22
November
2009
Press Release
The youth parliament, originally created in 1996 by then MP Andrew Rowe, gives youths between 11 and 18 years old a platform to share the thoughts of those not able to express their ideas to Parliament. The youth parliament became more popular throughout 1998 with a majority of young candidates coming forward; this resulted in Minister Malcolm Wicks at the development of Education and Employment agreeing to let Peter Clark (currently the Youth Parliaments company secretary). Throughout the years, the UK Youth parliament has gone from strength to strength making their issues heard.
On the 30th October, 300 members of the youth parliament made history when they entered the House of Commons. Discussing varied issues such as lowering the voting age, university fees and public transport for youths, the youth parliament broke the myth that youths are not interested in the political issues of today.
600 delegates are elected in the annual youth elections held between December and February each year. Candidates have to be elected by current members of the United Kingdom Youth Parliament.
Terms of Office last one year and candidates are expected to spend between 1 and 5 hours per week on Youth Parliament issues. This will include arranging events and campaigns surrounding current issues.
The procedures group guide and advise members of the Youth Parliament. The group consists of two members of the Youth Parliament from each region and three who have been nominated by their region to represent the UK. They meet a minimum of five times a year.
Each member has an individual reason to originally join the Youth Parliament, however there are six main issues of which the Youth Parliament are currently campaigning for. These are cheaper bus fares, abolishing university fees, compulsory political education in school, reducing the voting age, free recycling for schools and sex education in school. A former member of the Youth Parliament called ‘Steph’ created a STI games to shock people into learning something new. This video has now been shown to the head of the NHS and Ministers in London; from this the law has now been changed surrounding sex education in schools.
Members of the Warwickshire Youth Parliament are attending a Police Authority meeting on the 18th November to gain an understanding of the topics of discussion.
The meeting starts at 1.45, however, the members will have half an hour prior to this to ask questions to both the Police Authority Chair Ian Francis and Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police Andy Parker. Ian Francis stated” Warwickshire Police Authority welcome the opportunity to hear the views and opinions of members of the Youth Parliament.”
The police are clearly eager to involve the youth parliament in their decision making, wanting the opinions of young adults in how to improve community protection. Andy Parker commented “Gaining the views of young people can only assist Warwickshire Police in further protecting communities from harm.”
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20
November
2009
Interview with Steve Lloyd, a fan of horror films.
What do you think makes a good Horror?
It goes beyond scary, a proper horror movie should make you have that yucky feeling inside your stomach and make you turn your head away with your eyes closed. Not because of the gore, that is just effects but because it will pain you to watch it anymore.
What makes you keep watching them?
Its how far the film makers can push the boundary to make myself feel very very horrified. CAse in point, Shallow Grave is a scary film and 2 of the worst bits are a) when Ewan Macgregor has the crowbar wrapped across his shins (sharp intake of breath) and when Christopher Ecclestone has to hammer out the teeth. Those are both horrific because you have some kind of ‘empathy’ with what is happening – you can imagine it for real.
What makes you like them personally?
I like being scared in an artificial environment, I have an active imagination and these types of films really play to it. Generally there is a really good story behind as well. Seven for example. Or the Crow. Even Batman Dark Knight.
Similarities between horrors?
Modern horror is generally about a little suspense and a lot of gore. True horror is – as I say – one that gets in side your head. Horror movies that change your perspective on things are rare but the similarities these days are just how good/realistic the special effects are for the gore. (Having 3 children, I don’t get to watch many)
Last horror movie?
It wasn’t a movie as such but a run of episodes. Torchwood – The chidren of the earth. I found that incredibly scary, not because of the aliens, but because of the way the politicians were making decisions and that they allowed this to happen. It was scary in a ‘I can imagine our government doing that’ kind of way which is probably the most frightening thing of all. The other scary aspect was Capt Jack allowing his Grandson to undergo enormous torture and agony and ordering it. Perception changing stuff & Scary.
Why did I watch it?
I was told it was really good and that it was nothing like Doctor Who. I like Dr Who but Torchwood was darker. Its like the difference between the Tim Burton Batman’s (Mike Keaton) versus George Clooney or Val Kilmer. The original Batman of the Eighties was a dark character, by the time Val Kilmer got involved he was having therapy and all went a bit hollywood.
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19
November
2009
Interview with Mica Clark, who dislikes horror films
What is it that makes you dislike horror films?
They scare me to much! Its all about the shock factor not plot.
What do you think is the simple formula for horrors?
People getting killed and usually alot of supernatural events going on.
o you think there are original horror films out today?
No, all I can think of is remake; although Saw was an inventive concept when it first came out.
What is your favourite genre, why is this better than horrors?
Comedy because they are not scary; I can watch ‘spoofs’ horrors such as Scary Movie.
Why do you think all horrors are similar?
Because the producers not what will sell as previous horrors before it have sold just as far.
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18
November
2009
100 MC: Session 7
Media object I’m looking at: Film
Media Genre I’m looking for: Horror
What objects are the same?
Basic plot lines- The plots within horror movies are normally simplistic as it makes it easier to keep the story flowing. There are some exceptions to this such as Saw, in which the story is not linear- each of the victims pasts are shown to us along with the challenge they are set.
Most narrative structures are linear, which provide ‘easy viewing’ for the audience of the horrors. They all seem to have similar formula in which the characters abide.
Blood- There is obviously going to be blood in a horror film, although some movies aim more towards the ‘gore factor’ than the storyline.
Twist at the end- There is always a twist towards the end of the movie; some films have more then one. This is a good way to keep the audiences interest because they are never entirely sure what to expect.
Sex/ Romance- Within all horror movies, there is a romance between characters. In movies such a Scream they explain ‘the three rules of horror films’. One of which is that ‘you cannot have sex’ as it’s a sin. When you watch horrors and think about this, you see that it is actually true, the “innocent” character normally survives.
Shock factor- All horror movies aim for the ‘shock’ factor, this is when they try to make the audience jump and scared. Many use conventional methods such as villains being there one minute and not the next; the fear of the unexpected plays a major part in horror films.
Dark Angles- All horror movies use conventions to create a scary atmosphere. The main one of these is the use of dark shots; whether this is at night or in a darkened house. This has a powerful effect on the audience, whom are obviously very receptive towards the idea as many watch the films in the dark.
Young Adults- The main characters in horror films are young adults, normally students. This is to encourage the target audience to relate with the characters as their lifestyles will be very similar.
Traumatised main character- The main character has normally had some form of physical or emotional abuse which has helped form them into a killer. In regards to Scream, it was the fact that the killers (Billy Lomus) dad was having an affair with Sydney’s mum; whereas in Saw it was the lack of respect for life that humans have that drove him into killing.
What is different?
Killers- This is obvious, in different films there will be different killers; however, if you want to go slightly deeper you will see that ages and characteristics change dependant on the audience.
In Saw the killer is an elderly gentleman playing a complicated game, this is because the target audience is older for that film. In the sequels, the killer (or assistant) gets younger as the film started to draw in a younger audience. Whereas in Scream all the killers are young as it is aimed at a younger audience.
Methods of Killing- The way in which the villain kills varies from film to film. Some are brutal and unplanned whereas others are skilled and methodical.
Humour- Some horror films have a serious undertone, whereas some horrors are meant to be comical.
How the audience understands it?
The audience choose to watch this film because they want to be scared. They understand that they can experience fear and danger in the safety of their own home.
What pleasure does the audience get from each object?
With horror movies, it is all about the adrenaline rush they receive from the film as when they experience fear their endorphins rush. Also, on a physical level, when someone is scared, the body has the same physical response as it does during sexual activity. (Dilated pupils etc).
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12
November
2009
Well we have just shown our final product for our 72 hour challenge to the class. Watching the footage, it actually turned out to be better then I first thought.
When we were given the brief, we decided that we wanted to create a magazine so we could complete all criterias of the brief whilst not discriminating against anyone. However, a member of our group was set on creating a film as he thought it would be easier- finally deciding on a magazine, we all went off to create our aspects. This all changed when we recieved a call that some of our group members had gone to the tutor who advised us to create something different such as a spoof. He didnt feel that a student magazine would be well recieved; then the race was on to create a script as we only had 48 hours left now.
Now I have to admit, I am not a fan of film. I can work a camera but I think to big for my current ability and it never looks quite as I would want it to but I saw this as a challenge.
Filming was stressful, as no one but David fully knew the script. We went along with everything that we were told as we felt under pressure to get it right. It took us a total of 6 hours to get all the footage to the camera, with the help of the Ellen Terry receptionist Tom who was a lifesaver. Each of us found props, borrowing from the library or buying from stores! It was extremely frustrating to not be entirely sure what the final product was going to look like, at the point of filming it was hard to see the comedic signs of things.
I was given the task of creating a logo, I found this difficult and after a few hours we decided that it wasn’t possible within our time span. After a day of editing, the product was finished; this turned out to be funny once it was placed all together.
We ensured that we did not copyright anything, including our music. We found a drummer called Tom who could play the piano as well, so we asked if he would
Although Ubaida uploaded it to youtube, it is not possible to find through the title. This became annoying as we wanted others to be able to see it easily. Showing it to the class, I was so nervous! What if the didn’t find the funny side? With a prize up for grabs, the pressure was on; also it would be nice to win as then it would feel as all the effort was worth it!
Luckily, it was well recieved, however we have to wait until Monday to find out the results so fingers crossed till then.
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4
November
2009
Individual Task
Absolutely Shocking
This entry was about an article I had read in the Daily Mail about two seven year old boys attempting to kill another seven old boy.
If we are to believe politicians when they say that audiences are vulnerable to the violence seen in the media then we have to be careful what is shown. An article like this could lead children to believe that there violent behaviour will come with little, or no, repercussion as the boys were not to be arrested due to their ages.
Within my entry, I approach the question of media influencing a younger generation of killers. However, with responses such as that of the police force (not arresting them) are these people being given a little too much freedom?
I do no think that my article will affect my audience as such because it’s too academic and does not show any visual references to violence. With this in mind, it is easy to assume that my audience will be of such an age that they do not get influenced easily by the power of the media.
I think that those who read or watch the media news are affected in a different and more subtle way. I do believe that, although it does not create killers, violence within the media can desensitise people to crimes such as rape and murder. I came to this conclusion whilst I showed my friends, of all ages, the article and although they thought it was a little upsetting they did not think that the article was that shocking.
I think articles such as these affect peoples beliefs in the judicial system as these people won’t be punished and Jamie Bulgers killers were set free despite only serving a relatively short sentence in regards to the brutality of the killing.
Amongst the conversations I had surrounding this case, I found out that many of the people believed that going through the police is no longer going to help them as many killers get let of to lightly.
I think this is more shocking than the belief that people have become desensitised to the idea of violence at such a young age. To disbelief that crimes will go with an appropriate punishment could encourage people into a life of crime.
With all this in mind, I do feel that the media does affect us but not in the way that some politicians believe. I do not feel that it creates killers; however I do believe that the public start to believe that punishments are softer and therefore committing a crime is less scary then they were before. It has also desensitised the audience, no one was really upset that Madeline McCann was kidnapped and people do not think twice when yet another rape is reported in the news.
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31
October
2009
Individual task
Within the media, there are many different sectors that require us to be categorised. Such industries as advertising require knowing what target they are aiming towards. To make this easier, the audience is set into categories dependant on their demographics.
The audience is placed into the following categories:
A= Upper Class
This includes top management, lawyers, doctors and other professionals
B= Middle Management
Teachers and ‘creative’ jobs such as graphic designers
C1= Lower Middle Class
Office supervisors, nurses, junior lawyers
C2= White Collar Workers
Skilled Workers, Tradesmen
D= Blue Collar Workers
Unskilled manual workers
E= Lower Class
Unemployed, students and casual workers
(http://www.mediaknowall.com/gcse/keyconceptsgcse/audiencegcse.html)
Although this seems simple enough, when starting to think about this I realised that it was not as simple as it seems. The mass audience is seen as working class which makes them susceptible to the hypodermic needle theory.
After a discussion, I found out that the system in which they are classified has many different dependants such as status, values and the belief systems that the individual people fit into.
Within my cabinet of curiosities, I have articles that entertain the various audiences.
What are these magazines thinking?
This article approaches the subject of advertising cosmetic surgery in magazines and how I feel it is immoral due to the age of the average reader.
This would be aimed at the category E, as the majority of the audience that read magazines are young adults and students.
Finally a TV show that represents family life properly
This evaluated Charmed and the morals that are shown within the series. This is difficult to categorise because of the various episode subjects, however I would put it in the D/E category.
This is because; the storylines are simple to follow if you watch the episodes so it would not be to complex for the unskilled and unemployed. Also, the unemployed and the students would have time to watch the episodes; as the show is aired two times a day then the casual workers have more chance to see it.
1 blog: 2 television shows
In this blog, I decided that I would analyse to shows, one of which was a reality show focusing on the rehabilitation of ‘ladies’ who are misbehaved and unruly. This was called Charm School and hosted by Sharon Osbourne, and the second one was called 14 and pregnant, this was a documentary following girls who had got pregnant young and had decided to keep them.
I feel this would go into the C1/D/E as there are a few different factors that we have to take into consideration. On one hand, the D/E categories of the young mums who may relate to the girls in 14 and pregnant and would also enjoy the simplicity of Charm School. The audience that fits into the C1 category may watch such shows to relax and unwind after a long day at work as they do not take much thinking to follow.
Absolutely shocking
This article appeals to all the categories other than the upper class. A 7 year old boy was traumatised in an attempted hanging by other 7 year old boys. As this article was shown in a tabloid newspaper (Daily Mail); it may not be suitable for the A category who are stereotypically prone to reading broadsheet newspapers.
Yet another domestic abuse victim…who’s standing up for the males
I believe this is aimed at the C1/D/E category as it deals with an unknown subject, however, doctors may find it interesting as they deal with domestic abuse cases for a living.
The advert featured was shown in cinemas, which is why I have chosen this particular demographic as this audience will have disposable income available to go to the cinema.
Is the fascination with Jordan and Peter ever going to end?
This is aimed solely at E category as it will be teenagers and young adults interested in the story. Also, as many of Jordan and Peters escapades are shown in real life magazines such as ‘glamour, heat and reveal’ it is mainly young adults who by this to get the up to date ‘gossip’.
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22
October
2009
Given how the company make their money, how does this affect what?
They do? Is anyone overseeing what they do? How effective is the
Control?
As stated in the previous instalment on Veronica Mars, the producing companies make there money through merchandise and royalties. As it is a productive television series on its own ground, the use of royalties and
What do might the three ways of looking at media institutions outlined
in the lecture – political economy, organisational study and workplace
Ethnography – explain how the media objects that you looked at
Function?
Organisational Study
Television programmes such as this one are monitored under OFCOM. They regulate all forms of communication from television to telephone. If anyone has a complaint against a television they can complain to OFCOM who will view the show and if so forbid the episode from being shown again.
As Veronica Mars is shown on television throughout the day, they have to be careful on what is shown and the language used. Veronica Mars is shown on E4 throughout the day, so the target demographic would generally be young adults who are at home during the day. As young children could watch it, the producers have to ensure that the show has the language and adult content has been censored.
The actors will usually belong to a union such as the Screen Actors Guild, these gives rules and regulations in which the actors/actresses will expect as a minimum (such things as pay, representation etc)
Political Economy
Political economy refers to the control and influence society has. Television programmes hold a lot of power amongst viewers, sometimes without their notice. Veronica Mars seems to have a cult following, with forums packed with viewers discussing everything from the character plots to the individual actors. The target demographic would watch this show as a form of escapism. The viewers can get away from things in their lives for an hour; but they may also draw on how the characters deal with the personal dilemmas depicted.
Workplace Ethnography
Workplace ethnography focuses more on the culture in which the media workers inhabit. In relevance to Veronica Mars, you would have to look at what motivates both the cast and the crew as they are all workers for the company. With creative jobs such as this, I believe it is the love of the job that keeps them motivated.
The producers of Veronica Mars originally were planning to make the story into a novel instead of a television programme. He eventually decided to write it as a ‘spec script’ which means it was not requested, and he’d only get paid for it if it sold.
I believe the producers enjoy working on Veronica Mars and seeing where the story can go with each show in regards to individual storylines and the series as a whole.
It appears that Joel Silver is in charge of the financial aspects whilst Rob Thomas writes the scripts for the show. Both would have to be highly skilled in their field, as most in the trade are to ensure the success of Veronica Mars.
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15
October
2009
Veronica mars
Veronica Mars was produced by Rob Thomas and Joel Silver; it was originally going to be a novel. It was adapted from Rob Thomas’s original treatment, creatively titled “Untitled Rob Thomas Teen Detective Novel”.
He began his career by working for Channel 1 in August 1994, out of boredom; he decided to start working on his first novel. As his career progressed, he created 6 books called “Rats saw god, Slave day, doing time, Satellite Down, Green Thumb and Neptune Noir (which was a spin off of Veronica Mars).
Veronica Mars was originally written as a ‘spec script’ which meant that Thomas was not asked to write it by the network, he would only be paid if it sold. Veronica was originally going to be a boy; however, Thomas decided to change it into a girl as there was more progression that way.
Writer:
- “90210″ (12 episodes, 2008-2009)
- “Cupid” (7 episodes, 2009)
- “Party Down” (10 episodes, 2009)
- “Big Shots” (3 episodes, 2007-2008)
- Good Behaviour (2008) (TV) (creator)
- “Veronica Mars” (64 episodes, 2004-2007)
- “The Education of Max Bickford” (2001) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Drive Me Crazy (1999) (screenplay)
- Fortune Cookie (1999) (writer)
10. “Cupid” (15 episodes, 1998-1999)
“Dawson’s Creek” (2 episodes, 1998)
Producer:
- “Cupid” (executive producer) (7 episodes, 2009)
- “Party Down” (2009) TV series (executive producer) (unknown episodes)
- “90210″ (executive producer) (1 episode, 2008)
- “Big Shots” (consulting producer) (7 episodes, 2007-2008)
- Good Behaviour (2008) (TV) (executive producer)
- “Veronica Mars” (executive producer) (64 episodes, 2004-2007)
- “The Education of Max Bickford” (2001) TV series (consulting producer)
- Metropolis (2000) (TV) (executive producer)
- “Cupid” (executive producer) (7 episodes, 1998-1999) (supervising producer)
Joel Silver owns two production companies; Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Picture Productions. It is with Silver Picture Productions that he helps to produce Veronica Mars with Rob Thomas.
It is a major production company, with such films as:
- The Warriors (1979)
- 48 Hours (1982)
- Commando (1985)
- Lethal Weapon 1 & 2 (1988/1990)
- Predator 1 & 2 (1987/1990)
Demolition Man (1993)
- Assassins (1995)He also has four well known television shows
- Parker Kane (1990)
- Two fisted tales (1992)
- Veronica Mars (2004-present)
- Next action star (2004)
The company make money through the viewings of their collective shows on television; they get royalties every time a show that they produced and own is shown on television. Veronica Mars is shown on E4 twice a day which means both times, Silver Picture Productions gets some money.
On top of this there is the money from merchandise, Veronica Mars is known as a “cult classic” show, as it has slowly become popular in both the United States and United Kingdom.
The following merchandise is available from the Veronica Mars series:
T-shirts
DVD series
Greeting Cards
Magnets
Posters
Hoodies
Mugs
Bags
All these help bring in more money; if you add this to the merchandise available from their other big name movies (such as Die Hard, Lethal Weapon) the company constantly have a financial turnover.
(thank you Imdb, Google, Slave Rats and the Veronica Mars Website)
Posted under 100MC Individual
15
October
2009
Following our first lecture, we were required to attend a seminar to discuss the questions set to us prior to the lecture.
These were
1) What is the media?
2)Why is it important to study the media?
3) How do we study it?
4)What do we talk about?
We briefly talked about the media being a plural of “medium” (as was discussed in the lecture), we also discussed why we were advancing in media daily. Mobile phones have put all ranges of media into one compact device.
We discovered that in the last 50 years, the media has become more prominent than religion with how you can find it and the power it has within the world. We debated the reasons why some news is put in whilst other bits are left out.
We then went on to discuss why we wanted to study media, the following options came up most frequently:
Production- To study what happens behind the scenes, how different films are made and the work that goes into each of these.
Power that media has- we used Jade Goody as an example of this, Jade was effectively made and destroyed within the media limelight. The power of the media is an amazing thing, it can change peoples opinions in a second.
Creative- How they make the stories, events and documentaries. What makes them choose that particular subjects and how they make them interesting.
Freedom-The freedom you have when you study media, there is no wrong or right answer, as long as you can justify what you are saying/showing.
The ones who were not discussed as frequently but did come up was to develop our media skills to further our chances of finding our dream career as degrees do not necessarily mean jobs in the media’s industry.
We went a little off track at this point, and got into a conversation whether Coventry is a good place in terms of media progression. Within this there were two distinct views, whilst one half of the class felt that Coventry was very media based, the other half felt that media had become centralised and very much mainstream; referring to the fact that there used to be 4 independent music stores and now there is just HMV.
During our discussion about the study of media, we started to think about how susceptible people are to advertising. It was discovered that everyone was susceptible to film adverts more than any other kinds.
Some people felt that the film adverts were biased, they are produced just to get us to spend our money on the film. The advertisers create a ‘glossy’ film advert so people will want to see it; sometimes the only good parts are the ones shown in the advert.
Thinking more about this, we started to discuss the difference between ‘mainstream’ films and ‘cult classics’. It was decided that mainstream movies are “spoon-fed” to the audience, they do not require a lot of thinking to follow the ‘basic’ storyline; whereas cult classics require more thinking to them as many have hidden meanings.
Structurally it was decided that the cult classic films do not make it onto the big screen often because they have nothing to support it. Films such as “London to Brighton” are never seen because, although they have a following, they do not have the finances to support the demand. Whereas, films like High School Musical, was originally intended to just be a small film shown on the channel. As soon as Disney realised how big this movie was, they jumped on board to promote it and it is now shown worldwide.
Many of the group felt as if advertising was becoming more of an art form then actually trying to display the product. Product placement is becoming more prominent in todays industry, the game Call of Duty have billboards that advertise Pepsi. This is more subtle than televised adverts but still effective.
We discussed music videos, as they were originally designed to promote the singles, and the singles were made to promote the album and so on. They have become an art form in themselves, with famous directors working on them- using more graphics, stunts, dancers or moves.
One girl in our group is a fan of reality television shows, so the conversation turned to that with many people thinking they were a waste of time. The fact that each year we are shown a new ‘winner’ of the reality shows (X factor, Big Brother), none of the winners have the chance to truly make something of themselves before the new winner comes along. Can anyone remember who won the first big brother? What is he doing now?
Posted under Seminar Notes
