Project Brief​
The FMP is the culmination of your course and demonstrates all of the creativity, skill, concept and understanding you have gained over the past year. You are expected to produce a body of coherent, sophisticated research that culminates in ideally a media product or a collection of work that shows off your technical ability, talent, vision and knowledge. You will need to evidence the development of your work by including relevant research & reflective diary, a development of ideas, and a selection of sophisticated outcomes.
These should be accompanied by thorough and on-going critical and contextual reviews and evaluation. You need to pick an area of media for your project. Areas would include Animation, Film & TV, Graphics, Audio. It might be useful to consider theme, eg memory or health, hobbies or social action.
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Suggested themes could come from the following areas: advertising, culture, messages, music, sports, games, politics, lifestyle, etc
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Make sure you are working in a media area you enjoy, have been good at and one that will help you achieve your goals for the future.
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You must achieve a balance of your ambition, time constraints and resources to make sure you can achieve your project. Do not make it too big OR too small!
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Set up blog
Create a new blog website for FMP
Create the following pages:
Proposal
Timeframe
Research
Production
Production Diary/Reflection
Evaluation
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Add the Authentication document to the homepage.
Add the link to your year two site.
Submit the link onTeams.
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The Authentication document needs to be done before you embark on any work and placed on your FMP homepage. It is you declaring that all the work is your own. If you take any work that is someone else's DO NOT present it on your blog without referencing it. ALL text needs to be either your own writing or use quote marks to show you're quoting someone else's words. eg Susan Hitchens says 'representation in media is fascinating' (see Reference 1).
KNOW WHAT YOU WILL MAKE
This may take some time some practicals and some research!
Know this before your Proposal!
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If needed... 'top slice'
Spend two lessons doing a practical element of your chosen media product
Research how you might make it better, eg look at existing products or talk to others
Reflect on your practice (add questions and answers):
what went well
was it as easy/hard as you thought
what would you do differently next time
did you enjoy making it
did you develop skills doing it, if so which
did you use someone else to help, if so what assistance did you need
if you spent 6 weeks making this type of product to a much higher standard would you be proud of the result
is this still the thing that you most want to make, if not, what else should you try?
What does the mark scheme say the key areas to get good marks are?
Of these four, which do you feel most confident in?
And least…?
Initial ideas
1. Influences / Inspiration
Look at a range of media producers/artists/designers working today who influence your work. State why. You should also consider the historical and cultural aspects that influence both their work and your own. You should research and list an extensive range of contemporary media influences that inspire your work such as cinema, theatre, radio, music, literature, newspapers, books, websites etc. and state why.
eg
choose your top ten music videos and consider what aspects make them entertaining
do you have a favourite short film/genre/director/musicians/game
can you unpick the aesthetic choices and discuss why you like it
have you seen any Kubrick?
Played Halo? Space Invaders? Tetris? Mario? Call of Duty?
Seen Studio Ghibli?
Been to a museum or art gallery in the last year? Go to one! Kettle's Yard, Fitzwilliam, Sedgwick, Cambridge Museum of Computing.. all on your doorstep
How about the Library?! LRC... Cambridge University, Cambridge Central, Rock Road
2. Ideas / Concepts
You should list a range of possible ideas. You should thoroughly research from the beginning of the project to a final outcome and describe the appropriate materials and media to be used. Evaluate ideas (see mark scheme), what’s on your shortlist? Why?
Mark out of 10 these projects for enjoyment, amount of things learned, ease, able to do solo
(eg if it was very easy you might give it 9/10)
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Screenplay
Short film/filming
Animation
VFX basics
Other, (if there’ something else you’ve been working on)
For the top three things above that you’ve given highest score for enjoyment, do a Venn diagram with the skills you developed
eg
software, team-working, creativity, communication (etc/anything else you can think of)
Now colour code which of these skills you want to develop more
Write a blog-post explaining your answer.
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eg
moodboard
mindmap
SWAT analysis
short film examples
what makes a good idea? How will you evaluate that
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​3.Target Audience
You should research primary & secondary data to understand target audience. Aim for a specific demographic and understand why you are aiming it at a particular audience. You can include surveys, focus groups etc
4. Action Research (practical tests)
Do some action research. This is basically practical experiments into technologies, software, kit and techniques you want to test and develop. Learn, practice and develop these skills, documenting the success and failure of these as you develop your idea(s). This might be useful as a proof of concept - proving what you say you want to do will work. Or as a testing for yourself - do you really want to do this? Try it out.
5. Primary / Secondary data & theory
List a range of events/films/websites/YouTube clips you have visited, or intend visiting, as part of your FMP. These must include primary & secondary sources of research (articles, theorists, events, libraries, photography, magazines, internet etc.). How will you address, eg representation issues?
6. Project workflow
Each project has a different workflow. Films might be
Ideas>feedback>character profiles>final idea>storyline>script>storyboard>shot-list>props>costume>casting>read-through>rehearsal>set design>filming>re-shoot>rough edit>re-shoot>final edit>grading
What’s your workflow?
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​7. Final plan
You will need to pitch the idea. What’s the narrative? Character list? Genre? Audience? Be clear as to what you want to make. Use critical/contextual perspectives, eg an element of narrative or representational theory. Bring in context, eg how your work fits/answers/extends/develops/contrasts with existing work.
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Make sure the narrative fits a genre, make sure the idea is recognisable as part of the media landscape. You need to be specific, not vague.
8. Role
What is your role? Give details. Will it rely on others? If so, how? Who have you looked at that does it already?
9. Timing
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How will you keep track? Do a time-plan now. Break down all the tasks by week.
Add the plan to Timeframe page.
Pass - Use critical and contextual perspectives to initiate a creative media production project proposal. Use analysis and evaluation to clarify and develop ideas for a creative media production project proposal.
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Merit - Use critical and contextual perspectives to initiate a creative media production project proposal to a high standard. Use analysis and evaluation to clarify and develop ideas for a creative media production project proposal to a high standard.
Distinction - Use critical and contextual perspectives to initiate a creative media production project proposal to a very high standard. Use analysis and evaluation to clarify and develop ideas for a creative media production project proposal to a very high standard.
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