinematography & Performance creates a response from the Audience, from an extract of ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)?

Caroline Rainbow – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

How does Performance, Mise-en-scene & Sound create an alternative meaning to the Audience, within an extract of ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’ (1971)?

Samantha Rance – Van Helsing (2004)

How does Mise-en-scene & Cinematography create meaning to the Audience, during the opening sequence to ‘Van Helsing’ (2004)?

Charlotte Ruffles – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

How does Cinematography & Sound create a response in the Audience, in an extract from ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ (2004)?

Lauren Emma Smith – Moulin Rouge

How does Cinematography, Mise-en-scene & Performance create a response from the Audience in the ‘El Tango de Roxanne’ scene in Moulin Rouge?

Rebekah Taylor – Road to Perdition (2003)

How does Cinematography, Sound & Performance create a response from the Audience, in an extract from ‘Road to Perdition’?

Amber Titterton – House of Flying Daggers (2004)

How does Performance, Sound & Mise-en-scene provoke a response from the Audience, in an extract from ‘House of Flying Daggers’ (2004)?

Laura Walsh – I Am Legend (2007)

How does Sound & Cinematography create a response from the Audience, in an extract from ‘I Am Legend’ (2007)?

George Whitworth – Reservoir Dogs (1992)

How does Performance, Cinematography & Mise-en-scene create a response from the Audience, in an extract from ‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)?

Web 2.0… What Is It?

“Web 2.0” is commonly associated with web development and web design that facilitates interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Examples of Web 2.0 include web-based communities, hosted services, web applications, social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, mashups and folksonomies. A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other users or to change website content, in contrast to non-interactive websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of information that is provided to them. – In fact, this information is from a site that could be considered a part of Web 2.0 – Wikipedia – where users have a major input into the content and functioning of the site!!

The term is closely associated with Tim O’Reilly because of the O’Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004. Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but rather to cumulative changes in the ways software developers and end-users use the Web. Whether Web 2.0 is qualitatively different from prior web technologies has been challenged by World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee who called the term a “piece of jargon”.

 

The term “Web 2.0” was coined by Darcy DiNucci in 1999. In her article “Fragmented Future,” she writes

The Web we know now, which loads into a browser window in essentially static screenfuls, is only an embryo of the Web to come. The first glimmerings of Web 2.0 are beginning to appear, and we are just starting to see how that embryo might develop The Web will be understood not as screenfuls of text and graphics but as a transport mechanism, the ether through which interactivity happens. It will […] appear on your computer screen, […] on your TV set […] your car dashboard […] your cell phone […] hand-held game machines […] and maybe even your microwave.

Her use of the term deals mainly with Web design and aesthetics; she argues that the Web is “fragmenting” due to the widespread use of portable Web-ready devices. Her article is aimed at designers, reminding them to code for an ever-increasing variety of hardware. As such, her use of the term hints at – but does not directly relate to – the current uses of the term.

The term did not resurface until 2003. These authors focus on the concepts currently associated with the term where, as Scott Dietzen puts it, “the Web becomes a universal, standards-based integration platform.”

In 2004, the term began its rise in popularity when O’Reilly Media and MediaLive hosted the first Web 2.0 conference. In their opening remarks, John Batelle and Tim O’Reilly outlined their definition of the “Web as Platform,” where software applications are built upon the Web as opposed to upon the desktop. The unique aspect of this migration, they argued, is that “customers are building your business for you.” They argued that the activities of users generating content (in the form of ideas, text, videos, or pictures) could be “harnessed” to create value. According to Tim O’Reilly: 

Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as a platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.

From there, the term Web 2.0 was largely championed by bloggers and by technology journalists, culminating in the 2006 TIME magazine Person of The Year – “You.” That is, TIME selected the masses of users who were participating in content creation on social networks, blogs, wikis, and media sharing sites. The cover story author Lev Grossman explains:

It’s a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It’s about the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people’s network YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. It’s about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes.

Coursework Deadline Dates!!

All dates are set for the academic year 2009-2010. Dates refer to week commencing – your actual deadline is during your timetabled practical session in that week.

AS Media – Foundation Portfolio

Preliminary Task

28th September – Presentation of Final Creative Ideas
12th October – Deadline for Planning & Research
30th November – Deadline for Production
7th December – Deadline for Evaluation & Submission of Preliminary Task

Main Task

4th January – Presentation of Final Creative Ideas
18th January – Deadline for Planning & Research
15th March – Deadline for Production
29th March – Deadline for Evaluation & Submission of Main Task

A2 Media – Advanced Portfolio

12th October – Presentation of Final Creative Ideas
9th November – Deadline for Pre-Production
8th March – Deadline for Production
22nd March – Deadline for Post-Production & Evaluation
29th March – Final Deadline for submission of Advaced Portfolio

AS Film – Creative Project

19th October – Deadline for submission of Aims & Contexts
7th December – Deadline for Pre-Production
15th February – Deadline for Production
8th March – Deadline for Post-Production
15th March – Deadline Reflective Analysis Draft One
29th March – Deadline Reflective Analysis Draft Two & Final Submission of Creative Project
* In addition, you will be advised on a one-to-one basis as to deadlines for submission of drafts for Micro Analysis Essay

Introduction to A2 Film Studies Unit FM4: Varieties of Film Experience

A2 Film Studies FM4 Intro PowerPoint

Introduction to A2 Film Studies Unit FM3: Film Research & Creative Projects

A2 Film Studies FM3 Intro PowerPoint

Introduction to New Look A2 Media Studies OCR Spec – G325: Critical Perspectives in Media

A2 Media Studies Intro PowerPoint

Broadcast News – Case Study Analysis of News Stories

Using a variety of news websites, choose a minimum of 6 current news stories to use as case studies. Below is what you need to do with each story – and in as much detail as possible:-

• Give a summary of the news story
• What kind of news story is this? – Is it a new development or a continuation of a longer-running story?
• When did this news story break?
• Why do you think that this event is news worthy? – Which news values are relevant here?
• What do you believe is the institution’s agenda behind reporting this story?
• Is biased reporting evident? – In what way?
• How do you think this information has been gathered? – Local/National/International correspondent, expert opinion, eyewitness statements, news agency?
• Are there any images/video with this news report? – How do these impact on the way the news story is recieved by the audience?
• How are the relevant social groups featured within this news story represented?
• Is there any interaction between the institution and the audience? – I.e. Opinion poll, audience email/text responses to story, any other means for audience to voice opinion/interact with this news story?
• Is the same event reported on other news sources? – How does this report differ to the first source you found?

Try a variety of news sources…  here are some to get you started – BBC News, Sky News, Reuters.co.uk, Bloomberg, NewsNow, CNN, Fox News, ITN News, Euro News.

You should either post these case studies on your blogs (those of you who have them!) or submit on paper… but this is expected to be completed, and is a prime resource of revision come exam time! (See exam countdown clock on Renier’s blog…. tick-tock-tick-tock..!!).

Work Set For Week Starting 2nd February

As you all may already know, there will be no lessons this week. However, you are still expected to complete work for this week until I return. Below are the tasks set for each class for the week ahead. This work is expected to be completed by next session.

MONDAY 2/01- A2 FILM STUDIES
Research Project: As you know, Shocking Cinema is not exclusively just about films made during a certain period – it is also the impact of events such as social, political and economic issues at the time which also affect the films that are deemed as shocking. You task today is to choose a film that is seen as shocking. You are then to research the film itself and the social, political and economic events that may have taken place at the time. You may choose more than one film – the more you have information on, the better prepared you will be for yor essay – You could also choose to look at the ‘Video Nasties’ phenomena of the 80’s and/or 90’s, or the ‘Copycat Theory’. This work should be presented on your blog with supporting appropriate images/screenshots.

TUESDAY 3/01 – AS MEDIA STUDIES
As you know, you have Focus Group Presentations next week (10th January). You are to complete ALL your research and planning for your three initial creative ideas, and be in a position to present and explain to your peers. You are also to create a set of questions that you will ask your peers in order to get some feedback. You should consider what kind of information you are after regarding your ideas and create your questions accordingly.

WEDNESDAY 4/01 – AS FILM STUDIES
You should be close to filming your Creative Project short films now – the deadline is now looming! You should take this week to complete ALL your pre-production planning (including Treatment and other pre-production documents as found on the blog) and be ready to start filming next session (If you haven’t begun so already). Remember, the deadline is fast approaching so it is important that you are in a position to film next session.

WEDNESDAY 4/01 – A2 FILM STUDIES
Following the research that you should have completed as set for Monday’s session, you are to write an essay based on your research.
ESSAY QUESTION: “What are the defining social, political and/or economic issues that have impacted upon a certain film text deemed as ‘shocking’ to its audience”?

THURSDAY 5/01 – AS MEDIA STUDIES
As you know, you have Focus Group Presentations next week (12th January). You are to complete ALL your research and planning for your three initial creative ideas, and be in a position to present and explain to your peers. You are also to create a set of questions that you will ask your peers in order to get some feedback. You should consider what kind of information you are after regarding your ideas and create your questions accordingly.

If you have any questions, please leave a message and I shall try to respond as soon as I possibly can.

Convergence – Audience & Institution

The Audience

People may complain about New Media Technology, in that it is too complicated and quickly goes out-of-date, but convergence generally means that the audience has more choice, or an enhanced experience, or both! Games consoles illustrate this point. You can have a machine that plays games… or you can have a machine that plays games, CD’s, DVD’s, allows you to edit your home video footage and put it on the internet for others to see, record your favourite television programme, connect you with others so you can play against them, and use the internet. Or at least, in theory you can have a machine that does all this and more. Why? Lagely because computer technology has seeped into almost every aspect of our lives. And the future? It won’t be too long before your home is a wireless network with a high-speed internet connection (many homes are already like this!).Through this system, you will be able to download and access music, films, and information from any room in your home. If you think this sounds fanciful, look up ‘freestyle’ or ‘Mira’ on Microsoft’s website. These technologies will make this sort of integration possible, at the same time as significantly altering media consumption habits. Microsoft views the PC as the centre of this technology, whereas others, such as Moxi Digital, see the set top box as the answer. Whichever system becomes the accepted standard, the principle behind it is perhaps the ultimate example of cenvergence, with computer technology at the heart of the delivery and distribution of all your media consumption.
The Institutions

Media institutions have grasped new technologies and the concept of convergence for the benefit of audiences, right? Wrong! One thing drives these institutions – Money!

Sony is a good example. In offering Playstation 3, it is doing more than selling a games console. It is selling a Sony BluRay Player, a Sony stereo system and a Sony system capable of connecting with other Sony products such as a digital camera or camcorder. If you have a Playstation 3, you can play music by artists belonging to the Sony record label, possibly bought over the internet using the Playstation 3 itself! Sony is seeking a market dominanceand brand loyalty, made easier through convergence. Convergence also allows a widening of the range of products a company can sell. Who makes a television that works well with a Sony Playstation 3?

Convergence also allows media companies to enter new areas in which they may not have had a strong position. The internet concerns media institutions for a number of reasons. It isn’t regulated, other people are making lots of money using it, and it provides entertainment in a way they don’t usually operate. This list could be longer. Some companies have attempted to solve this problem through convergence. Sky, for example. In some ways, the internet takes custom from Sky in that people can be entertained in other ways. But what if you are using the internet through your Sky Digital connection? Sky not only enters the internet arena, it also finds out where you go, what you like to see and presumably then uses this information to modify its existing output. You pay Sky and it gets free market research. And not only that. Sky has ‘SkyActive’, a ‘safe’ connection to the internet and e-commerce. Companies have to pay Sky money to be part of this, but the rewards aren’t just for Sky. People trust televisions a lot more than computers. They understand them; televisions are familiar. This means they are more likely to buy from them. In this example, the convergence of television and internet technologies has clearly benefited Sky.