Choose a media sector

Thaddeus O'Connor-Dunphie

1. The Media sector which I have chosen to write and research about are films in the movie industry. The film which I have chosen to write about is Mad Max Fury Road, this film is an action movie with lots of fighting, explosions and use of guns. Throughout the entire movie there is a constant car chase from one point to another which also ends up in all of the characters driving all the way back to where they originally started the chase.

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3. Like I said Mad Max Fury Road is an action film so I like any other action movie it contains lots of fighting, explosions, use of guns and military equipment. Throughout the entire movie there is a constant car chase from one point to another which also ends up in them driving all the way back to where they originally started the chase.  The setting of this movie is set in a desert. There are many close up shots because it is an action genre film, and these are very common shots to be used to show how the character is feeling. In addition to this there is also many wide shots too, this is because of all the fighting scenes, using a wide shot allows you to see what’s happening.

4. The distribution of this film is putting trailers up on websites such as YouTube. Doing this allows anyone in the world with access to internet being able to watch the trailer for this movie being completely free. This would also help the makers of the film earn more money as more people will know about the film which results in more people coming to watch it. Another method which is commonly used is posting it in Facebook as there are millions of people on Facebook so there will be more people knowing about the release of the film.

5. The target audience for this film is most likely aimed towards 12 or over. This is because it has lots of action scenes which might not be suitable for young children to view. So within the movie they aim to entertain adults and young adults instead of aiming to entertain young children. And because this movie is an action film then that means there target audience are most likely people who like action so in the movie they will try to make it have as much action as possible to entertain and satisfy the audience.

6.  The overview of films in the UK such as Mad Max Fury Road in the cinema is regulated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) they choose who can view a particular movie and who cant. They decide the age rating of the films for example if a particular film has a happy story and is produced in animation then this most likely means that they would rate this film as U. Which means anyone no matter the age can view it. However if a movie had action and violent scenes then they would make it a 12a, 15 or 18 which is the highest rating a film can be as it would not be suitable for anyone younger.

1.       Choose a Media sector. Film, TV, games…

2.       Research stills/images that relate to your sector.

3.       Choose a film/game/website and discus what it is? Genre/web/social network

4.       Discuss distribution methods

5.       Discuss audiences

6.       Give an overview of regulatory body and what they do?

Media questions

1. Explain what a public broadcast is.

A public broadcast is a broadcast that is made for the publics benefit. This can include news, art programmes such as the Film Reviews programme, which is aired on BBC, radio, and religious broadcasts such as Songs of Praise. Ofcom’s regulations mean that certain TV and radio broadcasters are obliged to include a certain amount of public broadcast. The BBC, which shows lots of public broadcasting, is subsidised by the Government and the TV licence, which is paid by the general public.

2. Explain what a private broadcast is.                                      Private broadcasting is primarily based on the practice of airing adverts on radio and TV for profit. So when you watch any ITV channel or Cable channel such as Sky you get lots of adverts as opposed to the BBC which does not have any adverts and shows lots of public broadcasts. So private channels make money by showing adverts. Private broadcasters such as Sky also have more slanted news compared to publically broadcast news such as on the BBC, which is supped to give a more balanced view.

3. What is OFCOM and what do they do

OFCOM stands for Office of Commincations. It regulates the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate. They make sure that people in the UK get the best from their communications services and are protected from scams and sharp practices, while ensuring that competition can thrive.

OFCOM operates under a number of Acts of Parliament, the main one being the Communications Act 2003.

Having looked at OFCOM online I found that this is what they carry out under the acts of parliament.

the UK has a wide range of electronic communications services, including high-speed services such as broadband;

·         a wide range of high-quality television and radio programmes are provided, appealing to a range of tastes and interests;

·         television and radio services are provided by a range of different organisations;

·         people who watch television and listen to the radio are protected from harmful or offensive material;

·         people are protected from being treated unfairly in television and radio programmes, and from having their privacy invaded;

·         a universal postal service is provided in the UK - this means a six days a week, universally priced delivery and collection service across the country; and

·         the radio spectrum (the airwaves used by everyone from taxi firms and boat owners, to mobile-phone companies and broadcasters) is used in the most effective way.

TV, Film, Radio, Games

Thaddeus O’Connor-Dunphie

1. TV industry

The TV industry has developed dramatically. The industry I am writing about is the BBC. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the public-service broadcaster of the United Kingdom, The BBC are headquartered at Broadcasting House in London. It is the world's oldest national broadcasting organisation and the second largest broadcaster in the world by a number of employees, with over 20,000 staff in total, of which 16,672 are in public sector broadcasting. The BBC are on 24/7 every day of the week. They are aired on Freeview TV so it is all completely free to view and watch. The channels which they own are BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, and BBC Four. They also have many radio stations and two stations for kids called Cebeebies and CBBC. One of the most famous shows that the BBC own is EastEnders a soap opera that has been airing since 1985. The BBC have many educational programmes too such as BBC news, and news round a simpler version of BBC news but for children so it is more entertaining.

2. Filming industry

The history of filming began in the 1890s. The time when motion picture cameras were invented. The first film was only 30 seconds when film these days are about 1 hour 30 minutes, 2 hours or even more. The film industry has developed tremendously Hollywood has propagated the idea that a movie should be entertaining and that each movie should resemble every other movie, because once a movie is successful, making another movie just like it is less of a financial risk. This is why it's easy to tell what era a Hollywood movie was made in: each era is defined by the type of movie that was a runaway hit and brought in its wake a thousand other movies just like it.
Hollywood, controlled by execs, has stopped treating film as an art in and of itself and treats it rather as a medium to present some content in an easy-to-swallow and entertaining way that appeals to as many ticket-holders, DVD-owners, or Netflix renters as possible. Today this is usually done, as far as I can tell, with tricks and special effects -- such as super-fast editing and CGI. The plus side of this is that Hollywood has gotten really good at special effects. No one does special effects like Hollywood, or even comes close. I find that I can usually date a Hollywood movie by how believable the stunts are. It's also gotten creative with camera angles and CGI -- things that are possible to do with a ton of money and impossible to do without it. Tree of Life, for example, the greatest film in years anywhere couldn't have been produced outside of Hollywood. And, though it is unique and hard to swallow, it is still completely date-able, because it relies heavily on the special effects and camera stunts.

3. Radio industry

Just like the TV industry, the radio industry has also developed dramatically. The industry that I am writing about is the BBC. BBC radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering the majority of musical genres as they play all the latest music, as well as local radio stations covering local news. So you can stay updated on the news. The national radio stations that BBC Radio own are BBC radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Live. All of these stations are all available through analogue radio as well as on DAB (Digital audio broadcasting.) It is also available through Digital Radio and internet services through Real Media. BBC Radio also has stations called 1Xtra, 4 Extra, 5 Live Sports Extra and 6 Music but all these broadcasts are on digital platforms only.

All of the BBC's national radio stations are broadcasted from bases in London, usually in or near to Broadcasting House in Maryle bone. However, the BBC's network production units located in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester also make radio programmes. When radio was first invented by Nikolai Tesla in 1893, it was primarily used to maintain contact between two or more ships at sea; today, the radio is a major source of news, weather and entertainment, and is popular because it is available to almost anyone. Today, radio remains extremely popular all over the world. Consumers can pay for premium satellite radio like Sirius/XM, and there are a variety of different radio stations to choose from.

4. Gaming industry

Even people who don’t consider themselves as gamers are well aware that video games have evolved tremendously in the past 20 years. The graphics have gone from pixilated sprites in early computer games to breath-taking scenery that almost looks real. Mute characters have finally found their voice. The budgets are growing, and so are the development times. The first game was a simple game of tennis where you hit the ball from one side to the other. It was just a black screen with two blocks as the tennis rackets and a ball to hit from one side to the other. This game was called Pong. If you compare Pong to one that has just been released in this current date the difference would be enormous. Games today have amazing graphics which make it look like you are watching a movie. There is a long, well produced unique storyline which is similar to a movie. The game offers many hours of gameplay. With excellent character/level designs. Pan European Game Information (PEGI) is a European video game content rating system. They was established to help European consumers make informed decisions on buying computer games with logos on games' boxes. The logos would have a number either being 3, 7, 12, 15 or 18. PEGI are similar to OFCOM. The age ratings in movies is decided by OFCOM so they choose who can see a movie and he can’t by your age. PEGI do the same thing as OFCOM but instead of doing it in the movie industry they do it in the gaming industry. So they choose how old you have to be to play a certain game.