Tuesday 21 October 2008

Action plan timetable

Wednesday 22nd October- Learn and memorise all of the assessment objectives and what each of them require.

Thursday 23rd October- Review mind map and write key points for what it takes to get an A.

Friday 24th October- Ask people and review my title. I am looking to see if my title is debatable and not too vague.

Saturday 25th October- Gather research on the British gangster genre. Research on Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels.

Sunday 26th October- Gather film critics about my film so I can incorporate it in my study.

Monday 27th October- Use the acronym GRAVIL to analyse my film so that I will cover all the concepts of my film.

Tuesday 28th October- Do a detailed SHEP analysis on my film as I need reference to other texts so that I meet my assessment objectives.

Wednesdays 29th October- Create a bibliography on blog.

Thursdays 30th October- Look at previous studies from past students and look what aspects of theirs I could.

Thursday 16 October 2008

Self assessment of presentation

I think that my presentation went really, I had the confidence and ability to produce a good detailed presentation which got the audience engaged as well. From my feedback it was clear that my body language and style was good as it showed though out my presentation.

My improvements were to cover wider texts of my film. for example, I did not make no reference to SHEP (social, ethical, economical and political). Also I need to look at feminism and how it created the different man. The "male backlash" needs to be focused on and how men are in fear of loosing a patriarchal society. My final point would be that I need look at the same gangster era genre of my film i.e "Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels."

Overall I think my presentation was a success and I learnt/gathered new ideas which could help write the best study of my ability. By doing the presentation I feel more comfortable and confident in what I need to do and how to go about it to achieve it.

Saturday 4 October 2008

Self-assessment of blog work

AO1- demonstrate knowledge and application of the Key Concepts employed within Media Studies and the evaluation of texts and ideas using the key concepts.
I think that I have analysed my text/topic using the key concepts to a good standard. I have used my knowledge of what I have learnt from AS and applied it to my topic by analysing my film poster, trailer and a scene which I thought was relevant to the title of my study.
The key concept which I have covered to the best of my ability is audience. The key concept which I should be focus on in more depth is representation and media language as my title is based on the representation of males. I will make progress by focusing on the representations of other male characters in the film.

AO2- demonstrate knowledge and application of the wider contexts (historical, social, political, economic) relevant to Media Studies.
I think that I have not yet come to terms with word zeitgeist, however I will undertake a detailed analysis on what it is and how it works and i will then try to link it back to my text.
The wider contexts which I have covered is social. I have to cover historical by obtaining facts about the film, political by focusing on any political issues which have or are aroused in the film and economical by finding out how much the film was to make etc.

A05- demonstrate the ability to use appropriate investigative and research techniques in carrying out an independent study of a media text, topic or issue.
I have not yet fully covered all the available literature of my text. I have used online services to get reviews and quotes of my film however, I need to get more book research to ensure that I get a variety of research from all sources which I then can incorporate in my essay.
I think that I have formulated a good question, it's not a detailed question however, I feel that with this question I can explore a number of representations which are brought up in the film.
My hypothesis is not a detailed one, however it does state what intend to find out from my study.
I have considered all the issues and debates that occur or surround my study. The issues and debates which are clear from my study are male dominance, prostitution, drugs and gang violence.
I have undertaken a fair amount of textual analysis and have analysed the film trailer, poster and a scene from the film which shows all the issues of the film.
I have not taken a satisfactory amount of time looking at my text from a different theoretical perspectives. I will be working on this by gathering a number of theorists and seeing which ones would be relevant to my study.
I have viewed my main text a number of two times. I know that this is not enough viewing time however, I do intend to watch it another two times so that I know exactly what is going on, on the screen.
I have analysed other texts from the same genre such as "Football Factory" and "Green Street Hooligans." However, I have not analysed films of the same time period as "Rise of the foot solider." What I now need to do is compare the two films of the same genre to my chosen film and see if they have followed the same conventions etc.
I am keeping a note of all the websites I have used from were I have got my quotes and reviews from.

Synoptic Ability-draw together understanding of Key Concepts, from different parts of the specification in order to make effective textual readings.
draw upon knowledge and application of a wide range of possible relevant contexts, in order to account for the characteristics of media texts.
I have linked my study to previous topics which I learnt last year while I was doing AS media. I have linked audience theory to my study as I have looked at my text from different audience's views for example surveillance purposes, personal identity etc. I have also linked my study to MED 4 genre and representation as the title of my study focuses on the representation of the film. I have not yet linked my study to MED 6 by finding out institutional factors etc.
I have not yet found out any stories or reviews for my film on the media guardian as my film is an underground art house film which does not have many critics about it.

Critical Autonomy-apply critical ideas and principles to new situations and demonstrate media literacy in responses to media texts.
I'am thinking for myself however, I have been asking my fellow peers for advice on what I can improve on and what i need to do so that my study is even better.
I am working independently however, my motivation needs to be increased as i tend to get distracted quite quickly, therefore I need to focus more on my topic and concentrate and not pay attention to nobody else.

Quality of written communication- Select and use forms and styles of writing appropriate to purpose and complex subject matter. Organise relevant information clearly and coherently, using specialist vocabulary when appropriate. Ensure text is legible, and spelling, grammar and punctuation are accurate, so that meaning is clear.
I have presented my work with clear cut headings and subheadings so that it is easier to read. Also I have decided to colour code my work so that looks presentable as well as being easier to see what I have done.
I do use key media terminology and before I publish any posts up on my blog I always spell check my work to see what grammar or spelling mistakes I have made.
I do not highlight the quotes that I cut and paste but taking it into consideration I will start highlighting them and putting them into quotation marks.