Essay to Video Essay

Use this document to drop in sections from your script and screenshots from key scenes + time codes. You must observe the word count limit and based on your own speech speed test you may need to amend this down.

THE MAXIMUM DURATION IS 10 MINUTES. THE EXAMINER WILL STOP LISTENING AFTER THAT TIME!

A Great Video Essay

The Assessment Criteria

Lessons from the Screenplay

What is so great about it?
  • Allows the movie to ‘talk’.
  • Treats each movie in the same way.
    • Is structure to allow comparison
  • Using captions to emphasis key ideas.
    • Reuses those captions in order clarify
  • Is clearly spoken – about 2500 words for 15 minutes!
  • Uses film language

Previous Student’s Work

Macro Analysis Refresher

There are three key areas to any textual analysis essay:

  • Micro Features Analysis (within your chosen 5 minute sequence)
  • Macro Features Analysis (within the whole film)
  • Cultural Context Analysis (the wider significance surrounding the film / content)

We have four lessons to review what we already know and fill any gaps in your understanding.

Essential Macro Features
  • Genre
  • Narrative
  • Representation
  • Context
The Feynman Technique

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

Resources

The class will be working in two halves and each of those halves will have one of the terms to define and apply. Follow this link to the slideshow that you will be working on.

Task 1
  • Using the Feynman Technique to define what is meant by one of these terms and how they can be used to analyse a film.
  • Define and explain the concept simply in one slide of your shared slideshow.
    • You should use the blog to help you.
Task 2
  • In pairs or threes discuss one of these ideas in relation to one of the films we have studied last year.

Comparative Essay Script Self Assessment

Proof Reading for Assessment

Before you commit to recording your script you must take a moment to complete a self assessment of your work.

You won’t be happy if you have to re-record and then re-edit the video essay, because you failed to do this and missed out some obvious things which will lower your mark.

Please spend 30 minutes working through the questions in this document.

Redraft & Get The Marks

If necessary spend another couple of hours redrafting the essay before you complete the audio recording.

 

Preparing your comparative essay script

Drafting Your Script

By the beginning of next week (Monday 6th July) you must have completed a first draft of your script. This will probably be in the form of a rough essay – approx 1,000 words.

If you have followed the planning document I introduced last week, it should look something like this:

  • Introduction, justification and context
  • Comparative Point 1
    • Key Scene vs Key Scene
  • Comparative Point 2
    • Key Scene vs Key Scene
  • Comparative Point 3
    • Key Scene vs Key Scene
  • Comparative Point 4
    • Key Scene vs Key Scene
  • Conclusion

It is essential that this draft is completed in time, ready for some peer feedback.

The Read Through

You will all complete a read through of the script and get some peer feedback on the key assessment criteria.

The groups will be 3 strong and at the beginning you as author will allocate:

  • A timer and someone to count quotes & references to key scenes
  • Someone to listen out for structure and the degree to which you are answering your own question.
  • You will read your own script aloud

You should all use the assessment document to focus the feedback.

You should complete notes as you read through and gather your peers’ feedback at the end on how you could improve your work.

Visualising The Script (Independent Study)

Once you have received your peers’ feedback on the draft script you need to redraft based on that feedback and convert the essay into a script that will run alongside visuals from the two films.

You should consider the following: At a FAST talking speed (160 words per minute) you are limited to about 1,200 – 1,500 words! I used this website to calculate speech speed. You should test your reading speed by recording you reading out a 200 word section of your essay on your phone, find out your talking speed (remember audibility and clarity are assessment criteria) 

Use this document to drop in sections from your script and screenshots from key scenes + time codes. You must observe the word count limit and based on your own speech speed test you may need to amend this down.

THE MAXIMUM DURATION IS 10 MINUTES. THE EXAMINER WILL STOP LISTENING AFTER THAT TIME!

Planning & Structuring The Comparative Study

Your Research Project

Before we start scripting the essay we need to develop a structure that allows you to illustrate your research, understanding of the whole films, their context and how these big ideas and revealed in the cinematic style (micro).

A Recap

In Brief…

What have you learnt from your research?
  • Genre & Style
  • Your Film Movement
  • Your Film Theory
How does this learning apply to your 2 films (macro):
  • Representation of character, places and events
  • Use or challenge of generic conventions
  • Use of motifs to emphasis themes.
  • Narrative, journey & themes
  • Significance in terms of a ‘new’ style of film making
  • Directorial signature style
How you link these big ideas (context and research) in the films’ micro:
  • Screenplay (lines of dialogue and structure)
  • Recurring Motifs
  • Production Design of Mise-en-Scene
  • Directing (blocking, characterisation, intention and style)
  • Cinematography (lighting, framing, movement & composition)
  • Editing (rhythm, style, pace, positioning…)
  • Sound (diegetic and non diegetic)
Planning Part 1

Take a copy and complete this structure document.

The more specific you can be the better. So include quotes, key scenes, characters, themes, micro examples

Example Comparative Essays

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Your Judgements:

  1. Do the films get equal time and treatment in the video essays?
  2. Is there clear evidence of research from a range of sources?
  3. Is the analysis focused on micro techniques (camera, editing, sound, MeS)?
  4. Is there a clear understand of the themes and how these link to genre and/or context?
  5. Does the audio and editing help structure the essay?

Please use this document to make notes on your allocated video essay (take a copy).

Book / Magazine Research

Research Sources

Books!

Media Magazine

Link 

Username:

Media99

Password

mediamag

Independent Research Tasks

Over the next week in lessons and for independent study you must conduct some independent research into:

  • Your film focus
  • Your two films

You need to aim to find approx 5+ research sources that helped you:

  1. Understand your film focus
  2. Explore the micro and macro features in your chosen own films
These sources should include:
  1. A quote from the teachers’ research notes.
  2. Reviews of your films
  3. One Book
  4. One Magazine articles
  5. One Websites or Blog Article
  6. One video essay or podcast

Recording your research

This research must be recorded and referenced using the Harvard System.

One way in which you can record this research is to use a slide show, with a slide per source.

Your personal slideshow for recording your research has been shared via Google Classroom

Welcome Back

The Comparative Video Essay:

Real coursework:
  • Higher Level & IB Cert = 20%
  • Standard Level = 30%

New Deadlines

Research Completed: Friday 19th June

Script Drafted: Friday 3rd July

Video Completed: Friday 17th July

Your Initial Ideas

Please complete this slide show with some details of your provisional research.

Here is a link to an editable copy of the slide show.

Assessment

Comparative study (SL and HL) Marks Total
A Task components 12 32
B Comparing and contrasting 12
C Assembling the comparative study 8
Assessment Criteria

Online Research for your Comparative Video Essay.

Morning or Afternoon, if you’re a late riser.

Last week of distance learning! Next week, starting Monday 8th June, you’ll be back in school and we’ll be continuing to work on your comparative video essay.

Deadlines:

Research Completed: Friday 19th June

Script Drafted: Friday 3rd July

Video Completed: Friday 17th July

Distance Learning, WB 1st June

Complete the online research for your video essay.

This should include a range of sources on your films or study focus (genre, representation, theory, film movement…). Please ensure you have at least one of each of the following:

  • Blog / Web Page
  • Podcast or Video Essay
  • Review (one for each of your films)

Check

Please use your critical thinking to evaluate the source:

  • Is the author creditable?
  • Is the source relevant? 
  • Does the source have a particular bias or mission (fan sites / videos should be avoided)

Instructions

You must spend time reading / digesting each source, which should take about an hour per source.

Part of that hour should be to complete your personal Research Record Slideshow, which I shared via Google Classroom in the week before half term.

Remember one slide per source.

Ensure this is also up to date with the research you conducted before 1/2 term and also has details of the films, reason for selection and possible key scenes for your analysis.