Before the beginning of Y13...

Your current task is to plan, shoot and edit a "micro" version of your chosen brief. With regard to music video, this is at least one minute from the song of your choice. However, you can shoot more if you like.

The aim is to approach this as a microcosm of your final piece, with a view to shooting over the course of this week and over the weekend. You should then aim to edit next week, with a deadline of the end of term for submission. However, obviously, you can work on this over the summer if your would like.

Over the "holiday", your focus should also be explicitly on research. Having chosen your brief/ genre, you should make sure that you have at least five very detailed studies of relevant music videos. Within this, you need to detail the genre/ narrative/ audience/ representational aspects which are of interest/ relevance, and the media language-specific aspects which will inform your video. You should also begin to look at appropriate print products; I would like to see a couple of blog entries where you discuss the relevant products (CDs/ posters etc.) linked to the videos you have analysed.

You might also want to begin planning your final pieces. This might include location scouting, scripting, storyboarding, casting, shooting sample/ rough footage or even acquiring material that you would like to use for your final piece. You should begin to consider the resources (people/ props/ kit etc.) that you will need to realise your production. You might even want to begin planning a basic schedule.

Ultimately, you should be aiming for at least one detailed blog post per week. You should make sure that you are strict with yourself; identify a set time where you can commit to high-quality work. The more you put in now, the easier you will find the formal planning process next term. Remember - there will be no time in lessons for research once we return in September, other than considering the print products, so you do need to invest now. My requirement is solely based on research, but if you want to begin planning, you can do.

I will be available for online consultation most of the time, so if you need any advice/ support, you can always email me.

By September, I would expect to see some fairly detailed blogging and at least two pieces of practical work.