A2 Media Studies

Be a B***** Brilliant Blogger!

Your Guide to Research and Planning The Advanced Portfolio (20%)

Key Points and Handy Hints:

You should include all of the media key concepts in your research and planning MIGRAINE Theories well referenced will get you lots of marks! Media terminology will get you lots of marks! You are working in groups this year this means that you can share the workload however always make sure you are all contributing equally to the blog as you will get different marks! Tag each post at the end with your name this will allow us to check who is doing the work! (These can also be posts that you all contribute too!) Sometimes you will write similar posts to other members of the group e.g. looking a branding of artists. This is good make sure you are looking at different case studies though! THIS IS ALSO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Using different methods of presenting your research and planning on your blog actually gets you LOTS AND LOTS of marks! Suggestions below! PowerPoints Slideshows ( of images) Images Word documents uploaded onto the blog Labelled images (annotated on Word etc) Pie and bar charts (Excel/word) Embedded videos (YouTube or your own e.g. audience feedback etc) Directors commentaries recorded on Imacs Animatics ( of storyboards made on Final Cut)

Task: On the following page tick off each section of your blog once you have, or your group has, completed it!

RESEARCH!
FIRST POST
a) Outline the members of your group and chosen brief (Film or Music Promotion) and the media texts that you intend to make. Give any details about your plans (genre, artists etc) if you have decided! This can be vague at this point! Take a shot of your group in Photo booth (on the Macs) to add to the post make it visual! Tag the post at the bottom with all the names of the group (if you are all there!) Using the label section at the bottom of the post box put in Introduction to project. (Make sure you properly label all your posts!)

GENRE:
b) Outline the genre that you are focusing upon e.g. Music Video or Film Trailers Outline the conventions of the genre (using theory directly quote Andrew Goodwin and Pete Frasers ideas here too- if doing music video.) You could include ( a little) on the history of the music video ( how the genre developed if this is your chosen brief. This could be done as a PowerPoint with images of artists / actors etc

c) Prove this look at least 4 different music videos/ trailers (of your choice.) Embed them on your blog. Try to make these standard/ conventional videos (not ones that break the rules.) Write, at least 3 chunky paragraphs on each video analysing whether they follow or challenge the conventions of your genre and why they do this. Remember to reference your knowledge of genre here: why audiences and producers like genres? What they are made up from definitions of genre? Nick Lacey and Graeme Burton quotes are they doing the same but different

d) Genre texts that break the rules: - Try to find a few examples (2/3) of ones that are unconventional and break the rules 3 chunky paragraphs on each of these analysing how they do this and why. This could be done as a word document with stills from the videos use arrows to label and annotate the stills.

e) Research your music genre/ film genre: Outline which genre you intend to follow music or film ( e.g. Indie music video) Find at least 3/4 examples of music video/trailers within your chosen genre Embed these on your blog Outline the conventions of the genre (e.g. Hip Hop music videos bling, scantily clad women etc) In 3/4 chunky paragraphs analyse each video do they follow the conventions of that genre? Why if not why not?

This could be done as a PowerPoint with stills from the videos labelled with arrows.

f) Popularity of your genre: Is your genre popular? Prove it! If looking at music include the charts- singles/albums sales etc If film, include the top box office (www.imdb.com.) Is there a market/audience out there for your product? (Album/film?) Is it a niche or mainstream text? State that there is even if you are making a niche product!

This would be best as a blog post with images and links.

INSTITUTION:
g) Define brands and branding: Why is branding important to your industry (Music Industry/ Film Industry)? Use the definitions and quotes from your branding notes in your Advanced Portfolio pack This could be done as a blog post with images. 3

h) Branding and the Music Industry/ Film Industry: Research at least 2 different case studies these can be artists (music promotion) or film marketing campaigns (film promotion brief.) E.g. Foo Fighters and Greenday Music Brief: Analyse a couple of music videos belonging to your artist case study then look and analyse their album covers too what is their brand image how is it represented/ pushed through the promotional media texts? Film Brief: Look at a couple of marketing campaigns E.g. the Dark Knight and Avatar posters and teaser trailers and theatrical trailers. What is the films brand image how is it represented/ pushed through the promotional media texts? At least a good chunky paragraph on each text you analyse more will get you more marks! This can be done as a PowerPoint with screenshots and images that are labelled.

i) -

Which institution will create your media text? Music major label or Independent label? look at their artists get images What are the characteristics of Indie label and Major label music? Film- Hollywood or Independent (e.g. British) Film Company? Have they made similar films to yours? What are they? Get images/posters/trailers What are the characteristics of Hollywood/ Indie films? A blog post with images and logos of the company will work here.

AUDIENCE:
j) Outline your target audience: Using Demographic Profiling (GRASS) explain why! Outline your target audience using Psychographic Profiling create an ideal audience member. Reference you theorists here e.g. Young and Rubicam.

k) Will you have a wider secondary audience? Who are they and why? l) Using Maslows Hierarchy of Need and The Uses and Gratifications Theory (Blumler, McQuail and Brown) what basic human needs will your text fulfil? So appealing to your audience?

m) How will you make your texts appeal to your audience? (Reference Media language here too!) This can be done as a blog post or a word document embedded onto your blog add images!

n) Audience Research: (This is essential!) Do some questionnaires or film interviews of people within your target audience (10 minimum) Work out your questions in your groups. Scan/ upload to Scribd your questions/ questionnaires (including filled out ones.) Embed your video from YouTube onto your blog if created one!

o) Create graphs and charts that you will label Summing up the findings within your audience research Sum up how this will affect the construction of your media texts. These can be done in Word or Excel

NARRATIVE
p) Outline your proposed main text Music Video (performance or narrative based) or teaser trailer. Outline your full plot. List the typical narrative structure of your product.

q) Choose two real media examples and analyse their narrative structure Is there a formula? Repeated patterns? (Remember you may have already looked at one in class!)

r) Will your text follow typical narrative patterns? (Narrative Theories Propp, Todorov, Barthes, Levi-Strauss) This could be presented on a PowerPoint with images.

REPRESENTATION
s) Outline the characters that appear in your text (protagonist and secondary characters.) How will they be represented?

Will you create them as stereotypes? Why? How? This could be a scanned sheet with drawings (uploaded as an image) or a blog post

IDEOLOGY
t) What messages and values are you pushing at your audience? What is typical of your text/ institution? Do they follow dominant ideologies in society? OR are you offering alternative ideologies e.g. drugs are good! Does this link to your genre (music videos/ films?) How will your target audience read these ideologies use Stuart Halls Reception Theory here! A blog post or word document can be used here!

PLANNING
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The following is a list of suggested planning cross out each one when complete Outline of which media texts you will be creating ( main and ancillary tasks) Storyboards with analysis and comment Animatics of storyboards Mood boards for mise en scene/iconography Location scouting with images Casting call actors photos included Props List Pictures of props being prepared ( e.g. fake blood) Filming schedule - times and dates Call sheets for each shoot Uploaded choice of music and why chosen Lyrics ( for music videos) Images of the technology/ equipment you will be using to create the main and ancillary tasks Scripts for voice overs/ dialogue ( if using) Risk assessment forms ( on Moodle) Photographs of your group filming/making ancillaries/ editing even! Rough edits of videos as you go along

Weekly posts on progress and plans very important!

WHEN THE PROJECT IS FINISHED:

Video of group feedback edited on Final Cut and embedded on blog

Summary of the feedback and strengths and weaknesses of your video and ancillary tasks charts and graphs will get you extra marks! A PowerPoint would be good for this!