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A pioneering not-for-profit company which accelerates talent and ideas across tech, games, film and TV. We support creative people and businesses to help turn ideas into a reality.

Find out more at www.creativeengland.co.uk/ 

Marlborough Winners at the Oxfordshire Schools Film Awards 2016

The Oxfordshire Schools Film Awards 2016 were held at Wheatley Park School on Friday 4^th November. A number of schools from Oxfordshire were represented at the event with over 30 films being entered for the following awards.

• Best Fiction
• Best Music Video
• Best Promotional
• Best Overall Production

Helen McGregor and Gary Shenton, professionals from the world of media were judging the entries.

Helen is a novelist, poet and experimental filmmaker with over 20 years’ experience in Film Education. She is an Associate Tutor at the National Film and Television School and was Head of Screen Arts at the Met Film School. She is currently doing a PhD in Film Theory at Kingston University.

Gary has been at Film Oxford for almost 15 years. Working in his role as Production Development Manager he has produced or overseen the production of over 80 short films, many of them getting national and international festival exposure. In addition, he has exec- produced cinema features including the highly acclaimed ‘Anyone Can Play Guitar’ and the award winning ‘Thank You Skinhead Girl’. He manages the BFI Film Academy at Film Oxford, a programme for aspiring young film makers to gain experience of the industry and has also recently supported young local film makers to produce short films for C4 /Arts Council Random Acts strand.

The Marlborough school entered 5 productions; all of which can be viewed via our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/marlboroughmedia. We were immensely pleased and proud to win ‘Best Overall Production and ‘Best Fiml Opening’ we were also highly commended for our music video entry ‘Change in the House of Flies’. Affirmation of the level of creativity and technical skill our students are capable of.

Please use the links below if you would like to view the award winning videos for yourself.

Best Overall Production – ‘Bloom’ by Jordan Bunning, George Moore and George Young.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPkXSD9eMeY

Best Film Opening – ‘Siblings’ by Jay Ford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs7vYFWJpuw

Highly Commended – ‘Change in the House of Flies’ by Charlotte Hawkins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ59VhCAd9M

Many thanks must also go to Guy Stanley, Head of Media Studies, Joanna Botha, Arts Manager and students at Wheatley Park School for organising and running such an exciting event.

A2 Music Video

The link below takes you to a selection of A2 Music videos on YouTube from a range a schools around the country.

When developing your productions you need to consume a huge range of media texts, not so you try to imitate them but to help stimulate ideas both technical and creative. It also builds on your curiosity about trying out different techniques and pushing your creative boundaries.

Some of the productions found on this link are brave in their ambition and the story they want to tell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkJXibuJYF0&list=RDmkJXibuJYF0#t=2

Channel 4 - Fright Bites

Series 1 will chill you to your core. Watch if you dare.

Fright Bites

Reggie Yates Documentaries

Reggie Yates was born on May 31, 1983 in Archway, London, England. He is an actor writer and director, known for The Voice UK (2012), Top Of The Pops (2003 -) and Doctor Who (2007). Reggie is establishing himself as a documentary maker on the BBC and in early 2011 he fronted the leading BBC3 show Autistic Superstars for which he received a prestigious RTS nomination, and a follow up series 'Tourettes: Let Me Entertain You'. Reggie filmed a documentary, 'Inside Teen Gangs' also for BBC3 which was broadcast in 2012 followed by a new three part series shot in South Africa for the BBC.

Making Music Videos: an A2 Media Study Day

Making a Music Video

Over the last 20 years the most popular task in the second year of the A level courses has been making a music video. Technological advances in this time have meant that what students can produce has changed dramatically; from the early days of editing between two VHS machines, when every shot had to be filmed in sequence, to today's digital cameras and editing, where you can set up multiple timelines, access effects and shoot on HD. The possibilities for music video on no budget have been transformed. However the expectation for high quality work has also risen dramatically.  This task requires serous planning, technical skill and a real understanding of the codes and conventions of music videos. This study day for students will focus on maximizing the impact of their resources. In the morning, we will take you through activities aimed at getting the most out of research, planning, shooting, editing and evaluating their music video. We will use a range of examples from professional music videos and student work.  In the afternoon we will be joined by a music video director/editor to talk about how the professionals go about working on such tasks. 

Led by Tom Woodcock, Film & Media teacher, Long Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge and Freelance Media Educator

The Importance of sound

Though we might think of film as an essentially visual experience, we really cannot afford to underestimate the importance of film sound. A meaningful sound track is often as complicated as the image on the screen. The entire sound track is comprised of five essential ingredients: 

• Music
• Atmospheric sound
• Dialogue
• Sound effects
• Foley

These five tracks must be mixed and balanced so as to produce the necessary emphases which in turn create desired effects. 

G - Media Studies - Sound

Case Study - Wes Anderson

Wesley Wales Anderson was born in Houston, Texas. His mother, Texas Ann (Burroughs), is an archaeologist turned real estate agent, and his father, Melver Leonard Anderson, worked in advertising and PR. He has two brothers, Eric and Mel. Anderson's parents divorced when he was a young child, an event that he described as the most crucial event of his brothers and his growing up. During childhood, Anderson also began writing plays and making super-8 movies. He was educated at Westchester High School and then St. John's, a private prep school in Houston, Texas, which was later to prove an inspiration for the film Rushmore (1998).

Anderson attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he majored in philosophy. It was there that he met Owen Wilson. They became friends and began making short films, some of which aired on a local cable-access station. One of their shorts wasBottle Rocket (1994), which starred Owen and his brother Luke Wilson. The short was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was successfully received, so much so that they received funding to make a feature-length version. Bottle Rocket (1996) was not a commercial hit, but it gained a cult audience and high-profile fans, which includedMartin Scorsese.

Success followed with films such as Rushmore (1998), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and an animated feature, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). The latter two films earned Anderson Oscar nominations.

IMBD Biography of Wes Anderson

The Soul of the Plot - Wes Anderson

'I have a way of filming things and staging them and designing sets. There were times when I thought I should change my approach, but in fact, this is what I like to do. It's sort of like my handwriting as a movie director. And somewhere along the way, I think I've made the decision: I'm going to write in my own handwriting.'

Wes Anderson 2015

Cinematography

What is cinematography?

Well, the name comes from combining two Greek words: kinema, which means movement, and graphein, which means to record. In film, cinematography refers to the photographing of the movie itself. The person in charge of this is the cinematographer, also known as the director or photography or the DP. 

Understanding Cinematography

In the hierarchy of a film set, the director's two key creative people in the crew are the art director and the cinematographer. The art director is in charge of the art department and the cinematographer is in charge of the camera, electric and grip departments. The camera department maintains the camera and has it ready for the shot while the grips and electrics handle the lighting. Electrics set the lights and run power to them and grips shape the light by using flags and diffusion. Grips also provide support to camera department when there is camera movement for the scene. An example of this is a dolly shot.

The BFI Film Festival

The 60th BFI London Film Festival announces full 2016 programme

The full programme of films and events for the 60th BFI London Film Festival
has been unveiled.

The programme for the 60th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with
American Express® launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart
presenting this year’s diverse selection of films and events.

The BFI London Film Festival is Britain’s leading film event and one of
the world’s best and most established film festivals. In its 60th year the
programme sees Headline Galas presented at the Odeon Leicester Square
on each evening of the 12-day festival. Festival visitors will be able to
enjoy a brand new cinema experience with Competition and Strand
Galas presented at the new Embankment Garden Cinema, in the
beautiful Victoria Embankment Gardens. With 780 cinema-style seats,
Dolby 7.1 surround sound and 4k digital projection, this temporary venue
brings the festival to even more people and connects screenings in the
West End with the BFI’s home cinema at BFI Southbank. This, combined
with the Festival’s Special Presentations, a rich, diverse programme of
international films, insightful events and talks with leading lights of
the international film and creative industries, reaffirms London’s position
as the world’s leading creative city.

• Explore the full programme

Bank, Camera, Action!

Dear Student Filmmaker,

The Bank of England has a brand new film competition 'Bank, Camera, Action' and we are inviting you to get involved by making a short film about "A day in the life of the New Fiver" to coincide with the introduction of our £5 polymer note.

The opportunity is to create a film that communicates the subject in an interesting and imaginative way. Students are free to use dance, music, poetry, rap, animation, graphics, cartoons, interviews, news items or any other fantastic ideas you may have. It's completely up to you, the more creative the better! Taking part will give teams the opportunity to showcase their talents and will appeal to students studying a broad range of subjects.

We look forward to receiving your entries and seeing everyone's creative side.

Kind regards,

Mark Carney
Governor

Entry form to be submitted by Monday 10th October
(click on link and scroll to to find link to the entry form)

United States of Hate: Muslims Under Attack

United States of Hate: Muslims under Attack

In this one-off documentary BBC Three examines America's recent upsurge in Islamophobia, meeting both Texan anti-Islam groups and American Muslims as tensions rise at some of America's mosques. Award-winning director and producer Steph Atkinson asks how America got here and are the fears between these different groups justified?

A2 Advanced Portfolio - Production Pitch

Media Studies - Advanced Production - Brainstorm by Tony Buckmaster

A2 G324 - Advanced Portfolio

Dear Moderator,

Please find below links to all A2 student work requested for moderation.

Kind regards

Tony Buckmaster

1. http://xavsindena2.blogspot.co.uk/
2. http://royannmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/
3. http://megeast10.blogspot.co.uk/
4. http://joelpickardmedia2.blogspot.co.uk/
5. http://joesandforda2.blogspot.co.uk/
6. http://seskamediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/
7. http://georgekdyoungmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/
8. http://georgemooremedia2.blogspot.co.uk/
9. http://emmadlqmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/
10. http://daniellegardena2.blogspot.co.uk/
11. http://charliehmediaa2.blogspot.co.uk/
12. http://ambermobbsa2.blogspot.co.uk/
13. http://jordanjamesbunningmedia.blogspot.co.uk/

AS G321 - Foundation Portfolio

Dear Moderator,

Please find below links to all AS student work requested for moderation.

Kind regards

Tony Buckmaster

1. http://abbieplows.blogspot.co.uk/
2. http://alfiesherlock.blogspot.co.uk/
3. http://cliotaylor13.blogspot.co.uk/
4. http://daisymstone.blogspot.co.uk/
5. http://ellenmiller8.blogspot.co.uk/
6. http://emilyallenthomas.blogspot.co.uk/
7. http://freyabelmont.blogspot.co.uk/
8. http://gwion99.blogspot.co.uk/
9. http://hannahhigginsmedia.blogspot.co.uk/
10. http://lloydbelcher.blogspot.co.uk/
11. http://mayaward.blogspot.co.uk/
12. http://paddy965.blogspot.co.uk/
13. http://sophielambert1999.blogspot.co.uk/
14. http://jameslogansmediablog.blogspot.co.uk/
15. http://yasminlyons.blogspot.co.uk/

Tips on making a music video

Behind he scenes & Directors commentary

Plants - Alicia Catling

Call that an idea!?!

When a student comes to you and says "I want to make a film about a stuffed bear in a park in Bicester!", it doesn't automatically fill your heart or mind with enthusiasm. Then they go and create something like this which reminds you that sometimes it's great being wrong.

Writing an exam answer

This post is general advice for any exam paper and follows on from the previous post about preparing for exams.

1. After dividing up your time for the paper, so you know how long you will spend on each question (related to the marks available), your next step is to see, where there is a choice of question, which one you will choose. You may be lucky and spot a question straight away that absolutely suits your material. But if not, the key is to read the question carefully and look for key words or triggers which will help you. Are there media terms in it that point you to what it is looking for, like 'distribution' or 'regulation'? Even if it doesn't make absolute sense to you at first glance, those key words are likely to be designed to help you rather than catch you out.

2. A little planning goes a long way. Spend the first couple of minutes of the time you have allocated mapping out how you are going to answer the question- bullet points for each paragraph with examples you intend to use. This is useful should your mind go blank and in simply structuring the next 45 minutes or however long you are spending on it, but also in flagging up to the examiner where you would have gone if you do by chance run out of time.

3. Get on with it. You need an introduction, but you need it to be short and to the point. Don't ramble. Even if you have a formula that you practice beforehand, that usually won't do any harm. You need something to guarantee getting you started and fast! So how about 'In this essay I shall show how (whatever is being asked about) applies to (text 1) and (text 2).' This gets you moving and tells the examiner what you will be using as your main example. Same thing with endings. You need to conclude, so that the essay doesn't appear to have stopped in mid-air, but it can be quite brief: 'So as we have seen, (whatever is being asked about) can be applied to (text 1) and (text 2)'. Of course it's not precisely these words that you'll use, but keeping it simple means you've got time to get on with the main body of it!

4. Paragraphs. Use them. And leave a gap between each one so the marker can read them. Ideally, each paragraph will deal with one main idea and support that idea or point with examples. But even if your paragraph  doesn't do what it should, just physically breaking up the page makes a huge difference for the reader. Most students don't have beautiful handwriting, especially these days when we use keyboards so much, so make it easy for the examiner to read what you have written! Leave spaces between paragraphs and keep paragraphs relatively short. a rule of thumb is that if you have less than two paragraphs on a page, you probably aren't breaking it up enough. Aim for three.

5. Examples. Use them. they are the thing that most frequently go AWOL in a student exam answer. Students tend to trot out arguments and then not back them up. that is true in lots of subjects. So make sure each point you make has something solid to back it up- a sequence from the TV programme that shows what you are arguing about representation, some figures from that film marketing campaign that support your point.

6. Structure. Have one. If you plan your answer as an argument, this will ensure you follow it through. Point, Example, Explanation is all very well, but if the points are all disjointed, that's not much use!

So there you go- good luck!

BFI Player - Best Films of 2015

If you seek lazy reboots and prequels, go elsewhere. These films dabble in the distinctive, be it real-life stories, potent dramas or history with a twist. They show the wild diversity of films and their creators, and they indicate a medium in rude health.

The most popular features on BFI Player in 2015

http://player.bfi.org.uk/collections/best-films-2015/

Colour grading and Treatment for film