grade descriptors for magazine production

Level 4 48–60 marks

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

               

framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;

using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;

shooting material appropriate to the task set;

selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;

manipulating photographs as appropriate to the context for presentation, including cropping and resizing;

accurately using language and register;

appropriately integrating illustration and text;

showing understanding of conventions of layout and page design;

showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size;

using ICT appropriately for the task set.

Level 3 36–47 marks

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:

               

framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;

using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;

shooting material appropriate to the task set;

selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;

manipulating photographs as appropriate to the context for presentation, including cropping and resizing;

accurately using language and register;

appropriately integrating illustration and text;

showing understanding of conventions of layout and page design;

showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size;

using ICT appropriately for the task set.

Level 2 24–35 marks

There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical skills:

               

framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;

using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;

shooting material appropriate to the task set;

selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;

manipulating photographs as appropriate to the context for presentation, including cropping and resizing;

accurately using language and register;

appropriately integrating illustration and text;

showing understanding of conventions of layout and page design;

showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size;

using ICT appropriately for the task set.

Level 1 0–23 marks

he work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the reative use of any relevant technical skills such as:

               

framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;

using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;

shooting material appropriate to the task set;

selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;

manipulating photographs as appropriate to the context for presentation, including cropping and resizing;

accurately using language and register;

appropriately integrating illustration and text;

showing understanding of conventions of layout and page design;

showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size;

using ICT appropriately for the task set.

Gurindha Chadha and the Representation of British Indians

Gurindha Chadha and the Representation of British Indians

Whether film or any other kind of media, no media representation can be completely true.

All representations go through a process of mediation whereby the ‘real’ is changed into a representation.

Clearly Chadha’s background I gives her a unique insight into British Indian culture and therefore her representations are constructed from the position of what we might call a situated reality.

For many white British film goers much of their experience of British/Indians is likely to come via the mass media and hence they can be said to have a mediated reality.  

In order to appeal to the majority audience (thus maximise chances of commercial success) Chadha must construct representations that maybe rooted in reality and possess a certain authenticity but equally must fit with the mainstream audiences assumptions. Chadha as an encoder encodes her films with a meaning that will be decoded successfully by the non-Indian film goer and thus has to rely upon intertextual references and standardised if not stereotypical representations of British Indians

Binary Opposition

 

—Binary Opposition

Binary Opposition and Structuralism

‘Binary opposition’ is a subtle way in which texts are

Such uses and interpretations occur sub-consciously because both the creator and the user of the text are a part of a context that is permeated by certain ideological beliefs and mind-set (for a fuller, step-by-step guide to binary opposition as well as ideology visit http://www.englishbiz.co.uk/).

 

Spotting how binaries act to create layers of meaning allows you to create a highly subtle analysis and discussion (including on texts you write yourself) – and remember that subtlety always gains the highest marks.

The idea originated as part of an important ‘theory of meaning’ that attempted to map out how people arrive at an interpretation of either

 any concept of what we call reality) can exist only at the level of idea.

At the core of this is the recognition that any meaning we attribute to a thing can neither be inherent in the thing itself nor be something we arrive at independently; instead, meaning must always be, at least in part, a ‘construct’ and a ‘given’, i.e. something we learn from others.

According to structuralism,

what they called its cultural or ‘

 

When we interpret a thing, therefore, we arrive at an understanding of it not

This will become more obvious if you work through the process of interpretation you yourself will be using for some everyday words and ideas. Take the word ‘hero’, for example. You should be able to recognise that your interpretation very much depends on several other meanings of associated

ideas and words – most especially of course, the idea of ‘coward’. But – and this is a very large ‘but’ – other cultural ideas also come into play and contribute to this word’s very complex and layered meaning. For example, seemingly unrelated or distant ideas of ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ have

an important part to play. Thus, an innocent-seeming word like ‘hero’ carries with it a great deal of ‘cultural baggage’ and ideological power: it acts to maintain and reinforce a whole series of cultural values, including many stereotypical ones – the dominance of masculine values, for one!

by any positive attribution of meaning to the thing itself but through a system of differences between culturally ‘opposing’ ideas.

Barthes suggested that

 

What cultural values do the above binary pairs help to maintain?

Can you see how these work to reinforce cultural stereotypes that are at odds with an advanced and enlightened society such as our own?

Jacques Derrida

A later theorist, Jacques Derrida, took Barthes and Levi-Strauss’s ideas a stage further by recognising that these ‘binary pairs’ were

rendered it the less highly valued part of the binary pair.

One example Derrida gave was the culturally important ‘masculinity/femininity’ binary. Freudian psychoanalytical theory (named after the early 20

highly than feminine values. Of course, such valuations are highly judgmental and work to maintain cultural stereotypes.

These theories provide you with a subtle way to analyse and discuss important aspects related to the way texts of all kinds are interpreted and gain meaning.

Consider these cultural binary pairs: ‘strength/weakness’, ‘wealth/poverty’, ‘male/female’, ‘gay/straight’, ‘hi-tech/lo-tech’, ‘old/young’ for example and you should soon detect how important the idea of binary opposition really is. One powerful cultural binary association studied by feminists is the oddly labelled ‘Madonna/whore’ binary in which women tend to be characterised in either of these two ways. This is seen as an especially powerful cultural opposition that works to support stereotypical views of women in societies that perpetuate male domination or patriarchy.

never equal. He saw that within any particular culture, one ‘side’ of each binary pair tended to be valued or judged in a more privileged light. It was as if one half of each binary pair were somehow ‘culturally marked’ by a kind of ‘presence’ that made it more highly valued whereas its binary opposite was ‘marked’ by a kind of ‘absence’ thatth Century psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud) proposed the idea that ‘man’ has historically – and stereotypically – been ‘marked’ by a positive ‘presence’, whereas the idea of ‘woman’ has been ‘marked’ by a negative ‘absence’. This works its way through to the ways in which society still often values certain masculine values more

all meaning operates in this way but for your purposes you should stick to those meanings that work only to reinforce a particular ideological mind-set, i.e. meanings that work to maintain, develop or reinforce key cultural ideas. Think of ‘binaries’ such as ‘cool/geeky’, ‘old/young’, ‘beauty/ugliness’ and the importance of this idea might become clear. There are thousands more.

anything that acts to signify meaning – objects from reality, words, ideas and images – can do so only through a process akin to symbolism, i.e. the meaning will, in important ways, be culturally derived (rather like a rose can connote, at a symbolic level, ‘romance’). Levi-Strauss and Barthes went on to realise that meaning, in fact, results from a complex association of ideas about the thing itself plus other ideas that are the thing’s ‘cultural opposite’,binary opposite’.

Levi-Strauss and Barthes were fascinated by Saussure’s realisation that meaning (and thus

reality or ideas. The theory began life in the early 20th century with the work of linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure. Much later, these ideas were developed by two leading French philosophers, Claude Levi-Strauss and Roland Barthes who incorporated Saussure’s ideas into an all-encompassing theory of meaning called structuralism.

subconsciously interpreted by readers and listeners. The existence of ‘binaries’ within a text (and they exist in all texts) acts to develop often powerful layers of meaning that work to maintain and reinforce a society or culture’s dominant ideologies.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The examiner would like to see a sense of progression.

A good way to present this evaluation is to post up your main task juxtaposed with your preliminary task.

Tell the examiner how . . .
Case study research
Better planning
More IT competence
Audience Feedback

. . . amongst other things helped you progress to produce a more professional product.

Representations of Disability

Powerpoint

Click the above for the slide show we've used in class.

Independent Cinema

An independent film, or indie film, is a film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly outside of major film studios.

The term also refers to art films which differ noticeably from most mass marketed films.

 In addition to being produced by independent production companies, independent films are often produced and/or distributed by subsidiaries of major studios.

 In order to be considered independent, less than half of a film's financing should come from a major studio.

Independent films are sometimes distinguishable by their content and style and the way in which the filmmakers' personal artistic vision is realized.
Usually, but not always, independent films are made with considerably lower film budgets than major studio films.

Generally, the marketing of independent films is characterized by limited release designed to build word-of-mouth or to reach small specialty audiences.


Studio System

The Big Five majors	The Little Three majors
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	United Artists
Paramount Pictures	Columbia Pictures
20th Century Fox	Universal Studios
Warner Bros.
RKO Pictures

Vertical Integration
 Production     Distribution     Exhibition
In 1948, the United States Supreme Court Paramount Decision ordered the Hollywood movie studios to sell their theater chains and to eliminate certain anti-competitive practices

Led to a boom in independent low budget film. B Movies Horror violence nudity and quite often a total rejection of production codes. The films were so cheap they were almost laughable – they gained cult audience status amongst young people and were shown at midnight with audience participation. Ed Wood

New avant garde movements in Europe challenge major studios dominance of style and narrative
RKO collapsed and the Studio realised they could no longer reach the young audience so they hired a host of young filmmakers and allowed them to make their films with relatively little studio control.

On May 16, 1969, Dennis Hopper, a young American filmmaker, wrote, directed, and acted in his first film, Easy Rider. Along with his producer/star/co-writer Peter Fonda, Hopper was responsible for the first completely independent film of New Hollywood.
Following on the heels of Easy Rider just over a week later, the revived United Artists' Midnight Cowboy, which, became the first and only X rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture.

In retrospect, it can be seen that Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) and George Lucas's Star Wars (1977) marked the beginning of the end for the New Hollywood. With their unprecedented box-office successes, these movies jump-started Hollywood's blockbuster mentality, giving studios a new paradigm as to how to make money in this changing commercial landscape. The focus on high-concept

1980s saw a growth in film festivals designed to promote independent filmakers. The cinema of transgression. This what we call second cinema an opposition to first cinema.
Continued success of some independent production companies such as Mirimax and New Line cinema caught the attention of major studios in
In 1993, Disney bought Miramax for $60 million. Turner Broadcasting, in a billion-dollar deal, acquired New Line Cinema, Fine Line Features, and Castle Rock Entertainment in 1994. The acquisitions proved to be a good move for Turner Broadcasting as New Line released The Mask and Dumb & Dumber and Castle Rock releasing The Shawshank Redemption and the release of Pulp Fiction by Miramax, all in 1994.^[17]

The acquisitions of the smaller studios by conglomerate Hollywood was a plan in part to take over the independent film industry and at the same time start independent studios of their own. The following are all indie studios owned by conglomerate Hollywood:

·         Sony Pictures Classics 1992

·         Fox Searchlight Pictures 1995

·         Paramount Vantage 1998

·         Focus Features 2002

·         Warner Independent Pictures 2003 ^[18]

Whether or not they are independent is up for debate – similar to music.

The following studios are considered to be the most prevalent of the modern independent studios (they are used to produce/release independent films and foreign-language films in America):

·         Film4 Productions

·         Lions Gate Films

·         Summit Entertainment

·         Overture Films

·         IFC Films

·         Samuel Goldwyn Films

·         The Weinstein Company/Dimension Films

·         Magnolia Pictures

·         Palm Pictures

·         Tartan Films

·         Newmarket Films

·         ThinkFilm

·         Troma Entertainment

·         First Look Studios

·         Image Entertainment

·         Yari Film Group

Bowling For Columbine - key scene order

Michael Moores

Bowling for Columbine

Typical Day in United States

Bank

Title Sequence

Toy Guns juxtaposes guns with childhood innocence

Introduces Charlton Heston – narrative uses filmic evidence

Dog shoots man – humour

Comedian

Michigan Militia – McVie Williams – draws links between terrorists and Michigan militia

Mad Farmer

Shooting scene quick editing builds from humour to horror

Liddleton – great place to live happy people, houses with shutters and panic rooms juxtaposed with nuclear weapons manufacture.

Trees of Green – juxtaposes music with stark images and titles.

USA hits school and hospital in Kosovo

Columbine shooting scene – sound over empty school

Charlton Heston NRA rally juxtaposed with Parent speech

South Park interview

Impact of post columbine of kids – advert with kids sneaking in guns kids are really something to fear.

Who was to blame – Marilyn Manson

Manson interview

Bowling gym credits – why not blame bowling

Comparison with other countries

Brief history of US south park style

Evening news – scares, 2ky, killer bees

Culture of fear

Cops  - reality TV on Documentary

Canada – doors not locked

Phone call – shooting by six year old – music soothing hand

Charlton Flint

Try the child

Mother of killer – welfare increasing pity

Lot of activity to produce fear – corporate government can continue

Boy shot at columbine – moore takes him back to store

Interview with Heston

Picture of girl

Independent Film

An independent film, or indie film, is a film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly outside of major film studios.

The term also refers to art films which differ noticeably from most mass marketed films.

 In addition to being produced by independent production companies, independent films are often produced and/or distributed by subsidiaries of major studios.

 In order to be considered independent, less than half of a film's financing should come from a major studio.

Independent films are sometimes distinguishable by their content and style and the way in which the filmmakers' personal artistic vision is realized.
Usually, but not always, independent films are made with considerably lower film budgets than major studio films.

Generally, the marketing of independent films is characterized by limited release designed to build word-of-mouth or to reach small specialty audiences.


Studio System

The Big Five majors	The Little Three majors
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	United Artists
Paramount Pictures	Columbia Pictures
20th Century Fox	Universal Studios
Warner Bros.
RKO Pictures

Vertical Integration
 Production     Distribution     Exhibition
In 1948, the United States Supreme Court Paramount Decision ordered the Hollywood movie studios to sell their theater chains and to eliminate certain anti-competitive practices

Led to a boom in independent low budget film. B Movies Horror violence nudity and quite often a total rejection of production codes. The films were so cheap they were almost laughable – they gained cult audience status amongst young people and were shown at midnight with audience participation. Ed Wood

New avant garde movements in Europe challenge major studios dominance of style and narrative
RKO collapsed and the Studio realised they could no longer reach the young audience so they hired a host of young filmmakers and allowed them to make their films with relatively little studio control.

On May 16, 1969, Dennis Hopper, a young American filmmaker, wrote, directed, and acted in his first film, Easy Rider. Along with his producer/star/co-writer Peter Fonda, Hopper was responsible for the first completely independent film of New Hollywood.
Following on the heels of Easy Rider just over a week later, the revived United Artists' Midnight Cowboy, which, became the first and only X rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture.

In retrospect, it can be seen that Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) and George Lucas's Star Wars (1977) marked the beginning of the end for the New Hollywood. With their unprecedented box-office successes, these movies jump-started Hollywood's blockbuster mentality, giving studios a new paradigm as to how to make money in this changing commercial landscape. The focus on high-concept

1980s saw a growth in film festivals designed to promote independent filmakers. The cinema of transgression. This what we call second cinema an opposition to first cinema.
Continued success of some independent production companies such as Mirimax and New Line cinema caught the attention of major studios in
In 1993, Disney bought Miramax for $60 million. Turner Broadcasting, in a billion-dollar deal, acquired New Line Cinema, Fine Line Features, and Castle Rock Entertainment in 1994. The acquisitions proved to be a good move for Turner Broadcasting as New Line released The Mask and Dumb & Dumber and Castle Rock releasing The Shawshank Redemption and the release of Pulp Fiction by Miramax, all in 1994.^[17]

The acquisitions of the smaller studios by conglomerate Hollywood was a plan in part to take over the independent film industry and at the same time start independent studios of their own. The following are all indie studios owned by conglomerate Hollywood:

·         Sony Pictures Classics 1992

·         Fox Searchlight Pictures 1995

·         Paramount Vantage 1998

·         Focus Features 2002

·         Warner Independent Pictures 2003 ^[18]

Whether or not they are independent is up for debate – similar to music.

The following studios are considered to be the most prevalent of the modern independent studios (they are used to produce/release independent films and foreign-language films in America):

·         Film4 Productions

·         Lions Gate Films

·         Summit Entertainment

·         Overture Films

·         IFC Films

·         Samuel Goldwyn Films

·         The Weinstein Company/Dimension Films

·         Magnolia Pictures

·         Palm Pictures

·         Tartan Films

·         Newmarket Films

·         ThinkFilm

·         Troma Entertainment

·         First Look Studios

·         Image Entertainment

·         Yari Film Group

 for full source 
click here