Tuesday, 18 September 2012

YEAR 13 LESSON THREE [19th Sept 12]: Homework.


Students were reaquainted with media theory. Reference was made to Reception Theory, Marxist Theory, Liberal Pluralism, Dyer's Theories, Berger's view of how advertising works, and Baudrillard's Theory of Hyperreality.

Reference was made to recent news stories such as the findings of the Hillsborough Panel, The Sun's Hillsborough aplology, and the violent reaction to the Innocence of Muslims video. Reference was made to THE YOUNG TURKS and their online news coverage. Students were asked to explore the media issues and debates that can be linked to these moments. Click on link below to access TYT news segment:
The Sun's apology..after 23 years: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQWAS6kT0dw
The reaction of Liverpool supporters to the representation offered by the Sun on the Monday after the tragedy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkA_uhijyCI
fishymedia Hillsborough resources:
Class discussion considered how these resources relate to media theory, globalisation and the power of digital media to spread information, regulation and whether it is possible or appropriate to control the internet, the moral responsibility of an institution when presenting lies as truth, the power of the mobile phone when combined with You Tube, and how digital media has allowed non-mainstream news organisations such as TYT to challenge the representations of mainstream media. Reference was also made to the Audience/Producer debate. Class response was excellent.

This news report appeared this evening. We were discussing this issue in today's session:

The class were offered the first ten minute You Tube segment of the Virtual Revolution. Click on link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFeJaEhUGs8&feature=relmfu
Here is the resource that deals with internet censorship shown in today's lesson:
Students need to consider if digital media has empowered the individual and enhanced democratic freedom. This will be an essay topic before the end of this half-term. The second episode of the Virtual Revolution deals with issues that relate to digital media and democratic freedom.

The final section of the session was an attempt to prepare students for Section A of Mest3.Students were asked to consider the question:
How are Olympic athletes represented in these two media texts?
Click on links below to access texts:
Channel Four's 'Meet the Superhumans': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAPPeRg3Nw

HOMEWORK: Complete the representation question linked to the Olympic trailers. Students need to consider why the institution is offering this preferred reading and use all the media language appropriate when constructing a critical media analysis. This should be a one page A4 response if typing with a size 10 font.
Furthermore, I would like students to produce a written response to the question:
What are the media issues and debates that can be linked to the Hillsborough news story OR the Innocence of Muslims video OR the news report offered by THE YOUNG TURKS?
Choose the SPECIFIC text and produce a one side of A4 response. We discussed a whole range of issues this morning and you can approach your choice of text using any of the media issues or debates raised in the class discussion. Show me you were listening!

Students also need to watch the third episode of the Virtual Revolution.Click on link below to access first You Tube segment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNAfnfcergc&feature=related

Students also need to consider the question below as this question will be offered as a written homework next week. Research required:
'Media Institutions are right to feel threatened by new/digital media.' Consider this statement and show how media institutions are reacting to technological developments.

Good luck folks. You were excellent today. Much appreciated. Keep it up.








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Sunday, 16 September 2012

YEAR 12 LESSON TWO [17th Sept 12]: Homework.


Students revisited the concept of REPRESENTATION and how the nature of the INSTITUTION shapes meaning. Reference was made to the representation of the Hillsborough tragedy by The Sun newspaper in 1989 and their apology last week, and how mobile phone footage was used to challenge the original Police representation of the death of Ian Tomlinson in 2009. Click on link below to access the Tomlinson footage that challenged the original representation of his tragic death.

The next session of the lesson involved the class considering the question:
How are Paralympians represented within this media text?
Click on link below to access Channel Four advertisement,

The next phase of the lesson considered the codes and conventions of the film trailer. Click on links below to access the three trailers used to identify codes and conventions:
Students discussed how the form of the trailer always provides information relating to character, location, time, genre and plot. Enigma codes are used, a state of narrative disequilibrium is presented and the text will be polysemic without being confusing. Text or dialogue is often used to illustrate the nature of the narrative. Media forms are dependent upon genre. Students may have the opportunity to construct their own trailers therefore students must be aware of the ingredients used to create a successful trailer.

Hitchcock's PSYCHO 'Shower Scene' was offered to students with the aim of developing student understanding of how media forms shape meaning. Click on link below:

The final section of this carnival of media delights was a consideration of the KICK-ASS trailer. Students were asked to consider the question:
How is violence represented within this media text?
Students were asked to apply media theory to this text and were introduced to Dyer's theories, the idea of desensitisation, Reception Theory and the Uses and Gratifications Theory.
Click on link to access trailer:

HOMEWORK: Sudents are expected to produce two pieces of written work in response to the questions:
  1. How are Paralympians represented within this media text?
  2. How is violence represented within the KICK-ASS trailer?
The Channel Four text demands that students consider the Preferred Reading and how media forms are constructed to create this meaning. STUDENTS MUST ATTEMPT TO USE MEDIA LANGUAGE IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER. Students must refer to the significance of long shots, close ups, diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound, the speed of editing, connotation etc. Select the three or four key frames that serve to illustrate the nature of the Preferred Reading. I expect one page of A4 if the response is using a size 10 font.
The second text needs to identify the nature of the representation of violence and also needs to apply media theory. This is a controversial representation of violence therefore students need to consider how an audience might use this text and any negative effect this text may generate. Reference must be made to the concept of desensitisation and Dyer.

PHEW.

Good Luck Fiends. You were fantastic today. Much appreciated. Keep it up. Any problems.... fire me an e-mail.

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Friday, 14 September 2012

VIRAL VIDEO CAUSES UNREST....




Religious fury has erupted in Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Egypt and the motivation for the rioting appears to be a viral video that mocks Islamic values. This is an example of the power of global digital media, an example of the dangers of representation, and also touches upon the debate that the internet may need some form of regulation or control. Students need to be aware of this issue as You Tube appears to be the digital platform that has been used to project this film on to the global stage.

This moment could be compared with the KONY 2012 video posted online earlier this year. What do these two moments tell us about the power of digital media?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19595854
The Young Turks discuss the film:

KONY RESOURCES:

THIS SHOULD BE OF INTEREST TO A2 STUDENTS.
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Thursday, 13 September 2012

THE SUN'S reporting of Hillsborough. A shameful moment.




Students need to be aware of the current news story that relates to the shocking death of 96 Liverpool supporters at the FA Cup Semi-Final at Hillsborough in 1989. Yesterday the Hillsborough Independent Panel published a damning report that states that elements of the South Yorkshire Police Force were incompetent and their behaviour may have contributed to the deaths of many football supporters. It appears that Senior Police Officers attempted to blame the Liverpool supporters for the tragedy and, with the help of local Sheffield Tory MP Irvine Patnick, began to fabricate a narrative that blamed supporters in an attempt to mask their own incompetence and ignorance. The Sun newspaper - specifically the editor Kelvin McKenzie - helped construct this narrative with their shameful coverage of the tragedy. The Sun was the largest selling tabloid in the UK and this was a pre-digital world. This was a very influential national newspaper. Yesterday the Sun apologised for their coverage of this moment in 1989. This apology was offered only weeks after they published a controversial photograph of Harry Wales.

Students should be aware of this news story because this horrific journalistic moment relates to the Leveson Inquiry and the investigation into press standards. How much regulation do we need to stop a newspaper fabricating news stories? Do newspapers have a moral obligation to their readers or is a newspaper merely a means of creating profit? We will be discussing this issue throughout the course. RESEARCH REQUIRED.




Video from LFCTV online. Why The Sun is not a popular newspaper on Merseyside: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkA_uhijyCI

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Tuesday, 11 September 2012

YEAR 13 LESSON TWO [12th Sept]: Homework.



Students were provided with two examples of the A2 Critical Investigation that is the main component of A2 coursework. Both scripts are fine examples of how to construct a 2000 word critical investigation and students were also shown the Linked Production created to accompany one of the scripts. The aim of this section of the lesson was to provide students with a clear understanding of the academic standards required at A2.

The main focus of the first session was a consideration of how the BBC has embraced the potential of digital media. Students MUST develop an awareness of how the BBC has used digital media as the BBC are clearly a media institution that has realised that digital media can help provide a sophisticated service for its audience. Other media institutions have not embraced or understood the potential of digital media and students must be aware of these media institutions. Reference was made to Rupert Murdoch's use of the PAYWALL and Spotify's attempt to discover an efficient business model in a post-Napster musical world.

As students had not completed their homework tasks, brief snippets from the ESSENTIAL RESOURCE 'THE VIRTUAL REVOLUTION' were shown to illustrate the concept of LEVELLING and Tim Berners-Lee's fear that the web may somehow be controlled by some form of central authority.

Students were also shown two Olympic advertisements and asked to consider the question:
How are the Olympic athletes represented in these two media texts?

Click on link below to access the texts:
Channel Four Paralympic Advertisement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAPPeRg3Nw

HOMEWORK: Students must watch the first two episodes of THE VIRTUAL REVOLUTION. I was genuinely APPALLED by student inability to watch an incredibly relevant and intelligent A2 resource. Click on link below and navigate through the YOU TUBE segments:
Students should also familiarise themselves with the views of Keen and Shirky.
Students should also watch the two Olympic adverts to prepare for the class discussion next week. Your focus should be a consideration of how media forms are used to shape meaning.

Furthermore, students need to read the resources I provided in today's lesson. Click on link below to access a brief Napster documentary:

The first written task will be a consideration of how different media institutions have adapted to the digital world therefore research will be required. Why is the MySpace story important? Why did Wikipedia change its gatekeeping system? How has the Publishing Industry adapted to the digital age? Faber and Faber? HarperCollins? How has the invention of the Kindle changed this industry? Why is the newspaper industry struggling to discover a working business model....RESEARCH REQUIRED.

The whole aim of the A2 Media course is to develop CRITICAL AUTONOMY. Critical autonomy is the freedom to think independently in an informed and intelligent manner. THIS IS NOT JUST A MEDIA SKILL, IT IS A LIFE SKILL. IF YOU WANT TO BE SPOON FED INFORMATION THAT YOU MERELY REGURGITATE LIKE A BAD MEAL, CHOOSE ANOTHER SUBJECT. Students will not develop any CRITICAL AUTONOMY if they ignore homework. You will simply fail the course.

WAKE UP.

THAT IS ALL :(





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Sunday, 9 September 2012

YEAR 12 LESSON ONE [10th Sept]: Homework.








Students were introduced to the structure of the course [50% coursework / 50% exam] and also introduced to some basic media terminology. Students were encouraged to consider how media forms are used to shape representation and were introduced to the concept that all texts are mediated. Texts that were used to explore media issues are available via the links below::

Kick Ass Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5mxBaXHcFw
BGS Olympic Film documentary: http://vimeo.com/46722389

Students were also shown the opening sequence of Steven Spielberg's 1975 film 'JAWS' and asked to consider how Steviebaby uses media forms to shape the representation of the sea. Click on link below to access this resource:
I gave students an exemplar essay that considers the representation of the sea in this famous sequence. Please read this response and note how media language is used to construct a critical media response. Similarly, read the SKINS exemplar essay. It is essential that students develop an understanding of how the language of media is used to construct a coherent written response.

HOMEWORK: Read all the material that I gave to you in today's session. It would be most pleasing if students arrive at the next session with an awareness of media terms such as diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound, connotation, mediation, preferred reading, polysemic etc.
READ THE MATERIAL.
Students also need to follow this blog.
Furthermore, watch this resource as we will be discussing this famous filmic moment in our next lesson. How does Hitchcock use media forms to construct this disturbing moment in the film 'PSYCHO'? Click on link below:

YOU LOT WERE FANTASTIC TODAY. A GREAT START. KEEP IT UP.

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Tuesday, 4 September 2012

YEAR 13 LESSON ONE [5th Sept 12]: Homework.


Students were introduced to the structure of the A2 course [50% exam/50% coursework]. At some point reference was made to the existence of Motown Records and this classic tune was offered to the bewildered students:

Students were encouraged to consider the advantages and disadvantages of digital media.

HOMEWORK: Students must watch the first episode of the Virtual Revolution. The first three episodes provide a perfect foundation from which to build an understanding of the digital revolution and the media issues and debates relevant to the A2 course. These episodes are stuffed full of media goodness. WATCH THEM. Click on link below:

In the next lesson we will be examining how the BBC uses digital technology and how this use of technology has enhanced the service that the BBC can provide. Click on links below and explore how the BBC uses the potential of digital media.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

I made reference to the BBC's unique Olympic coverage and here are some articles that explore some issues that link to the BBC's Olympic coverage. Feel free to peruse:
BBC defends Olympic coverage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkbiGxHlfa8
The BBC's digital Olympics:
BBC Olympic Blog. The story of the digital Olympics:

One of the key features of the A2 course is that the course aims to develop and encourage independent study in an attempt to generate CRITICAL AUTONOMY . I advise ALL students to navigate through the fishymedia archive with the aim of developing a more sophisticated understanding of contemporary media issues and debates. For example, today I referred to the contrasting views of ANDREW KEEN and CLAY SHIRKY. Click on the links below to access their very different interpretations of the power of new digital media:
ANDREW KEEN
CLAY SHIRKY:

Beginner's guide to internet censorship:

It was great to see you lot again. I look forward to challenging your intellect in a very positive media manner. If any student has a curry, stick it in a pint glass and give it to Evie!
See you next week.
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