Unit 2 Communications skills

 Lesson 1:Assessments 

1) Collect research from a range of sources (Books, internet, Journals, Focus groups interviews etc)

2) Write a report on your research Findings 

3) Develop ideas and pitch a media product to a client 

4) Create a media product 

Horror film Group 

• Kumani 
• Zion 
• Daniel k 
• Annie 
• Vanessa 
• Sam 
• Diane 
• Sina 

Mockumentry

• Kareem 
• Dhanish 
• Jack 
• Nathaniel 
• Alfie 
• Andrew 
• Matthew 

What do i need to research?

• Different types of horror films 
• Sound effects that they use 
• If they use any editing techniques to make the film scarier 
• Costume 
• Any true sinister back ground stories that may have occurred in real life 
• If CGI is used in horror 
• Could look up interviews of people who acted in horror films 
• What locations/ setting were used for horror  
• Cost 
• Certification content wise ( age rating) 
• Target audience (you could do surveys, research what they like and dislike, focus group) 
• Advertising 
• Marketing 
• Equipment that you have available 

Lesson 2: Extracting Information 

In this unit u need to be able to extract targeted and relevant information from a variety of sources that will be beneficial to your production. 

Different methods include 

• Skim-reading 
• Scanning 
• Using an index 
• Using word and phrase search 
• Highlighting 
• Copy and paste 
• Writing notes 

Annotation: the process by which information is extracted from written sources. This involves reading through research and forming and understanding and opinion on what has been written. 

Task1: Before undertaking annotation it is helpful to plan what information you are looking for and where to find it. 

What are you looking for? 

Why is this relevant or helpful? 

Where can you look for the information? list possible sources. 

Which part of the production process will it help with? 

• What are we looking for: we need to research other horror films, old and new. 
• Box office figures and data to tell you the percentage of people who saw the films. 
• Sources: books, reviews, surveys, blogs, podcasts, newspapers, magazines. 

What information does the source give me?

1) Is this information in depth-enough for me? or is it too superficial (simple)? Does the information give you answers to your questions? Does the information give you new ideas, or lead you to other sources? 

Can i understand the information? 

• Is it in a language you can understand?
• Is it too scientific or technical?
• Does it use too much specialised language that you don't understand?  

What information can i use? 

Does the info include in the source help me complete my task? 

How will i get the information out of the source? 

• Note-taking 
• videotaping 
• tape recording 
• photocopying 
• Printing (from a computer source) 

Lesson3: Creating a Questionnaire

• Non-biased questions 
• Open and closed questions 
• Similar experience with product 
• What horror genre do u prefer 
• Age rating 
• Gender 
• Rank order/ likert scales 

Lesson4: Presentation skills for pitching a media product introduction

When pitching a media product the way you communicate knowledge can be the main reason whether or not you will be chosen for the job.

Effective presenters have communication skills that include BODY LANGUAGE, EYE CONTACT AND VOCAL QUALITY.

Barriers to an effective presentation

• The use of jargon or slang. Over-complicated language or unprofessional language 
• Letting your nerves get the better of you 
• Lack of interest in the topic 
• Distractions or irrelevance to the topic 
• Voice is unclear or very soft 
• Presentation is too long 
• Lack of preparation 

Body language 

Clip1: this girl looked very stiff when presenting as she had her arms by her side almost like a robot. At one point she had her back fully turned to the audience which was not good. She was not ingaging and not making any eye contact. 

Clip2: This woman has more expressions with her hands and actually looks like she wants to be there. She has very good eye contact and looks like she knew what she was talking about. she was smiling a lot. Her body language was open. 

I think i need to work on more expression when presenting. 

Vocal quality 

An interesting and audible voice will engage the audience while a soft and monotone voice will bore them. 

Clip1: This woman started out of breath she also sounds very nervous and says um quite a lot. The pace of her voice was very un even. She sighs quite a lot and she has a very monotone voice. The way she was talking she did not sound like she was interested. 

Clip2: She started very strong and with a smile. She has a good pace which makes it easier to understand her. Her voice sounds confident and she sounded that she knew what she was talking about and wanted to be there. She is passionate. She was prepared for any questions coming her way. She also said hi. 

Things that i would focus on would be the pace of my speaking to make sure i have a consistant pace when speaking.