Where are we, where are we going?

Unlike the title might suggest this is not going to be a post about the meaning of life, we'll save that for another day. Instead, I just wanted to take stock of what should be done and what remains to be done with your coursework.

What you ( AS and A2) should have completed by this stage are the following:
1. Statement of intentions/ illustrated essay
2. Script
3. Storyboards
4. Mise en scene planning

What you should be working on this week is your one ( AS) two (A2) minute films.

There will be a screening of the films in Next Monday's lesson.

Some advice on what these should include is offered below. This is taken from the CCEA's MIA advice to candidate's document.

What is a Production Exercise?
The Production Exercise is a one-minute piece of video that explores either:
The Theme of your film
•
The Visual Style of your film
•
A Filmmaking Technique to be used in your film.
It is advisable to try and include elements of all three.
The Production Exercise does not have to be one continuous piece of film nor does it have to have its own narrative. It can be made up of several shorter pieces of video exploring the elements mentioned above. Production Exercises do not need written back-up work.
Tip: If your one min experiment is made up of several smaller pieces use your own narration
to tie the pieces together. Similar to the director’s commentary on most DVDs.

After these are completed then you should be ready to start shooting the real deals. My advice is shoot more than you need and make sure it is done before the end of the holidays as the most time consuming process is the editing.

Storyboards are go.

Just wanted to recap on where you should be in terms of your coursework.

AS= redrafed versions of your statement of intentions and your scripts are due in on Monday.

A2 = illustrated essays and scripts are due in on Monday.

Once the scripts are written the next stage is to start work on storyboarding your ideas. First, let’s just get one thing clear, it doesn’t matter if you can’t draw. Seriously. The point of a storyboard is to illustrate your concept, there’s no need to spend hours perfecting every panel. Some of you have been experimenting with software programmes and if you prefer to use these that's fine. Alternatively you can go about it the old school way an simply draw it. Don't forget templates for storyboards are stored in the coursework folder of MIA in the learning resources.

Below are a few sites to check out that may help you with your task.

Storyboards!

Drawing storyboards!

Script it

Hi all,
hope you are having fun writing the scripts for your films, below are a few links you might find useful.

How to write dialogue!

Scripts without dialogue!

BBC Film Network!

The Times article on script writing!

Also, year 13 don't forget the second draft of your statement of intentions is due in on Monday, here is a worksheet to help you.

Statement of Intentions!

Buzz Killington

Hi all, hope you're enjoying your mid term break, far be it from me to kill your off school buzz, however, I just wanted to remind you all that you should be working on your film ideas over the break.

AS -the first draft of the statement of intentions is due in on Monday. This can be in bullet points and should include who the inspirations for your film are, why they inspire you and how you hope to use this inspiration in your own films.

A2 - you should be working on your illustrated essays, the first draft of that is due in on Friday.

Also, just to remind you all of your blogs should now be up and running and yet I am still missing links for some of them, so get posting...

Coursework Deadlines

Throughout your coursework it is essential you have a clear idea of when your deadlines are, this will help both of us. Knowing your deadlines will help with your planning and helpfully avoid you feeling overwhelmed, workloads are always more managable if they are broken into separate tasks.

You will receive a copy of these deadlines in class but just in case you lose them I will post a copy here - so no excuses.

AS deadlines: this!
A2 deadlines: this!

Roll up your sleeves, take a deep breath...

So, this week both AS and A2 have started their coursework. We will still be working on some film history and film theory in class but for the most part your time should be spent planning and making your films.

AS = First draft of your statement of intentions is due in Wed 4 Feb
Treatment is due Mon 2 Feb

A2 = First draft of your illustrated essay is due in Friday 6 Feb
Treatment is due in Fri 30 Jan

I look forward to seeing your blog links appeearing any day now...

MIA Mocks

Yup, it's that time of the year again. Here are the MIA mock exam dates and times:

AS MIA - Wednesday 21 January 10.30 -12.00

A2 MIA - Wednesday 28 January Session 1 = 1.00-2.30
(15min break)
Session 2 = 2.45-3.30

Can you let me know if you are in class at these times as I will need to speak to your teachers to get their permission for you to be out of their class. Also if you have your own headphones (inner ear, fancy ones) that you want to use bring them with you on the day.