Wednesday 25 January 2012

Collective Identity

Watch these videos and consider their contents in the light of some of the social implications of representing the collective identity of British youth in the current mode.











Regulation, WeMedia and Online Age

Watch this video, do some research into ACTA and then consider the implications of this Act on your media areas and in the context of your theme.

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Lesson 11 Tasks

If you are using Xtranormal:

Begin scripting your films - write the script in Word and this will allow you to monitor the characters, you only have 10,000 characters available.

If you are using the Found Footage method:

Begin scripting your film and finding your images. Create a folder on your computer under 'Documents' / 'A2 Media' and name it with your group i.e. Q1 Collective Identity and ensure any images are saved as JPEG's.

All scripts will be checked by me before you can move onto the production phase next week.
Use the 4 prompt questions as the basis for your script. You must include examples from both of your media areas and include contemporary media theory to support your arguments within the 4 prompt questions.

Monday 23 January 2012

Lesson 10 Tasks

Today you need to start planning your info film.
Go to www.xtranormal.com and create an account (use the email address you used to create your blog). Have a play around with Xtranormal - make sure your choices are within the limits of the 300xp points.
Don't publish your film! This will use up your points and you'll need to create another account.

Also have a look back at http://contmediaissues2012.blogspot.com/2012/01/revision-film-explanation-and-examples.html this blog post and the other example of the info films.

Write a blog post explaining which of these approaches, or what new approach, you are going to take for your info film, how it will work (i.e. conversation, interview, documentary, comedy sketch), what you need to do (write the script, find images, etc) and when you will do it by.

You will begin making your films next week, lesson 14, at the latest.

Thursday 19 January 2012

Lesson 9 Tasks

Q block will be using these documents and the Media Magazines in class to finalise their arguments in response to their 4 prompt questions.

R and U Block need to read all of the documents and then, individually, on the blog write bullet point arguments, with examples and theorists key points, to answer all 4 prompt questions - this will form the basis of the script for your info film.

http://www.slideshare.net/longroadmedia/p2-media-theories-explained
http://www.slideshare.net/longroadmedia/sherry-turkle-11102696
http://www.slideshare.net/longroadmedia/byron-review-11102523

>> WeMedia: Research the following people and their key ideas:
Evgeney Morozov, Dan Laughey, andrew Keen as sceptics. henry jenkins, david Gauntlett as advocates
>> >>

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Lesson 8 Tasks

Today you are going to be introduced to some more contemporary Media theorists and given some more specific questions to consider in the context of this new information:





Charles Leadbetter

http://www.slideshare.net/longroadmedia/charles-leadbetter-online-age



Media in the Online Age Task:

Look at the quote at the end of the document and consider the relevance of it to your specific media areas and how the internet has impacted on those industries.




We-Media Task:

Look at the three key points at the end of page one and consider how Leadbetters theories might be relevant to some of your own ideas on the advantages and disadvantages of We-Media.



Contemporary Media Regulation Task:

What is an 'open-access knowledge building community'? and how is it relevant to the difficulties facing regulation?

Also read the paragraph on the last page that starts 'Everywhere' and consider the relevance of Leadbetters argument on the challenges of regulation.




Chris Anderson and The Long Tail

http://www.slideshare.net/longroadmedia/the-long-tail-11061100


Media in the Online Age Task:

After reading the presentation please apply the theory of the Long Tail to your chosen media areas.




















Sunday 15 January 2012

Lesson 7 Tasks

This week you will be introduced to some of the contemporary media theory that you will need to understand and be able to apply to your themes.
Here are some of the key people and a little bit more information about their main ideas. There are some theorists whose work is applicable to more than one theme so it is not possible to group all of them.
Once you have read through their ideas look at some of the questions underneath each document that are designed to help you to begin to apply some of these new ideas to your theme.
Answer all of the relevant questions in a new blog post on your group blogs.


We-Media and Democracy Tasks:
After reading through the document on Tapscott's key ideas from his book 'Wikinomics' consider how some of these concepts could strengthen your arguments in response to the debate on whether or not contemporary media is more or less democratic than before?

Media in the Online Age Task:
After reading through the document and watching the half hour interview video and the interview with Tapscott on his new book 'Macrowikinomics' discuss how Tapscott's ideas allow you to consider how the online media has developed and also what the impact of the internet on media production has been?

Contemporary Media Regulation Task:
After reading through the document on some of Tapscotts key ideas and watching the half hour interview video and the interview with Tapscott on his new book 'Macrowikinomics' use them to consider how effective regulatory practices are and also some of the wider social issues relating to media regulation.




We-Media Task:After reading the first paragraph consider the extent to which the fluidity of identity could contribute to the democratic nature of the media? Consider this in the context of social networks, the press and videogames.

Online Age Task:
After reading the document on David Gauntlett and watching the video on his book 'Making is Connecting' consider how the internet has transformed consumner behaviour and audience response. Make direct reference to examples and Gauntlett's ideas.Media and Collective Identity Task:After reading the first paragraph and watching the videos on representing identity summarise the main points of Gauntlett's theory of identity and consider how his ideas could add weight to a response to the question to what extent is human identity increasingly mediated.
View more documents from Media Studies


Contemporary Media Regulation Tasks:


Once you have read through the document on the Leveson Inquiry and all of the other regulatory bodies in the UK, use this new information to consider the nature of contemporary media regulation and how effective the regulatory practices are? Also consider what the future of regulation might be.


We-Media and Democracy Task:


Once you have read through the document on the Leveson Inquiry and all of the other regulatory bodies in the UK, use this new information to considerthe debate on whether or not contemporary media is more or less democratic than before.

Thursday 12 January 2012

Lesson 6 Tasks

Each group has a set of questions that they must answer, in detail, on their group blog by the end of the lesson.

Media and Collective Identity
What collective does your example illustrate?
How has the representation of that group changed over time? What examples do you have to support this claim?
What are the advantages to representing this collective in this way?
What are the disadvantages to representing this collective in this way?
How can you express your identity in the world? What barriers are there to expression, what facilities are there to express identity?

Contemporary Media Regulation
Who is regulating what?
What authority do they have – who gave them that authority?
Who needs protecting? Why?
Who/what are they being protected from? Why?
What examples do you know about where media regulation works? Why does it work in that example?
What examples do you have of when regulation doesn’t work? Why didn’t it work then? What could have been done to prevent it?

We-Media
How has we-media evolved in your media area and what evolution (possibly technological) caused it to occur?
What do you think are the concerns that media institutions have about we-media in their area and why?
What do you think are the advantages to we-media in your chosen media areas?
What do you think are the disadvantages to we-media in your chosen media areas? (Give me some specific examples of cases where we-media has been a negative thing).

Media and the Online Age
How has the internet changed how products are made and how consumers access products in your media area?
How were products made and how did consumers used to access those products prior to the internet?
How do you think this has changed the industry?
What is technological convergence?
How has technological convergence changed or effected your media area? Give specific examples of how this works in action.
How can you relate wikinomics and the long tail to the specific examples from your media areas?
Wikinomics is a term that describes the effects of extensive collaboration and user-participation on the marketplace. Companies are being forced to change their business model in order to be successful in an online world.The Long Tail - Our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of "hits" (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Lesson 5 Tasks

1. Read back over the last few blogs and ensure you have completed all the relevant tasks.

2. Read the relevant blog links from Pete's Media Blog, make notes on the relevant sections and follow any recommended links.

Contemporary Media Regulation:
http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/2011/05/contemporary-media-regulation.html

Media in the Online Age:
http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/2011/05/media-in-online-age-exam-questions.html

We-Media and Democracy:
http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/2011/05/wemedia-and-democracy-exam-questions.html

Media and Collective Identity:
http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/2011/05/collective-identity-exam-questions.html

Monday 9 January 2012

Lesson 4 Tasks

All of your blogs are looking very interesting and it is clear to me that you are beginning to engage with the content for this unit. What needs to happen now is that we need to build on these initial findings and begin to mould them into something you can use for the exam.

The examiners want you to be able to discuss clear case studies, now you have all begun to define specific media areas such as television or videogames. You must now pick some specific examples. i.e specific companies, films, tv programmes (be episode specific), YouTube channels.

1. By the end of the lesson I would like each groups blog to have clearly set out your examples for each media area.
IMPORTANT: Your examples must enable you to explore the four prompt questions.

Thursday 5 January 2012

Lesson 3 Tasks

1. Look back at the tasks for lesson 2 and ensure you have completed them all
2. You must ensure that by the end of today's lesson you write a post on your blog confirming the two media areas that you intend to cover, i.e. tv, film, news, videogames, music, social networking etc.
3. All of you need to demonstrate that you know and understand some media theory so the following links are the starting point for this process. Read and begin to make some notes on the following links:

Media and the Online Age
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/10/05/xkcds-online-communi.html

We-Media
http://wethemedia.oreilly.com/
http://www.hypergene.net/wemedia/weblog.php
http://citizenjournalism.me/

Media Regulation
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview/actionplan/index.shtml
http://www.slideshare.net/rikhudson/media-regulation-booklet-ocr-media-conference-2009

Media and Collective Identity
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism09.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtS24lqluq0
http://www.shirky.com/writings/national_identity.html
http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-ador.htm

Q1 Blog Links

Media in the Online Age (Music and Videogames)
Sophie, Sotiri, Lucy and Jon
http://mediainthenewage.blogspot.com

Media and Collective identity (British Teens in Press and TV)
Ella, Aggie, Nicola and Chloe
http://q1collect.blogspot.com

Contemporary Media Regulation (Film and Videogames)
George, Jake and Alex
http://gajmeda.blogspot.com

Contemporary Media Regulation (Film and Press)
Abi, Chloe, Tom and Lauryn
http://conmediaregss.blogspot.com

We-Media and Democracy (Social Networking and Music)
Jess, Connor, Fergus and Amy
http://mediaprincessq110.blogspot.com

We-Media and Democracy (Press and Social Networking)
Alannah, Joe and Adam
http://q1wemediademocracy.blogspot.com

U1 Blog Links

We-Media and Democracy (Music and Social Networking)
Jolyon, Ashley, Jannah and Sophie
http://wemediademocracy12.blogspot.com

Media in the Online Age (Music and Videogames)
Luka, Alex, Josh and Emma
http://mediamediamedia2012.blogspot.com

Contemporary Media Regulation (Press and Videogames)
Mel, Shona and Matt
http://vodkashots18.blogspot.com

Contemporary Media Regulation (Film and Press)
Hope, Michael, Colin and Olivia
http://bossmanturner.blogspot.com

We-media and Democracy (Press and Videogames)
Charne, Lydia and Aaron
http://wemediau1.blogspot.com

Media and Collective Identity (British Youth - Press and TV)
Steve, Reece and Jake
http://mediaandcollectiveidentity2012.blogspot.com

R2 Blogs links

Media and Collective Identity (British Youth - Film and Press)
Jaelle, Cameron and James
http://longroadmediaidentity.blogspot.com

Media in the Online Age (Videogames and Music)
Rachel, Will, Ben and Alex
http://12R2mediaintheonlineage.blogspot.com

We-Media and Democracy (News and Social Networking)
Rachel, Livvy and Moira
http://superawsomemediaparty.blogspot.com

Contemporary Media Regulation (Film and Videogames)
Oli, Christian and Saffy
http://mediaregulationr2.blogspot.com

Contemporary Media Regulation (TV and Press)
Jack, Charlotte, Jade and Oli
http;//lrr2-20mr.blogspot.com

We-Media and Democracy (Social Networking and Press)
Holly, Michaela, beccki and Al
http://wemediaanddemocracy.blogspot.com

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Contemporary Media Regulation - Lesson 2 Tasks

Depending on what media area you decide to cover then look at the relevant links and make notes.

Press
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/9662575.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/08/press-regulation-press-complaints-commission
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/lord-justice-leveson

Social Networking Sites
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jan/03/twitter-rupert-murdoch-tweets
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/06/pcc-press-twitter-feeds
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/24/cameron-twitter-regulation

Videogames:
If you want to do gaming - look at the different games that have been banned in different countries and think why? Are there any interesting differences?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games

Music
http://nelly-ronel.blogspot.com/2010/03/uk-music-industry-regulation-control.html

Film
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/445733/index.html

Media in the Online Age - Lesson 2

This link will take you to a website with a series of short clips from a documentary about the revolutionary nature of the internet.
This is a good starting point for your research into the Online Age. Please watch the documentaries, make notes and then write those up on your blogs.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/download-true-story-internet/

We-Media and Democracy Lesson 2 Tasks



Watch these videos on Citizen Journalism









http://cj.ibnlive.in.com/ - Look at this site and explore these examples of citizen journalism.

TASKS:
1. Decide on which media areas you want to look for case studies in.
2. Blog some examples that may be relevant.
3. Watch these videos and make notes on any relevant points in the context of your prompt questions.

Lesson 2 Tasks

1. Continue to research the key phrases of your theme, ensure you write up everything you find out on your blog.
2. Write a summary paragraph explaining what you understand your theme to be about and what types of things it could include.
3. Make some notes as an initial response to your prompt questions
4. Read the blog post entitled exam requirements - copy it to your group blog.
5. You need to decide on the two media areas you will be researching. Begin by having some initial discussions as to the best two media areas to select for your theme, i.e. For Media and Collective Identity I would recommend the press and film/or television.
6. Begin making some notes on possible case study examples for the media areas you are focussing on.

Sunday 1 January 2012

Exam Requirements

In preparation for the exam students must:

*Engage with a range of theoretical perspectives

*Demonstrate a personal position on the issues

*Know about research carried out to discover audience practices and habits (this could be research carried out by themselves)

*Exam answers must have a historical, contemporary and future perspective, focussing mostly on the contemporary.

*Emphasise the active audience i.e. how people 'give meaning' to cultural products (media texts).

*Have an understanding of two different areas of the media ie. film, television, internet, magazines, etc.

Media and Collective Identity Prompt Questions

1. How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic/social/collective groups of people in different ways?

2. How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?

3. What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?

4. To what extent is human identity increasingly mediated?

Media in the Online Age Prompt Questions


1. How have online media developed?

2. What has been the impact of the internet on media production?

3. How is consumer behaviour and audience response transformed by online media, in relation to the past?

4. To what extent has convergence transformed the media?

Contemporary Media Regulation Prompt Questions

1. What is the nature of contemporary media regulation compared with previous practices?

2. What are the arguments for and against specific forms of contemporary media regulation?

3. How effective are regulatory practices?

4. What are the wider social issues relating to media regulation?

'We Media' and Democracy Prompt Questions

1. What are 'We media'?

2. Where/how has 'We Media' emerged?

3. In what way are the contemporary media more democratic than before?

4. In what ways are the contemporary media less democratic than before?

Lesson 1 Tasks

1. Create a group blog using blogger.com (you may need to create a googlemail account to enable you to create a blog i.e. LRU1Regulation@gmail.com)

2. Read the prompt questions for your theme on this blog

3. Begin to discuss in your groups what you understand your them to mean and what it might incorporate. Define key words such as regulation (use the internet and the books in the classroom to assist you)

4. Post a summary of your discussion and research onto your blog

5. Email Andrea (ajoyce@longroad.ac.uk) the link to your blog by the end of the lesson.

Revision Film Explanation and Examples

There are two options as to the way you can present your film.
First - using www.xtranormal.com


Or using found images online and edited in Final Cut with the voiceover tool, here is an example.


The purpose of the info film is to act as a revision guide for yourselves and the rest of the class.

It must include a guide as to what essential elements need to be included in preparation for the exam, textual examples and make reference to contemporary media theorists.



Introduction

The Critical Perspectives Exam is split into two parts.
Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production
Section B: Contemporary Media Issues

The first section is split into two questions, each worth 25 points.
Question One is a reflection of your skills development and allows you to refer to all of your practical work over the last 18 months, including unassessed work such as that undertaken during the induction period.
Question Two is a reflection of your individual engagement with some key media concepts such as genre, narrative, audience, representation and media language.

Section B is your opportunity to engage in some of the contemporary debates and issues in the media industry today. There are 6 themes and in the exam there is a choice of two questions under each theme.
The way we will be covering this is by splitting the class into project teams that will become experts in one of the themes, the team will produce an information film on their topic that will act as a revision guide. All teams will also teach their topic to the rest of the class. This should ensure that in the exam every student has a choice of more than one theme.

Each theme has 4 prompt questions that give an idea of some of the key debates within that media issue and it is also important that each project team has examples from at least two different sections of the media to illustrate their key points, i.e. music industry, press, film, video games, internet.

You will be assigned to a project team and that project team will create its own blog in order to house all of your research.

You will work in 6 teams to find information for, research, plan and create an info film.

The purpose of the info film is to act as a revision guide for yourselves and the rest of the class.

It must include a guide as to what essential elements need to be included in preparation for the exam, textual examples and make reference to contemporary media theorists.