STATEMENT OF INTENT: PART ONE

START BY COPYING AND PASTING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS INTO YOUR SOI SECTION:

How do you intend to use the four areas of the media theoretical framework to communicate meaning and meet the requirements of your chosen brief? ( approx. 400 words) 

Production

Website

How do you intend to link your media products to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the digitally convergent nature of your media production? (approx. 100 words)

NEXT, TAKE YOUR LIST OF CODES AND CONVENTIONS FOR YOUR PRODUCTION AND WEBSITE AND POST IT INTO THE RELEVANT SECTION:

How do you intend to use the four areas of the media theoretical framework to communicate meaning and meet the requirements of your chosen brief? ( approx. 400 words) 

Production

List of CODES AND CONVENTIONS for your MAGAZINE, MUSIC VIDEO or TV SHOW.

Website

List of CODES AND CONVENTIONS for your WEBSITE. 

NEXT, BESIDE EACH ELEMENT OF YOUR LIST, DECIDE WHICH ONES YOUR ARE GOING TO USE AND WHICH ONES YOU ARE GOING TO CHALLENGE. SIMPLY WRITE USE OR CHALLENGE.

• Artists on magazine covers use direct mode of address. USE
• Music Videos feature close ups of the artist lip-syncing to the song. CHALLENGE

NB: YOU DO NOT NEED TO CHALLENGE ANY CONVENTIONS

FINALLY, MAKE A LIST OF WAYS YOU INTENT TO USE CONVERGENCE...

HOUSEKEEPING: SMALL CHANGES TO FORMAT

The first task for this week is going to be a change to the format of your blog. It will be a little laborious, but not difficult. You will need to change the labels on your blogposts so that they create the following format:

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

Practice Tasks

BELOW IS A BREIF EXPLANATION OF WHAT YOU SHOULD INCLUDE IN EACH SECTION

01 Coursework Brief

Copy and paste the brief from the exam board into this section. You don't NEED to do anything else, but it could be useful to highlight key elements and/or add in notes on anything that will serve to remind you of important elements.

02 Statement of Intent

Based on your research into existing media, you will write about your intentions for your production and website. You will need to address the following questions.

How do you intend to use the four areas of the media theoretical framework to communicate meaning and meet the requirements of your chosen brief? ( approx. 400 words) 

How do you intend to link your media products to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the digitally convergent nature of your media production? (approx. 100 words)

03 Research - Production

This should contain a post called INSPIRATION, which contains links or images of anything you found inspirational during your research into existing magazines, music videos or TV programmes. 

It should contain a second post called CODES AND CONVENTIONS, which starts with a bullet pointed list of the codes and conventions you have discovered, followed by an illustration of those conventions (Possibly in the form of a PowerPoint presentation).

NB: This should also include anything you have noticed that encourages convergence.

It COULD contain a third post called AUDIENCE RESEARCH, which you will need to include if you intend to challenge the codes and conventions of existing media. You will need to show that your choice to challenge existing media is based on consulting with your target audience.

04 Research - Website

This should contain a post called INSPIRATION, which contains links or images of anything you found inspirational during your research into existing websites.

It should contain a second post called CODES AND CONVENTIONS which starts with a bullet pointed list of the codes and conventions you have discovered, followed by an illustration of those conventions (Possibly in the form of a PowerPoint presentation).

It COULD contain a third post called AUDIENCE RESEARCH which you will need to include if you intend to challenge the codes and conventions of existing media. You will need to show that your choice to challenge existing media is based on consulting with your target audience.

05 Planning - Production

MAGAZINE: This MUST contain a post called MOCK UPS, which contains a mock up version of your magazines. You MAY use found images or AI generated images, but you SHOULD think very carefully about how you will create the real version of each image.

MUSIC VIDEO: This MUST contain a post called SHOOTING SCRIPT or STORYBOARD (You can include both). You MAY use found images or AI to helps create your storyboard, or perhaps a version of the final video using stills. You SHOULD think very carefully about how you will create the real shots.

TV PROGRAMME: This MUST contain a post called SHOOTING SCRIPT or STORYBOARD (You can include both). You MAY use found images or AI to helps create your storyboard, or perhaps a version of the final video using stills. You SHOULD think very carefully about how you will create the real shots.

If you do any research into locations, actors/models, technical tutorials (e.g. how to use photoshop, how to use the camera etc.) it should have a separate post in this section.

06 Planning - Website

This MUST contain a post called MOCK UPS, which contains a mock up version of your website. You MAY use found images or AI generated images, but you SHOULD think very carefully about how you will create the real version of each image. You will need to post screen captures of your mock up website. 

07 Completed - Production

This section MUST be only one post, which should contain a clearly labelled version of your completed Magazine, Music Video or T.V. Show, or a link taking you to them. 

08 Completed - Website

This section MUST contain only one post, formatted in the following way:

WEBSITE HOMEPAGE: Link to your homepage

HYPERLINKED PAGE: Link to your hyperlinked page.

AUDIO-VISUAL ELEMENT: Very clear description of your audio-visual element and exactly where to find it on your website.

NAVIGATION: Very clear explanation of how to navigate from your homepage to your hyperlinked page.

Practice Tasks

Any content that is not directly related to your coursework.

 

COURSEWORK TASK 3: Planning Production - Planning Website

Just like Task 2, this task is also an ongoing task that will take you several weeks. 

NB: This is not a cosmetic task. The more carefully you plan the better your production will be.

1: In the Planning Production section your will need:

EITHER

AUDIO VISUAL: For those of you who have chosen an audio-visual task (music video or TV show), you will need:

ia) A storyboard or shooting script. There are no rules for the correct way to do this, but it is useful to imagine creating something that would allow someone else to make your T.V. show or music video. You should name this/these post/s STORYBOARD or SHOOTING SCRIPT.

ib) As an option, you could create a MOCK UP version of your video using stills in place of the shots you intend to use for your completed version. If you create a MOCK UP version, you should create a post called MOCK UP. 

ii) Create a post called TUTORIALS in which you post links to any tutorials that you access while planning your production.

iii) Create a post called TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS in which you post any evidence of experiments. 

OR

PRINT: For those of you who have chosen a print task (music magazine), you will need:

ia) A MOCK UP version of your magazine using found images or AI generated images in place of the shots you intend to use for your completed version.  You should create a post called MOCK UPS. 

ii) Create a post called TUTORIALS in which you post links to any tutorials that you access while planning your production.

iii) Create a post called TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS in which you post any evidence of experiments. 

AND

2: In the Planning Website section you will need:

i) A link to a a MOCK UP version of your website using found images or AI generated images in place of the shots you intend to use for your completed version.  You should create a post called MOCK UP for this. In addition to a link to the MOCK UP version of your website you should make screen captures before you make any major changes in order to keep a record of your progress.

ii) Create a post called TUTORIALS in which you post links to any tutorials that you access while planning your website.

iii) Create a post called TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS in which you post any evidence of experiments. 

COURSEWORK TASK 2: C & C Production - C & C Website

This task is an ongoing task that may take you several weeks. There will be updates.

C & C Production and Website. (C and C stands for Codes and Conventions)

1. In each section you need a post entitled INSPIRATION. Find as many examples in your chosen genre as you can and post them to this section of your C and C research label. In each case, write a brief explanation of what you like about the example you have found. 

2. In each section you will need a post entitled CODES AND CONVENTIONS. if you notice things that happen regularly, makes a note of it as a convention in that post. Post an example that exemplifies that convention. This list should grow and grow. 

Below are some questions that may help you to think about the codes and conventions.

1: How do the producers use mise en scene to construct representations?

Mise en Scene = Set, Location, Costume, Makeup, Hair, Proxemics, Casting

2: How does the messaging around representation appeal to the target audience?

3: How have the producers used direct mode of address?

4: What features encourage the audience to interact with the content?

5: What have you noticed about the way that the producers use space? Consider:

Lines, symmetry, shapes, alignment of text, size and font (typography).

6: What have you noticed about the variety of different shot types?

7: What have you noticed about the relationship between dynamics in music and pace of editing?

8: What have you noticed about the relationship between the phrasing of the music and the timing of cuts?

NB: If you are filling in the Website section, take a screenshot of the website because it is likely to change.

COURSEWORK TASK 1: Brief

This is a very easy task. Post your chosen brief into the 01 Brief section of your blog. 

There is no specific mark for annotating the brief, but you may find it helpful.

Brief 3. Digital Convergence

 The brief:

You work for the media production wing of an independent marketing and promotional company. You have been hired to create promotional material for a an up and coming music artist. You have been tasked with producing the last minute of a music video and the homepage of the artist's official website.

Your music video extract can be narrative, performance or a combination of the two and must use all original footage. The genre is free to choose, but you must target an audience that includes 16 to 25 year olds. Your video can be produced as part of a group.

Your website can use found or original images included AI generate content, in any combination and will not be graded on the quality of your own photography, but rather on the selection of images and content, as well as aspects of layout, design, typography, language etc. Your homepage must be produced individually, but you can support each other by sharing found or original images.

SUBMISSION FOR ASSESSMENT

We will be assessing all of your work live, which means that we will watch everyone's videos and go through everyone's websites. This will allow us to get to grips with the assessment criteria that is used for marking Media Studies coursework.

Below are the briefs for completion in 2024. The mark scheme starts on page 9.

H409/03/04 Making media Non-Examination Assessment (NEA) Briefs June 2024 (ocr.org.uk)

You will not need to present your work, but it will be nice if you can make a comment or two about your intentions and about any problems you needed to overcome or any things you would have done differently. 

To make things easier to mark, one of your group will need to post a link to the video in the comments section below and the rest of the group will need to reply to that comment with a link to their website.

NB: It will probably be easier for you to host the video on WIX.

A NOTE ON DIGITAL CONVERGENCE

Over the next few weeks we will discuss digital convergence, but a good starting point is economic context. Both the homepage and the music video are part of the promotion and marketing of an artist. There needs to be a sense of cohesions between the identity of the artist presented in both pieces. This doesn't mean that the artist needs to appear in both. Thing about the way that David Guetta is promoted in Titanium even though he doesn't feature.

A NOTE ON RESEARCH

You do not need to present your research into existing content, but you will need to post links to the music videos that you have watched as research and to the websites of artists that you have looked at for research. You should post links to a minimum of ten of each, but you can include many more than that.

DEADLINE: February 29th 2024

Brief 02: Working Website

The brief:

You work for an independent media production company that have just been purchased by a news conglomerate. You specialise in webpage design and have been tasked with producing the homepage for a new newspaper aimed at a target audience of 16 to 25 years olds, with diverse interests including: celebrity, sports, lifestyle, the arts and politics.  

Your homepage must contain at least 5 original images and a short audio-visual piece (no more than 30 seconds, no less than 10 seconds). In addition, you should include representations of at least two different social groups. All posts must be displayed appropriately on your blog.

Your response to this brief must include:

1)  A PowerPoint presentation that shows your investigation into the Codes and Conventions of the following newspaper websites:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/

https://inews.co.uk/

NB: You may also investigate others.

2)  An evaluation of the relative effectiveness of these websites at targeting your target audience and a justification of your choices regarding your selection of codes and conventions:

   >>> Will you use, develop or challenge existing codes and conventions?

3)  The homepage for the website using wix.com or other suitable site.

NB: ALL your posts should be labelled to appear in your 12 Practice Tasks section and should be titled in the following way:

a) Brief 02. Investigation into Codes and Conventions of websites.

This post should contain an embedded PowerPoint of your research into existing media. Keep the written element to a minimum without losing any clarity of meaning.

b) Brief 02. Evaluation of websites.

This post should contain your evaluation of the codes and conventions and your justification for your choices regarding using or challenging existing media. It should be in the form of two paragraphs of prose.

Paragraph 1: The conventions you have chosen to use and the reasons why you think this will appeal to your target audience.

e.g. My research showed that newspaper homepages use labelled tabs to allow readers to navigate to their preferred substantial info hub. I will use this convention, including celebrity, sports, lifestyle, the arts and politics, as stipulated in the brief.

Paragraph 2: The conventions you have chosen to break and the reasons why you think this will appeal to your target audience.

e.g. My research showed that newspaper homepages feature lead stories at the very top of the page, with large images and embedded video to capture the attention of the reader. Many teenagers consumer their news via youtube and other online sources, so I will arrange my website to resemble something like a youtube page, with a scrollable feed of main stories down one side, and a smaller scrollable set of links down the other side. I feel this will do a better of job of appealing to my target audience.

 c) Brief 02. Newspaper Website

This post should contain the link to your website plus an explanation of how to find your audio-visual piece. It should also contain evidence of your five or more original images, by displaying the five or more images before they were edited.

NB: In the first two weeks of my absence you should concentrate on completing a substantial amount of work on this piece. Once I am back online, we will have one period per week where I troubleshoot any issues with practical work and two periods a week where we go through theories of Media Representation. 

FINAL INSTRUCTION: If you run up against any issues with using wix.com, find a tutorial online to help you. If you do that, please email this tutorial to both media groups and also post the link into the comments section of this post.

Brief 01: Newspaper Conventions

This first brief is a research and production task aimed at giving you the opportunity to develop research and production skills needed within the production of print media.

Task 1:

Create a PowerPoint in which you present your research into the generic conventions of broadsheet newspaper covers.

Task 2:

Create a PowerPoint in which you present your research into the generic conventions of tabloid newspaper covers.

Task 3: 

Based on your research, produce one broadsheet newspaper front cover and one tabloid newspaper cover.

Both covers should contain at least one original image.

Submitting Work:

You will need two separate posts for submission of work, both to be submitted under the 12 Practice Tasks Label.

The first post will be titled  Brief 01. Broadsheet Covers

This should contain an embedded PowerPoint of your research into broadsheet covers.

It should also contain a copy of your broadsheet cover in the format .jpg or .png

The second post will be titled Brief 01. Tabloid Covers

This should contain an embedded PowerPoint of your research into tabloid covers.

It should also contain a copy of your tabloid cover in the format .jpg or .png

INCOMPLETE WORK

Remember, at this stage of the course, the most important thing is to learn how to use photoshop and to troubleshoot issues with technology. If you have were not able to complete any of the tasks, please include a brief explanation. 

For example, if you completed your Broadsheet section, but not your tabloid, you might write:

• It took me much longer to complete the Broadsheet cover than I expected. I need to give more homework time to production tasks.
• It took me a long time to get used to photoshop. I think that I will be much quicker next time.
• I had a real battle with the technology. For several lessons I couldn't get connected to photoshop. 

Please be honest with your assessment. It will help me to troubleshoot any problems with technology and (hopefully) to resolve them before your begin work on your coursework. It may also help you to reflect on your own approach and to correct anything you might have done wrong this time. 

CREATE YOUR BLOG

1: Create a gmail account. NB: Make your password and email easy to remember

2: Go to Blogger.com 

3: Create an account using the following format:
Blog Address - Surname First Name CHS mediablog
Account Name - First Name Surname Media Studies Blog

4: Choose a format similar to the example blog below - I think it is called Simple
Joanna Attwell Media Studies Blog (attwelljoannachsmediablog.blogspot.com)

5: On the left, click on layout, find side bar right 1, add a gadget, labels.

6: Create a series of labelled posts so that your blog matches the example blog. 

7: When you have finished, post you address in the comments section of this post.