Video conversion software

This free to download software is useful for changing video file types.  With this you can change your .m2ts (HD) files into avi files so that they open in Movie Maker and Premiere Pro.
http://winff.org/html_new/downloads.html

FM3 Research Project - Questions to ask yourself

1. What am I researching?
2. What 'framework' (e.g. genre, technology etc.) does my research topic relate to?
3. Am I developing research skills?
4. Am I using a range of sources? (Students often rely too heavily on internet sources.)
5. Will my research enable me to explain relevant aspects of my framework (area of investigation)?  For example, if you are researching the narratives of sci-fi films, you will need to explain briefly how narrative works in film, perhaps by adopting a narrative theory such as Todorov's.
6. Is my research relevant to my topic?
7. What have I learned from researching my topic? (If you haven't learned anything then there is no chance of your audience learning anything!)
8. Has my research stimulated ideas and allowed me to develop a 'student voice'?
9. How will I explain my findings clearly to my audience?
10. What will my audience learn from my presentation? (At the start of your presentation you can set out aims, that identify what you want your audience to learn.)

FM2 - Qualifying as a 'British' film

A 'British' film will be eligible for UK film tax relief and possibly lottery funding too.

To qualify as 'British', a film has to pass a Cultural Test.  This involves satisfying a number of criteria, such as:

• Does the story contain UK elements?
• Are UK locations used?
• Has the film been made with a UK audience in mind?
• Were UK companies and citizens involved in making the film? (e.g. institutions, director, cast, crew etc.)

The Harry Potter films are financed by Warner Bros but satisfy the Cultural Test because the books were written by a British woman; are about British characters; are set in the UK; are popular with UK audiences; have a UK production company (Heyday Films); (usually) have British directors; have mainly British casts; and British crew.

The number of films satisfying the Cultural Test has risen steadily since 2009.

International co-production agreements also exist with countries such as Australia, Canada, France, India, New Zealand and South Africa (but not the US).  These co-productions do not need to satisfy the cultural test to receive tax relief and/or funding.  These co-productions may qualify for public funding from each country that is contributing to making the film.  An example of such a film is Africa United (2010) which was a co-production between Pathe Productions (France), Footprint Films (UK), Link Media Productions (Rwanda), Out of Africa Entertainment (South Africa) and BBC Films (UK).  Co-productions made up 15% of the feature films made wholly or partly in the UK during 2011.  However, co-productions have declined since 2007 when tax 'breaks' were reduced.