Your blog update

I have been through most of your blogs and commented on them, with the exceptions of Caitlin and Maisy, no reason just not done yet!
Please note I expect everything listed on previous post on your blogs by October 31st.
General comments to take into consideration:

1. Not enough illustration of your comments or illustrations at all in fact!
2. Too text heavy in some cases.
3. Pay attention to details - get the spelling, grammar, vocab choice correct.
4. Address presentation issues to make your blog the smartest it can be e.g. use text wrapping to minimise wasted space.

Of the work I have assessed so far: three students have absolutely outstanding blogs and 4 are more or less up to date and 4 have little to nothing on their blogs.

Because of the lessons lost due to the INSET days I am postponing the presentation of your coursework until Thursday 3rd November so you have extra time to get preparation as finished as possible.
Please keep an eye on SMHW for resource sheets e.g. shooting schedule and don't forget to get your audience surveys out to as many of your target audience as possible.

Coursework preparation lesson and timetable

Thursday 3rd November presentations of your ideas for your film.
These should contain the following information:

1. premise of your film
2. storyline of complete film
3. location ideas
4. Actors
5. Characters
6. Costumes
7. Props
8. Titles
9. Production co logo
10. Music and sound ideas [must be original]

Additional work that needs to be completed before filming can begin:

1. Storyboard
2. Script
3. Shooting schedule

End of September roundup!

As of tomorrow, Thursday 29th September, you should have completed:

1. Media in My Life
2. History of horror
3. Conventions of horror
4. Film Analysis 1
5. Film Analysis 2

By half term you need to have completed

1. the remaining two film analyses 
2. Camera angles and explanation
3. the work I gave you on mise en scene, sound, editing and use of camera
4. Audience survey questionaire
5. Initial planning for the main piece of coursework.
6. the planning for the prelim task should be here too!

Remember:

1. use a range of presentational devices / programs
2. put pictures or video clips in [nb if you do this don't make them long ones!!!]

Embedding pictures into your blog

Find your image, copy image save as, on your post click on picture next to link above in tool bar





a box appears with

upload and choose files;

find your saved image then open then click Add selected

and your picture should appear on your blog post. you can move it left, right or centre and change its size by selecting from the menu which will appear if you click on your picture as below:

Don't forget to wrap text to make your post more appealing.

Analysing a film opening

A scene from The Shining
Here we have a birds eye view tracking shot following the protagonist's car as it snakes along an isolated winding road surrounded by dense forest, emphasising the isolation of the location he is driving to. This camera use also gives the impression of the character being tracked, followed almost stalked which adds to the sense of unease the viewer feels.
The dense forest and deep shadows supported by a haunting sound track with no diegetic sound all presage the horror which will ensue.

Each of your frames should discuss technical effects: use of camera, sound, editing, mise en scene - stating what is used i.e. denotation and then commenting on what effect is being achieved by the different techniques i.e. connotation.

Choose 9 frames which have different information in them to give an overall assessment of (a) what an opening is made up of and (b) how the genre of horror is conveyed explicitly or implicitly.

And the rest of the work and posts you will need to do

In order to be able to film and edit your film successfully this work will also need to be done:

1. Preliminary task [with Mrs May]
2. Camera angles - take photographs around school or home to show different camera angles and what messages they convey to the viewer.
3. Planning - all of these need more or less detailed posts;
• story
• characters
• locations
• themes
• actors
• props
• costumes
• sound
• editing
4.  Audience research - VERY IMPORTANT
5.  Storyboard - animatic
6.  Call sheet
7.  Shooting schedule
8. And while you are filming -
• take photos or video clips or do a director's commentary or interviews
9.  After you have shot your film you need to edit it. Make sure you have a post explaining the process, what you learned, problems and solutions etc
10. Finally you will have to answer 7 evaluation questions which I will put on a later post.

I strongly recommend you keep adding to your blogs because the work load is spread rather than left to the last minute and I take a dim view of that!!
When you choose who to work with make sure your choice is the best one for YOU! Not everyone may have the same work ethic as you!
And you all have to have all the posts - no divying them up!

Good luck!

A list of the posts you need to have on your blog

By the end of September you should have completed these:

1. Media in my Life - what media you use, how and why, and what you think of different media.
2. An introduction to horror - i.e. A History of Horror films - you could do this decade by decade or by sub genre or type.
3. Conventions of the horror genre
4. Analyses of the openings of 4 horror films.

Please note:

• you need to demonstrate an ability to use a variety of presentation methods in your blog work.
• embedding pictures and video clips 
• good English and presentation skills e.g. use bold, capital letters, terminology, short and snappy paragraphs
• and remember - at all times you are thinking of how the technical aspects you are writing about convey an atmosphere or feeling of horror, how they contribute to categorising the film as horror
• AND above all ILLUSTRATE your points!!!