Due 12/17

During these last three weeks of the quarter, you will view movie openings from different genres, see the observations and comments made by others, take quizzes on these and your own observations, create two movie opening observations of your own, then finally make a decision about your own movie opener genre.

1) Quizzes - View these four movie openings along with the comments and observations made by an unknown observer on the first two. During these viewings you should open the corresponding quizzes which will help guide you through the information.


Forrest Gump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMEzKl6tFu4
Q2 Quiz 5 Forrest Gump

Psycho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLOGM_NyCkk
Q2 Quiz 8 Psycho


Saving Private Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr8q0WwQ9yU&t=160s
Q2 Quiz 6 Saving Private Ryan

Scream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdKi-FxYscU
Q2 Quiz 7 Scream

2) Blog Posts - Film Opening Research (2) - Now you will choose two movies to observe and write about the opening elements. Each movie should be chosen from your favorite genre.
You do not need to write these observations in essay form. You can copy and paste the questions below into your blog and answer them as you observe the opening scene of each movie.

Title each blog entry as “Film Opening Research #1 - Movie Title” and
                                       "Film Opening Research #2 - Movie Title"

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? 
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 
What connotations do the images carry? 
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? 
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? 
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? 
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques. 

3) Blog Post - Finally, you will make a decision about the genre you wish to represent in your own movie opening project. This project will encompass a great deal, but not all, of the work you will complete during the 3rd quarter. You can choose to create this movie opening as an individual, with one partner, or as a group. (limit 4 members) Keep in mind that during the creation of this film, every group member will blog on a weekly basis about the progress of the film, and your individual part in making the film.

Now make your final post for this semester and title it: "My Film Opening Project - Genre & Group Members". In this post list the genre of your future project and all the members of this class that will be working on the film with you. Please spend your Winter Break thinking about your film project. 

Q2 - Media Codes and Conventions (Genre)

Media Codes and Conventions

Due 11/12 - Quizzes and PowerPoint uploaded to Blog 

Due 11/19 - Video completed  and uploaded to Blog 

Since the beginning of the school year we have been learning about media codes, and in your last two assignments you created a graphic organizer and wrote an essay on how media codes create meaning in a film clip.  After a quick review and categorization of media codes you will begin research into media conventions.  Read the articles below and complete the corresponding quizzes to better understand what I mean by media conventions.

1)  Media Codes and Conventions - https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8

     Q2 - Quiz 3 Media Codes and Conventions

2)  Film Genres Origins and Types http://www.filmsite.org/filmgenres.html

     Q2 - Quiz 4 Film Genres Origins and Types

3)  Now you will choose your favorite genre to create a PowerPoint from the information on one of the genres in the link above.  This PowerPoint should cover the genre thoroughly and should include but not be limited to: An Explanation of the genre on several slides, Examples (classic, modern, award winning) with an explanation of why the example fits this genre, A few of your Favorite movies in this genre, Images from movies, Studios most likely to produce this genre, and in the Notes portion of the PowerPoint a script explaining each slide.  Do not fill the slides with the script.  Slides should be limited to a few main topics with the script containing the detailed information.

4)  Blog - Export your powerpoint to JPEG and imbed the slides into your blog.  Label this blog post "My Favorite Genre - PowerPoint".  Make the slides small and place them side by side as best you can, so that they don't stretch the blog post too long.

5)  Now you will create a video of your powerpoint.  You will do this using the the studio in Canvas. While showing your powerpoint slides, you will use screen capture and record yourself presenting your slide information.  You should use the screen-capture option which shows a small box with your image in the lower right corner.   After you complete this video you will can download it from studio and upload it to your youtube chanel. 

6)  Blog - Create a post in your blog and upload your genre video from youtube.  Title this post "My Favorite Genre - Video".

 Due 10/29 & 11/05

This week and next you will tie all that you have learned about the codes of film together into one paper which you will post to your blog.  You will actually complete the first part of of a past AICE Media Studies Exam.  The only difference is you do not have to write this exam in one classroom sitting, instead you will have all next week to complete it.  The exam is based on viewing the first 5 minutes of the movie "Agent Carter, Marvel One-Shots, 2013, dir. Louis D’Esposito".  Before viewing this film, each of you will create a graphic organizer of your own, which will help you recall all the different elements of film we have studied so far.  I am placing a partial sample below of one type of graphic organizer you might like to make.  You may have another graphic organizer you feel fits your study habits better.  Once you have decided what your graphic organizer will look like, you must make it by hand.  That is, it must be hand written and hand drawn.  Feel free to discuss ideas about this graphic organizer with classmates but you must create one of your own.  Post your graphic organizer to your blog this week and the essay to your blog next week.

1) Blog:  Create a new post and upload a picture of your graphic organizer.   Title this post "Film Elements Graphic Organizer".

Partial Sample:

2)  Blog:  View the film extract and write a complete essay (at least 500 words) following the directions below.  Title this blog:  Film Viewing Practice Essay "Agent Carter"

You can view the film at this link:https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27z5eg
You should stop stop the video at 5:09

Agent Carter (Marvel One-Shots, 2013, dir. Louis D’Esposito)
Clip duration: 5:09
Start point: 00:00
End Point: 05:09

In essay format, discuss the ways in which the extract constructs meaning through the following:

• camera shots, angles, movement and composition
• editing
• sound
• mise-en-scène.

Q2 Week 1 - Mise en scene

  Due 10/22

Mise-en-scene

What is mise-en-scene?  Well, once you read the article below and take the corresponding quizzes, you will have a better understanding of this film term.

1)  Article - Mise en scene

     Q2 Week 1 Quiz 1 - MISE-EN-SCENE (Part 1)
     Q2 Week 1 Quiz 2 - MISE-EN-SCENE (Part 2)

2)  Blog - Watch one movie or TV episode of your choice and describe the four general mise-en-scene areas: setting, lighting, costume and staging.  Explain in your post how these recognizable attributes helped to tell the story, aided the success of the movie, or contributed to why you like the movie. (500 words)

     I decided to comment on the mise-en-scene of the M. Night Shyamalan movie, “Unbreakable”.  I made this decision primarily because I wanted to show that you can easily write about the sets, costumes, lighting and blocking in a film where these elements appear to be less prevalent, rather than in a show with obvious period elements of elaborate costumes and sets.  I also chose this film because it was the prequel to the movies "Split" and "Glass", two movies which are more recognized by this director, who is one of my favorites.

     The movie opens to a shallow space setting on a train with the Bruce Willis character quietly sitting and soon to be having a conservation with a woman to which he appears to be attracted.  The shallow blocking gives the viewer a sense of being a passenger in the seat just in front of the conversation.    Soon after this conversation, the setting changes to a hospital room with a deep space set, showing Bruce Willis in the background and a dying passenger being worked on by medical staff in the foreground.  This deep space blocking helps the viewer focus on the total scene rather than just the conversation between the main character and the doctor.

     As you move through the first few scenes of the movie you will notice that the lighting is low-key, helping to portray a sense of gloom and depression for all the characters involved.  This darkness aides in the viewers interpretation that this is a low time in the lives of these characters.  The family’s meager home is gloomy, dim and lacking of life, further adding to the sadness of the film.  Inversely, just after the main character and his wife have a conversation about working on their marriage, the lighting changes to a high-key format, giving the feel that things will be looking up for this family.

     During the 1974 scene where the younger version of Samuel L. Jackson’s character is having a conversation with his mom, the set designers chose to represent the 1974, Philadelphia West Side apartment through a reflection of their conversation in a vintage television.  The reflection not only succeeds in showing the 1974 décor of the apartment, but also contributes to the feeling of doom and gloom with the low-key lighting it provides.  The mood changes for this character as well when he chooses to venture outside, despite his frailness, and goes for the present his mother has placed on the park bench.  The color purple is introduced during this scene by the purple present sitting on the park bench. Then as the character moves out into the bright sunny day the camera pivots around to his front revealing his iconic purple shirt which will become a prevalent part of his future wardrobe.

     My observations were limited to the first 23 minutes of the film due to the fact that on your AICE media studies exam you will also view just a clip from a film.  You will then write about all the elements in the clip we have studied so far this year; cinematography, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.  As you can see, after completing this assignment you should be ready for the first part of the exam.

  Due 10/15

You will now move on to observing and working with sound in film.  Begin by reading the following articles and then taking the corresponding quizzes below each.

1)  Film Sound and Music​
      Week 8 - Quiz 1 - Film Sound & Music

2) The Emotional Realism of Sound
    Week 8 - Quiz 2 - Movies and Film: Sound Effects and Their Functions

2)  Edit - Reopen your "Five Master Edits", in your editing software, and add sound to the 5 different scenes.  You should have at least 4 different examples of sound when finished.  This means you can't just add music to all, keep them all direct sound, or voice over all of them.  You can have a combination of sounds on one clip.  You may not have to edit the sound in a clip which you wish to maintain it's current direct sound or if you have already added music to create a leitmotif edit.  If this is the case, these 2 sounds will be part of the four you discuss in your blog.  (Diegetic Direct sound and Non-Diegetic Music)  Choose from these types of sound edits, although you will learn that some items in this list are subcategories of others.

  Diegetic sound, Non-Diegetic sound, Nonsimultaneous sound, Direct sound,  Synchronous sound, Postsynchronization dubbing, Offscreen Sound, 

Sound Bridge, Voice Over, Sonic flashback, or Music,

     After you finish editing the sound, export your new video with a different name upload it to Youtube.  Do not take down the previous version of the film since it is linked in your post from two weeks ago and needs to remain there in its original version.  You need to keep both versions in order to show your journey.

3)  Post -  Place a link or embed your new edited version of  "Five Master Shots with Sound Effects" in your blog for this week.  Comment on which types of sound you added and how each affected your film.  Do not limit your comments to just stating and defining the type of sound you used.  State how the sound changed the emotion of your film.

4)  Post - Post a comment on on this blog post that you are finished when you have completed all the assignments.

Here is the link to my sample "Five Master Edits with Sound Effects"

Sound Effects Added Comments:

1) Music:  I added music throughout most of the film to give it an overall theme of a "Circus" environment.  My clips which were already on my phone when I started this project, are mainly taken at school and sometimes I think of school as a circus.  Adding background music is also a form of non-diegetic sound.

2)  Music:  I added Mozart music to the first half of my contrast section to portray the intelligence of the young man as he's scanning through his textbooks studying.  The music helps you fell that this student is very intelligent.

3) Direct Sound: I left the direct sound in the second half of my contrast video because it contained the music that the same student was dancing to at the volleyball game.   The ambient sound of the volleyball game helps to add to the contrast of the video.  Direct sound is also a form of diegetic sound.

4)  Post Synchronization Dubbing:  In my parallelism clip, I added two different sounds of post synchronization dubbing which were not a part of the original videos.  I recorded myself calling my dogs name and added it to the clip of me walking with the empty leash, and then downloaded a file of a doberman whining to add to my dog walking.  This addition of sound helps the viewer see that a person is walking looking for their dog while at the same time a dog is walking, looking for it's person.  This dubbing is also a form of diegetic sound even though it was not a part of the original film.  The sound appears to be coming directly from the characters on the film.

5)  Voice-over:  I lowered the volume of the background music on my symbolism clip and added a voice-over to better explain the transition.  By adding the voice-over the viewer better understands why the camera goes from one set of stars to another.  (This is just a symbolism reference that could appear in a film, I don't really worry that some of the students will end up in a patrol car.)  Voice-over is a form of non-diegetic sound.

6)  Direct Sound:  In my example of simultaneity, I chose to leave all the natural (direct) sound that was in the film clips.  The sounds show what was happening inside the building and outside the building during the hurricane.  The contrast of the two sounds was enough to help the viewer feel the danger that was just outside.

7)  Sound Bridge:  I allowed the circus music to play throughout my Leitmotif film clip because it represents the emotions I wanted to express during the entire film.  This clip shows the craziness that sometimes goes on in the classroom and how a teacher might feel as though they are a hamster running on a wheel.  The circus music helps to impress these feelings onto the viewer.  The same music running throughout the entire edit also serves as a sound bridge for the various clips linking them together as one video.

 Due 10/03

This week you will continue to show your knowledge of the "Five Master Edits," you have been studying, and also filmed yourself over the past two and a half weeks. 

 Contrast - Parallelism - Symbolism - Simultaneity - Leitmotif

Here are your assignments for this week.

1)  Film:  Your assignment is to observe three of these five edits in a film of your choosing.  You can observe them in the same film or three different films if you wish.  You can locate these edits in either a movie, or a series episode.  Record each of the edits as a video clip on your phone.  These should be nice looking videos that are shot in landscape. You are not allowed to use the same scene as two different edit examples, although you might mention in your explanation that a clip could have been used as another example.  You are also not allowed to use any of the examples given in the video "Pudovkin's 5 Editing Techniques".

2)  Post:  When you have found and recorded on your phone each of your three edit choices, post them in your blog as embedded clips with an explanation of how the clip fulfills the definition of the edit.  You should have at least 100 words describing each of the three clips, for a total of 300 words.

Here is my one example:

Parallelism

In this film clip from the Cinemax series "Outcast, Season 2, Episode 10", Amber who is hiding for her life with her mother in a rundown hotel room, hears a knock at the door while her mother has momentarily left her to take a shower.  In the background you can clearly hear the water from the shower.  The scene quickly jump cuts to a running water faucet where the serial killer and alien possessed, Blake Morrow, is washing his face while contemplating his revenge on Amber's father, Kyle Barns, who is chained in a nearby room.  The parallelism comes from the sound of the water, which doesn't change as the scene jumps.  This particular clip could have also been used as an example of simultaneity, since the two scenes are happening at the same time in two different locations.

Q1 Weeks 5 & 6 - Editing Techniques

  Due 09/24

After spending some time learning about camera angles, different shots, and the emotions they invoke, it's now time for us to move on to editing and transitions.

1)  First you will view the two following online articles and one video which will introduce you to the effects and importance of editing and transitions in the films you watch, as well as future films you will make.  After viewing each please take the corresponding quizzes.

Types of Video Transitions
Week 5 Quiz 1

A Beginners Guide to Film Editing Vocabulary
Week 5 Quiz 2

Watch: 5 Master Editing Techniques That Appear in Everything From ‘Psycho’ to ‘Hugo’
Week 5 Quiz 3

2)  Now you will create your own version of each of the five master edits mentioned in the video above

 Contrast - Parallelism - Symbolism - Simultaneity - Leitmotif

a.  You can shoot the videos needed for this assignment on your phone or a video camera if you have one.
b.  Keep in mind that each edit requires more than one shot--some may require many.
b.  You can create these shots with a partner, but each partner must upload the final product to their individual blogs and have an individual interpretation of the shots.
c.  You will edit these videos into one film using Adobe Premiere Pro, to include an opening title (Our/My Five Master Edits by Your Name(s)) and a title for each of the five shots.
d.  Do not focus on the sounds in these clips because sound will be addressed in a later lesson.
e.  The type of transitions you choose to demonstrate each of the five edits is up to you.

Watch these videos once you have all your shots ready to edit.  They will help you get started in Premiere Pro and help you export your final product.

"How To" Video for Premier Pro
"How To" Render & Export Your Video

3)  Post to Your Blog:   Upload your finished film containing your five edited shots to YouTube and embed it into your blog,  then discuss each of your shots and how they demonstrate the 5 Mater Edits, just below your video.  Remember, everyone has to do this in your own blog, in your own words, even if you worked with a partner.  Below is my sample my "Five Master Edits".

Sample "Five Master Edits" made by me

4) Comment that you are finished at the bottom of this blog post once your film i

Q1 Weeks 3 & 4 - Camera Angles in Major Motion Pictures

 Due 09/03

This week you will continue to explore different camera angles and shots; however now you will learn more about how these different angles and shots make the viewer feel or add emotion to the film.

Week 3 (August 23-27)

1)  Begin by reading these 2 online articles and taking the quizzes that correspond with each.

Article 1:  Different Camera Angles Create Different Emotions

Quiz:  Week 3 - Quiz 1

Article 2:  Use of Long Shots in Film

Quiz: Week 3 - Quiz 2

2)  Comments - Now you will spend time looking at your classmates camera shots from last week.  Do this by going to the link on the top of this blog "21-22 Student Blogs".  Choose two classmates and leave them a comment about their storyboard camera shots from week two.  Explain which of their shots you enjoyed and what type of emotions could be felt from them. Comment on at least 3 shots for each  person.

3)  Blog - Make a post on your blog stating which two of your classmates camera shots you commented on, and describe again what the shots were and what emotions they were able to evoke.  Use the information you read in the articles to support how the different angles created various feelings.

Week 4 (August 30-September 3)

4)  Watch a movie of your choice, note the camera angles used and how they help tell the story or add affect to the scene or story.  Note how they make you feel about the characters.

5)  Blog - Make another post on your blog first giving the name of the movie you chose to watch, then giving at least 5 specific scenes that you noticed how camera angles added to the feelings that were meant to be expressed by the scene.  Once again, use the information you read in the articles to support how the different angles created various feelings. (min 500 words)

6)  Make a comment to this post when you have finished stating "Finished".

Here is my example of examining some camera shots in a favorite movie.

Review of a few Camera Angles in the Movie

Alien Covenant (2017)

From Producer Ridley Scott

                I chose to comment on a few of the camera angles in the 2017 movie “Alien Covenant” because I am a huge Science Fiction and Horror fan.  This movie fits into both of these genres and I have seen it along with all of its Alien predecessors many times.  Of course, as in most major motion pictures, probably every camera angle imaginable is used at some point during the film.  And although much of the action is CGI, the typical camera angles are still used in this aspect of the film as well. 

                 The movie opened with a close-up on the eye of the character David.  This close-up just as mentioned in the article we read this week, Different Camera Angles Create Different Emotions, gives you a sense of closeness to the character as well as displaying how human David appears although he is known from previous films to be an android.

Within this same first scene the camera moves from the extreme close-up to a wide angle shot which shows the massive expanse of the room in which the two characters are holding their conservation.  This widening of the scene lets you know that the setting is elaborate, expensive and set in the future.

The next camera angle I chose is an extreme wide shot of the city on the alien planet where our characters have landed.  In this view of the city, the very small specs you see on the ground are the dead bodies of the alien population.  The characters of the story are currently running through the open gate in this scene and are also among the specs on the ground.  The scene allows you to experience the enormity of the alien city and the huge loss of life that has taken place on this planet.  The Use of Long Shots in Film, article taught us that many motion pictures have gone down in history for their amazing and memorable extreme wide shots. 

Once in our alien city as with most alien movies, many of the characters meet their doom.  This is often accomplished through point-of-view camera shots which help you experience the terror that the character is also feeling.  I chose three different shots as examples; a view from a character just as she turns to see an alien, the alien’s view of her as he is looking down to eat her, and finally the captains view of the infamous egg pod which contains the facehugger that will soon jump out and attach to his head.  I hope these pictures don’t scare you too much!

As the movie neared its end, I chose to make a short video of the final action scene with our two remaining characters fighting to save the sleeping colonist on board the ship. In this brief scene you see many different angle shots; a wide shot of the alien falling from the ship on board an exiting vehicle, a head-on shot of the alien flying towards its intended victim, and a great flash shot of the alien trying to devour her.  Did he get her?  If you don’t know, you’ll have to watch the movie yourself to find out.  All these great shots help the viewer experience the excitement and terror that every Ridley Scott Alien movie is supposed to inflict on you.

Finally, I had to show the ending point-of-view shot from the main character Daniels' perspective, which shows the moment she realizes that David is on board the ship rather than Walter and there's nothing she can do about it from her hypersleep chamber.  The shot leaves the viewer with the realization and horror that this is definitely not the end.

Q1 Week 2 - Getting Started With Camera Angles

  Due 08/20

Before you begin working on this week's assignments, do a little customizing on your blog.  Change the picture or background so that it's more personal and make sure the title has your name and AICE Media in it.

1)  Read the Lely High School AICE Media Studies Syllabus located at the link below:
     https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GItqFrKIsEHNQl_PQRvjvjfTBl2PB1rv

2)  Take the Scavenger Hunt Quiz based on the AICE Media Studies Syllabus at the link below:
     https://goo.gl/forms/ctXdVSPOUIDO0XRv2

3)  Now you will begin working on your camera skills.  View and download into your google drive
     the storyboard document found at the link below:
     Story Boarding Document

4)  Choose at least 10 of the various shots described on the storyboard document and make 10
      sample films (videos not still shots) using the camera on your phone.  Make sure that you
      take all videos in landscape format!!!  Do not choose too many shots that are very similar.

5)  Create a post on your blog uploading each of  your 10 shots followed by a description 

      beneath each  shot, naming the shot and explaining your experience trying to create it. 

      Although the example shot below does include 2 different shots, you still must create 10 

      different videos.
                   (embed the videos using this tool.  See the sample below)

6)  Please post the word "Finished" as a comment to this blog post when you have finished with 

      all your Week 2 Assignments.

EXAMPLE 

This is an example of a pan shot which I took while on spring break last year.  I noticed after viewing the film that is is pretty difficult to keep the camera level and stable when making one of these types of shots without a tripod.  The pan shot in this video is followed by a dolly shot.  Again, the dolly shot is a bit unstable without using an actual dolly.  If you plan to make a dolly shot you might want to use a stabilizer or possibly a rolling chair.

Q1 Week 1 - Getting Started by Creating Your Blog

 AICE Media Students,

This is the beginning of our Lely High School AICE Media Studies Class.  You will use this blog to view assignments and examples of the work you will take on this year.  You will also use Blogger.com to create a blog of your own.  In your blog, you will record and share your journey of learning about the film industry, learning techniques of shooting great video footage, then finally producing, editing and critiquing your own film opening.  More than anything, I hope that you will enjoy the tasks you complete, post and discuss in your own blog, and they will heighten your love of film.

Due 08/13

1)  Create your own blog on Blogger (Blogger is a part of google, so you need to have a google
      account and a google drive for this class.)
2)  Play around with the program and learn how to customize the blog so that it reflects your
      personality. (Don't worry, this can all be adjusted or changed at any time)
3)  View the blog, copy the link, then paste it, along with your full name, below as a comment to
      this assignment.
4)  Make a first post on your blog which tells why you are taking this class and what you hope to
     get out of it.

Other task to complete this week

5) Submit the student contact information if you haven't already
    https://goo.gl/forms/4w4cAYrcxiqx7Hro1

6) Read, fill out, and submit the student contract
    https://goo.gl/forms/xZKhWL7K6R192sP23

Q4 Week 7 - Test Preparation (Sections A & B Sample Papers)

 Friday is your EXAM!!!

This week you should spend time preparing yourself for the exam on Friday, May 21.  Below I have posted a link to the most recently released version of the exam along with candidate responses which are scored High/Medium/Low.  Spend time reading through all 6 sample papers (3 responses to Section A, 3 responses to Section B).  As you are reading the samples, be sure to consider the examiners notes about what is good and what is not.

candidate responses.  The questions from the exam booklet which produced these responses are copied below.  

You should also spend time this week looking at the graphic organizer you posted to your blog so that you refamiliarize yourself with all the terms you will need to use while doing the clip viewing portions of the exam.

Q4 Week 6 - Preparing for the AICE Media Studies Exam (continued)

 Due 05/14

This week, just like last, you will read an article and write a 600 word essay summary which you will upload to Canvas.  Your topic this week is "cross media convergence and synergy" but the information in the article will touch on most of the remaining bullet points in Section B of the exam.  You should not wait too late in the week to begin reading this article since it is a little over 4800 words.

Here are two simplified definitions of media convergence and synergy to help you get started on the reading.

Convergence can be separated into at least two categories:
1. Technical convergence – in which technologies are used to pair media products: TVs with gaming consoles, PCs with with internet and online streaming, Smart phones with Apps, social media and online entertainment, Virtual reality kits with gaming consoles etc.
2. Corporate convergence – where companies converge to maintain control over ownership/rights and to maximize royalties.

Media Synergy is the way in which different elements of a media conglomerate work together to promote linked products across different media.

Assignment 1:  Read the following article "Media Convergence 101"   Please read the entire article.  Although it is quite long and much of what you need to know is at the end, the beginning gives vital background information.  You will then write a not less than 600 word essay, on what you learned about media convergence and how this information relates to the genre or genres you have focused on this year. This essay will be uploaded in a CANVAS assignment.

Q4 Week 5 - Preparing for the AICE Media Studies Exam

 Due 05/07

Your AICE Media Studies Exam consists of two parts:

Section A:  Textual analysis and representation (50 marks) A moving image extract will be provided by Cambridge in DVD format. Candidates will analyze how technical aspects of the language and conventions of the moving image medium are used to create meaning for an audience. Candidates should study a range of texts so that they can discuss, in response to the question, how the following technical elements create specific representations of individuals, groups, events or places and help to articulate specific messages and values that have social significance:

Camera shots, angle, movement and composition:
• shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point-of-view shot, over-the-shoulder shot, and variations of these
• angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle
• movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom
• composition: framing, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls

Editing: This includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems.
• cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway, insert
• other transitions: dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.

Sound:
• diegetic and non-diegetic sound, synchronous/asynchronous sound, sound effects, sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing, sound perspective
• soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.

Mise-en-scène:
• production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties
• lighting, color design  

We spent the last three quarters preparing for this part of the exam and you completed a mock exam for this Section when you viewed the "Black Mirror" clip and wrote the semester exam essay.


Section B: Institutions and audiences (50 marks) One question is to be answered from a choice of two. Candidates should be prepared to discuss the processes of production, distribution and marketing as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as the nature of audience consumption and the relationships between audiences and institutions. In addition, candidates should be familiar with:

• the issues raised by media ownership and funding in contemporary media practice
• the importance of cross-media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing
• the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and at the point of consumption
• the significance of the spread of such technologies for institutions and audiences
• the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences
• the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences by international or global institutions
• the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends in audience behavior.

Assignment 1:  You will partially prepare for this section of the exam by reading the following article "Audiences & Institutions".    You will then write a paper of at least 600 words, on what you learned about audiences and institutions and how this information relates to the genre or genres you have focused on this year.  You should mention and memorize information about specific studios and movies.  You will upload this paper to the Canvas Assignment Posted this week.

Q4 Week 4 - Your Last Blog Post "Creative Critical Reflection"

Due 04/23 & 04/30

Over the next 2 weeks you have 3 assignments

Assignment 1 - Watch the video in Canvas which shows you how you can use the studio in Canvas to complete your CCR and answer the questions asked during the video. 

https://collierschools.instructure.com/courses/104547/assignments/2695024

Also this week you should watch the sample CCR's linked at the bottom of this page and start writing your answers to the questions asked in the CCR.

Assignment 2 - At the end of week one (04/23) Fill out the form "What I did to work on my CCR this week" and submit it for a grade

Assignment 3 Due 04/30

BLOG POST - This is your final blog post to your personal blog.   Your Creative Critical Reflection (CCR) should be at the top of your blog with the final cut of your movie opening just below it.  After this week we will work on test preparation exercises which will not be a part of your blog but will be submitted to Cambridge as samples of your work.

Here are the instructions for your CCR as they are written in the Cambridge AICE Media Studies Syllabus:

Creative critical reflection

On completion of the product, candidates must creatively reflect upon their work. Candidates may use any digital format, such as director commentaries, a presentation with voiceover, podcasts or screencasts. Candidates may use a different digital format to explore each of the compulsory questions. The creative critical reflection should be produced and presented individually.

Candidates must explore the following compulsory questions:

• How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

• How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

• How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

• How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Learners should be reassured that admissions of ineffective choices (as long as they have explained how these were rectified, or what was learned from them) made in the production process are seen as highly reflective qualities and would not, in its own right, impact on the marks awarded.

Here are the links to the blogs of the movie openings you viewed in Q3 Week 2.   You can view the CCR's of these students as examples.

Levene, J. - https://jamielevene.blogspot.com/

​

Araiza, A. - https://anaaraizamedia.blogspot.com/

Garzon, D. - https://danigarzon2000.blogspot.com/

Miranda, I. - https://isabelmirandafilmopening.blogspot.com/

Ribnick, A. - http://amandamelissamedia.blogspot.com/

Cabrera, J. - https://jcabreramedia.blogspot.com/

Gosselin, K. - https://gosselinfilms.blogspot.com/

Here's a quick view of our calendar for the remainder of the year.

Q4 Week 3 - Final Cut of Your Movie Opener

 Due 04/16

Two simple assignments this week.

Assingment 1 - BLOG POST - It is time to post your final draft.  After making whatever changes you, or you and your group members have decided upon, upload the final draft to youtube and paste a working link in your blog.  Label this post "Movie Opener Final Cut".  You can have one member of your group upload the final draft to their Youtube channel, then the others can get the link and paste it into their blogs.  This post must be at the top of your blog.  This post is 25% of your grade for this quarter.   Only one post will appear above it, your CCR, which is also 25% of your grade this quarter.

Below the link, you must write a brief statement about the changes that were made after the 1st draft and why, or maybe why none were made.

Assignment 2 - Submit the Form "What did you do to work on your movie opener this week?"

Q4 Week 2 - Evaluate Your Peer Reviews

 Due 04/09

This week  you have two simple assignments.

Assignment 1 - BLOG POST 
After you receive the email containing the peer reviews, create a new blog post and title it "Peer Reviews".  Copy the peer reviews into the post and then write a summary of what they said, how you felt about the suggestions and comments, and what you plan to do with the information.

Assignment 2 - Submit the Form "What did you do to work on your movie opener this week?"

Q4 Week 1 - Peer Review Assignments

 Due 04/02

Now you must review 5 of your classmates movie openers.  Beside your name below, you will find the movie numbers you should review.  Scroll down below your names to find the numbered list with the movie-opener links.  Please be kind and constructive in your reviews.  Your classmates are depending on you to give them tips on what they should keep and what they should change.  You should also mention if the clip does not look like a movie opener.  Your reviews are due on Friday April 2.  Use the form link below to submit each of your film opener reviews.  You might want to open the form before you review your first film so that you know what the questions are.  You should submit this form 5 times.

Peer Review Form:  https://forms.gle/pNUEXNAXCHecvZBN6

Submit the Peer Review Form above for the number of each film-opener which follows your name.

Student Assignments:

Numbered Movie Openers:
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8sdjd-GuaA

2)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8srN8f6ZjD0

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDEkP60UURw

4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5SQqN2PFjQ

5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfrFETryfX4

6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5_TrzoPuTE&t=2s

7)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia0ewCCatIk

8) https://chloe-aicemedia.blogspot.com/2021/03/movie-opener-first-cut.html

9) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydZjM3oTvBg

10) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dTT0d5cKyY

11) https://w ww.youtube.com/watch?v=IQEt8U0XDjE

12)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvguCp99o_Q

13)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpbFZUPVm2k

14)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-A4cs8bclg

 Due 03/12 (No Exceptions!!!)

This week you will finish editing the first cut of your movie opener, upload it to youtube, and post a link to it in your blog by Friday, March 12.   This is a very large grade.  I will put it in as 25% of your total grade for the quarter.  Each day it is late, the grade will be reduced by 25%.  If it is 5 days late, you will receive an unrecoverable zero! I must have these links on time so that peer review assignments can be made over spring break and then posted on Monday, March 22.

Your movie opener should be between 2 and 3 minutes.

Q3 - Weeks 6 and 7 Editing

 Due Dates 02/26 and 03/05

This week and next you will begin editing your movie opening.  You will once again make two post to your blog, one this week and one next week, during this process.  Each of these post should contain:

• photos of the computer screen during editing
• photos of the students involved in editing
• a discussion about titles and fonts you decided to put into your movie
• a discussion of the video effects used
• a discussion of the video transitions used
• a discussion of the audio effects used
• problems encountered during editing
• solutions to problems encountered during editing
• amount of time spent editing
• people involved in editing
• a discussion of additional filming you may have done

Remember 2 Blogs (one this week and one next week) all about editing with photos.

Q3 - Weeks 4 and 5 Filming

 Due Dates 02/12 & 02/19

It's finally time to film!!!  Over the next two weeks you will begin shooting the film footage for your movie opening.  During shooting, you or someone in your group should take photos of all the action.  During each week of filming, you should discuss in a post to your blog your progress, along with some snapshots.  Explain what is happening. Describe your experience. Talk about the issues you may have faced, some successes, and the changes you may have made.  GOOD LUCK!!!

Remember 2 Blog Posts (one this week and one next week) all about filming with photos.  Here are some example posts:

BLOG POST 1

BEGINNING TO FILM

Our group began filming this week. We knew the first step to ensure we got the best shots was to check out the location where we hoped to film. So my group and I headed down to Fifth Ave, Naples. The lighting was perfect at the time we went, around five, so we plan to do our official filming at the same time.

This is our group member, Mickey, taking a picture of the street where we plan to do our filming. We all agreed it was the perfect location.

We also looked at a nearby parking garage, and discussed filming some of our video in the stairwell, or the top of the parking garage. The garage would be great for more suspenseful moments, as there is a feeling of being alone and surrounded by darkness.

This is the stairwell where we might choose to film parts of our video. The ivy also provides a nice background, which we might try to incorporate. 

BLOG POST 2

FILMING 2

Our second filming day is when we got all of the shots we had planned to get on our first filming day. I played the role of the detective, Carmen, as she headed to the scene of the crime. The lighting was perfect as the sun was just beginning to set, so it gave us some really good shots. I also wore a coat and glasses to be easily characterized as a detective. By taking multiple, quick shots, we were able to piece together the beginning of a film that will leave viewers wanting more, but that doesn't give everything away. Overall, it was very productive.

Q3 - Week 3 Preparing to Film

 Due 02/05

It is time to prepare for filming.  You need to think about everything that must be done to get ready.  

BLOG - Post in your blog what you did this week in preparation of starting to film.  You should discuss in detail the following elements: 

actors, 
costumes, 
props, 
locations, 
dates and times, 
scripts,
and film equipment. 

You will discuss actual filming in your next blog; so if you begin filming this week, take some notes and wait to discuss this next week.

Q3 - Week 2 Storyboarding

 Due 01/29

This week you will create your initial storyboard for your film opening.  This storyboard could change in the future as you begin working on your project.  

BLOG - Post a copy of the storyboard in your blog along with an explanation of how you created it and how it flows.   Title this post, "Initial Storyboard".  Those of you working in a group will post the same storyboard with different explanations, and should also explain who did each part of this activity.

Storyboards should include:
1. a sketch
2. a description
3. camera angles
4. audio notes
5. transitions
6. graphics/text

Here's a blank storyboard you can use or if you find another online you prefer, feel free to use it.  You may also need multiple pages.

Blank Storyboard

Q3 - Week 1 - Brainstorming

 Due 01/22

This week you will watch several other film openings submitted by past AICE Media students.  After watching each of these film openings, you will brainstorm either alone or with your group members to discuss what you observe.  You should take notes during these brainstorming sessions and then 

BLOG- post your brainstorming information into your blog for this week. Title the post "Movie Opener Brainstorming & Research."  Your blog should include the title from each of the 9 clips below and observations you made while watching each clip. After all your observations, summarize where these brainstorming sessions led you in making  decisions about your own film opening.

Here are the links to the film openings submitted by past Florida students which I wish you to view and discuss.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9AKdUT8nyg&feature=youtu.be
2. https://drive.google.com/file/d/12JR0FpGIpYlH4Mol6OUnwVFk7NnB4Tj_/view
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_bKQDg6fiI&feature=youtu.be
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=nYpjHCwRO6Q
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-yrsmQS7bo&feature=youtu.be
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvMH-1XdR9c
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=dvAsmo32uo0
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxIZJKdc-Sw&feature=youtu.be
9. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p8azlLRHyqaShaOJC6SBJwzGx7s9Cjpk/view

Also, during this quarter, most of your work will be on producing your film opening and posting the process on your blog.  In addition to grades from blog post you are required to submit the form below each week on Friday, not before, to let me know what you have been working on during the week.  Please make sure you submit this form every Friday.  It is for a grade and cannot be made up nor turned in late.

https://goo.gl/forms/i1QEMKNyq5lZOz1v1

Midterm Exam

 Midterm Exam, Thursday, January 14

This week you will take a practice exam as your midterm.  This exam will be similar to half of the real AICE Media Studies Exam, Section A: Media Texts.  For this practice exam you will be allowed to use your graphic organizer which you created earlier this term.  Please be aware that these materials will not be available for use during the real exam.  You should also be aware that the real exam will require a second essay on Media Contexts.  We will prepare for this part of the real exam during the 4th quarter.

AICE Exam Document

This week's portion of the exam will consists of viewing a 5-minute film clip 4 times.  For those of you at home, the link will be provided so that you can view the movie from your own computer to avoid the video lagging.  You will take notes after viewing the clip each of the 2nd-4th times.  After the 4th viewing you will write and essay on:

Black Mirror (Season 3, Episode 4)

 "How the extract constructs meaning, including the specific representations of individuals/groups/events/places, through the following technical elements:

• camera shots, angles, movement and composition
• sound
• mise-en-scene
• editing

This essay should be at least 500 words.  You may write and then type if you like but your essay must be submitted typed, by the end of the testing period on Thursday, January 14.

BLOG -Post your essay to your blog and title it "Semester Exam - Film Analyses of Black Mirror (season3, episode 4, San Junipero)