Monday 12 December 2016

Multimedia Assignment 1 Using Keynote


Title & Code of Module          Multimedia Communications

Assessment Technique            Presentation

Weighing                                 30%



Students are required to produce an oral presentation, (approximately ten minutes long) on one of the following:

1) Communication in Contemporary Ireland

2) Media theories

3) History of film: A social and historical context

Students must submit a print-out of slides and also submit an electronic copy of the presentation

Marking Scheme Assignment 1 (30%)
Presentation based on multi-media or film  
Structure/ format of the presentation, visual aids
Content- breath of knowledge, relevance to topic
Analysis, understanding of topic, demonstrating key research skills
Use of language- grammar, vocabulary, punctuation

6
 6
 6
 6

6








Keynote Part 1: The Basics 
Uploaded by on Sep 3, 2009

Keynote for Beginners - Episode 2 - Rulers, Gridlines, Guides and Sizing

Uploaded by on Dec 3, 2009

Keynote for Beginners - Episode 3 - Format Bar, Comments and Presenter Notes
Uploaded by on Dec 17, 2009

Keynote for Beginners - Episode 4 - EmpowerCast iWork Series

Uploaded by on Jan 12, 2010







Keynote for Beginners - Episode 5 - Titles and Bullets

Uploaded by on Jan 17, 2010

Keynote for Beginners - Episode 5 - Titles and Bullets


Uploaded by on Jan 17, 2010

Keynote for Beginners - Episode 6 - Working with Images
Uploaded by on Feb 18, 2010

Keynote for Beginners - Episode 7 - Working with Shapes
Uploaded by on Feb 20, 2010

Keynote for Beginners - Episode 8 - Text Boxes
Uploaded by on Feb 20, 2010

Keynote for Beginners - Episode 9 - Photos
Uploaded by on Mar 25, 2010

The process of film making in different social and historical contexts

Applying  basic knowledge of film theory and history try to reflect on the following scene in your blogs by answering the following questions:

Are there any theories you can apply from the handout you received before on media and film theory regarding how the subject matter is portrayed?

 

Trailer My Left Foot -1989- 

 

10 Movie CLIP Christy Plays Soccer (1989) HD 

 




Here is the full film
 

Lost love







Uploaded by  on 30 Sep 2011

1.Describe some of the characteristics of Christy’s father?
2.Are there any similarities/differences between Christy and his father?
3.Would  Mr Brown be considered to be a typical ‘Irish father figure’?
4.Does the relationship between Christy and his father evolve?
5.Has the concept of masculinity changed since the period during which the film is set?
6.Discuss the importance of social setting in the film
7. How are men and women expected to behave
8.Discuss society's attitude to disability and to the Brown family within this film
9. How does Christy, Mrs Brown and Mr Brown deal with Irish societal expectations of them?
10. How does our understanding develop as a result of the repeated reference to the fund-raising benefit?


My Left Foot educational help booklet from the Irish Film Institute

Monday 14 November 2016

Media theorists and theory help

A general overview of media studies can be found at Wikipedia:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_studies

And a selection of media theorists can be found here
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Media_theorists

Some of the main media theory and theorists can be found at this link. Download it and print it off to take notes. We will be working from it over the next few weeks:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/11711855/Media-Theory

Have a look at the slides on this page which covers some areas of media theory
http://www.slideshare.net/geoffjmoss/media-theories-3016026

There are good examples relating to mediate theory in The Media Theory Toolkit
http://www.slideshare.net/silvertwin/media-theory-toolkit-2013?next_slideshow=1

Other useful links which look at various media theorists include:
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=3674

Other useful links:TERMS COMMON TO ALL MEDIA
 http://homepage.ntlworld.com/deemcintosh/mediaterms.htm

SOME USEFUL THEORISTS, THEORIES & SHAPERS OF MEDIA STUDIES
 http://homepage.ntlworld.com/deemcintosh/mediatheorists.htm

Propp's analysis of folk tales
 http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=propp



Incredibles Clip (Propp)




Vladimir Propp



Narrative theory



Mods, Rockers and Moral Panics




Adam Curtis is seen as someone who is respected in his criticism of mainstream media. Towards the end of this 6 minute clip he looks at moral panics which are discussed in your media theory notes.


Adam Curtis-Paranoia and Moral Panics (2010)

                                                   Uploaded by IfsPaul in 2010

Here is a look at how TV journalism will often look at picking a side in various conflicts or stories around the world as opposed to reporting.

Oh Dearism by Adam Curtis




This is a trailer for Adam Curtis' interesting series The Power of Nightmares


The Power of Nightmares Trailer


The Wide-ranging influence on how the mass media constructs stories

As we looked at in the previous post, there is a variety of ways that the media constructs stories. Sometimes the story is dependant on the medium used. The chosen medium to  can constrain the effectiveness of the story by the media.

Can you apply Marshall McLuhan's idea of "the medium is the message" to any of these clips?
Can you apply any of the theory given in the handout to current media coverage?
Can you source any other clips, stories, articles or documentaries to back up media theory?

Here is a clip from controversial media analyst Charlie Brooker on the media coverage of the death of celebrity Jade Goody from his programme Newswipe. When analysing the story, focus on the manner of media coverage rather than the celebrity.

How is the media constrained by the medium chosen in these examples below?

How is the public influenced as a result?


Charlie Brooker on Jade Goody's Media Coverage

Uploaded by on Apr 3, 2009


Adam Curtis - The Rise and Fall of the TV Journalist

Uploaded by on Oct 16, 2007


Adam Curtis-Paranoia and Moral Panics (2010)

Uploaded by on Aug 19, 2010

Newswipe on celebrity as newsworthy

Uploaded by on Feb 25, 2010

Charlie Brooker's Newswipe - News Coverage Of "Frozen Britain"

Uploaded by on Jan 20, 2010

Guy falling on Snow / Ice in Dublin, RTE Six one report


Uploaded by on Jan 8, 2010

Look What's Happening To TV News?


Uploaded by on Oct 31, 2007

Charlie Brooker's Newswipe: Party Political Broadcasts


Uploaded by on Mar 8, 2010



Oh Dearism by Adam Curtis


Uploaded by on Feb 8, 2010

Thursday 10 November 2016

Soviet Montage




The concept of Soviet Montage

The Odessa Steps and Its Descendants 

 You can see how the clip shown below from Battleship Potemkin influenced a series of films here


Odessa Steps clip: Battleship Potemkin (1925) 



 


When trying to source the clip below, the closest I could get to the original was a russian language version of this clip from Youtube. However, since there is very little dialogue you can see how this film was influenced by the film Battle Potemkin.



the entire film of Battleship Potemkin can be viewed here for free

The Stairway Shootout - The Untouchables (8/10) Movie CLIP (1987)

 


The odessa steps scene even influenced the film The Naked Gun.

Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (7/10) 

 The Kuleshov Effect is a film editing effect demonstrated by Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s. It is a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation.


Hitchcock Explains the Kuleshov Effect

 

 

 

Tuesday 18 October 2016

Editing: A Film History

With the advent of cinema in the late 19th and early 20th century, the concept of editing was rarely, if minimally used. Many early films were a single shot. Editing was minimally used by Georges Mélies in his famous 1902 work A Trip To The Moon.

Most of the shots in this film by 
Mélies are a series of single shots.

A Trip to the Moon (1902)

 Uploaded by on Oct 8, 2010

Contrast this film with the music video by the American grunge band The Smashing Pumpkins, who use the plot of A Trip To The Moon but with faster, slicker edits.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight

 

Edwin S. Porter's The Life Of An American Fireman (1903) built on  the work of
Mélies and was one of the first directors to make editing more purposeful. The alteration between the woman's room on fire and the race of the fire brigade to save them gave an added sense of drama, where two separately filmed parts could give a greater meaning and sense of empathy and deeper involvement with the audience.

Life of an American Fireman 1903

Uploaded by on Mar 7, 2007

Porter built on this work with The Great Train Robbery (1903), which despite some of the shots being long, no single-shots happen from beginning to end. In this short film you see the robbery, the get-away, the pursuit and the capture. It is not necessary to see the entire shot to understand what is happening narratively and to give it a sense of continuity.

The Great Train Robbery 

Uploaded by on Jan 16, 2007

D.W. Griffith was seen to be the person to advance film to the next step in terms of film editing. His work was a great influence on Hollywood and Russian revolutionary cinema. His work included a variety of shots for impact, the extreme long shot, the close-up, the cutaway, tracking shots as well as variations in pace.

In the clip below of Enoch Arden, Griffith uses a close up of a wife's face as she waits for her husband to return. This demonstration of long, medium and close up shots meant that the audience could be drawn further in emotionally. The use of close-ups such as this were quickly picked up by other filmmakers.

DW GRIFFITH ENOCH ARDEN 1911 CLASSIC TV SHOWS SILENT FILMS on DVDS at TVDAYS.com 

 Uploaded by on Nov 15, 2007

Birth of a Nation is Griffith's most famous and epic yet controversial work. It tells the story of 2 families engaged in the civil war. The work is nearly 3 hours long and is controversial today as a result of how it treats racism.  I'm only including a trailer below, as it can be viewed in its entirety here 

Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith - Trailer (1915) 

 Uploaded by on Feb 17, 2007

The idea of parallel action intercut with each other can also be seen in Griffith's The Lonely Villa (1909) where a vunerable family is intercut with burglars.


D.W. GRIFFITH'S THE LONELY VILLA 1909



Uploaded by  on 30 Mar 2009











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Wednesday 28 September 2016

Filmmaking Techniques

Top 10 Most Effective Editing Moments of All Time

The Psychology of Film Editing | Creative Post Production Techniques


The clip below is a short film highlighting the variety of film techniques and camera angles, shots, framing, movement, focus, lighting  and composition. The clip also looks at editing techniques, colour adjusting and sound editing.



Filmmaking Techniques


Video Lighting Basics - Three Point Lighting


Uploaded by on Nov 21, 2008

The types of shots that are taken are shown in this clip which also highlights the importance of implied distance. It specifically looks at the long-shot, mid-shot and closeup. Shot types influence how an audience reacts to certain information as the viewer identifies with the lense. Closeups are often used where the greatest dramatic impact is needed within a scene. Significance, meaning drama and creating an emotional response from the audience can be deduced as a result of shot types.

Shots often include the amount of general and background information as well as the amount of subject information, the size and importance of the human figure as well as psychological and physical information.
Long shots are often dominated by background information and films which use this technique considerably include Lawrence of Arabia and Citizen Kane. Subject information in these long shots often take up very little screen space. Long shots are often used to establish the location of the scene at the beginning or end of the shot as subject information has the ability to often be balanced with background information. It allows the audience to figure out what ios going on in a particular situation as well as showing where the cast are positioned onscreen.

Full shots show the subject from head to toe and background begins to be reduced. The subject can be seen in more detail and is therefore better equipped to dominate the frame.Full shots are often used when physical acts are displayed.

Medium shots frame the subject usually from the waist up. The subject takes a greater amount of importance over the background and the subject is able to display more detail in their acting ability. Medium shots often ddepict interaction amongst characters and usually only allow for 2 or 3 characters in frame.

Closeups focus solely on the subject where the face dominates the screen. Subtle shifts in expression from the subject in closeup can convey a lot more to the audience.

Extreme closeup fills the screen with only a fragment of the face (eg maybe just an eye or an object)
Shot Types


Uploaded by on Jan 22, 2010

Camera Angles and Techniques


Uploaded by on Jul 13, 2009

Best Camera Trick Ever!

Uploaded by on Oct 23, 2008

How to achieve a Film Look - DSLR film making