BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Following the film "Glory" here are some photographs of the memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. The memorial is in Boston Massachusetts at the edge of Boston Common and is well worth visiting.

NEW POLL - QUANTUM OF SOLACE

Don't forget to vote in our new poll below.

Last poll results: Best Bond - Sean Connery was top dog 55% with Young pretender Daniel Craig second on 40%. Also rans: RogerMoore, P Brosnan, T Dalton in that order - even David Niven ranked above George Lasenby who gained 1 vote - somebody being ironic I guess (hope!). Thank you to all who took part.

FILM STUDIES: THE UNTOUCHABLES

Following on from our "reading" of The Untouchables, Al Capone was never convicted with murder but with tax evasion. He was sent to several prisons including the infamous Alcatraz island known as "The Rock". Here is a brief description of The Rock including a mention for Al Capone.





Above top left is a picture of his "mug-shot". Do you think De Niro looked anything like the real Capone in the film? If not, does it matter?

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Pictures of the actual black soldiers who fought in the American Civil War including Robert Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: GLORY

Following on from Film Studies and Media studies contribution to Black History month...



More information on the fantastic film "Glory" can be found at this link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097441/

Here's part of the moving finale

YEAR 10 FILM STUDIES - FILM HISTORY Lumière: L'Arrivée d'un train à La Ciotat (1895)

Following on from today's lesson here is an extract from the Lumiere brothers' short film. Can you remember the reaction of the audience when they saw this for the first time?

Why do you think it was important that the Lumiere factory was located in Lyon, in the South of France? A clue lies in the name Lumiere!

YEAR 10: FILM STUDIES TEST

The Lumiere brothers.

Some broad clues for you in preparation for your film test: Revise genre and homage. Also early cinema and a certain country where films were pioneered by the Lumiere brothers.

Are you certain of all your camera angles and shots?

Good luck - prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places!

VISUAL GRAMMAR

A great activity on visual grammar at

http://aspirations.english.cam.ac.uk/converse/movies/visual_grammar.swf

Two That Definately Would Not Available for Children's Parties...

The dummy from British horror classic "Dead of Night" 1945







"Fats" from the film "Magic" 1978

BUNCH OF FIVES...

FIVE VENTRILOQUISTS DUMMIES THAT WOULD BRIGHTEN ANY WINTER MORNING...


Little Frank
Archie Andrews
Lord Charles
Spit the Dog
Nookey Bear

YEAR 10 MEDIA

Following on from your enquiries regarding the songs used in the last lesson, they are "The Baddest of the Bad" and "Lie Detector" by Texan band "The Reverend Horton Heat". Here's a video of the good ol' Reverend playing live and a polished video for commercial use. The Rev. is the man singing...

YEAR 13 "HITCHER"

An interpretation of "Hitcher" by Simon Armitage.

YEAR 13 SONNET 130

Another one for you "Lost" fans...

YEAR 13 ENGLISH SONNET 130

Part of the beauty and richness of English literature is the fact that the texts are open to many interpretations. They can inspire another piece of art or representation of the original text. Two interpretations of Sonnet 130 for your delight and delectation...

YEAR 13 ENGLISH: IRONY

Carter USM at their most ironic. "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" was a famous quote from a series of Martini adverts. Carter, use irony to highlight the misery of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. They continue the quote "It's a wonderful world you can share..."

Then add...


" Moonshine, firewater, Captain Morgan,
Johnnie Walker, Southern Comfort, mother's ruin,
happy hours of homeless brewing,
Galloways sore throat expectorant,
after-shave and disinfectant,
Parazone and Fairy Liquid,
If it's in a glass you'll drink it"

YEAR 13 ENGLISH

Following on from Thursday's lesson on lyrical poems, narrative structure, monologues and the ballad form, I've posted the video of "Camouflage".

YEAR 10 FILM STUDIES

Following on from Friday's lesson "Why Silent Films Were Never Silent" I've posted Wamsleydesigner's imagined trailer for Nosferatu 1922 F. W. Murnau. There were no film trailers as such in 1922 especially for the international market but if there had been I think this one would have been excellent.



Can you remember why the name Dracula is never used in the film? Can you remember the name of the Count (Graf) in Nosferatu?

YEAR 10 FILM STUDIES FOR THURSDAY

Answer the following question correctly to win a "Cloverfield" poster.



What is the connection between Sergei Eisenstein's "Bronenosets Potyomkin" ("Battleship Potemkin") 1925 and Brian De Palma's "The Untouchables" 1987?

THE BODINES

The Bodines featuring on drums our very own multi-talented John Rowland. This video, of hit "Skanking Queens" was shot in California and directed by Derek Jarman's DOP no less! Catch more of the fantastic Bodines on You Tube.

The Referee's Alphabet

One last gem from HMHB.

Parody

Couldn't resist including this Eraserhead parody set to the song "Restless Legs" by Half Man Half Biscuit. The extracts feature Lynch stalwart Jack Nance.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE PROPOSED THEME SONG

Great spoof theme song. It should definitely be in the running for the real song. Many thanks to JB aficionado Chris Corbett for bringing it to my attention.

JAMES BOND: QUANTUM OF SOLACE

The second trailer.

SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

Did anybody watch the first series?

OK so it was a little clunky (like the basic T model!) at first while characters were established but I think it got better and better and it is pretty much faithful to the three films.

"The Demon Hand" episode is my pick of the bunch especially the uncut version but you need to obtain the Region 1 to watch it.

If the networks especially FOX and Warner Bros. don't pull the plug on it I think the second series will go from strength to strength.

FILM STUDIES: YEAR 10

Thursday's lesson: remember to have details about the film you have chosen for your project. I know it is sometimes hard to choose from so many great films but pick one you really like and can easily obtain the DVD/video/MP4 of.

Above is a still from one of my all-time favourite sequences from one of my all-time favourite films. Do you know the name of the film?

You will need to do the following:

1. From the film you have chosen choose a favourite sequence of no more than 5 mins

2. Be able to explain why you like the sequence so much

3. Be able to show that you have carried out independent research following the details I gave you last lesson.

This work counts towards 5% of your overall coursework mark and is very important.

FILM STUDIES: sounds

In your studies you will need to be clear about the differences between diegetic and non-diegetic sound and how they impact on a film.

Music, ambient sound and sound effects all figure hugely in films.

Possible extracts for you to consider are:

The opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark – great for ambient sound, sound effects
(whip,gun)and use of music. Also no dialogue from central character, significant to
establishing of character.

Face Off – scene ( ) Child listening to ‘Over the Rainbow’ over the top of violent
shoot out. – Contrapuntal sound. Also dramatic sound effects in between.

A great site with lots of resources on sound is

www.filmsound.org

FILM STUDIES: log lines

As part of your coursework you will have to create a sales pitch and it should begin with a "log line".

For an explanation of what a log line is and examples, visit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Log_line

If you can obtain a copy of "The Player" there are some excellent examples of sales pitches to potential investors.

DISASTER MOVIES

"The Towering Inferno" website - going for 10 years it boasts and no wonder for it contains excellent information on this landmark disaster movie. Re-live the heated - sorry! rivalry between Newman and McQueen who insisted that they share equal billing and exactly the same number of lines!


http://www.thetoweringinferno.info/

Also check out the storyboards contained on this website - they are remarkable and good examples for your own storyboarding work.

DISASTER MOVIES

All you'll ever need to know and more besides about the making of the seminal 70s disaster movie "Eathquake". Did the ground move for you? It did for me as the cinema had a specially designed sound system that employed deep bass to shake the floor and seats.

They did the same when I went to see the original "Battlestar Galatica" movie but I digress...

The cinema was probably 70 years old then and so the wisdom of employing a foundation shaking technology ought to have been questioned but those were in the halcyonic days before "No Win No fee". Claims Direct and their ilk.

http://members.aol.com/earthquakemovie/earthquakemovie/

FILM STUDIES

A link to the Welsh Board webpage that deals with your subject. There you will find resources that you can download including a specimen question paper.

http://www.wjec.co.uk/index.php?subject=54&level=7&imageField2.x=55&imageField2.y=18

JAMES BOND

Don't forget to vote for your favourite James Bond. George Lazenby anyone?

FILM STUDIES

Disaster Movie Quiz

As you are aware you are studying the genre of disaster movies. Try the disaster movie quiz at the Guardian Unlimited website. I would say a score of less than three could be seen to be more than a little... of its own.

http://film.guardian.co.uk/quiz/questions/0,5952,1226014,00.html

JAMES BOND

Voted the best opening sequence of any James Bond film. What do you think?



And the great Bond song by Carly Simon, title design by the legendary Maurice Binder...



The trailer from 1977. Compare this with the trailer for "Quantum of Solace". How are they similar? How are they different?

James Bond Research

To obtain the best grades you must show the examiner that you have a very good understanding of the history and background of the James Bond franchise.

Follow the link below to download from my website a fantastic resource on James Bond from Total Film magazine.

https://spideroak.com/browse/share/SHAREWISE/FLEMING

"Weird Al" Yankovic Spy Hard

A spoof Bond opening sequence from the film "Spy Hard". It's by the makers of "The Naked Gun" and "Police Squad" and will scores 7/10 on the giggleometer. It's worth tracking down.

Link to trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxjmwu1Jrx0

Clips from Spy Hard.

JAMES BOND

Trailer for the new Bond film "Quantum of Solace" at

GCSE FILM STUDIES: FIRST LESSONS

In the first lessons we will be looking at the key concepts of genre, conventions and audience. The genre of films we will be studying is disaster movies. You are required to study this genre of film by the examining body (the people who have created the course you are studying) which is the Welsh Board.

Disaster movies can be broken into sub-genres including natural disasters, monsters, viral, science fiction, documentary etc. It is important to be able to identify the main conventions (features) of a disaster film and to be able to compare and comment on the films you "read". The films we will be featuring in our studies will include:

Godzilla

Quatermass and the Pit

World Trade Centre

The Towering Inferno

Dantes' Peak

The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

The Poseidon Adventure (2006)

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

The Day after Tomorrow

Cloverfield

28 Days Later

It is essential that you carry out independent research and "read" as many disaster movies as you can to expand your knowledge and understanding of this genre but also to enable you to comment in much more depth and gain the highest grades. I will shortly be listing useful websites to help you with your research. Be prepared for a quiz in October too!

VISUAL METAPHORS

In your studies of disaster movies (films) you will "read" many visual metaphors (VMs). A number of important VMs appear in "War of the Worlds" (2005) and "Cloverfield" (2007) and involve paper floating down from the sky. What does this represent and where do you think this idea has come from: that falling paper paper represents destruction and mayhem?

In "Superman Returns" (2006) Superman prevents a large passenger plane from crashing into a baseball park. Again, what is the VM here and what is it representing? Why baseball?

The dates of these films are all very important in developing your answers. In the 1980s and 1990s with a few exceptions, disaster movies as a genre fell into decline. However, following a real disaster, this genre has found a new lease of life, a new connection with audiences around the world.

Questions.

1. What event prompted the increase in disaster movie production?

2. What does this tell us about the attitudes of our present society?

3. What other VMs could you design and place in your own film to represent disaster/destruction and to tie it to the "real-life" disaster that affected the whole world?

Link to "War of the Worlds" trailer below

FILM-MAKING TECHNIQUES

Students take note! As part of your Media Studies and/or Film Studies courses, you will be required to do some filming. This means you must be familiar with all the basic language of film including the various types of shots. This includes camera angles and transitions and the reasons for using these shots. Sound is equally important.

Always ask yourselves: how will using this shot/angle/sound affect my audience?
Check out this link excellent link at You Tube:



I look forward to seeing some of these techniques being used in your own work in September.

THE GREAT DIRECTORS

John Cassavetes, actor, screenwriter and director. Generally credited with being the father of modern independent film. Born in New York City and from a Greek family; Cassavetes pioneered independent, non-genre led films that spoke from the heart. His films still have the power to enchant and thrill although many are no longer screened and are hard to find on DVD. All credit to SKY movies for recently airing "Husbands".

Cassavetes explored the world of men relationships between men. He deliberately set out to avoid the cliches and formulas found in too many films.

For more information of this fascinating director check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cassavetes

And Peter Falk pre "Columbo".




A review of "Husbands" can be found at:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065867/

Versatile

Now playing an incompetent policeman.

The great man himself in action...

From YouTube. Playing a bumbling,venal school teacher - no comments please!!!

Films from home

Never mind Warner Bros. or MGM, 20th Century Fox and just forget United Artists and Universal. Film started closer to home in fact the north west boasts a proud fim tradition.

One of the earliest film studios was in Rusholme!

Check out Mancunian Films and Frank Randle at

http://www.itsahotun.com/Frankrandle.html

Also look at two of my personal favourites: Mitchell and Kenyon and their film studio called Norden in Lancashire. More details at this site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_and_Kenyon

Lest we forget...

Can anybody identify this genius of comedy? First to do so by email will receive a prize.

GCSE MEDIA STUDIES: SITCOMS AND REPRESENTATION

Here is the clip from "Little Britain" for you to compare with "Are You Being Served". Remember, "Little Britain is NOT a sitcom. Can you remember why it is not?

GCSE MEDIA STUDIES - SITCOMS AND REPRESENTATION

Your responses will form part of your first homework when we return from the Easter holidays.

Watch the following clip from the 1970s sitcom "Are You being Served?" How is the character Mr Humphries represented? Can he been seenas a gay stereotype or is he an archetype? As we have seen from watching "Love Thy Neighbour" sitcoms can reflect the attitudes of a society at the time a sitcom was made. What do you think attitudes were towards gay people in the 1970s and are they different from attitudes today?

Follow this link for more information on "Are You Being Served?" http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/areyoubeingserved/index.shtml - remember this show attracted audiences of up to 20 million - something TV makers can only dream of today!

Now watch the clip from "Little Britain" which is not a sitcom but a sketch show. Has the representation of a gay man for comedic effect (to gain laughs) changed over the last 40 years, or can you see some differences between Mr Humphries and Daffyd Thomas ("the only gay in the village")? Can you give examples of characters in sitcoms, soaps or dramas that do not fit in with the representations of gay people in "Are you Being Served" and "Little Britain"?

SIXTH FORM ENGLISH - THE BURIAL AT THEBES

As you know this play was commissioned by the Abbey Theatre Dublin. This theatre is showing a new production of the play commencing in early April.

Visit the site at; http://www.abbeytheatre.ie/2008season/the-burial-at-thebes.html

Here you will find a brief but good description (synopsis) of the main themes in the play. In readiness for your first English lesson with me when you return from the Easter holidays, be prepared to discuss the contents of the webpage at the Abbey theatre especially the connections that can be drawn between the story of the play and the "War on terror" following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the USA. What parallels can you draw?

POCASTING QUICK LINK

If you scroll to the bottom of this page you will find the podcasts presently available from my new podcast site at http://evansmedia.podbean.com/

However, take the time to visit the site yourselves as there will be other resources available for you.

Remember you can also download these podcasts for free at the I-Tunes store. if you are unsure about how to do this, see me when you return from the Easter holidays.

PODCASTING RESOURCES

Remember to visit my other site at: http://evansmedia.podbean.com/


Here you will be able to access podcasts and other materials to help you with your English and Media Studies GCSE's. It works the same as the old website you used but it allows me to store more resources.

The podcasts and resources are fully downloadable. If you have problems downloading or playing the podcasts contact me at the email adress you will find at the bottom of this webpage.

REVISION AND COURSEWORK CATCH-UP

For my year 11 students, I'm holding another coursework catch-up session tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.. This is a shorter session than the one's last week so make sure you come early in order to make the most of the session.

YEAR 11 PRACTICAL PRODUCTION: GAME SHOWS

Filming will take place all day on Monday 14th January so bring in all your costumes, props, make-up etc. A giant microphone and a whizzy bow tie would be most welcome too.

Rehearsals and filming in drama studio A8. All students will go to their science lessons period 4 and then return to the drama studio for period 5. Remember to bring in your science books etc.!

Good luck for Monday and enjoy!