Storyboard Feedback

You may need some 'effects' here in editing to show the passage of time i.e. a fade to black or dissolve so I would add those in when there is a time lapse in the boy's day. You also need to change sound: natural to sound: diegetic (that is the media term for sound coming from an on screen source). Mostly clear story structure although not sure where the 'friend' suddenly appears from. Like the heart beat sound effect to add tension.
Good [C]

Story board

Shot sequence descriptions/ Storyboard

Samuel Pinner

Shot one: long shot

Visual: close up zoom of student walking out of front door

Sound: shutting of the door and footsteps

Effect: none

Music: none

Time: 7 seconds

Shot 2: contra zoom

Visual: boarding the bus from side

Sound: natural sound of surroundings and current event

Effect: none

Music: none

Time: 4-7 seconds

Shot 3: tilt

Visual: boarding bus from top deck (second person perspective)

Sound: natural

Effect: fade to black

Music: none

Time: 5 seconds

Shot 4: facial close ups (to show expressions)

Visual: bullying of the new kid takes part on first journey to school

Out and back during transition of interviewees.

Sound: Digetic, voice over of interviewees introducing themselves

Effect: none

Music: none

Time: 18 seconds

Shot 5: face on whilst walking shot

Visual: camera attached to body pointing at face whilst student walks into his classroom for the first time

Sound: none

Effect: none

Music: none

Time:30 seconds

Shot 6: wide angle shot

Visual: fitting in everything at lunch time, peer pressure. Show the emotions on the students face and hw he deals with it

to head.

Sound:

Effect: heartbeat effect

Music: tension building, noises in his head

Time: 25 seconds

Shot 7: Mid-shot

Visual: class room, how he can not concentrate on what he thinks he has to do to fit in

Sound: natural

Effect: heartbeat

Music:

Time:10 seconds

Shot 8: Mid-shot

Visual: bell rings, journey home. Clip of him walking out of school with his fellow new friend. (a new boy)

Sound: natural

Effect: none

Music: none

Time: 12 seconds

Shot 9: Medium close up

Visual: on bus, other kids throw stuff a him, pick on him. His only friend doesn’t stand up for him

Sound: natural

Effect: none

Music: none

Time: 35 seconds

Shot 10: Medium close up

Visual: as student gets home – he cries to his mum and says how much he hates school

Music: none

Effect: none

Sound: natural

Time: 30 seconds

Essay 1 feedback

Low level 3 - roughly a C grade

Points chosen well to adapt to the question. Sensible, mostly clear balance of theory and texts. Clear argument developed in response to question. History and future discussed with relevance. Some errors which I can't mark out because it's on the blog. One in particular about Fiske syaing people should not be influenced by the media - I don't think he said that. He argues that people are not that easily influenced by the media. This is also a key point you miss - Adorno (Passive) Fiske (Active) + the revolution that never happened (Karl Marx). Make changes please.

Adorno vs. Fiske

Adorno vs. Fiske

Does the mass media have a significant amount of power over its audience, or does the audience ultimately have more power than the media?

This is one of the key debates in media studies, and there are many different theorists to represent the different positions. Perhaps the two best theorists to look at would be Theodor Adorno and John Fiske. These two theorists have strong beliefs on the power of media, Theodor Adorno (September 11^th 1903-August 6^th 1969) believes that the power of the mass media over the population was enormous and very damaging whereas John Fiske (1939) argues that it is the audience, not the media, which has the most power. Adorno and Fiske are not the only theorists to represent theses positions, but they are the most famous and most celebrated theorists.

Adorno is best known as a member of the Frankfurt School. German, Jewish intellectuals mainly populated his school. These people mainly fled from Frankfurt to New York when the Nazis came in to power in the 1930s. I believe that Adorno turned against the media because of his personal experience from when the Nazis came into power and took over the media and as they did this they controlled people through the media.

Fiske was educated in Britain, attending Cambridge University where he studied English Literature. He then moved to Western Australia where he became the general editor of ‘cultural studies’ at the University of Curtin during the mid 1980s.

As Fiske believes that all audiences of the media are individuals, and they have there own say on points and not lead by the media. I believe that he got these views from becoming the editor of ‘cultural studies’ and his education had a huge affect on his thoughts and feelings towards the media.

‘Dialectic of Enlightenment’ is a book written by Adorno and Max Horkheimer in 1947 the book was about Horkheimer and Adornos views on the mass media as the ‘culture industry’. All the products of the culture industry got called ‘exactly the same’, Adorno and Horkheimer say that the products that the media produce ay seem different to what they think it means but they are in a ‘illusion’ the people are delusional in the sense of what the media try and convince the audience to think.

Axis of Awesome are a comedy act from Australia and they wrote a song showing that most songs and composers that have been released, they all use the same 4 chords. This would show Adorno and Horkheimer’s point perfectly as it shows that a song may sound different to another song but deep down has the same rhythmic flow to it. Horkheimer and Adorno believe that if an audience is used to something in the own culture then they will carry on living by this way as long as they are influenced to do so by the media.

Fiske however feels the opposite of this. He wants/tries to show people that they are individual and should not be influenced by the media. He disagrees with Adorno in many ways, for instance he says that ‘record and film companies make more mistake than they do hits, proving that audience chose what they want to like, not what they are made to’

A case study to show us the views from both Adorno and Fiske would be Madonna. In Adorno’s eyes he would say that Madonna would represent the culture industry as in the audience’s eyes she would be the person to be and everybody (the audience) would like to be like her, whereas Fiske has the complete opposite view, he reckons that the audience would connect on a level with Madonna. By this I mean that the audience would buy Madonna’s records because they like her music not because the audience have been brainwashed by the media and they are being told by the large music companies to buy Madonna’s albums so they make money.

The other case study that Fiske and Adorno could argue over would be X Factor. X factor is a singing talent competition in the UK, where the public in the long run votes for their winner. Who then gets a record deal with Simon Cowell (main host) under his record label SyCo. Fiske could argue that the audiences have their own self-beliefs and thoughts. By this I mean that the public have their own views on who they like and who they would want to win. X Factor does not force them to vote for anyone, but then Adorno would argue that all of the X Factor winners have been made into a specific type of person and recording artist to what the public (audience) wants to hear, and that is how they vote. He would also say that the winners would all be relatively the same in the way that they dress, sing and look. This would be done so that other people would do this in follow of X Factor.

In conclusion to this I feel that Adorno is more correct in my eyes. I feel that this is the case, as I do believe that the media have more power than what us as an audience thinks. Even though I do feel that Fiske has some good points and in some cases he is correct. But I feel that Adornos views are true. I feel that for instance X Factor produce pop stars each year to do the same thing, the always get a Christmas number one. Big television companies such as ITV that hosts these talent contests produce a person or a group of people that they want everyone to look up to which in the long run want everyone to be like, which leads to the record sales. This is a perfect example of the audience being tricked into doing something without them even noticing.

I feel that the media do have a lot of power over us as a public without us knowing.

Proposal Feedback

Clear, easy to understand. Lacking creativity, something to make it stand out, but maybe you can work on that in the storyboard? C-

Title: Fitting In

Director: Samuel Pinner

Synopsis:

My film will be about a boy from Bromley who has just moved to his local school. He has had to move schools from his original school in Essex due to his dads business. He finds it difficult to fit in as this new school consists of so many different groups of people. As he is in the sixth form you would think it would be easy for him to make friends and fit in easily, but my film will show the challenges he has to take. The film will also show how for him it affects his life at home. The film will be based at Ravens Wood, and there will be scenes of his journey to school on the bus and scenes of him at home. It is based on a true story about a friend of mine.

Who are the target audience?

The target audience for my film is the younger generation. This is because it is based around school life. It is not aimed at people over the age of 18, as I believe that it would not have a lot of relevance for people over this age.

Which short films have you looked at to help you get ideas?

Time of your life:

http://www.britfilms.tv/short-films/short-film-channel/time-of-your-life I feel that this is my favourite short film that i looked at, it has given me ideas in my short film in ways to do with camera work. I want to produce some shots similar to this short film, but completely alter it and make it my own.

I think that the acting in this short film was not too great, so I aim to produce a film with better acting

What message do you hope the audience will understand from your film?

I hope that my audience will learn about how tough it is for a new student to join a new school. Hopefully it will teach the audience and give them facts that they can use. I want to be able to educate people of a young age group and help them when they go through the steps of moving schools.

Setting(s): My film will be filmed within the school grounds. This will be good as the facilities in the school are perfect for my film.

There will also be a scene in the playground, and the bus journey after school.

Cast: Blu Franics, Ben Dickerson, Lewis Tear

Crew: Myself

Title: Fitting in

Director: Samuel Pinner

Synopsis:

My film will be a fictional story based on a true story about a boy who has just moved schools and he is finding it difficult fitting in with all the new boys at his school. The film will show what this boy had to deal with and what he does to 'fit in' with all the new boys at his school

Who are the target audience?

The target audience for my film, is the younger generation. This is because it is based around school life. It is not aimed at people over the age of 18 for obvious reasons.

Which short films have you looked at to help you get ideas?

Time of your life:

http://www.britfilms.tv/short-films/short-film-channel/time-of-your-life I feel that this is my favourite short film that i looked at, it has given me ideas in my short film in ways to do with camera work. I want to produce some shots similar to this short film, but completely alter it and make it my own.

I think that the acting in this short film was not too great, so i aim to produce a film with better acting

What message do you hope the audience will understand from your film?

I hope that my audience will learn about how tough it is for a new student to join a new school. Hopefully it will teach the audience and give them facts that they can use. I want to be able to educate people of a young age group and help them when they go through the steps of moving schools.

Setting(s): My film will be filmed within the school grounds. This will be good as the facilities in the school are perfect for my film.

There will also be a scene in the playground, and the bus journey after school.

Cast: Blu Franics, Ben Dickerson, Lewis Tear

Crew: Myself