BBC history research

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting house in the city of westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff. Its main responsibility is to provide impartial public service broadcasting in the united kingdom, channel islands  and isle of man.

The BBC is a semi-autonomous public service broadcaster that operates under a royal charter and a Licence and Agreement from the home secretary. Within the United Kingdom its work is funded principally by an annual television license fee, which is charged to all British households, companies and organisations using any type of equipment to record and/or receive live television broadcasts; the level of the fee is set annually by the british government and agreed by parliament.

Outside the UK, the BBC world service has provided services by direct broadcasting and re-transmission contracts by sound radio since the inauguration of the BBC Empire Service in December 1932, and more recently by television and online. Though sharing some of the facilities of the domestic services, particularly for news and current affairs output, the World Service has a separate Managing Director, and its operating costs have historically been funded mainly by direct grants from the British government. These grants were determined independently of the domestic licence fee and were usually awarded from the budget of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. As such, the BBC's international content has traditionally represented – at least in part – an effective foreign policy tool of the British Government. The recent BBC world service spending review has announced plans for the funding for the world service to be drawn from the domestic licence fee.

The 1920s

The 1920s see the creation of the BBC as an insititution and as a broadcaster. John Reith, the BBC's founding father, moulds its ethos – to inform, educate and entertain – which still endures to this very day, setting the model for many other public service broadcasters. 

Radio quickly takes off with the British public in this decade, as listeners cluster around their crystal sets. Broadcast 'first' follows broadcast 'first' – from first news bulletin to first outside broadcast, from first royal address to the very first sound of Big Ben on the BBC. The BBC also faces its first major government confrontation over editorial independence, during the General Strike of 1926.

The 1930s

The BBC expands with real confidence in this decade, symbolically marked by the construction of Broadcasting House, the first ever purpose-built broadcast centre in the UK. 

Innovation follows innovation, as the BBC pioneers an ever expanding range of radio broadcasts across arts, education and news, launches the Empire Service (forerunner of the World Service), and experiments with the world's first ever regular TV service under John Logie Baird.

But World War II put a rapid stop to further development - the last broadcast before the shutdown was on 1 September 1939.
TV remained silent until 1946, and the BBC radio's national and regional programmes were replaced by the Home Service.And this was the face of British broadcasting until after the war, when normal services began to resume.

The 1940s

The outbreak of World War 2 brings a pivotal role for BBC radio (the TV service closes during this period). Winston Churchill makes his famous inspirational speeches over the BBC airwaves, and BBC news becomes a lifeline for countless listeners in the UK and around the world, as the source of objective and independent journalism.

But Radio finds a lighter entertainment voice too -  through new music and variety formats; it launches some of its long-running programmes such as Woman's Hour and Book at Bedtime; and creates the groundbreaking Third Programme (later to become Radio 3).

The 1950s

This is the decade of television – triggered by the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, when 20 million BBC viewers watch the young queen crowned. Subsequent television innovations include Attenborough’s Zoo Quest, Blue Peter for children, the creation of daily news bulletins and analysis programmes such as Panorama, and the first ever British TV soap.

Radio in turn brings memorable comedy, the lyrical and unique Under Milk Wood, and the longest running radio soap drama in the world, The Archers.

The 1960s

This decade sees the confident expansionism of BBC TV and Radio, symbolised partially by the building of the first ever purpose-built TV centre in the world. From here come groundbreaking social drama (The Wednesday Play), sweeping adaptations of the classics (The Forsyte Saga) and the anarchic comedy of Monty Python's Flying Circus, while on BBC radio pop music is reinvented by the birth of Radio 1.

This era also witnesses momentous technological breakthrough, as the nation gasps at pictures of man on the moon and observes the transition to new colour television.

The 1970s

The 1970s see yet more evolution in BBC broadcasting. Morecambe and Wise make the whole nation laugh, while The Family shows us ourselves as never before in the first fly-on-the-wall documentary, and Attenborough continues to reveal the natural world in new and revelatory ways. Drama expands to span both the dark and the literary, from Dennis Potter to the BBC Shakespeare Project. 

New broadcast partnerships include the BBC's link with the Open University, which breaks new ground in universalising education.

The 1980s

A war-torn world gives a renewed focus to the BBC, whether reporting the Falklands War or mounting the groundbreaking Live Aid concert. Meanwhile, one of the largest TV audiences ever is recorded for Charles and Diana's wedding, television finally colonises the House of Commons and even our breakfast tables, and the BBC launches its most popular TV soap of all time, EastEnders.

There is a serious rift with the government over editorial independence, this time around the Northern Irish issue - probably the most serious since the General Strike of 1926.

The 1990s

BBC enters the digital age in this decade, developing a range of digital broadcasting and internet services. As it makes this transition, traditional genres are continually refreshed. Andrew Davies's Pride & Prejudice captivates the nation, Only Fools and Horses makes us laugh, and Teletubbies transforms programming for young children on a global scale.

News goes 24 hours, Princess Diana dominates the documentary headlines and, by the end of the decade, 19 million people will watch her funeral.

The 2000s

This decade is the digital decade, as the BBC responds increasingly to audiences' need to have programme content 'anytime, any place, anywhere'. The IBBC iPlayer launches successfully at the end of 2007, enabling viewers in the UK to catch up on programmes screened over the previous seven days. The BBC website grows exponentially, receiving an average of 3.6 billion hits per month.

The BBC is increasingly global – its coverage of the 2008 Olympics available on TV, radio, online and by mobile phone. Its popular programmes, such as Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing, become universal hits.

creating advertisment campaigns TASK 2: reserch

Marketing for films has changed drastically in the past few years with the extensive use of websites and viral campaigns online. It’s now very easy to find out details about your favourite upcoming film simply by typing it into the internet and look at all the small teases that are posted on either official or fan websites. The film that I think uses the best form of marketing is upcoming action thriller 'The Dark Knight Rises' (due to be released July 20^th). It has used all sorts of different build up marketing to promote the film and keep the excitement alive with fans. In May 2011, the film's official website was launched, introducing a viral marketing campaign similar to the one used to promote ‘The Dark Knight’ back in 2007-8. When the website was opened, an encrypted audio file played the noise of what has been described as chanting. When the audio file was decrypted, it gave a link to the film's official Twitter account. For every person who commented on the Twitter account, a pixel was removed from the webpage, eventually revealing the first official image of new villain of the film Bane. There was a teaser trailer released in July 2011 almost exactly a year before its release date. Since the first trailer was released there have been various images and set pictures released in tie with the film. However the first trailer annoyed a lot of the fans because it contained minimal footage from the actual film and in the trailer one of the characters ‘Commissioner Gordon’ (Gary Oldman) is very hard to understand which confused a lot of fans. This problem also occurred in the second released trailer where new nemesis ‘Bane’ is even harder to understand which caused a massive online debate. There was a wave of fan sites talking about concerns over banes voice and whether or not director Christopher Nolan was aware that this could ruin the film for a lot of people. There was a lot of speculation on fan sites as to what the plot of the third and final Christopher Nolan batman film would be, as in the comics Bane is known for breaking Batman’s back. This hype was increased when an official  poster was released featuring Bane walking away from a broken Batman mask with the caption ‘The Legend Ends’ which made people even more certain that the film would follow the comic story line of Bane ‘breaking the bat'.

The film has marketed itself very cleverly because in modern days you only need to release a small amount of information or a small rumour will start and the fan sites will do the rest especially on massively anticipated films such like ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. If a rumour starts the many fan sites will post stories and articles related to this rumour which will pass from one website to another and practically building more excitement by its self. All you need to do today to find out who is the latest actor to be cast in your favourite upcoming film is to go onto one of the fan sites and read the latest post. It’s that easy. Although this can most possibly lead to giving away too much of the film already which has become a likeliness in recent film releases. Some people like to be kept in the dark about films until they finally see them. The dark knight rises have kept pretty tight lipped about there film and most of the main actor’s and actress’s are sworn to a contract of secrecy meaning they will have to consult the director on what they can and cannot say about the film prior to its release. Seven months Before the second instalment of the Christopher Nolan directed batman films ‘The Dark Knight’ was released a 6 minute prologue was released and available to watch before screenings of ‘I am Legend’ in 2008.  A six-minute prologue of The Dark Knight Rises was attached to the release of IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in 2011, again approximately seven months before release. Critical reaction to the prologue was positive, one critic commenting that "no one gets to make a film on this kind of scale anymore. Except for Christopher Nolan," though a round-up of reviews highlighted the way many critics found Tom Hardy's dialogue very difficult to hear. The film then released a third trailer and several character posters in the last two months before the release in order to wet fans appetites before the film is finally released. The third trailer showed a lot more footage from the film and even featured key characters speaking, for example Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) talking a lot in detail about new villain Bane (Tom Hardy) who also has a couple of lines in the trailer.

 The Dark Knight Rises is not the only upcoming film to use effective marketing campaigns to promote their film. Upcoming sci/fi thriller Prometheus has also used the internet to their advantage to reach their audience. Prometheus is the first film to actually have a trailer FOR a trailer. Before the release of their first official teaser trailer the producers brought out 3 20 second long build up trailers counting down the days before the release of the main trailer. This is a very outrageous and inventive way of promoting a film. I feel that giving away too much of a film before its release is too not a good way of promoting and is in a way spoiling fans too much. It seems with the growing ‘army’ of fans on the internet wanting to know about new releases ASAP it is taking away a lot of the anticipation altogether, who wants to walk into a cinema knowing already half of what is going to happen? Viral online marketing is a very effective way of winning over fans but is possibly not good for when the film is released due to fear of giving away too much.

magazine article video instillation

video instillation's are a massively popular on the Internet right now, from classic videos from 70's art giant Andy Warhol to modern day students showing us what they can do with there state of the art ideas. some of the modern interpatations are very impressive with cutting edge cameras recording at super high definition all compiled into some beautiful inspiring videos. some are generally made for pure viewing pleasure and some are obscure performances that symbolise various different points. the two artists I have chosen are 1. the very popular 'College Humour' videos which have a few videos dedicated to the their obsession with slow motion (slow-mo) they are so interesting and modern that they get millions of views on you tube. the other is Sam Taylor wood, his videos consist of natural occerences such as death and highlight them in a sort of haunting but mesmerizing way. because there is such a buzz for video instillation's i took the time to watch some of them and i have managed to choose between just two different online artists and narrow it down to 2 of my favourites by each of them:



College Humour: 6 minutes of stuff getting destroyed in super Slow-Mo.
this video instillation (just type it into you-tube its quite popular) is a very interesting one that can appeal to just about anyone. there is not really a target audience or it doesn't really send a direct message to anyone trying to prove a point. it shows (as the title suggests) various 'stuff' getting broken and smashed to pieces in slow motion simply for the audiences viewing pleasure..or is it? At the start of the video there is a caption which reads 'the fourth dimension'. maybe this video instillation is to show us the invisible world in which our ordinary eyes are unadjusted too and therefore unable to see. its an interesting way of changing what we think about normal things, it raises simple, but interesting questions that make you think there is more going on than what the eye can see. slow motion (slow mo) is mainly acheived by using speacial cameras which can capture a film and time stretch it which slows down the frame rate without loosing much quality.

Sam Taylor Wood: still life.this instillation consits of a bowl of fruit on a table. nothing more, nothing less. the video is the complete opposite to the college humours obsession with slow motion for this video is sped up to show the deterration of the fruit over a period of time. it is possible set over a few days thought the video is only 3:18 it gives you a very fast interpration of the rotting and decaying of the fruit. this is another time stretch method which, by focusing the camera in a specific spot makes it seem like the deteriation is happening in real time. this video is designed to give you an idea of how things are broken down which can be interpreated into the symbolisum of the fruit beging broken down represents the mind and how it can be worn down. there are a lot of interesting comments on the video to suggest what i means one is that it represents the deteriation of life itself and how time and death are inevitable and happen fast. it is most certainly an interesting video and is vauge enough that you can make your own assumtions.

sam taylor wood: hysteria.
This video doesent focus as much on the clever video effects like time stretch or slow motion but is more on a statement that the subject in video is giving. the woman in the video is in a blank room on her own laughing throughout the entire video. there is a single close up shot throughout which ocasionally follows the subject as she stumbles around laughing to herself. it is unclear to what she is laughing at or why she is, its a very unusual and in some cases unearving video because of the farfeched simplicity to it.

Creating advertising campaigns TASK 1: Responding to the brief

The two items i have chosen to market my film are the promotional poster the behind the scenes magazine interview.
for the promotional poster i have to make sure everything is perfect to get across what my film is about, without giving away too much detail. i have to cover
.what genre it is
.who is the target audience
.what its about
i also have to make sure it is interesting to the viewer and eye catching. i am going to keep to the codes and connventions of a thriller poster, which means dark colours and a rough text to give it some grittiness. this is the best way i feel in order to achieve the look im going for. the poster will obviously have to be relevent to the film (Distortion) and keep to codes and connventions. i am going to do a minimalastic style poster which could act as both a teaser poster and a third poster (after the release of the film) it will feature a signature image or symbol which is iconic to the what happens in my film. i will still make it noticeable as a poster for a thriller film by making it dark and gritty which incidently is relevent to the style of the film.

for my behind the scenes magazine interview i will need to make it detailed and give a in depth look at what happened in the process of making distortion. i will need images and interviews with cast, behind the scenes pictures and lots of interesting facts about the film. the perfect layout in the magazine article is essential, if it looks like a huge chunk of words the reader could get bored and not be as inclined to read on. i will need to space out my text appropriately across the page and surround it with images and subheadings to make it look like there is a lot going on on the page. i will make it look as proffesional as i can by following all these tips that i have found by looking at articles from top magazines such as EMPIRE and TOTAL FILM. the key aspect is to keep the reader interested and make them feel involved.

task 2&3 media jobs

Background artist (Extra)


a background artist or Extra is someone who is used during filming be it television, film or productional video. they are usually used as part of a crowd or a large number of extras will be hired to be in the background of a war scene in a film or to be random people drinking in a pub. they are not usually hired to have lines or do anything that will make them stand out incredibly much but are used to keep a film or TV show looking more like real life. the responsibilities of an extra vary very much depending on what is rerquired of them. sometimes there will be a large number of people doing the same thing e.g walking down a street or sometimes there might be a scene where an extra will be arrested or shot all depending on what is needed to make the scene. being an extra is very interesting because it is a wonderful experience and you can learn lots of things about filming and even acting. it can be a very hard or easy experience all depending on the film. Some extras have been known to be paid up to £15 an hour usually that is if they are only required once, however on low budget films when an extra will be needed for a substansionaly more amount of scenes the pay may be less to compensate the budget. the word extra is generally just the standard way of explaining an extra but the full professional name is background artist which does help people feel more important and involved and is more accurate and needs less explanation. Casting criteria for background actors depend on the production. Becoming a background actor often requires little to no acting experience; punctuality, reliability and the ability to take direction may figure more prominently than talent.There are several casting agencies that specialize only in background work. When hiring background actors, casting directors generally seek out those with specific "looks" that will contribute to the ambiance desired for the film, for instance, "high school students", "affluent senior citizens", etc. Casting directors may also look for background actors that possess special skills needed for the scene, such as roller blading or dancing. In the United States, most major film and television productions used to fall under the jurisdiction of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) or AFTRA. The two unions have merged into Sag-Aftra. The UK equivalent for actors is called Equity. However, on films in the UK the majority of background actors work under agreements negotiated by the Film Artists Association (FAA Division of BECTU).


SAG-signatory producers are allowed to hire non-union background actors after a certain number of SAG performers have been cast; non-union background actors are usually paid the minimum wage. On productions outside of union jurisdiction, payment for background actors is at the discretion of the producers, and ranges from union-scale rates to "copy and credit" (i.e., no pay). Those producers who do not pay their actors may be in violation of state and federal laws about minimum wage for a job.
Between 1946 and 1992, background actors in film and television were largely represented by the Screen Extras Guild. SEG was disbanded on 1 June 1992 and transferred its jurisdiction to SAG.




screen writers


screen writers write scripts that can be used  for  films or television programmes. they have to usually create a story themselfs or they can adapt on what someone else has done. Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are writers who practise the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media such as films, television programs, comics or video games are based.Screenwriting is a freelance profession. No education is required to become a professional screenwriter but good storytelling abilities are required. Screenwriters are not hired employees, they are contracted freelancers. Most, if not all, screenwriters start their careers writing on speculation (spec), meaning they write without being hired or paid for it. When such a script is sold, it is called a spec script. What separates a professional screenwriter from an amateur screenwriter is that professional screenwriters are usually represented by a talent agency. Also, professional screenwriters do not work for free often, an amateur will often work for free and are considered writers "in training". Spec scripts are usually penned by unknown professional screenwriters and amateur screenwriters. There are a legion of would-be screenwriters who attempt to enter the film industry but it often takes years of trial-and-error, failure, and gritty persistence to achieve success.

Every screenplay and teleplay begins with an idea, and screenwriters use those ideas to write scripts, with the intention of selling them and having them produced.The majority of the time, a film project gets initiated by a screenwriter and because they initiated the project, the writing assignment exclusively becomes his or hers. These are referred to as "exclusive" assignments or "pitched" assignments. Screenwriters who often pitch new projects, whether original or an adaptation, often do not have to worry about competing for assignments and are often more successful. When word is put out about a project a film studio, production company, or producer wants done, these are referred to as "open" assignments. Open assignments are more competitive. In situations where screenwriters are competing for an open assignment, more established writers will usually win these assignments. A screenwriter can also be approached and personally offered a writing assignment.Video game writing is also considered to be a form of screenwriting. Some film and television writers also work in this industry. screen writers get paid either in advance to writing a script or they can forfit thier script as an investment if a film is succesful once the script is made into a film.

i have decided to do a minimalistic style poster because of the unique look they give and they are Do-able with almost any design. The artist tends to take something iconic from the film and uses it in the poster as an instantly recognisable feature, what may look like an everyday item is usually something iconic from the film, for example the box in seven, those who havent seen it, its just a box, for everyone else its something else.

 

PRINT

equiptment needed in order to screen print:

.Apron: materials can stain clothes so an apron is a high nessaserity when screen printing.

.Pallett knife: used for mixing acrillic paints and to scoop out emoltion to then place onto a scoop. it has a flexible steel blade which makes it have more movement and therefore easier to use on thick liguids.




.Screen: you apply the emulation to the screen which sticks and forms a film of wet emotion across the screen.




.Squeegee: a squeegee is used to spread ink or emulsion across a print screen it is a useful tool that enables you to spread emulsion without touching the substance and staining.( squeegee's can be used for various other procedures too ) 



.Photosensitive emulsion: photosensitive emulsion is a substance used in screen printing, it hardens when exposed to an ultraviolet light (from a light box) in order to get screens ready for printing a coat of emulsion is applied over it and then dried. once applied The emulsion cannot dry in the light and therefore must be kept in the dark for up to 24 hours. once it has dried it is applied to the light box and an ultraviolet light is beamed onto it. this makes the substance insoluble and hard. after this the screen is washed with water in order to rinse of an unhardened emulsion.






.Acrylic Paints: acrylic paints are the final paints in which you want to use on your screen, you choose colour, texture and other things which suit your needs for your end result. for example you may need to mix together colours in order to get the one you want.









.Drying rack: this is simply for putting your finished image onto so that the ink can dry and it will not run or drip anymore.

.Light box:  this is a large unit in which beams an ultraviolet light onto a screen and fuses your image onto the mesh screen by hardening the emulsion around the image and leaving the area of the image unexposed. first you must get your image ready on your screen, it is a useful tip to turn on the light box 30 minutes before use so that the light in side can build up and reduce the actual time it takes to work. once the glass is cleaned you close the lid and turn it on by turning the dial to the on button and let it heat up. once it has heated up we place our image (positive film) onto the glass facing down towards the light we then place our mesh screen on top of the image. now you have to close it and lock it by connecting the two locks on either side. we then press the vacume button and wait untill it gets flat. once it is on you can check the ultraviolet light by looking underneath the box and you will be able to see a blue light. next make sure its on 240 light units then it will count down the units to 0.