Sunday, 26 February 2017

Cover Work 27.2.17

Complete Task 2a (prep work Task)
1. Individual - Annotate the Music Video Assignment Brief (see Prep Work PPT for examples of aspects to highlight and make notes on the actual paper brief, identify what type of brief it is and it's requirements)

2. Music Video Production team (4/5) - record a VLog (an edited video log to camera, with appropriate titles to mark sections being addressed see PPT for guidance) on negotiating with the client. For higher grades, Incorporate into ether edit evidence of screen shots of negotiation messages between you and the client or visual examples from your Preproduction section that support your discussion.

EACH INDIVIDUAL MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DISCUSSING THEIR SECTION TO BE AWARDED MARKS

Pass 
Identify and describe the type of brief, describe the process of reading over the brief, and negotiating with the client (artist)

Merit 
Explain the requirements of the type of brief, explain the process of reading and negotiating with the client (artist) with examples of what was involved and how this was resolved

Distinction 
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of this type of brief, with examples of working with the client (artist). 

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

4.1 Prep Work: Due Mon 27.2 Task 2a)

2a) Previous Clients) Individually re-read and annotate a previous brief (Music Video), discuss the Type of brief it is, its requirements, advantages and disadvantages. In your production groups record a VLOG of the process of ‘working with the client’. Discuss the following sections with visual examples.


  1. Reading the brief
  2. Negotiating the Brief (consultation with client; degree of discretion; amendments to final product; amendment to conditions)
  3. Opportunities to  develop new skills 

Activity: In Pairs - Annotate the Music Video brief to demonstrate how you have extracted key information.
  • Audience (Demographics)
  • Market Competition/Trends
  • Use of the Product (E.g. Marketing, advertising)
  • Style of Product
  • Technical Specifications (E.g. FPS, Aspect Ratio and Quality of the final Product)
Negotiating the brief: Slide 10 onwards - Exemplar (use this to make notes on your own reflections on how you negotiated the brief with your music video client)



  • consultation with client; 
  • degree of discretion in interpreting brief; 
  • constraints (legal, ethical, regulatory); 
  • amendments to proposed final product; 
  • amendments to budget; 
  • amendments to conditions; 
  • fees
Opportunities: 
  • identify opportunities for self-development; 
  • new skills; 
  • multi-skilling; 
  • contributions to project brief
Activity: In groups, Mind map using Popplet from your discussion how you completed the processes below, 

Monday, 20 February 2017

4.1 Unit 5 Working to a Brief - Task 1: Structure (types) of brief

To understand the Structure of briefs: contractual; negotiated; formal; informal; commission; tender; cooperative brief; competition



P - Define and describe the different types of working to a brief 

M- Compare and explain the different requirements of working to different types of brief with reference to detailed illustrative examples

D - Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the requirements of working to different types of brief with specific examples  

Task: Match 'em up
Contractual
Where two or more companies are hired to complete the task.

The brief only contains the information that the company need.

This can be risky as there is no document stating anyone agreed to do anything, the outcome could be nothing.
Formal
When two or more media companies are both working together on a brief, they can have conflicting ideas and when this happened they have to have a negotiating brief.

The independent company will be paid for doing this, and could even get part of the company's profit every time it is sold or broadcasted. For example, it if was to write the credits for a film, every time the film is shown so are the credits, so they will get money for he credits being broadcasted on television.
The production companies disadvantage is that they could use a lot of time doing and making it, and then not get chosen by the client.

Informal
Where it is open to all of the production companies, who then, if they want, complete the brief, hoping their completed work will get chosen by the client.

More ideas and creativeness can be added. Including changing the visual style or changing the content, regarding the product still stays within the boundaries of the legal or ethical obligation.
If the company do not manage to do as the agreement says, they could be found in breach and could face legal action. This is why it is important to read what you are agreeing to do.
Co-Operative
An informal brief is most likely a verbal agreement. No contract or written document is needed.
Only the winning company get paid.

Disagreements can occur, a negotiated brief would have to be sent to and appeal to both companies.
Negotiated
when a large media company hires an independent media company to work and create the product for them

As there is no guideline to follow, this allows people to be more creative and create what they like. It will also be a lot more stress free.

The brief has to be negotiated between two media companies rather than just one client, this can cause different ideas and conflict between both companies.
Commission
A company, such as a media company signs an agreement to complete a specific task given to them and completes it within a certain time and for a certain fee.
For the company needing the brief, an advantage is that if a lot of production companies decide to make a brief for them, they have lots of option to choose from.
Both companies and the client have to agree to the negotiated brief to allow them to continue completing it
Tender
Where a client publishes that they need a brief to be made. When it is noticed, production companies then produce a brief, proposal and budget and it is then pitched to the client.
The companies work together to do the brief, adding more creativeness to it and more ideas. This may also take a considerably shorter time to complete rather than just one small company doing it themselves.
Formal briefs are not always legally binding. If there are any additional information or changes, there will need to be negotiations.

Competition
A client provides a company with a brief that simply indicates what they would like the company to do.
You can almost guarantee that it will be done for when you need it.

You may have used up the companies money, time and not get chosen.


Assessment: Check Your Answers


Different Types Of Brief from phele1994


http://www.marketingmanchester.com/media/44947/filming%20tender%20brief.pdf

http://www.cinemagic.org.uk/downloads/Young_Filmmaker_2017_Regulations.pdf

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/site/knowledge-learning-style-guide-v1.2.pdf






New Info - Reading & Negotiating a Brief




Activity: In groups, discuss the requirements of the types of brief you have found/been given for your Production work

Reading a brief: recognise the nature of and demand implicit in brief 



Activity: In Pairs - Annotate the brief to demonstrate how you have extracted key information


  • Audience (Demographics)
  • Market Competition/Trends
  • Use of the Product (E.g. Marketing, advertising)
  • Style of Product
  • Technical Specifications (E.g. FPS, Aspect Ratio and Quality of the final Product)

Negotiating the brief: Exemplar (make notes)




  • consultation with client; 
  • degree of discretion in interpreting brief; 
  • constraints (legal, ethical, regulatory); 
  • amendments to proposed final product; 
  • amendments to budget; 
  • amendments to conditions; 
  • fees
Opportunities: 
  • identify opportunities for self-development; 
  • new skills; 
  • multi-skilling; 
  • contributions to project brief
Activity: In groups, Mind map using Popplet from your discussion how you completed the processes below, 

Activity: Individually contribute - record a Video Blog (Vlog) of the process of having worked with a brief and a client.



4.2 Prep Work Due 27.2

Read the exemplar, analyse any of the Production Briefs given to you for the PRACTICAL aspect from Music Video, Short Film, Music Production.

Reading a Brief

Reading a Brief

When the Company or Producer receives a new Brief, it is crucial that the context of the Brief is fully understood. Firstly the Idea has to be understood, as without an idea the Product cannot be made. Secondly, there are the factors that relate to the Idea, such as:
  • Demographics
  • Geographic’s
  • Market Competition
  • Use of the Product (E.g. Marketing, advertising)
  • Style of Product
  • Technical Specifications (E.g. FPS, Aspect Ratio and Quality of the final Product)
It is crucial for any creator of any Media Product to understand all of these factors, as if the idea does not match the factors, then the Product will not be as effective to the Client and may be a loss to the client financially. It is also important to know all the factors so that the Company creating the product can plan the Project, in terms of: Timescales, Resources, Locations, Crew and Post Production/Animating Time.
Example Brief
To the right is an example brief that I have been commisioned for my Creative Media Course. Within the brief it includes all of the information that is required for the project to be completed. In this case, the Project is a 2D/Stop Motion Animation which should be no longer than 10 seconds. This information is stated in the ‘Brief’ section. It also states when the project should be started and when the client would like the project to be completed by. In addition, as this is a School Assignmnet brief there is also the criteria that has to be followed in ordert to achieve the grades required from the student.
In order for the student to complete this brief it is crucial that they are organised, self motivated and hard working. This is due to the deadlines that have to be meet, meaning the student has to be organised and have good time management. The self motivation will come when the student is required to research new techniques or ideas in order to complete the brief, and the hard working will depend on how much time the student will spend on that one brief. This in turn will all count towards the quality of the final product.
When comparing this brief to an ordinary working brief there are quite a few differences, mainly with the layout and system that is involved when receiving the brief. Firstly, in a working environment the client and Producer will have a meeting or consultation, whereas we are commisioned with the brief and have to decifer it on our own. Secondly, the details involved in a working brief will be more sufiicient, as the client will want their product to have a certain style or theme that is personal towards them, whereas the School Brief does not indicate a certain look, other than it should be a 2D/Stop Motion Animation.
Within the ‘Final Submission’ Root Folder there is a PDF called ‘Example Building Brief’. I have collected this from Google, and it is an example of a Brief issued in 2011 for a renovation to be made upon two original buildings. When comparing it to the School Assignment there are some major differences. Firstly the detail that there is within the Building Brief is more detailed and also include imagery to help support any information discussed within the Brief.
In my opinion a more detailed and informative brief is more likely to have a higher quality product created, due to the amount of information about the product that can be gathered from a single brief will create a better product. Furthermore, I also think that a crucial part of any brief is having that consultation with the client, which allows all ideas to be discussed and any flaws to be rectified.

Negotiating the Brief

Consultation with the Client

Depending on the type of Brief that the Client and Production Company are working with, there will always be a Consultation with the Client. This will be either a formal or informal meeting between the client and the production company. The meeting will be used for discussing the brief, the ideas within the brief, and also if working with a Negotiated Brief there will also be a discussion and improvements to any ideas that the client has thought of. However when working with Contractual Brief, this is not the case, as although there will still be a consultation with the client, there is no input to be had by the Production Company, which in some cases is an advantage as the brief will be detailed and will be easy for the company to create the product, but then also if there are issues within the brief, these cannot be changed, which can affect the quality of the final product. In my opinion, it is always best to negotiate a brief, as it allows the creator to have their own input on the ideas that will be raised.

Degree of Discretion in Interpreting the Brief

Like negotiating a brief, there is also a degree of discretion that occurs when dealing with a client. For example, when you receive a brief you have to interpret the ideas and think about them in a technological sense. This means thinking of how you would create the production, how you would distribute the production and also how the client wants it to look. This is where a meeting or consultation is used in order to discuss the ideas between the client and production company.

Constraints (Legal, Ethical and Regulatory)

When dealing with any brief, or making any form of media product that is going to be seen by the public, it is crucial that the Legal, Ethical and Regulatory constraints are deeply thought through. This means making sure that the ideas and themes that are within the product are not in any way racist, homophobic or cause any emotional or physical harm to a group of people. This is also the case where Legal constraints have to be thought of, as there are many government created laws and regulations that have to be abided by. This can be the Data Protection Act, Advertising Standards Authority, Ofcom, EU Competition Commission and many more. It is vital that any production has a detailed report of how the product will not affect any of the Laws and Regulatory Bodies. When comparing the different Constraints that can affect any Media Product, it is clear that Legal Constraints are the hardest to avoid, as it requires a true understanding of all the laws and regulatory bodies that can have an effect on the product being made. Whereas the Ethical Constraints can be worked upon in order to be avoided, such as having different ethnic groups working on the one product in order to make sure that no beliefs or themes go against the different ethnic groups.

Amendments to Proposed Final Product

During the Production Process there can be many different stages at which ideas can be changed or developed. This is why all production companies use Sign Off Sheets. These are a form of security, which states that when something has been done, the client cannot change it. This makes the production process easier and more effective for the Production Company, as if the Client were to say that they wanted to change the product half way through Production, then the company would have to do so, but with a Sign Off sheet it makes it impossible for this occurrence to happen. In my opinion having a Sign Off sheet is vital for any production company, as it creates a sense of security for the production company, and also makes the job easier for them as the client cannot tell them that they want a part of the production changed half way through the production development.

Amendments to Budget

Like the amendments to the Final Product, there can also be amendments to the Budget. This will be either when new costs have arisen or prices have changed, and the new costs will have to be discussed with the client to ensure that they are happy to pay for the extra amounts. When this happens there will have to be an updated version of the Pre-Production that will state the amount that the prices have changed by, whether it is an increase or decrease in price.

Amendments to Conditions

Like making an amendment to the Final Product, changing the conditions of the product will have an affect on the final product. For example, if the client was to change the target demographic for the product then there will be aspects that will have to be changed. This will affect the Production Company, as it will create more working hours on the one project. The only way for the company to avoid this situation is to have a detailed consultation that can be evidenced via Meeting Minutes or having Sign Off sheets to conclude when a part of the product has been completed and cannot be altered with afterwards.

Negotiating the Fees

When it comes to the first consultation with the client, it is vital that all of the costs that will be involved in making the product are discussed to a high standard. This is firstly by the client, by them running through all of the costs that they will pay for, and then the Production Company will have a detailed list of all the costs that will be involved, in order to settle a final price for the product. This can only be done in a Negotiated Brief, and in my own opinion, think that the negotiating of the cost of the product should not be part of the process, as the company should have a detailed look at the brief, and then tell the client the price for that product to be made. This is due to the company at risk of losing money in the long run.

Opportunities

Opportunities for Self Development

When working with a Brief it allows the Producer and the Client to develop new skills. These can be from learning new communication techniques, development skills in producing the product and also increasing the range of ideas that one can have about different products.

Multi-Tasking Opportunities

When working for any Production Company or as a Sole Trader there will always be more than one project on the go. This means handling and following multiple briefs at any one time, and therefore helps to improve any multi-tasking skills that you may have.
This can be developed mainly by working on two different briefs, such as an Animation Brief and a Movie Brief, and also working with Contractual Briefs and also Negotiated Briefs at the same time can also be an advantage to the producer, as it means that they can work on one project effectively. The producer will also be able to switch between their working day on the different projects effectively, and this skill is crucial when working within any media industry company.

Contributions to a Project Brief

When working on any brief, the creators of the product will normally be able to have their own input in to the project idea. However this is not possible when working with a Contractual Brief. However, being able to have the input that the producer has can allow for the idea to be further developed, and also discussing different methods of filming and planning can rectify any flaws within the idea. This can lead to bigger and higher quality products to be made, which will not only be good for the producer, but also it will please the clients, making them more likely to recommend the company to other potential clients.

Monday, 6 February 2017

Prep Work Half Term - Working with a brief

P  - Define the key terminology
M - Collect examples of different types
D  - Compare and discuss Advantages and Disadvantages

1. Read over the exemplars and define the following words




There will be a quiz on Monday 20th Feb.

  • Contractual brief
  • Competition brief
  • Informal brief
  • Negotiated
  • Formal
  • Commission
  • Tender
  • Reading a brief
  • Negotiating a brief
  • Opportunities


2. Find YOUR OWN examples of these briefs on-line
http://ctkmedial3extdip16.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Unit%205%20Working%20to%20a%20Brief 

3. Prepare a 2 minute presentation on an example of a brief and discuss the advantages and disadvantages (Video'd for evidence for unit)

http://ctkmedial3extdip16.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/unit-5-task-1a-and-task-2b-and-task-2c.html

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

3.5 Feedback on Idents 1a/1b/2a/2b

Ashley - 1a/1b/2a/2b - all work NYA incomplete

Ugonna - 1a (inc)/1b P; 2a P; 2b P - no application to examples, descriptive only. refer to class notes, lesson resources and exemplars as directed to improve


Tim - 1a NYA (incomplete no TikiTok); 1b P Branding personality and meaning, needs analysis; 2A P - target audience, brand loyalty and identity descriptive and no explanation of how they are in the examples; 2B P - only 2/5 examples


Tommy - 1a/1b/2a/2b - NYA - all work incomplete/minimal


Tamara - 1a - P/M, need more detail early ones and examples videos; 1b - D; 2a/2b - M - need more detailed explanation and comparison/assessment for D


Shanee - 1a (M); 1b - NYA not submitted; 2b - NYA (no typography) + resolution and colour WT M require greater explanation and examples (colour safe, brand colours taken and 1080p); 2a - NYA not all aspects covered (WT M)


Rosie

1a (TBC); 1b - NYA - not all areas covered or clearly highlighted in bold in the report (WT M); 2a NYA WT.P - only 1 example and no application to explanation of how it relates to example. Appeal to audience not covered (NYA); 2b - NYA WT.P - no size covered. Needs application to examples 5 dents for M.

Michael 

1a M; 1b - NYA ( Density of Info; Space & Time; Repackaging) WT.M; 2a - P (corporate identity - need ref to examples); 2b M/D

Roopa

1a - P; 1b - M; 2a - M; 2b - P - why they are limitations + give examples

Nigel

1a -P/M; 1b NYA 3/5 criteria; 2a - NYA ('hobby', 'participant' - no brand identity, Tone not stated, audience not addressed); 2b - NYA (no colour, lacking explanation of why minitations - limited discussion of the examples)

Lawrence

1a - NYA; 1b - P/M - (branding no analysis - purpose or why it functions) 
2a - NYA - why is typography a limitations? Colour - channel 4 ident? Size - no example 4/5 given.
2b - P - why is it an opportunity? Corp identity?

Kenny

Un-gradable. Tasks not separated out as requested.

Jordan

1a TBC not loading
1b - NYA (WT.P) unit criteria not highlighted/in bold. Very descriptive and lacking consistency of explanation of how the Idents are designed for the purpose. Examples are made reference to but no real depth for M
2a - NYA WT.P. Minimal work here, resources given such as exemplars and class notes have not been used. No description of 'Opportunities' or how this word applies to each criteria addressed. No explanation of why examples are opportunities showing limited understanding of the idents.  
2b - P - some discussion of limitations and why the criteria can be problematic when making an ident. Limited connection to communicating visual ideas to a non visual audience, appreciating tone or appealing to audience. Some examples referred to but not always in any depth to discuss how the examples demonstrates your point. Again - you shoudl refer to the resources (exemplars given) and your class notes.

Eunice

1b - P WT.M. (nearly there) Some sections rather descriptive such as Density of Info rather than explaining the elements that make it dense and the effect of this on the audience. 
2a - P WT.M - requires discussion of branding colours become limitation when used by other channels. Also how do male viewers react to pink? For M you must explain how it relates to communicating visual ideas to a non visual audience and appealing to them also.
2b - P. Limited discussion of why these are OpportunitiesBranding of content - marketing - is also incorrect.
See the resources from this lesson and look at the exemplars to see how much depth is required for a M.

James

1b - NYA WT.M/D but not all unit content covered/in bold. See lesson 'History of Idents' resources
2a - M. Expand on how tone is created and why this is an opportunity. To improve, assess and compare the limitations and opportunities across the idents and relate to how successfully they communicate visual ideas to a non visual audience. 

Ese - 

1b - D
2a - M/D 
2b - M - explain the dimensions of the screen for aspect ratio and how this limits the composition of the ident so it is workable across different devices

Deniesha

1b - NYA - no design outcomes covered or explained in relation to purpose. Also provide an introduction explaining what an ident is and why they exist
2a - P/NYA - some incorrect descriptions of branding of content; there is no discussion of why these are opportunities. Minimal analysis or reference of the examples provided. There is no HOW or WHY. See exemplars for detail as to how much you need to do to achieve the M.
2b - P/NYA - Colours no examples referred to nor discussion of branding and limited range insisted by the channel's editorial guidelines (you need to explore the resources given which there is no evidence of here). Size relates to how it is being seen on which devices (not mentioned) - again no examples. PLAGIARISM - Typography is not about the colour of the test - this is factual inaccurate and therefore NYA. But you do give and refer to an example.

Dejhenea 

1b - NYA/P explain what an ident is - duration, how it is recognisable, why they exist in your intro. Identity though highlighted is not discussed WHAT or HOW in the example. Again, info led - there is no application to the example of HOW. YOU MUST USE YOUR CLASS NOTES & RESOURCES WHEN WRITING THESE REPORTS. Lacking density of information; screen tempo; time and space.
2a - NYA/M - PLAGIARISM - Branding of content is not applied to an ident which is the entire purpose of this Unit. This is the same mistake and example as another student. Brand Loyalty example not explained in detail - how does this make people stick with this brand - you would need to refer to the suite of dents to explain this not just one.
2b - NYA - PLAGIARISM "within idents because it is about the colours of the text and the background matter." - same mistake and example almost world for word with another student from Deniesha. No further feedback available for this task. 

Daniel T

1b - P/M - No introduction - what an Ident is, why they exist, how they are recognisable. Scheduling Within Segmentation: needs further explanation as to the purpose of doing this - stop people turning over; info about the programming on the other BBC channels.  'dents' - being used repeatedly spelling mistake. The rebrand has not discussed the examples and HOW it has been rebranded and WHAT the new brand identity is (M) 
2a - P/NYA - no explanation or description of why these are opportunities - to accomplish WHAT and HOW (communicating ideas to a non visual audience; appeal to a target audience; to get your channel known or recognised etc). Examples are missing limiting result to P.
2b - P/M - some examples missing, however there is discussion of WHY these are limitations. Typography does not address font styles that may be confusing to the non visual audience such as BBC3

Dan S
1b - P/M - greater detail in breaking down HOW the examples demonstrate these purpose - analysis of what is ON SCREEN. Rebranding means you would need to show HOW it has been rebranded compared to previous and WHAT the new brand identity is/MEANS. Channel 4 is an important one for DENSITY. See resources for how much detail you need to write for M.
2a - P/M - you have explained WHY they are opportunities, but greater detail analysing the ident is required for HOW this is achieved in the example (same as above). Creation of Identity - example is not addressed or WHAT is the identity.
2b - P/WT.M - Typography - give an example of unclear typography - a limitation example as well as the BBC clear one. Colour - discuss the et colours that some channels insist yu use (see BBC editorial guidelines and Chanel 4 linked under resources)

Maya
1b - M - No introduction - what an Ident is, why they exist, how they are recognisable. Some examples missing, black and white logo is BBC not ITV. Put key words/unit criteria in Bold during your work to ensure you have covered them all - screen density is hard to find.
2a - M. Consider the specific tone of your examples and the Branding such as colours, fonts and images - circles relates to old Globe from the BBC idents.
2b - M/D - explain in a little more detail about COMMUNICATING VISUAL IDEAS TO A NON VISUAL AUDIENCE (typography, colours - misinterpret, gendered colours) and be more specific about why these limitations are present in the examples you've given.

Calvin
1b - P/M (WT.M) - Needs an intro- what an Ident is, why they exist, how they are recognisable.  'low density of information as it doesn't show what is coming up next,' - misunderstand what density of information is - refer to the resources and exemplars then select an ident that has a high density to compare it to - it is not dependent on what is coming next
2a - P - No explanation of WHY these are opportunities or HOW the examples show this.
2b - NYA - incomplete & no examples

Ashley
1b - P/M (WT.M) - Needs intro - what an Ident is, why they exist, how they are recognisable. Marketing needs more consideration. Refer to exemplars set for Prep and resources from class notes/blog post.
2a - P/M (WT.M) - Appeal to audience needs greater analysis of the example. WHAT is the Brand Identity & Tone (adjectives) and analysis of HOW this is created through the visual graphics on screen?
2b - NYA - no discussion of WHY these are limitations and HOW the examples show this. COLOUR not addressed.