Documentary Thought Clouds (HOO & MAC)

Your 'Thought Clouds' have been posted on the 'Documentary Ideas' page (see the link in the sidebar in the 'Exhibition of Pupils' Work' section. I will add your clouds to your Production Log on your memory stick.

Year 11 : Week 4 (Controlled Hours 3 & 4)

In this week's lessons you will answer the following questions;

1. What is the agreed focus of our documentary?
2. Will our idea stand up under scrutiny from our teacher?
3. Who would be the target audience for a documentary with this focus?
4. How can I develop and demonstrate an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding of our chosen topic?

You will be working in Production Teams for all of your lesson time this week. In that time, and completed for OHL, you will need to address the objective questions above. You will need to provide evidence that you have addressed the questions in your personal Production Log. Whilst you are completing this lesson's work, I will audit your Production Logs to make sure that you have completed last week's OHL (Production Details & Documentary Research).

Group Communication

When working in a production team, good communication is the key to success. Don't wait until your timetabled lessons to share information. You need to be able to communicate between lessons. You could arrange a physical meeting, but 'virtual meetings' are often more effective as group members can access the meeting at different times. Therefore, why not consider a group Facebook page (you can't access it in school though) or use group text messaging. I'm sure you can find a way of sharing information beyond the limitations of the lesson!

Questions 1 & 2

Once you, as a group, have agreed a topic, you need to persuade your teacher that you can achieve the required outcomes with this topic as a focus for your documentary. Your teacher will require convincing of the following points;

• There is an 'issue' or 'truth' to investigate or seek (your documentary needs a 3-act narrative)
• You can explain why an investigation of this topic is important
• Your documentary is likely to have audience appeal (you need a target audience)
• You have an idea of the type of footage you will want to shoot and that the shooting of this footage is realistic and achievable ("We're going to interview the Prime Minister" or "We're going to film B-Roll of bull-fighting in Spain" would be worrying proposals!)
• You have an idea of the type of people you may wish to interview, including 'experts' who can illuminate the issue for you (but not necessarily their names yet)
• You have an idea of the type of B-roll you may wish to collect.
• There is an opportunity to include the conventions of your documentary type; talking-head interviews & voice-over for expository documentaries, a 'presenter' or filmed researcher for participatory documentaries, use of stills, use of B-roll, etc.

To convince your teacher, complete the Project Focus Summary in your Production Log (embedded Word document) and submit to your teacher. You can present your summary in any way you want, including question and answer format, extended writing or a table. There are other methods too. This is one of the documents that is likely to be 'shared', with all group members having the same summary in their portfolio. However, everyone must contribute, so I suggest that you complete this document in today's lesson time. You must address the points raised above but you can also include any other information you consider relevant that will help your teacher to evaluate your proposal. Identify the intended deadline for the submission of this summary in your Production Calendar.

Question 3

You need to identify a target audience for your product. There are many ways to collect target audience information, including;

• Examine audiences for similar existing products (IMDB, Pearl & Dean, BFI, etc)
• Survey people's interest ("Would you be interested in..." or "Which of these topics...", etc)

Once you have collected evidence to suggest a target audience, you need to construct a Target Audience Profile (TAP). You completed a TAP in Unit B321, so you know how to do this. However, a TAP without firm evidence to support your proposal is worthless, so don't JUST do a TAP! You should research existing audiences individually and, once you've shared your conclusions, agree and construct a group TAP (you should always have a single TAP for the whole production team).

Present your existing audience research & TAP on the Target Audience Research document in your Production Log (embedded Word doc). Identify a deadline for the completion of this work in your Production Calendar. 

Question 4

OK, you've agreed a topic and identified a target audience, now you need to demonstrate some understanding of the topic you've chosen. There are several ways to do this;

• Write a short essay (1 to 2 pages only)
• Construct a 'Key-Facts Sheet', using bullet-points, clip art, charts, etc.
• Construct a mind map, separating information into categories

Other methods exist too! You must be prepared to share this information with your group next lesson and your contribution will be assessed (I can feel another 'token task' coming on!)

Record a deadline for this task (next week's lesson) in your Production Calendar. Present your research in the Topic Research document in your Production Log (embedded Word doc). 

Out of Hours Learning

• Update the Lesson Evaluation document (see sidebar)
• Update your Production Diary to summarise the progress you have/will make this week (in Production Log).
• Complete the Project Focus Summary (in Production Log)
• Complete the Target Audience Research Document (in Production Log)
• Complete the Topic Research Document (in Production Log)

Mock Documentaries

We've added a 'Mock Documentary' page to the 'Exhibition of Pupils' Work' page in the sidebar. Evaluate your own documentary and consider the feedback you received during the lesson. Summarise these thoughts and future targets in your Production Diary (see Production Log on flash drive).

Peer Satisfaction Ratings (Mr Hood's Class)

Here are the peer satisfaction ratings for the mock documentary task. We will survey satisfaction ratings regularly during Unit B324. The results will provide us with evidence to justify the distribution of marks at the end of the unit. You will get a proportion of the total marks for your product (documentary) based upon your individual level of contribution identified in these results.

If you have achieved a lower rating than your peers, then maybe you need to put in a little extra effort to demonstrate your value to the group. The aim is to get equal marks for everyone in your group.

A word of warning; you can't compare one group to another as some people mark more harshly than others. The only valid comparison is between students in the same production team!

Click on the image to magnify.

Reminder for Mrs Macey's Class

I am very disappointed to see that only 3 students in my group have filled in the evaluations from our last 3 lessons, even when I reminded you in Monday's lesson. I expect all of the evaluations to be completed up-to-date by everyone by Monday 28th September 2015!

Year 11 : Week 3 (Controlled Hours 1 & 2)

In this week's lessons, you will answer the following questions;

1. How successful was our test interview film? What worked well? What could be improved? What have I learnt about filming interviews & B-Roll?
2. How will we change our working practices to make sure that the 'real' product is better?
3. How significant was the contribution from each production team member?
4. What is my role within our production team for the controlled hours coursework?
5. What will our documentary be about?
6. How can I provide evidence to demonstrate my knowledge of documentary types & documentary conventions?

Tasks

From now on, tasks relating to an expected entry in your Production Log will be written in red. You can, of course, make additional entries.

Objective 1

Your completed test film will be exhibited to your peers. Upon viewing, everyone will fill in the 'Test Film Review' document, identifying strengths and weaknesses (you do your own film too). I will share my review of each test film and we will distribute feedback forms to the appropriate film makers.  You will have time to review the feedback in the lesson. For OHL, summarise the task you were given and the feedback you received in your Production Diary using today's date (in your Production Log). You can add personal thoughts about the process or the quality of teamwork, etc.

Objective 2

You should review the feedback you received, looking for common threads, and use it to set targets for the construction of your main product (assessed documentary). Add a summary of these targets to your Production Diary entry (see objective 1).

Objective 3

Every production team member will complete a 'Peer Satisfaction Rating' questionnaire, assessing the value of the contribution made by each production team member. You should assess yourself too. These peer-assessment sessions will take place on a regular basis and be used to allocate final marks to each group member at the end of the controlled hours. You must contribute significantly to the process to gain marks!

Objective 4

You will need to complete some of the Production Details Form on the first tab in your Production Log; identifying the name of your production company, the project deadline (22nd Jan 2016) and the role of each production team member. The production company name should represent your team ethos or have a link to the film-making process for example, "United Films" or "B-Roll Productions". Every member of the team must take responsibility for overseeing an element of the construction process (this doesn't mean they have to do all of the work though).

Objective 5

You will spend some time brainstorming initial ideas for your documentary. I will give you a 'Thought Cloud' on a piece of A3 paper and you should make a note of every idea that comes to mind, regardless of how good or bad the idea is. Write the name of the person who suggested the documentary topic in brackets under each idea. Alternatively, each person could use a different coloured pen and you could provide a key, identifying each contributor. Other creative methods of collecting ideas are also available from all good stockists! (lol). I will scan your completed cloud and you can add it to your Production Log next lesson.

Objective 6

For OHL, use the embedded Word document in your personal Production Log to demonstrate your research & understanding of the Six Modes of Documentary. The best pieces of research will include screenshots from named examples (existing products) - identify the mode, define the mode and give an example.

Out of Hours Learning

• Complete the Lesson Evaluation document (see sidebar)
• Complete your 'Test Shoot' entry in your Production Diary (task, feedback & targets)
• Identify the project deadline and the tasks you completed today on your Production Calendar
• Complete 'Types of Documentary Research' (in Production Log)

Next Lesson

• Establishing an agreed focus for your documentary & getting it commissioned.
• Identifying a target audience
• Analysing existing products (documentaries)
• Researching your chosen documentary topic

Lego Documentary Quiz - Mr Hood's Class Results

I've posted this so you can see which questions you got right and wrong. I know you can't read the detail of the answers (that's deliberate) but you can see which answers are red and which ones are green. We must find some time to discuss some common errors, particularly relating to 'cutaways' and whether this documentary meets the exam criteria. Use you hard copy of the quiz to review the questions you got wrong.

Sound Effects & Music for Documentaries

Need a soundtrack for your documentary? Follow the link, audition a file, download the mp3 and then import into FCP X as normal (from 'download' folder on Mac). Don't forget to 'copy media to library'. Email me for username and password if you can't remember.

http://www.freesfx.co.uk/login/

Year 11 : Week 2

In this week's lessons you will answer the following questions;

1. How do I film a talking heads interview?
2. What is B-Roll?
3. How do I connect B-Roll to the primary storyline in FCP X?
4. How do I use cross-dissolves to move from one still image to another?
5. How do I use key-framing to drop the volume of a soundtrack so that we can hear dialogue?
6. How do I connect lower-third titles?
7. How do I reverse or alter the speed of a clip?
8. How do I add effects, including flash-back & CCTV effects, to my clip?
9. How do I correct the ratio of still images to avoid pillar boxing?
10. How do I add scrolling credits to my completed documentary?
11. How do I use the 'video animation' option to reduce opacity at the end of a clip (create a fade effect)?
12. How do I use 'handles' to fade audio?
13. How do I use the range selection tool to automatically add key-frames to the soundtrack?
14. How do I record a voice-over?

In today's lesson you will work in your B324 groups and attempt to film a very brief interview sequence, including B-Roll footage. I will then demonstrate, using screenshots from this page of the Production Portfolio Blog, how to edit your footage to construct an effective interview extract from a documentary. We will also consider other editing techniques used in documentaries.

Your completed documentary extract must include;

• Footage of a coherent interview
• Connected B-Roll
• A soundtrack (underscore) that uses key-framing to adjust volumes
• A voice-over introduction, identifying the focus of the project (but not the interview questions)
• Lower-third titles to identify your interviewee(s)

You don't have to include;

• Still images
• Historical archive footage
• Credits
• Effects
• Title

You must not include;

• Footage or audio of your interviewer (we don't want to see or hear the questions)
• Any footage that is not original (other than historical archive footage)

The total length of your documentary extract must be less than 1 minute.

Your Brief

As young documentary makers, you are seeking advice from professionals to improve the standard of your coursework. Shoot a talking heads interview(s) with a documentary maker(s) that addresses the following issues.

• How and why should you encourage an interviewee to include the question in their answer?
• Why is it important to include B-Roll footage in an interview sequence?
• What is the importance of soundtrack in documentaries?
• What other advice would you give to young documentary makers?

Advice

You may rearrange the order of the questions to construct a more coherent narrative. At least one member of your group must play the part of the experienced documentary maker (maybe more). Select appropriate locations and consider the framing of your interview(s) carefully. Think back to the conventions you observed in the Lego documentary! You may wish to present your interviewee(s) with the questions in advance so that they have time to prepare answers. You will need appropriate footage or stills to accompany your voice-over introduction.

You can seek additional advice from the Documentary Making Guru (that's me folks) but you only have 2 talk tokens for each group, so use them wisely! If you have successfully completed last week's OHL, there will be little need to ask any questions anyway! Of course, there's always the Production Portfolio Blog; it has all the answers!

Out of Hours Learning

• Complete the editing of your documentary extract in preparation for exhibition and assessment at the start of next week's lesson. All group members must be able to demonstrate a contribution!
• Update the Lesson Evaluation Document

Next Week

• Assessment of your documentary extract
• Assessment of your individual contribution to the documentary extract
• Start of B324 Controlled Hours (identifying roles and a focus)

Year 11 : Week 1

In this week's lessons, you will answer the following questions;

1. What is the brief for Unit B324, the Production Portfolio?
2. What are the groups for Unit B324?
3. What is the assessment criteria for Unit B324?
4. How can I use a Production Log to meet the assessment criteria?
5. What types of documentary are there?
6. What is the terminology associated with documentaries that I must use? 
7. What are the conventions of documentary film-making?

To answer question 1 we will use the Course Specification in the sidebar to examine the briefs for Unit B324. We are doing option 6 on page 16. To answer question 3, we will use the Assessment Criteria in the sidebar on the dedicated Production Portfolio Blog (also in sidebar) to establish exactly what you have to do to gain marks in this unit of work.

To answer question 4 we will examine the example Production Log template that I have placed on each of your flash drives. We will consider how each page in the template will help you to meet the assessment criteria. You can take this flash drive home so that you can complete some of the research and planning but you MUST bring it to each lesson (so that I can back it up). There are some elements of the Production Log that you can complete at home and other bits that must be completed during lesson time under controlled conditions; we will discuss what you can and can't do outside the controlled hours of the classroom. It will be your responsibility to present your flash drive for backing-up at some point during each lesson. I would advise you to make your own back-up too. Why not set up a free DropBox account?

We will use the dedicated Production Portfolio Blog to answer question 5. You can use the research links in the sidebar or your own internet search to investigate types of documentary. You should make notes as you investigate as you will need this information for your Production Log (you could even make notes on the 'Documentary Research' page in your Production Log for use later on). Working in pairs, you will have 20 minutes to investigate documentary types and to prepare your feedback to the class. You will be asked to define and explain one of the documentary types.

We will now start to investigate the terminology and conventions associated with documentaries (questions 6 & 7). There is a glossary on the Production Portfolio Blog and a list of basic terms that you should know. Use these to build a repertoire of terminology over the next few weeks that you can use in your work (there may be a test to welcome you to next lesson too). To investigate documentary conventions, you are going to start by analysing a documentary that we have made for you. I have a paper copy of an online quiz so that you can prepare rough versions of your answers before submitting your final answers online. Use the glossary on the Production Portfolio Blog to look up any words you don't already know. When you have completed the paper rough draft of the quiz, log on to the Socrative Quiz page (you will need to know the teacher room details) and submit your answers. You must achieve 90% to pass the test. If you score less than 90%, you will have to retake the test before you do next week's filming task.

So, we will start by watching the documentary...

Out of Hours Learning

• Complete the Lesson Evaluation (see sidebar on Main Blog)
• Complete the draft of your documentary quiz answers and submit answers online.
• Watch the three tutorials on the Documentary Production Tutorials page on the Production Portfolio Blog in preparation for a filming task next lesson. (They last about 18 minutes).

Next Lesson

• Filming a short interview
• Filming B-Roll
• Editing a short interview sequence in FCP X, including the use of 'connected' B-Roll & lower-third text elements.

Week 34 - Completing Your Evaluative Commentary & Using Feedback

This is the 15th week of controlled hours for unit B321 (hours 27 & 28). At the end of this lesson you will only have 2 hours remaining.

• Complete your Evaluative Commentary using your poster feedback as a source of data & information.

Obviously, prior to your lesson, you need to make sure that you have gathered feedback from members of your target audience using the following survey;

GCSE Poster Survey

We will then give you a copy of your feedback to use in your Evaluative Commentary and to present in your portfolio. You will need to email your teacher when you have finished collecting responses so that we know that we can print your data. You need a minimum of 6 responses really.

Here is an example of what the feedback will look like and how you can use it to improve your coursework. I will also explain how you can exploit this opportunity to support claims in your Evaluative Commentary.

Example Feedback (& How To Use It In Your Evaluative Commentary)

Use this to demonstrate how successful your product is. In this case, the majority of your target audience believe your product looks like an authentic, professional product. This would suggest that your have used print product codes successfully. Some members of your target audience disagree though and you should drill down into their responses to find out why and maybe use this information to improve your product further. Refer to the feedback and the improvements you made in response to this feedback in your Evaluative Commentary.

Use this feedback to demonstrate that you have been successful in communicating the title of your film (target audience can tell which is the title and which is the tagline!). You must have used an appropriate font and font size!

Use this feedback to evaluate the success of your tagline. Does the feedback suggest that the tagline could be improved? Did you go back to your poster and make changes as a consequence of this feedback? Refer to this process of making improvements as a result of feedback in your Evaluative Commentary.

Use this feedback to evaluate how well you have used genre conventions. If your target audience have identified the correct genre, you must have successfully used sci-fi conventions in your film poster!

Use this feedback to support your views about what is good about your product. It can also be used as evidence to suggest successful technical skill development (when considering what you've learnt overall during this unit of work).

Again, use this feedback to evaluate your overall success and to identify elements of your print product that you may need to improve before the final deadline. Refer to changes you made in response to this feedback in your Evaluative Commentary.

Use this as evidence of overall success. If you surveyed members of your target audience and they don't want to see this film, this may suggest a weakness in your product. However, if you surveyed other people (not members of your target audience) it may only suggest that they don't like sci-fi films!

Week 33 (wb 1st June)

This is the 14th week of controlled hours for unit B321 (hours 25 & 26). At the end of this lesson you will have a maximum of 4 hours remaining.

• Complete your original film poster
• Gather audience feedback using the Survey Monkey link
• Complete the Evaluative Commentary

I hope you have already finished;

• Analytical Assignment (including improvements. See post above Week 28)
• Target Audience Research
• Target Audience Profile (TAP)

Students who have catch-up hours remaining must book catch-up time with their teacher during this week's lesson. You can catch-up over several lunchtimes or in a single sitting after school. Students not taking this opportunity will be 'booked in' after school next week (that's teacher talk for 'issued with an after-school detention' folks.)

Controlled Hours Catch-Up During Half Term

Mr Hood's Class

The Media Suite will be open during half term on Wednesday 27th May between 9.00am and 12.00pm to catch up on controlled hours you have missed due to absence. I'll bring the biscuits!

Week 32 (wb 18th May)

This is the 13th week of controlled hours for unit B321 (hours 23 & 24). At the end of this lesson you will have a maximum of 6 hours remaining.

• WB 18th May (hours 23 & 24) - Poster Construction
• Half Term (Evaluative Commentary planning & Poster Feedback)
• WB  1st June (hours 25 & 26) - Evaluative Commentary
• WB  8th June (hours 27 & 28) - Evaluative Commentary
• WB 15 June (hours 29 & 30) - Audience Feedback Questionnaires & Final Submission

Mr Hood's Lesson

I am not in your lesson this week, but I have arranged for you to be fully supported as you strive to complete your posters. Mrs Yates will supervise the class and Mr Clark will be available to download your iStockPhoto images and help you with any PhotoShop issues. Make the most of the time; I've told Mr Clark & Mrs Yates how well you normally work and I expect the same this week. Don't forget the following advice;

• Consider using a stroke to make your film title stand out.
• Don't forget a tagline.
• Base your credit block on a real example from an existing poster.
• Include original photography.
• Would a coloured overlay be appropriate? (like we did for the romantic practice poster). Think about the meanings of colours though. Dark blue could be used to suggest cold/isolation. Red could be used to suggest danger/love. This would probably be a final step and you would need to flatten your other layers first.

Mr Clark will also advise you on how to collect screenshots of your 'work in progress' that you can present in your portfolio as evidence of organised use of time and planning (both form part of the assessment criteria).

When Your Poster Is Finished

When your poster is finished you will need to collect some audience feedback. We have prepared a questionnaire that asks target audience members to assess your poster in terms of authenticity and creativity. You will need to collect between 7-10 responses each. The best responses will come from people who fit your target audience profile, so choose carefully. When you have finished your poster, ask us to print a copy for you to show people (or we'll take a screenshot and post on the blog). After showing friends/family/target audience members your poster, direct them to the following link;

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/gcsefilmposter

The Evaluative Commentary

You need to start considering the Evaluative Commentary. I have produced a document to help you plan your essay and to make sure that you address every aspect of the success criteria. Mr Clark will explain how the document works and provide you with an A3 copy to write on. Take it home and complete it over half term so that you are prepared to tackle the Evaluative Commentary when we return to school. You can bring the completed planning document into the lesson. A planned response will always achieve higher marks than an 'improvised' response, so please take some time to prepare. You can download a copy of the document here too. The length of the Evaluative Commentary is likely to be between 1 & 2 pages of size 12 font writing. You will have 2 weeks (4 hours) to complete it.

Hours Missed

I am aware that many of you have hours 'in hand' due to absence. We will not be able to give you these hours back at the end of the scheduled time; you have to use it BEFORE the end. I was considering allowing you to come in during half term to make the hours up, probably on the Wednesday morning (27th May). If enough of you want to take this opportunity, we'll go ahead. Email me at hoo@gw-hs.org to let me know. I'll post the outcome!

Out of Hours Learning

• Plan your Evaluative Commentary
• Collect film poster feedback from family, friends & target audience

Mr Hood's Top Tip

It's sometimes hard to find what you want using the Steel Tongs font for your credit block on the poster and the most common frustrations are;

"Present A" (Alt+1)

"Presents" (Alt +4)

Thank you Mr Hood. It's a pleasure students!

Week 31 (wb 11th May)

This is the 12th week of controlled hours for unit B321 (hour 22 - Science exam P1). At the end of this lesson you will have a maximum of 8 hours remaining.

Here is the recommended schedule for your remaining time;

WB 11th May (hour 22) - Poster Construction
WB 18th May (hours 23 & 24) - Poster Construction
Half Term (Evaluative Commentary planning)
WB  1st June (hours 25 & 26) - Evaluative Commentary
WB  8th June (hours 27 & 28) - Evaluative Commentary
WB 15 June (hours 29 & 30) - Audience Feedback Questionnaires & Final Submission

WB 22nd June - Work Experience Week

Hours Owing Due To Absence

If you have been absent and have controlled hours 'owing' you must arrange a catch-up time with your teacher BEFORE 15th June. B321 Portfolios must be submitted at the end of the lesson in that final week and any hours you haven't used will be lost forever! The specification clearly states that 30 hours is a maximum and not a requirement and the final deadline will be the same for everyone (regardless of how many hours you've completed).

Out of Hours Learning

Start to consider what you are going to write in your Evaluative Commentary. You should aim to complete the Evaluative Commentary in 4 hours and you should include the following information;

• An account (review & evaluation) of the research and planning carried out.
• How the film poster is targeted at a particular target audience. (Link to your target audience research).
• An explanation of the ways in which media language, codes and conventions have been used in your film poster to communication representation. (layout, typography, use of language, use of images, use of colour, camera angles, costume, NVC, props, location or setting, etc). Include a review of how your poster follows the conventions of real film posters and, particularly, other sci-fi posters. 
• An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses within the finished film poster.

To help you evaluate the success of your film poster, we have a common poster feedback survey that you can ask people to complete (preferably members of your target audience). You can even present the answers as charts in your portfolio (as an Appendix) and refer to the them in your Evaluative Commentary. (That's a big hint folks).

Here is the link to the Film Poster Feedback Survey;

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/gcsefilmposter

Week 30 (wb 4th May)

This is the 11th week of controlled hours for unit B321 (hours 20 & 21). At the end of this lesson you will have a maximum of 9 hours remaining.

Here is the recommended schedule for your remaining time;

WB   4th May (hours 20 & 21) - Poster Construction
WB 11th May (hours 22 & 23) - Poster Construction
WB 18th May (hours 24 & 25) - Poster Construction & Evaluative Commentary Planning
Half Term
WB  1st June (hours 26 & 27) - Evaluative Commentary
WB  8th June (hours 28 & 29) - Evaluative Commentary
WB 15 June (hour 30) - Audience Feedback Questionnaires & Final Submission

WB 22nd June - Work Experience Week

Poster Construction

So, you have 5 hours to complete your film poster representing either women or Earth's response to alien visitors. Don't forget that you MUST include some original photography. See your teacher to book a camera if you plan on taking the photo at school. Photos can also be taken at home. You should NOT use controlled hours to take your photo.

Out of Hours Learning

• Plan the next stage of your film poster. Consider non-verbal communication, colours, framing, setting, font types & sizes, tagline & layout (representation). Is yours a teaser poster or a main poster? What are the conventions of this poster type? (release date, credit block, etc).

Week 29 (wb 27th April)

This is the 10th week of controlled hours for unit B321 (hours 18 & 19). At the end of this lesson you will have a maximum of 11 hours remaining.

This week you will start your original poster designs. It is important that you use everything you have learnt about 'representation' when constructing your poster. You must represent a woman or Earth's response to alien visitors in your product (see the Product Briefs).

You should start with a flat plan showing where the elements will be positioned (credit block, main image, title, tagline, actors' names, etc). You will then draw 1 or 2 drafts of your poster before you start the PhotoShop process, each draft with a new level of detail (the last should be a coloured pencil drawing with most of the detail present).

Make sure you have researched tutorials so that you can achieve the effects that you want. Here are some links to a variety of common sci-fi poster tutorials (just to get you started). You could use the techniques presented as a basis for your own product constructions;

Sci-Fi Poster Tutorial 1
Retro Sci-Fi Poster Tutorial 1
Sci-Fi Poster From Self Portrait 1
Retro Sci-Fi Poster Tutorial 2
Sci-Fi Poster From Self Portrait 2
Retro Sci-Fi Poster Tutorial 3
A Variety of Sci-Fi Effects

Here is a link to some common photo & text effect tutorials (pdf documents);

Common Photo & Text Effect Tutorials

Don't forget the links to film poster websites and tutorials in the 'Useful Websites'  section of the sidebar on this blog.

Remember that you have to include an element of original photography, so see your teacher to book cameras and the use of the white vinyl screen (in Drama Studio). The taking of photographs should be completed out of lesson time so that you don't waste controlled hours.

Finally, the remainder of your poster can be constructed using stock images (photographs from other people). Search here to find the images you want and then ask your teacher to log in and purchase the images for you (essential collection only, not signature collection). Each student is limited to a maximum of 6 purchased images from the essential collection on this website, so choose carefully.

Out of Hours Learning

• Update the Lesson Evaluation Document
• Consider the next stage of development for your film poster.

Improving Analytical Assignments

Please make sure that you have used technical language in your analytical assignments and that you have identified specific scenes/shots within the film that demonstrate your point. The difference between 'general description' (max level 3) and 'identifying specific scenes/shots & using media specific language' (max level 4) is illustrated in the following document;

Use of technical language in your Analytical Assignments

Week 28 (wb 20th April)

This is the 9th week of controlled hours for Unit B321 (hours 16 & 17). At the end of this lesson you will have a maximum of 13 hours remaining.

By the end of this this lesson your portfolio should contain:

• Analytical Assignment
• The Production Brief
• 2 or 3 Film Poster Deconstructions (research into similar products)
• Target Audience Research (research into similar films from Pearl & Dean & BBFC website)
• Target Audience Profile (TAP)

At the start of next lesson (hour 18) you will all start the original film poster construction. The first stage is to sketch a flat plan of your poster in your portfolio. See an example of a flat plan in the mock portfolio (rough sketch of poster layout without content detail).

Out of Hours Learning

• Update the Lesson Evaluation Document
• Consider the design of your film poster. Come to next lesson with a flat plan in mind and some thoughts re content. Don't forget that you have to include an element of original photography (a photograph you are going to take yourself). You may also wish to research some film poster tutorials that can help you to achieve the effects you want.

Week 27 (wb 13th April)

This is the 8th week of controlled hours for Unit B321 (hours 14 & 15). At the end of this lesson, you will have a maximum of 15 hours remaining and you will be half way through the time allowed to complete this unit.

You should be completing your film poster deconstructions. When you have completed them, assess your success by asking yourself the following questions;

• Have you used technical language that is specific to film posters? (see film poster revision page)
• Have you covered all the aspects of representation? (see film poster revision page)
• Have you presented your deconstructions appropriately

You should also be completing your Production Workflow document. Have you presented the tasks that you need to complete in an appropriate order? You need to complete this document to demonstrate 'planning for organised use of time'.

Referring to the Success Checklist, the last criterion you need to address before moving on to the construction phase is 'referencing the way in which your product is aimed at a target audience'. To do this you need to investigate who the audience was for existing, similar products and understand a little about film classifications.

On a page entitled 'Target Audience for X' in your portfolio (where X is the title of your film), you should have the following information;

• A very brief synopsis of your film (1 very short paragraph) presenting a flavour of your film. Is it a sci-fi action film? Is it a sci-fi thriller? If you are struggling for an outline of your story, there are only 22 stories that exist, so pick one of them using this link.
• The film classification. Visit the BBFC website and examine the criteria for each age rating. Consider the content of your imaginary film and suggest an appropriate BBFC rating. Provide reasons to support your argument (levels of violence, swearing, sex, etc).
• Evidence of the target audience for similar products (existing films). Visit this Pearl & Dean website to see who the target audience was for films that are similar to yours (Pearl & Dean manage advertising campaigns in cinemas). Take a screenshot of the data and publish the audience profile data in your portfolio. Use this data to define your own target audience.
• Present a Target Audience Profile (TAP). See the example in the Mock Portfolio. Start your TAP with the sentence "This is (name) and he/she represents my target audience". Do not contradict your film classification statement (if your film is a 15, your target audience can't be 12-15 year olds!)

Here is an example target audience page; a development of the one in the mock portfolio.

Out of Hours Learning

• Update the Lesson Evaluation Document (so I know how you are doing).
• Consider a synopsis for your film.
• Read the BBFC classification guide and decide which rating would apply to your film.
• Visit the Pearl & Dean website and decide which of the listed films are similar to yours.
• Consider your TAP. Name? Gender? Age? Name? Ethnicity? Marital status? Education or job? Income? Hobbies? Film preferences? How often do they visit the cinema? Reading preferences? TV viewing preferences? Media / technology ownership?

IMPORTANT TIME MANAGEMENT WARNING

You need to have completed everything up to the poster construction phase by the end of next lesson (after 17 hours). This will leave you only a maximum of 13 hours (6.5 weeks) to complete the film poster and Evaluative Commentary. If you haven't completed the workflow and target audience documents by the end of the 17th hour, you will have to leave them and move on to the construction phase. EVERYONE WILL BE STARTING THE FILM POSTER CONSTRUCTION AT THE START OF THE 18TH HOUR! If there is some time remaining at the end, you could come back to the workflow and target audience work. Even with this suggested schedule, you will only have 3 weeks (6 hrs) to complete the film poster (including drafts) and 3 weeks (6 hrs) to complete the Evaluative Commentary. The final hour will be used for assembling your portfolios and checking your work.

Week 26 (wb 23rd March)

This is the 7th week of controlled hours for Unit B321 (hours 12 & 13). At the end of this lesson, you will have a maximum of 17 hours remaining.

If you are following our recommended timetable of tasks, you should now be completing the existing film poster deconstructions. Remember, you are attempting to demonstrate that you know the technical language for film posters and that you can read representations within the poster. Look at previous posts for further guidance (especially those posted when you were deconstructing posters before Xmas).

Here are some examples of deconstructed posters as a guide (please do not use these examples in your own portfolio).

Annotated Deconstruction of Casino Royale

Annotated Deconstruction of From Russia With Love

Written Deconstruction of The Mummy

You can also look in our mock up of a completed portfolio for examples of different methods of presenting your poster deconstructions. If you don't have access to the physical portfolio, you can download a scan here.

Out of Hours Learning

Consider your film poster deconstructions. How are you going to present them? What are you going to write? Consider both technical print media language and issues of representation.

Once you have deconstructed existing products (film posters) it's time to start thinking about your own film poster. The first stage is to present a Flat Plan of your poster. Click here, here or here  for examples of Flat Plans (or see the Individual Portfolio mock up).

Week 25 (wb 16th March)

This is the 6th week of controlled hours for Unit B321 (hours 10 & 11).

If you follow our recommended timetable, by the end of this week you will have completed your Analytical Assignment and started your Research & Planning.

Completing Your Analytical Assignment

Once you have finished your Analytical Assignment, use the Moving Image Analysis Tool to identify the key technical media language you have used in your assignment. Perhaps, circle or highlight each of the technical words you have used on your printout of the Analysis Tool. Are you completely satisfied with the amount of media language your have used?

Then, use the Success Checklist to RAG assess how well you have addressed each element of the success criteria. Do you need to add anything else to your assignment before you submit it?

Finally, read your assignment carefully. Address any spelling issues identified by the spell checker. Do all of your sentences/paragraphs make sense? Is your font size 12? How good is your presentation? I recommend that you align your text using the 'justified' option (combines left & right alignment to use 100% of the line space).

Starting Your Research & Planning

How you use the R&P time is up to you, but don't forget that you need to complete the following documents, trim them and glue them into your Individual Portfolio before starting the 'Product Construction' phase of the unit (making your film poster).

• Identify the Production Brief
• Proposed Production Workflow Diagram
• Existing Film Poster Deconstructions (Technical Codes & Representation)
• Target Audience Research
• A Target Audience Profile

At the end of this week's lessons, you will have 19 hours left, so you need to have started the R&P before the end of the week . We recommend the following allocation of time;

Research & Planning - 5 hours (2.5 weeks)

Construction of Product (Film Poster) - 8 hours (4 weeks)

Evaluation - 6 hours (3 weeks)

Recommended Durations for Research & Planning Documents To Complete Within Remaining 5 Hours

Identify the Production Brief (including printing, trimming & glueing) : 10 mins

Proposed Production Workflow Diagram : 20 mins

Existing Film Poster Deconstructions : 3 hours (for 2 or 3 posters)

Target Audience Research : 45 mins

A Target Audience Profile Document : 45 mins

Presentation of Your Individual Portfolio

• Leave enough blank pages for your Analytical Assignment at the start of the portfolio.
• Then glue in the Production Brief Document.
• Then leave a single page for your completed print product (original film poster).
• Then leave a further 3 blank pages for your completed Evaluative Commentary.
• The next blank page is where you start your Research & Planning. Don't forget a title for this section of your Portfolio (a full page title page if you like). The first documents I would expect to see are the Proposed Production Workflow and your Real Media Product Deconstructions (analysis of existing film posters). These will be followed by the target audience documents.

Resources

All of the resources you need to deconstruct film posters are already on this blog (see Week 11), but here is a shortcut to the Film Poster Analysis Sheet download.

Out of Hours Learning

Why not prepare your film poster deconstructions? Identify the film posters you are going to deconstruct and consider the use of technical print codes and representation.

Week 24 (wb 9th March)

This is the 5th week of controlled hours for Unit B321 (hours 8 & 9).

If you follow our recommended timetable, by the end of this week you will have 1 hour remaining in which to complete the conclusion for your Analytical Assignment.

Out of Hours Learning

In preparation for your last Analytical Assignment session (week 25) you should think about...

1. What are your conclusions? Here are some questions that you may find helpful;

Representation of Women (conclusion)

• Has the representation of women changed over time? If so, how? Does this reflect changes in social values? Does this reflect changes in audience expectations? Does this reflect changes in what audiences find acceptable? Does this relate to other gender related issues/changes during the 20th century? Is there a link between the representation of gender and age? Does the representation of women differ from the representation of men? If so, is this fair? How do the roles of women in films fit into the narrative theories we studied? How do you think the representation of women in films will develop in the future?

Representation of Earth's Response to Alien Visitors (conclusion)

• How does the representation of Earth's response to alien visitors change over time? How do different social groups respond in different ways? (children/authority/adults/military/etc). Are there any patterns across all the films for these specific social groups? Is there a link between the representation of aliens and world politics in the 20th century (see Alien Invasion documentary link in sidebar)? Do the films you researched fit any of the narrative theories we studied? How do you think the representation of interactions between humans and aliens will develop in films in the future?

Copies of the poster for each of the films you are studying have been added to the 'Set Works' section of this blog. Hard copies are also available if you wish to deconstruct the posters as part of your portfolio.

FINALLY, UPDATE THE LESSON EVALUATION DOCUMENT. HOW WELL DID YOU USE THE CONTROLLED HOURS TODAY? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS YOU MADE IN THESE LESSONS? IS YOUR PORTFOLIO 'ON TRACK'?

Week 23 (wb 2nd March)

This is the 4th week of controlled hours for Unit B321 (hours 6 & 7).

If you follow our recommended timetable, by the end of this week you will have 3 hours remaining in which to complete your Analytical Assignment.

Out of Hours Learning

In preparation for your next Analytical Assignment session you should think about...

1. Identify the next point you wish to make about the representation of alien visitors or women in the sci-fi films we've selected.
2. Identify the film & scene that you will use as evidence to illustrate your point.
3. Identify the technical codes within the scene that prove your point (using technical language - use the Analysis Tool handout and the Film Terminology Revision page in the sidebar).
4. Consider the impact on the target audience.
5. Compare to another scene in one of the other films. How is it similar or different?

If you do this, you won't waste controlled hours thinking about what to write, only about how to express it in an essay.

ALSO, UPDATE THE LESSON EVALUATION DOCUMENT. HOW WELL DID YOU USE THE CONTROLLED HOURS TODAY? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS YOU MADE IN THESE LESSONS? IS YOUR PORTFOLIO 'ON TRACK'?

Week 22 (First Week After Half Term)

This is the 3rd week of controlled hours for Unit B321 (hours 4 & 5).

If you follow our recommended timetable, by the end of this week you will have 5 hours remaining in which to complete your Analytical Assignment.

Out of Hours Learning

In preparation for your next Analytical Assignment session you should think about...

1. Identify the next point you wish to make about the representation of alien visitors or women in the sci-fi films we've selected.
2. Identify the film & scene that you will use as evidence to illustrate your point.
3. Identify the technical codes within the scene that prove your point (using technical language - use the Analysis Tool handout and the Film Terminology Revision page in the sidebar).
4. Consider the impact on the target audience.
5. Compare to another scene in one of the other films. How is it similar or different?

If you do this, you won't waste controlled hours thinking about what to write, only about how to express it in an essay.

ALSO, UPDATE THE LESSON EVALUATION DOCUMENT. HOW WELL DID YOU USE THE CONTROLLED HOURS TODAY? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS YOU MADE IN THESE LESSONS? IS YOUR PORTFOLIO 'ON TRACK'?

Week 21

This is the 2nd week of controlled hours for Unit B321 (hours 2 & 3).

If you follow our recommended timetable, by the end of this week you will have 7 hours remaining in which to complete your Analytical Assignment.

Out of Hours Learning

In preparation for your next Analytical Assignment session you should think about...

1. Identify the next point you wish to make about the representation of alien visitors or women in the sci-fi films we've selected.
2. Identify the film & scene that you will use as evidence to illustrate your point.
3. Identify the technical codes within the scene that prove your point (using technical language - use the Analysis Tool handout and the Film Terminology Revision page in the sidebar).
4. Consider the impact on the target audience.
5. Compare to another scene in one of the other films. How is it similar or different?

If you do this, you won't waste controlled hours thinking about what to write, only about how to express it in an essay.

Week 20 (1st Week of Controlled Hours B321)

In this first week of controlled hours, you will be given your own personal USB flash drive on which you should save all your work for Unit B321. Your teacher will show you how to plug in and eject the flash drive on a Mac. The first thing you should do is set up the following new folders on your personal flash drive;

• Analytical Assignment
• Product Research
• Original Poster Design
• Planning Documents
• Evaluative Commentary

The contents of each folder will be;

Analytical Assignment

Your word processed essay (representation of alien visitors or women in sci-fi films)

Product Research

Target audience research & deconstructions of existing sci-fi film posters.

Original Poster Design

Your Photoshop file, all images used in your poster & screenshots of the construction process.

Planning Documents

Workflow & production diary

Evaluative Commentary

The evaluation of your product, deconstruction of your own product, target audience questionnaires and responses.

As a guide, we suggest you divide the 30 hours up in the following way (and in this order);

• Analytical Assignment (Aliens or Women) - 10 hours (5 weeks)
• Research & Planning For Own Product - 6 hours (3 weeks)
• Construction of Own Product - 8 hours (4 weeks)
• Evaluation - 6 hours (3 weeks)

Resources For This Week's Lessons

B321 Briefs for Analytical Assignment

Moving Image Analysis Tool

Out of Hours Learning

In preparation for your next Analytical Assignment session you should think about...

1. Identify the next point you wish to make about the representation of alien visitors or women in the sci-fi films we've selected.
2. Identify the film & scene that you will use as evidence to illustrate your point.
3. Identify the technical codes within the scene that prove your point (using technical language - use the Analysis Tool handout and the Film Terminology Revision page in the sidebar).
4. Consider the impact on the target audience.
5. Compare to another scene in one of the other films. How is it similar or different?

If you do this, you won't waste controlled hours thinking about what to write, only about how to express it in an essay.