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!

YEAR 11 MEDIA STUDIES

As part of your homework over the Christmas holidays you will be analysing two sitcoms. You already have your analysis worksheets. In addition I want you to think about the following:



1. How do sitcoms represent minorities such as gay people or black people? How are Chinese people portrayed if at all and if not, why not?



2. Should sitcoms be allowed to be offensive to some groups in society, after all isn't that what makes it funny? It is said that we live in a "free" country but is there a line that should not be crossed when dealing with certain subjects? Can't humour be found in all situations and therefore be "fair game"?

THE ACADEMY'S BUDDING JOURNALISTS

For the full story follow the link here:

http://www.manchester-academy.org/content/1/616/academy-students-float-like-a-butterfly--sting-like-a-bee.html

SIXTH FORM TRIP TO CORNERHOUSE

Follow the link here:

http://www.manchester-academy.org/content/1/609/kite-runner-soars-high-above-your-typical-movie.html

THE ACADEMY'S GOT TALENT YEAR 12 MEDIA STUDIES

Just a reminder that auditions will take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 3 p.m. prompt. For Monday's lesson, your group needs to be certain as the role each one will play in the production: whether it be hosting, filming, scripting, directing etc. Make sure you take all the equipment you will ned to film, plus questions for the "human interest" element of the show. I will meet you at the auditions. Enjoy!

THEATRE TRIP YEAR 12 HENRY V

A review of the production we will be seeing can be found by following this link:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/theatre_and_dance/theatre_and_dance_reviews/s/1016033_henry_v__royal_exchange

TV SCHEDULE RESEARCH

Whenever you are given research tasks re TV, the following websites are very useful:

www.tvguideuk.co.uk/tvlistings

www.silversurfurs.net/entertainment

www.challenge.co.uk

www.onthebox.com

www.radiotimes.com/tv/

THE ACADEMY 'S GOT TALENT - PRACTICAL PRODUCTION

Year 12 students please note that auditions start, Monday, 15th October at 3 p.m. in the Hall and will continue at the same time Tuesday and Wednesday. You will be required to film the auditions as part of your practical production tasks.

YEAR 12 MEDIA STUDENTS AND ENGLISH STUDENTS

CAMERA ANGLES

In Friday's English lesson we will be considering film language and the elements of composition for the media module of your English coursework. Media students, Monday's lesson - we are also studying some of these elements in readiness for your practical production.

A great site highlighting camera angles is "Elements of Cinematography". Media students, I expect you all to visit over the weekend in advance of Monday's lesson.

Follow the link below:

http://accad.osu.edu/~midori/Materials/camera.html

WELCOME YEAR 12 MEDIA FILM STUDENTS

A course outline, schemes of work and lesson details in advance of class are all contained on this site. The site also contains useful materials to aid you in your studies as well as links to other useful websites.

Wishing you an enjoyable, productive and successful two years!

LINK TO ACTIVSTUDIO VIEWER

Click this link to obtain a free browser for resources created for Activstudio flipcharts:

http://www.prometheanworld.com/uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.3026

YEAR 10 GCSE MEDIA STUDIES

Congratulations to Year 10 on their respectable to excellent mock examination grades. Keep up the good work and remember - there is always room for improvement...

John Cooper-Clarke

Superlatives fail in describing one of Salford's favourite sons. A great video and soundtrack updating/complementing JCC's seminal "Kung Fu International". Enjoy.

Hagfish

Some groups have been using "Happiness", a track by 90s Dallas-based band "Hagfish" as inspiration for filming. Here's the Hagfish video to the song.

THE SIGNAL-MAN

Very good resourse from Nick Evans at www.englishresources.co.uk

The direct link to the signal-man resource is below

http://www.newi.ac.uk/englishresources/workunits/ks4/wideread/sigman.html

YEAR 10 GCSE MEDIA STUDIES EXAMINATIONS

Click on the links for materials to help you with your essay.

http://www.zshare.net/download/cinema-genre2-flp-s3q.html


http://www.zshare.net/download/cinema-2-flp-uxn.html

SUPERHEROES

"Is it a bird, is it a plane?"

By popular demand the templates for your superhero/villian can be obtained by clicking the links below. A big thank you to Miss Meakin who designed the templates. she promises to create additional templates for you. Watch this space and enjoy!

Male superhero/villian

http://www.zshare.net/download/superherom-pdf.html

Female superhero(ine)/villain(ess)

http://www.zshare.net/download/superherof-pdf.html

YEAR 10T COURSEWORK - ANNOTATED PASSAGE

Click the link below for a copy of the annotated passage from "The Red Room".

http://www.zshare.net/download/annotate-pdf.html

FILM STUDIES: BOOK OF THE MONTH

"The Whole Equation" by David Thomson is an ambitious book. It seeks to chart the history of cinema and Hollywood in terms of themes and personalities - it is quite eccentric, quite brilliant and wonderfully flawed. However, the chapters on the birth of cinema: Edison versus the Lumieres and the impact of sound and colour are excellent. Furthermore, Thompson's comments on the "dreaming" element of cinema, whether it is necessary to view film as "art" are thought-provoking as is his discussion on its future. A very good read indeed.

YEAR 10T Planning Your Essay

Click on the link below for a copy of your Essay Planning sheet.

http://www.zshare.net/download/planning-your-essay-gcse-gothic-horror-doc.html

YEAR 10T coursework essay "foreshadowing"

The Rhinemaidens warn Siegfried of a curse, foreshadowing the disasters of Götterdämmerung. By Arthur Rackham

Click on the link below for further information on and examples of foreshadowing:

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

10T Coursework - Specifications

Vincent and Peter wishing you "good luck".

Click on this link to download the specifications for top grades on your coursework unit. I have not listed the specifications for lower grades for obvious reasons...


http://www.zshare.net/download/specs-pdf.html

THE GREAT DIRECTORS: AKIRA KUROSAWA

When Akira Kurosawa was in his early 20s, his older brother Heigo committed suicide. Four months later, the oldest of Kurosawa's brothers also died, leaving Akira as the only surviving son of an original four at age 23. Kurosawa's next-oldest sibling, a sister he called "Little Big Sister," had also died suddenly after a short illness when he was ten.

Known as "Tenno", literally "Emperor" by cast and crew alike, this multi-talented, giant of cinema has influenced many film-makers over the last fifty years. Part-perfectionist, part-dictator, his films are unique and bear his stamp; whether is be the use of telephoto lenses or weather as a central part of story-telling.

Find out more about this remarkable director at:

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

10T Coursework Essay, "The Red Room"

A synopsis of this story and details on H. G. Wells can be found at this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Room_(Wells)

YEAR 10T Coursework essay, "THE SIGNAL-MAN"

A good synopsis of the story and details about Charles Dickens can be found at this link

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

YEAR 10T "The Monkey's Paw" coursework essay

Information on W. W. Jacobs and a good synopsis of the story can be found by clicking this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey%27s_Paw

You can find the answers to the questions set on "The Monkey's Paw" by clicking this link:

http://www.zshare.net/download/the-monkeys-paw-doc.html

YEAR 10 MEDIA STUDIES

The lesson tomorrow (16.04.07) will focus on genre in relation to institutions, texts and audiences. In advance you must consider the following:

1. How can texts be identified as being part of a genre, what elements help to identify it in this way: thematic, iconographic, representational?

2. Why do institutions produce films at certain moments in time and what do those texts say about the culture they are produced in and its values?

3. How do audiences relate to those genres now in comparison to the ways in which previous audiences have responded in the past?

The theorists we will be studying are Andre Bazin, Robert Warshow and Lawrence Alloway.

YEAR 10 MEDIA ASSESSMENT

Your assessment results are ready for you to collect. Email me and I will forward your asessment mark and grade.

GENRE: ANDRE BAZIN

Whilst the definition of "genre" is the subject of debate, it is generally agreed that one of the key researchers in this area, was the great film theorist Andre Bazin. Bazin queried why a purely American type of film: the cowboy western, which was about American issues and American history clearly appealed to audiences worldwide irrespective of their culure and background. This led him to develop a theory of genre.

Find out more about Bazin and his research by clicking this link:

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

Coursework and assessment results

All results to be published here second week of holidays. Don't worry about the "fingers crossed" image, however emotive. luck plays no part in the marking scheme...

In the meantime enjoy your break but keep focussed on your homeworks and the additional activities I have set you.

Mr E

CONGRATULATIONS 10A MEDIA!

Congratulations to all the students who have given their "horror sequence storyboard" presentations. They have been fantastic. You are all articulate and show clearly that you understand codes, conventions and the "why" of analysis.

Give yourselves a hearty pat on the back.

In the meantime see what you can find out about the Director "James Whale" (pictured above)? Find five famous films he directed and answer this: what is his connection with the First World War and how did this affect his work (if it did). Follow the link to IMDB, this will start you on your quest. Also, name the film made about James Whale and name the actor that plays him. The film is relatively recent. Good luck.

See you all on the other side of the holidays.

WORK FOR LIAM DOYLE: YEAR 10A MEDIA STUDIES

Hi Liam,

Click the links below to find work to complete for your GCSE Media Studies coursework. The work concerns the cinema. Both worksheets are in PDF format and require Abobe Acrobat to be read. If you have any questions, please email me.

www.zshare.net/download/cinema-initial-quest-pdf.html

http://www.zshare.net/download/my-films-pdf.html

YEAR 10 MEDIA

We have been reading "Donnie Darko" as part of our analysis of codes and conventions of the cinema.

For a review of DD click the link below:

www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578



For a "Donnie Darko Codes and Conventions" worksheet click the link below:


www.zshare.net/download/codes-and-conventions-donnie-darko-doc.html

YEAR 8U - SPELLING CHALLENGE

Don't forget that Wednesday is your spelling challenge test. For those needing a spelling list, click on the link below:

www.zshare.net/download/spelling-list-doc.html

THE GREAT DIRECTORS: JOHN FORD

It is no exaggeration to say that John Ford is one of the greatest filmakers in the relatively short history of this artform. A tangible influence on many directors, in a career that spanned both the silent film era and the "talkies", Ford made 140 films.

A chronicler of American history and the ordinary American, Ford is one of the great storytellers. His images remain imprinted in the mind long after the film has ended. Whether it be the panoramas of monument valley or John Wayne's isolation and loneliness at the threshold of the family home at the end of "The Searchers", Ford'svision remains unsurpassed by any American Director.

Read more about this truly great filmaker at:

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

Watch the trailer for "The Searchers".

YEAR 10T ENGLISH MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

Sequence from the film.





The original film trailer.

YEAR 10 T: "THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH"

You have been studying this film as part of your research on the conventions of a gothic horror story.

Read a review of this film at:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058333/

Find out more about the late, great, Vincent Price at:

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

GREAT DIRECTORS: HOWARD HAWKS

Hawks is the "Director's Director", being known for his versatility, filming comedies, dramas, gangster films, sci-fi, pulp noir, and Westerns with equal ease and skill. Hawks' own functional definition of what constitutes a "good movie" is revealing of his no-nonsense style: "Three great scenes, no bad ones."

Find out more about this remarkable director and his films at:

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

YEAR 10 GCSE MEDIA STUDIES

The "what" and the "why".

Following on from Tuesday's lesson - click the link to find a sample evaluation of a storyboard frame.

This also contains information on cinema, including the Oscar's film quiz.


http://www.zshare.net/download/cinema-2-flp.html

YEAR 10 GCSE MEDIA STUDIES - SO YOU CAN'T DRAW?!?!!!

"But I can't draw!" is the familiar cry of students when storyboarding. Remember! You are being marked on your evaluation and the ideas behind your work. Stickmen, huh! let's not be sexist here, stickpeople, will do very nicely.

A great site to see a stickman (sorry!) artist at work is:

http://198.173.235.195/stickman/stickman_submit.html

The stickman artist is Mark Monlux.

There is also a sheet to download that will help you practice drawing your stickpeople.

Enjoy!

Year 11 English GCSE Edexcel Unit 1B

Grace, Shanna, Fatou and Asha,

Check this site today - information will be posted...

Download information on the examination by clicking on

http://www.zshare.net/download/gcse-english-exam-doc.html

and

http://www.zshare.net/download/gcse-english-exam-pt-2-doc.html

Email me at Mrevans4444@aol.com so that i know you have downloaded these documents.

The Great Directors: Preston Sturges

A truly great and prolific film-maker, Preston Sturges is the perfect example of a director who could work within the Hollywood Studio System and yet make his own mark on the films he created. Indeed, while within the system his talent thrived, yet when he left to make independent films, his work and reputation fell into decline.

Find out more about this remarkable director at

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

GCSE MEDIA STUDIES: 2008 Controlled Test Sit coms

We pay tribute to an icon of British Sit Coms...

Frederick John Inman (28 June 1935 – 8 March 2007) was an English actor who was best known for his role as Mr Humphries in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? in the 1970s and 1980s. Inman was also well known in the United Kingdom as a pantomime dame.

Read more about John Inman at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Inman

GCSE MEDIA STUDIES: HOT OFF THE PRESS! 2009

The AQA GCSE Media Studies controlled test in 2009 will be on Quiz Shows.