Friday, 9 May 2014
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Coursework: How to write the evaluation
Headlines:
4 questions
500 words each
You must consider this in relation to CREATIVELY exploring your MACRO. REMEMBER this is measured as the equivalent of Shooting, Editing, Recording and Mixing Sound to produce a Video - so how you have selected MES (costume, location, props, casting of actors, their pose etc) is to communicate your conclusions about (Genre, Representation, Narrative, Themes etc) is what is being written about here, along with your camera composition and framing.
How much effort have you gone to? This is a good place to judge these questions:
What can be improved?
How successful?
Look at examples
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Video Nasties: The Changing Attitudes Towards Film Censorship
Video Nasties: The Changing Attitudes Towards Film Censorship
In the 1980's many 'video nasties' were banned and refused a certificate, this was mainly on the grounds of The Obscene Publications Act (1959).
The
rise in home entertainment and the widespread introduction of video in
the 1980's saw new concerns raised about what depraved movies people
could be watching behind closed doors. The BBFC addressed these concerns
by passing the Video Recordings Act in 1984.
This meant a film could be banned if it was unsuitable for home
viewing, or the studio would be asked to apply heavy cutting to the
movie to make it suitable. Video Nasties such as Cannibal Holocaust, Driller Killer, Evil Dead, Cannibal Ferox and Last House on the Left were either banned or forced to make heavy cuts in order to pass the film. At the time of the VRA Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government were in office, and often sympathised with conservative agents within the press like the 'Daily Mail' and their calls for these types of films to be banned.
Headlines like this in the Daily Mail are frequent even in more liberal times
The BBFC can often be pressurised by conservative agents within the
press to ban certain types of film , and increase its authority. the
Daily Mail is one such newspaper, in 2009 a film called Antichrist
was released and passed by the BBFC, this prompted an online article on
the Daily Mail website titled: 'What Does it take for a film to get
banned these days'? Speaking of the movie Antichrist the article says: '
As censors approve a movie that plumbs grotesque new depths of sexual
explicitness and violence, one critic (who prides himself on being
broad-minded) despairs...A film which plumbs new depths of sexual
explicitness, excruciating violence and degradation has just been passed
as fit for general consumption by the British Board of Film
Classification'. The board also has to balance its liberal stances with conservative fears of film harming its audiences. This again shows the BBFC are moving its classification structure with the times, if the conservative government of the early 80s were in power today, the liberal stance of the BBFC would more than likely succumb to the censorship wishes of news organizations such as The Daily Mail.
In the early 90s there was a succession of dealers in illegal videos, who were tracked down in 1992. The people were in possession of titles banned at the time like 'Cannibal Holocaust' and banned pornographic material. The media at this time became increasingly concerned with the clampdown on video censorship
4.5.1 Lesson Plan Recap & Video Nasties
How can you link this to our question:
“Film censorship is motivated by fears about audiences and technologies.” Discuss this statement in reference to the concerns expressed about uncensored and unregulated video content in Britain in the early 1980s. [30]
Explain on Post Its
Explain on Post Its
New Info:
The Rise of the Blockbuster, Format Wars and Multiplexes (1972 -84)
This was one of the more popular topics in this section, and the question on multiplex cinemas
proved very popular. Generally, many candidates were able to demonstrate a good
understanding of the fundamental changes occurring in cinema in Britain and America in the
relevant time period. There was much useful discussion of ‘fleapit cinemas’ and good
understanding demonstrated of how the development of the multiplexes facilitated an upgrade in
the quality of the cinema experience.
This was one of the more popular topics in this section, and the question on multiplex cinemas
proved very popular. Generally, many candidates were able to demonstrate a good
understanding of the fundamental changes occurring in cinema in Britain and America in the
relevant time period. There was much useful discussion of ‘fleapit cinemas’ and good
understanding demonstrated of how the development of the multiplexes facilitated an upgrade in
the quality of the cinema experience.
Stronger responses were distinguished by the ability to use macro level facts – such as the fact that 1984 represented the low point in British cinema admissions. Some candidates’ responses lacked historical specificity, writing about the attractions for audiences in multiplexes in the present tense. Given that the time period covered by the topic is clearly marked in the specification and on the examination paper, it is important that centres and candidates ensure their work is appropriate to the time period covered by the topic.
Video Nasties
The majority of responses were able to present their views on what the key
reasons were for the emergence of statutory regulation for home video in the early 1980s. Key
reasons cited were the uptake of VCR from the late 1970s onwards, the growing availability of
home video and the quick spread of home video rental shops and sections within newsagents,
petrol stations and other local shops, the work of censorship campaigner Mary Whitehouse and
the moral panic over the so-called ‘video nasties’.
reasons were for the emergence of statutory regulation for home video in the early 1980s. Key
reasons cited were the uptake of VCR from the late 1970s onwards, the growing availability of
home video and the quick spread of home video rental shops and sections within newsagents,
petrol stations and other local shops, the work of censorship campaigner Mary Whitehouse and
the moral panic over the so-called ‘video nasties’.
In a small minority of cases, some candidates took an overly general approach to the question, attempting to shoehorn all parts of the topic into an answer to the question. This rarely worked well as this left candidates without the time and space to develop their points into cogent whole, and as such this approach to responding to the questions is to be discouraged.
Using Essay Plans and your Liniot, select the most relevant points of context
New Question: "How did the Rise of The Blockbuster affect Production, Distribution and Exhibition of films in the UK and US in the late 1970's and mid 1980s? Refer to specific films to justify your points"
1. Introduction Thesis: Answer the question, How did it develop over time and what social/historical and technological factors? Which Films are relevant to show this Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T.?
2. Production: affected by Technology ILM, Audience's preference for Blockbusters and spectacle, Star Wars becomes formulaic and simple, cinema attendance increases = limits the diversity of films being made?
3. Distribution: Film Studios invest in Multiplexes to distribute their most popular films (Blockbusters) & encouraging releases in Multiplexes, marketing affected by Star Wars action figures, Jaws & 'The Event' Movie, VHS Home video rentals in stores, big marketing budgets the film becomes hyped and packaged no longer just about the Film Text itself = does this devalue cinema and limit diversity of films?
4. Exhibition: The move from Fleapits to Multiplexes and rise in cinema attendance = part of a social experience does this devalue the cinema experience? Home Video Piracy (ET) and watching cinema at home fashionable to have a VCR - effect on cinema attendance = Encourage more spectacle driven Films to be seen on the Big Screen?
5. Conclusion: How does this demonstrate the effect of social economic and technological forces?
Prepare for Learning – 20 mins
Task 1
Find out what the story is and why it is controversial
Debate
Should
there be such a thing
as censorship of films?
Record the debate as a Photobooth & email me the result, what do the
class think?
“Film censorship is motivated by fears
about audiences and technologies.” Discuss this statement in reference to the
concerns expressed about uncensored and unregulated video content in Britain in the early 1980s. [30]
Task:
Initial Research: For the following words in BOLD - Know about what was happening,
define the terms, outline the context, and what relevance they have to the
above exam question?
Group 1. Adam
The right-wing,
pro-censorship response by groups such as the National Viewers and Listeners Association
and conservative MPs who wanted the
introduction of restrictive laws for access to films
on video
Group 2. Aaron
2. The level of take-up/fashion
amongst the UK population of home video technologies in the 80s and unregulated home video distributors
Group 3.Molly
3. The dawning of the home
video age - format wars (VHS and
Betamax) and the moral panic about the uncensored Video Nasties and unregulated video content and move to regulation of film in the
home.
Some basic resources to work through to help - split then across your teams - not all
looking:
http://leighmediaasfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/video-nasties-changing-attitudes.html
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/1980s-video-nasties-bbfc-home-video.html
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/1980s-video-nasties-bbfc-home-video.html
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/1980s-video-nasties-bbfc-home-video.html
Create Meaning
Share your findings
with the class as
Mentor pairs Mind Map on A3 using
highlighters your shared knowledge: write
the exam question in the middle and use the notes to write analysis
points under the contexts in each of the 4 corners
"concerns expressed about uncensored and unregulated video content available to audiences in Britain in the early 1980s"
Technology
Political
Social (audience & 1980's Britain)
Economic
Apply to demonstrate:
Each Mentor team should have a MIND MAP with the 3 contexts from the all the above
This should take about 20
mins - photograph & upload the Mind
Map to your blog
Apply to demonstrate:
Construct a wheel of decide to assess the class on your terminology and context using Key Words
Wheel 1: Identify key terms, groups or words and social/technological/economic contexts
Wheel 2: Key films and examples, content that was to be regulated/censored
Plenary -
Explain how these are significant to the answer:
Apply to demonstrate:
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/homework-1-mock-essay-use-your-notes.html
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/homework-1-mock-essay-use-your-notes.html
Point (which context, what concerns, which groups/organisations)
Example (Films, Case Studies of Video Nasties)
Analysis - explain the reasons on how they affected Film regulation and censorship
Synthesis - your conclusions/argument: is this just political, should there be censorship?
A3 Paragraph - each context
Carousel and add to the paragraph
Build the essay on the wall and photograph. Write these up using the Case Study:
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/evil-dead-2-1987-sam-spiderman-raimi.html
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/evil-dead-key-scenes-to-remake.html
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/evil-dead-2-1987-sam-spiderman-raimi.html
http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/evil-dead-key-scenes-to-remake.html
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