Thursday 14 May 2015

Case Study 3: news stories covering start of General Election campaign 2015

1) What is the angle of a news story? Give an example to explain your answer.
     The perspective that the provider/journalist takes.
2) What is the difference between tabloid and broadsheet news coverage?
    Tabloid has less serious content,  focusing instead on Celebrities, Sports and crime stories.
3) What would be an example of a tabloid-style TV news programme?
     STV
4) What would be an example of a broadsheet-style TV news programme?
    Channel 4 News
5) What is the difference between international, national, regional and local news coverage?
     International = World News
     National = UK- Wide News
     Regional = London/Yorkshire/Scotland
     Local= West London/Leeds/ Edinburgh



BBC News election story - via YouTube

1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?

2) What angle does the report take on the story?

3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
    It has characteristics of both tabloid and broadsheet-style coverage.

4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?


Sky News election story not available online - use your notes

1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
    Regional

2) What angle does the report take on the story?
   It favours the conservatives possibly because Sky News will make more profit if the conservatives are in power.

3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
    Broadsheet

4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?


STV (Scottish) coverage of the election story

1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
National but predominantly regional due to

2) What angle does the report take on the story?

3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
    Tabloid
4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?


Channel 4 News coverage of the election story.

1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
    Regional, it is about and only includes views of UK citizens.

2) What angle does the report take on the story?

3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
    Broadsheet

4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
    A young audience, 16-35 Because all footage has been cut so there is only necessary information        and so the attention of the audience is retained.

Thursday 7 May 2015

News Values

Negativity
The 9/11 coverage fits the Negativity news value because it involves death and tragedy on a large scale. It also doesn't just affect a small group of people, it has a more global impact.

Closeness to home


The London Bombings fits the closeness to home value because the 'attacks' were carried out in local areas of London, close to the homes of the majority of their audience.
Immediacy

The story clearly fits the Immediacy news value as it was live footage of a case unfolding, meaning the people who were watching would have known the verdict and sentence as soon as it happened.

Simplicity


The story of the avalanche on Mount Everest fits the Simplicity news value because there are no controversial or debatable causes to this.

Uniqueness

The story fits the uniqueness value because it is an unusual story that no-one had heard about before and it has a good quality video to support it.

Elite nations or people

The story fits the elite nations or people value because if something like this had happened in a 'less important' country it would not have made news in another country, however this story is from the US therefore exposes the fact that they only focus on stories on important people or places.

Thursday 30 April 2015

Camera Shots

Shot Types + What's happening.


Wide Shot (WS)
- set the scene.

Long Shot (LS)
- Head and toe visible.

Medium Shot (MS)
- Head to waist. (often a 2 person conversation)

Medium Close Up (MCU)
- Head and shoulder, over the shoulder and great for showing facial expressions.

Close up (CU)
- Close up of an aspect of the character (usually the face but can be other parts such as a hand)

Big Close Up/Extreme Close Up (BCU/ECU)
-Extreme Detail and rarely used to have a strong effect.

Over the Shoulder (OTS)
-Shot from behind a person at the subject, used for conversations or to show something from a characters point of view.

High angle makes subject looks small and weak.
low angle makes subject look big and powerful.
Unusual Perspective can be used to surprise the audience or show danger. (e.g. looking down a cliff)

Wednesday 22 April 2015

BBC News at Six: Case Study

Basic details

1;What do the letters BBC stand for?
    British Broadcasting Corporation
2:How is the BBC funded?
   The BBC is funded by Licence Fees
3:What is the BBC's famous mission statement? (Clue: it's three words)
    Inform, Educate and Entertain
4:What is BBC1's programme remit?
    BBC One's remit is to be the BBC's most popular mixed-genre television service across the UK,         offering a wide range of high quality programmes. It should be the BBC's primary outlet for major     UK and international events and it should reflect the whole of the UK in its output. A very high           proportion of its programmes should be original productions.
5:How does the BBC News at Six fit into BBC1's remit?
   They show content that reflects the views of the whole UK rather than just their own personal views.


Presenters

1: Who are the presenters of BBC News at Six?
    The main presenters are Fiona Bruce, Sophie Raworth and Huw Edwards
2:What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience?
    The presenters are wearing typical formal attire, ie. Suits.
3:Why might a TV News programme use a variety of presenters?
    A TV News programme would use a variety of presenters because it will engage a larger audience     from different backgrounds. Potentially improving ratings.
4:How are other reporters or presenters used in the TV news programme?
    There is one presenter that presents the main headlines and separate presenters for the stories and London News.
5: Is there a balance between male and female presenters? What about race/ethnicity? What effect might these aspects have on an audience?
There is a variety of presenters. This may cause the audience to consist of both genders and will include some from various ethnic backgrounds.


Opening sequence

Analyse the opening 2 minutes of the programme.

1:What is the very first shot?
   Is a reporter summarising stories about the Nepal earthquake.
2:How does the opening sequence use graphics or images to grab the attention of the audience?
  The opening sequence graphics are of the world probably to show that they cover news stories from across the globe.
3:How is music used in the opening sequence?
   The music begins at the beginning of the graphics and fades into the beginning of the coverage of the first news headline.
4:How are news stories introduced in the opening two minutes? Is there just one story or are the audience told what will be coming up later?
    Most of the time is taken up by the top headline however some information about the other stories that are to be shown are given.


Studio mise-en-scene

1:What aspects of the studio can be seen by the audience?
2:Are the presenters standing or behind desks? Why do you think this is?
  The Presenters are sitting behind the desk because it is more formal than standing or sitting on a       sofa.
3:Are journalists or technology visible? What might these things suggest to the audience?
  Technology is visible throughout this could suggest to the audience that they have the most recent facts.
4:How does the studio use colour?
   The studio sticks to a consistent red colour theme.


How news stories are presented

1:How does the news programme typically present a story?
 They typically present the news stories with voice overs on videos and images.
2:What difference techniques does the programme use to present the news?
 presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, and voice overs on videos and images.
4:What types of news does the TV News programme typically cover? Give five examples (e.g. politics, international, sport etc.)
World, Political, Health, Education and sport.
5:Give two real examples of how news stories are presented to keep the interest of the audience.
The General Election, Interviews, Coverage with voice overs.
Nepalese Earthquakes, Filmed on location, Interviews, Citizen Journalism.

Running order

Watch the first 15 minutes of the programme – as recent as you can find.
1:What is the top story?
 The earthquakes in Nepal.
2:How long does the top story last for?
Approx. 10 Minutes
3:What are the other stories the programme does or will cover? List them in the order they are presented in (the ‘running order’).
 The Assaults by Australian Nurse
 General Election
4:How long is each story shown for?
5 Minutes Approx
5:Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was?
It allowed for sufficient coverage.


Audience

1:What is the target audience for this BBC News at Six? Research online – you should be able to find plenty of suggestions to the target audience if not the official target audience of the programme.
Over 35 Years old
2:What are the viewing figures for BBC News at Six?
 9.6 million on average per week.
3:Why might someone choose to watch this TV news programme over others?
 They are a reliable source. It is also on at a time when the audience are home from work.
4:Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment?
   They Can get involved on twitter.
5:What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumler and Katz) does the programme offer?
   It lets people know what is going on around the world despite not being there.


Institution

1:What other news programmes and services does the BBC offer in addition to the BBC News at Six?
    The BBC has several radio shows, entertainment, lifestyle, knowledge and sport news.
2:What role does OFCOM have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate?
   OFCOM set regulations for most TV and Radio Shows. Section 5 ensures that news, in whatever        form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartially. However, BBC News is          NOT regulated by OFCOM, it is regulated by BBC Trust which has similar rules.

TV News and New/Digital Media

1:Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website?
   Yes, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007mpkn
2:What does the website offer viewers?
   The Website allows all viewers to read all news stories in as much detail as possible. It shows the        most recent news, some that might be so recent it hasn't been shown on TV yet. It also lets people      read stories from previous days.
3:Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed?
   Yes
4:How does the Twitter feed promote the programme?
   They promote their programme by re-tweeting/tweeting about interesting stories that'll interest            people who are not already viewing their TV News Show. This could also be seen as an attempt to      attract a younger audience.
5:Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories?
   There are only some opportunities for the audience to get involved 

Tuesday 21 April 2015

Channel 4: Case Study

Basic Details

1: When is Channel 4 News on?
    Channel News is shown at 7pm, Monday - Friday and lasts for 55 minutes.
2: When was the programme first broadcast?
    The programme was first broadcast with the channel in 1982.
3: What awards has the programme won?
     Channel 4 News have won several awards Including:
      - British Academy Television Award for Best News and Current Affairs Journalism.
      - British Academy Television Award for Best News Coverage
      - International Emmy Award for News.
4: What is the media institution that produces Channel 4 News?
    The media institution that produces is Channel 4 News is ITN.

Presenters

1: Who are the presenters?
    The Presenters are: Jon Snow, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Matt Frei and Cathy Newman.
2: What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience?
    The presenters are wearing formal attire however in the case of Jon Snow he has a varied choice of     ties which has a slightly informal effect but also makes them seem approachable.
3: Why might a TV News programme use a variety of presenters?
    A TV News programme would use a variety of presenters because it will engage a larger audience     from different backgrounds. Potentially improving ratings.
4: How are other reporters or presenters used in the TV News programme?
    The three main presenters all take part in various reports, interviews and investigations. There             are however, different editors for different fields of news.
5: Is there a balance between male and female presenters? What about race/ethnicity? What effect           might these aspects have on an audience?
    One third of the presenters are of an ethnic minority and one third are female. This may cause             the audience to consist of both genders and will include some from various ethnic backgrounds.

Opening Sequence

1:What is the very first shot?
   The Very first shot consists of the Channel 4 Logo and then cuts to a clip of the main headline.
2:How does the opening sequence use graphics or images to grab the attention of the audience? The      use of the graphics grabs the audiences attention because the vibrant purple, pink and orange on the    white background makes the brand seem clean and modern.
3:How is music used in the opening sequence?
   The opening fanfare plays immediately after the presenter has introduced the main headline and          ends before the other begins talking about a news story
4:How are news stories introduced in the opening two minutes? Is there just one story or are the            audience told what will be coming up later?
   A Presenter only introduces one story at the beginning, however, during the opening sequence 
   Three images are displayed. They could either be related to the story introduced beforehand or are      for a different news story entirely.

Studio Mise-en-scene

1:What aspects of the studio can be seen by the audience? (Desk, cameras etc.)
    The things in the studio that can be seen are: a desk, a screen that is used in the background during
    stories and the lights above that seem to be in the shape of a 4.
2:Are the presenters standing or behind desks? Why do you think this is?
   The presenter tend to be standing, this could be due to the fact that Channel 4 News is aimed at a         slightly younger age group therefore has some informality to make them seem more approachable.
3:Are journalists or technology visible? What might these things suggest to the audience?
   Technology is visible throughout this could suggest to the audience that they have the most recent facts.
4:How does the studio use colour?
   The studio tends to be white and purple with some variations in the very back and also within the         graphics. This makes the reader feel like Channel 4 news is modern, especially towards the 
    younger viewers.
How news stories are presented

1:How does the news programme typically present a story?
  They typically present the news stories with voice overs on videos and images.
2:What difference techniques does the programme use to present the news? (E.g. presenter to camera,     reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)
    Channel 4 news tend to present the news in several different ways: Reporters on Location,             Video/Images with voice overs, Interviews, experts and the usual in studio.
3:What types of news does the TV News programme typically cover? Give five examples (e.g.               politics, international, sport etc.)
    Channel 4 News Typically Covers, Crisis', Political, Online , Homicide and War/terror threats.
4: Give two real examples of how news stories presented to keep the interest of the audience.
    The Habbo Hotel Scandal was presented in a way to keep the interest of the audience. The                   presented it using an investigation, which included first hand experience and accounts from a               producer of Channel 4 News and a Child safety expert.

Running Order


1:What is the top story?
   The top story is the most important story of the day so far regardless of whether it is local, national       or worldwide. In this case, it is the 'Migrant Crisis'
2:How long does the top story last for?
   The top story tends to get the most coverage, it usually includes interviews and sometimes                   investigations by one of the presenters or editors. This one lasts for about 15 minutes.
3:What are the other stories the programme does or will cover? List them in the order they are                 presented in (the ‘running order’).
     A) 'Migrant Crisis'
     B)  The General Election
     C) 'Woman dies after taking 'diet pills' bought over the internet.
     D)  US Inmates Wrongly Convicted & Freed Decades Later
     E)  Campaigns in Northern Ireland
     F)  Diary of a Homeless Girl
     G) Google Search Overhaul Could Spark 'Mobilegeddon'
4:How long is each story shown for?
   With the exception of the main stories, each is shown for, on average 2,3,4 or 5 minutes.
5:Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was?
    The 'less important' stories are shown for a shorter amount of time.
Audience

1:What is the target audience for this TV News programme? Research online – you should be able to    find plenty of suggestions to the target audience if not the official target audience of the                      programme.
   18-30 Year Olds
2:Why might someone choose to watch this TV News programme over others?
   People might choose to watch Channel 4 News over other News TV Shows because rather than 
   waiting for other people to find the latest on some stories, they launch investigations an often use        presenters and professionals, this in turn makes them very different. The presenters also express          their own opinion which could easily become quite controversial.

Monday 12 January 2015

Character Representation



Throughout the trailer for the bildungsroman drama, the Perks of Being a Wallflower, the main characters are representing the less popular, teenage outcasts whom are pushed away from society due to the lack of regard from others, towards people who are different to them. It suggest that growing up, which is the main theme throughout the film, can be extremely difficult especially when you are different, whether it be your appearance, personality, disability or sexual orientation.

Despite the two boys, Charlie and Patrick, subverting the stereotypical teenage boy, both characters exhibit some traits of  typical teenage boys. Some examples being: going to parties, going to sports events and getting into fights at school. However, this does not outweigh their differences to their piers and causes them to be outcasts.







Applying Theory: The Perks of Being a Wallflower Trailer.




The trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower uses many narrative techniques typical of Hollywood romantic dramas. Applying Propp's Character theory we have a clear Protagonist in Logan Lerman's character Charlie. Again we have a clear group of antagonists, the 'popular' kids whom are getting in the way of the protagonist due to his autism. The heroine is Emma Watson's Character, Sam and the helper is Ezra Miller's Character, Patrick.

The Film's Narrative is clearly introduced in the trailer and follows Todorov's theory of equilibrium. The state of balance is the character of Charlie being an outcast in the socially divided school. The introduction of Sam and Patrick creates the disequilibrium - along with the bound of confidence Charlie receives when people notice him. The new equilibrium is not shown in the trailer - this is important as a standard Hollywood romantic drama narrative would suggest that Charlie and Sam get together at the end, however the film is not a typical romantic drama therefore the audience would have to watch the entire film in order to see and enjoy the resolution - be it typical or not typical of a Hollywood romantic drama.

The trailer consists of many of Barthes' enigma and action codes. They are designed to  draw the audience in which results in them watching the entire film. A major enigma code the audience will wonder upon would be whether Sam and Charlie get together in the end and whether Charlie writes the book. another example of an enigma code would be Charlie wanting to 'turn things around this year'. It makes the audience wonder what had happened in the previous years,