8.4: Monitoring my work (Log)

Week 1; 20th October 2010.
Today, I started Unit 8 where we have to create our own project. We were given a detailed outline on the topic and what we are expected to do and were given various ways in which we could reach the criteria.

Week 2; 10th November 2010
Before I begin my project, I had to come up with various project ideas in which I could then develop for my final product. After a long while of debating and second opinions, I decided to do a radio broadcast. I started to plan what I would like to include in the broadcast and the different approaches that I could take.|

Week 3; 24th November 2010
I began to develop the ideas for the broadcast further, thinking about what type of radio station I wanted to be and whether it would just have talking or whether it will feature music too. I then thought about whether I would have my own jingles and if so, then would i record and edit them myself. These are all things that need to be considered before the production of the radio station.

Week 4; 5th December 2010
Today I decided that I wanted to have guests on my show in order to make it seem professional and to make it more interesting. I have to consider the kind of guests that I would want and the type of people they would be. I decided that I wanted to interview the headteacher before she left the school.

Week 5; 21st December 2010
I decided on all of the guests that I would have on my radio show and began to think about writing the script for what I would say in the broadcast. I did a brief plan of the topics I wanted to include and the kind of questions that I would ask my guests.
28th December 2010
Its important to do the history of our project in order to gain a better understanding of it and the developments that its had. Today, i did the history of radio, looking at the development of technology and popularity of it.

Week 6; 19th January 2011
I started to think deeper into my radio broadcast and started to think about whether it definitely was what I wanted to do. I didn't think that it allowed me to express my creativeness fully and decided that I would change my project idea. I thought of various other possibilities like a magazine, a school survival guide and a short play. After a long thinking process about the pros and cons of each one, i decided to do a school survival guide. I realised that all of the work that I had already done would need to be altered in order to fit the survival guide and would take a lot of hard work.


Week 7; 26th January 2011
I now had to change all of my previous work to fit my school survival guide.

Week 8; 31st January 2011
I started to look at the history of documentaries and looked at a few examples of other survival guides.

Week 9; 20th February 2011
I now began to think about the amount of money that I will need in order to produce the survival guide and worked out a budget. I then began to brainstorm how I would raise the money for this budget.

Week 10; 27th February 2011

Today i did a sponsored silence and raised £45 which was going to go towards my budget.

Week 11; 3rd March 2011

today i began thinking about new ways to raise money for the budget.

week 12; 16th March 2011
I did some further planning for the production of the guide.

Week 13; 28th March 2011
Today i went to go and purchase the costume and props for the survival guide.

week 14; 23rd April 2011
today i began the recording for the survival guide.

week 15; 5th May 2011
I continued to record for a couple of days in each week, trying to balance exams aswell.

week 16; 25th May 2011

Today all of my tapes broke which contained the film recording work that I had done previously. The technician attempted to recover it but said that it was too broken. I had to think of what I was going to submit, to be prepared for the submission on friday morning.

26th May 2011;
For the whole of the day, I began recording and did it all over again. However it is not a survival guide anymore. I then edited ready for the submission.

8.4: Reviews of my work.

Feedback

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Also, I held a focus group where I had a few people watch it and then do a short review on what they thought about it. One of the reviews I have was from one of the girls. They said:

"Overall, the project was enjoyable to watch. The part of the video that really struck me was the slow and fast motion sections. The slow motion start to the project was a good way of introducing the characters. We really got the chance to analyse the characters e.g. their appearance. The twist nearer to the ending of the slow motion section was funny to watch. The music in the background suited the slow motion as it reminded me of beach scenes when movies introduce characters.
Another section I enjoyed was the fast motion bit. It added a sort of comedic element to the whole thing. The way fast motion was used showed the characters being chased in less time than the usual pace, making that section shorter and therefore less boring to watch. It helped me as the audience engage with the piece instead of skipping it or loosing interest in the video. The music also supported the faster pace because it was quick and kind of rushed. This supported the chase showing how they were in a rush.
The way the new student was presented was done cleverly too. The use of worms eye view showed how the student is taller and bigger than the rest of the characters, exaggerating their size. I could tell that this was the aim, to make the character look bigger than the rest. The use of worms eye view added to the introduction of the new student showing the perception of the characters of the new student.
Different elements used throughout the video made it enjoyable to watch and the music added to the video. Overall, the video was funny and had a good storyline that followed through throughout."

8.4: Overall look at project - answering my question.

I have been an independant enquirer because I completed the whole of my guide on my own and it was an independant project. I have been a creative thinker because I managed to come up with the whole of the plot of the story and everything in it.

My project didn't exactly answer my question as the whole idea of it had to be changed. However, I did manage to answer my question through other means. I interviewed a few school children and asked them my question "how do children of the 21st century survive school." I recieved a variety of replies, some saying that they just 'get on with it' and some giving a brief account on some of the things they do. For example, one person said "i like to just keep my head down and keep myself to myself. I feel that way I don't get involved with anything out of my comfort zone and just stick with my group of friends." Another person said "I think that the best way to survive school is to show your true self and embrace it. It seems that less people want to give you trouble that way and like you even more, without having to be mean or someone your not." School can be like a battlefield for children these days and it is very interesting to know what people do to 'fit in' and to avoid become a target for a bully.
It goes to show that pupils undertake all sorts of methods to 'survive school' and different methods work for different people. One particular answer can not be given to sum up this question as it varies with people.

8.4.3: Evaluating yourself

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8.4.1: Evaluating your project

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8.3.1: Skill Development Record

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8.3: Photos of the characters in full costume.

Gretchen

This was one of the geeks and was the only female one. She is an extremely bright young girl. She gets bullied with her other two friends and just wants to be 'cool.'

Sheldon

Sheldon is like the leader of the group and constantly finds himself coming up with outrageous plans in order for his friends to become the popular kids.

Eugene

He is the quiet one out of the three and just rolls with the punches. He is never up for what Sheldon has planned but figures it could be the only way to survive school. He hardly ever says much but finds himself being one of the main targets for bullies.

8.3: Lost all of my work

26th May 2011

Today was the day that I decided to begin editing my school survival guide. When I went to edit it, the camera couldn't read my tapes. The film inside had come out so my teacher tried to dismantle the tape and retrieve the film inside. The film was completely damaged so I was unable to edit and I had lost every piece of work that I had done.
At this point, I didn't know what to do and I panicked because the submission date was in the next couple of days. I then came to the decision that I would re-film all of the scenes again. I spent the whole day filming and then started to edit after school.
I put the clips together and realised I didn't have a lot of time left to record the voice over with the

8.2: Reflecting on my planning.

1. What have you achieved during the planning process so far? How have you achieved it?
So far in the planning process, I have come to the point where I have created all of the survival guide steps and know what I want to do with the film. Now I need to actually shoot it.
Some elements of my planning could be improved for example I could create an actual script to make it easier rather then just improvising it. I think I have met some deadlines with regards to including the necessary documents, however I have not met deadlines with the storyboard. I think I have been organise and brought the props and costume out of my own time so that I could use them to film. I looked at examples of actual survival guides and have used them to help me decide on the way I want my guide to be and the planning of it. I have not yet done a health and safety assessment and will need to do that.
I now need to go onto the production stage and start to film the project. I will need to start filming as soon as possible so that I can get it all done.
So far I think I have achieved some of the PLTs such as IE 2, CT 2 and SM 4


5. What PLTs do you think you have achieved while planning your project so far?

8.2: Budget

I calculated my budget for my project to be £100. That money will be used to buy the props and the costume to film my survival guide.
I knew that I would need to raise the money myself in order to buy the things that I needed so I needed to think of ways that I could raise the money. I decided to do a sponsored silence at the end of February and managed to raise £45! I was very proud that I had achieved this and made so much money. So already, I had made half of the money I needed and needed to think about new ways to raise money. Then our media teacher told us that there was a budget for media that would be shared equally between us, to contribute to the production of our projects. I was given £30 which then left me with £75.
I decided that this would be enough for me to start purchasing the costume and props and if I needed more money then I would raise more money afterwards.

8.2: Health and Safety

There are some health and safety risks when filming the guide. This is because I will be filming in a variety of locations and there may be some risks.
- In the classroom: to maintain the safety of my actors in the classroom, I will need to make sure that the basic classroom rules apply and that they all act accordingly to ensure the safety of themselves and others around them.
- In the playground: to maintain the safety in the playground, I will make sure that no one else is around and that their is no health hazards around the playground. I will do this by doing a thorough examination of the area that I will be working in.
- In the corridor: again I will do a thorough examination of the corridor to make sure that there isn't any nails or other safety hazards present whilst filming.

It is important that I conduct this check so that the actors are safe at all times.

8.2: Equipment List

- Camera
- Tripod

8.2: Costume and props

Costume

- fat suit
- large-sized shirts
- tie
- suspenders
- geek glasses
- large sized trousers

Props
- paper
- soft ball
- cardboard boxes
- books

8.2: Letters seeking permission to film

To Whom This May Concern.

Production Title: Operation Education

Production Name: Renee Bailey Productions

Production Address: Harley Grove,
Bow
London
E3 2AT

Location (s) Provided: ...................................................

This document is to request permission to make the following location .............................

1. The location shall be made available to the producers on a sole and exclusive basis in connection with the production of 'Operation Education' between the 23rd April - 25th May .

2. The producers have notified you of the scenes which are to be shot at the location, and you confirm and agree that you consent to the filming of these scenes, and you confirm that you will not make any objection in the future to the location being featured in the production, and you waive any and all right, claim and objection of whatever nature relating to the above.

3. The location shall not be represented under its real name within the body of the production, but will be credited as such during the productions credits.

4. The producers shall be entitled to incorporate all photographs and recordings, whether audio or audio-visual, made at the location between the 23rd April - 25th May, in the production as they may require, at their sole discretion.

5. The producers shall not make any structural alterations to the location.

6. The producers shall treat the property with respect at all times and fully compensate the owner for any damages to the property, fixtures or fittings incurred by the production company or its agents during its use.

7. This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales and subject to jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Please signify your acceptance of the above terms by signing and returning this form to the producers.

SIGNED ............................................................


SIGNED BY PRODUCERS .........................................................

8.2: Actors contract

CONTRACT.

Name: _____________________

As a member of the cast of the 'Operation Education' survival guide:

1. I agree that it is my responsibility to know when and where rehearsals will take place and ask one of the production team if I don't already know.

2. I agree to attend all rehearsals for which I am scheduled.

3. I will arrive 15 minutes early for all scheduled rehearsals and I will remain at
rehearsals until the rehearsal is completed or I am excused.

4. I will bring a notebook, calendar, personal planner, pencils, and proper
shoes and rehearsal clothing to each rehearsal.

5. I agree to know the order of the guide and what is expected of me by the third rehearsal.

6. While at rehearsal I agree to focus my attention on the rehearsal process and will not
do homework, make telephone calls, or other such activities that may distract
others or myself from the purpose of rehearsal.

7. I will not cut my hair or beard, change hairstyles or colors, or, in general, change my
appearance in any way, unless explicitly instructed to do so by the Director or
Costume Designer.

8. If I must miss a rehearsal because of an emergency, I will personally contact the Producers a minimum of 24 hours prior to the beginning of the rehearsal. If I miss a rehearsal and do not contact the Producers, I understand that my lack of consideration is enough for me to be dismissed from the ensemble.

9. I agree that I will not invite guests to rehearsals without express, prior approval of
the director.

10. I agree to assist with the production in any capacity, including but not limited to,
working on the set, helping with costume etc.

11. I understand that I must supply my own makeup and undergarments.

12. I will promote and foster a professional attitude: dedicated, productive, positive,
safe, pleasant, creative, collaborative. I will treat others with respect and courtesy.

___________________________________
Signature Date

8.2: My questionnaire

Click here to take survey

8.2: Planning the promotion of the documentary.

In order to get the word out about my documentary, i have to consider various ways in which to promote it. I would like to take a unique approach so that it stands out and isn't promoted using the same techniques that most products are.
E.G: posters, leaflets etc.

- I can possibly use some of the Guerrilla marketing techniques that I learned during a previous course as they take new innovative ways of promoting which makes people remember the product.
- I might even use a flash mob to promote it as it is another way in which grabs an audiences attention and leaves a memorable mark. I could take a clip from the documentary and perform it in the playground where a majority of students are.
- I could also use a bull horn in the playground and shout out some information about when it is taking place and where tickets can be purchased from etc.

I will not completely disregard the traditional methods of promotion so may consider using posters and leaflets but not as my main promotional outlet. This is because they do prove to be succesful in some cases so may support my promotional efforts.

• My first initial idea is by using a different form of flash mobbing where I take individual characters from different scenes and have them randomnly dotted around the playground at a stall. The students can go to each of the characters and ask things about them and they would have to answer in character.
• Another idea could be to create a short podcast about the guide and use the TV that is in the atrium to play it on so that when people come into school they will be able to see it.
• Going into assemblies could be an effective and large scale method in which to promote the survival guide as it will directly reach all year groups and inform them on how they can come and see it.
• I also might use Guerilla Marketing as that shows pure originality and uses methods to stick into your heads. I could have a range of cupcakes dotted around school with a symbol or note on it that represents the film.
  

8.2.1: Primary Research

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8.2: Update of project.

- The project that I will be undertaking is a school survival guide which will take the form of a documentary.

- Firstly i looked at examples of other survival guides, in order to gain an idea of what they are like and to familiarise myself with them.
- I then began to look at the history of documentaries and the development that they have had over the years. this was so that i could get a better understanding of the development of technology.

- I could then start the production and planning for the actual guide. i briefly thought of the storyline and what i wanted it to be based on. i knew that i wanted to do it about surviving school from a "nerds" point of view.

- once i had a brief outlline of the storyline i started to think about the characters and who would be in the guide. I made my decision by looking at who has had experience in drama and at the people who i know have a good drama history.
- i then made a list of people who i wanted & informed them a bit about it and asked if they wanted to be apart of it

- once i knew who was going to be in it i could then think about the places where i could film, costumes, look at the health and safety risks and write up the script.

- i decided to first choose the place where i would film and thought that school would be the most appropriate place as the guide is based in a school. I then focused on the health & safety risks of filming within the school and how i will prevent any of my actors from getting injured.

- Costume and props are extremely important within my project so i focused on buying my costume and props next.
Now i have bought all of them i started to do a brief script for the filming. Now that all of these things are done i am ready to begin filming and will start to film tomorrow.

8.1: Examples of a school survival guide.

This is a survival guide that was made by somebody else and takes a similar approach that I hope to be taking with my own survival guide in terms of the use of animation as I too hope to use small elements of it. However, I don't want to use animation throughout the video.

She took a more formal and straightforward approach in creating the guide and just gave information on 'how to survive school' rather then show other footage and make it somewhat interesting.

I found this survival guide very interesting and amusing which is the exact approach that I would like to take for my survival guide. This one was a law school survival guide but it shared the same qualities and aspects that I would like to include in my one.

8.1: History of documentaries.

To begin with, I have done a bit of research on the history of it: link for hist of doc.

1877: Eadweard Muybridge develops sequential photographs of horses in motion. Muybridge subsequently invents the zoöpraxiscope in 1879, a device for projecting and "animating" his photographic images.

Works by Muybridge in the Media Resources Center (MRC):

• Movies Begin: Vol. I: Motion Studies (1877-85). MRC call number: DVD 1096

1883: Etienne Jules Marey experiments with chronophotography, the photography of people in movement
1919: Russian filmmaker Dziga Vertov issues a manifesto (Kinoks-Revolution Manifesto) calling for a new style of cinéma tic reportage that documents real life. Vertov criticizes the Soviet film industry for relying on the same fictional techniques employed by literature and theater. In his manifesto, Vertov equates contemporary Russian "film drama" with religion, both of which he considers "opium of the masses." Rather than relying on fanciful scripts and artificial acting, Vertov insists that the future of cinéma depends on reporting the truth. In 1922, he begins to produce Kino Pravda (literally "Film Truth"), a series of news reportage films that foreshadows both later newsreels and later documentary styles, including cinéma vérité .

1920’s: Various European experimental filmmakers begin to work in styles that incorporate avant-garde cinéma tic filming and editing techniques (such as fluid camera work and montage) and abstract narratives to create impressionistic, highly poetic quasi-documentary works (or "visual poems"). These works include various "city films," such as Walther Ruttmann’s Berlin: A Symphony of a Great City (Berlin, die Symphonie der Grosstadt) (1927) and Alberto Cavalcanti’s Rien que les heures (1926).

• Berlin: A Symphony of a Great City. MRC call number: DVD 64
• Rien que les heures. MRC call number: 999:2989
  1928: John Grierson joins the British Empire Marketing Board (EMB), a governmental agency, and organizes the E.M.B. Film Unit. In the EMB, and later in his work with the film unit of the British General Post Office, Grierson gathered around him a group of talented and energetic filmmakers, including Edgar Anstey, Sir Arthur Elton, Stuart Legg, Basil Wright, Humphrey Jennings, Harry Watt, and Alberto Cavalcanti.
  1930-37: The Worker's Film and Photo League is formed in the US (subsequently transformed into Nykino in 1934, and finally into Frontier Films in 1937) with the purpose of making independent documentaries with a politically and socially progressive viewpoint. Members include Paul Strand, Ralph Steiner, Leo Hurwitz, Willard Van Dyke, and Joris Ivens.
  1961: The one-hour documentary Harvest of Shame is aired on CBS TV on November 25^th as part of the CBS Reports series. Produced by Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly, Harvest of Shameprovides an investigative look the plight of the U.S. migratory worker and is the first of what one hostile reviewer of the program terms "shame-of-America documentaries" on television.
  

  1973: PBS series, An American Family, the precursor of what would later be called "reality TV" shows, provides a close-up, vérité view of Loud family. Directed by Alan and Susan Raymond, the twelve-episode series captures the most intimate details of the family's life, including the parents' divorce proceedings and the New York lifestyle of their gay son. The series stuns American audiences accustomed to "Leave it to Beaver" television families.

  1975: Sony introduces the Betamax consumer videocassette recorder (VCR) (cost: $2295)

  1976: JVC introduces the VHS format VCR (cost: $885)

  1980: Sony introduces the first consumer video camcorder.

  1982: Sony's Betacam, a single-unit broadcast-use camera hits the market.

  1984: Release of This is Spinal Tap, a hilarious vérité-style "mockumentary" about a fictional heavy metal band.

  Filmmaker Ken Burns eleven-hour documentary series, The Civil War is aired on five consecutive nights on PBS. The series achieves the highest ratings ever for PBS, averaging more than 14 million viewers each evening.

  1987: PBS series P.O.V. (Point of View) premieres. The program is dedicated to providing a showcase for independent documentary filmmakers with strong political or social points of view, as well as providing an opportunity for viewers to respond to the issues presented.

  1988-1991: Congress passes legislation mandating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to negotiate with a national coalition of independent film producer groups to establish the Independent Television Service (ITVS) to ensure that diverse voices be championed on public television. The board of directors of ITVS are selected by independent producers themselves. In the next decade, ITVS (based in San Francisco) underwrites hundreds of notable documentary works aired on PBS and elsewhere.

  1991: On March 3rd amateur videographer George Holliday shoots a twelve-minute videotape of Los Angeles police arresting and beating Rodney King after a high-speed chase. The Holliday tape is shown so often on CNN and other television channels that one CNN executive calls it "wallpaper."

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/docexhibit/docuchron.htm

8.1.5: Project Activity Record

8.1.5

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8.1.4: Project Resources

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8.1.3: Project Activities

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8.1.2: Exploring your ideas.

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8.1: Question in which I want to find the answer.

How do children of the 21st century survive school?

- In order for me to find the answer to my question, I will be interviewing various students within the school and ask them what they do in order to 'survive' school.

- Also, I will try and search for a video or piece of text where a person is giving advice from personal experience or explaining how they survive school themselves.

- I can also look at different groups of people and give them an everyday school scenario and see how they would handle the situation and see how the results vary.

8.1: School Survival Guide.

I have decided on the name "Operation Education" for my project as it is catchy and an appropriate name for what I am doing. I will be undertaking this project on my own and therefore will be taking full responsibility for everything that goes on within the project. The format that it will be taking is performance and the disciplines would be audio and visual arts. The project is relevant to me as I enjoy drama and filming and I think that it will be an interesting and enjoyable thing to do. Also experience in drama and film will help me to pursue my media career as a TV presenter as it builds my confidence and also these are things that I may need in order to work my way up to presenting. It links to the performance project we did and the artefact project as I will be including animation and other effects.
By doing this, I hope to develop my drama skills and also to build my confidence when attempting presenting. Also I hope to build on my communicating which is beneficial in all aspects of life and will help with my career choices. I would have gained all types of knowledge by time I have completed this project. I would have gained technical knowledge as I will be using cameras and editing software, I will have learnt how to work within a designated time-span and discipline myself to complete the project.

8.1: Objective(s).

The objective of my guide is to provide entertainment for my audience using typical school stereotypes.

8.1: Project Title Possibilities.

My project is a school survival guide on how to survive our school which consists of lots of crazy steps that are meant to help make it through school. I have thought of many titles for it that will suit the concept of the project and the documentary and here are a few of my ideas.
I have thought of the following names for the title:

- Renee's declassified
- Operation Education.

8.1.1: Discussing Your Project Ideas

8.1.1

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8.1: Project Plan 2 - Developed

So that I have a clear plan of my possible topic, I will research and develop my understanding of the history of documentaries, working within a budget, managing my time correctly, the equipment and venue that I will be using, rehearsals, interviews, a written script, the promotion and distribution of it, a storyboard and feedback from my audience.

So that I am prepared for the creation of my survival guide, I need to make a detailed plan for it so that the process is a lot easier and achievable.
Equipment & Venues - In order to create the guidet, I will need to use professional equipment for the recording process and for the editing process. To record the guide, I will be using my camera skills and knowledge. For the editing process, I will be using the schools Apple Macs and the software available on it E.G. iMovie and the help of the technician.

Characters - geeks, cool kids (bullies), teacher.

Script - I will write a brief script for the guide so everyone has a rough idea of what to say.

Rehearsals - I will do pre-rehearsals before doing the final broadcast to ensure that the actors are confident in what they are expected to do.

Storyboard - I will create a brief storyboard so that I have evidence of the order and so that I know the order clearly.

Promotion/Distribution - In order to promote my broadcast, I intend to put it on the school website and on fronter in which everyone in school will have access to it. Also, I will upload it to YouTube so that people outside school will be able to have access to it too.

Budget - I will need a £100 budget for the guide in order to purchase the costume and props.
Time Management - If I manage my time well then I will be able to pull off this project. I will need to put in a lot of hard work, time and passion.
Health and Safety - When proceeding with my project, I will need to be aware of all of the health and safety risks that may occur and think about the way that I am going to prevent them from happening.

8.1: Possible cast for Survival Guide.

1. Abigail.
2. Zara.
3. Sabrina.
4. Alberta.
5. Adama.
6. Shaniqua.
7. Ayesha.
8. Siddiquea.
9. Tasmina.
10. Mohima.
11. Hibaq.
12. Shema
13. Najah
14. Nazrin
15. Faye
16. Tahsin
17. Rukshana
18. Shannon
19.
20.

8.1: Project Plan Idea 2.

If my first radio broadcast idea doesn't go to plan then this is my second idea. I am planning to do my own guide almost like a documentary on how to survive our school. This project will come under 'record' because I will be recording the guide so it can be seen visually. Within the project, I will be including media as I will be documenting every step in which I include in the survival guide. But it will also cross-over with performing arts as we will be using drama to show each step.
I have thought deeply into this idea and therefore will know what to do if I change my idea to do this.

8.1: Project Plan Idea 1.

For my project, one of my ideas is to do a radio broadcast about the latest school and celebrity gossip, current affairs, interviews with some important people and many other subjects. This project will come under the 'Record' unit as I will be recording the broadcast over the period of time in which I am doing it. I will be including media and possibly performing arts as I will be reporting news from the media and using media techniques and might have live performances and music.

8.1: Project Proposal Form.

Project proposal form

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