On the 4th of November most media students in sixth form attended a media conference at the institute of education in London which included guest speakers from all area's of the media. I found the trip an extremely inspirational experience and it opened my mind to all different occupations within the media and in film production. The theme of the day was media representation of the London riots and how big a part they played in them. We were encouraged to take notes on the speakers so below i have shown what I took note on during the day:Media representation of young people focusing on the summer riots
- The types of negative language used creates a very negative image of the youth of today "Flaming morons", "Yob rule", "Hoodies" and "Ferrel youth".
- The riots are said to have been caused by the police shooting of a young man in Tottenham and a peaceful protest escalating into people demanding answers.
- 40% of articles on young people are related to crime.
- 71% of articles are negative.
- 72% or articles regarding young people were negative.
- Only 3.4% were positive.
- The majority of positive youth representation was regarding young people who had been killed or come to an untimely death.
The role of the media in the Summer riots
- Social networking was apparently used to organise the riots (blackberry messenger etc.)
- The media put a lot of blame on aggressive and violent themes in rap music and video games.
- How different issues are 'framed' plays a big part in the public's impression of the issues. If only half of the story is told then this can completely manipulate the public's opinions of it. The same manipulation can be brought about by broadcast and print journalists expressing their own opinions in a very persuasive way.
- People who have authority speak about issues which they are by no means experts on.
The Bankers and politicians issues with expenses etc. is an issue raised with regards to someone to blame for the riots. They are said to be setting a bad example for the general public, all of the expense 'fiddling' is also an element which causes the public to lose respect for those authority figures which, in turn, causes rebellion.
Research into Doctor who - one of the BBCs longest running text's. What makes it so successful?
- Complex and appealing narrative.
- The appeal of 'The doctors' character "I'm not a hero, i'm just a mad man with a box."
- Strong representation of women in 'Amy Pond' and 'River Song'.
- High production values.
- Audience involvement via the website.
- Respected script writers.
- Popular spin off's such as 'Tourchwood' and 'The Sarah Jane adventures'.
- Broad target audience.
- Re-invents itself for new generations, always improving.
- Loyal fans.
- Escapism.
- Expectations which carry it through not so spectacular episodes.
- Social interactions via the website and social networking websites such as facebook.
A look into cross-platform media focusing on Being Human
Steph Henry looked at the popular TV series 'Being Human' based around young people experiencing human life in a supernatural body. She explained how the series has an extremely strong online presence with constant updates on newly running series' for keen viewers. She went into depth about how interactive and Internet access for viewers of the TV show is very important in promoting it. There are some clips from the show, character profiles and voicemails from the show which are only available on the Internet which encourages the audience to become more involved with the programme.
She also mentioned briefly a spin off from 'Being human' called 'Becoming human' following the life of a character (adam) who only had a brief appearance in the main show. This spin off is also only available on the Internet and so encourages the audience again to be more involved in the series.
Pete Fraser - examiner for OCR who was unable to make the conference however his presentation was still shown
Top tips for making your production better:
- Look at lots of examples!
- Focus on audio and its effectiveness.
- Make sure titles look professional.
- Keep camerawork professional and eliminate continuity errors.
- Make sure setting and costumes are well organised and realistic.
- Ensure actors are well rehearsed and given good direction.
- Editing should take a considerably long time and be done well.
- Make sure the narrative is effective but not overly complicated.
- Research - Look into other horror films and keep evidence of all research.
- Planning - Record everything, organise yourself and show your journey.
- Evidence - Show storyboards, photo's of your locations etc.
- Ideas - Keep ideas and plans simple and realistic, make it simple enough to fit into a 25 word pitch.
- Get feedback - From peers and teachers, take notice and respond accordingly.
- Logistics - Share contact details and be prepared with; people, props and costume. Rehearse all scenes.
- Equipment - Use the equipment to the best of its ability, practise and prepare.
- Production - Always shoot extra material, its better to have too much than not enough!
- Reflection - Reflect on all work throughout, look to your teacher for advice.
Garth Jennings - On his life as a director
Examples of his work:
- Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
- Son of Rambo - which he wrote and directed.
- Fatboy slim - right here right now.
- Blur - Coffee and TV.
- The PG Tipps 'monkey and Al' adverts.
- Ali G title sequence.
- How to train your dragon.
- Vampire weekend - cousins.
Jennings started out making short films as a child and then went on to do and art foundation course and then a production course at university. He explained to us how he still works with the people he met at university today. His lifestyle and story was extremely inspirational and i feel now that direction and production are areas of the media which i may well like to go into in the future.
Babita Sharma (Broadcast journalist for BBC World) and Paul lewis (Print journalist for the Guardian).
Babita Sharma- Attended cardiff university.
- Applied for a postgraduate degree but didn't get accepted.
- Took a gap year and moved to Dubai where she "experienced life a bit more".
- Started at her BBC local radio station.
- Now has a permanent slot on BBC World from 1am to 4am.
Paul Lewis
- Attended Cambridge university studying social and political science.
- Started as a free-lance journalist.
- Got a trainee-ship at The Guardian.
- Moved up and is now a very well respected print journalist.
Both Babita and Paul were really inspirational, it made me realise that to move forward in journalism you just have to be committed and hard working, and with that commitment almost anything it possible.
All in all, a good day.
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