AS: Semiotics - "The Bad Colour"

Aaron Mahnke, a freelance graphic designer from Boston started writing a post about where he found his desktop background for his computer but ends up discussing M. Night Shyamalan's film The Village and the symbolic meanings of colour in particular red - "the bad colour."

Please take a moment to read the post - it demonstrates that you don't have to be a film maker to understand and care about the connotations of colour; and also offers a picture of the many possible meanings that a single colour can have, dependent upon the individual who is interpreting it.

Oh, and if you have not seen The Village, do so now, it is an excellent example of the thriller genre. Here is the trailer to wet your appetite:

AS: Continuity Task

Listen up Year 12. The standard has been set, courtesy of Dan, George, Leah and Martin from the Ringwood School!



When you complete your preliminary tasks after half term this is what you must measure up to. You can view more continuity tasks, made by the students at Ringwood here.

Diploma: Two Early Draft Animations from Josh & Sian

These are shaping up to be really good. Watch out for the finished articles!

A2: Music Video Students

Here is an excellent example (Level 4) of a student made digi-pack and magazine ad for their music promo package:


http://getaheadocrmedia.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-does-digipack-look-like.html


Thanks to Andy Wallis at Ringwood School for the heads up! Check out their Media blog here: http://mediastudiesringwood.blogspot.com/


Mr. M.

Conspiracy Theory: The Dark Side of Google

Josh, from my Year 11 Creative Media Diploma class, found this and thought it was worth sharing:

A2: Contemporary Media Regulation - Links!

Don't forget that you should be doing as much wider reading as possible during this unit. Here is the site you used in Mrs. Neale's lesson last week: http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/index.html


There is a wide range of articles discussing Kubrick's films and the controversies that have surrounded them, including The Clockwork Orange.


For further reading please make sure that you are making full use of the SBBFC site: http://www.sbbfc.co.uk/


It has an interactive timeline of Film/Video Games regulation and censorship; as well as case studies, articles and essays - including an fabulous range of info about The Clockwork Orange as well.


Remember - you need to offer a critical understanding in your response so you must read both popular and academic criticism around the case studies that Mrs. Neale's shows you. Watching the clips and disucssing them in class is only the beginning...

Converting English Students into Media Students

One of the main differences between English and Media Studies is the language we use. This glossary of terms should help you improve your analysis...

On the left is a English expression and on the right is the Media Studies terminology.

• shows = denotes
• implies/suggests = connotes

• a metaphor = symbolic
• linked/connected = indexical
• directly resembles = iconic

To achieve well in your written work it is important that you learn to use these terms when analysing texts.

Media @ CCC Blog Update

Current AS and A2 coursework blogs can be found in the sidebar. Please scroll down to see this years' coursework in progress.

There is now a coursework archive with all students blogs created since the introduction of the new OCR 4-unit syllabus. This includes AS blogs from 2009 and 2010 and A2 blogs from 2010.