Media Studies Film Summative

EMS30Teacher: Mr. Patterson

Project Focus

Welcome to the home stretch. This is your final major assignment for Media Studies. It is also the summative assignment for the course. Your work on this project will account for 30% of your final mark. You may work alone or in partners. Your group members must be in the same section. For example, if you are in the Period A class, you cannot work with students in the Period F class. This is because part of the mark for this project is based on process work, work that must be completed in class.

This project is about understanding the art of filmmaking. Your job will be to research a body of films by a specific director. You will study several works by the same director (a minimum of 3) to gain an understanding of the craft of film production. To do this, you will need to familiarize yourself with the language of film, sharpen your analytical skills and produce a media product(s) related to your director.

Your summative will be comprised of two major elements:

1. A Seminar Presentation

2. A Media Product

These are not, however, the only means by which you will be evaluated. Proposal sheets, progress meeting, in-class assignments and effort/participation all contribute to your final grade. The following pages will outline marks, due dates and expectations.

Let’s go....

Project ComponentsMany of the marks for this project will already be assigned before your presentation even begins. This is because this project is as much about process as it is about product. Attendance during the entire film unit is vital, i.e. mandatory. In addition, punctuality will be taken into account. I warned you on the first day of the film unit that I would be keeping strict records of both punctuality and attendance. If you doubt my focus or rigor in terms of keeping these records, I invite you to check out the sheets taped just under the light switch. If you are going to be absent for any of these days, you must let Mr. Patterson know in advance. In short, don’t be late and don’t miss class; you will be doing senseless and easily avoidable harm to your mark.

The Seminar (35% of mark)Your seminar presentation will focus on the films of a specific director of your choosing. Each director can only be presented once per class, no repeats. Directors will be chosen on a first come/first serve basis. Mr. Patterson will gladly help you through the decision making process behind choosing your director but, ultimately, you should pick somebody whose films you enjoy.

To help you decide what information you need to get across in your seminar, Mr. Patterson will provide you with a seminar outline sheet. While some of your presentation can focus on the director’s personal history, the bulk of it should be out his or her films. You will share what qualities this director’s films have in common. You will be looking into areas like film technique, casting, script, and location.

For a director to quality as ‘seminar worthy’ he or she should have directed at least 3 films. Try to steer clear of the minimum as best you can. The more prolific the director, the easier it will be to prepare your seminar. During the course of your presentation, you should show clips from your director’s films to

reinforce your points. This being said, try to limit your clips to a reasonable amount (2 or 3) so they don’t take up too much of your presentation time of 10 to 15 minutes.

The Media Product (25% of Mark)The final part of your presentation will be the presentation of an original media product. Your media product will tie directly into your seminar presentation. As usual, you will be given some choice in terms of Media Product type. Here are a couple of ideas you might consider:

1. A video recreation of a famous scene from one of your director’s films

2. A short film/scene filmed in an effort to mimic your director’s style

3. An original movie poster for one of your director’s films

4. A movie trailer for your director’s next film

5. The first 20 pages of an original screen play your director would be perfect for.

6. An idea of your own, pending approval from Mr. Patterson

While the products may vary, the means of evaluation stay the same: How closely does your product stick to the particular codes and conventions of its genre? Is there evidence of planning and effort? Was all the process work completed on time? And, most importantly, is it reflective/representative of the works of your director?

The Rest (40% of Mark)The other 40% of your marks will come from a variety of areas. Be careful not to ignore this stuff. Many has student has bombed their summative, assuming all they had to do was show up on their presentation day. Here are some other things that are important.

Product Proposal Sheet

This is an outline sheet Mr. Patterson will give you where you will provide detail about your Media Product. Its purpose is primarily to show that you are creating something reasonably challenging/interesting and to ensure that your product is simply not rushed at the last second.

Scene Analysis Quiz

In order to ensure that you understand film language and can speak confidently on the day of your seminar, you will take part in an in-class film deconstruction assignment. A flip clip will be shown repeatedly in class. You will produce an in-depth analysis of this clip, using the film language you’ve learned in class.

Process Meeting

This is a meeting that will happen with Mr. Patterson. The meeting will be held approximately 1 week before seminar presentations begin. You must bring all the work you have completed thus far and any other material you have worked on outside of class. Be prepared to discuss your findings in some degree of detail with Mr. Patterson.

Self Reflection

Your final piece of work comes after your seminar. This will be a one-page, double spaced typed reflection about this summative assignment. You will write about what you’ve learned over the course of studying your director, what difficulties and success you experienced and what you ended up getting out of not only the summative but this course (I hope you got SOMETHING).

Final ThoughtHere’s something to ponder. This assignments stresses responsibility, effort and attitude as much or more than it does film technique or cinematic prowess. The presentation and product are only 60% of the total mark for this project. I mention this because every year there is a student or two who skips class, shows up late, shirks their responsibility and then expects to do well because their partner worked hard and they showed up for the seminar and rode on their partner’s coattails. If this is you, don’t be surprised if you get a different mark from your partner. There are no free rides in this class. On the first day of class, I promised that as long as you work hard, put in an honest effort and ask for help when you need it, you would do well in this course. That promise is as true now as it was on that first day.

However, there is little to nothing I can do for those not willing to put in the work. It’s all on you now. If you put in hard work and effort into this project, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed by the results. Who knows, you might just learn something (I dare to dream). If anything goes wrong - there’s trouble in your group, you don’t understand instruction or you’re simply overwhelmed – remember that I am always available in the morning or after school for help. I will always give help to anyone who asks (even to Nicolette, no matter how much I hate her) but don’t come to me after avoiding responsibility seeking forgiveness. I’m all out of pity points. I spent them on gum.

Good Luck. I have been consistently impressed by your creative work all year. I’m ready to be impressed one last time.

Important Dates

Scene Analysis Quiz

Period E: Monday, May 2nrd Period C: Tuesday, May 3rd

Product Proposal Sheet

Period E: Friday, May 6th Period C: Monday, May 9th

Process Meeting

Period E: Thursday, May 12th Period C: Friday, May 13th

Seminars Begin

Monday, May 24th

Reflective Piece

Monday, June 7th

My Birthday

November 25th

Although you will no longer be in my class, please feel free to buy me a present or presents.

Evaluation Summary1. Process Work /15

This mark is based on:

Preparation Using time wisely Reliability to partner Adhering to deadlines Punctuality and Attendance (some may love all 15 marks on this alone)

2. Process Assignments

A. Product Proposal Sheet /5

B. Scene Analysis Assignment /10

C. Process Meeting /5

3. Seminar Presentation /35

4. Media Product /25

5. Self Reflection

1 page reflection paper /5

TOTAL MARK / 100

Possible Director Choices

1. David Lynch – Naked Lunch, Lost Highway, Blue Velvet

2. Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker, Point Break, Blue Steele

3. Martin Scorsese – The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York

4. James Cameron – Terminator, Avatar, Titanic

5. Amy Heckerling – Clueless, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Look Who’s Talking

6. Joel and Ethan Coen – No Country of Old Men, The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading

7. Steven Soderbergh – Ocean’s 11, Traffic, The Informant

8. David Cronenberg – Crash (not the one you think), Scanners, Videodrome

9. Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Kill Bill

10. Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, Boogie Nights

11. Spike Jonze – Being John Malkovich, Where the Wild Things Are, Adaptation

12. Michael Moore – Bowling for Columbine, Sicko, Roger and Me

13. Penny Marshal – Big, A League of their Own, Jumpin’ Jack Flash

14. Robert Zemekis – Back to the Future, Forest Gump, Cast Away

15. Wes Anderson – Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tennenbaums

16. Larry and Andy Wachowski – The Matrix, V for Vendetta, Speed Racer

17. David Fincher –Fight Club, The Game, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

18. Alfred Hitchcock – Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest

19. Woody Allen – Annie Hall, Mighty Aphrodite, Manhattan

20. Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino, The Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby

21. Terry Gilliam – Time Bandits, The Imaginaium of Dr. Parnassus, Brazil

22. Peter Jackson – Lord of the Rings, The Lovely Bones, Dead Alive

23. Stanley Kubrick – 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shinning, Eyes Wide Shut

24. Chris Nolan – Batman Begins, Memento, Insomnia

25. Wes Craven – Scream, Red Eye, Shocker

26. Steven Spielberg – Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Catch Me if you Can