1. CS TIMELINE
A NOTE:
No deadline extensions can be given for the Comparative Study.  The deadline is at the end of W56.  In order for teachers to assess student work and submit to IB by their imposed deadlines, we cannot provide any extensions.  Failure to submit the CS on time may result in a Not Graded result for this assessment.  This will most likely result in course failure and IB Diploma exclusion.  Therefore, plan ahead, keep pace, and ensure that your work is submitted on time.

2. W52 LESSON: CS Declaration
ACTIVITY: Declare the three required CS components for approval
These are:
Area of Film Focus:
Film movements (such as French New Wave, German expressionism, Third Cinema, and so on)
Film genre and film style (such as film noir, romantic comedy, science fiction, Western, and so on)
Film theory (such as auteur theory, feminism, psychoanalytic, Marxist film theory)
Titles of the two films for comparison
The Chosen Topic
which should include the cultural context of the selected films and a justification of why these components were chosen for the comparative study 
STUDENTS SHOULD NOT PROCEED UNTIL TEACHER HAS GIVEN APPROVAL

3. W53 LESSON: CS: Research ACTIVITY: Submit Works Cited by end of week
THE WORKS CITED DOCUMENT IS A REQUIRED COMPONENT OF THE CS.  THE FINAL VERSION OF THIS PDF WILL BE SUBMITTED TO IB WHEN THE ENTIRE CS IS DELIVERED TO CANVAS (W56)
Use the Format (MLA, APA, etc. that you have been taught in your school and use it consistently and correctly in your both your Works Cited and later on screen* when you use a source)
For information about MLA go to _guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html
See following examples
*If a student uses work, ideas or images belonging to another person in the comparative study, the student must acknowledge the source as an on-screen citation during the submitted multimedia study, either as a voiced reference as part of the recorded commentary or as on-screen text.

4. W54 LESSON: CS: A/V Storyboard
ACTIVITY:  Submit A/V Storyboard by end of week
Organize the script, visuals, and citations of your Comparative Study in a A/V Storyboard consisting of three columns containing AUDIO (with time), VIDEO (with time), and a THUMBNAIL of what you are showing
TEACHERS CAN ONLY PROVIDE FEEDBACK ONCE THROUGHOUT THE CS PROCESS.  THE FEEDBACK, PERTAINING TO THE A/V STORYBOARD, WILL BE PROVIDED AT THIS CHECKPOINT.  ANY LATE/NON SUBMISSIONS RUN THE RISK OF NOT RECEIVING ANY FEEDBACK FROM YOUR TEACHER.  AFTER THIS POINT, STUDENTS ARE ON THEIR OWN TO COMPLETE THE CS.

5. W55 LESSON: CS Producing Your Vision
ACTIVITY: Students assemble the Comparative Study and record voiceover. You have 2 weeks to do this.
Use a program like Jing to pull footage
Use a program like Audacity to record voiceover
Use a NLE (Non Linear Editing) program like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or iMovie to assemble all your materials.
Please note: The student must not appear on screen at any time in the comparative study. 

6. Use of audio-visual material and copyright
On-screen text, keynote slides, still images, animations, audio recordings and carefully selected and relevant clips from the selected films are all permitted within the comparative study, where appropriate. The primary weight of audio-visual evidence must come from the two chosen films and the student’s recorded voice. While the length of film clips a student can use is not dictated, the clip length should directly match the specific point being made by the student in the recorded commentary. 
• Each student must use legal copies of their two chosen films in order to extract the video or audio content for editing into the comparative study. Once the final comparative study has been submitted for assessment to the IB, each student must ensure that the extracted media files are destroyed. 
• Students must be aware that their work is solely for academic purposes and that they are not permitted to share or distribute any copyright-protected content used in the comparative study outside of the IB without the express written consent of the copyright holder(s). 
• Students are required to clearly reference the two chosen films in the submitted list of sources. 
• It is the responsibility of the student to obtain, extract and delete any copyright materials used for this task. 

7. W56 LESSON: CS: The Finish Line
ACTIVITY: Students submit final Comparative Study
This will involve a URL of your CS posted in the comments section of Speedgrader as well as your Works Cited pdf. 
Using the information you provide on a IAR CS Student Reflection Form that you will fill out as you work documenting what you did in each stage of the Inquiry/Action/Reflection process, teachers will complete the CS section of the 6FCAF form commenting on your work throughout the CS process. 
Therefore, students must be engaged throughout the CS process so teachers can provide accurate and positive reflections for IB to review.