Happy New (School) Year!

Hello all,

Welcome to a new year at Campion.

For the Year 12s, welcome to Sixth Form! Please be aware that you only have a short time with us - two years goes by very quickly - and a lot of work to fit in in that time. Well done to those of you who have started so well and those of you who are beginning to fall behind know what the consequences of slacking off are.

To my darling Year 13s - your last year as Campionites has arrived! Well done for working so hard and doing so well on your exams last year. Remember, if you want to resit to improve your mark, the closing date for January entries is coming soon. You were all exceptionally close to gaining the next grade!

The main reason for this post is to let you know about the new Film Studies YouTube channel. To make it easier to access video clips we may need I will be posting them on YouTube for a short time. You can access the site here.

Miss Ryan x

Easter Greetings

Just a quick reminder to you all about the Easter holiday work, I am sure that you will all be well on the way with it. You have all of those Easter eggs to keep you going!!

Year 12
1.To complete the Film Tracking Exercise for a film that is due to come out very soon.
2.To complete the Mock Exam paper that you have saved as a PDF, remember to demonstrate your excellent film knowledge and weave in the ‘Case Studies.’
3.Look through the PDFs from the Film Distribution Association – paying particular attention to the charts and tables; consider what the figures reveal. It will help if you learn a few quotes and headline figures, this will impress the examiners.
4.Ensure that your Ewan McGregor essay is completed and that you have carefully thought about the question and what you have written.

Year 13

1.Please select two, of the three, Vertigo past questions and prepare detailed essay responses to them.
A)What does Vertigo reveal about the usefulness of one or more of the critical approaches you have applied?
B)Consider debates that have arisen in the critical reception of your film, either at the time of its initial release, after or both.
C)Film Scholars have argued that Vertigo is a film about cinema and spectatorship. How far is this true?
2.Prepare essay plans to the two City of God past questions that you were given (also available from the WJEC website, under the past paper section).
3.Revisit and research the ideas and work of Laura Mulvey, how does it apply and link to Vertigo? (Make sure you are clear about this)
4.Revisit and ensure that you are confident on the social, historical and political background to La Haine and City of God.

Enjoy the rest of the holidays, those Easter eggs and the sunshine. Any problems please email me do not leave it until the last minute.

Jenny please email me your most up-to-date screenplay and reflective analysis!

Mrs Q

Year 12 - Tues 30.03.10

Hello all,

I forgot to mention this to you in today's lesson, but Mrs Quoroll has requested that you all bring in a memory stick to your lesson on Tuesday 30th March.

Can you please pass this message on to any members of the class you can get in touch with tonight?

Also, I will most probably be back for the period 4 lesson but, if I am not, the question sheets and lined paper will be on my desk. I am really looking forward to seeing how your responses to Section A have developed from your mock exams.

Miss Ryan

Year 13 Research Project Presentations

We have dilly dallied for too long with these presentations. On Monday you will be arriving to the lesson bang on time (because, frankly, you're embarrassing yourselves with your tardiness of late). On your person you will have the following:

1. TWO copies of your fully completed presentation script (with your research project title clearly printed at the top)
2. TWO copies of your fully completed annotated catalogue
3. An electronic copy of your PPT presentation (to be displayed when you give your presentation)
4. All DVDs, music, images etc that are referenced on your presentation with specific times of clips known so that they can be recovered quickly

As you were told today, in Monday's lesson you will be presenting your completed research project to the rest of the class.

Any problems, please email me.

Miss Ryan

Knowing Your Focus Films

Hello all,

As you know, a sound knowledge of your films is imperative for the exams you will be sitting in a few weeks (scary when I put it like that, isn't it?).

You MUST ensure that you are making time to watch the films and make notes on themes, values, messages, narrative structures. For an English exam you would be expected to have read a text at least three times to ensure a good knowledge of it. For film it takes far less time to get through a viewing and we would expect that you had seen the films at least three times.

If you are having trouble viewing the video files then download one of the following media players:

Gom Player

VLC Media Player

If you still can't seem to get the file to work either see the technicians at school, borrow one of the copies of films as DVDs or it would be a good idea to get your own copy.

Miss Ryan

Shane [1953]

Work due on Friday 29th January.

No excuses! If you missed a lesson and didn't see all of the film then come to me with a memory stick and get it copied. You have plenty of time to research the questions.

Following on from our watching of the classic Western, 'Shane', please complete these tasks:

1. How does 'Shane' fit into the picture of the western genre that you're starting to get?

2. Compile a list of the elements which make it clear to you that 'Shane' is a western.

Do not focus solely on iconography in this task - consider characters, gender roles and narrative expectations. When we have our next lesson we will compare lists with other members of the class to see whether our ideas match up and whether there are any particular elements we may have missed.

3. How is the hero presented?

Try to identify particular scenes you believe are critical to an understanding of his character. Analyse the ways in which these scenes are being constructed in order to give the audience a particular understanding of his character.

4. Does this film seem to you to, in any way, reflect the period in which it was made?

This question will require some research on your part. Research how it might differ from Westerns that came both earlier and later than 'Shane' did in 1953.

You might also find it interesting to read this website: http://compassrosebooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/shane-enigma-at-heart-of-western.html

Year 13 - Work for Mrs Quoroll's Class w/c 05.01.10

Hello busy bees! This is the work set for you by Mrs Quoroll. Please make sure it is completed for your lessons on Tuesday 12th January.

1. Ensure your Reflective Analysis (1000 Words) is complete. (Use the Mark scheme, pages 65-67 to help you and the check list I have created. Remember, you must reflect on your Screenplay and evaluate your practical application of learning.) Thank you Ryan for emailing your work – I will look at it and get back to you.

2. Take time to read through and look at each others' Reflective Analyses; try and give feedback and support.

3. In pairs ensure that you have selected four scenes from each film which can be compared and contrasted. Select scenes that show similar or opposing messages and values and those that deal with the issues of power, poverty and conflict. You could even explore characters from both films. (If this was not completed over the holidays, and it should have been, then this is your chance).

4. Ensure that your notes on the Social, Historical and Political contexts and key scenes from both films are detailed and complete pp254-267. During period five I would like you to prepare short ppt on the key information you have found out. Please use other sources to supplement your research; you will have access to the computers in room 110. Remember, that you have to write about these films in detail during the exam.