Update and home learning for week starting 31.1.11

Some interesting things are finally happening on your blogs. Yeah! We love the "behind the scenes" and audience research films produced by group 4 and the cast interviews from group 3 (though it is a shame that there is not more analysis of the characters' parts referring to Barthes' character roles or Propp's ideas about structure - this would have really elevated the discussion).

You are now embedding clips and screengrabs more frequently but keep doing more of the latter - screengrabs of specific shots from existing products to follow an embedded clip would help, as well as sreengrabs of work in progress (in Garage Band, Final Cut, Afters Effects or Photoshop etc.)

Now:
- Please make sure you have completed everything that features on the list posted earlier.
- URGENTLY sort out the layout of your blogs - the group ones are nearly there but your individual blogs still have the 'followers' window, miss links, particularly to Main blog and group blog but also to your own induction blog.
- Many of you are missing earlier work such as earlier practical tasks - EVERYONE NEEDS TO EMBED AND EVALUATE PROPERLY THEIR PRELIMINARY TASKS, AND CLEARLY LABEL THEM.
- Sort out labels both on group and individual blogs.
- Bring together all the audience research and production/distribution research you have done in 2 neat packages, or maybe just one titled: "marketing strategy".
- Work on the film poster or DVD cover, even if it is only a sketch.

Next week (starting 31/1/11):
Monday and Thursday lessons: Aim to complete your final cut, including logos, titles, soundtrack.
If we absolutely need some time on the following Thursday, we will of course use it (the first 2 lessons), but ideally you will be starting your evaluation tasks by then.

In any case, you will be presenting your final product on Thursday 10th February (lesson 3 if we have used the first 2 to finish off).

You will want to show your films to as many people as possible before or immediately after that to gather as much feedback as possible. Help your viewers give you useful feedback by asking specific questions (such as the ones we used to assess rough cuts).

for Thursday 20 January CATCH UP!

- You will be starting by explaining what you have done / worked on since last lesson, personally and as a group. We will look through the blogs.

- Unfortunately some of you still have not caught up with set work and that means more cause for concern sheets.

- You should all have updated your personal blogs several times:
* what your involvement has been so far, your thoughts on the group's project, progress etc, what needs doing next,
* embedded film sequences with screengrabs and comments,
* Propp and Barthes work (properly),
* others students' blogs you have looked at, linked, with your own comments,
* embedded films from previous candidates with comments,
* posters and DVD covers with analysis (choose models for your own),
* ideas for your own, marketing (including production and distribution) notes, ideas for production company name and logo,
* ideas for soundtrack with relevant embedded clips.

Keep the evaluation questions in mind to complete all the relevant research.

No one is on a level 3 or 4 at present for research and planning.

Tomorrow, you will have produced your rough cut with titles and rough soundtrack by the end of the lesson ready to be presented next week for feedback.

Finally, keep labels clear and organised - don't use more than 10 or 12. Group 1 needs to review their label list.

Institutions which could distribute your film

Here is an example of one student's research into the question.

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

View more presentations from Stephanie.