Blog Feedback and Learner Response :)

WWW: Wow – I think it’s fair to say that we made the right decision in switching to Media! The depth and insight to your analysis is phenomenal and that’s simply catching up with work from last half-term. I think as the course continues and we start studying exam products you’ll get even more out of it. I particularly like the texts you have selected for the various tasks – the sound analysis scene is a great exploration of using music/songs to create and change atmosphere within a scene. Similarly, the detail of the shot analysis of Grey’s Anatomy really explores the way film language is used to communicate a lot of information to the audience very quickly. I love the Marvel/Mamma Mia contrast too – you’ve certainly succeeded in picking two very different films there! Again, your detailed analysis of the mise-en-scene is impressive and it’s producing this depth of analysis, exploring the different possible meanings within a text, that will open up the very top grades in the subject. Finally, your lighting and film poster blogposts are a lot more detailed than I usually see at this stage of the course which reinforces my feeling that we should be aiming for A* in Media despite the late start to the course. Keep up this brilliant work! 

EBI: As you’ll see from your tracker, I’ve put an X on the work that I haven’t asked you to catch up on. This may mean that your practical experience is a little down on other students so this is something we should keep in mind as we move towards the coursework in Year 13. It’s nothing to worry about and hopefully your cinematography and editing videos will give you a good introduction to Adobe Premiere Pro and the technical construction of film and TV work. Let’s reflect again at the end of this term but I’m confident you’ll be in a good place on both sides of the course. 

LR: Reflect on your first few weeks of Film & TV Language in Media (the coursework side of the course). Which piece of work did you most enjoy? Were there any areas that you were less confident on? What specific skills or knowledge do you think you need to develop before we start coursework at the end of Year 12? 

I most enjoyed the 'Sound Analysis' when I was catching up with the Film & TV Language topic- this is because it made a lot of sense to me how the type of music (or lack of) can influence a scene and the effect it has on an audience. However, I would say that I was less confident with 'Lighting' and I think this is because I was having trouble identifying the types of lighting used in some scenes which made it harder to analyse it and determine what effect it would have on an audience. I think I have to develop my understanding of lighting and the connotations they present and what effect this may have on an audience.