Ignite presentation learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full including the ratings out of five for each of the six categories. 

WWW: 
original content 
well rehears - fluent 
some terminology 
intriguing narrative structure
very good slides 
other settings - Poland 
good use of terminology 
very good use of social media 
     - psychographics  
mental health issues 

EBI:
spelling - spell-check !
too much on name derivation
look directly at audience 
some wrong formatting  
slideshow timing 
        - auto- formatting 
ending 

1. 4
2. 4
3. 4
4. 4
5. 4 
6. 4

24/30

classmates feedback:

WWW:
- really good content 
- interesting idea 
- a lot of terminology 
- interesting 
- confident, well rehearsed 

EBI:
- a bit confusing
- not enough terminology 

2) Use this feedback, comments from peers and your own reflection on your presentation to self-assess and write a detailed WWW and EBI for your own coursework concept and presentation as a whole.

WWW:
-the idea is original 
-the slides were well prepared 

EBI:
- better with presenting - look more at the audience 
- check the text
3) Write a paragraph discussing how your presentation will lead into your actual coursework production. Do you need to update your statement of intent? Does your narrative offer enough clarity? Is it appropriate for the audience specified in the brief? Does it fit the genre you are aiming for? Can you add media terminology or theory to your statement of intent now you have reflected on your presentation and seen others?

I definitely need to look in more detail and the context as well as content. I need to put more pressure on the drama and try to make it look like genre. The narrative needs more details as well, I need to create content for each episode. The planning can still change and I need to look at my characters more and find an important role for them that will push the narrative and create unexpected plot for one of them.
I have to think more about lighting and the character development, I feel like everyone in the class a pretty clear understanding of other characters, I focused mainly on the main one. 

Coursework: Summer Project 2019 1) Research: TV drama trailer analysis

1) Research: TV drama trailer analysis 

TV drama trailer 1: Narrative and genre

How is narrative and genre communicated quickly and clearly to the audience?

You

The main thing about this trailer that is significant for the narrative is the voice-over of the protagonist/ villain as if he’s talking to his love interest. The character puts us inside of his head, the audience knows what he’s thinking all the time and because of that we can clearly see when things are starting to get a little bit out of control. Also the way that the trailer starts with the couple already together in a good, happy relationship, there’re no other characters speaking, the main focus is on the two. Then when his narrative starts to get a little too intense and creepy the music changes and the other characters start to appear and tell their own point of view. There’s definitely a climax at 0:42 when the music drops and we see that their relationship is far from perfect and that the girl has friends that are actually suspicious of her boyfriend, but aren’t perfect themselves. The big part of the story is also the danger of social media and exposing ourselves. This narrative is so good because the writers tried to touch upon the aspect of familiarity and reliability that the audience can feel and because of that, fear the villain even more. There’s also a lot of Hitchcock’s suspense writing in this narrative, the audience get a lot of information that no other character knows about (besides the villain) to build a very effective tension and engagement between the audience and the narrative. 

TV drama trailer 2: Mise-en-scene
What do you notice about the use of mise-en-scene to create meanings for the audience? Think CLAMPS.

Brooklyn 9-9

The trailer starts off very intensively with police cars on the highway, helicopters in the sky, lighting the main characters on a roof of a tower block. The protagonist is wearing a dirty white shirt and the rest of the characters look at him hopefully.

This is the perfect example of over exaggerated crime genre text conventions. The mise-en-scene is a perfect example of what an original, clean crime genre should look like, it’s just a little intensified.

The trailer continues with the hero finding a solution for other characters to get of the roof, which is sliding on the back of the building holding on to a rope, then the protagonist decides to make a dangerous move and jump of the roof to a helicopter.

The video is packed with almost parody of a crime genre, but making sure that the audience gets is by the use of way too much props and adding too much to the mise-en-scene.  It actually works because of the characteristic comedy in the show. That is proven in the next show when all of the over exaggerated setting is gone and we see a poor replica of that scene as Jake, the main character tries to present the ides to the rest of the squad in the ordinary office in Brooklyn. Everyone refuses to do the project and go back to their work.

The mise-en-scene changes so drastically from over-the-top setting to the realistic one. The trailer is important to me in this aspect because I don’t want to get over the top with the trailer.

TV drama trailer 3: Camerawork

Here you are looking for particular camera shots and movement. E.g. Are close-ups used to introduce key characters to the audience? How are establishing shots used?

Euphoria 

The work on the camerawork in this trailer is very significant for me because that's what I want to focus on.

I love how they play with different shots and music to really becomes a part of editing. 

Camerawork is what I want to focus on mostly in my trailer and that video is an amazing representation of the use of cinematography to create a certain mood and understand what the character is thinking about.

In this trailer we can see just how powerful camerawork is in media text.

There’s a lot of camera movements like crane shot or a tracking shot. There’s a lot of slow motion to the camera shots which makes the whole experience a lot more aesthetic and visually appealing. The music as well as the audio is well synchronised with the performance and the camera movement. In one scene we can see the main character tripping and slightly falling on a wall next to her at the same time when the camera spins around so it looks like she’s falling because of the camera movement. That’s also how they make a transition into another shot  which starts with the camera spinning n the same direction so it looks very smooth.

There are also good shots of the protagonist feeling insecure and  scared and we can easily see that by the camerawork.

TV drama trailer 4: Editing

Analyse pace, transitions, number of shots and juxtaposition e.g. eyeline matches. Does the pace speed up towards the end of the trailer? 

Orange Is The New Black 

The trailer starts off with the equilibrium, the main character living her normal, happy life, her talking about showers being her favourite part of the day, then suddenly cutting to her showering in prison as a juxtaposition. There are a lot of cuts between talking characters and the conversations move on pretty quick so the editing runs smoothly throughout the trailer. Also jumps between her life in prison and then her meeting the family. The editing help us understand just from the trailer what the main character is going through. For example in the most important cut at the beginning the scene of her and her husband, happy in the shower contrasts with the scene that it cuts to, not just because of her face expression and environment, but the colours. The scenes are edited to fully contrast with each other, so the tones of the filter used would match her current situation: happy at home – worm, bright, more of an orange undertone, scared in prison – cold, dark with more of a blue undertone. The shots are well combined from the start to the beginning, starting with the action packed sequence at 0:45 mixed with the slow scenes with her friends and family where the pace of the editing matches with the music being cut out. The trailer leans more to the comedy then drama, but the editing of certain scenes as well as the trailer overall:

First 10 -her old life

Next 10 -first experience in prison

0:20-40– her story/how she got there

0:40-52 – the summery of living in a prison

0:52-1:20 – the living in prison

1:20—2:00 – emotional/psychological side of the events

2:00-the end – positive look on the situation

TV drama trailer 5: Sound

Analyse both diegetic and non-diegetic sound - music, dialogue, voiceover, SFX, background or foley sound etc.

Daredevil

The Daredevil is an action crime series that is produced by Marvel Studios so the expectations for the sound in the trailer are based upon Marvel movie trailers. Packed with diegetic and non-diegetic sound, full of action and tension.

The trailer starts off with a very intense voiceover with a familiar line 'when I was a kid..." as well as the steady and still quiet background, allowing the audience to slowly dive into the mood of the trailer and assure them of the action that is yet to come. Then a simple diegetic sound of the villain punching a man and him breathing out with a short narration before that as well as the non-diegetic sound of sounds that build up the tension and introduce the character on the screen as dangerous. 

The trailer goes on with the dramatic music for the build-up that then turns to an actual song as well as the narration as the characters explain the storyline and what is everyone’s goal. The music speeds up as we go to the intense fighting scenes and tones down as the narration combines with the image on the screen to make the words stand out. The diegetic sounds smoothly goes with the beat of the song.  At the end the protagonist had his one last word, saying what is his purpose of doing all this with the music a lot quieter then with the action sequences. 

TV drama trailer 6: Trailer conventions, graphics, text-on-screen etc.
Here you need to explore trailer conventions - what does this trailer have that you've spotted in all the trailers you have analysed so far? Look for things like text on screen, graphics, title, release date, social media links and more.

Elite

The show is good for that convention because it is a Spanish show with English subtitles. It’s also a good representation of ‘cold lighting and warm lighting that I want to do for my trailer. The cinematography is very important for me and this trailer has a great examples of it. I also gained inspiration for my narrative structure from this show, with two different beginnings an flashbacks before the tragic event.

The trailer starts off with the main character in the place of the crime with a cold lighting with blue undertone and talks about the events of death of his friend. Then with the warm lighting there are flashbacks to the times in school. When the music starts to pick up, in between the shots there’re the title with the name of the show slowly appearing from the middle as the intense shots from the show are cut to short parts to create tension. There’s also a sign that says ‘this year’. The whole trailer overall is a great example of a great background music and perfect editing used to create tension and lure audience into watching that show. There’s also a logo of Netflix appearing couple of times just. This is the important reason to have good broadcasters like Netflix, which is itself a  huge promotion of the show considering the popularity of the streaming service.

Statement of Intent

    I’m making a supernatural crime drama trailer that touches upon mental illness called Dissociative Identity Disorder as well as depression and anxiety. The story is about a young woman that struggles with a DID (alter-ego) that turns out to be ‘family inherited’. The story goes on with the protagonist turning into the villain and having blackouts where she commits a crime like stealing or even killing. She finds out about the DID and tries the treatment. Some of the characters in the story struggle with their mental health like depression, neurosis, anxiety or like the main character, more serious mental illness like DID. I would like to create a supernatural crime drama so I’ll need work around the 12A rating that is required for our coursework. I want to create a show that will be divided between realism and the supernatural. What is so unique about this story is that the protagonist and the villain are the same person. Their characters will be binary oppositions like water and fire. 

My narrative is inspired by the show ‘Elite’ and the supernatural part, the atmosphere, from a popular show ‘Stranger Things’ as well as the way that supernatural is normalized from the film ‘About Time’. When it comes to the cinematography, I’d like it to have the visuals of a show called ‘Euphoria’. 

 

  I want to challenge Mulvey's theory of the ‘male gaze’ and have female characters challenge themselves and show the balance between being strong and independent as well as being aware of your body in a way that is not aimed for the ‘male gaze’. I want both characters to learn something from each other and accept their fate. I also want to explore van Zoonen’s theory that nothing had changed over the past 70 years. We still live in a world where women’s bodies are highly sexualized and I want my female characters to challenge that and countries like Poland are the best setting to challenge it. 

 One of my most important aspects of this project is camerawork, lighting and costume as well as other parts of cinematography. I want to create an original media text that will communicate with the audience through visuals and be aesthetically pleasing for the watcher. I want to use a lot of juxtapositions in the mise-en-scene, making sure that the audience member knows what is happening and won’t get confused. I also want to include narration in the form of a diegetic sound, different characters talking to each other, explaining the story in bits, to then have a sequence with just certain diegetic sounds of some of the climax scene. 

  

The show overall would be a combination of other media texts that will reflect the normal life but also make the audience appreciate life and make mundane actions seem out of this world. The show will overall be a lesson for people that don’t appreciate what they have and make the best out of every situation and every person that might stumble upon in your life. 

Radio: Final index

1) Radio: Introduction to Radio
2) Radio: Life Hacks
3) Radio: War of the Worlds

Radio: War of the Worlds (1938)

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #176: CSP Radio - War of the Worlds. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets - you'll need to save the factsheet to USB or email it to yourself in order to complete this at home. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What is the history and narrative behind War of the Worlds?

 

It was an adaptation from H.G Wells' 1898 novel.

2) When was it first broadcast and what is the popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience?

30th October 1938.
The audience reacted dramatically and 1 out of 12 liteners thought that it was true.

3) How did the New York Times report the reaction the next day?

"Radio Listeners in Panis, Taking War Drama as Fact"- shows the histeria behing the WotW

4) How did author Brad Schwartz describe the the broadcast and its reaction?

Schwartz indicates that reporting on the impact of the broadcast was not solely exaggerated ; he means that the effect it had was in fact an instance of a "viral-media phenomenon." He indicates that the show actually provided a "fascinating window into how users engage with media content, spreading and reinterpreting it

5) Why did Orson Welles use hybrid genres and pastiche and what effect might it have had on the audience?

It was because it heighten the effect that it had on audiences. Also radio was very popular.

6) How did world events in 1938 affect the way audiences interpreted the show?

It was the time when people knew that something is going to happen. The war was something obvious so the show was really bad timed.

7) Which company broadcast War of the Worlds in 1938?

CBS

8) Why might the newspaper industry have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast?

At the time, the radio industry was relatively new and newspapers were under threat as radio became a new competitor-they exaggerated the response to broadcasting in an attempt to create a panic surrounding the radio industry's impact, causing listeners to lose out.

9) Does War of the Worlds provide evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory?

It definitely had the evidence of that, the effect on the audience was very strange, but we can't forget about what people were expecting at that time

10) How might Gerbner's cultivation theory be applied to the broadcast?

It's simply applied to the hyper-needle theory as it says that the audience will consume anything that is said in media as true, which happened in case of the Was of the Worlds show.

11) Applying Hall's Reception Theory, what could be the preferred and oppositional readings of the original broadcast?

The preferred is definitely the idea of people actually recognising that it's a show and the events aren't real.
The oppositional is what actually happened. People thought that it was real and started to panic.

12) Do media products still retain the ability to fool audiences as it is suggested War of the Worlds did in 1938? Has the digital media landscape changed this?

 

There are still a lot of things like that that we see on  the internet, but it's more from the 'digital influencers' that e.g. shows photoshoped pictures on their profiles which fools the audience in believeing that that's a normal standard for a person.

Analysis and opinion

1) Why do you think the 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds has become such a significant moment in media history?

It show the impact of media when people are very easy to believe anything that the media say. It represents the idea of something impossinble becoming possible only through media and showing how easly infliuenced people are.

2) War of the Worlds feels like a 1938 version of 'fake news'. But which is the greater example of fake news - Orson Welles's use of radio conventions to create realism or the newspapers exaggerating the audience reaction to discredit radio?

The newspapers that exaggerate the reaction of audinece are more like fake news. This is because although both of these media texts were somewhat fake, the broadcast eventually used typical broadcast conventions to produce a realistic broadcast

3) Do you agree with the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory? If not, was there a point in history audiences were more susceptible to believing anything they saw or heard in the media?

There's definitely a part of it that I agree with, but in XXI century is less likely to see such impact on an audience because we're getting more and more aware of just how fake the news can be.

4) Has the digital media age made the Hypodermic Needle model more or less relevant? Why?

5) Do you agree with George Gerbner's Cultivation theory - that suggests exposure to the media has a gradual but significant effect on audience's views and beliefs? Give examples to support your argument.

6) Is Gerbner's Cultivation theory more or less valid today than it would have been in 1938? Why?

I think it's a little less valid, but only because media chenged the way that they contriol or 'injest'  the information to the audience. Not people are stuck being self contious and the materialism is what in injected to their brains through social media. People also wat to be relatable and to be seen , they went attention and that is the weaknes of today's audiences- that they watch but also create.
 

Radio: Life Hacks

BBC Radio 1 - Life Hacks: Blog tasks

Analysis

Listen to the extracts from Life Hacks above and answer the following questions:

1) What do the titles The Surgery and Life Hacks suggest?

it suggests that the listener can be 'injected' with useful information that could help then with every day life.

2) How are the programmes constructed to appeal to a youth audience?

The programmes have a hosters that create a warm mood for the audience to feel as if it's just some friends talking and advising one another.

3) What does the choice of presenters (Cel Spellman and Katie Thistleton) and Dr Modgil suggest about the BBC’s approach to diversity and representation?

It's definitely to appeal to a younger audience. Also the diverse pair shows the audience that they respect and applaud all cultures.

4) Go to the Life Hacks iPlayer page and analyse the content. What does this suggest regarding the Life Hacks audience and what the BBC is hoping to achieve with the programme?

 

It's clearly going for a youthful audience, looking at the colours and images used for the page, it's very, very youthful.

5) Go to the Life Hacks podcast episodes page. Listen to a few episodes of the podcast and explain how the topics may a) appeal to a youth audience and b) help fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a public service broadcaster. 

I feel like it appeals to the younger audience because it talkes about issues that are very important for the generation Z audience, and a lot of people have a clear opninion about some of those topics.

Audience

1) What is the target audience for BBC Radio 1?
 

They definitely changed the target audience to 16-28

2) Who is the actual audience for BBC Radio 1?

It's something like 35-50 year-olds
 

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Life Hacks? Apply Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory.

Surveillance is definitely the main one considering the podcast is about improving the life of a listener and giving him good tips to improve his life. There's also personal identity becasue the hosts talk about every day problems that we all struggle with.
 

4) Read this Guardian review of Life Hacks. What points does the reviewer make about Life Hacks and the particular podcast episode they listened to?

The point was how the audience can relate to the hosts nas she's literally talking about a different podcast and then about an interview with a celeblity. It definitely shows how normalised this media is .

5) Read this NME feature on Radio 1 listener figures. What are the key statistics to take from this article regarding the decline in Radio 1 audience ratings?

Radio 1 has lost 200,000 weekly listeners since May, when they attracted 9.4 million listeners a week.

There was better news for Radio 1 in terms of its digital audience, with the station now posting a record 16 million YouTube views a week. 

The station is also still the top choice for listeners aged 15 to 24 in the UK.

Industries

1) How does Life Hacks meet the BBC mission statement to Educate, Inform and Entertain? 

 

Educate- They give them guidance on problems linked to youth.  
Infor- They show tchem solution to the problems tha are common and that they know deaply about
Entertain- They give then the comforting atmosphere by talking freely and not formally.
 

2) Read the first five pages of this Ofcom document laying out its regulation of the BBC. Pick out three key points in the summary section.

1.The public has exceptionally high expectations of the BBC, shaped by its role as a publicly-funded broadcaster with a remit to inform, educate and entertain the public, and to support the creative economy across the UK. 
2.The BBC must deliver the mission and public purposes set out in its new Royal Charter (the Charter).
3.Safeguard vulnerable genres such as arts, music and religious programmes. Our research shows these areas are important for some audiences; but some are in decline.

3) Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points relate to BBC Radio 1 and Life Hacks?
 

Support national and regional audineces

Reflect the full diversity of the UK population
Secure a more disctinctive BBC

 

4) What do you think are the three most important aspects in the a-h list? Why?
 

'Support a wide range of valued genres.' I feel like the good quality of our generation is understanding to be different and that is a great

 

5) Read point 1.9: What do Ofcom plan to review in terms of diversity and audience? 
 

1.That their content reflects younger and older audiences ' lives.
2.Diversity in programs on-screen. 3.How to portray and represent different audiences. 

Read this Guardian interview with BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper.

6) What is Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?

 

"make BBC Radio 1 like a Netflix for radio"
7) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?

He estimates that a Radio 1 listener's most prevalent age is 18. And she's 12- to 17-year-old women for her YouTube channel.

8) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?

He argues that they play 4,000 different songs whereas commercial radio plays around 400.

9) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?

It's because radio is slowly dying and, especially with young people, the audience isn't really interested in radio anymore.
 

10) In your opinion, should the BBC’s remit include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 or should this content be left to commercial broadcasters? Explain your answer.

I feel like the BBC creators understand just how much impact young audience have and how they are the future of media. If you gain an attention from young audience, you'll be able to gain marketing, because of the 'global villige' and how the young audience listen to each other and agree and argue about certin topics.

Introduction to Radio

BBC Sounds

Read this Guardian feature on the launch of BBC Sounds and answer the following questions:

1) Why does the article suggest that ‘on the face of it, BBC Radio is in rude health’?

Radio 2 alone reaches 15 million subscribers a week, and one in nine Britons still tune in to hear John Humphrys and his co-presenters harangue leaders every week for all the criticism of the Today program.
2) What percentage of under-35s use the BBC iPlayer catch-up radio app?

3% 

3) What is BBC Sounds?

It's an app with radio livestreams, catch up services, music mixes and podcasts.

4) How do audiences listen to radio content in the digital age?

Through Spotify or Apple Music-both of which are available on radio
5) What does Jason Phipps suggest is important for radio and podcast content aimed at younger audiences?

He says podcasts are based on personal experiences in order to connect audiences with the story emotionally.  He also says that the podcast should be "warmer, more story-led journeys".

6) Why does the BBC need to stay relevant?

It is a very reliable sourse of news that has a huge popularity and is trusted by the audience.

Now read this review of the BBC Sounds app.

7) What content does the BBC Sounds app offer?

Music, news, drama, documentaries and comedy.

8) How does it link to BBC Radio?

Live BBC radio stations allow you to listen to podcasts and any playlists from radio shows as well.

9) What are the criticisms of the BBC Sounds app?

Not enough content - needs to "feel as packed as Netflix in order to properly work." There're some parts that are 'a little trickier to access'

10) Two new podcasts were launched alongside the BBC Sounds app. What are they and why might they appeal to younger audiences?

End of Days

Beyond Today

The shows appeal to a younger audience, so the BBC is definitely trying to find a younger audience because they have the biggest influence on media.

 

ShoutOut Network

Read this Huffington Post feature on the Shout Out Network and answer the following questions:

1) What is the ShoutOut Network?
 

It's a network based in London that vhad a variety of content.

2) What podcasts are offered by the ShoutOut Network?

 

They offer socio-political issues for millenials.

3) What audience do they reach?

 

Over 20,000 listeners per month and 92% BAME communities

4) What are the 2015 statistics on podcast listening in the UK?

 

3.7 million adults listen to podcasts - this is equal to 6.5% of the adult population 57% listen to podcasts on their phones 47% listen while commuting and 34% listen while relaxing.

5) The article suggests podcasts are ‘picking up more steam’. Do you think podcasts the future of radio?

I feel like podcast is definitlely a future of a radio as people like to have control over what they are watching, but I feel like it won't be as successful as radio used to be because audience nowadays also walue the confort of a visuals even more then the audio.