Radio Industry: Initial Research
BBC and Radio 4

Summarise the differences between broadcasting and podcasting  for the audience and how it may affect the content and structure of a programme.

Broadcasting

• Have a set schedule that has to be stuck to
• Try to appeal to a mass audience by creating content on a wide range of topics
• This is live and cannot be edited

Podcasting

• Audience can download and listen to podcasts whenever they want
• Try to appeal to a niche audience by focusing on individual topics / Audience is more likely to stumble across the podcast as they were actively searching for a topic the podcast was covering
• This is pre recorded and can be edited

Define and give an example of a commercial  and a public Service  radio broadcaster, explaining the key differences.

Commercial - This is the broadcasting of television programmes and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state ownership. Example of a commercial broadcaster is Fox.

Public Service - Broadcasting intended for public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interests. Example of a public service broadcaster is the BBC.
The main difference between commercial and public service is that commercial is primarily based on the practice of airing radio advertisements and television advertisements for profit. This is in profit to public broadcasting, which receives government subsides and usually does not have paid advertising interrupting the show.

Explain the identity, mission  and purpose of the BBC based on its origins, history  and how it is funded .

The BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation. The BBC is funded by an annual television licence fee (£150.50) which is charged to all British households, companies and organisations using any type of equipment to receive or record live television broadcasts and iPlayer catch-up. BBC's mission/purpose is "to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate, and entertain". 

How does the BBC broadcast or provide content nationally, locally and globally? 
( give examples)

BBC broadcasts only British based shows. 

Case Study: Assassins Creed 3: Liberation

TEXT
Genre: Action-Adventure

Avatar: Focuses on the life of African-French Assassin Aveline de Grandpre. There are three persons: the Assassin, the Lady and the Slave. There are differences between their navigational skills, strength, speed and blending options.

World: This was set in 18th century New Orleans (towards the end of the French and Indian War. The game takes place in open world and is presented in the third person perspective.

Goal: The goal of the game is to stop the Templars gaining control over 18th century New Orleans, which leads her to seeking out and eliminating the mysterious leader of the group in their operations.

Multiplayer: This consists of players tapping nodes on maps, using different characters to capture bases and collect supplies.

INDUSTRY 
Ownership and Franchise
The publisher of Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation is Ubisoft. Ubisoft Entertainment SA is a French video game company headquartered in Montreuil. It has published several games such as Assassin's Creed, Rayman, Just Dance etc. As of March 2018, Ubisoft is the largest publicly traded game company in the Americas and Europe in terms of revenue and market capitalisation.

Assassin's Creed is an action-adventure stealth video game franchise created by Patrice Désilets, Jade Raymond and Corey May. It was developed and published by Ubisoft. It is inspired by the novel Almut written by Slovenian writer Vladmir Bartol. The first game was released in 2007 and has featured 11 main games in total, the most recent being 2018 Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Production/Distribution/Format
Assassin's Creed was released on: 
PlayStation Vita in October 2012
Liberation HD PlayStation 3 in January 2014
Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in January 2014
Liberations Remastered PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2019
The game was released in North America, Europe, Australasia and Japan.
The game is only available in psychical form which means you can't play online and have to buy the game.


Marketing and Advertising 
How was game advertised ( trailers, posters, articles etc.) and what elements of the game/format were featured and focused upon and why?

Reception

There were mixed reviews for Assassin's Creed. Based on 71 reviews, the game scored 70/100. Shaun Mclnnis, a reviewer for GameSpot, gave the game a score of 6.5/10. He praised the protagonist as "...a woman born from the romance between a wealthy father and a slave mother, someone who has overcome her uncertain upbringing to find a new life in the Assassin Brotherhood". He also praised the setting and writing. However. one fault he found was that the game "squanders its most unique ideas...Liberation takes little advantage of its own narrative format" and that the plot is "largely aimless and hastily delivered".

Regulation
Summarise the role of the organisation responsible for regulating the game's content and giving it a relevant age rating.
The game received an 18 rating from PEGI due to violent content that is seen as gross as certain acts may be sen as horrific methods of killing.


Consider the impact of digitally convergent media platforms on global production, distribution and circulation:
It is significant that the Assassin’s Creed III:
Liberation hand held game could be linked to the full PS3 console version of the game (owning both versions would unlock additional game content). This use of convergence is relevant in terms of promotion/marketing and circulation.
The internet/Wi-Fi functionality of the PS Vita allows users opportunities to download additional content (DLC) such as weapons, characters and “skins” or outfits.It also affords users the chance to engage in multiplayer versions of the game. These features promote gamer engagement and identification with the game.

Convergence - The merging of multiple media forms into one platform - Assassin's Creed being available on different devices.

Production Analysis

Self-Reflection on SideKick TV Show Poster

My TV show was inspired by Fox show Star. Two girls who were best friends become enemies in the music industry and face a lot of drama and unexpected murder.
For my poster I tried to pick a font that would not overshadow the picture but match the genre. The colour of my font i.e. the title, the reviews are in black and white to contrast the background. The release date, the broadcaster, day and time its showing are in red so that it stands out on the poster. It brings the audiences attention to the important information.
I picked the main image from a range of pictures I had taken. I picked this picture because I felt that it portrayed the emotion and matched the storyline of the TV show.
I also used the black and white theme to show that there are two different sides to the story but although they are contrasting colours, they still go well together. This represents the relationship between my two main characters. I think my editing of the background (making it black and white) worked out really well because I then able to create a theme of the poster.
I think I would improve the quality of the work. I think there are aspects that could look better for example by editing the background, making black and white. There are some mistakes. 

Computer Games

1.  How have video games changed through history? 

Create a timeline highlighting major changes of each 

decade from 1970s-2020 

1972 - Pong

1978 - Space Invaders

1980 - Pacman

1983 - Manic Miner

1984 - Elite

1985 - Super Mario Bros

1989 - Gameboy

1990 - Monkey Island

1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog

2000 - Sims

2001 - GTA (Grand Theft Auto)

2003 - Xbox One

2005 - Xbox 360

2006 - Wii/ Wii Sports

2007 - Guitar Band

2009 - Angry Bird

2011 - Minecraft

2013 - Flappy Bird/ PS4/ The Last of Us

2016 - Pokemon GO!

2020 - PS5

2. What is the PSVita and when was it released? What was it created to compete against? How?

3. What do the following terms mean?

• MMORPG
  
  
  
  
  
  
  AUGMENTED
  REALITY
  
  
  
  
  
  
  PERSISTENT
  WORLDS
  
  
  
  
  CRPG
  
  
  
  
  AVATOR

Title of TV programme: Nemesis

Production Company: 20^th Century Fox

Broadcaster: Netflix

Release Date: 23rd July 2020

Broadcasted: Every Thursday

Age Rating: 15??

I, Daniel Blake Analysis

Independent Films - Films that are made with a lower budget than mainstream films. Independent films are sometimes identified by their content and style.

• Marketing Strategies - Independent films have small marketing campaigns and are spread through word of mouth or critics/reviews.
• Actors - The actors used in Independent films are usually unknown and are used because it is cheaper.
• Set - Independent films are filmed in the same location with only a couple of shots located elsewhere as this is the cheapest option.

Production Information

• Directed by Ken Loach - An English filmmaker who's socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty (Poor Cow), homelessness (Cathy Come Home) and labour rights (The Navigators). He focuses on addressing political issues.
• The two main characters of I, Daniel Blake are:                                                                             - Daniel Blake played by Dave Johns. Dave Johns has dramatized Stephen Kings’ Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption for the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. He personally has also been on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive, 28 Acts in 28 Minutes and as an actor he has appeared in Mud, Time Gentlemen Please, Inspector George Gently and Harry Hill as God.                                                                                  - Katie Morgan played by Hayley Squires. Hayley has also appeared in Call the Midwife, Southcliffe, Complicit, Blood Cells, A Royal Night Out and Murder.
• I, Daniel Blake is an independent film and is low budget/production value. It is filmed in the same locations in Newcastle. The main locations were the job centre, Daniel's house and Katie's house. We revisit these places continuously.
• The film was produced by Rebecca O'Brien for Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions and Wild Bunch with the support of the British Film Institute and BBC Films.
• I, Daniel Blake is funded by:

-       BFI: This is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute.

-       National Lottery: The National Lottery Community Funding is responsible for distributing funds to projects.

-       BBC: The British Broadcasting Corporations is a British public service broadcaster.

         

Straight Outta Compton Analysis

Mainstream Films - Films that cost a lot to make and therefore seek to create profit. To make up for the costs, the films are made so that many people will want to see it. Examples are: Avengers, Joker etc.
Independent Films - Films that are made with a lower budget than mainstream films. Independent films are sometimes identified by their content and style.
Differences:

• Marketing Strategies - Mainstream films tend to use expensive campaigns, advertise on TV,billboards and the internet and use any possible method to get it out into the public. Whilst on the other hand, Independent films have small marketing campaigns and are spread through word of mouth or critics/reviews.
• Actors - Mainstream films use well-known actors and actresses to attract audiences and fans of the actor/actress. The actors used in Independent films are usually unknown and are used because it is cheaper.
• Set - In Mainstream films, they personally build the sets and also in some cases travel the world to get what they need. Independent films are filmed in the same location with only a couple of shots located elsewhere as this is the cheapest option.

Production Information

• Funded by Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures for $28 million.
• Produced by Legendary Entertainment, New Line Cinema and Universal Pictures.
• Ice Cube and Dr. Dre (members of NWA) helped produce the movie along with F. Gary Gary, Tomica Woods, Matt Alvarez and Scott Bernstein.
• Marketed with the 'Straight Outta Somewhere' meme (created by Dr. Dre) which went viral across the social media platform.
• Ice Cube's son portrayed him in the movie.
• Seven days into filming in Compton, a drive-by shooting took place directly in front of the cast and crew members while they were on the set.

Regulation and Certification

• The trailers were given the rating of 12A because whilst there was 'no clear detail of blows making contact and no bloody injury', there was still 'suggestion of violence and the sight of guns and baseball bats'.
• They were given a rating of 15 by the BBFC because of 'strong language, violence, sex, drug abuse'.
• The Director's Cut was given a rating of 18 because of 'sexualised nudity and drug use' and their more explicit scenes.

Film Marketing Exam Question 1

How do mainstream films target and maximise their audience ?
Refer to Straight Outta Compton to support your points ( 10 marks)


You should refer to the content and purpose of the  film's marketing campaign, the production history and making of the film, use of stars , links to other media industries and products , some mention of  the film's content and demonstrate that you understand how this is typical of mainstream film production and promotion 

A mainstream film is a film that cost a lot to make and therefore seeks to create profit to make up for the costs of production. To do this the films are made in a way that makes people want to come see it, using factors such as actors/actresses, set and marketing. Straight Outta Compton is an example of a mainstream film that uses these factors. The use of well-known actors/actresses in mainstream films attracts audiences and fans of the actor/actress. Straight Outta Compton uses Ice Cube's son O'Shea Jackson Jr. to portray him in the movie. This could attract fans as they would want to see a movie about Ice Cube that has his son in it. The set in mainstream films are usually built just for the movie and are very expensive. They sometimes even travel to different countries to get what they need. Straight Outta Compton was set and filmed in Compton, California and Los Angeles, California. Another major factor of mainstream films are the marketing strategies. Mainstream films tend to use expensive campaigns, advertise on TV, billboards and the internet and use any possible way to get it out into the public. Straight Outta Compton had a huge marketing strategy 'Straight Outta Somewhere' meme. Beats by Dr. Dre launched a new app through the website StraightOuttaSomewhere.com. This app loanword users to create a meme by filling in the blank space in the Straight Outta logo with a place of their choice. In under 24 hours there were over 78,000 Straight Outta images were downloaded on social media. This was a successful viral marketing photo campaign that brought a lot of attention to the film.

A mainstream film is usually produced by a famous production company. Straight Outta Compton was produced by Legendary Entertainment, New Line Cinema and Universal Pictures. Real members of NWA, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre helped to produce the movie along with F. Gary Gary, Tomica Woods (Eazy-E's wife), Matt Alvarez and Scott Bernstein. The movie was funded by Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures for $28 million.