Preliminary task - Moving Image

Preliminary Task

Our Preliminary Task began with some research. we had to create a power point of school magazines from other schools. Initially i found this quite tricky because there's not that much immediately obvious on Google.

This is a slide from my power point. The magazine is from King Edwards VI High School for Girls. This was my favorite of the designs that I found because it shows that it doesn't have to be too elaborate as long as its got a good picture that will grab the attention of the audience. This magazine succeeds in that sense because the pictures involve students from the school.

Our next task was to design a flat plan layout of our magazine. i started with quite a basic plan, similar to that of the High Profile magazine i had researched however i felt that i wouldn't be able to entice the audience enough to buy the magazine with just the main photo, masthead and tag line so i decided to add an extra picture with some details about the story.

The magazine is aimed at the Chew Valley 6th Form students. The picture i have chosen may interest 6th formers because it includes 6th form students and also a picture of a popular comedian who some of the students might recognize. The colour scheme i have chosen is mostly green because this is the school colour.

We also had to design the contents page. again i have used the school colours and a picture of a teacher who a lot of the 6th form like and are familiar with dressed as Robin Hood. This is quite funny anyway but it is also suitable for one of the stories featured in the contents page.

Coursework

my first thoughts on the homework is that i would definitely like to do the magazine. My main interest in media is reviewing music so the magazine sounds perfect for me to try it out for real. as I'm writing this I'm reading an article about Kasabian in the latest NME whilst also flicking to the NME website and reading another review on there. i would also be keen to do the photography for it as that's something i haven't really done that much of. i do at least have some experience because i did a photography course last year with Mr O'Connell. The preliminary task also sounds quite interesting.

Lit Fest Project.

We were given the task of creating advertising for the Chew Valley School Lit Fest. This meant we had to create a poster, a slogan, a banner and a logo. we started off by planning a photo that could be the centerpiece of the poster. we go the help of 4 chew valley students: two black jumpers and two green. they sat in the library reading books to eachother. it was kind of cheesy but it involved students at chew valley who others might know. Next we started creating the poster and banner using the photo. we cut the kids out of the photo and put it on a graffiti style background. this is a style familliar to the audience (chew valley students) that is quite cool. we also put a title and information about the festival in a fun, clear and eye catching font. we did a similar style for the banner. Meg desighned the logo by hand which we later added to the poster and banner.

if i could pick something that i would change i would probably use the graffiti them in the baner to help people asossiate the poster with the banner.

To me, media is... new & interesting
I have chosen to study media because.. i want to be a journalist.
The last film i watched was... Crank 2: high Voltage.
My favourite film is... Pulp Fiction
The last album I downloaded was... Beck - Odelay
My favourite musical artist is... Various Productions
If I could be in a TV show it would be... Weeds
My radio is usuallytuned to... Radio 1
The last magazine i read was... GQ
I use the internet for... downloading music and social networking
The newspaper that i'd be most likely to read is... The Observer
If i was to buy a magazine it would be... Rolling Stone
the song that i wish id written is... mardy bum by the arctic monkeys
tthe advert that caught my eye recently was... aviva
if i could interview any famous person it would be ... bob marley
if i was a brand i would be... mars bar

Moss vs. Nesbit

One of the things that made me chuckle on the internet recently was the row between actor james Nesbit and model Kate Moss after Nesbit made an insulting comment about her in last nights GQ awards. Moss was seen storming out off the stage after Nesbit made a misinformed comment about Moss apearing on the cover of the latest GQ Magazine naked, although it was actually Kate's good friend Lily Allen who had appeared on the cover.

I found this rather striking image of Allen attempting to calm Moss after her hissy fit on stage on Metro.co.uk.

Charleee

I LOVE CHARLIE

The Last Few weeks

ok so the last few weeks i've been fairly busy with work etc so i havnt found that much time to watch films / read magazines although i did manage to downloiad the album Versus by Various Productions which is an compilationof sorts consisting of Remixes by and for the dubstep duo Various Productions. The album starts with the remix by Various of Too Lost In You by the Sugababes suprisingly. I can guess your probably dreading the prospect already, especially if you've heard some of the more blah dubstep remixes of girly pop songs such as Rusko's rework of Cold Shoulder or Skreams effort on the remix of La Roux's In For The Kill but Various somehow manage to break the mold with thier remix of the Sugababes and turn it into a more upbeat, grimey version of the original with the clapping drums and cowbells and the bubbly synths, not to mention the brooding sub plodding away in the background.

Another Brilliant example of Various' remixing skills come with their remix of Foals' Red Sox which creates a barren landscape percussive symbals and dark bassy undertones.

I'm Back

So i'm back from india, slightly earlier than expected but luckily whilst i was out there i managed to catch a few glimpses of Indian TV which mostly consisted of bollywood style dancing. i also watched an extremely cheesy indian comedy which i later found out was called Kambakkhat Ishq which featured guest appearances from both Sylvester Stallone and Holly Valance. It was part English, part Hindi but was fairly easy to follow as the plot was achingly simple in every meaning of the word, in other words, it was awful as was the acting and pretty much everything about the film. That is not to say, though, that at any point during the film i was bored. In fact i found it quite amusing, probably for all the wrong reasons.

I watched Step Brothers whilst stating in Delhi as well which i thoroughly enjoyed. It was utterly childish but completely hilarious. I have yet to see a Will Ferrel film which i haven't loved.

The plane journey's were also great excuses for sitting in front of a TV watching movie after movie for 7 hours each way. My favorite of the lot were Watchmen and Burn After Reading but i also watched Monsters vs. Aliens, The Boat That Rocked and Coraline.

Unfortunately i inadvertently formatted my mp3 player at the airport before flying out to India so i wasn't able to listen to much of my own music whilst i was out there but luckily most of the others on the trip had iPods that they shared and i quite enjoyed seeing what other people listened to. a lot of it i was familiar but i did stumble across a few things i'd never heard before that i loved. One of those was a track called Ain't No Rest For the Wicked by Cage the Elephant.

The song starts with interesting, twangy, country style guitars reminiscent of Beck's song Loser. The vocals are cheeky and obnoxious and not dissimilar to those of jamie T. imagine the Beastie Boys backed with the guitar antics of Seasick Steve and you'll be in the right area. Not something i would usually go for but i'll definitely look for some more of Cage the Elephant.

I also stumbled across the video for a Four Tet track called Smile Around the Face whilst trawling through the depths of YouTube. It basically follows Mark Heap playing a melancholic depressive as he goes about an ordinary day. the video is hugely bleak and is held together only by Heaps gloriously characteristic face.

intro

Hi! i'm will and ive chosen media studies as an a-level because i feel that media plays a very large role in my life. Also I hope that it will one day help me get a job in the media perhaps writing for a magazine.

i love watching films especially when i'm with a group of my friends. my favourite film styles are british gangster films, comedies and thrillers although i also enjoy horrors, fantasies and science-fictions. my favourite film of all time is pulp fiction. some other of my favourite films include layer cake, 300, pan's labyrinth and sin city.

i also read a few music related magazines like NME, ATM and the Wire and often read online reviews of music releases i've bought. my favourite website for this is Boomkat.com, an online record store that reviews all of the releases it stocks. it also provides audio samples. i occasionaly read the review and the Guide supplements of the gaurdian newspaper and the Observer Music Monthly.

my favourite music video at the moment is for Wierd Fishes by Radiohead. the music video is directed by Tobias Stretch who is a stop motion animator. he won a competition to direct the video which is up on you tube HERE.

Over the next few weeks i will be posting blogs about media that i encounter and i will upload pics and vids that i either take myself or find on the web.