So far we've been looking at people's presentations, and they are all quite good, but in my opinion i think that we are all still a bit vague about what we are doing, we have too many idea's, which is fantastic, but we need to specify what exactly we will be talking about in the actual 5 minutes.
I've narrowed mine down to talking about Oracle (Original Batgirl, Barbera Gordon) and her treatment, or Starfire. These are two good examples i think, and i know more about them.
I have also improved my presentation, and hopefully i'll be able to do it soon, then we can all pick our groups after we're all done.
EDIT:
I think more needs to be said on this. So, in showing the treatment of Barbara Gordon, i am showing how she has been written unfairly in comics, so yes, a negative aspect within comic books, just to clarify. I want to show to the audience how unfair things are, and just highlight the issue. Although comics have moved with the times, they still objectify women/treat them unfairly. I want to get down to specifics when i write the script.
Well, i didn't get to do my presentation yet, but i showed it to the teacher. It's ok, but what I'm presenting is too vague, and i agree. I was missing the point really, there is no focus to my documentary.
This gives me a chance to improve it before i present it to the class, so what i am going to do is, keep my actual presentation that i had planned to do + this reevaluation, showing my new idea. It's still based on Comics, but i've just changed the aspect of it to this;
-Comics promoting patriotism, 'say no to drugs', fight against racism etc, and also negative aspects e.g. Wertham’s Law, violence.
-Representation of women in comics i.e. artist representations, idea of 'Frigging', superheroine costumes, too skimpy? too busty? therefor sexist?
-What does the material say about the times, how do they reflect society? men/ women presented equally? How are different races presented? who are the bad guys? What are the stereotypes?
Not all of this, but this is the new direction i am going to go in, just to make it clear, i was thinking of going with the middle one, representation of women, which also goes with the third one.
So, the title would be 'Comic Books: The Representation of Women'
My to-do list is to (a) do a little more research and (b) Finish the presentation.
So, i went looking around and i found a couple of documentaries i quite like, these aren't examples of what i want to do, but what i could do, i just want to get a feel, i want to refresh my memory.
N.o 1- It's about a martial arts teacher, the speaker is an American. I like it because it's simple, like a commentary, and seems to keep our attention.
And also this one, it's an introduction, and it caught my attention. It's about pop culture in Tokyo.
Lastly this, I'm only posting part 1. I enjoyed this one, and before i knew it almost three minutes had gone. Not that i enjoyed it that much, but i was reminded how fast 5 minutes can be.
Well, i feel as if i can be as creative as i want with this, but not go off and do something completely unconventional. I assume that with some documentaries you just have to wait and see, like in the Tokyo one above, and just talk to people, but i want mine to be more organised than that.
So for example, I'd probably have a chat with a few people I'll be interviewing before actually filming, and see what they are going to say, come up with a rough outline, then film them saying it.
OK, tomorrow i will finish my presentation for Monday and show them what I've got :)
I found quite a bit on Autism, there is a lot of information to fill five minutes, and it's easier to pick out, so unlike the Comic's reseach post, i'm going to put all my info here:
Autism:
Autism is a life-long brain disorder that is normally diagnosed in early childhood.
People with autism have difficulties communicating, forming relationships with others and find it hard to make sense of the world around them.
Autism is a spectrum disorder varying in symptoms, severity and impact from person to person and ranging from those with no speech and limited cognitive ability to those of high IQ and typically highly-focused interests and abilities. Repetitive behaviours are common across the spectrum, which includes Asperger Syndrome. This is a form of autism in which speech development and IQ are normal, but in which social disability can be compounded by depression or other mental health problems.
Some people with autism demonstrate significantly challenging behaviours; most need specialist support and care.
A distinction is made in assessing the needs of people with autism between those who have an IQ of less than 70, who are described as low functioning and classified as learning disabled, and those who have an IQ above 70 who are often described as high functioning.
Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
In total more than half a million people in the UK have an autism spectrum disorder.
Autism affects people of all racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
Details of the support we offer to families affected by autism in England, including parent seminars and workshops; the help! parent support programme; and early intervention training for parents and carers of young children.
We run a range of non profit-making schools and colleges for students of all ages with widely varying needs, including more able students and those with high support needs arising out of challenging behaviours. We also offer outreach services.
We provide a wide range of residential and day services in England for adults with autism spectrum disorders, including residential and day provision which offers flexible, specialised support to people with varying needs.
Our social groups are membership groups offered across the UK for people at the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum. Check here to see if we are running one in your area.
Our out of school clubs support children and young people with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism, giving them the opportunity to take part in activities and socialise.
We provide student support, work preparation programmes, job-finding support and employment support for people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We also help employers with the recruitment, training and retention of staff with an ASD.
Our autism resource centres in England provide a single centre within your local community for accessing information, services and support. Each centre offers services tailored to the needs of its own users.
-BBC
Autism 'affects all of the brain'
Autism does not simply affect how people relate to others but has a wide range of effects, a study suggests.
US researchers compared 56 children with autism with 56 who did not have the condition.
Those with autism were found to have more problems with complex tasks, such as tying their shoelaces, suggesting many areas of the brain were affected.
A UK autism expert said the Child Neuropsychology study showed how pervasive the condition was.
The social difficulties have received a great deal of research attention but this new study reminds us that the causes of autism have more pervasive effects
Professor Simon Baron Cohen, Autism Research Centre
People with autism are traditionally identified as having problems interacting with others and with both verbal and non-verbal communication.
They can also display repetitive behaviours and have very focused interests.
But this study suggests autism can affect sensory perception, movement and memory because it prevents different parts of the brain working together to achieve complex tasks.
The programme followed school children who are lobbying MPs to tighten the rules on classroom acoustics at a time when the government is investing in the renovation and building of schools. Poor acoustics make it difficult for children with hearing impairment to concentrate and follow their lessons, yet there is no obligation to meet the recommended acoustic standards.
We meet a family trying to find the right kind of education for their five-year-old son Adham, who is deaf and autistic, and there is a visit to Heathlands school to see the launch of the first GCSE in BSL.
Broadcast on:
BBC Two, 1:00pm Thursday 10th September 2009
I found these two video's on youtube:
-BBC
System 'failing autistic adults'
Emma Wilkinson Health reporter, BBC News
Adults with autism can become socially isolated
Thousands of people with autism in England are failing to get the diagnosis and specialist help they need, the National Audit Office says.
Most local authorities do not know how many adults with autism live in the area and provide no specific services.
Yet better support in areas such as housing and employment could save the taxpayer millions of pounds in the long run, a report concluded.
The government is due to publish its first autism strategy later this year.
People with autism struggle to communicate socially and have trouble understanding facial expressions and tone of voice and recognising emotions.
Around half of those with autism also have a learning disability, but for those who do not - those with high functioning autism, such as Asperger Syndrome - accessing support for housing, further education and employment can be particularly hard, the NAO said.
Three-quarters of local authorities have no commissioning plan in place for specialist autism services and 65% struggle to find appropriate housing.
The report also found that children with autism are often abandoned by specialist services when they turn 18, due to a lack of adult services or a proper transition plan.
Many neurological conditions can cause autism including congenital infection (German Measles), neonatal brain injury, genetic abnormalities (Fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, Down syndrome, CHARGE syndrome, and others), and metabolic conditions (PKU, organic acidurias, and others).
It is known that genetics plays a role. Parents of one child with autism have a 5 to 8 percent chance of having another child with the condition. Boys outnumber girls three to one. Ninety percent of identical twins share autism.
Specific genes have been identified in some families that are associated with autism, but this is rare. Studies show that autism is a very complex disorder that probably results from a combination of genes and environmental factors. Numerous research studies are currently underway to determine which genes and environmental factors are involved.
Some children with autism have “developmental regression” that begins generally between 15 and 30 months of age. These children “go backwards,” losing skills they once had. They need to be evaluated carefully for metabolic diseases and for a kind of epilepsy called LKS. Treatments of these conditions can be helpful.
A genetic workup is indicated for many patients. Overall a cause of autism is found in less than 10 percent of cases.
It is important for parents not to blame themselves for having a child with autism. Doing so is bad for them and bad for the children. There is nothing known at this time that they could have done to prevent autism.
Clinical Evaluation
The diagnosis of autism should be made as early as possible, so therapies can begin. The diagnosis can be made by experienced clinicians on the basis of history and observation.
Standardized tests, especially the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI), can show where a child falls on the autistic spectrum and are useful for getting services in the school system and community.
In North Carolina, the TEACCH Program has served people with autism since the 1970s. Started by Professor Eric Schopler of the University of North Carolina, TEACCH was one of the first programs to take a positive attitude toward making a difference in the lives of people with autism.
People with autism are eligible for services throughout life and should be registered for a TEACCH evaluation as soon as the diagnosis is suspected. Although there is often a long wait to be seen, the wait is worth it. TEACCH Regional Center contact information can be found online.
Treatment
Early treatment is best. The cornerstone of treatment for children with autism is language/communication therapy.
Other therapies such as occupational therapy, behavior management, and social skills training are also often helpful. Classrooms for children with autism in schools are appropriate for some but not all children. The treatment of autism is beyond the scope of this brief essay.
The Duke Autism Program
The Autism Program at Duke began 15 years ago under the leadership of Dr. G. Robert DeLong, Professor of Neurology Emeritus, a distinguished investigator into autism and autism related disorders.
The program now consists of two physicians, Dr. Richard D’Alli, a child psychiatrist, and myself, as well as two speech therapists and a clinic coordinator. Dr. DeLong has remained involved as the research director. The principal roles of the program are diagnosis and pharmacological management.
The diagnosis is made clinically by the physicians. For those families willing to participate in the Neurogenetics Unit Study (see below), the tests mentioned above (ADOS and ADI) can be done free of charge within eight weeks.
A substantial minority of patients with autism have an associated behavioral or developmental problem for which pharmacological management can be helpful. These problems include selective mutism, obsessive behaviors, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, aggressive behavior, and mood instability.
Our philosophy is that zero is the right number of medications for a child with autism. For us to continue a medication, both parents and observers who are unaware that the child is on medication must see an undeniable improvement in the child’s behaviors. Parent education and help in finding community services are also provided. We make an effort to stick with families over the long haul and to help them solve problems as they arise.
Right, so thats what i found. Up next, some stuff i found about documentaries!
I was watching a few trailers and i was thinking of a very theatrical idea for my documentary, just to make it more entertaining and exciting to watch as well as informative.
Not only will i be telling the audience about the different media platforms comics have spread into, that also entails how it works to collect a bigger audience, i want to make my documentary as showy as possible, so this means i have been thinking about last year, and all the editing options on imovie. I am quite excited about this project.
TA- For Ancillary/Production:
Who?
-Obviously comic book readers, like myself, but also people interested in film/TV/Cartoons/Anime/feminism.
-Ages 14 and above.
How to attract?
-I will use comic book fonts, related music (i.e. 'Kryptonite') and dress appropriately to relate to the audience- this should get the message across about the content.
-I will make it obvious what the documentary is about, (e.g. slide show of women on comic books).
-I will use comic imagery e.g. pictures of well known characters from actual comics, pictures of people cosplaying (dressed up in costume at anime con.) and also have a fitting colourful eye catching logo.
(Went comic book shop yesturday (long journey) mentioned filming there, they said yes. One more place to visit and ask for permision + free filming at anime con.)
I have narrowed my research down to a select few comics to talk about and use as examples.
There is a lot of information, so i've put up the links to what i need, and i'll pick out the actual info i want from there and put into my planning, but basically this is what i've found. The IMDB links pretty much cover the films/TV showes, and the cartoons, as well as clips for them, so thats good, but for my planning i think i might have to go on youtube to find clips I think i may need.
(by the way, the first links under the titles 'Superman' etc, are the main parts.)
Comics (games/live-action TV and films/cartoon films and TV):
Dick Tracy had a long run on radio, from 1934 weekdays on NBC's New England stations to the ABC network in 1948. Bob Burlen was the first radio Tracy in 1934, and others heard in the role during the 1930s and 1940s were Barry Thompson, Ned Wever and Matt Crowley. The early shows all had 15-minute episodes.
On CBS, with Sterling Products as sponsor, the serial aired four times a week from February 4, 1935 to July 11, 1935, moving to Mutual from September 30, 1935 to March 24, 1937 with Bill McClintock doing the sound effects. NBC's weekday afternoon run from January 3, 1938 to April 28, 1939 had sound effects by Keene Crockett and was sponsored by Quaker Oats, which brought Dick Tracy into primetime (Saturdays at 7pm and, briefly, Mondays at 8pm) with 30-minute episodes from April 29, 1939 to September 30, 1939. The series returned to 15-minute episodes on the ABC Blue Network from March 15, 1943 to July 16, 1948, sponsored by Tootsie Roll, which used the music theme of "Toot Toot, Tootsie" for its 30-minute Saturday ABC series from October 6, 1945 to June 1, 1946. Sound effects on ABC were supplied by Walt McDonough and Al Finelli.
Early feature films
Six years after the release of the final Republic serial, Dick Tracy headlined four feature films, produced by RKO Radio Pictures. Dick Tracy (aka Dick Tracy, Detective) (1945) was followed by Dick Tracy vs. Cueball in 1946, both with Morgan Conway as Tracy. Ralph Byrd returned for the last two features, both released in 1947: Dick Tracy's Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome. Gruesome is probably the best known of the four, with the villain portrayed by Boris Karloff. All four movies had many of the visual features associated with film noir: dramatic, shadowy photographic compositions, with many exterior scenes filmed at night. Lyle Latell co-starred in all four films as Pat Patton. Anne Jeffreys played Tess Trueheart in the first two, succeeded by Jeffreys double Kay Christopher and finally Anne Gwynne; Ian Keith joined the cast as the delightfully hammy Vitamin Flintheart for two films; Joseph Crehan played Chief Brandon. RKO stocked the films with familiar faces, creating a veritable rogues' gallery of characters: Mike Mazurki as Splitface, Dick Wessel as Cueball, Esther Howard as Filthy Flora, Jack Lambert as hook-handed villain The Claw; baldheaded, pop-eyed Milton Parsons, mild-mannered Byron Foulger, dangerous Trevor Bardette, pockmarked, gently sinister Skelton Knaggs.
Television
The strip has also had limited exposure on television with one early live-action series, two animated series, one unsold pilot that was never picked up, and a proposed TV series currently held up in legal litigation.
(wipes brow) The good thing with using a blog as a way to do things, It's easy access to everything. The parts in bold are the ones that i have taken info from and used in my planning, however is my teacher says i need the actual info on my blog, then i'll put it up, because at the moment i haven't had enough time to do so, and also because i think this is more practical. So this post may be edited. Right, i think thats all, now i need to post my light Autism research, then my research on documentarie conventions.
Here i am going to go into detail. I have narrowed my options for my documentary to;
-One comic through the ages e.g. superman (movie/comics/cartoon/TV show/merchandise), so exploring how comics, through one comic, has spread into other media, through one or many comics.
So i will be researcing this, however, i think i will talk about comics in general first, then focus on one if i choose to (which will be Batman if i do). This option also lets me incorporate this;
-Anime/manga convention in October=filming opportunities.
Because Mangas, Japanese comics, very frequently get made into Anime, Japanese cartoons, then maybe into films, this is a good example of my idea. And to clarify, my title will be'Comics: Across Media Platforms'.
And just in case things don't go to plan for any reason, as a plan B , i will also research on;
-The era's of comic books, -what defines the era's,-Comics within the era's
(2) Autism
For this i will be researching;
*What is being done to help autistics.
I don't really know much about this, so I'll have to do a bit more research, maybe look into government schemes, and how awarness is created etc. And depending on whether or not i have enough material, i wil also do my documentary about;
*what(british) people understand about it, how they would react.
Right, researching this will be a little tricky, i suppose that it will have to be a wait-and-find-out sort of thing. I'd maybe have to randomly go up to people and ask them one or two questions about Autism during the actual filming. I dont want to do that and I don't have a lot of time to do this presentation, so i cant spend so much time making questionaires and go around giving them to people. I think i'll have to do a quick interview with a few people i come across to see what the general public know. I'll just ask, 'Do you know what Autism is?' or i could look for some secondary data on this. I'll link it to the first one.
My title would be 'Autism and the UK'
~~Ok, as i have said, researching is only collecting my material, the planning is where i'll go into specific detail about what *exactly* will be in my documentary. Lengthy? I dont really think so, after i have my material i'll be cutting and trimming all of it to fit into my 5 minute slot. I'll be putting all this into my 15 minute presentation (i'll have to check the 15 minutes) to show how i came from 6 topics down to this.
EXTRA:
I'm going to set myself the task of researching documentaries, how they are made, what they look like, how they capture the audiences attention etc, but not to much, i might just post a few examples of what i've seen, type up a bit of what i've learnt.
So, those are my ideas. My action plan (towards Monday) will be to research my options now, and collect all of my material for 'Comics' and 'Autism' and lightly on Egypt. Then after i have all my material I'm going to start planning how my documentary will look (in my presentation), how i want to construct it e.g. in story boards etc...
~~So that's that, and for the other extra tasks that accompany this i need to think about a poster and a web page.
Web page:This I'm not too keen on, so i expect that it will give me an opportunity to show development. I don't have much on this yet, but what i want is a lot on the page, a lot to see/read/watch/interact, with bold colours, but not too many colours. It has to relate to the documentary, so looking back on my brainstorm, it could be about helping first time comic readers, explaining some of the stuff from the documentary, how to collect comics etc, stuff like that 'And don't forget to visit our website where you can find more info on comics...'
If it's about Autism, then it can offer info on Autism and help, a simple understandable page (blues and whites).
Poster:This i think can be a promo poster for my documentary.For Autism, it can be an awareness poster advertising the website.
These are just some ideas i had to write down. I need to talk to my teacher in a minute and see what she says, she might not think that these are very good, and i also need some advise on how to construct a documentary, i have an idea of what it should be like though.
EDIT:So yes, my teacher thinks Both 'Autism' and 'Comics' are good, and that i should maybe do a presentation on both? But foremost, 'Comics'. This means that I'm not going to research Egypt.
The parts in bold for Developing three ideas: (1) Comics will have to defiantly be shortened when i come to my planning, and also for Autism.
(Random thoughts popping up for 'Comics'.
-The start of the documentary can be as if it's just coming back on from an advert break, because the documentary has to be an extract. -Edit the 'Kryptonite' song, so it's got a calm bit for when the title comes up, then the crescendo accompanied by cuts to many other clips (comic related) then fades as the speakers voice comes back on. <>y planning, and presentation.) -This means that i will also be going to anime con :) i know that I'm going to get too much footage from there, so i will have to be strict with myself. It's in the end of October 24-25, right at the beginning of my half term. LONDONEXPO.com
This is a topic that is very much in the public eye, and it also has great relevance to me. My sisters have this and it would be a good opportunity to be able to do my own documentary on it. I have, more or less, a good idea of what this can include, so there wont be as much on this post as there was on the last one about Comics.
Idea (2) Autism
-Children with autism.
*what the parents have to do, what the childeren know about their condition.
-What it is, and what it means.
*Defining it, and explaining it's syptoms etc.
-Living with autism.
*Personal accounts of the person with autism, their day. *talking to autistics, hearing their account of the world, what they think.
-The view of the public.
*what people understand about it, how they would react.
-In my own home/ my own sisters:
*watching, looking, interacting. *looking at my own sisters, setting it in my homelife. *a personal documentary.
-The life of people taking care of them.
*what their lives are like. *what they do, how they care for them. *persoal experiences.
-The good parts of life for children with it.
*A positive part showing that autistics need most care and for people to understand them. *creating an awearness.
-Treatment.
*News articles i.e. BBC, looking at how to deal with autistics, how to act around them what to do. *Looking at it from a biological perspective. *What is being done to help autistics.
-The specialschool they attend.
*School that help children with learning disabilities. *a day at school. *what teachers are told to do. -------------------------------------
That's all at the moment for my brainstorming for this. I'll need to do research into this as well as research for my comics ideas (that post was larger becuase i know more about it) The title for this would be just 'Autism'. The parts in bold are what i really want in it.
Well, this has to be five minutes, I'm going to brainstorm here as much as i can and create a lot of options for myself. I'm not too sure how to go about making a documentary so I'm trying to be prepared. Here we go...
Idea (1) Comics: (hm, no underlining options...)
The History of comics
- looking back at how comics have developed, the art/artists, stories and their development, the progression into story lines continuing into other comics/the writers.
-The era's of comic books, -what defines the era's,-Comics within the era's
-Certain writers/creators/artists (modern/old)
-Certain comics, how they have grown (e.g Batman/Superman/Green Lantern/Hulk)
-How comics came about, what started if off?
-Japanese manga, where did it start?
Comics Media
-How comics have developed into film, comics and film the relationship.
-One comic through the ages e.g. superman (movie/comics/cartoon/TV show/merchandise), so exploring how comics, through one comic, has spread into other media, through one or many comics.
-How a comic is made, the process of creating a comic.
-The comics industry, how they are marketed.
DC or MARVEL comics/ other comic publishers
-Look at DC/MARVEL or others, their history and how they came to be and how/why they became successful.
-Their people, how they became individually successful.
Comics in society
-Mostly Captain America comics during WWII/Cold war.
-Comics promoting patriotism, 'say no to drugs', fight against racism etc, and also negative aspects e.g. Wertham’s Law, violence.
-Representation of women in comics i.e. artist representations, idea of 'Frigging', superheroine costumes, too skimpy? too busty? therefor sexist?
-What does the material say about the times, how do they reflect society? men/ women presented equally? How are different races presented? who are the bad guys? What are the stereotypes?
-Anime/manga convention in October=filming opportunities.
-Manga and Japan craze 'It's like a different world'.
-Comics and fanfiction, free comic book day, comic con, whats the package?
Personalbit
-What are comics to 'me'? -How did one get into reading/collecting comics? What was it that got you started. -A general talk about comics. -Why does one like them? Whats the addiction? -Whats the general public's view of them?
Elements for the documentary
-Sone idea's for music, related to comic books. I can do something with this song, i dont really have any prticular types of songs i want, but i might just use a song from an anime.
-Example of the kind of anime song i could use. There is a close relationship between anime and japanese comics. This could either be back ground music, music to fill in the bits where there is no talking etc..
-----------------------
OK, that's as far as I'm going to go on this, 5 minutes can go by quite quickly. I have all that i need here i believe, so I'm going to have to pick a title. What i had in mind was a general title of 'Comics' then i can put in any of these ideas into the documentary, or i can have something specific like my coloured headings for a subtitle. The parts i really want are above in bold, some of them may or may not be dropped, or some added.
I'm going to need quite a bit of research, these are parts of Comic's that i know *of* but not actually know well.
So i found having to start a blog a little intimidating, but now i see that i can keep my thoughts together here, but i may sound very informal a lot of the time. First media lesson today. An intro to what will be happening for the rest of the year.
1.Intro to the new 'Rules, Expectations and Sanctions'-( quite straight forward) 2.Plan of action towards completing our course work.- (we have a media planner, it's only a sheet of paper, but it's rather dandy actually.) 3.Intro to the brief. (I'm doing a TV documentary extract, lasting 5 min. with poster/website) 4.Get started on your idea's!
Well, n.o 4 is the fun part. I need three ideas, and i already have a few. I was given some advise to do the documentary on something that i know a lot about, this would be very useful. My ideas are, (1) Comics, (2) Autism, (3) Egypt, (4) Greek/Roman Mythology and (5)Armenia (6)Cold war.
These are all of great interest to me, but I think my main idea will be comics, and my next will be Autism. I can't quite decide between these two, but i need to develop three anyway, so I'm going to go with Mythology. I need to have brainstorms for the next lesson, for we must do these as presentations are on NEXT Monday!
Media lessons for Course work:
-Monday: Period 5 -Tuesday: None -Wednesday: Period 4 -Thursday: None -Friday: None
So, I'm going to get started on these. Any post maybe edited (it's always good to improve on you have).
This blog will be from here on a record of my 2009 A2 media course. I will be constantly updating it every time I do something new. I don't think that there is more to be said. Before, i used scrap books, but now it's necessary to use something more up-to-date. This new year comes with new challenges and we all have to work harder, but first:
1. What did I learn last year?
Well, I pretty much learnt how to use the camera's the school gave us, and the tripods and mac computers. Specifically on the mac's, I had to learn how to use imovie and Garage Band, as well as learning how to upload our filming onto the computers. I learnt how to cut, add transitions, add effects, add sound, split clips, overlay sounds, add text/credits, upload sounds from Garage Band and make my own music on Garage Band. Editing, as I learned, takes.a.long.time.
I also learned camera angles, and their purpose, how to use them effectively. I also learned how to write a real script, that was what I really wanted to learn, and I wrote my own. The most important thing that I learnt was continuity, the audience has to understand what is going on in front of them at the drop of a hat (more or less), that and the way a scenario is constructed, because what is happening must be apparent to the viewer. This also includes match on action, things need to be fluid. There are also story boards, they need to portray angles accurately, so it pays to be able to draw well. They are important because they tell you what you have to do, what you have to film, so your prepared for filming, and get it done quickly. Time is always short. And lastly, actors... it's always good to have understudies if your using actors, nobody is 100% reliable, and other things are bound to go wrong if your not 100% confident in your planning. I've learnt this from my preliminary, there were a few things that were last minute, and it was very stressful. We didn't have a proper allocated time for filming. Research is important, you have to get things right, or then you'd be lying or targeting the wrong audience or falsely portraying what/whoever is in your media product.
3.What do you want to learn this year?
I would like to improve my ability to use the equipment/software, and generally get better at planning/research. I would like to learn how to use photo shop effectively, and indesign to make effective posters and improve on what I have already learnt.
2.'What went well' and 'Even Better If':
Well, I got a pretty good grade, and my group had great dynamics, we got along and listened to each other and worked hard towards our grades. Our production ended up looking brilliant, we managed to get the planning done thoroughly. I went through my evaluation improving a it a little bit here and there until it was satisfactory. It would have been 'even better if' we had been more confident to film, we were not to sure about our ability to do so, and due to our actress becoming ill, (she's better now I'm glad to say) we had to do some major changes in our planning, there was no contingency plan in case there was something was wrong with the actors, and we had to scramble to finish our main product. We did our planning but our organisation was lacking, if we had been more organised then there wouldn't have been a scramble. So, confidence, contingency and organisation could have been better.
3. 3 targets to improve.
N.o 1. Be ready to go out and film, do what you have to do to motivate your group. N.o 2. Make sure that you know when, where, how and exactly what your going to do, and make sure everybody in the group knows it. Work on a schedule, plan your time efficiently. N.o 3. Get better at using the equipment.
So that's the re-cap, i might come back and improve on it, but that's it for now.
I'm a media student at the Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College, London, doing my A2's. This Blog is to record the progress of my media course work. Posts here are for the benefit of my teacher and of my self.
We provide student support, work preparation programmes, job-finding support and employment support for people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We also help employers with the recruitment, training and retention of staff with an ASD. 
The social difficulties have received a great deal of research attention but this new study reminds us that the causes of autism have more pervasive effects 
