Media Treatment of the Death of MJ

I think its quite useful to see how the media have treated the death of Michael Jackson. Will we have a realistic appraisal of his life? A deification similar to the treatment of Princess Di? Will they turn on him like a pack of hounds after all the slur and gossip? I think we know the answer already – but it will be interesting to see how it develops over time. Perhaps this is all a little unfeeling? But I don’t think so. Jackson played the media game as well as anybody.

First up are the BBC. A typically unambiguous report.

The Mirror has a tabloid slant – Wham bam thank you mam!

Sky News have a range of reports but dwell on the technology.

My favourite is the Morning Star where you wont find anything. Hurrah!

Even IMDB get in on the act.

Those antipodeans at the Sydney Morning Herald concentrate on the his wealth or lack of it.

Meanwhile at CNN they are ‘up-to-date’ and are already talking about the autopsy.

Take a look through all of these reports and more and see what you think.

Here is the PowerPoint I used in class to introduce the theory behind narrative. Use this together with the links I gave youNarrative Theory

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Shot Types Video by OCR

For all of you tackling the unseen extract, the video is a reminder of all those pesky shot types. The video very clearly gives reasons why different shot types are selected by the director and the meanings they try to give to the audience. It’s only about three and a half minutes long so give it a go!

G322 High Level Response

The high level response to Q1 and Q2 is excellent in most respects and is a clear ‘A’ grade. For question 2 the candidate produced a variety of exemplar information to support points made, and had a sustained discussion of digital technologies, distribution and promotion. Clear comparison was made to Hollywood output.

G322 High Level Response

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G322 Low Level Response

The response by the student is a grade ‘E’ and is typical of this level in both Q1 and Q2. Question 2 is a very general explanation with minimal exemplification. Minimal use of appropriate terminology.

G322 Low Level Response

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Examiners Comments on the G322 January 2009 Paper

The comments for question 2  are summarized by the following:

1. Institutions shape and distribute products in order to meet the demands of their audiences and to make a profit.

2. Focus on the question rather than regurgitate the case study.

3. When studying ‘Working Title’ it is a good idea to have knowledge of several films rather than just one or two.

4. A contrast between British production practice and Hollywood production practice is a good idea.

5. You need to know concepts such as synergy, cross-media convergence, technologies and audience consumption to illustrate your conceptual understanding of the topic.

6. Manage time carefully to avoid short answers to question 2.

Please make sure you look at the downloadable PDF files of the exemplar work. One of the responses is a high level (‘A’ Grade) response and the other is a low level (‘E’ Grade) response.

FDA Guide to UK Film Distribution 2008

It is a bit awkward to print this out but spend some time reading it and you will be rewarded. Save the trees!

FDA Guide 2008

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Film Distributors’ Association

I think it is worth emphasising the importance of this site. It is really good. It is really good. It is really good.

Below is an excerpt on digital film distribution, the rest can be found by clicking here.

“Practically since the birth of cinema at the end of the 19th century, films have been produced, circulated and screened on celluloid stock.

More recently, digital soundtracks have enhanced the audio experience, while computer graphics imagery (CGI) is often added in post-production to realise spectacular effects. Today, most films are edited and mastered on digital equipment; a few, such as George Lucas’s latest Star Wars episodes, are even shot using high-definition digital cameras, rather than being photographed on film.

Yet across the world, the standard format for presentation remains 35mm celluloid, which delivers superb quality to audiences.

Now the cinema industry stands on the threshold of a great, rolling transition from celluloid to digital, which is expected to gather momentum over the decade ahead. In time, digital technologies are likely to exert as profound an impact on the cinema sector as on the broadcast and other media sectors.

Digital or D-cinema has already been piloted in the UK for ten years. Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story was supplied and presented digitally (on a Texas Instruments DLP prototype) at London’s Odeon, Leicester Square, in 1995. But only a handful of cinemas have had digital projectors whilst further quality advances were achieved. Now, with D-cinema giving state-of-the-art clarity on screen, audiences may be unaware that they are watching a digital, as opposed to a film, presentation.

A great deal of work has been undertaken around the world, but especially by the studios’ Digital Cinema Initiative, to develop global standards for D-cinema. The general aim is to ensure that digital content can be distributed and played anywhere in the world – as is the case, of course, with a 35mm print. The new technologies and components should be based on open, as well as compatible, standards that foster competition among equipment and service providers. The hardware should be capable of easy upgrades as further advances occur.”

Also make sure you download and have a look at their PDF file in the separate post.

AS Media Institutions and Audiences

The case study is the examination of a UK Film Production Company

The OCR specification says: 

“One compulsory question to be answered by candidates based upon a case study of a specific media industry, from a choice of six topic areas offered by OCR. Centres should choose one of the following topic areas, in advance of the examination. Through specific case studies of the centre’s choice, candidates should be prepared to demonstrate understanding of contemporary institutional processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange/exhibition at a local, national or international level as well as British audiences’ reception and consumption. There should also be some emphasis on the students’ own experiences of being audiences of a particular medium. 

I have decided to undertake a case-study with you looking closely at British film production company  ‘Working Title Films’ exploring the company’s releases over the last 5 years and in particular looking at the recent release ‘The Boat that Rocked’.

http://www.theboatthatrocked.co.uk/

Make sure you look at the different types of trailers that exist. Different audiences have different trailers made for them. See if you spot the differences and why they exist.

There are a variety of other sources that you can look at – click on the titles to take you directly to the place where you can find the information:

A History of Working Title films

Film Education Pack on “The Boat that Rocked”

IMDB Information

Screen Online Information

You will also find some really useful information on British film distribution by visiting the website of the Film Distributors Association. They have the main site here and a sister site with all-sorts of nice videos to look at here. Also ensure you look at the website of the UK Film Council.