Mr. Harris' Media Studies Blog

Int 1 Student Analysis Reference Book

2012-01-23T11:34:00.000Z

Get the Analysis Reference Book here.
Glossary coming soon (check the comments section).

4th November - S5&6 Class Task

2011-11-04T12:27:00.000Z

Please read the following and then complete the tasks set;

1) Go to Student In/Media Studies/S5 & 6/ Adverts

2) There are 9 T.V. Adverts there - watch them. If they won't play, you can access VLCPortable from the same directory.

3) For each advert, identify the following;
* The Brand (name of the product - i.e. Phones4u)
* The Theme (Category & Language - i.e. Phones4u = Horror Movie theme)
* The Strapline (or Slogan - fits into theme, i.e. "Missing our deals will haunt you")
* The Unique Selling Point (why should the customer choose this over other similar items)

4) Choose one of the nine adverts. You are going to plan (script or storyboard) the next entry in this advertising campaign. It needs to be familiar (same strapline, same theme) but fresh. Compare the Scary Girl Phones4u advert to the Zombie Phones4u advert. They both follow the same theme, but use different CODES.

I should be back before the end of the lesson - I shall see what you've come up with then.

Mr. Harris

Int 1 - Past Papers

2011-11-02T16:53:00.000Z

Click this link to be taken to the SQA Past Papers for Media Studies.

Print them off, answer them and then I will hapily sit down with you (either during lunch of during Study Club) and mark them with you.

Mr. Harris

Analysis of Opening

2011-11-02T09:50:00.000Z

You can find the worksheet here.

Save it to your profile space, complete it using "Grown Ups" as your Media Text. Print it out once completed.

S5/6 Viral Video Task

2011-09-09T15:40:00.001+01:00

Post a link to your video as a comment.

S3 Media Studied - Technical and Cultural Codes

2011-09-07T09:43:00.000+01:00

This is the opening to the film "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

To be used for identifying CODES - S3 Media Studies Class

Task;

After watching this video, your task is to identify the TECHNICAL and CULTURAL codes presented in the film.

HOLIDAY TASK: Media Journal

2011-07-01T11:31:00.000+01:00

Over the course of the holiday, I would like you to record every time you interact with Media (Films, Magazines, Computer Games, Websites, etc.) on the Media Journal which you have been supplied with.

By the time we get back you should all have a record of your media usage, and this will paint a clear picture as to the importance of Media in our lives.

You can download extra copied of the Media Journal template here if you need to.

Please comment on this post if you have any questions of queries about the task.

Hope you all have a good holiday,
Mr. Harris

ACTIVITIES: Teaching Trailers

2011-06-28T09:39:00.000+01:00

Please click the this link.

We will watch some movie trailers, talk about the theory behind them, and then you are going to complete the worksheets with information taken from the website above.

21st June 2011 - Poster Challenge

2011-06-21T09:21:00.000+01:00

Today, I am going to explain the different elements of a Film Poster. Then I am going to explain the Key Aspect "Category".

You will then complete the following Task;

1) Go to; Student (In) -> Media Studies -? S5&6 -> Movie Posters

Here you will find a large selection of movie posters, in many different styles. Choose 3-5 posters, and complete the Movie Poster worksheet on each.

2) Get into groups of 2-3. Choose a movie poster per group.

3) Your next task, which should take more than one period to complete, is to design your own poster for the same film. (You do not need to have seen the film to do this, but it may help.)

4) The Posters should be of a high quality - they will be displayed - and at least one person in your group should be able to explain each decision you made.

Class Work - May 4th

2011-05-04T10:28:00.001+01:00

Watch this advert.

Take notes on the mise-en-scene during, and any institutional factors at the end of the advert.

Answer the following questions in your jotters;
1) Comparethemarket.com has to compete in a fairly busy industry (insurance quotes). How do they stand out from the rest?
2) Describe how the advery uses TECHNICAL CODES to make Sergei seem miserable/overworked.
3) The advertising campaign uses social media to help raise awareness of the brand. Describe what you think the advantages of using Social Media are?
4) With close reference to the text, describe the following categories of this advert;
Medium:
Genre:
Tone:
Form:
Purpose:

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Alternatively, if the advert will not work, Past papers can be found here.

Class Task - 20th April 2011

2011-04-20T09:51:00.002+01:00

Daniel, Scott G., Morvern, Viky, Scott D. – You work for Coca-Cola
Ashleigh, Andrew, Laiza, Rebecca – You work for Pepsi

You must create an advertising campaign (including plans for print ads, T.V. ads, posters, Radio ads, etc.) for your brand of Cola. You must make people want to buy your brand over the other brand, without defaming (i.e. slagging off) the other brand.

Your campaign will be distributed in the Developing World (Africa, South America, parts of Asia) – target audience are well below the poverty line, mostly uneducated and do not have access to healthcare. Most people under 25 can’t afford to buy cola regularly.

Use the internet to research advertising in the developing world, and also to get logos (for any posters, leaflets or PowerPoint’s you may create).
You will pitch your campaign tomorrow.

Media Studies Links

2011-03-30T10:29:00.000+01:00

The following links may be useful for revision purposes - have a peruse, and print what you think might help.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/mediastudies.html
http://www.mediastudiesgoodies.com/
http://media.edusites.co.uk/
http://getrevising.co.uk/resources/subjects/media_studies

Class Task - 8th December

2010-12-07T15:42:00.000Z

Write & Rehearse a Radio Advert for you product.

Success Criteria:

You must include the strapline.
You must include the Brand Name.
You must mention the Unique Selling Point.
You must include JUSTIFIABLE elements that are aimed at your target audience.
It must be between 30 and 35 seconds long.

We will record on Thursday's lesson.
Mr. Harris

Class Task 24/11/10

2010-11-24T11:06:00.001Z

Go to Student(In) / Media Studies /

There are three film trailers in there.
Choose one, watch it, and then write an analysis (as detailed as you can) of the Language used.

Mr. Harris

The Cutting Edge (Movie Editing Documentary)

2010-11-24T08:47:00.000Z

22 September - Class Task

2010-09-22T11:12:00.000+01:00

The powerpoint to copy into your jotters in in Student In/Media Studies/S 5&6

It's called 6 - What is Media Studies- Representation 1.ppt

S3 Media Studies - Class Task 17th September

2010-09-17T14:22:00.000+01:00

If you have finished editing your movie, then here is your next task;

Write a review of a movie - the choice of movie is up to you, it doesn't even need to be a real one!

You must include the following sections;
1) A Brief synopsis of the film (Narrative)
2) Mention of any notable actors/director (Category - other)
3) What you liked about the film (Characters, Story, Shots, Lines, etc.)
4) What you didn't like about the film.
5) Who you think would like the film (If you liked _____, then you'll love this! or Teenage Girls will love this movie)
6) Final Thoughts
7) A rating out of five or ten.

Try and make it sound interesting or funny - you need to keep your readers entertained.

Class Task - 15th September

2010-09-14T10:46:00.000+01:00

IF THE SPONSORED WALK DOESN'T GO AHEAD;

1) Complete your powerpoints.
They are now in H:\Media Studies\S 5&6\
Scott Forsyth and Daniel, I haven't seen anything from you.
Once they are finished, comment on this post and I will respond with feedback.
Some of you are taking too long with these - please finish them today.

2) Finish editing your Adverts. Publish the final film to H:\Media Studies\S 5&6\[yourname] advert.wmv

Mr. Harris

Class Task - Tuesday 14th September

2010-09-09T15:12:00.000+01:00

Your task today is to create a REVISION GUIDE covering everything you have learned so far in Media Studies.
You can create a poster, leaflet, video, presentation, "handbook" or information sheet.

You need to include the following;
* The Seven Key Aspects
- Both the term, and a brief description of what it is
- (E.g. CATEGORY - How a media text is categorised, or what type of media text it is)
* The Six Categories
- What they are, and examples of each
* A Description of Technical Codes (Camera moves, angles, etc.) and Cultural codes
- Include Denotation and Connotation
* A Description of Narrative

If there is anything you are unsure of, WRITE DOWN A LIST OF QUESTIONS, and I will answer them a.s.a.p.

---

The Final Product needs to be;
* Accurate
* Informative
* Colourful
* Illustrated
* Photocopyable
- I am going to put them all together, and give one to each of you as a revision guide.

Classwork for Wednesday 8/9/10

2010-09-07T13:50:00.000+01:00

Classwork for Wednesday 7/9/10;

1) FINISH YOUR GENRE POWERPOINTS!!!

2) Edit together the test footage in Student(In)
-NOT the Advert footage.
-Do this individually, not as groups.

3) Once you have finished editing, save the film (as a *.wmv file) back into student in with your name as the filename.

Class Task - 01/09/2010

2010-09-01T09:25:00.000+01:00

Most of you have not yet begun your powerpoint presentations on Genre - or at least you haven't saved them to Student(In)
Therefore, those people who have not finished (or even started) their Genre powerpoints, do that today. If you don't finish it today, consider it Homework due in next tuesday.

For those of you who have finished your genre presentation, you can begin planning your adverts.
Comment on this post with your name, the product you want to advertise, and a one paragraph pitch (i.e. describe any ideas you have for how your advert is going to go.)

Editing (Temporary Online Option)

2010-08-26T14:51:00.000+01:00

1) Go to http://www.jaycut.com/

2) Create a free account. Use your school e-mail.

3) Upload your videos from "Student In"

4) Edit the shots into a film.

Task for Wednesday 25th August

2010-08-24T11:51:00.000+01:00

Use the internet to research a particular genre.
Create a powerpoint presentation on that genre.
Save the powerpoint to Student In/Media Studies with your name on it.

The powerpoint should include;

history of the genre
exaples of films from the genre
key actors and directors associated with the genre
genre conventions

Lesson - 18th August 2010

2010-08-17T12:29:00.000+01:00

Your task today is to post your Media Journal to your blog.
Please see my previous post for how to write up your Media Journal if you have not already.

We will go over your Journals on Thursday in class.

Mr. Harris

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If you have not yet started a blog, do so today.
If you can't for technical reasons, write up your Media Journal on paper and hand it in on Thursday.

30th June Lesson

2010-06-30T11:13:00.002+01:00

Pupils need to do the following;

1) Star their media journal.

Create a table - columns at the top are named;

* Text (what is it, a film such as Avatar or Hollyoaks)

* Categories (learned yesterday)

* Time spent (two hours for a film, three hours over a week for a soap, etc.)

* Where were you (i.e. cinema, bedroom, friends house, etc.)

* Why did you interact with the text (e.g. wanted to see it, boredom, friends said it was good, advert was good, sequel to film I've already seen)

2) Write down the web address of your blog. If you don't have one, give Mrs. Dickson a title, and I will create it for you.

Create a Blog Task

2010-06-16T09:42:00.004+01:00

Ladies and gentlemen,

The internet is a rapidly growing medium for communication and information. Therefore, it will be a frequently used tool in this class.

The Blog is a form of online journal – your task today is to create one. You will use it to post homework, communicate with each other, complete assignments, record your Media Journal and communicate with each other what you are learning in Media Studies.

The task is broken down as follows;

1) Go to http://www.blogger.com

2) Click on “Create a blog”

3) You will need to create an account. If you already have an account, you can go straight ahead and create a new blog.
NOTE: In a change from yesterday’s instructions – if you already have a media studies blog from last year, I would still like you to create a new blog. The purpose of this blog is different from last years.

4) Create a catchy title for your blog – a title which says something about you.

5) Modify/Design/Adapt your blog using any of the features available. If you would like to include a hit counter to see how many people have been on your blog, then search Google for a useable one.

6) Experiment with different styles, layouts, designs etc. Don’t just settle for the basics – make your blog look good.

7) Once you have finished your blog, comment on this post with your new Blog’s web address so that I can subscribe to it, and you can subscribe to each others.

8) Subscribe to each other’s blogs.

a. If you don’t manage to complete this task in class, please complete it for homework.

b. If there are any technical issues or access issues, please see the Technicians.

Good luck,

Mr. Harris

Previous Media Studies Films

2010-06-15T15:34:00.002+01:00

Here are a selection of previous years' media studies films.
Some are the Media Production, some were class assignments;

The 'Sup Video Challenge

2010-04-13T10:32:00.001+01:00

Download the "sup.avi" video file.

You can download clips from other movies by searching YouTube for them, then adding "Kiss" to the address, i.e. http://www.kissyoutube.com/...

Then use Windows Movie Maker (or any other Video Editing Software) to add the 'Sup Bear and create your own clip. Below is my version.