Coursework: Pre-production

Pre-production tasks are vital - this is where you plan all the key details that make your video coursework successful.

Over the next two weeks we will be finalising our pre-production and starting our filming. Here's a great video on low-budget filmmaking from our friend D4Darius on YouTube:

The four aspects of pre-production are as follows:

Script
As we began last week, you need a good script for your TV drama extract. You'll find guidance for writing your script in this blogpost.

Shot list
Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film for your TV drama AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word to set out your shot list - you can find an example here for a student film shot list. It makes sense to write your shot list by scene or location rather than a huge list of every shot in the extract in chronological order. 

Mise-en-scene
What iconography or mise-en-scene are you including to ensure your audience understands your drama as science fiction / fantasy? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. This can be simply completed using your blog or Microsoft Word - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details. Remember the mise-en-scene mnemonic: CLAMPS.

Shooting schedule 
Plan a shooting schedule for your filming over the next two weeks. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Word or Excel or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it!

Coursework: Scriptwriting

A good script is an absolutely vital element of your TV drama coursework.

We now need to turn everything we've learned from our preliminary exercises and statements of intent into an outstanding, professionally-written TV script. There are some great resources below to help you.

Writing drama
Film vlogger Darius has a good video on writing a short film:



BBC Writers' Room
You'll find fantastic guidance for writing a script in the BBC Writers' Room. 

Click on the Script Library to read real examples of professional BBC scripts.


Task: Write your script

Write the script for your Science Fiction / Fantasy TV drama extract. Remember to make sure it meets the brief - our coursework brief for 2022 can be found here. We are working on Brief 5 - TV drama.

Use Microsoft Word or Google Docs and make sure you lay out the page to make it look like a professional TV script. Use this real Doctor Who script as a guide if you're not sure what a real TV script should look like. 

Once you're happy with your script, copy and paste it into a new blogpost called 'TV Drama script' on your Media blog. 

Due date on Google Classroom

Coursework: Statement of Intent

The first 10 marks of our coursework are for a written Statement of Intent.

This is simply a Word or Google Document in which we write what we are planning to make for our coursework. Your completed summer project will give you most of the information you need for this - particularly the TV drama pitch document - but you may have changed or developed your idea since the summer. 

Our coursework brief for 2022 can be found here - we are working on Brief 5 - TV drama.

The Statement of Intent word count is 300 words - you can go slightly above this if you want to but you need to keep it pretty close to 300.

This Statement of Intent guidance will help you if you're not sure what to write - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access it. The most important thing is that you cover media language, representations and the target audience in your Statement of Intent.

Another tip is that you can use subheadings and bullet points in your Statement of Intent - it doesn't need to all be in paragraphs. In fact, bullet points are very useful for keeping the word count down. 

Here's the Statement of Intent mark scheme: 

Statement of Intent: task

1) Write your Statement of Intent on a Word or Google Doc - word count 300 words. Use this Statement of Intent guidance document to help you.

Submit your Statement of Intent to your teacher by emailing them the Word or Google Document. 

Due date: on Google Classroom

Coursework: Preliminary exercise 2021

The first aspect of your GCSE Media Studies coursework is a preliminary exercise that introduces the basics of narrative filmmaking.

This is a brilliant opportunity to get to know the basics of planning, filming and editing. You may even film a scene that you can end up using in your actual coursework production!

Preliminary exercise: The Big Reveal - Phone conversation

Your preliminary exercise involves filming and editing a phone conversation between two characters in two different locations which reveals a dramatic narrative resolution. The narrative and conversation needs to be appropriate to the science fiction or fantasy genre. 

The scene must include cross-cutting between the two characters, match-on-action editing and at least three different shot types (e.g. establishing shot, close-up, over-the-shoulder shot) and two types of camera movement (e.g. pan, handheld camera, zoom). 

Here's an example of a classic phone call scene from Hollywood history - 1994 action movie Speed:

Deadline: two weeks

Key skills

Watch this great introduction to filmmaking - it covers the basics of the creative process:



Match-on-action

Match on action (or cutting on action) is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot showing the same action of the subject in the first shot.

This creates the impression of continuity - the action creates a 'visual bridge' which is easy for the audience to follow.

Look at this YouTube clip for match on action - the cuts you want to look at in particular are at 2 seconds, then again at 18 seconds:




Preliminary exercise: The Big Reveal - Phone conversation

Task: Create a phone conversation between two characters in two different locations which reveals a dramatic narrative resolution. The narrative and conversation needs to be appropriate to the science fiction or fantasy genre and an audience of teenagers and young adults. 

Length: approximately 30 seconds.

Equipment: Smart phone or a school Canon Legria (limited numbers available). Note: you may need to bring in the cable to capture the videos from your phone or use data to upload to Google Drive.

Groups: None. You MUST work individually. However, other people can act in your scene or operate equipment (e.g. camera, sound) as long as they are directed by the candidate submitting the work. You may want to get into groups of two or three to help each other complete this task.

What your TV drama scene needs to include

Content: Your scene must include match-on-action editing and cross cutting between the two characters having the conversation. It must also include a narrative resolution - something that reveals key information for the audience.

Camerawork: You must include at least one long shot, medium shot, close-up, extreme close-up, over-the-shoulder shot and either a high or low angle shot. You also must include both fixed camera shots and camera movement (e.g. handheld, tracking, pan etc.)

Editing: You must include match-on-action continuity editing and cross-cutting between your two locations.

Sound: You must include diegetic sound (from within the world of the TV show) which will be dialogue and any background sound. You can also include non-diegetic sound (e.g. music) to help establish the atmosphere and genre if you wish. 

Deadlines

Planning and filming: This week's lessons 

Editing and final deadline: Next week Thursday


Initial tasks: planning

Before creating anything in Media you need to plan out exactly what you are going to do. You need to complete the following planning tasks on your blog before you can film anything:

Statement of intent: 100 words explaining what you plan to make.

Example statement of intent [exactly 100 words]: 

I plan to make a 30-second TV drama scene for a show called Pupil. This is a science fiction show about a student who is from another world. This scene will be the moment the pupil reveals this information to their best friend in a phone conversation. 

Both characters will be dressed casually and in their homes. I will film the whole conversation several times in each location and use a variety of camera shots (including many close-ups). I will then cross cut this conversation together in Premiere Pro. There will be a low, tense non-diegetic soundtrack playing behind the conversation to add atmosphere to the scene. [107 words]

Script: Stage directions AND dialogue. To see how a TV drama script is presented, and to look at professional examples, check out the BBC Writers' Room and click on Script Library.

Casting: Who will be in your TV drama scene.

Location: Where you will film (you can film off-site if you wish to do this for homework). Important note: You CANNOT take any students out of any other lessons OR disturb any other lessons in the school. You MUST stay around DF07 and the nearest stairwell. 

Shot list: Every shot you plan to film. This needs to be far MORE shots than you will actually use in the final version - plan extra close-ups, long shots, unusual angles and more. You can find an example shot list here. 

Extension - Storyboard: Draw a 5-frame storyboard mapping out your key shots. Storyboard sheets are available in DF07.

Your planning needs to be completed by Thursday. Good luck!

Welcome to GCSE Media Year 2!

This is your new blog home for Year 2 of GCSE Media Studies - welcome!

This is where you'll find everything you need for coursework and exam preparation for this crucial second year of the GCSE Media course.

Good luck and let's earn those top grades!

Media project: Music magazine

For our last half-term of Media, we will have the opportunity to do some of the more creative, practical work that we missed out on due to the covid lockdowns.

Our work will be based on the 2021 Year 13 A Level Media coursework brief which was to create a music magazine and music video cross media production.

Print brief: music magazine

You should create the front page for a music magazine – specifically:

• a front cover featuring your new artist/band promoting a tour and music video
• a selection of cover lines appropriate for the magazine and audience

The magazine targets a mainstream music audience.

You can either create a new, original music magazine or create your own front cover for an existing music magazine.

Research and planning blog tasks

Create a blogpost called 'Music magazine research and planning' and complete the following tasks to plan and prepare your print work:

1) Research music magazine cover key conventions. Look over the magazine cover key conventions notes sheet and write which of these you will use for your magazine cover. (This is a film magazine example but the conventions still apply).

2) Find at least five music magazine front covers (either current or former magazines as many have stopped their print editions) aimed at a similar target audience to your project (mainstream music audience). For each one, pick out one design idea or convention that you could use in your own print work. A few examples to start you off:

Planning, sketching and writing

Complete the tasks below in the same blogpost you have already created for research and planning:

1) Plan a title and slogan (sell line) for your new, original music magazine. Sketch out possible designs for the masthead - font, style, colour etc. If you are creating a front cover for an existing music magazine, make sure you recreate the magazine's style and branding accurately - what font do they use? What colours? What is their slogan?

2) Plan the content for your magazine front cover. What will be your main image? What cover lines will you include on the cover?

3) Produce an A4 sketch of your front cover including the key conventions and design tricks you have studied in existing magazines and then planned in the planning tasks above.

Photoshoot planning

1) Who will you photograph as your artist/band to appear on the front cover of your magazine? This is vital for planning your photoshoot (note: if it is you or someone in the class it will make things a lot easier in terms of running the photoshoot but you can do this at home if you prefer).

2) Write a shot list for your photoshoot. Make sure you plan the right camera shots for a magazine front cover - medium shots, medium close-ups etc.

3) What costume, props or make-up will you require for your photoshoot?

Photoshoot: Tuesday 15 June

Photoshop design

If you have completed all of the research and planning tasks above then open up Adobe Photoshop CS6 and create a new A4 document (portrait). You can start to create your title, cover lines and any other branding or colour on your cover and then add your photo when you have completed your photoshoot. The following videos will help with this:

Photoshop CS6 magazine tutorial:

Get started with Photoshop CS6 tutorial:

Research and planning deadline: Tuesday 15 June

Year 11: Preparing for A Level Media

We're now asking Year 11 students to move away from GCSE work and start preparing for A Level.

Year 10 students will still be in class working on a range of creative, practical projects designed to fill in some of the production work we missed out on due to the covid lockdowns. 

For Year 11, we've put together a range of activities for students thinking of studying A Level Media:

Preparation for A Level Media

If you're thinking of studying A Level Media Studies, there are a variety of activities you can do over the next few months to help prepare for post-16 study.

Just like GCSE Media, our A Level Media course is blog-based. You will complete the majority of the work on your A Level Media blogs and all our tasks and notes are available on our main blog hub Media Macguffin. The first thing you can do is take a look at the A Level Media blogs to get an idea of the work we do:

> Year 12 A Level Media blog
> Year 13 A Level Media blog

The best A Level Media students have a good understanding of the world around us and the wider media landscape. The way to develop this understanding is simply engaging with the media on a daily basis. The following activities will really help with this:

Read the news every day - the BBC website is always a good, free starting point. You should also visit the Guardian website regularly and also consider news websites with different or neutral political perspectives such as MailOnline or the i Newspaper website.  

Watch critically acclaimed films and TV series - both are media topics that are covered in A Level Media. 

Read through copies of Media Magazine - a dedicated magazine for A Level Media students that we have a subscription to at Greenford. You can find our Media Magazine archive here. 

Preparation activities

We are very lucky that the brilliant people at Media Magazine have created a whole booklet of articles and tasks designed to prepare students for A Level Media. You can find the Media Magazine A Level preparation activity booklet here.

Work through these tasks by reading the article and then answering the questions. It's up to you how you do this - you may want to simply make brief notes or bullet points or type up well-deveoped answers and email them to us to start a discussion. It's completely up to you!

We particularly recommend the following activities as a useful starting point:

• Task 5 - Long Form TV Drama: Genre, Character and Narrative
• Task 8 - Magazines: Recreating Men’s Health for a Non-binary Audience

If you haven't studied GCSE Media

Don't worry if you haven't studied GCSE Media - we will teach you everything you need to know over the two-year A Level Media course. The activities above will still help you by introducing the blogs, Media Magazine and the types of media product we study.

Contact us

If you have any questions regarding A Level Media or these preparation tasks you can email the Head of Media Mr Halsey using your school email. 

A Level Media is also taught by Mr Pall and Mr Bush and you are welcome to email them with any questions too.

We look forward to working with you in Media next year!