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TASK 3: Film Openings Presentations [due MON 1st Feb]

You'll shortly receive a copy of the document embedded below; no need to print this off, and I'm only publishing this now for the benefit of any of you who like to work ahead of yourselves.
We'll screen your sweded films on Monday, and then discuss your answers to the simple questions for Task 2 on Tuesday. You'll have Friday to work on the presentation task in class, and you'll do these presentations starting Monday 1st Feb.

YOU MUST SELECT A FILM FROM THE NOUGHTIES!!!

No two people will present on the same film, so as soon as you let me know which film you want to present on (you need to have the Region 2 DVD to play the opening or, better still, use software to extract the opening and save as an MP4/avi/Quictime file), I'll add details to the list below the document.
On Weds/Thurs next week I'll demonstrate, using some random film openings, the sort of things you should consider - and get the ball rolling on your investigation into the codes and conventions of film openings.

Remember, from this point on, everything you do, whether in class or as homework, needs to be blogged!


In the Beginning There Was - As Film Opening Presn Guidelines Compressed

PRESENTATION LIST

KASIM ALI                                   - ALI G INDAHOUSE
JONATHAN BAILEY                   - HOT FUZZ
JAMIE BALDOCK                       - HUMAN TRAFFIC
LAURA BIRTWISTLE                  - BURN AFTER READING
AMY BLYSZKO                          - FOOL'S GOLD
EMMIE BRYETT                         - THE UGLY TRUTH
ALEX BURKE                             - THE MATRIX
MEGAN CLAYDON                   - LOVE ACTUALLY
JOEL COLBORNE                     - ANCHORMAN
BETH COOPER                          - ROCK N ROLLA
EMMA GRAVELLING               - WHERE THE HEART IS
KANE GRIFFITHS-STUBBS     - SHAUN OF THE DEAD
MELISSA HODGSON               - THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD
JONATHAN HUGHES              - DONNIE DARKO
MARY JENNER                        - WITHNAIL AND I
CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE   - VAN HELSING
LUCY MANNALL                     - MARLEY AND ME
ELIZABETH McPHAIL              - STEP UP
STEPHANIE MEARES              - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
ROBBIE MILLER                      - GLADIATOR
CALLUM MOREMAN             - NIGHT WATCH
JENNIFER ROBERTS               - THE NOTEBOOK
GEORGE SCAIFE                    - JURASSIC PARK
VANESSA SEADON               - THE PROPOSAL

Task 2: Your Filmic Tastes [deadline Tues 26th Jan]

Once we're through the sweding task (I've added some detail on what to blog), there are two key areas to thoroughly research and consider before a camera is picked up again: the codes and conventions of film openings (and of your chosen genre/s specifically) and the whole business of generating ideas you might turn into a film opening.
To kickstart this, you should consider where your natural interests lie; which genre/s will you enjoy working on for the next few months? It won't necessarily be the case that you end up working within a genre that you are familiar with - it is also vital that your idea enables you to read up on and comment about conventions of a genre - but it won't do any harm!
So, a very simple task, leading on to a more demanding task...

TASK 2: YOUR FILMIC TASTES

(1) List the last 5 movies you've seen
(2) What was the last movie you paid to go and see in the cinema?
(3) What are your favourite TWO film genres?
(4) What are your all-time top FIVE films?
(5) Which ONE of these is your absolute favourite ... and why (be fairly detailed on why!)*

This will lead onto a task involving your screening the opening 2 mins of a film of your choice, explaining in detail what this tells us about the codes and conventions of (1) film openings in general and (2) the genre specifically...

*I'm sure you'll all agree with me (and Guardian writer John Moore) that Withnail and I is the best movie of all time! (It will shortly be arriving in the Library!)

Sweding task: a note on blogging

Absolutely everything we do from now until your work is submitted should be reflected on your blog, with the sweding task no exception.

You should comment on:

• what is sweding/where does the term come from
• provide links to (better still, embed) an example/s from YouTube (from home!) or alternatives
  
• your initial shortlist of possible films
• detail your 30sec pitch
• what film did you go with and why
• any initial reflections on using iMovie and the camcorders/tripods themselves?
• once your finished piece is saved as a QuickTime file, upload and embed this
• either give precise timings or cut a shorter film with the prelim task featured, making sure you explain what each of the required terms mean
• in due course you will have to analyse how you developed from this prelim task to the main production, so good notes now will help!
• with this in mind, make some brief notes on what you've learned in general from this task
• if this actually was your main production what would you do differently?
  

From the very start, try to ensure your blog is fully multimedia and well illustrated with relevant* images; avoid at all costs long continuous paragraphs - feel free to use bullet points!!!

*you can always try quirky too, such as the vegetable variety of swede pictured here...

Tips and reflections from the Class of 2009

I'm rather hoping that the current A2 bunch will dedicate some of their time and know-how to pass on production pointers...
They did do rather well, the bulk getting As and Bs, so are well worth listening to!
(And of course you can still buy copies of their tremendous work on DVD for a bargain 300 new pence!)

Getting Started: A Touch of Sweding

After all your hard work leading up to the exam, and to see us through the remainder of the exam period when classes will be disrupted to a degree, we switch focus to the coursework unit (worth 50% of the AS), and ease our way in with a hopefully rather fun task...

As the document below details, 'sweding' is the term for recreating (typically in a humorous way) movies in a low-tech, zero-budget fashion, and that is what you are going to attempt to research, plan, shoot and edit by the end of Thursday 21st, to screen on Friday 22nd!

You could make a real headstart on your coursework by incorporating the Preliminary Task within this - use the document to get details of this (and start a new coursework folder to keep handouts such as this).

Before we embark on the couursework, one crucial point to remember: the practical work must reflect what you've learnt from the theory (exam-based) unit; 40% of the marks for your coursework are based on written work, not the film production itself.

As Cwk Overview Jan 2010