Our blog was a method of presenting to the examiner/reader our research and planning, the production of the finished piece and post production aspects. Also it was a system in which we able to explain the information and knowledge that we acquired throughout the production of our thriller. In such forms as the internet (YouTube and relevant information), Essays, Power points and the guidance that our teachers provided us to gain the best mark possible, that we were capable of achieving.
The main problem that we encountered from last year’s blog is that we were disorganised with who was publishing certain posts as we did not communicate with each other enough. This lead to problems as some of the group would discuss that they were going to publish a particular post and then later find out that another group member had already finished and publish the post onto our blog that they intended to do themselves. Because of this issue it meant that due to our lack of communication as a group some posts had been published twice by different members of the group. This did cause some arguments as it wasted time and effort spent by each individual that published the same post and we had to come up with a solution for this and decide as a group what post best suited our blog. We then had to make other arrangements for the member of the group whose post was not used to be able to choose another post and publish it without concern of this problem occurring again. So during this year’s production we will make additional effort, as a group to have discussions and make sure that everyone is clear and organised with the publishing of posts on the blog.
Another problem that our blog contained last year was that during the production of our thriller it occasionally became complicated and disorganised, due to an excessive amount of posts being published in succession that were in the wrong order to the rest of the blog or posts that were irrelevant and not necessary. This year as a group will we take this into account to ensure that our blog is well presented and that the posts that we publish are very well planned, detailed and contain all the appropriate information required. This will allow the examiner/reader to analysis our blog more inefficiently and understand the order in which it is in. This will also let us know what posts need to be published, who is publishing a particular post, and in general will make our blog a great deal more organised and well presented.
The strengths that we had throughout our group last year was the variety and consistency in which posts were published. We tried to give the blog the most visual effect to the reader to show what we had done, how we had done it and why we decided to. We achieved this by producing posts that included videos of the evaluations which myself and Peter McLaughlin decided to do as well as videos of the production of our thriller. Our blog also contained written analyses of other thrillers and films that influenced our own, (such as Phillip G. Atwell’s War, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers and Zack Snyder’s Watchmen) which all included pictures and videos to help that visual effect we were trying to achieve. In addition we also included within our blog production photos and production diaries (as we took many pictures during the production), this allowed us to show our planning and progression through our production as well as presenting what reasons we had be hide particular camera shoots and angles and what impact we thought this would have on our audience.
From this we decided as a group that we wanted to continue this visual effect throughout the blog this year. Through the publishing of production posts that contain photos and diaries as they give the blog an extraordinary visual aspect as well as presenting our planning, filming and the progression of our Short Film production.
By Oliver Fitch
In reviewing our previous Blog from our AS Media Project and its structural layout and form, we can learn on how to improve and develop on our current project for the best result possible at the end of the of the process.
In our Blog last year we used various methods to communicate with our reader and to display the knowledge we gained through research whether it be via videos, essays and power-point presentations. I feel that what could have been needed in the previous project was more information put across through the form of videos and audio clips as it gave a more personal account on what we had discovered in the chosen area that was currently being specified. Also the blog could have been more organized with research and influences posts being sub- categorized to display our findings as a whole with a professional feel to it.
The strength our group shared on our AS Media Studies project was the consistency in which we posted. Every post was reviewed and then constructively criticised by group members for it to be editied and reposted to cover the total depth of the topic. We also personalised the Blog to a black and red colour scheme to suit the mood of our blog, and small tweaks such as that was what seperated our Blog from the other groups.
By Peter McLaughlin
In order to work to our full potential with this year’s production, we must evaluate the success of last years, a 2 minute introduction to a thriller, starting with our production blog.
Our blog was a means of presenting our research, planning, the production of the piece and the post production elements. One of the strengths of our blog was the variety of posts: we included videos of the evaluation and production, alongside written analysis of other thrillers that influenced us (such as Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear), production photos and production diaries. These posts allowed us to continually update the blog with our progress, showing our approach to the planning and production of our film, as well as giving ourselves a catalogue of information to draw upon should we need it at any time of the production. This included storyboards, script ideas and cinematography discussions.
However, one of the failings of the blog was that, on occasion, it became cluttered and disorganised, with many posts being made in the wrong order or unnecessary. This year we will make an effort to ensure that our posts are planned and structured, allowing the blog to flow more and give a much smoother feel, as well as making sure everyone knows who will be posting what. One problem we encountered was that some posts were made without prior knowledge of those made by others: this meant that some posts were written twice, by different members of the group, rendering the second useless and the time misspent. Several of the posts also made the same points as each other, essentially taking up space that could have been dedicated to a post of entirely new material.
This year we are continuing with the production photos and diaries, as we feel they add an interesting visual element to the blog, as well showing our filming and planning process.
- Joseph Lawrence
each picture has a link to a larger version. For easier reading of the script
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