Game Review Article; Ready Player One

 Please write a review of the Atari 2600, NES or Sega game you played. Your article should include the following:

1. A researched historical background. Include information (usually in your introduction) about who wrote or designed the game, who produced/published the game, when it was made/published, or other details about the makers of the game...you might also include information about how popular the game was (if it was), and its impact on the game industry. Remember to attribute your sources when including this information! 2. Write about what the game is...what's the story or the objective for the player? How do you score points or win? Who are the characters? What's the setting? How many "levels" does the game include (or how long might this game take to play?) 3. Your experience playing the game. Describe the play experience. Did you enjoy the game (why or why not?), do the graphics and/or the sound contribute to the overall effect of the game? Is the game too easy, too hard, or just right? What makes the game "fun" (or not)? 4. Consider what might improve the game. Compare the game to others like it. This is also a good place to talk about the history or impact of the game. 5. Then leave your final "grade" or state your opinion of the game. Should we buy or play it? Why or why not? Give the game your "final score." Your game review article should be between 300-500 words in length and include an appropriate title to draw the attention of the reader. Please format your article in 2 columns! Additionally, please begin reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Aim to complete LEVEL ONE (pages 10-166) by Dec. 3.

how to write great video game reviews

YouTube video   ‪5 minutes‬

How to Write a Video Game Review: 10 Steps (with Pictures)

https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Video-Game-Review

Ready Player One ( PDFDrive.com )

Introduction to Video Games

Our next unit will cover video games. Play some video games to introduce you to our next unit: Digital Gaming and the Media Playground. (Please use headphones when playing any game--you will need, for the most part, to allow Flash)

• Online games
• More online games
• Even more online games

ON YOUR BLOG: (15 minutes) Write about your own experience playing video games (not just these...any video games you've played). Do you have strong early memories of playing video games? If so, what were they? [You might focus on one or two--or start a series of blog entries featuring a different game memory/experience per week!] What impact did they have on you? To what extent did these games define (or are still defining) your childhood? Make sure you include photos or videos or hyperlinks in your blog post for full credit!

Blog Post: Popular Social Media Networking Sites of 2020

Take a look at the attached article: The Most Popular Social Media Networking Sites of 2020. Read the article. Notice the graphs. Think.

Then: On YOUR blog, post a reaction to the social media programs you use or have used in the past. Comment on the following, using the article to support your claims: 1. Which sites are most popular that you use? Why are they popular in your opinion? 2. Are these sites popular only in America or also abroad (throughout the World)? What might be significant about this fact? 3. Are the sites listed ones you use (or want to use)? Are they accepted and used by your peers? Why or why not use them? What do the sites you use for social media do for you personally? 4. Looking at the graphic charts, what information or details seem to be important? Why might this information be important to a typical user or consumer? 5. What do you predict is the future of the social media that you consume or use? [Will this site continue to be used and gain popularity, or is this just "popular culture" and will fade away in a year or two...?] 6. What other details do you want your blog readers to know about these social media trends? When you have COMPLETED your blog post, please send me a comment stating that you have done so and the date you completed the post assignment.

The Most Popular Social Networking Sites In 2020 - BroadbandSearch

https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/

Media Technology Slideshow Presentations & Chapter 1: Part 2

Blog Activity: Please post a personal and/or full response to one of our discussion questions on YOUR blog. Remember that you will want to send me your blog URL and update it. You may also include any of these questions to answer in a blog post on YOUR blog: A. Drawing on your experience, list the kinds of media stories you like and dislike. You might think mostly of movies and TV shows, but remember that news, sports, political ads, and product ads or commercials are also usually structured as stories. Conversations on Facebook or Twitter can also be considered narratives. What kinds of stories do you like and dislike on Facebook or another Social Media platform, and why? B. Cite some examples in which the media have been accused of unfairness. For example, in the reporting of the BLM movement, the Me Too movement, or election coverage... Draw on comments youve heard from parents, teachers, religious leaders, friends, news media, and so on. Discuss whether these criticisms have been or are justified. C. Pick an example of a popular media product (books, films, tv shows, radio, music, video games, news coverage, newspapers, social media, internet sites, etc.) that you think is harmful to children. How would you make your concerns known to the masses? Should the product be removed from circulation or banned? Why or why not? If you think the product should be banned, how would you go about it (protests, demonstrations, writing letters, calling your senator, waving a flag, writing an editorial, tweeting, etc.)? D. Make a critical case either defending or condemning the way Media represents Comedy Central’s South Park (or another satirical tv show), a live TV or radio talk show that has a particular poltical bias, a hip-hop or other musical group, or TV news coverage of the ongoing wars in the Middle East or another political issue. Develop and explain your position in your post. E. Although in some ways postmodern forms of communication, such as e-mail, Tik-Tok, Snapchat, smartphones, Facebook, and Twitter, have helped citizens participate in global life, in what ways might these forms harm more traditional world or native cultures? Make sure you turned in your homework ?'s for chapter 1, part 1! Also, just a note to remind you to keep your homework in a safe place. The questions you answer will likely appear on assessments throughout the course. WRITE YOUR POST ON YOUR BLOG...there is nothing to submit here for that activity! However, today we will get started on our Mass Media Slide Presentation Topic. Choose and sign up for one of the following slideshow presentation topics in the attached google doc below. Use your time in the lab to begin researching the inventor & invention that helped develop mass media. Take notes on your topic for your presentation and slides. You will be asked to share your research with the class in an oral presentation. This project is NOT due yet. We will continue working on it next week. Make sure you have signed up for your topic in the shared google doc below!

Rubrics & expectations for your project:

Use Google slides (with or without Pear Deck or other add-ons) or Prezi to incorporate your answer (remember to make your presentation PUBLIC so anyone can access and see your work!): What should you know about your topic? 1. Find out (and be able to explain) what your topic is. 2. Research specific interesting details (not all details!) about your subject. 3. Research how your subject influenced or impacted technology that came after it (convergence). 4. Note if your technology is still being used today (or how has it changed?) YOUR SLIDES: should include: A. A title page with your name on it and the name of your subject/invention/topic. B. 1-3 slides about your subject (introduction of the person or culture that created the invention); if your topic includes more than one person or object, you should prepare 1 slide per object/subject/person, etc. C. 1-3 slides about the invention (What is it? How does it work? What did it do/what does it do? 1 slide describing what effect or impact the invention has had on other inventions or ideas (mass media) that came after it. If you have more than one invention to cover, please include a separate slide for each invention! D. A works cited page in MLA format. See MLA format for help. (You may use a citation machine to help you--see attached resources below...!) E. You may include a short video in your presentation if you need to. Videos should not be more than 1-2 minutes in length. F. Your slides should be designed to appeal to a viewer/peer student. Use pictures! They are worth a thousand words! NOTE: You may only have 15 words on a slide! (Your overall project grade will be affected if you have more than 15...!) G. Use note cards for your presentation details about your subject matter. You may use as many note cards or your notes as you need to explain your subject and invention to your audience (us).

Please submit your slideshow projects in Google Classroom for your presentation. IMPORTANT: Before submitting, please make sure you make your presentation PUBLIC so we can see your work!

We will be using Culture & the Media as our textbook. Please read pages: 58-77* (this is the page # of the digital copy you should download. The physical page #'s you should read are between 16-35.) [Please download a copy of this textbook and save it to your computer. To save the file, open the text from the attached PDF copy below. In the top right-hand corner, click on the 3 dots ... This will open an options window where you can "OPEN A COPY" of the text. Once you have a copy open, you can download the PDF to your computer. We will be using this book throughout this course this year.] HOMEWORK: After reading complete the following questions that correspond to the chapter: Surveying the Cultural Landscape 6. Describe the skyscraper model of culture. What are its strengths and limitations? 7. Describe the map model of culture. What are its strengths and limitations? 8. What are the chief differences between modern and postmodern values? Critiquing Media and Culture 9. What are the five steps in the critical process? Which of these is the most difficult, and why? 10. What is the difference between cynicism and criticism? 11. Why is the critical process important?

Mass Media Technology Slideshow Project

Mass Media Slide Presentation Topic. Choose and sign up for one of the following slideshow presentation topics. Begin researching the inventor & invention that helped develop mass media. Take notes on your topic. Design your presentation using Google Slides. You will be asked to share your research with the class in an oral presentation.

• Oral/Written Era: technology mostly delivered through oral/early written traditions (circa 1,000 BCE to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
• Egyptian hieroglyphs
• Mesopotamian cuneiform 
• Ancient Greek theater & the invention of theater
• Print Revolution: 100CE (China) to about 1045. Development of movable type (printing press)
• Cai Lun & The invention of paper in China
• Rome & the invention of the codex or bound book
• Gutenberg & the printing press (movable type)
• The Electronic Era: the rise of the Industrial Age (1800's) until about 1930's.
• Benjamin Franklin & the Saturday Evening Post (early newspapers)
• Samuel Morse & the telegraph
• Nikola Tesla & The Tesla Coil & the wireless
• Guglielmo Marconi & the long-distance radio 
• Charles Babbage & the "difference engine" (early computer)
• Alexander Graham Bell & the telephone
• Thomas Edison & the phonograph
• WKL Dickson & the Kinetoscope/Kinetograph
• William Friese-Greene & movie cameras & early color film
• George Eastman & film
• The Digital Era: 1930's through 1990's (the rise of computers/internet, etc.)
• John Logie Baird (the mechanical television) & Philo Farnsworth (the electric television)
• Tim Berners-Lee & the World Wide Web
• Martin Cooper & the cell phone
• Vic Hayes & Wi-Fi 

Rubrics & expectations for your project:

Use Google slides or Prezi to incorporate your answer (remember to make your presentation PUBLIC so anyone can access and see your work!):

What should you know about your topic?

1. Find out (and be able to explain) what your topic is.
2. Research specific interesting details (not all details!) about your subject.
3. Research how your subject influenced or impacted technology that came after it (convergence).
4. Note if your technology is still being used today (or how has it changed?)

YOUR SLIDES: should include:

• A title page with your name on it and the name of your subject/invention/topic.
• 1-3 slides about your subject (introduction of the person or culture that created the invention); if your topic includes more than one person or object, you should prepare 1 slide per object/subject/person, etc.
• 1-3 slides about the invention (What is it? How does it work? What did it do/what does it do?
• 1 slide describing what effect or impact the invention has had on other inventions or ideas (mass media) that came after it. If you have more than one invention to cover, please include a separate slide for each invention!
• A works cited page in MLA format. See MLA format for help. (You may use a citation machine to help you.)
• You may include a short video in your presentation if you need to. Videos should not be more than 1-2 minutes in length.
• Your slides should be designed to appeal to a viewer/peer student. Use pictures! They are worth a thousand words!
• You may only have 15 words on a slide! (Your overall project grade will be affected if you have more than 15...!)
• Use note cards for your presentation details about your subject matter. You may use as many note cards or your notes as you need to explain your subject and invention to your audience (us).
• You will prepare and present your "presentation" in class next week.

HOMEWORK: None. Continue to create your slideshow. Prepare your notes for a presentation next class.

Mass Media, Chapter 1 Discussion; New Vocab; Blog Post Reactions; & the Introduction to Your Technology Research Presentation

Chapter 1: Mass Media, Part 1: 

Let's begin class today with a discussion:

• Which form of mass media is most popular with your generation in your opinion? [books, newspapers, magazines, phones, radio, tv, movies, computers, internet, cellphones, etc.] Is this the same form of mass media that your parents (or grandparents) favor? What might account for the change in preference?
• The chapter talks about the cultural context in which the media operates. How have media representation/media narratives impacted our reception of them?
• Do you believe that mass media actually "circulates the culture" of an individual? Can you cite an example that supports your belief?
• Greek philosophers argued between the value of oral vs. written communication (philosophers believing that written communication threatened public debate). With the working class, at the time, being generally illiterate and economic and education gaps so vast, do we see any similar arguments between then and now? Which form of communication is better in your opinion: oral or written expression/debate? 
• The printing press “fostered the modern idea of individuality”, however, it also fostered the rise of capitalism. Does modern print (magazines, newspapers, etc.) promote individuality or commercial conformity? Which is better for our society? Which is better for you personally?
• Do you see any issues in media convergence or cross-platform? Should major corporations (Amazon or Apple or Microsoft or Google or Facebook, for example) have holdings in information broadcasting? What negative factors could arise? What about the positive?
• The chapter mentions media-multitasking and our ability to access multiple different platforms of media and information while simultaneously being able to talk or discuss with others about it. How do you think this plays a role in “cancel culture?”

After our discussion, please post a more personal and full response to one of these questions on YOUR blog. Remember that you will want to send me your blog URL and update it. You may also include any of these questions to answer in a blog post on YOUR blog:

A. Drawing on your experience, list the kinds of media stories you like and dislike. You might think mostly of movies and TV shows, but remember that news, sports, political ads, and product ads or commercials are also usually structured as stories. Conversations on Facebook or Twitter can also be considered narratives. What kinds of stories do you like and dislike on Facebook or another Social Media platform, and why? B. Cite some examples in which the media have been accused of unfairness. For example, in the reporting of the BLM movement, the Me Too movement, or election coverage... Draw on comments youve heard from parents, teachers, religious leaders, friends, news media, and so on. Discuss whether these criticisms have been or are justified. C. Pick an example of a popular media product (books, films, tv shows, radio, music, video games, news coverage, newspapers, social media, internet sites, etc.) that you think is harmful to children. How would you make your concerns known to the masses? Should the product be removed from circulation or banned? Why or why not? If you think the product should be banned, how would you go about it (protests, demonstrations, writing letters, calling your senator, waving a flag, writing an editorial, tweeting, etc.)? D. Make a critical case either defending or condemning the way Media represents Comedy Central’s South Park (or another satirical tv show), a live TV or radio talk show that has a particular poltical bias, a hip-hop or other musical group, or TV news coverage of the ongoing wars in the Middle East or another political issue. Develop and explain your position in your post. E. Although in some ways postmodern forms of communication, such as e-mail, Tik-Tok, Snapchat, smartphones, Facebook, and Twitter, have helped citizens participate in global life, in what ways might these forms harm more traditional world or native cultures?

Make sure you turned in your homework! Also, just a note to remind you to keep your homework in a safe place. The questions you answer will likely appear on assessments throughout the course. 

Important Vocabulary:

• Communication: the creation and use of symbol systems that convey information and meaning (includes languages, codes, motion pictures, etc.)
• Culture (from a media studies POV): the symbols of expression that individuals, groups, and societies use to make sense of daily life and to articulate their values. A process that delivers the values of a society through products and meaning-making technologies. 
• Mass Media: cultural industries (the channels of communication) that produce and distributes songs, novels, TV shows, newspapers, movies, internet services, games, & cultural products to large numbers of people (consumers). 
• Mass Communication: the process of designing cultural messages and stories and delivering them to large and diverse audiences through media channels.
• Convergence: the overlapping process of growth or obsolescence of a media product as it is improved, reused, or rebranded again and again.
• Oral/Written Era: technology mostly delivered through oral/early written traditions (circa 1,000 BCE to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
• Print Revolution: 100CE (China) to about 1045. Development of moveable type (printing press)
• The Electronic Era: the rise of the Industrial Age (1800's) until about 1930's. 
• The Digital Era: 1930's through 1990's (the rise of computers/internet, etc.)
• Social Media: programs (online) that allow people from all over the world to have ongoing online conversations, share stories/experiences, or sharing interests and information.
• Linear Model of Mass Communication: Outdated model of communications. Senders transmit messages through mass media channels to a large group of receivers. Media functioned as a message filter. With more media (primarily the internet/digital sources), gatekeepers cannot regulate or control the spread of media easily.
• Cultural Model: Individuals bring diverse meaning to messages, given factors and differences in their culture (age, gender, education, etc.) to interpret, accept, or reject messages.
• Selective exposure: People seek messages and produce meanings that correspond to their own cultural beliefs, values, and interests.

Mass Media Slide Presentation Topic. Choose and sign up for one of the following slideshow presentation topics. Use your time in the lab to begin researching the inventor & invention that helped develop mass media. Take notes on your topic. 

Design your presentation using Google Slides. You will be asked to share your research with the class in an oral presentation. This project is NOT due yet. We will continue working on it next week.

• Oral/Written Era: technology mostly delivered through oral/early written traditions (circa 1,000 BCE to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
• Egyptian hieroglyphs
• Mesopotamian cuneiform 
• Ancient Greek theater & the invention of theater
• Print Revolution: 100CE (China) to about 1045. Development of movable type (printing press)
• Cai Lun & The invention of paper in China
• Rome & the invention of the codex or bound book
• Gutenberg & the printing press (movable type)
• The Electronic Era: the rise of the Industrial Age (1800's) until about 1930's.
• Benjamin Franklin & the Saturday Evening Post (early newspapers)
• Samuel Morse & the telegraph
• Nikola Tesla & The Tesla Coil & the wireless
• Guglielmo Marconi & the long-distance radio 
• Charles Babbage & the "difference engine" (early computer)
• Alexander Graham Bell & the telephone
• Thomas Edison & the phonograph
• WKL Dickson & the Kinetoscope/Kinetograph
• William Friese-Greene & movie cameras & early color film
• George Eastman & film
• The Digital Era: 1930's through 1990's (the rise of computers/internet, etc.)
• John Logie Baird (the mechanical television) & Philo Farnsworth (the electric television)
• Tim Berners-Lee & the World Wide Web
• Martin Cooper & the cell phone
• Vic Hayes & Wi-Fi

Again, this project is not due yet. Rubrics & expectations will be covered next class.

Baseline Article: A New Beginning

Today we will begin a baseline writing article to start us off for this year's portfolio. We'll also cover some key points in the first part of chapter 1 and we'll update our old blogs. With time remaining, take a look at the ePub book: Media Studies: A Graphic Guide.

If you didn't do it yet, please work on your homework chapter (Mass Media, pages 3-15). Read and answer the vocabulary questions on the GOOGLE CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT FORM. Submit your work today for full credit.

HOMEWORK: Complete your baseline essay. If you didn't already, read chapter one, part one: Mass Media, pg. 3-15 and answer the questions as directed in our Google Classroom (you're late if you didn't complete and turn this in today!) Update your writing blog and send me the URL in the question posted on our Google Classroom. 

Media Studies: Career Research; Chapter 1

Today, let's move forward with our lesson. You should have viewed the Introduction to Media Literacy. If you did not, please do so--you'll be tested on some of this information in your formal assessment for this chapter (Mass Media). Today, we'll research a possible career in Media Studies. 

After viewing the video, take 30 minutes to research potential programs in Mass Media from area colleges. 

After your research, use some of the 30 minutes time to respond to this question:

How might you measure up? What kinds of courses would you have to take if you pursued a Media Studies or Communication program? What does the major cover or entail? Would you want to major in this field? (Please include why or why not? in your answer...)

Please post your answer in our Google Classroom for participation credit. 

The rest of our class will be spent either finishing your response or working on your homework. 

We will be using Culture & the Media as our textbook. Please read pages: 45-58* (this is the page # of the digital copy you should download. The physical page #'s you should read are between 3-16. 

After reading complete the following questions that correspond to the chapter:

Culture and the Evolution of Mass Communication

1. Define culture, mass communication, and mass media, and explain their interrelationships.

2. What key technological breakthroughs accompanied the transition to the print and electronic eras? Why were these changes significant?

3. Explain the linear model of mass communication and its limitations.

The Development of Media and Their Role in Our Society

4. Describe the development of a mass medium from emergence to convergence.

5. In looking at the history of popular culture, explain why newer and emerging forms of media seem to threaten status quo values.

HOMEWORK: Read chapter one, part one: Mass Media, pg. 45-58 (3-16) and answer the questions as directed here and in our Google Classroom. Submit your answers in Google classroom when complete. 

Welcome Back, Class of 2023!

 Welcome back, class of 2023! I hope you all had a restful summer.

This year is partly devoted to media studies (mass communication) and journalism (non-fiction writing). What you learn here can help you improve your writing skills, give you an opportunity to examine national and international issues, improve your use of conflict and characters in your plots, play and experiment with media (blogs, television, radio & film scripts, podcasts, magazines, comic books, video games, photography, etc.) as well as make you a better critical thinker. Primarily, this course will hone and continue to develop your writer's craft and your writer's voice. The other half of your year (with Ms. Gamzon) will focus on the craft of writing with an in-depth look at how to write effective poetry, fiction, and plays.

Anyway, after checking in with you and our classmates, we'll review our course criteria and work on a writer's "manifesto" (I'll collect these by end of day Wednesday).

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Check your student email daily! If I (or other teachers) contact you, it will likely be through email when we are not scheduled for class.

Check your Google Classroom! All assignments (required work) and helpful resources will be posted there with due dates, directions, and feedback.

Check this blog each class period for agendas, deadlines, educational information, advice, and a whole lot of links to enhance your education. You can sign up for email alerts when I post new material.

This blog is a resource for your learning. All you have to do is read and click. Homework assignments and helpful guides or suggestions on how to proceed or succeed on a task will be available here as well as on our Google Classroom site. (See links on this page for connections to Google Classroom, my district website, and the Creative Writing Department website).

You are responsible for reading and interacting with the material I post on Google Classroom and the blog. Please make sure you download and save the course-specific textbooks available in the resources on Google Classroom. You can even access these materials on your cell phones.

Make sure that when you are in class using a Chromebook that you do the following EACH DAY:

• Log in. Make sure you are using Google Chrome. 
• Open a TAB and go to our classroom BLOG: https://sotamediastudies.blogspot.com
• Open a SECOND TAB and go to GOOGLE CLASSROOM: https://classroom.google.com, etc.
• Keep both TABS open during class or as instructed. It's also a good idea to open a THIRD TAB in Google to take class notes (or write class notes by hand if you prefer...)  
• Zoom links for classes will be posted on Google Classroom.
• Please ask your parent/guardian to accept my invitation to Google Classroom. I will be sending announcements and reminders to them through that system (usually 1/week).  

If you're absent or missed something in class, please check the Google Classroom or blog to get caught up. As indicated above, each new class period usually includes a new post. If you have a question about an assignment and are too embarrassed to speak to me in public (or you have a question that you think you will forget to ask), feel free to use the comment section. Be aware comments are meant for help or questions, not to communicate with friends and peers. It is your responsibility to talk to me about your needs. This is your education. Make it worthwhile.

On our link page and in Google Classroom, you will also find some useful tools for this course. During the course, I will direct your attention to these tools for your use in this class and for use in The Craft of Writing.

Today, after learning about the course and responding in class, let's begin with a writing exercise. This will be due Wednesday, September 16 by the end of the day. 

HOMEWORK: Complete your baseline essay. Read chapter one, part one: Mass Media, pg. 3-15 and answer the questions as directed in our Google Classroom. Submit your answers in Google classroom when complete. 

District News: The Opening of the School Year

 The District has adjusted the start of our school year to include four Superintendent’s Conference Days from Tuesday, September 8 through Friday, September 11. Students will begin their classes online on Monday, September 14. 

See you then!

TV Script Project: Pilot

• Check out the 50 of the Best TV Scripts to Download for models and examples.

Television scripts are comprised of:

1. A slugline (all in CAPS) indicating EXT (exterior) or INT (interior): LOCATION, and time of day.
2. Description (left-justified) written in paragraphs that are NOT indented. Skip a line between paragraphs for easy reading. A general rule is to limit your scene action to four or five descriptive and specific lines PER action.
3. Dialogue has the character's name all in CAPS, indented to about 2.5" or 3" (5-6 tabs over); A character's dialogue appears under the character name. It is NEVER centered! Instead, tab over 3 tabs so that your dialogue occurs at 1.5". ACTOR NOTES (if used) should be in parenthesis and 4 tabs over (2"). 

• Keep your dialogue specific. 
• Do not waste your plot time with incidental or unnecessary dialogue! Tighten your script!
• Remember to describe necessary and important action in the ACTION tags (that which is describing the action/setting or what a character does that is not clear from the dialogue. See #2 above).

4. Transitions. Transition notes are RIGHT justified. FADE OUT, CUT TO (are the most typical transitions); DISSOLVE TO, or INTERCUT are used less frequently.

WRITING THE TV SCRIPT:

• How to Write a Television Script
• How to Write a TV Show Pilot Script that Sells 
• Writing Advice from Trey Parker & Matt Stone (South Park) for NYU film students...

REMEMBER: You are not the director or cinematographer for your episode. You don't have to worry about directing notes or camera movement in general. See the sample TV script samples as examples for the kind of writing you should be doing!

You might find it helpful to jot notes on index cards for the different scenes you are including in your pilot script. Use the index cards to help you progress. If you get stuck during an act, move on to write the second or third act, then come back if necessary and complete your 1st. You don't have to write a script from beginning to end, but from scene to another scene. You can always organize your scenes later.

Your scripts should be formatted for TV script format and range between 15-20 pages in length. (A half-hour pilot).

FAQ:

In a 15 page script, you might have each act about 5 pages long. Of those 5 pages, 1 or 2 pages should be dealing with your subplot.

In a 20 page script, you might have each act about 6-7 pages long. Of which about 2 pages should be dealing with your subplot.

You may, if you need to, have a longer script. But 16-18 pages is a good target. (18=6 pages per act.)

Your pilot is due around June. See Google Classroom for specifics.

Television by Decade; The Television Pitch (Teaser Pitch)

The television pitch. A television series is pitched to television producers. If the producers like the idea, they often will hire the writer(s) to submit a pilot or sample script. If all goes well, the pilot might lead to a series. If all goes well again, the 1st season of a show may be renewed for a second season or third or 31st, as in the case for The Simpsons. The Simpsons, by the way, has recently been hired again for its 32nd season!

Celebrate the Simpsons (the longest-running television show in history!) on Google Classroom. While you're there, also take a look at some sample TV shows from the 1950-1990s. These tv shows may give you an idea for your OWN teaser pitch...[see below!]

The teaser pitch is a very short pitch of the idea behind the show. Let's start here. In 5 sentences or less, hook your peers by creating a teaser pitch:

• What is the premise of the show? Answer: "This show is about..."
• Who are the main characters in the series? (Who will be the program's protagonist(s)?)
• What is the main setting for the series? This might include time, place, season, weather, etc.
• What does the show resemble? What previous shows, films, or books are sort of like this idea? 
• What is your vision?
• How much might the show cost to make?

Once you have created your pitch, please send me your teaser pitch. We will be using these as possibilities for our TV script pilot.

See the assignment on Google Classroom for details/due dates.

Television of the 1960s & Classical TV Structure

The popularity of TV continued through the 1960s. Even COLOR tv shows became the norm by the end of the decade. Please watch the following clips:

From 1960's television shows:

The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
Bewitched (1964-1972)
Gilligan's Island (1964-1967)
Mr. Ed (1961-1966)
The Addams Family (1964-1966)
Bonanza (1959-1973)
The Wild, Wild West (1965-1969)
The Flintstones (1960-1966)
Lost in Space (1965-1968)
Star Trek (1966-1969)

And please watch and read the following 2 tv episodes (look for the typical TV structure and make sure you see how it's working in the episode!):

Please read the script and then watch the episode: "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" from The Twilight Zone (1963, season 5). As you watch, read the television script.

Then: Please read the article on Star Trek and the script/episode: "What Little Girls Are Made Of" by Robert Bloch. [See the assignment on our Google Classroom!]

TV Structure:

30-minute television episodes were generally divided into 3 acts (beginning, middle, end) with short advertisement breaks (commercials!)

Structure in a typical tv show:

• Beginning (Act 1)
• Prologue or teaser* (*a short scene that introduces the inciting incident)
• The main titles & intro.
• Status quo & the introduction of the first problem (exposition/rising action)
• Introduction of the subplot
• Act 1 will end with a complication or crisis for one of the protagonists or storylines
• Introducing a deadline into your narrative is called a "time-lock" in script writing
• Middle (Act 2)
• Development of the plot (rising action/crisis)
• Development of the subplot (rising action/crisis)--a subplot usually comments on the main plot in a different way (theme & variation). It also can be used to highlight a minor character or theme
• A turning point (crisis) where the story takes an unexpected turn is dealt with in the second act
• Act II usually ends with a dark moment for the protagonist--who now knows what they need to do (epiphany/enlightenment) to overcome their problem (in a mystery, for example, the detective figures out who the killer is and must confront the criminal, etc.)
• End (Act 3)
• Resolution of the subplot
• An enlightenment (if it did not occur in Act 2) for the protagonist (in a mystery, for example, the detective figures out who the killer is and must confront the criminal, etc.)
• Climax (protagonist and antagonist meet or fight to resolve the problem)
• Resolution (return to status quo)

Television in the 1950s

The influence of television changed American culture in the 1950's. The best selling magazine in America was TV Guide (see link). Television allowed various regions in America (ex. North, South, West, East, etc.) to share a common cultural experience thanks to mass media.

Television also influenced how America got its news and influenced politics as never before. Pres.  Harry Truman was the first president to appear on television. Today, Trump is a media mogul. You can't avoid him and his exploits...as much as we might wish we could.

Edward R. Murrow became the "face of America" on CBS's See It Now (the first coast-to-coast live show on TV) and Person to Person. Later, other television news programs greatly influenced how Americans got their daily news. The contemporary film Good Night and Good Luck focuses on Murrow's television career during the McCarthy era.

However, television quickly provided a series of stories that reinforced American identity. Sitcoms, Westerns, Variety Shows, and Children's Programming became popular genres for writers.

• Situational Comedy (Sit Coms)
• The Donna Reed Show, S8, e.24
• Leave it to Beaver, S6, e. 8
• Father Knows Best, S1, e. 1
• The Honeymooners, 
• Dick Van Dyke Show, S1, e. 30
• Westerns
• Gunsmoke
• Hopalong Cassidy
• The Cisco Kid
• Roy Rogers Show
• Davy Crockett
• Bonanza
• The Lone Ranger
• Zorro
• Rawhide
• Rin Tin Tin
• Game Shows
• $64,000 Question
• Beat the Clock
• What's My Line?
• Let's Make a Deal
• Talk/Talent Shows/Variety Shows
• Ed Sullivan Show
• The Jack Benny Program
• Milton Berle Show
• Bob Hope Show
• News
• Person to Person
• David Brinkley, News
• Meet the Press, with MLK, Jr.
• Children's Programs
• Rocky & Bullwinkle
• Mickey Mouse Club
• Howdy Doody
• Huckleberry Hound Show
• Lassie

Student Blogs: MP4

Please post the URL of your Student Blog project in the COMMENT section below. Additionally, check in with what your friends and peers are writing. Leave a comment and encourage each other to continue your blog posting...! (it's a requirement too!):

• Linden
• Ariel
• Hannah
• David
• Simone
• Andrew
• Harrison
• Pia
• Aryonna
• Sarah 
• Zachariah
• Thalia (Thalia, please supply me with your blog address in the comment section below!)

Television Series: A Research Article

Television Series: A Research Article

Choose any one of the following TV shows and research the series (note: I have not picked anything too current on purpose. The older the show, the more research online you can do...recent shows may not have as much information...also, this is nowhere near an exhausted list...)

• Star Trek, the Original Series (1966-1969)
• Scooby Doo, Where Are You? (1969-1970)
• Happy Days (1974-1984)
• M.A.S.H. (1972-1983)
• All in the Family (1971-1979)
• The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
• Charlie's Angels (1976-1981)
• The Brady Bunch (1969-1974)
• Good Times (1974-1980)
• Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983)
• Saturday Night Live (1975-present)
• The Muppet Show (1976-1981)
• Different Strokes (1978-1986)
• Dallas (1978-1991)
• Cheers (1982-1993)
• The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
• Hill Street Blues (1984-1990)
• Miami Vice (1981-1987)
• The A-Team (1983-1987)
• Full House (1987-1995)
• The Simpsons (1989-present)
• Murder She Wrote (1984-1996)
• Star Trek The Next Generation (1987-1994)
• MacGyver (1985-1992)
• Seinfeld (1989-1998)
• Family Matters (1989-1998)
• Friends (1994-2004)
• The Fresh Prince of Belair (1990-1996)
• The X Files (1993-2002)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
• Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000)
• Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
• Ren & Stimpy (1991-1996)
• Roseann (1988-2018)
• In Living Color (1990-1994)
• Will & Grace (1998-2006 & present)
• ER (1994-2009)
• Spongebob (1999-present)
• Law & Order (1990-2010)
• Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000)
• Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
• The Sopranos (1999-2007)
• CSI (2000-2015)
• Firefly (2002-2003)
• Lost (2004-2010)
• The Office (2005-2013)
• The Boondocks (2005-2009)
• America's Got Talent (2006-present)
• MadMen (2007-2015)
• South Park (1997-present)
• Family Guy (1999-present)
• The Big Bang Theory (2007-2020)

1. Research the television show online.
2. Gather notes about what made this show "popular", whether or not it spun off a sequel (or several sequels), know the history of the show (when did it air-when was it canceled, who wrote/directed/starred in it, how many seasons did it run, etc.), and its impact (are there other shows today just like it? Do people quip a line from the show? Has it crossed to other forms of media or products?)
3. Watch an episode or two if you can to get your own opinion of the show. What makes it work as a TV show? Who is its target audience? What genre or message does it send to a viewer? Summarize the episode you watched and explain what you thought of the genre/message or what "makes it work" or not work as a tv show for a particular audience...
4. How does the show influence or affect our American culture? (examine the cultural and social impact of the show...)

Once you have your notes, write an article between 500-1,000 words on the tv show answering those 4 points above. Remember, as an article, you want a good hook, to cite and attribute your sources, and use critical reviews of the show to support your own opinions about the TV program.

The assignment is also available on our Google Classroom. Please complete your draft before or by May 15.

Moving on to TV: Tune In!

All work for MP3, up to March 13 must be in today (or email me about an extension if you need one). Otherwise, I need to start closing my MP3 grade book. Thanks!

Welcome to Marking Period 4! While our closure has certainly done a number on our progress, it is the expectation that you continue with your classes (including assignments). We know that we will not be returning to the physical classroom until after May 15, so any assignments here will ultimately be required of you by the end of the marking period. Please make sure you work on these assignments/activities periodically to avoid having a raft of work to complete at the very end of the academic year.

As always, please email me, ask for a Zoom meeting with me if you need one, and keep in touch. I am available throughout the week (daily) and will get back to you within 24 hours if I receive your email or contact. Weekend responses may be a little longer. I have a life too.

We will pick up our course with our next unit: Television. To start today, please post on YOUR blog the following:

BLOG POST Writing Task #1:

• What is your favorite television program or show? What is the program about (its premise)? Why do you like this program? Is the show still running? When did it air, how long has it been around? What have others said about the program? 
• For full credit, add a video clip or photograph of the show to your blog post. Hyperlink your blog post to allow your reader to find more information you set forth in your post. 

Television, An American Pastime

Television originally was meant to be a radio with visual projection capabilities. However, TV has changed American culture in many ways. Here are some details about important milestones. Tune in:

• In the late 1800s, Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, a student in Germany, developed the first ever mechanical module of television. He succeeded in sending images through wires with the help of a rotating metal disk. This technology was called the ‘electric telescope’ that had 18 lines of resolution.  
• Around 1907, two separate inventors, A.A. Campbell-Swinton from England and Russian scientist Boris Rosing, used the cathode ray tube in addition to the mechanical scanner system, to create a new television system. From the experiments of Nipkow and Rosing, two types of television systems were created: mechanical television & electronic television. Philo Farnsworth is credited as the inventor of the first electronic television.
• The first television station in America was W3XK. This station was the brainchild of Charles Francis Jenkins, who is also remembered as the father of American television. The station aired its first broadcast on 2nd July, 1928. Yes. 1928.
• WRGB television station in New York is the first American station that has the honor of being a continuously operating station from 1926, when television was invented, until now.
• The first commercially produced television sets were based on the mechanical television system. These sets were made from John Baird’s designs for television. The sets were shown to the public in September of 1928.
• The first American electronic television sets were mass produced in 1938 and were an instant hit. All the early television systems were black and white.
• The first ever remote control for television was invented in 1948. Known as the ‘Tele Zoom’, it cannot be called a remote control in the true sense of the word, as the device could only enlarge the picture on the tube and not change any channels or turn the television set on and off. The Flash-matic from Zenith, produced in 1955, was the first ever real remote control that could do all of the above and was completely wireless.
• ‘The Queen’s Messenger’ is believed to be the first television program in America. It was broadcast by WRGB station in 1928.
• 1st July, 1941 is the day when the first ever commercial broadcast took place in America. All broadcasts prior to this day were regarded as experimental by the FCC, thus making this day very important in American TV history.
• 1941 is also when the first American advertisement was aired. The commercial was for a Bulova Watch and lasted all of 10 seconds. It was aired on the NBC network. 
• The color television war was fought by CBS and RCA. CBS was the first to develop a mechanical color television system, inspired by John Baird’s color TV design. By 1950, the FCC announced the CBS color system as the national standard. RCA sued CBS as their system could not be used with the millions of black and white televisions, most of which were RCA sets, thus creating a potential monopoly. RCA were finally available to the buying public in 1954. Although available, not many people bought color sets as there were not even a handful of color programs being broadcast. Star Trek was one of the first series to use color.
  
  Here's some facts and statistics about TV viewing in America from 1939 until now.

and check out this link about the history of television.

BLOG POST Writing Task #2: (Blog Post #2): TV Tropes
As a writer's tool, check out the following site for ideas for your own television project.

• TV Tropes (look under media tropes...focus on TV Tropes!)

For writers, knowing some tropes can be helpful in analyzing and writing a script for television, the media, or film. A trope is a storytelling convention that a viewing audience can easily recognize. You're likely to be familiar with some of these tropes.

On YOUR blog, create a post in which you discuss some of these TV Tropes. What shows have you watched that use some of these tropes? What do you think of them? Does the trope make the show better or worse in your opinion? Explore. Again, for full credit, please include a photo/picture, film clip, and hyperlink to relevant resources (like TV tropes).

Finally, TASK #3:
Check out some of these links. Choose a show or two and in a short explanation identify the clip you're examining, what contemporary television show seems similar to one that you watch or have watched in the past? What are those similarities? What are some differences? How are some of these shows "dated" by their own culture/time period? What do you notice about the show? How might the show have changed over the years (some of these shows have created spin-offs or sequels). Explore.

TV programs:
The Ed Sullivan Show (with guest star Elvis Presley) and from 1969 (The Jackson 5)
I Love Lucy clip
Howdy Doody episode
The Flintstones clip
Rocky & Bullwinkle
Dick Van Dyke Show (with Mary Tyler Moore) clip
Brady Bunch clip
Sesame Street
MASH clip
Scooby Doo clip
All in the Family clip
The Jeffersons clip
Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids
Bob Newhart Show clip
Happy Days
Dallas
The Muppet Show clip
Different Strokes clip
Cheers clip
Friends clip
Seinfeld show clip
The Simpsons clip
Cops clip
American Idol clip
CSI clip

Submit your answer to this task in our GOOGLE CLASSROOM assignment/activity for participation credit. Always check both our classroom blog (this page) as well as Google Classroom for assignments.

My Email

Some people are mistyping my email then wondering why I'm not receiving your work. Here, again, is my actual email:

bradley.craddock@rcsdk12.org

or

1299861@rcsd121.org


NOT: bradley.craddock@rcsd121.org! No, no, NO!

If I do not respond to an email within 24 hours during the week (Monday through Friday), please drop me a comment on our blog (this one) or one from our Google Classroom and I'll see what the problem might be.

Reminders: Upcoming Projects Due Soon!

Just a reminder that your Podcast projects are due by the end of this week (April 10!) See previous posts for detail about how to create and submit your podcast. Please submit your podcast projects (and the outline) to our Google Classroom by Friday.

Also, if you are missing any work please get that turned in for MP3. See our Google classroom and other posts on this blog for details. Check your school email daily!

If you have any questions/concerns, please contact me. Stay well!

Hold on there before Zoom-ing...

You might have heard that there have been some strange issues with Zoom as of late. Here's an article to peruse before you use...

"A Must for Millions, Zoom Has a Dark Side--And an FBI Warning" (NPR, Shannon Bond, April 3)

You might like to mention this article as well when responding to the most recent assignment posted on your Google Classroom: Media in the Age of Covid-19.

Didn't know you had an assignment or activities for this class? Check your Google Classroom! (and your school email during the isolation closure of our district!)