More blog homework for over half term

Use of technology in filming

Write a blog post specifically about how you have used technology in the filming of your video. You will have used at least a digital camera and a tripod, but some of you will have used a lot more equipment- particularly if you have used the studio. In the studio you will have used the studio lights and may well have used green screen. You will have used the vision mixing desk to edit 'live' cutting between cameras. Consider how all these features (and more) have helped your production. Include photographs if necessary.

If you have not used the studio, consider the advantages and disadvantages of using the digital cameras with memory cards- they have the option for instant playback to check your shots. Evaluate the quality of the footage you have filmed and any limitations (they are not expensive cameras). Also, you may have used other equipment, such as the fig-rigs for tracking shots, or decided to film parts hand- held for certain effects.

So, put a post together reviewing all the technology you have used in filming

Homework for 31st October

The creative process

Hopefully now you are well underway with your filming. If not you really should be. This week's blog homework is to write a post about the creative process- how you got your original ideas and developed new ideas in your video. Consider where your inspirations came from- for narrative and performance aspects of your video, themes and ideas, costumes, props and locations. Probably you were inspired by a range of different videos/ artists or maybe even films and TV shows. Give specific examples of what you are doing and where the ideas came from. Also consider how the group came by its creative decisions- who contributed at what points to the creative process and how did the group build on the ideas of individual members. Additionally, explain if you changed your ideas whilst you were filming or whether you stuck to your original plans- i.e. did your creativity all come in the planning stage or did you arrive at creative decisions whilst you were filming?

Examples of album adverts

If you search for 'album advert images' on google you get loads of good examples that you can analyse. I've put some on this post. The top one is actually some student work from last year that got a high A. Note how professional it looks and how it mirrors some of the features of the professional album adverts.

Homework for 17th October

CD case and Magazine advert design

You need to design a CD case (4 panels) and a magazine advert to accompany your music video. Your homework this week is to do a detailed analysis of a real CD case design and a real advert for an album. Above are examples of a CD case and magazine advert. Note the small details such as the barcode and smallprint on the back of the CD case and the company logos at the bottom of the poster.

For your analysis, you need to gather some examples of CD case designs and magazine adverts. You could take pictures of CD cases (you need to study the front cover, back cover, inside front cover and inside back cover) and you can get hold of adverts by doing a google search.

Most importantly, you need to analyse them in detail- note down all the features and say why they are important. Try to analyse the images used- why have they been chosen? What do they tell us about the artist and the album/ track?

Homework for 10th October

Complete all the tasks outlined in the bullet points in the post below titled 'READ THIS'. These tasks needs dividing between the members of your group, but it is essential that they are completed before filming.

A very good blog from last year...

I've already posted this one but it is worth looking at again. It is very detailed and of good quality. The chief examiner said you need around 50 posts on the blog, this one had 49, so it is clearly of the right length:

http://loretomedia-e1-10-group3.blogspot.com/

READ THIS! Important information on the blogs

We had a visit from the chief examiner for Media Studies last week and whilst he was very impressed with the quality of music video work from last year, he said the blogs were too lightweight and below standard. They did not have enough posts on them. In your groups, over the course of the term, you need to be putting around 50 posts on the blog. In the planning stage, before you go out filming, you need to include:

• 3 detailed analyses of different music videos, at least one in the specific genre that you have chosen for your video.
• your notes on your initial planning meeting.
• a detailed treatment of the music video you are going to make.
• a storyboard of a specific scene from your music video.
• detailed shot lists of specific scenes from your music video.
• Research into costumes for your music video, including photographs and analysis of why they are appropriate for your video.
• Research into filming locations including photographs and details of why they are appropriate locations.

If you do the above tasks, you should have at least 10 posts on your blog before you go out filming. Keep checking this blog regularly for information on further posts that you will need to put on your blog.