Over the next few weeks, we will be starting to look at manipulating light to create meaningful effects in your work. With that in mind, the following research task is in three parts:
Part 1:
Using YouTube / Vimeo / Any other online sources, look for tutorials on:
i) The Exposure Triad/Triangle.
ii) Lighting Techniques, including:
Studio Lighting
Natural Lighting
Lighting with a single portable light source (LED light panel or Ledzilla).
Part 2:
When you find one that you find interesting, post the link in the comments section below and include:
i) A quick summary of the content.
ii) A review of why you found it interesting or informative.
NB: Ideally, you should look for a tutorial that you would like to try out yourself.
Part 3:
Look through at least three tutorials posted by other people and leave a comment on their review.
DEADLINE: THIS IS AN ONGOING TASK, ANY TIME YOU FIND A TUTORIAL ABOUT LIGHTING, ADD A LINK BELOW.
You will be working in threes on the following task:
You work for an independent marketing firm. You have been approached by a foreign pharmaceutical company (NTL) which is looking to launch a new fragrance for their home market. They have tasked you with identifying a leading product and brand in the EU because they are looking to replicate their marketing campaign. There are three phases to the brief:
Phase one: Choose a product and advert you wish to replicate. You will need to present this to your client and using media language to clearly identify the codes and conventions of the advert.
NB: Try to use terminology that demonstrates your knowledge of theory.
e.g. Sign, Signifier, Signified, Myth, Ideology, Connotation, Denotation
Phase two: Recreate the main image from the print advert as accurately as possible. You must use your photography skills to try and 'carbon copy' the image.
Phase three: Using Photoshop, recreate a full print advert of the original advert and, using the same codes and conventions, ONE new advert for your new fragrance.
Phase four: Present your final pieces to the board, explaining the process you went through and how you have applied the AIDA principles to your final design.
Over the next two weeks, you will be working in groups of 2 or 3 to produce a presentation about Snow White.
You will be assigned one of the questions below and you will research the topic, prepare a resource for the class, write the essay and present them all to the class. In all cases, you will need to refer closely to the original 1938 version of Snow White in your answer.
QUESTIONS:
If possible, reference the theorists from Media Ownership (Industries) and/or Audiences. As a reminder this would be:
Curran and Seaton, Livingstone and Lunt, Hesmondhalgh (industries)
1. Discuss differences in production, distribution and promotion between Snow White 1937 and Shang-Chi 2021. What do these differences tell us about the way media audiences have changed?
2. How has the marketing and promotion of films changed over the years? Refer to both Snow White 1937 and Shang-Chi 2021 in your answer.
3. How do film companies use social media and online platforms to promote, distribute and show (exhibit) their films?
4. Show how the film industry ensures that mainstream films reach the widest possible audiences.
5. How are changing attitudes to race and gender reflected in the two films you have studied. Use clear examples from both Snow White and Shang-Chi in your answer.
6. How has the Disney corporation evolved since their early success with Snow White in 1937 to its recent acquisition of other brands such as Marvel?
.
AS YOU PREPARE, REMEMBER: Your presentations / essays need to contain thoughtful and thorough analysis of the question. You need to use specific and detailed information (keep a record of all research). If you learn a new piece of terminology, you will need a slide to explain the meaning.
NB: YOU HAVE TWO WEEKS TO PREPARE. YOU WILL BE PRESENTING IN THE LAST WEEKS OF TERM.
You work for an independent media production company. You have been given the task of creating a mockup version of the front cover of a new newspaper called Guardian Youth. This paper will be aimed at 16 to 25 year olds, who share similar social and political biases to the current readership of The Guardian newspaper.
STEP ONE
Find (AT LEAST) six front covers of The Guardian from 2024.
Use the link to navigate to different dates by changing the 03 (Month) or the 7 (Day).
STEP TWO
Create a PowerPoint in which you present an analysis of the conventions of the cover of the newspaper.
You should include analysis of:
The Masthead.
The use of images (Think about what is in the image and the intended effect)
Captions (Text that is beneath or inlaid into the image)
The Header and Footer
The layout of the page.
The content of lead article (splash)
The content of the off lead (secondary article)
The language used in headlines (is it sensationalist/subtle)
Pull Quotes
Teasers
PLUS - Anything else that you notice.
In addition, consider:
The ideological messaging.
STEP THREE
Once you have a clear sense of the conventions of The Guardian, create a cover that develops and adapts these conventions to appeal to your target audience.
NB: Your finished product should be recognisable as a Guardian product, but should clearly appeal to the new target audience.
STEP FOUR
Add your production to your PowerPoint and evaluate how you developed and adapted the conventions of The Guardian. Post the task to your Practice Tasks section of your blog using the title: PRACTIC BRIEF TWO: CODES AND CONVENTIONS RESEARCH + USING FOUND IMAGES
NB: This is a mockup task, so you may use found images.
The purpose of this brief is to get you to think carefully about lighting and focus and to work out what is possible with the equipment you have available.
STEP ONE
Search online for THREE examples of EACH of the following:
High Key Lighting
Over Exposed Lighting
Low Key Lighting
Shallow Focus
Deep Focus
Monochrome
Back lighting
Chiaroscuro
STEP TWO
Using your phone (or any other camera if you have one) replicate ONE of each type. The main challenge here is to try and replicate the image as accurately as possible.
STEP THREE
Create a post in the Practice Briefs section of your blog called PRACTICE BRIEF ONE: PHOTOGRAPHY 101. Display your inspiration and your own work in a way that makes it clear what you are presenting (I won't give you any more instructions than that).
Hello everyone and welcome to Media Studies at CCVI. This first task can be a little bit fiddly and I can virtually guarantee that some of you will have a problem with blogger, but we'll go ahead steadily and have it up and running as soon as possible.
So, you're about to set up your blog. Follow the steps below as best you can. I'll be there to help if you get stuck. It's boring but have patience...
Step 1: Create a gmail account. NB: Make your password and email easy to remember
Step 2: Go to Blogger.com
Step 3: Create an account using the following format:
Blog Address - Surname First Name CHS mediablog
Account Name - First Name Surname Media Studies Blog
Step 4: Choose THEME from the left hand menu and look for Awesome Inc.
Step 5: On the left, click on layout, find side bar right 1, add a gadget, labels.
Step 6: (This might take a while) Create a series of labelled posts so that your labels read:
01 Coursework Brief
02 Statement of Intent
03 Research - Production
04 Research - Website
05 Planning - Production
06 Planning - Website
07 Completed - Production
08 Completed - Website
Essays
Practice Briefs
Step 7: When you have finished, post you address in the comments section of this post.
