Biddulph High Media Studies

Welcome to the gateway to the Biddulph High School Media Studies Department! On this blog you will find links to all the course blogs for GCSE, BTec and A Level Media Studies, as well as links to student coursework blogs. Imporant dates, deadlines and notinces will also be published on this blog, so make sure you make it a favourite.

Feedback on your Blogs

Posted by Mr Taylor
Monday, 21 December 2009




I've spent the first three days of the holidays assessing your blogs. Well done to those people in both Y12 and Y13 who've hit the deadline and managed to upload current products for me to have a look at. If you're one of those, however, who haven't reached that stage yet, then it's clear that you have work to do over the holidays.


To view the comments that I've made simply click on the 'comments' link below your most recent post. I've not given a mark or grade as yet as without an evaluation you'll all be below target anyway, but I have added my thoughts on what you need to do to improve, and for some of you, that's quite a lot...


If you are in position where you can't work due to a lack of software, please remember that there is a lot of free editing software available online, and no doubt some of you will be able to get hold of Fireworks. Either way, you should all be making the effort to get on with your projects in one way or the other, so no excuses!


On a lighter note, I hope you all have a very nice Christmas, and that Santa brings you everything you asked for.

Matt Collins' Rough Cut

Posted by Mr Taylor
Thursday, 17 December 2009

DEADLINES!

Posted by Mr Taylor
Tuesday, 15 December 2009





REMEMBER!


By Friday you need to have posted your products:


For Y12 this means a version of your cover, contents and spread including your own images.


For Y13 this means your video along with album cover (cover/inside/back) and poster.


Your work will then be marked over Christmas, and you will have some time to improve and evaluate when we come back.


***YOU SHOULD CONTINUE TO WORK OVER CHRISTMAS***


Ensure research and planning is as good as it can be, and continue to work on products where necessary!

Mock Exams

Posted by Mr Taylor
Saturday, 28 November 2009

Mock exams will take place for both Y12 and Y13 in the week beginning Monday 30th November.

The Y12 Exam will take place on Friday, periods 3 and 4, in the lecture theatre. You will be completing Section A of the exam, analysing a piece of TV drama and commenting on an area of representation.

The Y13 Exam (13z Tuesday 5 and 6, 13w Friday 5 and 6) is a question from Section B of the exam. The question will ask you to discuss the contemporary representation of a nation or social group, using examples to support your answer. See the Critical Perspectives Blog (link on the left), for more info and resources.

Good luck!

Research for AS and A2 Portfolios

Posted by Mr Taylor
Sunday, 4 October 2009

READ THIS!



By the end of this week (Friday 9th October), your basic research should be completed. This will allow Year 12 students to focus on the next stage of their research before beginning their prelims, and will help to focus Year 13 students on planning for their music videos.

Year 12

The minimum research required by the end of the week will be:


  • 3 music magazine covers

  • 3 music magazine contents pages

  • at least one music magazine double-page spread (ideally 3)

This can be supplemented by research into school magazines (though this should not take up too much of your time), and other posts such as Wordles, mind-maps, sample photos...



Year 13


The minimum required by the end of the week is:



  • Three digipacks (video, cover, poster)

  • Other research into inspirational videos

  • Director research (optional; see example on the Advanced Portfolio blog)

  • A shortlist (maximum 5) of the tracks you are considering.



All students are reminded to leave empty posts to allow you to come back later to add research if necessary!


Check the Blogs of the Week for inspiration...

Example Word Clouds

Posted by Mr Taylor
Monday, 28 September 2009

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Example Word Clouds
View more presentations from M Taylor.

The First Week of Term...

Posted by Mr Taylor
Monday, 7 September 2009

The first week of term this year will be a little different than usual, largely because I'm not in school. I'm having an operation on my knee and won't be in until the second week. This, however, does not mean that you have free lessons. Follow the instructions below:

Year 13

Continue work on research as discussed at the end of last year. All research should be nearing completion by the end of the week. I will be checking your progress from my sick bed. Aim to analyse video extracts, album covers, posters, digipacks, and directors, as well as completing initial questionnaires / surveys.

Year 12

There is a sheet with detailed instructions on the desk in 126. Follow the instructions to complete two research PowerPoints.

Please be aware that lessons will continue as normal with Miss Walton and Miss Malkin.

Please pass any cards, gifts, chocolates (no flowers please) to Mrs Taylor,

Thanks, Mr T.

AS and A2 Results

Posted by Mr Taylor
Thursday, 20 August 2009

Well done to all students on a good set of results! At A2 level all students passed, with 90% + getting a C or above. At AS, a number of students were commended for excellent coursework and a quarter secured an A or B grade. Don't worry if you've not hit the grade that you wanted; it may be that you're only a couple of marks away (two unlucky students were one mark away from a B!), and that can be sorted through A2 coursework or re-sits.

Remember to get as much research done as possible over the next two weeks - it all needs to be completed by the end of the first week back.

Check out the blog of the week (on the right) for ideas...

Research and Planning: Word Clouds

Posted by Mr Taylor
Thursday, 23 July 2009



It's a good idea to use 'mind-maps' or 'thought-showers' when researching and planning your project. These help you to create a collage of your thoughts by getting all of your ideas down on paper. Click the link below to access a great site that will help you to create a word cloud based around your ideas. The image above is based around the keyword 'media' and only took a couple of minutes to create.


Equipment

Posted by Mr Taylor
Saturday, 11 July 2009


You are welcome to borrow cameras and tripods over the summer break. See Mr Taylor in order to sign them out. Remember that the equipment will be your responsibilty - any loss or damage through misuse will have to be paid for.


It's a good idea to get your filming done as soon as possible; this will give your more time to edit in September and also give you the opportunity to re-shoot any material you need.


Deadlines...

Posted by Mr Taylor


The deadline for the completion of your research for your A2 Coursework is the end of the first week back. This means that you will need to have analysed other products (videos, covers, posters) and surveyed your audience (surveymonkey, forums, questionnaires etc). If research is not completed by Friday 11th September, you will be required to stay behind after school to catch-up.

Embedding Video

Posted by Mr Taylor
Tuesday, 7 July 2009



Some of you have been having trouble embedding video in your posts. The simpliest thing to do is to copy the embed code from the original site (whether it is Youtube, google video or whatever), and paste it into the 'Edit Html' tab when creating a new post. You can then go back to the 'Compose' tab and add any text that you need. Simples.

Welcome...

Posted by Mr Taylor

...to Biddulph High School's Media blog. This blog acts as a gateway to the other course blogs (links on the right), and as a noticeboard for department deadlines and important announcements. Also keep your eye on this blog for the AS and A2 Blogs of the Week, and other websites of interest.

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