EVALUATION OF YEAR 1 SEMESTER 2.

WELCOME TO MY FINAL WEB BLOG, IN THIS BLOG I HAVE TO EVALUATE MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE THROUGHOUT THE 2ND SEMESTER.

EVALUATE MEANS = TO JUDGE OR ASSESS THE QUALITY, MERIT, SIGNIFICANCE, WORTH IMPORTANCE OR VALUE OF SOMETHING.

ANALYZE MEANS= TO STUDY SOMETHING IN DETAIL TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT IT OR EXAMINE CRITICALLY TO BRING/FIND OUT ITS ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS. 

IN THIS EVALUATION I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO CRITICALLY EXAMINE MY OWN WORK AND STATE WHAT IS GOOD AND BAD ABOUT IT - COMMENTING ON EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:

 

*    TEACHER/PEER FEEDBACK.

*     INDIVIDUAL WORK.

*    GROUP WORK.

*    TECHNICAL QUALITY.

TEACHER / PEER FEEDBACK:         

I FEEL I HAVE LEARNED ALOT FROM THIS UNIT, BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION I HAD FROM LAST YEARS  BTEC NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN MEDIA MOVING IMAGE. I HAVE GAINED A MORE IN DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS'S & PRODUCTION'S  WITHIN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY AND I HAVE A CLEARER IDEA OF MY FUTURE CAREER PATH. 

SACHA IN PARTICULAR HAS ALOT OF INVALUABLE KNOWLEDGE WHICH IS VERY HELPFUL, AS HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT, AND HAS NO PROBLEM WITH EXPLAINING THINGS MORE THAN ONCE. FOR INSTANCE HOW TO SORT OUT MY SOUND LEVELS THAT WERE MESSED UP IN FILMING IN FINAL CUT. WHICH FOR ME IS USEFUL AS I HAVE A VERY BAD SHORT TERM MEMORY.

FROM THIS UNIT AND THE FEEDBACK I HAVE RECEIVED FROM KIM & SACHA , I NOW KNOW WHERE MY WEAKNESSES LIE. FOR INSTANCE IN SOUND, SACHA HAS SHOWN ME HOW TO IMPROVE  UPON THESE SKILLS NEXT TIME. 

(I.E. BY ASKING IF I DONT KNOW HOW TO DO SOMETHING & BY GETTING MORE PRACTICE IN WITH SOUND. )

I BELIEVE THAT ONE OF MY STRENGTHS IS ORGANIZATION. ALWAYS HANDING MY WORK IN ON TIME, SOMETIMES WITH TIME TO SPARE TO IMPROVE MY FINAL GRADE.

GROUP WORK: 

I  HAVE REALLY ENJOYED WORKING ON OUR GROUP PROJECT. I FEEL THAT SAM, ADAM, TOM AND MYSELF WORK REALLY WELL TOGETHER COMBINING OUR STRENGTHS TO MAKE A QUALITY PEIECE OF WORK. (I.E SAM DIRECTING & RESEARCHING, MYSELF PRODUCING & PRE-PRODUCTION, TOM SOUND & EDITING, ADAM CAMERA & LIGHTING.) I FEEL I LEARNT ALOT FORM MY LAST GROUP PROJECT WITH KEELY & SIMON & I FEEL IT SHOWS IN THIS PROJECT I.E. I AM A LOT MORE VOCAL & ALWAYS HAVE MY SAY. I FEEL THROUGH DOING OUR GROUP DRAMA THAT ALL OF US HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO SHINE & SHOW OUR TRUE ABILITIES TO THE FULL. 

TECHNICAL SKILLS. 

I FEEL I HAVE LEARNED ALOT THIS SEMESTER BY TRIAL AND ERROR,WHICH IN SOME RESPECTS I FEEL HAS DONE ME GOOD, AS IT HAS GIVEN ME THE CONFIDENCE TO BELIEVE IN ME. BUT IN OTHER RESPECTS I FEEL IT HAS HINDERED ME SLIGHTLY. IN PARTICULAR I FEEL  BEING LEFT ALONE TO EDIT HAS HELPED ME GREATLY AS I HAVE LEARNT HANDS ON HOW TO MANIPULATE THE FINAL CUT SOFT WARE, & DOING THIS I KNOW WILL CEMENT THE PROCESS IN MY MIND FOR LIFE. 

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND I FEEL I NEED ALOT MORE GUIDEANCE WITH FILMING, AS UP UNTIL NOW I HAVE NEVER REALLY PROPERLLY FILMED ANYTHING BEFORE, I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT SOUND OR LIGHTING OR CAMERAS & I FEEL THIS SHOWS IN MY INDIVIDUALLY FILMED DOCUMENTRY.  

CONCERNS FOR NEXT SEMESTER.          

I WOULD SAY ONE OF MY MAIN CONCERNS FOR NEXT SEMESTER, ALTHOUGH I AM QUITE WELL EQUIPPED WITH MY OWN MAC LAPTOP, FINAL CUT PRO SOFTWARE, 250 GIG EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE, N BOX & PRO TOOLS. IT IS THE FACT THAT THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ENOUGH HARDWARE TO GO AROUND. WHICH I FEEL HAS IMPACTED UPON ALL OF US SEVERELY THIS SEMESTER, & MAY STILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT UPON OUR LEARNING OUTCOMES NEXT SEMESTER.

THANK YOU FOR READING MY WEB BLOG!!! 

Group Project.

Pre-production.

Throughout the whole group project pre-production h

as been my main job. I wanted to play a big part in the group project as the subject "ignorance" the working title is something i feel creatively pass

ionate about. It was also known in advance that i was not going to be available for much of the production & post production stages, due to holidays & ill health. So it was decided with Kim and as a group i would take on the responsibility of pre-production. This included completing tasks such as:

*      Briefs.

*      Treetments.

*      Scripts.

*      Story Boards.

*      Shot Plans.

*      Reeces.

*      Role Allocation Records.

*      Minutes of production meetings.

*      Resource Lists.

*      Risk Assessments.

*      Location Release Forms.

*      Person Release / Consent Forms.

*      Production / Post Productions Scedules.

*      Call Sheets.

Production.

On several occasions before the actual shoot of "Bodies on the Beach", Sam & I went out to sand bay to do some reeces & got some ideas of shots. whic

h i believe really helped me as a producer in the produc

tion stages as i had a clear idea of what was going on.

 

Whilst in the production stages of the group project I took part in one of the filming days. On the day of filming it was my job as producer to make sure everyone and everything was organized (i.e. everyone knew what was happening & where they had to be.) I organized runners & worked very closely with Sam the director making sure everything was done on time & to schedule. I also organized refreshments & arranged transport.

Post Production.

In post production I worked closely with Tom to log & capture our footage onto the mac's and into final cut, where Tom Adam & Sam where able to manipulate the footage at a later date.

Editing My Individual Project.

I really enjoyed editing my individual project, as it was a chance to expand on skills i already had gained  from Btec ND in Media Moving Image last year, and a real chance to experiment and be creative. 

I feel i am mainly self taught with final cut, & from a dyslexic point of view I am happy experimenting and teaching myself, as i know for a fact that doing practical tasks such as experimenting with software systems cements the knowledge of how to do a task in my mind.

My sound engineering in production was really crap as i did not take into consideration the issues i was creating for myself by using many locations. It was in post production that Sacha had to assist me in saving my sound, because in its raw state un equalized it was un useable.  

I am  beginning to feel more comfortable with final cut, i am no longer afraid of the soft ware, and  i feel i am getting quite competent at the basic skills of final cut. I can also say I feel confident to take the skills learnt from my individual editing such as sound equalizing forward into other projects. 

Filming Dyslexia The Next Gneration.

Filming of my individual project took place over a 2 week filming schedule over the easter break. It was decided to film my contributors 1st getting the interviews, vox pops, & acting out of the way. I then edited the footage i had in final cut at home on my lap top, & went out the following day & got the footage i had missed. I found this to be the easiest part of the filming process. As i was in control, telling my contributors what to do, choosing the camera angles etc.

It was over the next few days my partner & I filmed my pieces to camera. At this point Tim became director & camera as there was no one else to film me, whilst i became the presenter, which i found extremely hard because it meant memorizing a script & being on camera which i hate!!! The more i practiced the script though the more i could remember & the more i flowed on camera, making my pieces to camera really good, with no stuttering or stammering although i did get the giggles through one of the sequences. Tim choose some really good shots and framed me very well. I really enjoyed working with Tim, as i found we bounced off of each other . Between us i feel we came up with the best shots for each individual scenareo.

After all of my footage had been edited together, it was decided to take the camera out on another occasion to get some general shots of buildings, calculators, computers, spell checkers etc.

Whilst in the classroom i came up with an idea to do a vox pop, i had 6 statements to be read & there were 6 people in the room, so i got Kim, Keely, Tom, Alecia, Adam & Sam to say them on camera, which i think has added some edge.

Technically i know i am not very accomplished & i know this shows throughout my whole project, especially the sound quality. But i do feel with quality teaching  & patience. Expanding my knowledge on subjects such as lighting & sound  I will become an accomplished camera person.

  

Web Blog News Article BC1004

Does Dyslexia Really Exist…..Or Is It Just An Excuse?

29^TH  May 2007

Dyslexia Action and the British Dyslexia Association strongly dispute claims made by a government minister earlier this week, that dyslexia does not exist & that it is just an excuse for bad behavior.

To the 6 million people dyslexia affects in the UK, it is very real. Dyslexia is a complex condition, which affects each person differently, irrespectively of intelligence, race or social background.

“It is life-long, but the affects can be minimized. Says Mrs Joan Curry Educational Psychologist.

Dyslexia affects around 10% of the British population. Did you know that 70% of all self made millionaires are dyslexic, take Richard Branson he made his 1^st million by the age 18.

 “Once again dyslexia seems to be making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. It is frustrating that the focus should be on whether dyslexia exists or not and claims that it does not is very Frustrating for the 1 in 10 people that it affects. The question should be what can be done to help people with dyslexia and those with literacy difficulties?” Says Katherine Jones southwest dyslexia support.

If you would like more information on dyslexia contact the British dyslexia association Helpline: 0845 251 9002. Or email helpline@bda.org.uk.

                                                                                 200 WORDS!!!

 

BBC MAIDA VALE STUDIOS.

BCC MAIDA VALE WAS AN INSIGHTFUL TRIP INTO THE REAL WORLD OF THE MEDIA INDUSTRY. IT HAS INSPIRED ME IN MANY WAYS, HAVING APPEARED ON RADIO BEFORE IN CALIFORNIA, THE BBC MAIDA VALE TRIP HAS BROUGHT ME BACK TO MY ROOTS & MY PASSION FOR SOUND!

WHILST AT THE STUDIOS WE GOT TO SEE THE MAKING OF THE RE-ADUCTATION OF "THE WORLD AS IT IS NOW"  ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ABOUT 100 YEARS AGO, THE BBC WERE MAKING A MORE UP TO DATE VERSION........ PRODUCED FOR BBC RADIO 4, IT WAS WELL SCRIPTED, EXTREMELY HUMOROUS, & HAD ME HOOKED!  I LIKED THE WAY IT HAD A DOWN TO EARTH APPROACH, & I ALSO LIKED THE WAY THE SCRIPT TOUCHED ON SOME GREY AREAS SUCH AS TERRORISM.

WE GOT TO DO SOME ARCHIVING TOO, WHICH I FOUND FASCINATING. I WAS PAIRED WITH A GIRL CALLED HANNAH, SHE WAS PRETTY NEW ONLY BEEN THERE 3 MONTHS BUT WAS LOVING IT! WE WERE TRANSFERING DAT FORMAT TO MP3 FORMAT USING A SOFT WARE PACKAGE CALLED SADIES, WHICH IS THE MICROSOFT EQUIVALENT OF PRO-TOOLS. WHILST I WAS THERE I WAS ALSO INTRIGUED AT MYSELF, AS I WAS SHOWN HOW TO IT ONCE, GRASPED IT, & WAS ABLE TO DO HANNAH'S JOB FOR HER WHILST SHE SAT & WATCHED.

MY HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY HAD TO BE SEEING THE ZUTONS PLAY LIVE IN THE JOHN PEEL STUDIO. I MUST SAY BEFORE I WENT TO MAIDA VALE  I HAD DISMISSED THE ZUTONS BECAUSE THEY DIDNT  INTERVIEW VERY WELL ON TV, & WERE EXTREMELY HARD TO HEAR BECAUSE OF THEIR SCOUSE ACCENT. BUT LISTENING TO THEM LIVE IS SOMETHING ELSE!!! I HAVE CONSEQUENTLY GONE OUT & BROUGHT THEIR SINGLE "ALWAYS RIGHT BEHIND YOU" DEFINITELY MY STYLE OF MUSIC!

TO LISTEN TO THEIR NEW SINGLE GO TO 

http://www.thezutons.com/

DYSLEXIA - THE NEXT GENERATION..... MY TREATMENT.

Dyslexia – the next generation.

PREMISE: who needs a memory? When you’ve computers, spell checkers & calculators?

 

Opening sequence four split screens, showing dyslexic behavioural traits.

Split screen one - a motorist going round a round about, in a bid to read all the road signs.

Split screen two - someone day dreaming.

Split screen three - a school girl carrying a heavy bag to school.

split screen four - someone putting their pin into the cash machine, looking at their hand with the number written on.

     Voice over “what do these people have in common? Why are they doing these odd things?” Dyslexia appears on screen in big bold letters wobbling, as it does for a dyslexic person.

     Tracking shot of presenter piece to camera, “Did you know there are 6 million dyslexics in the UK? That’s 10% of the British population!” “So what does dyslexia enable you to do?”

     Close up shot of someone looking at an engine, super imposed is a three dimensional animation of how the engine works, Voice over “ we have 3 dimensional acuity, making us excellent engineers.

     Cross fades to still picture of Albert Einstein, voice over “ we have the ability to see things that don’t exist yet, take Albert Einstein for instance, cuts to E=MC2 equation.”

     Cross fades to computer over loading, voice over “we cant lie, our poor memories over load”

     Cross fades to over shoulder shot of someone video editing, cuts to still picture of the titanic. Voice over “ we are extremely creative, did you know the film makers of the titanic were dyslexic?”

     Cuts to piece to camera tracking shot of presenter, “anyway in an ever changing world, who needs a memory?”

     Cuts shots of computers spell checkers & calculators, “when you’ve got computers, spellcheckers, & calculators!”

     Cuts back to presenter piece to camera “did you know that 70% of all self made millionaires are dyslexic?”

     Cuts to a still picture of Richard Branson, “take Richard Branson, he made his 1^st million by the age of 18.”

     Cuts back to presenter “ so what is this dyslexia thing? Interview.

     Cuts back to presenter “so how does dyslexia affect you?”  vox pop.

     Cuts to piece to camera “dyslexia is a gift, it is what happens when we point our imaginations, inventiveness, and curiosity at marks on the page, that cannot cope with imagination, inventiveness, and curiosity!” the sooner dyslexia becomes a recognised learning style; the sooner the world can evolve!!! Your boss will be a dyslexic!!!

 

 

My Research into Dyslexia.

BELOW IS A LIST OF LINKS THAT I HAVE USED TO RESEARCH MY SUBJECT 

AREA.

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/contributoryfactors.html#birth

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/extra314.html

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/fullassessment.html

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/gettinghelp.html

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/handwriting.html

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/homework.html

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/adultchecklist.html

http://www.dyslexia-parent.com/dyslexia_millionaires.html

http://www.dyslexia-parent.com/mag24.html

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/extra326.html

http://www.beingdyslexic.co.uk/information/basics/what_does_dyslexia_mean_for_me.php

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/whatisdyslexia.html

http://www.famousdyslexics.com

Interesting.......

The reason i find the article below very interesting is because my mother states that once both my sister & I were given the MMR vaccine she noticed a sudden difference in our characters.

Before the MMR vaccine was administerd she says we were very interested to learn things, we were very hands on young children, after we had the MMR jab both of us were no longer interested in learning & found things that we used to find easy now hard. 

Through doing my research for this project I have found out that dyslexia actually comes into the Autism Spectrum, both my sister & I are both dyslexic.

Interesting or what??? 

AN INTERESTING ARTICLE!

Experts reject latest MMR research

Uptake of MMR vacines is falling across the UK

Experts have rejected fresh claims of a link between the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine and autism.

A study by scientists in the United States suggests a "strong association" between the three-in-one vaccine and autism.

They said the vaccine triggers an autoimmune response which they believe plays a role in the onset of autism.

There is a tremendous logical gap in this research

Professor Peter Lachmann, Cambridge University

But doctors in the UK have dismissed the study saying it provides no evidence of any link.

Dr Vijendra Singh and colleagues at Utah State University in Logan analysed blood samples from 125 autistic children and 92 children who did not have the developmental disorder.

Immune system

They found that the children with autism who had received the vaccine had raised levels of measles antibodies compared to those without the disorder.

Over 90% of the samples from these children were also positive for antibodies which the authors believe are involved in autism.

These antibodies attack the brain by targeting the basic building blocks of myelin, the insulating sheath that covers nerve fibres.

Dr Singh has maintained for a number of years that this process is one of the root causes of autism.

However, this theory is not widely shared. The paper's suggestion of a link between these antibodies, autism and the MMR vaccine have also been rejected.

Professor Peter Lachmann, Emeritus professor of immunology at Cambridge University, said: "There is no evidence of causality."

Speaking to BBC News Online, he added: "There is a tremendous logical gap in this research."

Research criticised

Dr Liz Miller, head of the immunisation division of the Public Health Laboratory Service, also criticised the study.

"There is no data in this paper that implicates MMR vaccine as a cause of autism nor that challenges the robust body of evidence on the safety of the vaccine".

In a statement, the PHLS added: "This claim by the authors that they have identified abnormal measles-mumps-rubella antibodies in autistic children is not substantiated by the data in the paper.

"No abnormal virus-specific antibodies have been demonstrated."

It continued: "The data that they show as evidence that this component is one particular antigen of the measles virus is not credible."

Vaccine warning

Professor Lachmann urged parents to have their children vaccinated.

"The evidence of the possibility of coming to any harm from the measles vaccine is so small that anyone who doesn't have their child vaccinated against measles is very foolish," he said.

There's a very, very strong case now for suspending MMR use while further investigations are carried out

Jonathan Harris, JABS

"Measles is not a trivial disease. If we were to have a measles outbreak the risks to children are very much higher."

However, campaigners said the study highlighted the need for more research.

David Potter, head of information and policy at the National Autistic Society, said: "The NAS would be keen to see further independent research to replicate these findings, which might provide a way forward in understanding and treating the condition."

Keith Lovett, of Autism Independent UK, said: "Parents have been suspecting this for many years now but research was needed in the area to back it up or put it to bed.

"It's certainly not going to go away until it's done properly. Proper trials are needed."

The study is the latest to look at the possible link between MMR vaccine and autism.

Figures show that the number of infants receiving the vaccine has fallen recently. Uptake fell from 76% to 70% between December last year and March. It rose to 72% in April.

The PHLS, Department of Health and British Medical Association have all consistently driven home the message that the vaccine is safe.

They have warned that low uptake of MMR could increase the risk of measles outbreaks.

But the anti-MMR pressure group JABS called on the government to reverse its position to only offer the three-in-one vaccine to parents.

Its spokesman Jonathan Harris said: "The evidence is building up tremendously. I really feel there's a very, very strong case now for suspending MMR use while further investigations are carried out."

LINK TO ORIGINAL SOURCE =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2182690.stm

DYSLEXIA - THE NEXT GENERATION!

DYSLEXIA THE NEXT GENERATION. (BC1005 FILMING + EDITING)

 

WHY DID I CHOOSE DYSLEXIA AS MY INDIVUAL PROJECT?

 

 

I choose to do my individual project on Dyslexia, as it is something I have suffered from all my life, although its only very recently that I have been formally diagnosed as “dyslexic”

 

Through doing my individual documentary it is my hope to education & inform non dyslexics in an entertaining way about dyslexia, in a bid to bust many pre-conceptions people have about dyslexia. For instance “she cant read or spell, she has an attention span of a Nat ……. So she must be “stupid”, “thick” & “Lazy” Far from it in many cases we have a much higher IQ than non-dyslexics, it is just our problems with reading, writing, spelling, maths, short term memory etc that mask our true intellect. (please remember ….. No two dyslexics are alike either!!! We all have our individual abilities!!!)

 

There are 6 million dyslexics in the UK, that is 10% of the British population. My personal project portrays dyslexia in a positive light!!! I concentrate on what we were are extremely good at, for instance the ability to see things in 3d, our ability to see things that don’t exist yet , take Albert Einstein for instance! Our ability to think out of the box, & not be put off by hurdles in our way. Richard Branson is one of these people he has over 150 enterprises, all of which he was told would never fly, look at him now he’s a multi billionaire!

 

When I wrote my brief for this project I stated I wanted to strike accusations that would get noticed, I have thoroughly researched my subject & I believe my finished documentary will certainly achieve this!

SAILINE.

2nd week into semester two, we got a great & exciting oportunity to become part of a film crew for 2 days. "Percivil Productions" a london based film company were down on the beach filming the performing arts students from Weston College's Main knightstone campus.

 

Due to other commitments i was only able to help as a runner on the 2nd day of filming, but enjoyed it so much i decided to go down in my own time on t

he thursday. I found it a very insightful experience, all the members of the crew were v

ery helpful & answered many of our questions.

There was a lot of standing around and not much to do at 1st. then things started to pick up a bit, Keely & I were given the job of running back & forth between the production office & the location on the beach, whilst Sam, Tom, Adam, & Alecia were on crowd control. Whilst being a runner I noticed something about myself….. How psychically un – fit I was!!! There was a lot of running (in some cases literally) to be done, by the end of the day I was exhausted!!!

 

 

I feel I learnt a lot from “being on the job” as it were, I felt it was a nice change from being stuck in the class room, & we all managed to do some networking!!!

 

WELCOME BACK

WELCOME TO SEMSTER 2!!! ITS BEEN 3 MONTHS SINCE MY LAST WEB BLOG ENTRY BUT A LOT HAS CHANGED!!!! I HAVE BEEN TO SRI LANKA & SURVIVED!!!!! WHICH I FIND REALLY QUITE REMARKABLE  WHEN I THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH DANGER I PUT MYSELF INTO!!!! (ALTHOUGH I DID COME HOME WITH A TROPICAL DIESASE) IT WAS CERTAINLY A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE & I WOULD RECOMMED TRAVELLING TO ANYONE!!!

 

I FOUND BEING ON THE EDGE WHICH I WAS!!!! GUN MEN EVERY MILE OR SO DOWN THE ROAD, TAKING NO PRISONERS VERY GROUNDING.....IF WHAT AT THE TIME SLIGHTY UNSETTLING!!! I FIND IT HAS BROUGHT ME BACK DOWN TO EARTH!!! I NO LONGER MOAN OR COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE ANYMORE, OK THEY NIGGLE ME, BUT DON’T THEY NIGGLE  US ALL. 

 

I KNOW I AM EXTREMELY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE, & I KNOW I AM ALIVE!!!!!  IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE I NO LONGER TAKE FOR GRANTED….. I HAVE CLEAN HYGENIC WATER COMING THROUGH A TAP WHEN EVER I TURN IT ON, I KNOW THAT THE FOOD I AM ABOUT TO EAT IS SAFE TO EAT. I CAN GO & USE A PROPER TOILET ANY TIME I WANT & I KNOW IT WONT BE A WHOLE IN THE GROUND, AND BY COMPARASION I HAVE LEARNED I AM VERY RICH!!!! OK SO I GET A SUM OF MONEY FROM THE STUDENT LOANS COMPANY EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, & I GO TO WORK 2 DAYS A WEEK IN A S*!*?*! CALL CENTRE. I COMPLAIN ITS NOT ENOUGH MONEY & WANT MORE……

 

BUT WHEN I THINK OF POOR MADUSHANI’S FAMILY I BRING MYSELF BACK DOWN TO EARTH!!!! HER HOUSE CONSISTS OF TWO ROOMS,  A KITCHEN WHICH IS JUST AN OPEN FIRE & SOMETHING WHICH RESEMBLES A CHIMLEY, & A SMALL COMMON ROOM, WHERE THEY ALL SLEEP, EAT & DO THEIR HOME WORK……. ME I LIVE 4 BEDROOMED VICTORIAN STYLE HOUSE WITH HUGE ROOMS IN THE CENTRE OF TOWN, & THINK NOTHING OF IT.

 

WHATS MORE  FIVE POUNDS, CLEARED MADUSHANI’S MOTHERS DEBTS & PAYED FOR A MONTHS SUPLY OF FOOD FOR HER AND HER FAMILY. NOW ONLY 3 MONTHS LATER, JUST A FEW DAYS AGO I RECEIVE A LETTER THAT MAKES ME FEEL COMPLETELY HELPLESS!!! I HEAR THAT MADUSHANI’S MOTHER HAS DECIDED TO SEND HER CHILDREN TO AN ORPHANAGE BECAUSE SHE CAN NO LONGER PAY TO LOOK AFTER HER CHILDREN!!!!

 

SELLDOM AM I EVER LOST FOR WORDS, BUT ON THIS OCASSION I AM!!!!! BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE I KNOW I AM A VERY LUCKY PERSON!!! AND I SHALL NEVER FORGET IT!!!

LEARNING OUTCOMES.

EVALUATION. 

WELCOME TO MY FINAL WEB BLOG, IN THIS BLOG I HAVE TO EVALUATE MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE THROUGHOUT THIS 1ST SEMESTER.

EVALUATE MEANS = TO JUDGE OR ASSESS THE QUALITY, MERIT, SIGNIFICANCE, WORTH IMPORTANCE OR VALUE OF SOMETHING.

ANALYZE MEANS= TO STUDY SOMETHING IN DETAIL TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT IT OR EXAMINE CRITICALLY TO BRING/FIND OUT ITS ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS.

IN THIS EVALUATION I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO CRITICALLY EXAMINE MY OWN WORK AND STATE WHAT IS GOOD AND BAD ABOUT IT - COMMENTING ON EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: 

*    TEACHER/PEER FEEDBACK.

*    GROUP WORK.

*    TECHNICAL QUALITY.

TEACHER / PEER FEEDBACK:         I FEEL I HAVE LEARNED ALOT FROM THIS UNIT, BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION I HAD FROM LAST YEARS  BTEC NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN MEDIA MOVING IMAGE. I HAVE GAINED A MORE IN DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF JOB ROLES WITHIN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY AND I HAVE A CLEARER IDEA OF MY FUTURE CAREER PATH. 

KIM HAS ALOT OF INVALUABLE KNOWLEDGE WHICH IS VERY HELPFUL, AS SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT, AND HAS NO PROBLEM WITH EXPLAINING THINGS MORE THAN ONCE. WHICH FOR ME IS USEFUL AS I HAVE A VERY BAD SHORT TERM MEMORY.

FROM THIS UNIT AND THE FEEDBACK I HAVE RECEIVED FROM KIM, I NOW KNOW WHERE MY WEAKNESSES LIE FOR INSTANCE IN SOUND EDITING, KIM & GILL HAVE BOTH SHOWN ME HOW TO IMPROVE  UPON THESE SKILLS NEXT TIME. 

I.E. BY ASKING IF I DONT KNOW HOW TO DO SOMETHING & BY GETTING MORE PRACTICE IN WITH SOUND EDITING SOFTWARE. 

I BELIEVE AND FEEL THAT ONE OF MY STRENGTHS IS ORGANIZATION. ALWAYS HANDING MY WORK IN ON TIME, SOMETIMES WITH TIME TO SPARE TO IMPROVE MY FINAL GRADE.

GROUP WORK:           IN KIMS LESSONS MUCH OF OUR CLASS WORK HAS BEEN INDIVIDUAL TASKS, FOR INSTANCE OUR WEB BLOG. ALTHOUGH WE DID PRODUCE A RADIO SHOW IN GILLS LESSONS, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM MY PREVIOUS BLOG, OUR GROUP PROJECT DID NOT GO VERY WELL . PERSONALLY I BELIEVE NEXT TIME I ENTER A GROUP PROJECT, I SHALL TRY TO BE LESS RESERVED. WHICH I THINK WILL HELP A GROUP PROJECT WORK BETTER. ALTHOUGH I DO BELIEVE MY STRENGTHS OF RESEARCHING AND SCRIPT WRITING DID SHINE OUT  IN OUR GROUP PROJECT.

TECHNICAL SKILLS.           CONSIDERING I HAD NEVER DONE ANY VIDEO OR SOUND EDITING BEFORE BOTH GILL AND KIM HAVE TAUGHT ME SOME VERY VALUABLE FOUNDATION SKILLS IN SOUND AND VIDEIO EDITING. I AM ALSO CONFIDENT NOW IN USING THESE SKILLS WHICH AT FIRST I WAS AFRAID OF. I BELIEVE I CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE UPON MY EDITING SKILLS, ALTHOUGH I THINK MY MAIN GOAL IN EDITING WILL BE TO GET MORE CONFIDENT WITH THE SOFTWARE.

CONCERNS FOR NEXT SEMESTER.          I WOULD SAY ONE OF MY MAIN CONCERNS FOR NEXT SEMESTER, ALTHOUGH I AM QUITE WELL EQUIPPED WITH MY OWN MAC LAPTOP, FINAL CUT PRO SOFTWARE, AND 250 GIG EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE, IS THE FACT THAT THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ENOUGH HARDWARE TO GO AROUND. WHICH I FEEL MAY IMPACT UPON OUR LEARNING OUTCOMES NEXT SEMESTER.

THANK YOU FOR READING MY WEB BLOG, I HOPE YOU FOUND IT INTERESTING. I AM NOW OFF TO SRI LANKA TO STAY IN THE JUNGLE WITH A SCHOOL TEACHER FOR A 2 WEEKS, I FLY OUT OF HEATHROW AIRPORT IN 6 HOURS TIME. WISH ME LUCK! A WONDERFUL LIFE EXPERIENCE, WHICH I HOPE TO INCORPORATE INTO MY WORK NEXT SEMESTER.

INTERVIEWS.

During the Module BC1003 (Audio Project) with Gill Sargent. we looked at interview techniques. From these lessons we learnt how to interview effectively, understanding the difference between open and closed question.

For Example:

-  WHO            Ask for FACT               E.g. A persons name.

(closed question)

-  WHEN         Asks for FACT             E.g. A time.

(open question)

-  WHERE        Asks for FACT            E.g. A place.

(open)

-  WHAT          Asks for FACT  or INTERPRETATION of FACT     E.g. A sequence of events.

(open question)

-  HOW              Asks for FACT or INTERPRETATION of FACT     E.g. A sequence of events.

(open question)

-  WHICH         Asks for a CHOICE.       E.g. A choice from a range of options.

(open question)

-  WHY              Asks for OPINION.        E.g. A reason for a course of action.

(open question)

From these skills learned in Gills lesson i was then able to apply these Open & closed quetsions to the questions i asked to our guest speakers in Kim Brooke's lessons.

Below is the questions I asked our guest speakers.

Interview 1.  Kim Brooke  Freelance director.

Question:  What initially interested you in having a job within the media industry?

Interview 2.   Tom Chumley  Freelance Director.

Question 1:   What is it like to be a director?

Question 2:  What personal qualities & attributes do you personally feel you need to have to be a director?

I believe from my understanding acquired from gills Lessons of open and closed questions. I received very good and effective answers, because i asked open questions which enabled the interviewee to give a fact and a personal interpretation, which made the interview more personal. 

THE PITCH / RADIO SHOW CRITIQUE

 BELOW IS A COPY OF MY REFLECTIVE AUDIO DIARY SCRIPT.

Introduction.

                     Hi my name is Kate Pritchard. This is my reflective audio diary. 

TEAM WORKING:            THE DICTIONARY MEANING. Defines team work as :

“work done by a group of people who work together to achieve a common task or goal.”

AS A GROUP WE INITIALLY WORKED WELL TOGETHER.  SUBSEQUENTLY THE COHESION OF THE GROUP BROKE DOWN AND THE INPUT OF MEMBERS IN THE GROUP BECAME NARROWED. IN MY OPINION ,   THE CONTENT OF THE SHOW LACKED BREADTH AND INTEREST. OUR MAIN PROBLEM WAS BAD COMMUNICATION. WE WORKED WELL ON OUR OWN ASSIGNED TASKS, BUT WHEN WE CAME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS OUR JOINT WORK, WE DID NOT WORK IN A COLLABORATIVE MANNER. 

RESEARCH:        AS A GROUP I FEEL OUR RESEARCH SKILLS WERE VERY STRONG, THIS IS REFLECTED NOT ONLY IN OUR PITCH BUT ALSO IN THE RADIO ITSELF. EACH OF US TAKING ON INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH TASKS, KEELY RESEARCHING INSOMNIA ITSELF, INTERVIEWING A NURSE AND A DOCTOR. SIMON TOOK THE ROLE OF SOUND RESEARCHER AND EDITOR. MYSELF TOOK THE ROLE OF RESEARCHING THE BUGET, TO MAKE OUR PITCH AS LIFE LIKE AS POSSIBLE. I COSTED VARIOUS JOB ROLES / TITLES WITHIN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY & QUOTED HOW MUCH WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY THESE PEOPLE FOR A DAYS HIRE / PAY. IN THE RADIO SHOW ITSELF IT WAS MY JOB TO RESEARCH ANIMAL INSOMNIA, AS THIS WAS A MATTER BROUGHT UP FROM OUR PITCH. 

SCRIPT WRITING SCRIPT:                        ANOTHER OF OUR STRONGER ASSETS WAS OUR SCRIPT WRITING. WITH KEELY AND MYSELF BOTH KEEN SCRIPT WRITERS. WE BETWEEN US WROTE THE INTRO, WITH SIMONS INPUT WE SCRIPTED THE FIRST PARAGRAPH WITH THE IDEA OF RADIO 1’S FRIENDLY BANTER. SIMON THEN DID SOME CLEVER EDITING LINKING US WITH GOOD LINKS, KEEPING IT STRONG.  IT WAS DECIDED TO KEEP THE ANIMAL STORIES SHORT FOR REASONS OF PACE,            WHICH WAS A DECISION.  I BELIEVE I ROUNDED THE WHOLE SHOW OFF WITH A WELL SCRIPTED FINALE CONCLUDING ALL THE POINTS MADE WITHIN THE SHOW, WHEN STATING INSOMNIA WAS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY ANY TIME SOON.

 

ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE I WAS ABLE TO PRACTICE MY SCIPT WRITING IN CLASS BY PRODUCING THE LEAVING HOME SCRIPTS & THE BURMA SCRIPT.        

Editor / EDITING          HAVING HAD NO EXPERIENCE OF SOUND EDITING BEFORE, THE THOUGHT OF EDITING PIECES TOGETHER WAS A DAUNTING PROSPECT. BUT WITH SIMONS HELP AND TUITION I MANAGED TO EDIT THE VOX POP “IN YOUR OPINION WHAT IS INSOMNIA?”

SNIPPET OF THE VOX POP.

IN EDITING THIS VOX POP I HAVE LEARNED THAT EDITING SIMPLE THINGS SUCH AS THESE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE TOO CHALLENGING OR TECHNICAL, YOU CAN EDIT TO A HIGH QUALITY USING VERY EASY AND SIMPLE TECHNIQUES AS CROSS FADES.

Interviewer / Interviewing. 

BEING SHY AND NOT VERY OUTSPOKEN, I WAS DISINCLINED TO GOING TO COMPLETE STRANGER AND ORGANISING AN INTERVIEW, ALTHOUGH I FOUND ONCE OVER THE INITIAL HERDAL OF ASKING FOR THE INTERVIEW. EVERYTHING ELSE INCLUDING THE INTERVIEW IT SELF WENT VERY WELL.

 

PLAY VETS ORIGINAL INTERVIEW.

 

THE VET’S INTERVIEW MATERIAL WAS MISREPRESENTED BECAUSE THE VET COULD NOT COMMENT ON A CASE OF ANIMAL INSOMNIA, BECAUSE SHE HAD NEVER SEEN A CASE OF IT.  IN THE EDITING SUITE THE INTERVIEW WAS CUT USING ANSWERS FROM OTHER QUESTIONS TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT ANIMAL INSOMNIA WAS COMMON. OTHER INTERESTING MATERIAL ON THE SUBJECT OF SLEEP DISFUNCTION WAS PASSED OVER

 

PLAY SIMON & KEELYS VERSION OF INTERVIEW.

 

TECHNICALLY THE INTERVIEW WAS WELL ACCOMPLISHED, ALTHOUGH THEIR WAS SOME DISTORTION ON THE SECOND QUESTION, DUE TO THE POP SHEILD MOVING.

 

I FEEL IN CLASS OUR PRACTICAL SEESIONS WITH GILL REALLY HELPED, ESPECIALLY THE EMOTIVE HIV INTERVIEW IN WHICH ADAM INTERVIEWS ME A HIV AIDS SUFFER.

TIME MANAGEMENT.

 

Managing My own time

I BELIEVE THROUGHOUT THIS PRODUCTION I WORKED WITHIN THE TIME CONSTRAINTS CONSTRUCTIVELY EVEN THOUGH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE TEAM CONDUCTED ATTRIBUTION OF WORK AT 3:30 IN THE MORNING BY PHONE, UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT REVEALING A VESTED INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT MATTER .  I HAVE CONTRIBUTED IDEAS, RESEARCH OF ANIMAL INSOMNIA AND ORGANISED INTERVIEWS WITH VETS.

 

 

Time Management Within the group.

SADLY TIME MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE GROUP WAS LACKING, NOT LEAVE SUFFICIENT TIME FOR SEVERAL EDITS OF THE FINAL SHOW, INEVITABLY OUR FINAL PRODUCT SHOWS THIS.

IN CONCLUSION:

 

CLEARLY TO WORK AS A TEAM REQUIRES ONE TO PUT ASIDE ONES PERSONAL ISSUES AND PERSONAL INTERESTED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PRODUCT. SADLY THIS WAS NOT THE CASE AS INTROSPECTION AND EGO HAS BEEN REFLECTED IN THE SHOW’S OUTPUT.