The Sunday Times Culture

This amazing one shot video was made by Black Island Studios. They shot 26 takes on the day, but it was take 16 that was used to advertise 'The Sunday Times Culture' for The Sunday Times. How many of the iconic scenes from media texts do you recognise? 

M&S Christmas advert

It's that time of year again when Christmas adverts will be gracing our screens. I do actually look forward to them! What have been some of your favourites?

This year Marks & Spencer's have been clever and tied it in with the release of Paddington Bear 2. A great way to create synergy between both brands and target a family market.

M&S Christmas as uses Paddington Bear to target family audience.

Magazines: How print is surviving the digital age

How often do you read physical copies of newspapers and magazines? If you don't read physical copies, how else do you access information? 

Here's an interesting article about magazine figures with reasons to why some publications are increasing/decreasing sales with possible reasons why.

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/entertainment-arts-40897967

BFI Film Academy: Screenwriting

A great opportunity for sixth form students.

• Are you a screen writer? 
• Would you like to be mentored by professionals? 
• Would you like your short film to be made by a crew of like minded individuals who are also keen to get into the film industry?

If you have answered yes to all of the above, ensure you apply for the BFI Film Academy, delivered by the prestigious National Film and Television School.

Apply via the application, which can be found near the bottom of this link: https://nfts.co.uk/bfi-film-academy

Deadline: Sunday 12th November, 6pm

Y8 film review competition

Writing a Film Review from MissPatelMedia

Ofcom announce new measures for the BBC

Ofcom have just announced new regulations that the BBC must follow. This updated information is useful for the Y11 TV comedy unit as one of the case studies is based around the BBC as an institutions. Think about what you already know about the BBC's mission, aims and purposed. Is this currently reflected in their content? Do you agree with Ofcom's new ruling?

Read the articles below, from a variety of sources. 

Ofcom - More UK-made programmes on the BBC

The Telegraph - Ofcom tells the BBC: stop showing so many old films and daytime repeats

The Guardian - BBC ordered to show more British-made programmes

Film Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Reviewed by Indranil (8S)

I decided to watch How to Train Your Dragon 2 as I thought it was going to be as action-packed as the first one.

The plot develops around a boy named Hiccup. At the beginning of the movie, Astrid (Hiccup’s future wife), Snotloud, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut (twins) are having a race. The race is to ride your dragon, find and collect sheep in your basket and whoever has the most sheep wins. At this moment Hiccup and Toothless, Hiccup’s dragon, are exploring to find new lands to wander.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 by Dean DeBlois is an animation that is full of action, silliness, extreme sadness and adventure. The movie creates tension when Hiccup and his friends are in deep danger from Drago Bloodfist, the antagonist of the movie. The movie also creates sadness when Hiccup’s dad, Stoik, gets shot by Toothless, who was under the spell of Drago Bloodfist. Action can be seen when Hiccup’s army have a huge battle with Drago Bloodfist’s army. The movie also shows adventure when Hiccup and his friends are exploring new lands. This film is action-packed and full of adventure. These genres are the most important ones in the movie.

Overall, this film has definitely supplemented my personal collection of favourite animations. The action and adventure really managed to create an exciting atmosphere. I think this film is targeted to 7 year-olds but can be watched and enjoyed by all the family.  

BBC School Report: Sports Journalism

There is an opportunity for sixth form students who are interested in journalism.

BBC School Report will be running in March, with preparation starting from January. However, if you have a keen interest in sports journalism there is an opportunity to gain some work experience with the BBC. See the link for further information.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/work-experience/school-report-sports-reporters

Applications open on Tuesday 3rd October

Film Review: SALT (2010)

Reviewed by Nikita (ex-media student)

Angelina Jolie plays the titular character of Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative that is accused of being a Russian spy. It then quickly becomes clear that she is not quite who she says she is, which leads to Salt hiding from, and then fighting, almost every other person in this film.

This is obvious, modern day, propaganda but it is still enjoyable if you narrow your scope a little. The plot itself isn't very complicated but that doesn't matter because this film is almost entirely comprised of action. Although this doesn't sound very entertaining, it is! Angelina Jolie undoubtedly contributes to this but perhaps the biggest component of these action scenes is the editing, as well as the soundtrack. In hindsight, it is really an achievement that the filmmakers have managed to create a film that is intensely suspenseful and gripping for almost two hours without spending a whole lot of time on anything else.

Salt isn't a deep film, it's also not very realistic; this is the more realistic equivalent of a superhero film. That said, the film is enjoyable and (slightly) thought-provoking, and definitely holds up to repeat viewings.

Into Film: Young Reporter Programme

Are you passionate about film? If so, think about your response to the following questions to see if the Young Reporter Programme is right for you.

Would you like to:

- attend red carpet film premieres and interview the stars?
- attend film industry events and film festivals?
- have your work published on the Into Film website for everyone to read?
- receive professional training and mentoring?

If you answered yes to these questions, go to the Into Film website to find out more and download an application form: https://www.intofilm.org/youngreporter

The deadline for applications is 12pm, Monday 2 October.

You need to submit a vlog, so do not leave this until the last minute. Be sure to let me know if you get shortlisted. 

Britain's most powerful elite

From 1000 of the most powerful people in Britain, only 36 are from ethnic minorities. Read the article to find out more.

A2 media studies students are currently working on their case studies surrounding British youth identity. Having recently learnt about the concept of hegemony, think about the following in relation to the article:

Is this figure good enough? 
How does this impact society?
How does this affect us as individuals?
How does this link to the concept of hegemony?
Does this representation filter through within the media?

Film Review: Kidnap (2017)

Reviewed by Zeel (A2 Media)

It was a cat-and-mouse thriller, which is expertly choreographed, and Halle Berry's acting was exquisite! However, at first I was initially put-off by the film's synopsis. Usually I would have passed this over in an instant but I decided to be open minded and give it a chance and I have to say I was not disappointed.  The acting, cinematography and stunt-work were masterfully crafted in such a way so as to get you emotionally invested throughout and are constantly given just the right amount of information to keep you on the edge of your seat. I believe that this film engendered such a visceral reaction. Sometimes whilst watching a film, if you cannot relate to nor care about the characters the film falls flat, and you consequently lose interest very quickly. Not so with 'Kidnap'. The relatability of Berry's character, plus the superb job she did with this role, puts you right in the car seat next to her.

Initially I felt let down by the length of the car chase scenes as they dragged along in some cases, but despite this the storyline was hooking and the plot twists kept me enthralled. The camerawork and cinematography are enough to keep audiences confused yet still understand what is going on.

Overall, this movie was utterly jaw-dropping.

Women cast in film

In British film, what do you think the percentage different is between the number of women cast in films in 1913 compared to 2017? The answer can be found in this Guardian article.

The study was carried out by the BFI who have also launched a great new website: Filmography of British Film. 

My Alperton - photography competition

an iPad mini? All you have to do is submit a photo that has been taken in the local area. You do not need a professional camera, you can also take a photo with your phone. 

The extended deadline is Thursday 14th September at 2pm - which is tomorrow!

For further details and to submit your entry go to the Future Northfields website: http://futurenorthfields.com/photography-competition/

Congratulations and welcome!

Congratulations to year 11 and 13 leavers on their GCSE, iMedia and A Level results. We hope you achieved what you wanted and it has put you onto the next path of your journey. We look forward to celebrating with you at the presentation evening on Thursday 14th September.  

Welcome back to year 11 and 13 students. We have a busy year ahead of us. Ensure you have an excellent start to the year by keeping up with deadlines set and attend intervention sessions for extra support when asked to.

Lastly, hello to all of our new students in year 9, 10 and 12! We are really excited to be teaching media to year 9 for the first time. An exciting course has been planned for you. Year 10 and 12, we hope you are as committed as Mr. Steenson and myself to helping you achieve your potential.

Work experience opportunities

There are a lot of opportunities for you to gain work experience/internships within the media. However, you need to always be on the lookout and be quick to apply! To start you off, here are some opportunities I know of and some links I have come across. The majority of them are for those aged 16+ but for younger students it is always good to know what opportunities will become available to you in the near future.

BFI Academy (regional)

Applications are now open! Available for 16-19 year olds. There are several academies in London. I suggest you apply to as many as possible to have a better chance of getting on. If you are successful, you will stand a better chance to get a place on the residential course which I support on. 

Mama Youth Project

This is for students who are taking a year off before university or looking to get straight into employment. Mama Youth is a fantastic company, one in which I trained at myself before doing some work for them. The training takes place at Sky where you make a TV programme which is also broadcast on Sky 1. Great way to get a credit to your name.

BBC work experience

Applications open in August

Go Think Big

They have ongoing opportunities for work experience, apprenticeships and internships.

The information below is from the Guardian website.

Guardian students
www.youthmediaagency.org.uk

You can contribute to the Guardian blogging students section of the site. Students have their say on the pressing issues of student life, from fees to face time, from deadlines to distractions. It’s free to join Guardian students, and when you register you will get a free ebook on ‘how to blog’. There’s also a guide on how to write for the section. www.theguardian.com/education/students

Wannabe Hacks

Provides advice and tips about how to get into journalism and media, real life accounts of work placement experiences and the opportunity for reader contributions. It is aimed specifically at young people, before, during and after university.

wannabehacks.co.uk

Shout Out UK

An independent UK news network run by under 25s, focusing especially on political news and debate. They offer the opportunity for contributors to have their work published online, as well as one-to-one journalism tuition and political literacy courses. www.shoutoutuk.org

Youth Media Agency

Invites young people aged 16-25 to become ‘Creative Associates’; writers, journalists, graphic designers, film makers and photographers. The site offers help for young people to find opportunities and training within the media industry as well as inviting them to get involved in Youth Media events and films.

Film Review: Captain America - Civil War (2016)

Update: Nikita's review made it to review of the week on the Into Film website. Well done!

Reviewed by Nikita (A2 Media)

Although the title claims Civil War is a Captain America film, it is really another Avengers film. The large starring cast helps keep the film fresh and funny but it also means that Captain America's personal story line (his relationship with Bucky, and with his girlfriend from back then Peggy Carter) is almost entirely sidelined. This is also especially disappointing as it is the end of Cap's trilogy. If you were looking for a film about Captain America, you're not going to find it here.

The film starts with half of the Avengers on a mission that leaves an apparently large amount of civilians dead. Although nobody has cared about this before, this particular incident is enough for the government to step in and try to rein the Avengers in through the Accords, a contract that means that the Avengers' every move as superheros will be controlled by a panel of strangers. Tony Stark, feeling fresh guilt over the death of a teenager, agrees to sign it, saying that they need to be controlled. Steve Rogers notes that governments have agencies and agencies can change. It's a very interesting debate but unfortunately, the film doesn't actually spend much time on this. Instead the plot really revolves around Sebastian Stan's Bucky/The Winter Soldier - except it doesn't. Very quickly, the action is reduced to childlike arguments; they fight for the sake of fighting. 

The budget for Civil War is huge and it's clear where they've spent it. The film is packed with very impressive fight scenes (and one even more impressive scene with a young Robert Downey Jr.). While the fight scenes add little for the amount they're on screen, they are very entertaining. Oddly enough, the big fight with all of the Avengers is hilarious. That's right - hilarious. Anthony Mackie, as Sam Wilson, has witty one-liners throughout the film whilst Paul Rudd's maniacal Ant Man and Tom Holland's first appearance as wisecracking Spider Man truly elevate the fight scene in terms of humour. Their short stint in the film is also perhaps the ideal length for a superhero to appear in another superhero's film.


The truly annoying thing about this film is the potential it had as a solo Captain America movie and how entertaining it was despite that. Am I still annoyed at the lack of focus on Captain America? Of course. Is it still funny and worth your money? Unfortunately so.

Mean Girls Election 2017

Someone clearly has a lot of time on their hands. This is far too funny not to share. I hope that all of you who are 18 are ready to use your vote. Make your voice count.

Revision Guides - April 2017

Shiny updated revision guides, just for you. Download them to view offline on your phones/tables/computers and print out a copy too so you can highlight/annotate to aid your revision.  

Don't say I don't treat you to nice thinks. Enjoy! 😆

GCSE: Action Adventure

GCSE: TV Comedy

iMedia: Pre-Production

AS: TV Drama

A2: Section A (1b)

A2: Section B Media & Collective Identity (British Youth)

BTEC: Unit 8 - Industry in Context

Free Mac apps

Apple are making software, that we regularly use in media studies, available for FREE! Both iMove and Garageband, along with some other apps, are now available to download on and Mac operating systems and mobile devices. Get downloading.

Economic realities behind the film industry

Download and listen to the podcasts by Mark Kermode. Good for your general knowledge of the funding of the film industry and may also be helpful for AS students - section B of the exam.

Mark Kermode Podcasts

Beyond the Blade

Beyond the Blade is a project, set up by The Guardian, attempting to uncover the way that knife crime is reported in the British press and how young people and children are being represented. It aims to learn more about the victims themselves rather than the assailants. Surprisingly, there are no public records of the number of children and teenagers killed due to knife crime in Britain. Why is this? 

• Are there more crimes being committed than we are aware of?
• Is it just youth committing these crimes against other youth?
• Who decides which deaths and crimes are "worthy" of being reported? 
• Does it need to be reported more to create an awareness or less so that it doesn't appear glamourised? 
• Does the ethnicity, gender, location and social background of the child effect the representation?
• What impact, if any, do these representations have on society?

Read this article which tries to explain some of the questions posed above and highlights some of this year's tragic loss of life. Within 3 months there have already been 9 deaths. Two of these are from London - Brent to be precise.

BFI Flare - FREE event

"This year’s BFI Flare feels absolutely, positively vital. 2017 marks a significant milestone in our shared history: the 50th anniversary of the partial de-criminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales."

See the website for further details and programme guide. There is also a FREE event for young people aged 16-25 on Saturday 18th March, 11am - 12.30pm at the BFI.

You can also stream some films (legally!) on the BFI Player: features, shorts and exclusives

Calling all budding journalists and writers

Want to get your work published for everyone to see? Enter the 2017 MediaMag writing competition. This year's title is: 'This Changed My Life'.

For further information: https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/competitions/the-2017-mediamag-writing-competition

Deadline: Friday 31st March

#BeBoldForChange

The media department will be celebrating International Women's Day 2017 in lessons today. This years theme is #BeBoldForChange.

We will be discussing 6 influential women within the media industry and also why there is still a need to have a day to celebrate women and have their voices heard.

F-Rated

This article is rather timely considering International Women's Day is tomorrow.

Just over a year ago I wrote about the Bechdel Test and the possible need for a F rating. We all know the usual film classifications imposed by the BBFC - U, 12, 12A, 15 and 18 - and now there's an F rating! Ok, technically this is not imposed by the BBFC but it has finally started getting more recognition. So much so that the film information website imdb has started to use this to classify films. However, there is still some way to go with publicising this as the F rating is only currently available via the reference page and not the film page itself. So far 21800 films fit the criteria. 

What is the F rating? 

The F-Rating is applied to all films which are directed by women and/or written by women and/or have significant women on screen. If a film has all three, it recieves a TRIPLE F-Rating, our gold standard. The rating allows audiences to “vote with your seat” and proactively choose to go and see F-Rated films. 



See the official website to read more about it to allow you to make more informed decisions about what you watch.

The Guardian have written an article about it, and the more you share information like this with your family and friends the more recognition it will receive.

Article on women in advertising

Read the Guardian article which focuses on how women have been represented in advertising over the past 50 years. The last part of the article highlights some dominant representations. Year 10, this links directly to the controlled assessment you are currently doing!

The changing face of brands on TV

There are also events taking place at the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising all month, to coincide with International Women's Day.

Women in Advertising

Year 9 Options Evening

Do you want to be a part of an industry that is worth almost £10 million an hour? The UK’s creative industries grew by 8.9% in 2014 - almost double the UK economy as a whole!

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/creative-industries-worth-almost-10-million-an-hour-to-economy

Download the PowerPoint from the taster session to show your parents more about the subject. We'll also be there on the night to provide you with further information, examples of student work and answer any of your questions.

https://www.showmyhomework.co.uk/notice-board/events/49268

Academy Conversations

Did your favourite films win an Oscar this year? 

If you would like to know more about the films, this playlist are conversations with the filmmakers discussing the making of their films at Academy screenings.

Advertising Induction Day

Want to work in advertising? Keen to excel in your controlled assessment? Interested in learning new skills and meeting industry professionals? Need something to do in the half term? Great! This is the event for you.

What? Advertising Induction Day 
When? Friday 17th February 
Time? 10.30am - 4pm
Where? DigitasLBi, 146 Brick Lane, E1 6RU
By who? Ideas Foundation
Cost? FREE! 

Find out more information about the event and get your ticket here: Eventbrite

Watch the video to see what other students have had the opportunity to do in conjunction with Ideas Foundation.

Oscar Nominations 2017

The nominations have been announced for this year's Oscars. How many of the films have you already seen and which are you still looking forward to seeing? So far I've seen La La Land and Lion, both of which I recommend. Still want to see some of the others, especially Moonlight and Hidden Figures.

Finding Dory... One ❤️

Reviews the get read

A Film Club member, Rushi, has now been published on my blog, on the Into Film website and now our school website: Film Club news.

If you would like to submit a review of a film, old or new, I would love to put it up on the blog. Each review will earn you 10 achievement points.

Simon Sinek on millennials in the workplace

Do you know people like those Sinek is describing? Are you one of them? 😲  How much do you agree with what he is saying? 

Fake News

How do you keep up to date with the news? 
Do you find news stories appearing on your social media feeds? 
Do you check the source of the news, just like you would a source in a history lesson? 
Do you question/challenge the view points made? 
Do you seek out the opposition of a news report to help you make your own judgements? 
Do you check to see if a report is true before you share it with others?

In order to combat fake news stories, the BBC has set up a Reality Check team to fact check them. Read more here.

What is fake news? How to spot it and what you can do to stop it.

Try out this quiz to see if you are good at spotting fake news.

I Am a Nasty Woman

To coincide with the inauguration of Trump as the next American president, there were many Women's Marches taking place all around the world. In Washington DC Ashley Judd recited a spoken word poem, written by 19 year old Nina Donovan. What did you think of it?

 

Golden Globes 2017

Well done to all the Golden Globes 2017 winners. This year Meryl Streep won the Cecil B. DeMille Award which is an honorary award for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment." Here's what she had to say:



 How eloquent she is.

Yeah, you really told her!