A FILM TO MAKE YOU SMILE...HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Below is a link to a three minute film made during the Summer by a mate of mine when working with students from Endeavour High School in Hull. The idea is so simple and so beautiful I defy you not to smile when watching this gorgeous narrative. Students will be expected to produce their own coursework in Jan/Feb and this is a wonderful example of how a simple idea can be so successful.

However...just watch it. It's ace. Consider it a New Year gift from that bloke that talks too much on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. This film made me smile. I hope it makes you lot smile too.

Click on link to access 'Flowers':
http://vimeo.com/15328356

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

MLR.

YEAR 13 LESSON TWELVE [15th Dec 10]: Homework.

Students watched a section of the third episode of the BBC's The Virtual Revolution. This segment explored the significance of cookies, the arguments for and against the existence of recommendation engines, the comments of Doug Rushcoff and his view that these engines are reducing the individual to a demographic type, and the Attention Trust and their attempt to encourage internet users to own their own data trail.

The main section of the lesson was a discussion of the media issues and debates raised by Ian Midgley's article published in The Hull Daily Mail and Jeremy Paxman's interview with Russell Brand. It was extremely obvious that students had not bothered to attempt this key homework. This was most irritating. If you don't do the work, don't start whining if your grade is poor. You will not comprehend media theory by ignoring homework.YOU NAUGHTY STUDENTS.

Homework: Produce a response to the mini-coursework title....
'An exploration of the media issues and debates raised by Ian Midgley's article published in The Hull Daily Mail and Jeremy Paxman's interview with Russell Brand.'

The aim of this written work is to encourage students to produce evidence of independent research and construct a response that illustrates critical autonomy. I will provide some guidance notes via fishymedia BUT the whole point of this task is that YOU illustrate your understanding of media theory and the relevant media issues and debates that relate to the content of these two media texts. Use my notes BUT please do not simply regurgitate my ideas. I want to see evidence of your own critical autonomy. This is a very important written task.

Click on link below to access notes that will help you with this task. These notes were posted on 29.12.10:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/68091828/Potential-structure-for-mini-coursework-response-Y13-Dec-10

YEAR 12 LESSON 13 [14th Dec 10]: Homework.

Students examined the BBC Look North representation of the Beverley student demonstration on Thursday 9th December. This presentation was compared with the representation offered by an article published in the online version of The Hull Daily Mail.



The quality of the discussion was excellent. The contribution of HMc, MB, NR, KH, and the WKD man was particularly impressive.Many thanks.

Homework: Students must consider the following questions....

1. How are the students of the Joint Sixth represented in this edition of Look North?
2. Is there evidence of institutional bias within this news report?
3. Who is the target audience?
4. How are media forms used to suggest the difference/similarities between the London/Beverley student demonstrations?
5. How does the online edition of The Hull Daily Mail represent the students of the Joint Sixth Form?
6. How does the HDM/Look North coverage illustrate how digital media has changed the relationship between audience and producer?

We will discuss these questions in the next lesson and I will expect a written response after the next lesson. Our next lesson is in January so your homework for the Winter break is to consider how you will answer the questions so that we can share ideas before constructing a convincing written response.You are not expected to produce a written response over Xmas...just prepare for the written response. This is a MASSIVE piece of work so preparation is crucial.

Click on link to access The Hull Daily Mail online article:
http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Final-fees-hike/article-2992076-detail/article.html

Click on link below to access the BBC Look North report of the student demonstration:
http://vimeo.com/17883706

Students might want to visit HU17.net to peruse the photographs they have published to represent the demonstration. Some of the images offer a very different representation to the representation offered by BBC Look North. I have used four of the images at the beginning of this post. Here is a link to the HU17.net article:
http://www.hu17.net/students-protest-in-beverley-against-proposed-fee-increase/

HAVE A BELTING BREAK. SEE YOU IN JANUARY. MANY THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK THIS TERM.

WIKILEAKS DOCUMENTARY/JOHN PILGER.

A2 students should be aware of the media issues and debates that surround Wikileaks. This is an excellent piece of filmmaking and explores the ethical media issues surrounding this website. Assange explains his philosophy and motivation and the film explains how Wikileaks filters material to check its credibility. This would be a topic worthy of coursework and confronts a whole range of media issues and debates.

Click on link to access documentary:

http://svtplay.se/v/2264028/wikirebels___the_documentary?cb%2Ca1364145%2C1%2Cf%2C-1%2Fpb%2Ca1364142%2C1%2Cf%2C-1%2Fpl%2Cv%2C%2C2264028%2Fsb%2Cp118750%2C1%2Cf%2C-1

Wikileaks is critical of mainstream media for failing to challenge and expose governments and corporations for their abuse of power. John Pilger is an Australian journalist who has been challenging the representations of the mainstream media for 40 years. He has made a series of powerful documentary films that all sentient human beings should digest. He has always challenged received wisdom and has always been appalled by state/corporate hypocrisy. On Friday 10th December 2010, Pilger published this article in The Guardian. Pilger questions the moral stance of media institutions and individual journalists. His new documentary ' The War You Don't See' examines the reporting of the Iraq war. Click on link below to access his article published in yesterday's Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/10/war-media-propaganda-iraq-lies?INTCMP=SRCH

Click on link below to access John Pilger's website:

http://www.johnpilger.com/

Students should be aware of the arguments FOR and AGAINST Wikileaks. This links directly to the the impact of digital media at MEST3.

NO IFS NO BUTS...BEV STUDENT DEMO.

Yesterday you lot made an old teacher feel like a very proud old teacher.WELL DONE. Just why are Freddos 17p? It is an outrage. Fees absurd/Lemon curd! FANTASTIC WORK.

Click on link to access how the Hull Daily Mail online edition represented your very polite and orderly display of dissent:

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Final-fees-hike/article-2992076-detail/article.html

Is this media text a positive representation of students?

YEAR 13 LESSON ELEVEN [8th Dec 10]: Homework.

Students were introduced to the third episode of the BBC's The Virtual Revolution and introduced to an explanation of how Google makes money. Specific reference was made to ADWORDS and the significance of Behavioural Targeting.

The second section of the lesson was an exploration of the media issues and debates that link to the Hull Daily Mail article written by Ian Midgley and the Jeremy Paxman Newsnight interview with Russell Brand.

Homework: Consider the media issues and debates that surround the Midgley article and the Paxman/Brand interview. Consider Audience theories such as the Uses and Gratification theory, Marxist theory and how this relates to both articles, ideas relating to passive/active audience, the significance of Celebrity Culture and 'dumbing down' culture, Institutional ideology and how ideology shapes content, Brand's reference to 'media narratives' and why this idea is significant, Chomsky and the idea of the Bewildered Herd....Any issues that relate to media. Look through your notes and apply media issues and debates to these two texts. Use these two texts to show me that you are 'informed' media students.

This task is a 'mini-version' of the approach required for coursework. I will expect all students to produce evidence of independent study and critical autonomy when we discuss these texts in the next lesson.

Click on link below to access full Paxman/Brand interview:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9053238.stm

VICTORIA DERBYSHIRE INTERVIEWS NICK CLEGG. THE TUITION FEE DEBATE.

I thought that I would place this on fishymedia as Victoria Derbyshire is one of Britain's finest broadcasters and if you are demonstrating tomorrow you might want to listen to this interview and make yourself aware of Nick Clegg's arguments. Click on link below and listen to the Derbyshire/Clegg interview and observe the viewer response to the debate:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00clts6

Year 12...please note...positive female representation? Victoria Derbyshire.

Channel Four's John Snow interview with Nick Clegg:

http://www.channel4.com/news/ministers-soften-tuition-fee-plans-to-stop-lib-dem-revolt

Click on link to access LibDem political broadcast from the May General Election:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTLR8R9JXz4&feature=player_embedded

YEAR 12 LESSON TWELVE [7th DEC 10]: Homework.

Students were given a brief 'media theory and terminology test' before the class shared their positive representations of women that would make Laura Mulvey smile. I'm not sure that the Mulvster would have found any reason to titter at the examples that were offered by the class today.SP provided the most positive representation via a shoe advert that avoided any sexualised objectification or gender stereotypes. This task was, in many ways, quite alarming. If positive representations of women are so difficult to identify in modern media, perhaps it could be argued that the 'male gaze' continues to be a relevant media concept.

The second section of the lesson examined the Audience/Producer debate and explored how digital technology has changed the relationship between Audience/Producer. Specific reference was made to the music industry and how the industry has responded to MP3 file sharing.This debate will be examined in more detail when we begin the CROSS-MEDIA STUDY and will relate to Documentary and Hybrid-documentary. One of our key texts will be the film MAN ON WIRE.

Click on link to access MAN ON WIRE trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIawNRm9NWM

Special mention must be made to CH...the Newcastle Utd fan with a liking for WKD. Your contribution to class discussion was outstanding. Much appreciated.

Homework: If you scored less than 10 in the test you need to read your notes. Students are encouraged to discover a positive female representation. We still need to make Laura smile. Peggy Mitchell in East Enders? Any other positive female figures within the genre of the British Soap Opera?
Students are beginning to produce some excellent creative ideas for the MEST2 coursework. You need to be thinking of ideas for this MASSIVE section of the course. Finally, consider how you would answer the MEST1 January 2009 examination paper as we may be discussing this paper next week.

CHINA AND GOOGLE.

Click on link to access BBC article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11920616

THE WIKILEAKS STORY CONTINUES: Media and Democracy.

Y13 Students should be aware of the continuing debates surrounding the Wikileaks site. It relates directly to the impact of digital media and media and democracy. Be aware of Hilary Clinton's reaction.

Click on link below to access latest BBC story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11907641

Special BBC report:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11863274

ONE DAY IN HULL: A short film.

Now then media freaks.Wednesday's Year 13 lesson was butchered by the overwhelming power and sublime majesty of the natural world so I hope everybody had a massively safe and entertaining snowball fight on the Westwood. I went stumbling around my little patch of the world and made this short film. It will be used as a resource in the near snowless future. Issues relating to representation are a consideration within this text for both Y12 and Y13. Y12 might want to consider how this representation of Hull compares with the two postcards I offered the class in a previous lesson. What kind of institution would create this type of film? Audience?Media Forms?

Click on link below to access 'One Day In Hull'.

http://vimeo.com/17423592

Hope everybody is warm, safe and avoiding the fracture clinic.

MLR.