Sunday 23 December 2007

Media Related Story - The Queen's 'Royal Channel' on YouTube

Buckingham Palace has reacently launched The Royal Channel on YouTube to meet the public's needs regarding royal footage.

"always keeps abreast with new ways of communicating with people".

According to Buckingham Palace, the Queen is genuinely interested in the evolution of communication and has heralded the channel as a way to "...make the Christmas message more accessible to younger people and those in other countries."


The channel offers clips from throughout the Queen's reign, important events in the royal calendar and links to other sites of royal interest.

The launch of this YouTube channel is quite incredible. It demonstrates a couple of things. It shows that sites like YouTube are becoming more important to organisations who want to spread information to a large volume of people.

It also rather suggests that YouTube has an official quality to it. The Queen obviously feels that YouTube has some sort of status on the World Wide Web and as a result has chosen them to help her broadcast the royal message. The obvious benefit for YouTube is the royal seal of approval for their site, boosting their status and, no doubt, business.

Thursday 13 December 2007

NEWS DESK MWAH HA HA!!! - 15 reasons Facebook may be worth $15bn


Reuben - "Facebook is working again."

Lance - "Oh my God, everyone back to the computers."

This is becoming an ever more common set of events amongst young people nowadays, and it's making Microsoft bosses smile with glee.

Microsoft has invested $240m (£117m) in social networking site Facebook in exchange for a 1.6% share of the company. That puts a value of $15bn (£7.3bn) on a firm that has only been in existence three and a half years.

Here are 15 reasons why Facebook is potentially worth $15bn.

1. The network has gone viral in the last 12 months, with more than 50 million users worldwide and a user base that is growing faster than great rival MySpace. According to Facebook, it adds 200,000 new users each day.

2. The average user spends 3.5 hours a month on Facebook - more than the average user on rival MySpace - which is increasingly attractive to advertisers.

3. Facebook is the current Web 2.0 darling - popular with ordinary users and "tech heads" alike.

4. US research reveals that Facebook users come from wealthier homes and are more likely to attend college than MySpace users - increasing that attraction for advertisers.

5. Microsoft's investment makes them a serious player in the growing market of "social advertising". Social network profiles are full of personal data that users voluntarily hand over, which is very useful for targeting adverts.

6. Sixty percent of Facebook users are outside of the US - so Microsoft's investment buys access to a global audience quickly and simply.

7. Facebook is the new web: The decision to open up the network to outside developers turned Facebook into a destination for many uses, like messaging, photos and video. Of course, as Facebook is on the web it could never really be the new web.

8. Every major content firm with an online presence is either working on a Facebook application or has already launched one - from Google to the BBC.

9. According to a report, 233 million hours of work are lost each month in the UK due to staff looking at social networks. Advertisers can now target people when at their desks.

10. The openness of Facebook is attracting a wealth of talented developers who can launch their applications to millions of users quickly.

11. Facebook messaging is the new e-mail. Everyone feels stressed from a deluge of e-mail from unwanted people and companies. But Facebook messages are always from friends.

12. Facebook's "status updates" have become the easiest way to let friends know what you are doing and how you are feeling at any given moment.

13. Facebook thrives on playful applications such as Pirates, Zombies, Super Wall and Top Friends, which have made the network a place to play as well as communicate.

14. Facebook is the acceptable face of blogging - you can reflect your life and personality online without being seen as a "blogger", which often carries a geeky stigma.

15. Facebook is worth $15bn only because Microsoft says so. The value of Facebook is based on a 1.6% share of the firm being worth the $240m Microsoft paid for it. Microsoft and Google were in a bidding war for a slice of the firm and both companies have large pockets. This was not just business, this was personal, according to some analysts.

BBC Technology Website

Wednesday 12 December 2007

Endemol - Ready, Steady...Deal Or No Deal (Did you see what I did there!)

Endemol is one of Britain's largest independent producers of TV and digital media content and is responsible annually for more than 5,000 hours of programming.

I was lucky enough to go along to Endemol UK's facilities in Bristol for a trip around the site. The site consists of a series of brick built warehouses. It wouldn't look out of place in a flick with themes of 80s political oppression in a northern mining town. (Think 'Billy Elliot')

The reason for this is simple, as prices rise regarding hiring facilities built for the purpose, Endemol have chosen to fabricate their own site out of old warehouses which can be cheaply turned into studio facilities and accompanying pre and post-production facilities.

The result is a site which is actually very practical because it means there is room for: Studios, scene docks, workshops, offices, artist and audience reception rooms, production galleries, edit suits and other accompanying pre and post-production facilities; all of which Endemol UK has.

So what is so special about Endemol that warrants my presence?
Well, Endemol are special for a couple of different reasons. They are currently Britain's top producer of content that does not broadcast. They also have some very VERY important, high rating shows under their belt.

These include:
Big Brother
Deal Or No Deal
Ready, Steady, Cook
8-10 Cats

and many others...

So what did you see Michael?
Well, my day began with a pleasant bus trip to the site during which I found a new appreciation for my iPod. I arrived a bit early so went for a stroll around a neighboring graveyard. (Don't look too deeply into that) I went and made my presence known at the reception and was invited into the waiting area where I was joined by Ved, Will, Rob and Reuben...hurrah!

We then met Annalise who took us through the Deal Or No Deal set to the audience reception area where we were given identification tags and introduced to the audience researchers.

Audience Researcher: From my understanding there job appears to be to book audience and then look after them when they are on the site, this involves providing safety information and information about the program and how it works. They also control the audience seating arrangements regarding where people should sit relating to how it will look on camera.

Studio Layout:

Once inside the studio, we watched a recording of the show which was filmed almost in chronological order other than some audience reactions which were 'picked up' after principal shooting had finished.

Some other roles we saw in the studio were:

Floor manager
Makeup Artists
Camera Operators and Camera Assistants

Please click here for a detailed explanation of these roles.

Then what happened?
After the recording, we were shown round the rest of the facilities by Annalise. We were told that they shoot three shows a day and simply rotate the audience. The editing was handled by a seperate company hired by Endemol on the same site, 'The Farm'.
There were I believe five editing suits all using Avid. It takes four days to edit one show together and there is a two month period between the program being shot and the program being broadcast. We were going to meet the production manager but unfortunately she was too busy.

It was a really good day and I think I actually learned quite a lot. I was surprised by the amount of time it took to edit a show and how many shows they shot in a day. I was also surprised by the amount of crew in the studio. And now I finally understand Deal or no Deal. Our episode will be broadcast on the 29/02/08.

So...are you ready for the big question? Deal, or no deal?

Monday 3 December 2007

NEWS DESK MWAH HA HA!!! - "Extra Extra! Republicans Presidential YouTube Debate Isn't as popular as Star Wars Kid!"

"These mad Republicans and their...'YOU-TUBE'!" Spewed aged Democrat supporter Joseph Bloggs outside congress today. He didn't really, in fact, he doesn't exist...it was a clever ploy to get you reading this post.

Anyway, US Republicans
Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney have recently held a debate in which they answered voters questions that had been submitted to YouTube.

This is interesting for a few reasons. It opens up a new platform for political debate. If broadcasters can work out a system by which they can broadcast their information over social networking utilities, they will be able to spread their message to many millions of potential voters.

The debate was heralded as 'The youth vote getting a voice.' This leads on to another important factor. Youth vote is very impo
rtant in politics as it is often the 'Youth Vote' that is not counted. The reason for this is...youth generally don't vote. Only 20% of youth in the united kingdom (18-21) said they would definitely use their vote. (BBC 2001 Election Watch)

Sites like YouTube and Facebook could be key in the future (with the owners of the sites permitting) of getting the Youth interested in politics and their vote.
How long will it be before people can have a live feed over the Internet with two way conversation to a studio or party headquarters? Will 'Question Time' audiences be replaced by macs? When will the 'Vote for who you want to run the country' application be available on Facebook?

Wednesday 28 November 2007

Podcasting (A cast for your pod)



What is 'Podcasting'?
Podcasting, created by former MTV VJ Adam Curry, is a term that was devised as a crisp way to describe the technology used to push audio content from websites down to consumers of that content, who typically listen to it on their iPod (hence the "pod") or other audio player that supports mp3 at their convenience. The term podcasting is meant to rhyme with broadcasting and is a derivative of the iPod platform. While not directly associated with Apple's iPod device or iTunes music service, the company did contribute both the desire and the technology for this capability. Podcasting is not unlike time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want when you want by recording and storing video, except that podcasting is used for audio and is currently free of charge.

Podcasting is an automatic mechanism whereby multimedia computer files are transferred from a server to a client, which pulls down XML files containing the Internet addresses of the media files. In general, these files contain audio or video, but also could be images, text, PDF, or any file type.

The content provider begins by making a file. (for example, an MP3 audio file) This is usually done by posting the file on a webserver. The files may be available to the general public or may only be available to certain users.

An orange square with waves indicates that an RSS feed is present on a web page. Podcasts are often distributed through RSS.

The content provider then announces the existence of that file by referencing it in another file known as the feed. The feed is a list of the URLs by which episodes of the podcast may be accessed. This list is usually published in RSS format, which provides other information, such as publish date, titles, and accompanying text descriptions of the series and each of its episodes. The feed may contain entries for all episodes in a series, but is typically limited to a short list of the most recent episodes, as is the case with many news feeds. Standard podcasts consist of a feed from one author. More recently, multiple authors have been able to contribute episodes to a single podcast feed using concepts such as social podcasting.

The content provider posts the feed on a webserver. The location at which the feed is posted is expected to be permanent.

(Wikipedia)


So what's so special about it?
It opens up content to those wanting to consume it. It takes linear media into a non-linear media environment and as a result, it offers more choice to it's audience.
Choice and power are so important to media companies as it is these factors that determine how they run their channel, station, website etc.


What does it mean to broadcasters?
It means that they can utilise the internet, the public's personal devices and computers to enable consumers to access more of their content which, overall, will boost their brand , ratings and figures.
Podcasting opens up other doors for broadcasters. There may be a charge applied to some podcasts due to content which could supply another form of revenue for the broadcaster.

Podcasts are not just for broadcasters though, many companies are beginning to see podcasting as a whole new business strategy.

A certain airline company has offered free pre-loaded Mp3 players as an incentive to use their premium services. Passengers received a corporate branded MP3 player preloaded with an audio magazine about other destinations served the airline.

A luxury car manufacturer offered MP3 players to encourage customers to take test drives. The players were preloaded with an audio infomercial with customer testimonials and interviews with engineers and designers.

A financial institution gave away MP3 players to new customers as an incentive. The players were loaded with an audio magazine giving valuable advice on investment and money management strategies.

National Semi Conductor issued 8500 video iPods to staff. National Semi Conductor has identified podcasting as the most effective way to communicate and train their staff.

(http://podcastmatters.wordpress.com/)


What is typically found on a Podcast?
Podcasts can be about anything the author likes. Often podcasts are extensions of shows already running. For example, BBC Radio 1's Podcast and the Adam and Joe podcast on Xfm (Check out the clip below).

Podcasts can also be news based. Below is an excerpt from the
Columbia Journalism Review explaining how the Pentagon are using Podcasts to inform the public about the Iraq war...

"..."new teams of people” at the Pentagon “will begin working to ‘develop messages’ for the domestic 24-hour news cycle.”

But what might that mean? CNN.com followed up, and reported that the new operation is to have four branches: New Media, Rapid Response, TV and Radio Booking, and Surrogates. The idea is to massage the domestic media coverage of the war and of the Pentagon in general.
For example, the New Media branch will create “products and distribute information” for the Internet, as well as through podcasting, DVDs and Web sites, including YouTube."

Podcasts do not just have to be audio based. Quite often, podcasts are in the form of a video. Video podcasts range from small sections of an already popular show, instructions on how to make or do something or diary like casts.



Friday 23 November 2007

User Generated Content (The Journalist's Nemesis)

We are now entering a new era of journalism, and I don't use the term 'WE' lightly.

'User Generated Content' (UGC) is enabling more information from direct sources of interest to be consumed than ever before.

Potentially gone are the days that an agency would send a journalist to cover a story and retrieve photographs, video and copy to be reported on a major network. Now, thanks to advances in personal portable technology and social utilities such as 'Youtube' and 'Facebook', everyday people who happen to be in the right place at the right time can capture the information and broadcast it to whoever wishes to view it.

One of my first and most vivid experiences of seeing UGC broadcast by a major network was the coverage of the 2000 Concorde disaster. After running over a piece of debris on the runway, Concorde's fuel tank was ruptured which sent hundreds of gallons of jet fuel straight into the afterburner during takeoff, as a result, Concorde could not gain hight or speed and subsequently crashed killing everyone on board. Obviously due to the fact that a plane taking off is nothing special nowadays, no-one save maybe an aircraft fanatic was watching the takeoff. The only captured footage of the accident was done so by two tourists driving near the airport who happened to be filming their journey.

As a result, the major broadcasters all used this footage to detail their stories. This raises certain questions, what does this men for journalists and camera crews? Is footage, photographs and print captured by the public suitable for broadcast morally and technically? And are broadcasters willing to sacrifice quality to bring as much information as possible to as many people as possible.

For details regarding standards that broadcasters must consider when using UGC, please view the BBC Editorial Guidelines.

Thursday 22 November 2007

NEWS DESK MWAH HA HA!!! - Amazon Debuts Digital Book Reader (Because the real thing just ain't good enough...)

"Online retailer Amazon has unveiled an own-brand wireless electronic book reader called Kindle. The paperback-sized device is on sale immediately in the US for $399 (£195). It can store up to 200 books in its on board memory."

But here's the interesting part. The 'Kindle' has no need for wires to be able to receive the information, it takes on the information via wireless connector.

So what does this mean for literature and printing? The digital book reader has some very impressive and more importantly, useful features. It has a keyboard at it's base which allows the user to annotate on the literature they are reading, it can not only store books, but papers,
magazines and blogs. Kindle is also potentially very quick at downloading. Amazon reported that it took less than a minute to download a whole book.

The benefits to this system are enormous, a main one that comes to mind is the use in academics. If a student can hold all the relevant texts they will be studying on one device and have the ability to make notes while studying, this system could lend itself to a huge educational market. Other key uses may be in business, a company could use the kindle to store documents for meetings and briefs, it could also be used a database.

So it looks like the bringing together of hand held devices, the internet and literature seems to be a hit, but what will you do with your book ends?

All sources from www.bbc.co.uk/technology and amazon.com.

Thursday 8 November 2007

Television Production Roles (Casualty)



Below is a list of production roles from the BBC medical drama 'Casualty'. Along with the list you will find a brief description of each role.

Executive producer: is a major role in the entertainment industry. Executive producers vary in involvement, responsibility and power. Some executive producers have hands-on control over every aspect of production, some supervise the producers of a project, some manage the financial aspect of the project, while others are involved in name only.

Production Executive: Not necessarily involved in the technical aspect of production but overseas the aspect of production as a whole.

Series Producer: The Series Producer will be on hand to help produce most aspects of production throughout the entire series of production. They are creatively minded and have excellent organisational skills.

Producers: Coordinate and control all aspects of production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking. It is often the producer who is responsible for the show's overall quality and survivability, though the roles depend on the particular show or organization.

Associate Producer: Usually acts as a representative of the Producer, who may share financial, creative, or administrative responsibilities, delegated from that producer. Often, a title granted as a courtesy or to one who made a major financial or creative contribution to the production.

Series Editor: The series editor is a major role within a television shows production and post production. The Series Editor will work closely with the script editor and director to ensure that the final cut meets the standard and requirements laid out by the Executive Producer, as well as humanly possible. The role of the series editor is very creative. They are expected to give the show the 'look and feel' that is required and to make sure that the shows follow a consistent pattern.

Script Editor: The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, and ensuring that scripts are suitable for production. The script editor will work closely with the writer at each draft of their script, giving the writer feedback on the quality of their work, suggesting improvements that can be made whilst also ensuring that practical issues like show continuity and correct running time are adhered to. Unlike the writers, script editors will usually be full-time members of the production team, working closely with the producers.

Director: A television director is usually responsible for directing the actors and other filmed aspects of a television production. His role differs from that of a film director because the major creative control will likely belong to the producer. In general, the actors and other regular artists on a show will be familiar enough with their roles that the director's input will be confined to technical issues. The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live (as in a news broadcast or sports event) or filmed/taped (as in a dramatic production).
In both types of productions, the director is responsible for supervising the placement of cameras (camera blocking), lighting elements, microphones, and props.

Assistant Director (AD): is a person who helps the director in the production of the show. The duties of an AD include setting the shooting schedule, tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, arrival of cast and crew, maintaining order on the set, rehearsing cast, and directing extras.

Script Supervisor: Responsible for maintaining the show's continuity. In the most basic description, the script supervisor is the editor's and writer's representative on set, as well as being the right hand aide to the director. It is the script supervisor's job to make sure that at the end of the day the show can be cut together. In that sense, they back up every department, monitor the script during shooting and make sure that errors in continuity do not occur that would prevent the show from being able to be compiled in the editing room.

Location Manager: The Location Manager is responsible for the finding and securing locations to be used and coordinating the logistics involved for the production to successfully complete its necessary work. They are also the face of the production to the community and responsible for addressing the issues that may arise due to the production's impact on the community.

Unit Manager:
The Unit manager along with assisting in finding the location, manages the unit while at that location. Often also skilled in risk assessment detailing and first aid.

2nd assistant Director: Assists the director by taking a 2nd unit out to shoot less key scenes or scenes that have to be shot at the same time as others due to time constraints.

3rd Assistant Director: Similar to 2nd assistant. Can assist directors on an organisational basis.

Production Co-coordinator: The Production co-coordinator's roles will often very from project to project, but common roles/responsibilities include the co-ordination of the television crew with assignment of studio space and equipment by means of accurate day-to-day schedules. Designs sets and lights for television programs and makes ground plans, elevations, etc. The Production Co-coordinator will also sometimes act as a supervisor to the Location Manager.

Runners: are the most junior members of a television crew. They are responsible for fetching and carrying and doing most of the donkey-work of a production. Their role is usually to support anyone who needs help in a variety of ways, until such time as they have learned enough to assume more responsibilities.

Production designer: is the person with the responsibility of the visual appearance of a production. They design, plan, organize, and arrange set design, equipment availability, as well as the on screen appearance a production will have. A production designer is often referred to also as the set designer, or scenic designer. The set designer is responsible for collaborating with the theatre director to create an environment for the production and then communicating the details of this environment to the technical director, scenic artist and props master.

Art Director's: The Art Director will work directly below the Production Designer, and above the set designer and set decorator. A large part of the art directors roles include the administrative duties attached to the Art Department of a show. They are responsible for assigning tasks to other personnel, keeping track of the art departments budgeting, schedules and overall quality control.

Properties Buyer: The Properties Buyer key role, is to locate and purchase any props needed for the production. The properties buyer will be working to a tight budget and will need to be able to supply props to the standard required, often within a tight deadline.

Properties Master: This role incorporates the maintenance, storage and handling of any props being used in a production.The property master also works with other members of the production managing the physical appearance of the stage or set, for example they might work with the script supervisor to maintain set continuity.

Standby Medical Props: For a medical drama such as Casualty, specific medical props are often used to create realism. These are often provided from the manufacturers of the real equipment or from specialist 'prop shops'. Standby medical props are incase any props are damaged or broken and need to be replaced quickly.

Standby Props: Again, a standby in the event that props should be damaged or broken.

Costume Designer: makes all the clothing and costumes worn by all the actors on screen, as well as designing, planning, and organizing the construction of the garments down to the fabric, colours, and sizes. They greatly contribute to the appearance of the film, and set a particular mood, time, feeling, or genre. They alter the overall appearance of a project with their designs and constructions, including impacting on the style of the project, and how the audience interpret the shows characters.

Costume Assistant: The costume assistant will assist the costume designer by aiding them in costume production,

Dressers: A dresser is involved with changes and maintaining costume quality.

Make-up Artist: is usually a beautician, and applies makeup to anyone appearing on screen. They concentrate on the area above the chest, the face, the top of the head, the fingers, hands, arms, and elbows. Their role is to manipulate an actor's on screen appearance whether it makes them look more youthful, larger, older, or in some cases monstrous. There are also body makeup artist who concentrate their abilities on the body rather than the head. Make-up itself is substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, but can also change the appearance, disguise, or costume someone. Along with the make-up artists, the hair stylists, costume designers, and dress technicians all combine their effort into transforming an actor into a character, or a person into a presenter.

Make up-assistants: The make-Up assistant work directly below the Make-up designer, and will help out in whichever way is required.

Lighting Director's: The role of the Lighting Director within television is to work with the Director, set designer and costume designer - to create the overlook look and feel of the show as required.

Gaffer: is the head electrician at the production set, and is in charge of lighting the stage in accordance with the direction of the cinematographer. In television the term chief lighting director is often used instead of gaffer, and sometimes the Technical Director will light the studio set. The gaffer reports to the Director Of Photography (DOP), Lighting Director (LD) or Lighting Designer, and will usually have an assistant called a best boy and a crew of rigging electricians.

Vision Engineer: functions as crew chief, making sure all positions are manned and all equipment and facilities checked out and ready before the taping session or live broadcast begins. Also responsible for the technical quality of the signal being recorded or broadcast, and often uses waveform monitors and vector scopes to measure video levels.

Camera operator: As the head member of the camera crew, the camera operator uses the camera as coached by the director. They are accountable for maintaining the required action is correctly filmed in the frame, and needs to react instinctively as the proceedings take place. If the camera operator is also a cinematographer, they also help establish the theme and appearance of the show. The cinematographer or Camera Operator regulates the lighting for every scene, is responsible for framing some shots, chooses the lenses to be used, decides on film stock and guarantees that the visual appearance of the project follows to the directors initial foresight. However, the cinematographer would usually not maneuver the camera on the set, as this is usually the exclusive role of a camera operator.

Camera assistants: The camera assistant will help the camera operators with day-to-day duties. The camera assistant will also be responsible for light technical/ camera maintenance duties.

Camera Trainee: The camera Trainee will be a 'Camera Operator' in the making. The Camera Trainee will work directly below both the Camera assistants and Camera operators.

Grip: A grip is responsible for camera mounting and support, which can include anything beyond a basic tripod. Grips can also be the people that do the laborious work on sets. These type of grips push, pull, roll, and lift various pieces of equipment.

Sound Recordist: Records audio while the shoot is taking place.

Boom Operator: is an assistant of the sound engineer or sound mixer. The main responsibility of the boom operator is microphone placement. They will also place wireless microphones on actors when it is necessary. The boom operator is part of the sound crew, who manages to keep the microphone boom, near to the action, but away from the camera frame, so that it never appears on screen, but allows the microphone to pursue the actors as they move. They work closely with the production sound mixer, or sound recordist, to record all sound while filming including background noises, dialogue, sound effects, and silence.

Sound Trainee: A sound trainee is someone who works with the sound recordist and sound department to gain experience for a future career in sound.

VT Editor: The VT Editor cues and prepares video inserts into a programme. Heavily used in sports programming, they are also responsible for action replays and quickly editing highlights while a show is in progress.

Casting Director: Casts the actors. Usually one of the first crew members attached to the project. In fact, when a Television Pilot is initially cast the Executive Producer and Casting Director are often the only crew members.

Artist Booker: This job requires getting in contact with the artists' agent and booking their time for a programme. They also liase with the artist on set and answer questions regarding the show.

Production Accountant: Is in charge of the budget for the production, makes sure that the the right amount of money is being spent in the right areas and that the production does not go over budget.

Assistant Production Accountant: Works directly below the production accountant to help run the budget for the production.

Researcher: Researches the project ahead of shooting time to increase truth, factual content, creative content, original ideas, background information, and sometimes performs minor searches such as flight details, location conditions, accommodation details, etc. It is their task to inform the director, producer, and writer of all ideas, and knowledge related to what task is being undertaken, or what a scene,\event, prop or backdrop needs to be included to make the show factual and ultimately more believable.

Script Secretary: Makes sure that each department has the most up to date script and makes sure each script is annotated with the latest changes. Keeps scripts in order when not in use.

Publicist: Or advertiser has the task of raising public awareness of a production, and ultimately increase viewers and sales of it and its merchandise. The publicist's main task is to stimulate demand for a product through advertising and promotion. Advertisers use several recognizable techniques in order to better convince the public to buy a product.

Picture Publicity: Uses advertising slogans, logos, or a common image to increase familiarity, trust, personality of a production, and the ability for the show to be remembered.

Thursday 25 October 2007

The ASA and Copyrighting


ASA
The Advertising Standards Authority is the independent body set up by the advertising industry to police the rules laid down in the advertising codes. The strength of the self-regulatory system lies in both the independence of the ASA and the support and commitment of the advertising industry, through the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), to the standards of the codes, protecting consumers and creating a level playing field for advertisers




CAP
Admired around the world for its creativity, the UK advertising industry sets the standard in successful self-regulation. Our industry is governed by codes of practice that are designed to protect consumers and create a level playing field for advertisers. The Codes are the responsibility of two industry Committees of Advertising Practice - CAP (Broadcast) and CAP (Non-broadcast) and are independently administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).


Taste and Decency
  • The advertising codes state that advertisements should contain nothing that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence.
  • The codes also require that special care is taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability.
  • When the ASA Council decides whether an ad complies with the codes it will judge on the context, medium, audience, product and prevailing standards of decency.
Taste and decency are obviously important in determining whether an advert is fit for general broadcast. It poses questions and inspires arguments like the state of social decline, this is exemplified with phrases like 'sex sells'.

Some argue that with every pot noodle advert that uses a brothel to sell it's products, the country slips to some degree into a steeper social decline.
On the other hand, is it important to portray sex, violence even mild swearing in advertisements? Is it the case that as we become more and more desensitized each time we view such products, we accept that we are diverse, cultured and able to handle such content in a se
nsible way?

What do people find tasteful, some would liken a football match to a ballet whereas others see football as a game which fuels corporations and inspires unhealthy competition.
Benetton have continued over the last decade to shock audiences with their vivid, insightful and deeply sensitive imagery to advertise...clothes. Is this acceptable?


Social Responsibility
  • The use of shocking images that could cause undue fear and distress.
  • The depiction of scenes that could encourage people to behave in an irresponsible or unsafe way.
  • The advertising of products, or their consumption, in ways that can be harmful to health.
  • Advertising to children that could make them feel inferior, encourage them to pester their parents, or result in their physical, mental or moral harm. (See the section on Children and Advertising).
Children and Advertising

Common issues surrounding children and advertising are:
  • Making children desire things they cannot afford or would not be able to use.
  • Pester power: encouraging children to pester their parents for advertised products or services.
  • Showing children in unsafe or dangerous situations that other kids might emulate.
  • Making children feel inferior, especially if they don’t buy the products or services shown in the ads.
  • Showing children in a sexual way. I.e. wearing make-up and glamorous clothes.
  • Advertising soft drinks & high fat / sugar foods to children.
Children are young, vulnerable and inexperienced. This therefore makes them prone to accepting a situation simply because it has been portrayed to them in a way they like or because they have been told it is correct.
Many adverts used to sell products for children in a way that suggested that the child would not be cool or good enough without that product.

The ASA now work under strict guidelines to prevent such feelings being felt by young audiences and to protect children from actions which could harm them.

All sources from and available from the ASA website.

Real Children DON'T Bounce Back (Youtube)

The above advert is a famous campaign by the NSPCC in which a cartoon child is abused by an adult to highlight the very real and very serious issue of child abuse. The campaign was highly successful, however, it still needed to be cleared by the ASA. Should it have been cleared, or is even a cartoon image of a child being abused to taboo for general broadcast?



Copyrighting

Copyright is a set of exclusive rights that regulate the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. At its most general, it is literally "the rights to copy" an original creation. In most cases, these rights are of limited duration. The symbol for copyright is "©", and in some jurisdictions may alternatively be written as either (c) or (C).
(Wikipedia)

When producing a product and using a piece of music that has copyright protection, certain procedures need to take place.

You will first of all need to get in contact with the record label, who enforce copyright restrictions surrounding work by their artists. Through paying a fee for the piece of music, you have accepted that you are using a piece created by another person and are paying to use someone else's work o benefit yourself.

The UK Copyright Service provides copyright registration for original works by writers, musicians, artists, designers, software providers, authors, companies, organisations and individuals.
(Copyright Service)

MCPS-PRS Alliance

The MCPS-PRS Alliance is the home of the world's best songwriters, composers and music publishers.

We represent the world's music - that's 10 million pieces of music - and enable businesses and individuals to access all the music they need for use in their business, product or project in the most effective way.

MCPRS

How much do you pay?

Charges for the use of Commercial music in feature films are negotiable. They are generally set in relation to the budget of the film.
Charges for a film primarily for festival exhibition or for a student film are usually based on affordability.

Royalties
Unlike other forms of intellectual property, music industry royalties have a strong linkage to individuals - composers(score), songwriters (lyrics) and writers of musical plays - in that they own the exclusive copyright to created music and can license it. Recording companies and the performing artists that contribute to the 'sound recording' enjoy a separate set of royalties from the sale of recordings and their licensed digital transmission in whole or in part.

Media Piracy
FACT is an organisation that deals with copyright infringement regarding 'DVDs, films and other forms of broadcasting materials'.





Wednesday 24 October 2007

Analysis of the AKG 'C 4000 B'

This is a report regarding the AKG 'C 4000 B' multi polar pattern microphone...
Name: C 4000 B

Make: AKG

Price: £229

Application: Concert hall, strings, vocal, brass, acoustic and general music recording.

Dynamic: We can apply uses in different types of recording to this microphone judging by it's polar pattern. The variable polar patterns of this microphone being omnidirectional, cardioid and hyper-cardioid means that this microphone can pick up general sound from all angles (omnidirectional), specific to one angle (cardioid) and extremely accurate to one angle (hyper-cardioid).

This means that this microphone can be used for almost all types of recording, it is however usually advised to be used when recording instruments or voice. This is due to it's polar pattern being able to pick up sound from all angles and the ability to hone in to one direction (recording a single instrument or voice).






Polar Pattern and Frequency Response Curves of the 'AKG C 4000 B'

(Diagrams from the unit's user manual)













Polar Pattern

A microphone's directionality or polar pattern indicates how sensitive it is to sounds arriving at different angles about its central axis. How the physical body of the microphone is oriented relative to the diagrams depends on the microphone design.

Some microphone designs combine several principles in creating the desired polar pattern. This ranges from shielding (meaning diffraction/dissipation/absorption) by the housing itself to electronically combining dual membranes.

An omnidirectional microphone's response is generally considered to be a perfect sphere in three dimensions. In the real world, this is not the case. As with directional microphones, the polar pattern for an "omnidirectional" microphone is a function of frequency. The body of the microphone is not infinitely small and, as a consequence, it tends to get in its own way with respect to sounds arriving from the rear, causing a slight flattening of the polar response.

A unidirectional microphone is sensitive to sounds from only one direction. The sound intensity for a particular frequency is plotted for angles radially from 0 to 360°. (Professional diagrams show these scales and include multiple plots at different frequencies. These diagrams just provide an overview of the typical shapes and their names.)

The most common unidirectional microphone is a cardioid microphone, so named because the sensitivity pattern is heart-shaped. A hyper-cardioid is similar but with a tighter area of front sensitivity and a tiny lobe of rear sensitivity. These two patterns are commonly used as vocal or speech microphones, since they are good at rejecting sounds from other directions.
(Wikipedia)

This source, like all wikipedia information is only semi reliable. We can only assume that the author know what they are talking about in regards to the Microphone's polar pattern. The source does however match information I have collected from other sources, we can therefore assume that it is truthful.

A microphone that is equally sensitive to sounds coming from every direction is called an omni-directional pick up pattern. The smaller the microphone barrel is, the higher would be the frequencies up to which it would tend to remain omnidirectional. An infinitely small microphone of this type would be omni at all frequencies.

The other basic design, the original "classic" ribbon microphone, placed the ribbon within a magnetic gap. Of course any sound approaching it from either the front or back would cause the ribbon to vibrate in-sync with the sound. Sounds approaching the ribbon from anywhere in the plane across its middle would tend to encounter the ribbon with equal effect on both sides causing little or not motion of the ribbon and hence little or no electrical output."

(Live Sound Reinforcement. by Scott Hunter Stark. 9th edition 2004)

I'm confident that this source is accurate as it came directly from a book regarding sound recording and what equipment to use.

The AKG C 4000 B is affordably priced to make it attractive mainly for small home and project studios. Its design provides 3 different polar patterns (omni, cardioid, and hyper cardioid) selectable on the microphone, making it suitable for many applications, even live sound.”

(Musician's Friend Website)

This source is taken from the above website. Being a company who specialize in instruments and recording equipment, we can assume that their information is factual. This website has been awarded 45/45 on satisfaction and low prices.

Frequency Response

This Microphone's Frequency Response is: 20 to 20,000 Hz

Frequency response is the measure of any system's response at the output to a signal of varying frequency (but constant amplitude) at its input. In the audible range it usually referred to in connection with Electronic amplifiers, microphones and loudspeakers. Radio spectrum frequency response can refer to measurements of coaxial cables, category cables, video switchers and wireless communications devices. Subsonic frequency response measurements can include earthquakes and electroencephalography (brain waves). The frequency response is typically characterized by the magnitude of the system's response, measured in dB, and the phase, measured in radians, versus frequency. The frequency response of a system can be measured by:

  • applying an impulse to the system and measuring its response.

  • sweeping a constant-amplitude pure tone through the bandwidth of interest and measuring the output level and phase shift relative to the input

  • applying a signal with a wide frequency spectrum (e.g., maximum length sequence, white noise, or pink noise), and calculating the impulse response by deconvolution of this input signal and the output signal of the system.

  • simply measuring the output of a system where an input signal isn't practical.

If a system is demonstrated to have a poor frequency response, a digital or analogue filter can be applied to the signals prior to their reproduction to compensate for these deficiencies.

Frequency response curves are often used to indicate the accuracy of amplifiers and speakers for reproducing audio. As an example, a high fidelity amplifier may be said to have a frequency response of 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz ±1 dB. This means that the system amplifies all frequencies within that range within the limits quoted. 'Good frequency response' therefore does not guarantee a specific fidelity, but only indicates that a piece of equipment meets the basic frequency response requirements.
(Wikipedia)


Friday 5 October 2007

A Study of the Ownership and Structure of Viacom Inc. (My First Blog!)


Viacom is one of the largest media conglomerates (Specializing mainly in entertainment media) in the world.



They describe themselves as…

“…a leading global entertainment content company, we know what our viewers want and proudly deliver it across the globe through television, motion pictures and a wide range of digital media.” (Viacom’s Official Website)


Ownership
In regards to who owns this media beast, we can look towards Sumner Murray Redstone. Sumner Murray Redstone is a media tycoon who has majority control over National Amusements. National Amusements owns voting control over Viacom and the majority of it's shares.

National Amusements…
“…holds controlling voting interests in CBS Corporation, Viacom, and Midway Games.”
(Wikipedia
)

The National Amusements conglomerate consists mainly of media companies who specialize in entertainment. We can therefore assume that Viacom’s main form of product is entertainment.

Philippe P. Dauman is the man in the top spot at Viacom, he is the current President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Viacom Inc. since the 5th of September 2006. Prior to joining Viacom, he was Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a private equity firm specializing in media and telecommunications investments that he co-founded with Mr. Thomas E. Dooley (Vice president of Viacom Inc.) from May 2000 until September 2006. Mr. Dauman also held several positions at the former Viacom Inc.


Formats and Types of Program
Viacom does specialize in entertainment media. They split themselves into two media types, Media Networks and Filmed Entertainment.


Under ‘Media Networks’ you will come across such household names as MTV which they own full and exclusive rights to including the MTV Logo and it’s international channels; ‘Comedy Central’ who introduced the world to ‘South Park’ who intern made ‘Comedy Central’ a household name across America in the late 90s. Finally, for the kiddies, ‘Nickleodeon’.



"The World’s Most Valuable Media Brand for seven consecutive years."
Business Week

MTV aims to serve the youth of America with topical programming regarding fashion, politics, lifestyles, sports and trends. MTV's main triumphs have been their deliverance of music and 'unique' products to a global audiences over several media platforms.

Along with their strong grasp on American youth culture, Viacom aim to serve the Black community in America with their ‘BET’ Brand.

"An authentic, unapolagetic viewpoint of the black experience."
BET

“Bet Networks presents the best in Black media and entertainment featuring traditional and digital platforms. Brands including BET, BET J, BET Gospel, BET Hip Hop, BET.com, BET Mobile, BET Event Productions and BET International deliver relevant and insightful content to consumers of Black culture in more than 84 million households.
(Viacom’s Official Website)


Viacom also specialize in filmed media. Their jewel in the crown of Filmed Entertainment is Paramount Pictures Corporation.
"Where audiences go for the movies they love."

Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures is responsible for distributing filmed entertainment from Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Marvel Studios, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies.

Paramount as a company have made hundreds of successful, high grossing movies. They are one of the leading film studios in the world and offer a range of cinematic styles and genres for all ages and genders.

With Dreamworks we see more examples of childrens films with the recent 'Shrek The 3rd' grossing
$121,629,270 in it's first weekend.

For a full list of Viacom's Companies, please click here.
(Wikipedia)


Means of Distribution
Viacom distribute their media using television, film and a range of 'Digital Media Platforms'. Their extensive use of Television, Film, Internet and other platforms enable them to distribute their products to a very large audience 24/7, thus constantly advertising and fueling the brand and their stock performance.

"Viacom connects with audiences around the world through our brands represented in more than 504 million households in 160 countries and territories. We entertain, engage and educate in 32 languages via our 138 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 270 websites. And our global presence grows every day."

For a comprehensive look at Viacom's corporate timeline, please click here.
(Columbia Journalism Revue)


Funding and Revenue
Viacom is funded by it's products.

Through it's distribution of cable telvision products, Viacom gains income from subscribing to it's channels by the public, much like the Great British public subscribing to the BBC's license fee.

Viacom's film products bring in revenue from tickets sales in cinema's, merchandise, DVD and VHS sales. (As well as new media's like blu-ray and HD disc)

Viacom also manufacture video games and video game software for the internet, bringing them further revenue.

Due to Viacom's scale and presence in the global media industry, Viacom earned itself $9.609 billion dollars as of the end of 2005.

Financial results for halfway through 2007.
Viacom's Second Quarter Financial Results 2007

A list of the main shareholders in Viacom.

Viacom's Primary Shareholders



Audience
From these separate companies under the wing of Viacom, we can come to the conclusion that Viacom is aiming itself at an audience who are young at heart and are aware of the changing world that they live in. Their emphasis on knowing what their audience wants suggests that they are confident in their products and their global status as a whole.

The Filmed Entertinment side to Viacom appears to cater for the young market of media consumers, with Dreamworks, Nickleodeon Movies, Marvel Studios and MTV Films all producing media for younger audiences.

Along with its predominantly young audience base, Viacom appear to want to push their audience forward into the future, encouraging them to embrace technology and the means to enjoy the products to their full potential. There mission statement mentions 'digital media' and 'media platforms'. Viacom are leaving behind the days when television, radio and print were the only mediums to get information to the masses, even the internet to some degree. Their focus is very much an exploration of how to get as many of their products to as many people as possible over as many platforms and become the largest media entertainment source in the world.

Their attention to the black audiences of America and their focus on worldwide distribution shows that they have an interest in their image and wish to be regarded as a multi-cultural organisation who care and provide for everyones needs.

It is my opinion that the products Viacom are producing and the clues from their mission statement suggest that their main target audience age ranges from around 5-35, with the exception of specific companies inside Viacom like Paramount Pictures who cater for all ages.

The Effect of Funding and Audience on Viacom

As Viacom are funded by their distribution of products, their audience demographic is essential to their continuation.

Viacom have their fingers in very large pies. Pies that appeal to lot's of people.
MTV (As an example of one of Viacom's pies) is one of the largest entertainment networks for young people in the world.

Young people are often focused on by media companies as not only are they considered important in regards to trends in products but they will potentially become part of the industry in the future.

The BBC sum up the differences in age demographics and how important they are to take into consideration when media companies plan new ventures. Click here for more information.
(www.bbc.co.uk/commisioning)

In regards to funding, Viacom are obviously an enormous company with resources and influence all over the globe. There has been debate over the last few years as to whether it is a good idea to allow a company to grow so large.

This is epitomised by allegations that the News Corporation or rather, Rupert Murdoch is reportedly bias to the right sided (conservative) political climate in American politics. This is apparently demonstrated on the Fox Network.
(Wikipedia)

The big hoo ha behind this is that if a company or tycoon does own a large stake in media across the world, he/she/they have the ability to broadcast products which are specific to one viewpoint, namely their own. The worry behind this is suggesting a state where we are semi-goverened by our media consumption.

This is already true to some degree as people often follow trends created by the media regarding entertainment, fashion and sport. We can therefore assume that with the right type of product, the public can begin to be swayed politically and eventually to the point where they agree whole heartedly with the broadcaster.

This raises concerns for the broadcaster. Organisations who regulate the media become increasingly aware of new techniques the mediauses to better itself. In our ever increasingly PC climate, the media must take into account the type of products they are making and how they are presented to the public.

More and more people feel the need to voice their dissatisfaction with various aspects of the media. Viacom will only continue to grow if they take into account the influence of their audience as a regulatory body against themselves.