The Scarlatti Tilt-

This is the story we used in lesson to examine some theories of audience.

"It's very hard to live in a studio apartment in San Jose with a man who's learning to play the violin." That's what she told the police when she handed them the empty revolver.

Below is a variation of the 'riddle' we used.

A man and his son are driving in a car one day, when they get into a fatal accident. The man is killed instantly. The boy is knocked unconscious, but he is still alive. He is rushed to hospital, and will need immediate surgery. The doctor enters the emergency room, looks at the boy, and says..."I can't operate on this boy, he is my son." So, the question is, how is this possible?

Click on the title 'The Scarlatti Tilt' for a link to a booklet about Audience.

LIAR

LANGUAGE
INSTITUTION
AUDIENCE
REPRESENTATION.

These are 4 of the key concepts in Media studies. You will have noticed that each lesson so far has had a focus on one or more of these concepts.

Click on the title 'LIAR' for a link to 'Mediaknowall'. It has some good defintions and discussions of these concepts.


DW

Magazines-Coursework

The first piece of coursework you will be involved in is to research/plan and produce a magazine front page and a double page spread.

Remember LIAR when preparing this.
In the case of magazines the Institutions are the publishers (links available on this blog)and possibly some famous Titles.

A good publisher to start with is Natmags

Click on the title 'Magazines-Coursework'to read an article about the current state of the magazine Industry.

DW

Welcome, Welcome back and Goodbye.

Here we are once again. Welcome back to those continuing into A2 and Good bye to those who have left yr 13.

If you were in the A2 class of 2007 (well done on the fantasic results) please get in touch via the blog and let us know what you are doing now. We love you all but we are particulary interested in those of you undertaking media related work/study. We will add you to our 'Where are they now section'. You are of course always welcome to leave comments about the work we discuss on the blog. Will this years music videos be even better than yours?

To those joining us in year 12 you are now members of the Blog.Be afraid Be very afraid!

To those in year 13- check out your new blog by clicking on the title 'Welcome, Welcome back and Goodbye'. This will focus on Music vids/Critical research/Media issues.

More to come.

Happy Holiday!

Have a great holiday, come back to us safe and ready to start Year 13 properly! Make sure you continue your research ready for tutorials otherwise I will have to do the angry face! Remember, we will be watching for your updates!

Ms Ward & Mr White

Critical Research Tutorials

We will start tutorials as soon as we return in September. You will each be given a 10 minute slot to discuss the progress of your research. You must bring your production log with you, this is a hand written log of all your research methods, with the date you found them and commentary on their appropriateness within your field of study. Also, make sure your research is evaluated and in order, anyone not prepared will find it very difficult to keep up in the new term.

You should all now have a range of primary methods completed e.g surveys, interviews, textual analysis and vox pops. You should also be collating several secondary sources, do not rely wholly on the internet! Use articles, journals and academic texts to support your study, if you only use the internet you will struggle to reach the higher grades. Anyone wishing to hold focus groups must do so within the first two weeks of term!

We will book your tutorials during the first media lesson back.

Read the related link before you continue your research!

Critical research

Just a quick post to remind you that each post on this blog has a 'label' at the bottom of the post. This makes it easy for you to find only those posts that are relevant to you at this moment.

So if you click on the label (critical research) at the bottom of this post then you will be presented with only those posts that have that label. Clever innit.

P.s New critical research link will appear over the next few days in the critical links section.

DW
(If for some reason my wonderful instructions above confuse you,simply click on the title 'Critical research' to see what you should find.)

Lazy Hazy days of Summer?

The following is an extract from the letter that will be sent to the parents of year 13 media students.

"...in order for all students to be well prepared, research must be carried out during the summer break. This allows the department to allocate individual progress tutorials on their return in September and to monitor each student through the Media Studies blogspot.It is essential that all students carry out their research over the holidays so they do not encounter difficulties with workload and deadlines in the new term."

(Click on the title 'Lazy Hazy days of Summer?' to see some possible titles(from 2005)...BUT MAKE SURE THE TOPIC STILL EXISTS)

DW

Deadline Looming.

All final hypotheses due in Friday July 6th.

(Click on the title 'Deadlines Looming' to see how a good a regularly updated blog can be.)

DW

Lesson blog.

I am now keeping a record of the A2 lessons on a seperate blog. This will keep you updated if you miss lessons and it will include info about homestudy,deadlines,coursework.

Click on the title 'Lesson blog' for dwhitelessons blog (catchy title)

DW

Big Decision.

As we have said in lessons both the 2734 unit topic and question need careful consideration in these early stages. You can use your bLoG to show the process you are going through in deciding the topic area and the specific title or area of research.

The previous post had a link to the exam paper. Please note that the questions remain the same for Jan 2008. Would you be able to answer these questions in relation to the topic you have decided to study?

Please click on the title 'Big Decision' for a link to the exam board description of 2734. (The info you need is on pages 48-52.)

DW

Student Blogs

We have started the A2 Critical research work. This year all those taking the exam are required to set up and maintain a blog. The blogs start today and will be updated over the next 7 months (Exam in JAN 2008).

You will find links to these blogs on the right hand side of the page.

I would remind those undertaking the critical research to spend at least two weeks deciding on the area and title. The Misbourne media has helpful material.

(Click on the title 'Student Blogs' for a link to the question paper from JAN 2007 for 2734 CRITICAL RESEARCH.)

DW
p.s Click on the label Critical research (just under this post) to view all posts about this topic.

yr 12 lessons/Monday 18th-Wed 20th

Sorry I can not be with you for lessons this week. I do want you to get on with the following while I am away. It will be crucial to the Critical research unit.
As part of your research you will have to set up and run your own blog with a link to our main media blog.

I do not expect you to get them set up yet but I do want you begin by making yourself familiar with the unit and with the kind of blog you will be doing. You will find yourself whisked to Misbourne media blog. Read it,make notes,follow links and more importantly check out the student blogs. These are what you will be doing!

So click on the title 'yr 12 lessons/Monday 18th-Wed 20th' for a link to info on both.

P.S The text books have some v useful extra information for you.

DW

Language query-yr 13 mags

This post is in response to the following query..." writing in first person? What do you recommend as it is not permitted in English?"

I would refer you back to the guidance from the exam board given to examiners, "No specific marks are allocated to quality of written communication, but it should be sufficient at all levels to make meaning clear. It is possible, at the lower levels, that significant errors in detail and structure may impede or obscure meaning, and thus indirectly penalise responses. At higher
levels, information and ideas will be expressed accurately, concisely and fluently, although errors may still occur."

Hope this helps.


(Click on the title 'Language query-yr 13 mags' for a link to the mark scheme for January 2007.)

Good Luck

DW

K Y A (yr 13 Mags)

Know Your Acronyms.

This post is in response to a query about using Acronyms.

The question was "what does ipc stand for? And do we have to write out the full name of companies and organisations before the acronyms in the exam. e.g. audit bureau of circulations (ABC)."
1)IPC stands for International Publishing Corporation...and it is The UK's leading consumer magazine publisher.
2)You do not need to write out the full name of companies and organisations before the acronyms in the exam. It is more important to show that you know what you are writing about. Remember you need an overview of the industry so you are expected to use media language accurately.
(know your Emap from your ABC)

Hope this helps.

(Click on the title 'K Y A (yr 13 Mags)' for more IPC info.)

I could do that!

The annual 'film/education' Film Critic competition had just been launched and the deadline is September 21st 2007.

Click on the title for a link to Canon Palmer's film blog and read the post, dated JUNE 13TH.

DW

The Concept of Genre in Film -yr13 Media debates

At this stage you should have a good working knowledge of your chosen Genre. Presuming you have pages and pages of notes I would suggest that you now look at simple definitions of your chosen genre.Believe it or not these will help you test yourself. You should be able to expand on what you read by using information already in your head. Try using sites such as film site.org. I have now posted Genre links for you (opposite the smiley face!).

In the meantime click on the title 'The Concept of Genre in Film -yr13 Media debates' for a link to filmsite and watch the clip below...if you feel brave enough!



DW

Consumer magazines online-Yr 13 Media debates

Back to the BrandRepublic site for this latest discussion on the future for consumer magazines.There was a previous post about this useful site ...dated Monday, 21 May 2007.

A simple search of the BrandRepublic site using the term "magazine industry" provided me with a range of interesting articles.

Now you don't even have to type the phrase in! Just click on the title ' Consumer magazines online-Yr 13 Media debates' for a direct link to the search I completed.

You will need to register...but then again you should already have done so on Monday, 21 May 2007. :)

DW

(P.S) Anyone need Genre links/help?)

Well Done Yr 12

We very were impressed with how busy you all were in the exam. We are sure all your preparation and hard work will pay off.

See you all on the 18th.

(Eager for a sneek preview of what we will do next? Just click on the title 'Well Done Yr 12'.)

DW/KW

JUNE 7TH -YR 12 EXAM

Action/Adventure
Remember that the key factor is that the sequence should always be a setpiece with action, enabling analysis of the five key elements of camerawork, editing, mise-en-scene, special effects and sound.

NMT
You need to have a good up-to-date working knowledge of the key issues involved in new media technologies. You need to be able to refer to actual examples to support your points.

(Click on the title 'JUNE 7TH -YR 12 EXAM' for an excellent site.)

Good Luck

DW

Is the party over for Men's Monthlies?yR 13 MAGS

"Ten years ago, men's monthlies were making fortunes for publishers on both sides of the Atlantic. And FHM editor Ed Needham was at the heart of it. But, he says, the internet and trashy weeklies have destroyed all that: the party's over, and it's time to move on."

Ed Needham moved back to London last year after spending seven years in New York editing FHM, Rolling Stone and - most recently - Maxim, the most popular men's magazine in the world

(Read the rest of this very interesting and timely (for the exam) article from the Guardian ( June 4th ) by clicking on the title 'Is the party over for Men's Monthlies?')

DW

iWant it! (yr 12 nmt)

Apple has confirmed that its much-anticipated iPhone product will launch on 29th June in the US.
View a demonstration courtesy of Apple Inc's Phil Schiller coutesy of CBS.


(Find out more by clicking on the title 'iWant it! (yr 12 nmt)')

DW

The Magazine Industry-Yr 13

As you all know this element of the Media issues and Debates paper was previously known as 'Magazines and Gender'.
There are some good resources out there using the old title but they are still very useful in your study and understanding of the Magazine Industry so don't just dismiss them because the title sounds wrong.

Mediaed.org has a particularly good piece that looks at Gender and advertising in the magazine industry. Have a read of it by clicking on the title 'The magazine industry-Yr 13' . Remember it may have dated slightly so you need to see how the findings of the article fit in with your case study.

(DISMEMBERMENT..."Women are often presented in a dehumanized way in mass media images, their humanity sacrificed to display the artificial ideal...see the 'legs' advert...and click on the link to adverts/gender in the 'Magazine Industry' link section for more.)

DW

Textual analysis-Year 12

The post dated 28th March is well worth revisiting, as is the action film blog from Longroad media. (Click on the title 'Textual analysis-Year 12' to be swished directly there.)

Below we have the Government Lobby scene from the Matrix alongside The 'making of' the Government lobby scene (Via longroad). Use them for practice.



Tip: do a textual analysis with the sound down.
do a textual analysis while playing a different soundtrack.

DW

NMT-yr 12

As has been said in lessons the best way to revise/prepare for the first part of the NMT paper is to familiarise yourself with the kind of articles chosen by the examiner.

I would recommend you go to the BBC news technology website (just click on the title 'NMT-yr 12'.)Remember there are other very useful NMT links on this blog.

TIP:Use these articles to add to your glossary.



DW

MAGS v's the NET (YR 13)

The Brandrepublic site is proving very useful and a number of you have already told me about some excellent articles specific to your case study.

This post contains a link to an article which challenges the new orthodoxy that the internet is replacing magazines as a way of reaching specific audiences. (Just click on the title 'MAGS v's the WEB (YR 13) )

dw

Making good use of the blog.(yr13)

I know you are all checking back regulary for updates but I thought it best to remind you that you should not just wait for updates.To get the best from the blog you should make use of all the other features listed on the whole blog.
There are a number of specific links that should be used regularly. They can be found by scrolling down and they are usually listed with a relevant title.

Here's an excellent overview of the magazine industry over the last 12 months.Exactly the kind of useful exam prep info needed. I found it by using one of the links mentioned above. Just click on the title 'Making good use of the blog' for the article. It is from BrandRepublic a useful media site (you may need to register...but it is free.)

DW

Emap (yr 13 media issues and debates)

"Emap will unveil Heatworld.com, a state-of-the art website based on its award-winning magazine, this week. It is exactly the sort of innovation that might have saved chief executive Tom Moloney from the axe had it been unveiled a year or so ago..."

(Read more from the Observer article by clicking on the title 'Emap (yr 13 media issues and debates)'.)

DW

Young women dominate UK net scene (YR12 nmt)

An interesting article with a particular focus on user and audience.
"Young women are now the most dominant group online in the UK, according to new research from net measurement firm Nielsen/NetRatings..."

(Click the title 'Young women dominate UK net scene (YR12 nmt)'.)



DW

Joost in time(Any Time)

PC or TV.
"Imagine a world where anyone could watch any show free of charge at a time of their choosing. That could bankrupt the industry overnight, and it is a scenario that is drawing ever closer.."

Read more from this Observer article by clicking on the title 'Joost in time(Any Time)'.

DW

More about Magazines-yr13

The concept of audience is vital to any understanding of the media, and the magazine industry is no different in this respect. In fact it is often more focused than the other media in the way it defines its audience. It is possible to show this by referring to the way many magazines construct their ‘core buyer’ , a fairly comprehensive profile of the typical reader that the magazine is addressing...

Read more by clicking on the title 'More about Magazines'.

Ask the experts-YR12 NMT

Tamara yr 12 has recommended the following article for those preparing for NMT paper. It features questions and answers about digital music from some of the top executives in the music industry.

Just click on the title 'Ask the experts-YR12 NMT'.

You blog don't you?

Now that you are regulary checking in to this blog I think it might be time for you widen your blogging experience.
As with all web based activities there is a wide gap between the best and worst blogs out there.
The University of Warwick’s blogging system is one that I can highly recommend. Michael Walford from the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Warwick has a blog that is of particular use to year 12 and 13 Media students. Click the title 'You blog don't you' for more.

DW

How Print Can Add Value Online .

Will the rise in online webzines and ezines result in a further decline in magazine sales figures?

According to Ari Rosenberg at MediaPost Productions "Print brands have greater credibility than online-only brands... 'If it's in print, it must be true' Additionally, magazines are vertical beings. They cater to a specific topic and attempt to own it. Entrepreneur owns the entrepreneur, Vogue owns fashion, and Rolling Stone owns music, for example.

(Read more by clicking on the title 'How Print Can Add Value Online'.)

DW

Yr 12-NMT

The previous post (TOP TIP) can be applied to any topic you are studying. For example I typed 'downloads' into the Observer search engine and came across a very interesting article about NMT/music and the Artic Monkeys.

(As usual you can read the article by clicking on the title 'Yr 12-NMT'.)

DW

A reminder-Yr 13 Magazines

TOP TIP
The issues and debates paper requires you to keep yourself updated with relevant and topical information.
A quick way to do this is to type in a relevant title i.e 'Magazine Industry' or 'Lifestyle magazines' into the search engine of a 'quality newspaper (links provided on the blog). Then look at the most recent stories first. You will pick up useful info.

I followed this TOP TIP on Times online and got...
"Lads' mags, already suffering from a fall in circulation as readers turn to the internet, have been dealt another blow as average sales figures for the half year to December indicate that the malaise has firmly spread to the weekly titles. Over the past few years the circulation of monthly men's lifestyle magazines such as FHM and Loaded have declined in the face of competition from the internet and the emergence of weeklies such as Zoo and Nuts..."(read more by clicking comments below)

'Boldly going...'

"2007 is shaping up to be the year of a new media revolution"...Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology correspondent, BBC News


The BBC has fitted out the Boston family in Gloucestershire with the kind of kit you might need to take full advantage of a world where all the media you want arrives in digital form down your phone line.

This is an interesting experiment and should be checked out by all those preparing for the NMT section in the exam. As usual the link can be found by clicking on the title 'Boldly going...'This will take you to an online diary compiled by the family.

DW

Magazine closures.

"The industry wanted it,
the news trade wanted it,
the market was there according to every group we asked
- but come the acid test the readers were absent."


Read more about the shock closure of Popworld Pulp by clicking on the title 'Magazine closures'.

This will mention So London another magazine that has closed. Do some research and make some notes.


DW

Magazine industry-yr13

You heard it here first...the new pop music mag 'PULP' launched earlier this month has closed before the month has even finished. Darren Styles of the Brooklands Group publishers said: "The magazine has bombed in a way nobody connected with it could ever have envisaged."


(Click the title 'Magazine industry-yr13' for more info.)

DW

Genre Studies-yr13

A Film Festival devoted to Sci-fi...and it's on your doorstep.
Now in it’s third year The London Sci-fi Film Festival describes itself as a “non-geeky” look at all things science fiction and fantasy based. It brings together rare screenings, short-film showcases, numerous new-movie premieres and the occasional debate, Sci-Fi London crams wildly imaginative material from around the globe into a three-day weekend at the end of January each year. It also has an excellent website which can be found by clicking on the title (genre studies-yr 13) above.


DW

Genre studies-Y13

This is an excellent site for those in Year 13 studying and revising Horror. By using the menus on the site you can go to pages that will provide you with background information on a range of films including Texas Chainsaw.

Click on the title(genre studies) of this post to go to the horror history site.

DW

GOOGLE IT ? -YR12-link bombs

"We have come to expect a lot of search engines.Type in a phrase, and we not only expect it to find millions of relevant websites, but we also expect it to list the best or most important sites first.Woe betide a search engine that requires me to click to page two of the results before I find the site I am looking for.
Generally they do a decent job but, up until very recently, if you were to search on the term "miserable failure", top of the Google search results was the official George Bush page on the official White House site.
Bush trick. This is an example of how even the biggest search engines can be manipulated."

What you have just read is an extract from BBC news. Read more by clicking on the title (GOOGLE IT ? -YR12-link bombs) above. This is particulary relevant to those revising New Media Technology.(AUDIENCE & INSTITUTION.)

DW

New Media Technology...Year12

SAy it with chocolate

High street confectioner Thornton has announced the development of a prototype disposable mobile phone.

The Cellchoc, which is billed as the "ultimate recyclable mobile phone", has a case made from 'handling-resistant' chocolate, and contains special consumable circuitry developed by Choctronics, the "edible semiconductor research company".

Thorntons says the device will provide 30 minutes of talktime. Once this is used up, the device can be scoffed.

Some parts, such as the corners of the casing, could be eaten even whilst talk time is still available without effect on performance, although it would make the phone look "dog-eared", explained the company.

Cellchoc users can even download exciting new flavours via GRPS.

"The idea of entirely edible PCs, laptops or even printers and associated telecoms networks is not beyond our joint capabilities," claimed Prof Lolai, chief edible-technology researcher at Choctronics.

Click on the title (New Media Technology...Year12) above for more about this fascinating breakthrough.

DW

YR 12 Action Film Analysis

Here is the 2006 action film exam extract. I will add some more soon but use this to practice your textual analysis skills. Remember the question never changes.
The most recent examiners report gave the following advice
• Make useful detailed notes on the extract
• Identify moving image language techniques accurately
• Select appropriate examples from the extract to discuss – you do not have to cover the
whole extract or every example
• Analyse why/how these aspects are used to create meaning for the spectator, deconstruct
what you see and hear, explain function, purpose and effect
• Refer closely to the set extract – no generalised analysis of action adventure films nor
reference to what you might know about the rest of the film
• Cover all five aspects – do not miss one out
• Avoid just describing what happens – do not just give a descriptive chronological
commentary – analyse and interpret.

DW

YouTube - award winners

The Golden Tubes? The Yoscars? I am not sure they have a title yet but the first annual youtube awards have been voted for.

0K GO were winners in the most creative section while the free hugs campaign won Most Inspirational.

You can check out all the winners by clicking on the title (YouTube - award winners)above.

Remember the yr 13 have their music videos hosted on Youtube but you can also see them all here. Just click on the main vid and you can watch them all in a loop, or select one from the scroll down film reel.

...( comments are always welcome)

Magazine data - yr 13

The key to the Media issues and debates module is your knowledge of the debates and issues that relate to your topic. This may seem obvious but...
Check out an excellent link for recent magazine data by clicking on the title (Magazine data - yr 13) above.

Digital takeover.-17 Oct 2007

Whitehaven will be the first and then...
By 2010 it will have taken over a T.v near you.



Click on the title( Digital takeover.-17 Oct 2007) above for an excellent link to NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGY information.

See the map for dates for your area...(and look across for digital promo)

Coming to our Sixth Form?

WELCOME to all of you who are checking out the blog following your visit to the Prospective Sixth Form Open Evening.




We hope you were impressed by what you saw on Tuesday evening. This blog and the film studies blog -which can be found by clicking the title(Coming to our Sixth Form?) above-should give you a real insight into the kind of work we do at Canon Palmer.

Good luck in your GCSE's and maybe your work will be featured on this Blog next year.
(p.s we also have a blog to help those doing year 11 media...the link can be found on this blog.)

D White

Year 13 MAGAZINE INDUSTRY

What's in it for me? Grazia's world uncovered


'One magazine is setting the agenda for the media - and tapping the psyche of British women. No wonder its getting its own fly-on-the-wall show,' says Louise France in the Observer womans magazine...Read the full article (and make notes) by clicking on the title(Year 13 MAGAZINE INDUSTRY) above...As mentioned in lesson 9.

D White

Even More Front covers-Yr 12