Unit 7 - Understanding the TV & Film Industries

Task 1(P1, M1, D1)

Technologies

“I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts.

But I can't stop eating peanuts.”

Orson Welles

Orson Welles was onto something. That something is what I believe most television is based on, the fact that the TV industries can put anything in front of the public’s faces and they will eat it up, no matter how terrible or how bias it gets. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the odd bit of television, a lot of the things on can be a great laugh, or quite educational. But I think that you need to know what to pay attention to, know not to believe everything, so not become one of the ‘mindless masses’ so to speak.

The TV industries produce a lot of material that people are subjected to. Paying for a TV license grants the public five main channels. These are; BBC 1, BBC 3, BBC 3, Channel 4 and channel 5, these are what’s known as analogue or terrestrial television. Although soon, analogue TV will be no more when the switch over to digital happens some time before 2012. The ‘Emily Moor’ transmitter that provides TV for my region will be switched over in 2011. (1) Although, that does not mean we will have to go out and subscribe to satellite TV with some company such as Sky or Virgin Media as Freeview boxes are become a lot cheaper and lot better. Freeview gives access to many more channels such as Dave, Film4, CBBC and channels like channel 4 + 1 and E4. According to the Freeview website (2) you get “up to 48 digital TV channels and 24 radio stations”. Also, considering the ever growing technology in the industry, Freeview have now brought out Freeview +(3) which keeps Freeview up there with the ‘big boys’ of television (Sky+, Virgin Plus) This service is provided by a company called DTV services, and it is run by its share holders, guess who they are… BBC, Sky, Channel 4, ITV and Arqiva! The same people whose TV channels it provides.

However, if you would like to subscribe to satellite TV there is always that option. Satellite TV works by sending transmissions from satellites rather than from ground transmitters, and provides unlimited signals, compared to terrestrial which has a limited band.(4) There are a lot of satellite TV providers; two of the major ones are Sky and Virgin TV (Formerly NTL). Theses satellite services provide a lot more channels than Freeview and also various features such as TV guides and reminders. As mentioned before, more expensive satellite packages, such as Sky+, have the ability to record, rewind and pause live TV. This is a great step in the way we watch television as now there will be not ‘set’ time to watch a certain show, also advertising could be I trouble with the ability to skip the adverts. According to an OFCOM survey (5), 85% of British homes now have satellite TV, this show how the public have evolved from the 1930’s to today. It also shows how the public like to have an interactive service, not just a few channels, but hundreds of channels that have the ability to get involved with. Programs such as Big Brother and The X Factor use this need for interactivity amazingly well. They give the audience what they want (according to the uses and gratification theory) but also give the audience control over the shows, voting out/in who they want; this gives audience a sense of belonging. Also, music channels use the idea of interactivity to get audience to watch that channel, they get the audience involved by letting them choose what song they want on, Playboy TV has a similar idea, but on a more ‘adult’ level. It seems to me that the public love to be in the spotlight, they love the idea that what they do matters to the shows that they are watching, although this is not always the case (6), and TV industries milk this idea.

To mirror the advancing technology with our ‘information super highway’ television has had to move in other directions, such as Internet TV (iTV). There are hundreds of ways to watch TV on the internet, some free other not. The BBC’s ‘BBC iPlayer’ lets users watch “the last 7 days of BBC TV & Radio.”(7)This is a great service that not only let you catch missed programs but watch older ones and download the episodes to watch whenever you like, I believe that this is the future of internet TV and considering many channels now have these online services, such as Channels 4’s 4OD (8), free internet TV is the way forward for the internet TV industries. Other services such as Hulu and Zattoo are services that let users stream programs and films to their PC’s.

This new burst of technology means that audience are now becoming more diverse, more broken down, this makes it a lot harder for TV Industries to target the ‘mass audience’ as it is now becoming less ‘mass’. Today’s generation of Kids will not be seen sat in front of the television any more, they are on the internet. Unlike previous generations who were TV obsessed. So, what does this mean to the TV industries whose sole purpose is to get people to watch? Change the programming? Or reach out to those kids who sit on their computers all day? Internet advertising is already there, but not nearly as obviously and persistent than on TV. So I believe soon the industries will try to take over the internet as well as our front rooms. Another point about the changing audiences is do the same theory’s about the mass audience apply? Taking the uses and gratification theory, its states that every audience need four things; Information, entertainment, personal relationships and personal identity. Can these be applied to modern technologies such as the internet? With so much information on the internet the first of the four is a definite yes, but not all of the information on the internet is true, but then again neither is the information on TV. There are thousands of ways to be entertained through the internet, be it iTV, online games, or social networking. Social networking brings me on to the next point; personal relationships are made easier and a lot broader using websites such as Myspace and Facebook. Also, talking to friends is now free quick and easy with such programs as MSN and other instant messengers. But there are danger, the internet is full of millions of people that can take on anonymous identities or a completely different one. So it is very dangers trying to meet people online. The last point of the U&H theory is where I think that it gets difficult. With the millions of people on the internet, it is very easy to be influence by the wrong people, if you identify with the wrong people online it could have serious repercussion in the real world. So, I believe that this theory can be applied to modern technology, but we need to go about it a little safer and look at it in a different way, a way that doesn’t take everything for granted and looks before leaping.

(1) - http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/(2) - http://www.freeview.co.uk/

(3) - http://www.freeview.co.uk/freeview/Services/Freeview

(4) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_television#Technology

(5) - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/cm/cmrnr08/uksummary.pdf

(6) - http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7150000/newsid_7152200/7152223.stm

(7) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

(8)- http://www.channel4.com/watch_online/

Task 2(P1, M1, D1)

BBC Case Study

The BBC Coat of arms and its motto:

"Nation shall speak peace unto Nation"

“The BBC is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world. Its mission is to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform, educate and entertain.”

- http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/purpose/what.shtml

Task 2:

That quote is taken directly from the BBC’s website. It outlines the main goals of the BBC that have been in place since its formation on the on the 18th October 1922, they seek to inform, educate and entertain the British public. The BBC is a public funded cooperation, which means it is paid out of our TV licenses. This also means it needs to cater for everyone and that it has no commercials, which most TV companies rely on for revenue.(1) It uses it income to provide a Varity of services ranging from TV to radio and even onto the internet. It broadcasts 8 national TV channels plus regional programming, 10 national radio stations (2), 40 local radio stations. This graph shows the percentage of the license fee revenue which is spent on each area of the BBC:

From the graph we can see the many areas of the BBC and the extensive amount of technologies that it is currently using. We can see the standard TV channels, BBC 1 & 3, which have been broadcasting since 2 November 1936, and 20 April 1964 respectively, are the main focuses on the BBC. Quite surprisingly new media such as interactive TV and the BBC website only use 4% of the funds together. This brings me onto the main point of this case study. What technologies do the BBC currently use? And what are they expending? What are they looking into?

In the begging of the BBC, it launched its primary channel BBC one, originally know as the BBC Television Service. BBC one has an annual budget of £840 million, which makes up 34% of the BBC’s funding and is provided by our TV license fees. The channel was named Channel of the Year at the 2007 Broadcast Awards (3). Britain’s first broadcast, however was not made on this channel it was made seven years before its launch by a company called Baird Television, It used the BBC’s transmitter located in London to broadcast a close up of one person as this is all the bandwidth could handle at this time (4). Jump on seventy six years and the BBC is broadcasting every single day on many TV channels, radios and the internet. Today, the BBC is thriving. It is the UK’s only public service company and is the main strength of British TV, the BBC is British TV. Some statistics from BARB on the most watched programs of 2007 are:

1. EastEnders 14,830,000

2. Doctor Who 13,310,000

3. The Vicar of Dibley 13,080,000

4. Concert for Diana 12,220,000

5. Strictly Come Dancing 12,090,000

All of which were broadcast first on BBC One. This shows that as a company the BBC is the leading television company and will continue to grow, but where too? With new developments in the media becoming a lot more frequent and the technology is becoming more advanced, it only makes sense for the BBC to expand upon these new forms of media.

Digital TV is now taking over the television stage, as analogue will soon be switched completely over to digital (6). So the BBC have many digital only channels such as BBC3, BBC HD, CBBC and several others. Theses channels are only available on a digital service, so once the switch other happens the BBC can expect many new viewers for these channels.

With the internet being used a lot more to access media, the BBC have the ‘BBCiPlayer’ service (7), which lets anyone watch, listen to and browse all of the content that the BBC has broadcast, from TV shows to radio podcasts, all can be found on the iPLayer service. Although, with the internet becoming one of the most used mediums, in fact according to http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm internet net use worldwide has gone up from 360,985,492 in 2002 to 1,463,632,361 in 2008! Plus that websites also states that Europe makes up 26.3% of the world’s internet users. It would seem that the internet will soon become as, if not more popular than the TV. (8)

Referring to the graph about the BBC’s revenue, it states that only 3% of its revenue is being spent on bbc.co.uk, which I think will start to go up in the coming years.

In conclusion, I believe that the BBC are doing brilliantly, they have been for the past 80 (Almost) years and will continue to grow into the new media with investments in internet media and digital television as I believe that this is the way TV is heading, and wherever TV goes the BBC must follow!

(1) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC(2) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/purpose/what.shtml

(3) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_One

(4) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_One

(5) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_One#Programming

(6) - http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/

(7) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

(8) - http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

Task 3 (P1, M1, D1)

Funding

Funding to the TV industry is what Fuel is to a car, It cannot run without it. Everything in the industry had a cost attached to it, and the money that pays for the costs is funding. Where does this money come from? There are several ways that the TV Industry is funded, including PSB and commercial.

PSB stands for public service broadcasting. This means the public pay the channels funding, through the TV license that has to be paid by anyone with a TV, and in return the channel has to cater for the entire public, no matter how niche the audience is. If there is an audience for a program, it is shown. Though this also means that they are not bound by viewing figures, which is the case in commercial broadcasting. The BBC was the first and is the largest PSB funded company in the world. The BBC’s director general, Lord Reith, introduced the BBC’s mission, which it to "inform, educate and entertain" and this introduced many of the concepts now define PSB in the UK (1). Also, the UK TV license money helps to fund the other three channels that are available through analogue viewing. ITV, Channel 4 and channel 5, although being commercial stations, are partially funded by the PSB as they are crucial to UK TV viewing and provide alternative to the BBC. Although, with advancements in technology and TV viewing has become a lot easier using the internet and digital viewing, the BBC have been criticized as they provide services that could be provided by commercial stations, such as the BBC’s online ‘iPlayer’. They claim that this distorts the market making it difficult for commercial stations to function.(2) However people that defend the BBC say that it is essential for the BBC to branch off into new directions in this ever advancing age. I can see this having a greater affect on PBC in the future, considering that technology is going to keep getting better, and there will be more pressure upon the BBC.

Ed Richards, The Chief Executive of regulation guru’s, Ofcom has this to say on the future of PSB;

“[PSB] Is a tradition that has helped make the UK broadcasting industry among the strongest in the world. Today, our challenge is to ensure that this strong tradition continues and adapts to a fast paced and constantly changing digital media environment.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bFD2lGzExM)

This brings me onto commercial funding. This is where the industries are broadcasting for profit. This is a lot more popular in the US than the UK, and is the prominent type of funding for the US(3). This is due to the capitalist state the US is. Usually, funding in commercial broadcasting is brought in from advertisements or commercials, hence commercial broadcasting. This means that the TV channels are paid to advertise certain companies or products during the broadcast and that if the program does not have enough viewers to provide sufficient advertisement it will not be continued. It is for this reason that the BBC has the advantage of being able to broadcast what they wish, as long as there is an audience, and not be bound by corporations. Although, just like PSB, commercial advertising has had a lot of criticism due to the seemingly less quality programming and the high adverts to programs ratio.

Another way that TV in funded is through subscription to companies such as Sky and Virgin. These companies provide quality services to the audience who pay a monthly fee that can cost from £15 to around £100. The higher end prices included such advantages as HD viewing and Rewinding, Pausing and recording of TV (4). One other way that digital services earn funding is through encouraging subscribers to pay for other services. On demand movies and games can be used through most digital services. Also such things as program catch-up and other on-demand programs can be paid for. Although, with the ability to record any program or film at a touch at the button, I think that On demand will soon be a useless service. On the other hand; Pay per View is very similar to on demand and it is a great way to gain funding. The audience pays a one off or monthly fee for certain events such as Sporting Events (Football games, The Superbowl, Boxing, WWF) or adult viewing, the big American company HBO started as a subscription for soft adult films. Sky and Virgin are the biggest digital providers for the UK; in the US however Dish Network and DirecTV are the equivalent (5). With the advancement in internet technology subscription to TV on the internet is now becoming quite popular(6). Companies like BT and Tiscali are capitalizing on this opportunity and are providing online subscriptions for around £30(7). It works just as broadband would work; the company installs the set top box as well as the connecting broadband, which provides the service.

Sponsoring a program or series is another way both the industry and corporations makes their money. When a company sponsors a program, it shows the product/company before and after the program continues after the break. Companies tend to sponsor programs with a certain audience profile, ones that tend to match theirs as to advertise to the people who will be interested in the product. Home makeover shows for example are commonly sponsored by DIY stores and gadget shows by companies such as apple. This maximized the chance of the adverts attracting the audience and sparking their interest so that they desire the product and take action in buying it.

Lastly, Product placement is a technique that puts products into the film or program, hence giving it great advertising. It is illegal in the UK but is used at every opportunity in the US. Imagine the advantage of a big star vehicle sporting a pair of Addidas Trainers in the next Hollywood blockbuster; everyone would want to have the same pair. In spite of the fact that the companies are blatantly using an entertainment medium to sell products, it work exceptionally well.

(1) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_service_broadcasting_in_the_United_Kingdom

(2) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/may/18/broadcasting.digitalmedia

(3) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_television

(4) - http://www.sky.com/portal/site/skycom/skyproducts/skytv/pricesandpackages

(5) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_television#United_States

(6) - http://www.internetnews.com/stats/article.php/3640731

(7) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/digital/tv/tv_subs.shtml

Task 4 (P1, M1, D1)

Presentation

7.2 - Job Roles

Within the media there are many, many job roles. All requiring a specific set of skills or abilities, ranging from creative jobs such as concept artist, finical roles like the sales agent and literally thousands more, that come under several profiles;

Accounts

Art Department

Camera

Casting

Catering

Construction

Costume

Direction

Distribution

Editing and Post-Production

Exhibition

Hair and Make-up

Health and Safety

Lighting

Locations

Music

Performing

Post Production Sound

Production Sound

Production Office

Props

Publicity/Stills

Script

Transport

Below I have created a few charts to show several creative departments in the making of a film.

Task 1 (P1, M1, D1)

Organizational Charts

A composer creates the original music that is to be used within the film. One of the main responsibilities is to get theme of the music right music for the film, the right music for the directors vision. They need to decided what music suits the scene; upbeat, happy, fast music for a family film or low pitch, slow and heavy beats to create a tense atmosphere for a thriller.

Composers need to have a wide range of skills to be able to produce a variety of different themes and genres. They need to be able to turn the directors vision into music, meet deadlines and work under the pressure of the whole musical score of the film on their shoulders. It is important for a composer to have an understanding of how music and sound effect the visual aspect of the film and how the technical aspects of film making may effect the music.

Musical training is essential to being a composer as they have to be able to adapt to different styles and still deliver.

A Script reader is trained to analysis a script. Working for public funded companies such as the UK FIlm Council and are trusted readers or editors, or they can be hired by screen writers to analysis their script before submitting it to a producer. They produce a coverage report of the script, which contains:

· Log-line

· Premise

· Synopsis

· Tone and Genre

· Comments

· Summary and verdict

This report contains several comments and criticisms that help the screen writer create a stronger narrative and an overall better script. Scrip readers are required to have and extensive knowledge of how a scrip it constructed, what makes a professional screenplay. Also, they must have the ability to organize thier ideas so that screen writers can apply them easily.

Runners are the first step into the film industry. Shane Meadows and Kevin Smith, both successful directors, started out as runners. The job itself can vary from movie to movie from scene to scene, depending on what the director(s) need. Making cups of tea or transporting messages are some of the more menial tasks, whereas other tasks such as looking after the cast and assembling/arranging props may be simple but could effect filming in great and sometimes unseen ways. For these reasons Floor Runners are required to be very organized and be able to complete tasks quickly and effectively. Also the correct attitude is required, taking on tasks with enthusiasm and a smile is essential.

Although no formal qualifications are required to become a runner, experience in the field is highly regarded. Working in school productions, previous menial employment or other experience that uses the skills used in the job gives potential runners a head start.

Non-Creative Jobs

Employment Types

Shift work - Working in a shift means working at set times of the day for a set period of time. People who work in shifts are usually people who work in 24 hour professions, such as catering or drivers, as one person cannot work the full 24 hours, so they work in shifts.

Fixed term - A fixed term contract. Working for a certain time, such as during the development of a film, then not working again for a long period of time.

Office hours - Regular hours, ‘9 to 5’. People working these hours are involved in the financial or non creative side. They work departments such as accounts.

Freelance - Freelance workers take work when its offered and work for themselves. A freelance cameraman for example would be asked by a producer to film a certain production.

Irregular pattern - This means that people working on irregular patterns can be called out at any time, such as actors. They may need to be ready to film at any point during the day.

Hourly rates - Paid by the hour.

Piece work - Paid by how many ‘pieces’ of work are produced.

Job Role Interview
I took on the role of a Floor Runner in the media, and discussed what was involved in my job.