grab PrintScreen for Macs

You'll be wanting screen grabs at various points, but probably won't know how to on a Mac.
This web-page (here as a Word doc) shows you how.

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There is an alternative I wasn't aware of until reading a post in Emmie's blog (always acknowledge your sources!): the grab tool. This wiki entry tells you all you need to know!

Guardian Article on Film Trailers

The new rebel film trailers

Movie trailers used to be pretty formulaic – just show the best bits – but, in the age of the internet viral, they're now works of art in themselves.



If you're looking for art or auteurship at the cinema, you're likely to be waiting for the main feature, not concentrating on the trailers for what were quaintly known as "coming attractions". As long as they have existed, trailers have been the tool of film marketing departments aiming solely to secure the maximum number of bums on seats. Experimentation with the form has not been a big part of the story. There have been brief

Mag design

I'll just draw your attention to an excellent online resource on mag designs (added to the links list on mags): http://bestdesignoptions.com/?p=4076

Use the AS blog too

I post some things on both AS and A2 blogs, but not all; its worth looking at the AS blog (http://asmediafilmopening.blogspot.com/) to see if there's more you can pick up - eg there are links lists for company logos there.

Moderator's report + RESUBMISSION DEADLINE

Its worth sharing with you the exam board moderator's comments, which set out where marks have been altered (most marks above 80 were brought down, the rest largely untouched):

Work from the Centre was well presented and detailed comments aided the moderation process, thank you.
The assessment criteria were generally applied within the tolerance allowed for this component. However, marks awarded for construction and evaluation were over-generous at the top end of the Centre's order of merit and this has necessitated an adjustment in order to bring the Centre into line with the agreed standard.
Candidates had clearly engaged with their selected briefs, with focused research and planning conducted. There was some strong evidence of understanding of film grammar, though some productions would have benefitt

The Art of the Vodcast

I've posted on podcasting earlier. A simple but effective idea for a vodcast - incorporating video, not just audio - is to talk through some of the films you've viewed and/or researched, using visual stimuli such as holding up a DVD case. This example is part of a series by a US slasher fan; I don't agree with everything he says (how could he dismiss the almighty Jason X?!), but you could pick up ideas for films to research/view from videos like this. Similar efforts exist for most genres.

Example 1: 'Horror DVD Collection Traditional Slasher Films Part 2'

Example 2: 'Slasher Movie Montage: 1971 - 2001'

This is another nice, simple but highly effective idea, and an alternative to typing your research into a post in the usual way, requiring images loaded into iMovie - though in your case with some explanatory titles added! Its useful to note too the community feel created by the comments such YouTube uploads attract. Many of you will be wondering which are the most useful/relevant films for you to view and study - why not use sites such as this - and even more so forums (see earlier post) to tap into the huge online fanbase for such genres?
You can find useful tips in videos such as 'Top Five Underrated Horror Films (you've probably never seen)' [I haven't linked as there may be some explicit material in this] ... and the comments it attracted, which include many other suggestions

Example 3: 'Top 15 Slasher Movies'

Again, a really simple idea, but could be a fun alternative to the conventional post.

Example 4: Total Film magazine's YouTube channel: episode on rom-coms

This is an excellent resource; some insightful comments here on why certain genres are popular for example.
Example 5: Zombies vs. Vampires
This one takes the approach of comparing and contrasting two sub-genres and their appeal, plus strengths and weaknesses and notable examples, plus historical trends.Some of you are melding differing genres in a hybrid genre, so why not consider something like this?

Example 6: 'Fave Rom-Coms'

Again, you'd want some accompanying text/titles to provide some context (and/or audio commentary), but hopefully you can see the potential of just such an approach.

Taking on any of these approaches will help to make your blog a winner!

Just to round this off, although it is vitally important that you use some books to gain the depth of insight and analysis these provide, I would also encourage you to make good use of YouTube and its equivalents. If you read about a director, a sub-genre, actor or whatever, see if you can find a film on there which might enhance your understanding. As an example, I've cited John Hughes to some of you as a director worth looking into. A great YouTube upload for this is 'Directed by John Hughes', which I haven't linked because it does contain some strong language. If you flick a couple of minutes into the following though, you get a useful compilation, or montage, of his work.

A real-life eg of importance of defining target aud

Yet another reminder of why its so useful to keep dipping into the Film Guardian comes this snippet - which highlights the central importance of having a well-defined target audience:

The Crazies proved once again that concepts, not marquee names, are king at today's multiplex. Despite lacking a big star, it was the only new release this weekend to open at £1m-plus, and the only one to achieve a screen average above £3,000. This remake of a little-seen 1973 George Romero zombie-horror benefited from a clearly defined audience and a lack of competition in the genre market, opening not far behind the debut figure of the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (£1.36m) and almost dead level with the first weekend of 2006's The Hills Have Eyes (£1.13m). With a production budget estimated by IMDBPro at $12m, the title is likely to be solidly profitable for its investors and international distributors.

Source: Gant, Charles (2010) "The Crazies lurch to UK box office success", The Guardian [online], 2.3.10. Accessed online 2.3.10 at http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/mar/02/the-crazies-uk-box-office

To see how the campaign for this film developed, and watch the trailer, see http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2009/12/21/the-final-poster-for-the-crazies-is-released/