Heroes

Hi y'all,
For your Cross-Media Study (for your exams) we will be exploring Broadcast Fiction. One of our key texts will be the series "Heroes". The new series (3rd) starts Wednesday 1st October on BBC1 and I need you all to start watching it please (although I'm sure those of you with taste were already planning to!). You might also want to start exploring the Web for the seemingly limitless websites relating to this drama series. (REmember it's a Cross-Media Study).

don't forget to bring the film poster next week. AND GET YOUR HOMEWORK TO ME BY FRIDAY MORNING PLEASE - EMAIL pha@cheney.oxon.sch.uk.
Thanks
Mrs Harte

You are now entering the A2 Zone . . .

So go to the A2 Blog! And pass on the message to anyone else - check the blog, make sure it's the A2 blog not the AS blog.
Well done. Top hole. Super Whizzo.

Good luck everyone!

Hi all,

Just a quick note to say good luck to everyone for the exams tomorrow- you have shown massive potential this term and I'm sure you're going to do brilliantly- good luck.

Mr Boulter

Home study and lesson review

Hi,

On Friday, we achieved three main aims:

1) We studied the Advertising and Marketing questions for the past few years, and discussed how we might approach them: http://www.allisonmedia.net/downloads/AS-A2/Med_2_A&M_exam_questions.pdf

2) We revised the Advertising Techniques and Lines of Appeal worksheets and applied them to a range of ads, concentrating mainly on the Coke campaigns: http://www.allisonmedia.net/Media/Ad&market.htm#theory

3) We discussed the idea of brands and products, using the Brand Values and Brand Profiles hand outs from the link above.

It seemed from marking your essays that the main task for work at home is to thoroughly research a brand and the way that is has been advertised- you need to understand a range of techniques which go together to make a campaign, rather than just knowing one or two adverts. Homework is therefore:

PART 1) Research the Coke campaign in detail. Use http://www.tellyads.com/ to watch the TV ads, but also there are some very useful links here: http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/av_advertising.html . We looked at the way that Coke uses Christmas in order to associate its brand with family values and happiness- the story of how this developed is told here: http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html . This will be helpful to learn about Coke's overt advertising, but you also need to try to find 3-5 examples of Coke's covert advertising, eg sponsorship of sporting events, work in the community, plugs etc- Wikipedia will help for this, but there will be lots of examples in the world around you also.

YOU NEED TO KNOW: at least 5 ways that Coke have tried to appeal to audiences and sell their products. Consider overt and covert techniqes, and how Media Language, representations, values and ideology etc can be applied to their campaigns.

PART 2) Research some criticisms of the Coca-Cola campaigns and approaches, as well as attacks on big brand advertising generally. An excellent intro to this is on the site here: http://www.waronwant.org/?lid=11807 - read the alternative Company Report in particular, but you should also look at http://www.adbusters.org/ for some oppositional views of the issue.

PART 3) Repeat PART 1 but for a social campaign- probably the easiest to do is Barnardos- lots of information and examples on: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/campaigns/resources_students_advertising.htm .

PART 4) It would be really good if you could take the learning you gain from the above and apply it to one of the old exam questions (see earlier link). Spend 45 minutes per question only.

Finally, in the spirit of independence, it would certainly be a good idea before the exam to investigate a campaign of your own choosing- a product or brand that you are interested in, such as sport, a particular band or musician or whatever you like. This would be a real move towards critical autonomy and finding your own interest in the subject. Remember that your ability and willingness to work and think independently is crucial to your success.

Lots to do then!

See you next week,

Mr Boulter

ps: just to confirm, myself and Mrs Harte are intending to run lessons as normal next week, so please just turn up at normal times (or pop in at other times if there's anything you want to ask).

Revision activities

Hi Year 12,

Apologies for the delay in posting- it's been, to say the least, a busy week. Anyway, there are a couple of things you need to do as exam prep. One of them is to read this article about various debates surrounding advertising which have come up recently:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7373667.stm

Also, read a similar article from here for a different perspective: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/30/advertising.television

The second is to download and read the resources on advertising from http://www.allisonmedia.net/ - there's some really good stuff on here, so use it to revise from.

Right, see you Friday, when I will hopefully have marked your mocks from last week.

Mr Boulter

Holiday Work

Hi everyone,

After a brief coursework lull, we need to get back to using the blog regularly as we approach the exams. In the last two lessons, we have watched and analysed the Hollywood blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow (2004), which, although a bit painful to watch at times, is nevertheless potentially very useful for exams, particularly in terms of the areas of media language, narrative, representation and values and ideology.

Homework is to read and make notes on the booklet I've given you, particularly the pages on narrative. Read about Propp and Todorov, and especially the bit about Barthes which we've not covered yet. Sonal, Molly and Annette, who weren't in the lesson, I've emailed you instructions about this.

Secondly, you need to choose another of the exam questions from the back of the booklet and complete in 45 mins.

Otherwise, I suggest that you go back over the blog and revise what we've covered this year, look back at past essays and targets, and make sure you keep u pwith what's going on in the media using Media Guardian. Oh, and make sure you have some time to relax as well!

Well done on your performance this term- we have only three weeks left before your study leave, so get focused on the subject and be prepared to work hard.

By the way, the school email will be down over the holidays, so if you need to contact me, leave a post on this blog, or use tomboulter@hotmail.com .

See you next term!

Mr Boulter

Homework this week

Hi all,
Just to clarify that we are expecting you to be getting on with and completing coursework as your work to replace the two lessons that you miss with me for Achievement Day and Good Friday, and that this also represents your homework for these lessons. Any problems with this, you need to come to see me or Mrs Harte as a matter of urgency, as deadlines are looming!
Mr Boulter

Email Reminder

Thanks to all of those who have sent me through your email address as requested below. Could the rest of you do so ASAP, as it's much easier for me to send resources out in one go than to keep having to send the same email.
Thanks
Mr Boulter

Lesson reflection and HW- 7th March

Hi all,

Sorry I didn't get round to this until Sunday- the school IT meltdown got in the way a bit. Anyway, I'd just like to reflect on Friday's lesson and set the homework.

1) The most important learning from Friday came in the form of feedback on your exam performance, and it's up to you now to think about, learn and reflect upon the targets that you were set. I gave out Laura's essay as a model of a really well-structured and developed piece of work, and it would definitely be good for all of you to have another look at this to consider why it achieved so highly. Enough embarassment of Laura- I won't mention it again!

Overall, they were a pretty strong set of responses, so well done for your efforts here. If you were absent and missed the exam, you need to catch up- see me for the question.

2) Secondly, we had a look at some political marketing for your Advertising and Marketing unit. This lead to some very interesting discussions, and you should now have learnt a number of techniques used by political parties to attract voters. We looked in detail at the media language and came up with ideas such as appealing to the individual, scaring the audience, targeting specific audiences (eg parents), negative campaigning etc. As part of your homework, you need to study the websites of the Labour Party http://www.labour.org.uk/ and the Conservative party http://www.conservatives.com/, and prepare notes on their approaches ready for discussion next lesson. Extension work might involve looking at other parties also- the Green Party marketing is interesting- so please do this as well if you can. Remember that the more independent you can be the better- try hard to find the interest in this topic and see what you can learn from it. By the way, the logo on this post is the new Conservative party logo- see what I mean aobut how they've tried to soften their image?

Also for homework, I need you to email me, so that I can send you some stuff by return. Send an email to tbo@cheney.oxon.sch.uk as soon as you can- you can just send a blank one, otherwise a good joke always goes down well.

Have a great week everyone,

Mr Boulter

ps- Sonal you asked about what campaign you should have prepared for the Ad and Marketing question in Med 2- primarily you should use the film marketing that you've looked at with Mrs Harte (see her previous post for instructions on this). Otherwise, there is some very interesting information on the Barnardo's website about how their campaigns have developed, so have a good look at this- it does make a good case study for exam preparation. http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/campaigns/resources_students_advertising.htm

Lesson reflection and homework

Hi all,


Well done on another strong performance in Friday's lesson. We went back and revised the Key concept of Institution, focusing particularly on the divide between Public Service Broadcasting and Commercial broadcasting, considering the funding issues here, as well as the potential influence on audiences. We then went on to analyse an episode of CSI, which provided a nice comparison with Spooks, and illustrates the PSB vs Commercial divide quite well.


For homework, I realise that you've got coursework commitments at the moment, so I'd like you to just finish off the mind maps we started in class (if you missed the lesson, you need to come to se me or ask a class mate what to do here). I'd like these done as well as you can manage please; remember that it's the process of doing these which helps you to learn as much as using the final product. Click on the example here for ideas about how to do it- your task is to create a mindmap to revise one of the texts that we've studied so far (Hot Fuzz, Spooks, CSI), so start with an image in the middle and try to include detail on the relevant Key Concepts, particularly Med Language, Representation, Narrative, Audience.

ONE MORE THING! Have a read of some of these reflections on current adverts from the Guardian website- very funny and useful for your Advertising and Marketing stuff. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguide/hardsell/0,,1280135,00.html

Have fun!


Mr Boulter

Lesson Preview: Friday 15th Feb

Hi all,
Well, it's our Valentines Day come-down lesson today, and I thought we'd celebrate with an absolutely unromantic look at the exam papers for Med 2, before answering a practice question in the second half of the lesson. If you get a chance, have a look back on the blog at how to use the 3 Step Plan, and also how to write really good analytical paragraphs.
See you then!
Mr Boulter

Lesson: Friday 8th Feb

Hi all,
My apologies- I won't be in the lesson on Fri morning, as I am out all day on a course. However, Mrs Harte is expecting you to be there, and complete the following work. I'd like you to:

Watch an episode of Spooks and complete a thorough analysis, making notes on the following:
Media Language
Narrative
Representations
Values and Ideology
Audience

I want to see your notes next week, and you can choose the form in which to present them, such as a mind map, booklet etc.

Homework is to complete this task to a really high standard.

Well done all on the good quality presentations from this week, and have a good weekend.

Mr Boulter

ps: Don't forget, your Med 1 Mock is on next Friday periods 1 and 2. I suggest you prepare for this by looking back at the work we did earlier in the course (particularly around J17), and looking over the targets you were set. Have a look back at the posts on the blog from around this time to refresh your memory of what we covered.

Lesson reflection

Hi all,
Just to say well done to those who presented on Friday, and to remind the other two groups that we are using Weds p5 to finish this off- come prepared! I think we definitely saw the benefit of imposing a clearer structure, so keep this in mind for future presentations (in all subjects really).
A couple of points became clear for development:
1) We need to include more detail in our analysis. Using the principle of saying 'a lot about a little', we need to be able to write or say several points following the identification of a technique or feature, so future lessons will consider how we can work on this crucial area.
2) We need to think more about representation and Values and Ideologies, and develop our analysis of these areas in particular.
Otherwise, well done on a productive lesson- I'll discuss homework with you on Weds, so no need to do anything for me until then, other than read Media Guardian (see link) and come to the lesson aware of 3 recent stories from the site.
Bye,
Mr Boulter
ps: we are very keen for you to leave comments and ask questions, but try to keep them relevant to the subject and make sure you identify yourself. Thanks.

Homework 28th January - Film Marketing

Sooooo - as part of your Ad & Marketing knowledge you need to research a couple of film marketing campaigns. Obviously we need to look at films not yet released so we can get an idea of the build up towards the release date. Clearly this is important - the more Awareness, Interest and Desire you create, the more people will take Action and go and watch the film when it's released. (AIDA!)
So. The first film we'll be looking at together is "Underdog" - a Disney film due to be released on 1st February - this Friday! In class I will have shown you a poster which was free at the Vue cinema. On the back of this poster are some games for kids to play, so it isn't just something to put on the wall. You need to keep your eyes peeled for all the trailers, teasers and other marketing you can find over the next couple of weeks. Does it come up on kids' tv news or anything? Also, look at the UK Disney website (US is pointless as they've already released it over there) - remember we are looking at the marketing of the film in the UK for a UK audience. Are there any tie-ins anywhere, or freebies on kids' magazines etc? Search high and low and be ready to report your findings! Keep detailed notes of course.

Secondly - you need to explore other films which are due to be released later this year, preferably before our exams! Choose one that you would like to monitor & research.

We'll be discussing Film marketing next lesson. This should help us move towards covering Institutions in more detail as well! Dull but necessary.

Oh, and GET YOUR ESSAYS IN BY TUESDAY OR I CALL HOME!!!!
Thanks
Mrs H

A message from Mrs Harte

Hello. Just wanted you to know I haven't forgotten how to use the blog.
I only received 4 homework essays on Monday. Could I please have the rest of them this week?! The title was "How are gender roles represented in UK adverts for alcohol". You had very clear guidelines on how to approach this essay so there should be no "I didn't know what to do" excuses. I'm sure there won't be as you are all brilliant students who work really hard and are keen to impress.
TTFN
Mrs H

Values and Ideology lesson review

Hello Everyone,

First of all, well done for the attitude and approach you all took in Friday's lesson on Values and Ideology- you were generally very focused and there was much intelligent discussion of the important and interesting concepts of values and ideology. Some of the things we should have learnt were:

• The definitions of values and ideology, and the differences between them


• We explored and defined our personal values


• We explored and defined the values expressed by various media texts (the Coke and Innocent Smoothie websites, the J17 front cover


• We discussed the idea of texts and institutions expressing 'surface' values, and the way that other, usually less positive values could be uncovered also in most texts


• We considered the definition of Ideology, and brought up the idea of Gramsci's theory of hegemony (more on this available online for extended reading)


• We applied these ideas to the BNP website, and then to the BBC's handling of Values and Ideology in their mission statement, and also the key episode of Spooks

Phew! We covered a lot of stuff here, and it's certainly worth your while reflecting on these ideas this week and in your SIS session on Weds.

Homework (and I'm sorry that I'm posting this on Sunday night and not earlier!), is to choose a media text (can be anything, eg a PS2 game, a music video, newspaper article etc), and to try to identify a clear set of values which the text displays. Be ready to present your findings to the class on Friday.

Well done again on a very promising lesson's work. Have a good week,

Mr Boulter

Lesson review and Homework: 11th Jan

Hi,

Friday's lesson was in two parts- the first was spent reflecting on the course so far, your recent essays (which were excellent) and, crucially, the skills and attributes required if you are to be really successful learners. Lots of interesting thoughts and ideas came from this, with the importance of independence and focus coming through strongly. We also discussed the idea of motivation, and how being motivated purely by the exam isn't really enough- this 'fear of failure' model won't encourage genuine engagement and enjoyment. Instead, we need to find interest and motivation in the learning itself, and see the knowledge and skills we are gaining as something which will enrich our lives generally. One body of research has summed up the features of a successful learner using the 5 Rs:
•Resilient
The Resilient learner sticks at it, has a positive attitude, finds interest in what they are doing, sets targets and practises, and sticks at it
•Resourceful
The resourceful learner uses imagination, learns in different ways, asks good questions and takes risks
•Responsible
The responsible learner knows right and wrong, gets on with it, plans ahead and helps others
•Reasoning
Can say which is better and why, gathers all the evidence, chooses the best method and takes time
•Reflective
Asks ‘why?’Stays calm, listens to different opinions, learns from mistakes

Now would be a good time to reflect on your own approach- how many of these features can you recognise in yourself? Which of them do you think you need to be more aware of in future?

All very interesting and important! The second half of the lesson was a bit more conventional, as we watched an episode of the BBC drama series Spooks and began an analysis using the Key Concepts. Of particular interest was Values and Ideology here- we'll discuss this next lesson, but this also informs your homework task, which is as follows:

Research the institution of the BBC. Focus your research on the following questions:

1) Who owns it?

2) What different types of media are produced by the company?

3) What does it mean to be a Public Service Broadcaster, and why is this important?

4) Identify the values and ideologies that surround the company, as well as bias and political/economical interest.

You should look to produce extensive notes on this, in any form that you wish. You need to use the web primarily- there's a good Wikipedia site on Public Service Broadcasting here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_service_broadcasting_in_the_United_Kingdom .

See me or leave a comment if any problems with this, and remember that this is a learning task- are you using the 5 Rs in your approach?

Mr Boulter

Supervised Independent Study lesson- 9th Jan

Welcome back everyone!
Your first SIS lesson of the term: how are you going to spend it? Some ideas for areas you might investigate (ie things you will be studying this term) are:

• Advertising
• Film and Broadcast Fiction, with a particular focus on Hot Fuzz, Spooks and CSI (so maybe some research into crime fiction?)
• Media Issues and debates

It would be sensible to choose one of these areas to investigate, but the questions that you need to ask yourself at the beginning of this session are:

• What do I want to know / be able to do at the end of this session?
• How can I achieve this- what resources do I need, and how can I record and remember the information?

One really good idea is to work on Mindmapping- look this up on the web to find out how to do it properly.

Get stuck in to this!

Mr Boulter