One bit of generic feedback I would give everyone is that, although people worked hard on this module, a lot of people lost a lot of marks by not working to the Assessment Criteria for the module and ignoring the brief. So, many people did not produce the required number of videos, many people did not blog according the the guidelines that were put up on the module blog and many people presented their work really poorly.  If you want to get the full benefit of your education (and, by implication, the full marks you deserve) you must address this in all future modules. You still have two this year that count towards your degree: next year the modules are bigger and MUCH more significant.

Enjoy the rest of your Professional Experience and see you on May 23rd.

• Mick Le Mare
• Alex Hacking
• Sam Davies
• Matt Riddle
• Jambo Dann
• Jake Humbles
• Faye Minster
• Shaun Jacques
• Gergana Todorova

Reserve: Steven Ringrose.

Could you all let me know asap your e-mail address (the one that you always use) and your mobile number, along with permission to give this out to Geraldine at the BBC.

I will be posting up details of the training as soon as I get them from her or she will advise you directly.

Only a very small number of you applied for the BBC Internships for the Big Screen by the closing date of yesterday. So, the places have been allocated as follows:

• Mick Le Mare
• Alex Hacking
• Sam Davies
• Matt Riddle
• Jambo Dann
• Isaac McGinley
• Joanne O’Driscoll
• Montage prize (if person is keen)
• Montage prize (if person is keen).

What this means is that there will NOT be interviews tomorrow as planned. I will call a meeting in the next couple of weeks to talk through what happens next. Don’t worry if you cannot make it, full details will be e-mailed out to you.

Well done to those who took the time to apply. This will be an extremely good opportunity to network and get paid work with the BBC.

 All films submitted that pay the entry fee get shown and the filmmakers get accreditation. Enter your films and find out more at:

  http://www.shortfilmcorner.com/uk/inscription-condition.html

 See post from Shooting People below as to whether or not it is “worth it”.

Hi Rob,

The Short Film Corner is actually just a sidebar of the Market.
So there isn’t any “getting in” as it were. You just submit your
film, pay the money, and so long as the film is some kind of…
well, film (i.e. not your wedding video), then it will normally
be accepted.

Films then go into the database and are available in screening
booths in a dedicated area of the Market (basement of the
Palais). Films are available to all-comers to watch in the
booths via computers and a web interface so you can search etc.
It is possible to book larger screening rooms (circa 10 people)
for free on a first-come first served basis.

Is it worth it? Absolutely, because you get two accreditation
badges when you register. These give you access to the areas of
the festival you need to get into, and also to the festival
screenings themselves. There are also a range of sessions and
networking events for all participants, and of course the happy
hour at the end of every day with free drinks (nice warm up for
the evening).

Ben Craig
Cannes – Festival Virgin’s Guide
www.cannesguide.com

So, EVERYONE on the module needs to provide:

• a hard copy of their blog (all of it, not just the posts for assessment). If you prefer, you can hand in an XML copy of the blog on CD (Go to ‘Tools’ in the WordPress Admin page, then export. Make sure you export the whole blog, not just the posts for assessment). If you would prefer to send a copy of your blog via e-mail rather than buring a CD, go to www.blogbooker.com and import your XML file and export as a .pdf
• a copy of their montage on DVD as it needs to be sent off to her for moderation. These are also needed for the BBC Internships.

The deadline for these two things is Wednesday of this week (30th).  I Please hand them in either during your 264MC feedback sessions tomorrow (if you have them) or, if not, to reception  with your name clearly on both items.

It is VITAL that everyone on the module does this as the External Examiner has the power to reduce the marks given by staff here and, from her comment last year, if she feels that things have not been done by the book , then she will. So, if a handful of people do not submit, she WILL reduce the marks of everyone. I will put a list of anyone who has not handed-in by the deadline, up on the noticeboard and on the blog on Thursday of this week.

This also applies to your other modules so please make sure that you have printed off blogs for Short Film and Experimental Narrative. I will loook into term one modules after this week as they have all now been marked.

I am sorry for causing you this inconvenience: the mistake was mine and mine only.

If you are interested in the BBC Big Screen internships that will start in may and go through the third year you need to provide us with the following:

• a 1 minute video or 25o word statement as to why you should be chosen to be on of the eight
• a up-to-date CV
• your showreel/montage on DVD

These must be handed in to Reception by 3.00 on Wednesday 30th March. Interviews wilkl take place from 12.00 on Friday 1st April.  Times will be posted up on the blog on Thursday but you should try and keep Friday afternoon free.

You can find details of the Big Screen at www.bbc.co.uk/bigscreens. We would suggest that you research what they are before you submit your application.

You almost certainly won’t have heard of him but he is one of the most powerful people in independent media in the UK.  You would be MAD to miss this.

Here is his CV: 

CEO, Ten Alps (TV & Education)

We will also be awarding prizes to the best ones. These Prizes will be for:

- Best Conceptual Thinking

- Best Creative Execution

- Best Cinematography and/or Sound

The 3 winners will automatically be offered places on the BBC Big Screen training and paid work opportunity that we have over the summer.

So good luck!

Given the low grade attached to it, the main issue seems to concern the module’s use of CU Online.

Module information is available on CU Online and CU Online is used effectively to support my learning:

It was made clear at the beginning of this module (and there is a message to that effect up on the blog), that we would only be using Moodle for the static and unchanging modular information. That has been up on Moodle since the beginning. For us as a course team, though, Moodle is not sufficient as a teaching and learning tool so, as we explained, the key online tools for us were going to be the WordPress module blog and the Vimeo channel, both of which have been heavily used. These are part of CUOnline, not separate. We feel that there is a confusion here and that students have not fully understood this. If there are bigger issues around blogs and Vimeo, please let us know and we will do whatever we can.

The assessment requirements on this module are clear

Assignment 1 – the essay – was introduced in class, class work was structured around the requirements of the essay and we had tutorials to talk through the essays individually. If people who said that this was not clear could let us know if there was an issue with this assignment, we can address it for next year.

The purpose of Assignment 2 – The Montage of Beautiful Things – is to explore and so some of what you are being asked to do is, by definition, unclear. The brief for the module, with clear explanation of what you need to do for each learning outcome is up on the blog/Moodle and has been since January. We have done a lot of work in lectures and workshops (some of which have been very poorly attended) working through the project and developing the skills needed to do well in it.

Feedback on any returned work has been useful to develop my understanding of the module content.

Feedback on the essays was, I thought, quite detailed and we gave everyone the opportunity to come and discuss that feedback with us in tutorial time on a Monday. Only three people took up that opportunity which was clearly flagged-up in the lecture. If people have suggestions as to how this can be improved, then please let us know.

Feedback on the montage work is more difficult. There are a huge number of blogs and it is really difficult for us to look at all of them regularly, a point we made at the beginning of the module. For us, both the blogs and the Vimeo channel rely on regular feedback, not just from us but from other students. We are a community of learners – we are learning stuff as well – and we have made the point almost every week that the success or failure of the blogs and the Vimeo channel rely on students also providing feedback. Again, we have tried to do work in workshops that show you how to provide meaningful analysis and feedback on each others’ work. Again, though, I would say that some of these workshops have been attended by fewer than half the class. This is a shame as this has been really rich feedback, not just for the person who’s work is being critiqued but for everyone in the class

Library resources and services are sufficient for my needs on this module.

I am not sure how to respond to this. One third of the class neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement which skewed the results but I can understand why this might have happened as much of the work we have referenced has either been visual or we have provided direct links on the blog to reading and other resources. If anyone who disagreed with the statement has suggestions for improvement, please let us know and we can talk to the subject librarian.

There is adequate access to specialist computer hardware and software required for this module and There is adequate access to specialist equipment required for this module.

I am not sure what the specific issues are here. From comments on the back of the questionnaires, it seems to relate to kit like the Canon 5d. We tried to respond to this immediately so anyone who requested 5d training received it along with MA Media Production students. They can now book the kit until Easter. If anyone else wants it, please contact us immediately. The second issue appears to be that kit is out when you need to book it. This is more problematic as, we can never have enough kit to ensure that everyone has access to it at the time they want it. We staggered work so that you did not all need it at the same time and, apart from one or two weeks, left it open to you how you responded to the words and which kit you used. One suggestion made we have already given serious consideration to for next year: namely to give students two weeks for each word however, part of the discipline of the montage project is a self-discipline and a professional understanding of what can be produced in the time available and with the resources available.

Finally, we would say that 260MC is a module with the intention of preparing you for the modules that will follow, developing in you a way of working that will be useful in your Professional Experience, next year and when you graduate. This is the first year that it has run and so all your comments, suggestions and feedback has been extremely useful in how the module has been received and how we can review the module and its delivery now, at this interim stage and again in the future. If anyone wants to talk through these comments or issues, either as a group or individually, please do so. Don’t forget, too, that significant issues of concern also need to be communicated to Course Reps so that they can be raised in the more formal University student forums.