FILM ~ At Foundation level learners should produce a two minute video

Task 1 – maintaining a blog based on the creative processes

BLOG - Research, planning and production stages, including refinement, reflection and editing choices.

Task 2 – researching and planning a media production

Research should be detailed and encompass all of the media forms within the chosen option. Learners should
evidence all of their research and use this material within their blogs

Images and video for this production must be original, the use of music taken from an acknowledged source is
permissible. Research should be detailed and encompass all of the media forms within the chosen option. Learners
should evidence all of their research.

You will need to engage with the key areas:

 Forms and conventions -

 Production contexts -
 Technologies -
 Audiences and representations –

Research activities; Watching the opening sequence to a range of films in the appropriate genre, making notes on:
 how many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
 what images are prioritised 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.

Planning

Examples of planning might include, but are not limited to;

 Mind maps

 Scripting / drafting,

 Risk assessments,

 Location recce reports,

 Casting

 Character profiles

 Test shots.
  Test edits

 Technical tests

 Storyboards

 Shot lists

 Sound sourcing and experiments

 Narrative flow chart

 Lighting plans

 Audience research to inform ideas

Learners should be encouraged to edit their original storyboards / mock ups in a different colour pen if they decide to use different
angles / transitions once they are underway in the creative stage as this will prove to be valuable evidence of their reflective
engagement and progression of application of the media concepts in their post- production critical reflection.

Use the following to explain your idea.

Narrative to sequence1: The opening sequence suggests Narrative to sequence 2:

someone is running from a murder We see a flashback to the murder
scene victim eating with her family
Symbolic Codes: Dark lighting, man is dressed in An external view of a gently lit
Technical Codes: dark clothes. Close up shot of the room containing a family eating
Genre: girl’s face (eyes shut), non-diegetic around a table. The camera pans
Mise en Scene: sound of running footsteps fades in in ‘through’ the window as voices
Transition: over deep music that ends on a fade up to normal family
single note. Camera pans back to discussions and pans around the
drone height to show the girl laying table as though observing the
in a pool of blood, still, whilst the conversation. This is a short
lights darken to black. sequence only.

Learners should be encouraged to edit their original mock ups in a different colour pen if they decide to use different angles /
transitions once they are underway in the creative stage as this will prove to be valuable evidence of their reflective engagement
and progression of application of the media concepts in their post- production critical reflection.

Task 3 – implementing the plan and creating a media production

This is an essential part of the process that needs blogging on a regular basis.

Creative choices should be based on research and evidenced and justified in the blog. Media productions should
demonstrate a clear understanding of the codes and conventions and, in the case of the magazine option present a
clear house style.

Task 4 – EVALUATING the project

This is a compulsory part of the coursework and should be a Creative Critical Reflection on the production process
presented in a digital format. Acceptable digital formats may be used such as director commentaries, slideshows
with voiceover, podcasts, prezis, screencasts etc. Creative Critical Reflections are creative, so creative flair should be
applied in order to clearly demonstrate the learner’s knowledge and understanding.
You should reflect on the creative processes and assess the success of the decisions made during the production of
the media product or package. The critical reflection should draw on evidence from the research, production and
editing stages and be presented using a range of digital applications as appropriate. You should include a broad
outline of the production work undertaken, and details of your roles and anyone else who helped. You should refer to
evidence from research stages, peer assessment/teacher feedback and resultant editing decisions and an
overarching reflection on the effectiveness of strategies used within the creative processes. You should avoid being
critical of the hardware and technical resources available to you during your production work, as this tends to add little
in terms of analysis or evaluation of the end product itself.

The Creative Critical Reflection should be shaped and guided by the following compulsory questions:

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?
2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a read media text?
3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
 Suggested step-by-step process.

Set up and maintain a blog to map the research processes

Determine groupings/individual status and select the brief

Complete activities to research the codes and conventions of the chosen media form, generic conventions, use of
technical, symbolic and written codes and, where applicable, use of sound and links to other media platforms.
Audience research to inform ideas.

Carry out storyboarding, casting, scripting, recce reports, risk assessments, mock ups, sketches, test shots for the
production

Carry out production – blog a production diary

Reflect on the production and edit where necessary

Evaluate the product in light of the contemporary media landscape