General feedback from mock exam

I was quite impressed with a lot of the knowledge in the essays. These are a few points I keep raising on your exams so I thought I'd share with you here

- Keep linking back to the question, it's so easy to trail off, PEEL!

- be specific with examples from big and small case studies and by that I mean films as well as cinemas

- Do not take exchange for granted - 3D/4D/IMAX/IMPACT or Netflix/amazon prime or if you love indie/world cinema but don't live near a big city there's always Curzon online/BFI player to find out what other films are well reviewed around the world

- different audiences - why they like sequels, why they only go and see Hollywood blockbusters
IT'S ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY AND AVAILABILITY (so lack of choice and variety largely limited to Big Six fare which is high impact and franchise) 

- ability to watch on the go and advertise on the go this is all digital - phones, ipods, tablets, laptops

- not enough terminology being used and if it is it is thrown in randomly with no application

- have a look at how your films can be accessed now so if you look up '71 you can rent it for £3.50 on BFI player but you can also watch it on putlocker for free (issues there)

- remember at the BFI we had the marketing director of Jurassic World - that film was a success due to its excellent marketing including amazing website. He mentioned the Waterloo PR that had great coverage - expensive to set up (above the line) cheap to spread the word (below the line)

http://www.jcdecaux-oneworld.com/2015/06/welcome-to-jurassic-world-waterloo/





Revision booklets


Revision booklets

  • A contents page
  • Ten tasks
  • Case study notes - Learn about your big company and what they do  AND independent companies and what they do 
  •  Exemplar essays – ownership and media convergence (re-write using your own case studies)
  • Exam board requirements – seven areas - which bits don't you understand -research
  •  Mock exam
  • Terminology
  • Past papers
  • Comparison of both case studies (fill in chart with both) and add anything that was missing - make sure you've got reviews
  • This is a pack OCR produced for film industry it has some helpful charts you could fill in for revision http://gbhsasexam.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/film-industry-revision.html 
  • Keep checking www.launchingfilms.com and look at releases and distribution
  • Go through twitter feed for any interesting media news you can to add flavour to your essay


Final tasks/tips before the big day

- Please make sure you've taken the feedback on board, was it missing any areas? Did you over complicate the presentation of reports and mark schemes. Remember it's for everyone's revision.
- Make sure you've fed back on teachers' comments and asked about any area in particular you're still not sure about
- Mocks will be returned Friday 6th May - upload any gaps, comments and focus your areas of revision
- As a general observation, areas not covered enough are consumption/exchange, audiences (local, national, global) and independent films and companies
- Go through past A grade papers for ideas on how to structure and what to include
- give yourself timed essays to do

Students become the masters

Aim: 20-30 minute presentation tackling how to answer previous exam questions

We are going to cover all past papers and you are going to teach us how to answer the questions.

http://www.ocr.org.uk/i-want-to/download-past-papers/

Scroll down - subject Media and Communication/ Type AS/A level/Qualification Media

Choose the month and year you've been assigned and print off the mark scheme and the report for that series. So you should have an exam paper, a mark scheme and a report. Read through and highlight comments that will be useful to share.

Find ways of making your presentation interesting, think of any good ways your teacher has helped you in revision and understanding of exams in the past. Plan a useful and practical q and a perhaps, a memory task etc

At its most basic your presentation should include:
- question, report and overall pointers for students
- underlining the main points of the question, what is it really asking you for?
- a breakdown of how you would plan the question if it was given to you in the exam with a paragraph by paragraph suggestions
- time at the end for questions and discussion


Easter Revision Tips

TV Drama


  • Practise writing excellent what, where, why notes looking on youtube for G322 clips and applying it to representations. Excellent notes makes an easier essay to write.
FILM INDUSTRY - learn this 


Superman thanks Toby


Kinder and Play Dough



Past exam questions


JUNE 2015 - To what extent does media ownership have an impact on the successful distribution of media products in the media area you have studied?

Chelmsford Odeon

Thanks Max - Films coming up and new loyalty scheme all the films you want for £20. No Sausage Party in August though.


Task 9 Terminology

 (10 Marks out of 50 are awarded for use of terminology) 

Film Industry Terminology Quiz – a definition and an example from the movie industry please
1.       Mainstream film/ Mainstream cinema
2.       Independent film/ Independent cinema
3.       Production
4.       Distribution
5.       Marketing
6.       Exchange
7.       Multinational Conglomerate
8.       Monopoly
9.       Oligopoly
10.    Name the Big Six (bonus question % of box office takings?)
11.    Horizontal Integration
(also known as cross media ownership)
12.    Vertical Integration
13.    Synergy
14.    Merchandising
15.    Ultra Violet
16.    Above the Line
17.    Below the Line
18.    Technological Convergence/Cross media convergence
19.    Consumption
20.    Exhibition
21.    Piracy
22.    Hollywood Franchise 4S Model – synergy, spectacle, sequelisation, story

23.    Tie-In

Batman vs Superman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_v_Superman:_Dawn_of_Justice

Warner Bros $250 million budget hoping to make $110 million opening weekend.

Read release and marketing sections - interesting! Didn't want to clash with Captain America and also biggest film markets North America, China and Japan.




Tangerine $100,000 budget shot on two iphone 5S

How one of the best films at Sundance was shot using an iPhone 5S
(and a couple of lenses and an $8 app)
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/28/7925023/sundance-film-festival-2015-tangerine-iphone-5s




Overview and terminology lesson


EXAM

Ex Machina

The last low budget British film we'll look at is Ex Machina as it only cost USD 15 Million. We don't have to watch it but we'll learn about all the special effects it has to lead is into film technology.

https://www.fxguide.com/quicktakes/ex-machina-wins-oscar-for-visual-effects/

https://www.fxguide.com/featured/ex-machina-the-making-of-ava/




Mainstream vs Independent Cinema (notes from class)

Indie vs Mainstream 
·         Profit aim over narrative
·         Mainstream can better cast
·         Indie has limited marketing – basic trailer, poster, website
·         Mainstream more superficial storylines
·         Indie – deep, real life storylines
·         Audiences differ blockbusters are mainstream
·         Learning about, values and messages
·         Critically acclaimed

·         Political and social themes

Tasks


Task 1 Surveymonkey findings Due w/c 25th Jan

  • set up blog, read through the prezi - surveymonkey - links to home and twitter feeder @baddowmedia
  • task 2 on prezi intro to the film industry


  • Task 2 click on audience link on right Due 22nd Jan
    • Audience and Exhibition
    Task 3

    Blockbuster presentations - Jurassic World, Spectre, Star Wars, Avengers Age of Ultron

  • prepare presentations


  • Task 4
    Independent film research - follow the Ill Manors marketing presentation and try as find as much as you can on production, marketing, technologies and the industry as well. Make sure you also look at how the film was received and who the audience was and find the reviews in rotten tomatoes and imdb,com as well as UK press articles. http://gbhsasexam.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Independent%20Filmhttp://gbhsasexam.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Independent%20Film

    prepare a similar slideshare/emaze for one of the following:
    - Selfish Giant
    - My Brother the Devil
    - Wild Bill
    - 71
    - The Riot Club

    Task 5 
    Like the Fox Searchlight slideshare on the blog, please do the same for the following companies. What films have they made in the last five years? Audiences and genres. Be aware of what they do/produce and the budgets if you can find them.
    Film 4/Summit/Icon/Warp Films

    Task 6
    As well as HOME Manchester film listings have a look at this list.

    http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/cinemas/32887/51-brilliant-independent-cinemas-in-the-uk

    Choose ten cinemas (including five closest to Chelmsford) and have a look the listings.
    Consider the following and type it up -

    • What are the genres of the films?
    • Who would be the typical audience member?
    • How do they differ from a multiplex - Vue, Cineworld, Odeon etc how do they look, what do they sell, what makes it attractive? How do the prices differ.

    Also have a look at the Cramphorn theatre and the Chelmsford film club. What films, when are they on and how much.

    Latest marketing findings



    look what Clare found


    and Jordan


    and Molly


    and Mel at Subway






    Indie Film Case Studies

    Film Case Studies

    - Selfish Giant
    - My Brother the Devil
    - Wild Bill
    - 71

    - The Riot Club

    Film industry questions for your Indie film
    Labels for your blog
    1.Pre-production - How long did it take your film to get the red light. How long had it been someone's project etc
    2. UK release date?
    3. Institutions behind the film’s production and distribution?
    4. What’s the film’s production budget?
    5. Nationality of the film?
    6. What kind of production is it?
    7. Any connection with other films?
    8. Who’s the director?
    9. Any star names in the cast? What is the main cast?
    10. What’s the film about?
    11. Who will this film appeal to?

    Just for Selfish Giant  (label) upload adverts, promotions, trailers, newspaper and magazine reviews, exhibition and how long it was in the cinema for. Look at Curzon cinema too. Money made?

    • Create a label called Tracking and start tracking or backtracking if it's already been released your film’s promotion on twitter, facebook, newspaper reviews, fans, billboards, cardboard cutouts in cinema etc

    • Three examples on how the internet is being used to promote a movie release in the UK.
    Using the internet to promote a movie release in the UK

    EXAMPLE 1
    What is it? (e.g. newspaper article, a competition, an event, etc.)
    Competition to win a holiday to New Zealand - 7 night stay with activities e.g. film location tours, etc.
    What is the source?
    ODEON cinema
    Who is it attempting to reach?
    Specifically Hobbit fans - they are the ones who would enter
    More a campaign so they will buy tickets to see it at the Odeon rather than another cinema e.g. Vue or Cineworld
    In what way is it a valuable marketing opportunity?
    Encourages fans to see the film at the Odeon rather than anywhere else so the cinema makes money
    Gives the fans an opportunity to be involved with the film
    Of course dedicated Hobbit and LOTR fans would want to visit the location of Middle Earth
    They enter simply by booking tickets online - easy and accessible
    No extra costs for fans since all they have to pay for is a ticket, which they would do anyway

    EXAMPLE 2
    What is it? (e.g. newspaper article, a competition, an event, etc.)
    Article on the Hobbit's official blog - "Ed Sheeran on working with Peter Jackson"
    What is the source?
    The Hobbit's official blog - link is on the official website
    Is it an above the line or below the line example?
    Below the line
    Who is it attempting to reach?
    Hobbit fans (they see this via Hobbit blog), people who want to find out more about the film (blog/wesbite)
    Ed Sheeran fans
    Music fans in general (discussing the soundtrack)
    In what way is it a valuable marketing opportunity?
    Ed Sheeran has a big fanbase - they will be attracted to this as well as Hobbit fans and so will be more interested in seeing the film
    Synergy: website --> blog
    Non-linear
    Free

    EXAMPLE 3What is it? (e.g. newspaper article, a competition, an event, etc.)
    Feature article shown on The Hobbit's official blog
    What is the source?
    The Hobbit's official blog
    Article: Empire Magazine
    Is it an above the line or below the line example?
    On the blog: below the line
    Magazine: above the line
    Who is it attempting to reach?
    Hobbit fans - it is shown on the official blog, which fans would be most likely to see
    People interested in finding more about the film, looking on the blog
    Empire Magazine: FILM FANS
    In what way is it a valuable marketing opportunity?
    Empire Magazine targets film fans in general - The Hobbit on the cover makes it very noticeable - it is being shown as a big movie
    Synergy: Empire Magazine --> blog
    Hobbit fans who wouldn't necessarily buy film magazines like Empire are shown the article anyway, for free, instant and accessible