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Thursday, 28 February 2013

Year 12 Homework.  For each of your films, write down what you have done so far, and what you need to do.  Write a sentence or two for each bullet point about what you have done or need to do.


Things you must have done for your case study:

So for example, I might write under number 4. 'I have found some twitter comments but don't know them off by heart yet.  However, I know that there are lots of comments about the film and so I need to go back and research this.'

Or for number 3 I might write 'not done yet, but have visited fan sites and have quotes from them.'

1.  Analyse the trailer
2.  Analyse the website
3.  Analyse a fan site
4.  Find a few twitter comments about it 5. read a few articles from different websites about it.
6.  Find out how much it cost to make
7.  Find out what awards it won.
8.  Find out if there are any additional things being sold like posters/other merchandise.
9.  Know who was producing it and what else they had produced.  The same for directing.
10.  Find out about the marketing campaign and how they did it
11.  Look at what fans were saying about the film, perhaps watch some interviews with the cast and director.
12.  Find out what impact winning awards had on the film and its' box office takings.
13.  Think of theories to apply to the film and what sorts of questions they would be good to use in.
14.  Look at old mark schemes and see what sorts of things they are looking for and what the questions were.
15.  Practice answering questions and think about what I felt I should have known but didn't and how I could find out that information. 

Friday, 15 February 2013

Research for Case Study Year 13:

Cara - Twitter
Calum  - Youtube
Sam - Blogs
Harrison - Facebook
Joey - Twitter

You're going to produce a hand out for the rest of the class with info on that particular new and digital media and how it has impacted on your films.  It should include theories, debates and lots of examples and on your blog you need to analayse at least 3 of the products in DETAIL. 
 
Sequelization
Convergence or convergent
Megafranchise
Vertical integration
Horizontal integration
Ancillary revenue
Multiple media platform
Cross-promotion
Constant media synergy
Franchise
Theatrical box office
spectacle

Thursday, 14 February 2013

To Clarify.  Here is the half term homework for each year group

Year 12

1.  Complete a case study on a TV programme of your choice, in  as much detail as the OutNumbered example! This is essentially what your case study for each film in your cross media study should look like as well.

2.  Research your films more and blog/record what you've researched.  You should have a HOLISTIC understanding of each film, and you should be an oracle on those films soon!  I should be able to ask you ANYTHING about them and you can respond with the answer!

3.  Answer the past exam question on synergy.


Year 13

1.  Finish answering the questions on the Lifestyle programmes.

2.  Complete a case study on a TV programme of your choice, in  as much detail as the OutNumbered example! This is essentially what your case study for each film in your cross media study should look like as well.

3.  Continue to research for your 'IMPACT OF NEW AND DIGITAL MEDIA' study and create a handout all about your films and your research. 

It is a lot of work, but you need to do a lot of work to ensure that you get the top grades!!

We are doing MOCK PAPERS in the first lessons back after half term, so be prepared for them!!!
Year 12 and Year 13 Reading Over Half Term

In addition to continued research for your cross media study, I would also like you to read and summarise onto your blog the key points of this article

http://jimc.medill.northwestern.edu/archives/2008/HollywoodMediaSynergy.pdf

It's a fab article for gaining more in depth information about synergy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejm62uIPlas

Section B: The Cross-Media Study

There was much positive evidence once again this series that centres and their candidates have truly embraced the Cross-Media Study.
Helped by the change in question format, there was far less regurgitated description (of box office, directors, studio names etc.) at the beginning of responses. The three platforms were prevalent in the vast majority of responses (most now being structured around the platforms; aiding clarity and question focus). There was also very little evidence of no cross-media study having been prepared and MEST 2 coursework (or even the unseen Section A text) being used instead. Overall there still seems to be a pleasing range of cross-media studies being developed with enthusiasm and real engagement by candidates ranging from Music, News, TV Fiction, Film Fiction, Documentary and Hybrid Forms and the increasingly popular area of Lifestyle.
However, some issues remain. Many centres still seem to be playing it safe and teaching the cross-media study in a very rigid and controlled way. In these cases responses lacked individuality and most importantly any critical autonomy, running against the spirit of the specification. At its worst this resulted in rote learning and regurgitation with all candidates using exactly the same media products, examples, ideas and even essay structure (e.g. representation of youth on E4, Eminem).
Unfortunately, there is still some evidence of older products being used (9/11 news broadcasts, a potted history of the horror genre, for example) making it very difficult for candidates to individually research related contemporary cross-media products.
It once again needs to be reiterated that a cross-media study does not constitute the study of just one core text and one linked product in each platform. This is far too limited in scope for an AS course and will not provide students with a wider understanding of the whole topic area. A range of contrasting products (in terms of audience and institution) should be encouraged across the platforms thus fostering a greater understanding of the topic area at hand.
Indeed many cross-media studies had little sense of the topic they linked to. Where candidates had this wider topic knowledge and understanding they were more likely to able to evaluate the reasons why media products are the way they are and in turn achieve much better question focus through the application of the conceptual framework.
Synergy is the process by which media institutions use a range of platforms to promote, sell and distribute their products. Assess the impact of synergy in your cross-media study.
Support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media
platforms. (32 marks)

Question 6
Pleasingly just over a half of all candidates who opted for this question also achieved a level three or above.
Really successful responses challenged the orthodoxy of the question and queried whether the use of synergy had actually had much impact at all on audience reception and response.
Many though found the notion of synergy challenging (despite the definition offered in the question). In this case the sense of synergy working across the platforms was missed, instead a series of isolated (yet related) products being analysed from different platforms with no real sense of the links between them. Some responses often became descriptive with no real sense of why synergy was used by the institutions concerned.
Better responses took an institutional point of view and got to grips with both how and why synergy was used. Weaker responses instead often used examples which were more audience than institution-lead (e.g. online forums) and thus failed to fully consider why. The same was also true of print examples such as film reviews, which again are out of control of the main institution and not an example of synergy.

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

1.  How are the people represented in the clips?

Level 4 (10-12 marks)
A sophisticated evaluation, showing very good critical autonomy.
Detailed and sophisticated application of a wide range of media debates/issues/theories.
Supports answer with a wide range of examples from other media.
Articulate and engaged.
Level 3 (7-9 marks)
A proficient evaluation, showing good critical autonomy.
Proficient application of a range of media debates/issues/theories.
Supports answer with a range of examples from other media.
Clearly expressed.
Level 2 (4-6 marks)
A satisfactory evaluation, showing critical autonomy.
Adequate application of a number of media debates/issues/theories.
Supports answer with examples from other media.
Generally clear expression.
Level 1 (1-3 marks)
A basic evaluation.
Basic application of some media debates/issues/theories.
Some examples from other media included.
Meaning may be obscured at times by weaknesses in written communication.
Level 0 (0 marks)
Mostly descriptive and/or irrelevant answer.

2.  What do you think is the appeal of lifestyle programming such as these?

Level 4 (10-12 marks)
A sophisticated and detailed evaluation, showing very good critical autonomy.
Sophisticated and detailed application of a wide range of wider contexts.
Supports answer with a wide range of examples from other media.
Articulate and engaged.
Level 3 (7-9 marks)
A proficient evaluation, showing good critical autonomy.
Proficient application of a range of wider contexts.
Supports answer with a range of examples of other media.
Clearly expressed.
Level 2 (4-6 marks)
A satisfactory evaluation, showing critical autonomy.
Adequate application of a number of wider contexts.
Supports answer with examples from other media.
Generally clear expression.
Level 1 (1-3 marks)
A basic evaluation.
Basic application of some wider contexts.
Some examples from other media included.
Meaning may be obscured at times by weaknesses in written communication.
Level 0 (0 marks)
Mostly descriptive and/or irrelevant answer.


3.  Do you believe that lifestyle programming creates and fuels negative ideologies?

Level 4 (10-12 marks)
A sophisticated and detailed evaluation, showing very good critical autonomy.
Sophisticated and detailed application of a wide range of wider contexts.
Supports answer with a wide range of examples from other media.
Articulate and engaged.
Level 3 (7-9 marks)
A proficient evaluation, showing good critical autonomy.
Proficient application of a range of wider contexts.
Supports answer with a range of examples of other media.
Clearly expressed.
Level 2 (4-6 marks)
A satisfactory evaluation, showing critical autonomy.
Adequate application of a number of wider contexts.
Supports answer with examples from other media.
Generally clear expression.
Level 1 (1-3 marks)
A basic evaluation.
Basic application of some wider contexts.
Some examples from other media included.
Meaning may be obscured at times by weaknesses in written communication.
Level 0 (0 marks)
Mostly descriptive and/or irrelevant answer.



Year 13 Homework

Produce a handout for me detailing everything you have researched for your case study for MEST 3. 

Remember, the focus for your case study is THE IMPACT OF NEW AND DIGITAL MEDIA on film.  I would like 500 words answering how new and digital media has impacted your films, and their audiences. 
Year 12 Homework

Produce a mini case study on a TV programme of your choice.  It should be as good as the Outnumbered one!!!!
Outnumbered is a successful British Situation Comedy (Sitcom) named so simply because the two parental central protagonists, ‘Sue’ and ‘Pete’ are outnumbered by their three children. It is set in West London and although on the surface offers pluralistic representations in the guise of their unruly children who often intellectually challenge their parents it very much follows a standard genre template established by family based Sitcoms like Butterflies and My Family. There are regular and transitory characters, unseen characters (a common convention) e.g. Sue’s boss in series one and two and familiar, primarily domestic locations. It has received academic criticism for failing to address changing representations in gender and family within society by maintaining conventional representations – they are a nuclear family ( a statistically declining unit) while Pete is a History teacher and Sue is a part time PA, again arguably promoting gender cultural stereotypes.

Channel and Brand Identity

Outnumbered follows on from a historical back catalogue of many successful BBC produced and commissioned Situation Comedies from Fawlty Towers and The Good Life through to Yes Minister, One Foot in the Grave and Keeping Up Appearances through to Only Fools and Horses and the Vicar of Dibley. The list of BBC Sitcoms is endless and for the BBC it has become known as well established, mainstream safe genre programming for over 40 years, cementing their reputation for quality – like Soap Operas Sitcoms require limited production values and are often based on a simple idea that can be easily marketed to target audiences and Outnumbered moves carefully into this equation.
Outnumbered was commissioned (the BBC bought the right to broadcast the programme) by the BBC from Hat Trick Productions, an independent production company who make the programme in 2006. Hat Trick Productions, like the BBC also have an established reputation for producing successful TV Sitcoms, TV Comedy Sketch Shows and TV Comedy Panel Shows like Armstrong and Miller, Have I Got News for You, Father Ted, Drop the Dead Donkey, Harry Enfield’s Television Programme, Room 101 and The Kumars at No. 42. It is written, directed and produced by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin who last collaborated on Drop the Dead Donkey. Although the writers claim a significant amount of Outnumbered is ‘semi improvised’ the representations are conventional which fits well with BBC1’s reputation for broadcasting non challenging, mainstream, ‘middle of the road’ Situation Comedy – to illustrate the characters of Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping up Appearances, Ben Harper in My Family and even Dawn French’s Val in the recent BAFTA award winning Roger and Val offer very stereotypical representations. An argument suggests in the industry if you want challenging Sitcom then maybe C4 would be a better starting point.

Target Audience and Scheduling

The target audience for Outnumbered is C1, C2 and D according to socio-economic grouping and Mainstreamers and Carers according to psycho-graphic research, justified in part by the mainstream representations in the programme. Broadening the audience demographic further the representation of family and BBC1 channel loyalty still in many households in the UK suggests a primarily female with a significant male secondary audience - middle class, 25-55, educated, parents and/or grandparents, urban and city living.
According to BARB (Broadcaster’s Audience Research Board) the first episode received 4.1 million viewers and finished the first series with 2.8 million, still above the average of 2.2 million for this technically post watershed time slot. The word technically has been used because video on demand and streaming has challenged notions of prime time and post watershed. As it turned out however, the initial scheduled time was a surprise - unusual scheduling techniques were used in series one to create hype about the show and make ‘event television’ – all six shows were transmitted inside two weeks after 10pm but this gave the BBC the opportunity of creating audience familiarity with the show and characters through repetition before reverting back to the more conventional weekly broadcast format and timeslot for series two, 9pm and now 9.30pm.
Scheduling techniques carefully resisted the temptation to place this Sitcom into a prime time slot in the knowledge that perhaps it did require more primary than secondary audience reception to fully understand the nature of the humour, dialogue and relationships between characters. Unlike many other Situation Comedies, Outnumbered has no laughter soundtrack directing potentially more passive audiences towards the nature of the humour as part of a shared response. This is further argument that it indeed deliberately targets a more educated, middle class audience. As a result of its continued success a fourth series will air in September 2011.

Audience Appeals / Responses

Recognition of family chaos was one of the original audience appeals of the show with viewers recognising or interpellating themselves within the discourse. Of course familiarity with standard Sitcom conventions was also a major reason for the show’s success, as genre marketing exists in the film industry so it exists within the television industry with additional marketing reputation the BBC has as a quality broadcaster. Outnumbered also has all the hallmarks of traditional Situation Comedy in reference to the ‘innocence’ of the representations – no significant swearing or sexual content with a narrative in fact actually based around the innocence of childhood clearly appealing to parents. Audiences enjoy the ‘naturalness’ of the child actors’ performances and bought into the advertised hype that much of the dialogue was not scripted, with the actors given outlines of the situation and what was going to happen and then encouraged to improvise. I am sure on the show this happens up to a point but within a structured framework.
Intertextual references are evident to the American Sitcom Seinfeld in the fact that within the thirty minute scheduled time frame not very much actually happens. This would appeal to audiences that enjoy dialogue, character and interpersonal relationships rather than a specific three act narrative structure as in Only Fool and Horses where a problem is introduced and developed to its conclusion in the episodic format of the show. It would be difficult, as in Fawlty Towers to talk about a specific, memorable Outnumbered episode, e.g. Fawlty Towers ‘The Germans’ as most audiences like the format of the show itself, not a specific event. Roger and Val try to innovate in this way by offering a narrative about what happens in the half hour after they come home from work but it is still based around a specific event or scenario. With this in mind it is the dullness of the show to many that is so appealing with its bland, non riotously funny mode of address. The Brockmans are a dysfunctional family again drawing intertextual references to The Simpsons; they are struggling to function but like The Simpsons are still together as a family. Having said all this however audiences are positioned into ‘feeling the love’ in that there is a clear feel good element to the show and as in The Simpsons, the two central parent protagonists actually like each other which is a key appeal – cynically the show has surveillance aspects to it and it is actually promoting the ideology of a middle class, nuclear family unit lifestyle.
Applying Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory would then suggest the target audience of Outnumbered is more active – in terms of Diversion they are buying into the escapist representations of a chaotic but also loving family unit, responding in terms of personal relationships (there was a considerably positive online response) and also responding in terms of personal identity, perhaps with the star marketing of ‘Pete’ played by stand up comedian Hugh Dennis.
He is known for Punt and Dennis, The Mary Whitehouse Experience, providing voices for Spitting Image, as a panellist on Mock the Week and guest hosting Have I Got News for You. He is also known for playing a regular character (GP Piers Crispin) in another BBC Sitcom, My Hero. With this in mind arguably cultural capital, in terms of audience identification with Hugh Dennis would definitely attract a more middle class, educated target audience to the show.

Format and Technology

Outnumbered series one, two and three are available in DVD formats and can be downloaded using iPlayer – the BBC also markets the programme through blogs (one of the child actors in the show can talk you though the episodes and where he thinks it is going) and the BBC also offers exclusive interviews online and previously unseen footage, clearly understanding the levels of IT literacy and competence amongst its target audience. The BBC has the commercial ability to continue to market its shows in this way until such point that ratings and audience feedback suggest dwindling interest, by which time it will be replaced with yet another Sitcom. As with The Office, an American version of Outnumbered has been planned with the existing writers and directors acting as executive producers, undoubtedly buying into the English cultural stereotyping of gender, social class and family values.
Outnumbered comes from a very successful stable of programmes and although innovative up to a point offers standards Situation Comedy conventions to a mainstream target audience. They (the audience), in turn recognise something that is familiar to all of then – notions of family values and interpersonal relationships cocooned within a humorous framework.

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Year 12 Homework

Blog about 3 fan sites created about your three chosen films for your case study.  Your blog post should include: 
  • Images/screen grabs of the site. 
  • Analysis of some of the site with direct reference to audience theory and how involved the audience are with the film.
  • Detailed reference to the information on the site and how it represents the film
You can bullet point your ideas about the site but it should still be fairly extensive.  Imagine that you get given a question about audience involvement in films and you have to answer it with reference to fan sites.  You need this to be in lots of detail.

Spend 1-2 hours on this homework please - we need to get your case study up and running again and if you don't have a third film, you need to decide one NOW!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eteErs0GCBQ
the medium is the message

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


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEgxTKUP_WI
semiotics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWKgx3y26ns
Barthes