Preparation for Friday's Conference

Session 1: Keynote presentation: Professor David Buckingham: Riots and Representations
David’s presentation will consider the sorts of questions you mght want to ask about the ways the media covered this summer’s riots. You might find it helpful to visit Pete’s Media Blog, and view some of the clips and links, in particular the most recent postings dated October 2nd, 5th, 10th and 16th, which are particularly relevant to some of the topics students may be studying for A2. http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/ - or click through from the MediaMag home page.

Session 2: Meet the ExaminersIn this session, three principal examiners will present mini case studies which will be useful whatever your specification. Students will be able to ask questions briefly at the end of the session, and to talk to the presenters over lunchtime.

Christine Bell (WJEC) will be looking at Dr Who and its importance for the BBC. You might want to have a brief preliminary discussion with students about the role and remit of the BBC as a broadcasting institution.

Julian McDougall (OCR) will be presenting by video-link, on the debates surrounding Media Studies 2.0. He suggests you might want to take a look at David Gauntlett’s website– in particular http://www.theory.org.uk/mediastudies2.htm. He also recommends teachers to read Gauntlett’s new Kindle book Media Studies 2.0 and Other Battles around the future of Media Research, downloadable from http://www.theory.org.uk/david/kindle.htm

Session 3: Top Tips for making your production work better
Pete Fraser will be showing some examples of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of recent student production work, and suggesting some practical strategies to get maximum value and higher grades out of the experience. You might want to give students his recent MediaMag article, download as PDF.

Session 4: Garth Jennings, director.
Garth will be presenting a range of clips from his wonderful portfolio., and then take a Q&A session. If you’d like your students to be as actively involved in the session as possible, you can direct them to his rather fabulous website: http://www.tongsville.com/
Here you will be able to see the Hammer and Tongs showreel, featuring some inspired advertising, film clips and:
some of the most beautifully inventive and innovative music videos from the past two decades [including] Blur's `Coffee and TV' (1999) and Supergrass's `Pumping on Your Stereo' (1999), whose iconic images of walking milk cartons and gigantic, bendy bodies have firmly cemented their place among pop culture's most memorable moments. This is also true of Fatboy Slim's `Right Here Right Now' (1999), in which we see the beginning of time followed through to the evolution of man over the course of a three and a half minute song. Fairly ambitious I think you'll agree. (Amazon review)

Session 5: News Reporting in a Year of Big Stories
This session will offer students the opprtunity to hear from – and talk to – two highly experienced and acclaimed news reporters in print, online and on TV. The aim is to take as many questions as possible from students, whether on the stories themselves, on the ethics of news reporting, or on journalism as a career. We hope you will come with plenty of questions –  do investigate the following links to have a more informed understanding of the issues and contexts.

Jonathan Miller
So far ths year alone, Jonathan has reported and blogged for Channel 4 News on:
the Australian floods last January http://www.channel4.com/news/photo-gallery-australia-floods-by-jonathan-miller
The Libyan uprising http://www.channel4.com/news/libya-a-womans-cry-for-help-in-tripoli-hotel
The civil war in Sri Lanka http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-civil-war
Human rights abuses in Iraq http://www.channel4.com/news/top-army-lawyer-slams-mod-over-human-rights-abuses

Paul Lewis:
Paul is Special Projects Editor for The Guardian, and 2010 Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards. http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/paullewis
Paul will be discussing his role in reporting this summer’s riots.  To prepare questions so you can participate actively in the session, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/series/reading-the-riots?intcmp=239
Also check out some of Paul’s award-winning coverage of the death of Ian Tomlinson, an investigation still ongoing. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/09/ian-tomlinson-death-unanswered-questions?INTCMP=SRCH

Visit to National Film & Television School

So what did you learn from your visit last week? I think one of the most important points raised by our tour guide was that NARRATIVE is key to creating any media product, whatever that product might be. SO you need to come up with a story first, pitch that story for your audience, then work out how best to create that story, whether you're creating the opening to a fiction film, a film trailer or a music video.

Remember, NARRATIVE is KEY.

So what exactly IS British Cinema?

Listen to Friday 14th October's episode of 'The Film Programme' on Radio 4 for a discussion on 2011 British success stories.

AS Representation/A2 Collective Identity Advice

Some very pertinent advice from President Obama on the way young people represent themselves on Facebook. As we have all become media producers just as much as consumers now, it's vital to remember the way we want to represent ourselves! Think about future employers and whether they would be impressed or horrified by the way you represent yourself to others...

Blogger of the Week

Well done to Kayleigh for her highly sophisticated rendition of 'What I have Learnt from Media Studies So Far' edited on imovie. A fine practical example of the skills learnt over the past year.

Blogger of the Week

Well done to all for keeping your blogs up to date, especially this week to Rachael. Blog on!