Weekly News

The Mothers Secretly Working as Sex Workers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38128523

This BBC News article caught my attention as it isn't a headline you usually see on the news. Straight away it made me feel sorry towards the mothers who have to go to such lengths just to be able to provide for their children.

The woman's names included in this article have been changed to protect their identity. "There are thought to be around 72,800 sex workers in the UK and the majority of them are women." The reason many of these women decide to sell sex is very simple - money. The mothers seem to keep their work separate from their children by having two phones and keeping clients away from their homes.

I find it very sad that such a large amount of mothers feel the need that they have to sell their bodies in order to sufficiently provide for their children. One mother in particular, 'Jenny' entered prostitution when her severely disabled daughter was just 18 months old. She said this was due to the "desperation" for money. Yes she did receive benefits. However, she said it was only enough for rent and food and not the "£1,000-a-week cost of hiring a nurse." Not to mention the high risk of danger than comes along with their line of work - an estimated 152 sex workers have been murdered since 1990 and 2015. This just shows how desperate these mothers must be to provide for their children. 

Weekly News

Children's charities to get X Factor single VAT money

Children's charities such as Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Chase will receive 100% of the profits from each download of the X Factor winner's single. This is happening for the sixth year running.

The winner will be named on the live final on Sunday 11th December, where the song will be downloadable afterwards.

The CEO of Together for Short Lives, Barbara Gelb and David Burland, chief executive of Shooting Star Chase are both 'extremely grateful' and describe it as a lovely Christmas present. They also point to the fact that "Fundraising in today's economic climate is proving increasingly difficult" which is the harsh truth of today's society.

I think this article might raise the importance of helping children in need and hopefully encourage people to donate to a charity this Christmas. I believe X Factor is setting a good example by doing this and it should be something done by many more businesses - especially during Christmas time as more emphasis is put on helping others than any other time in the year. Fans of the X Factor singles are likely to have a preferred reading of this news as it will bring them a sense of satisfaction when they buy the song.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38199725

Weekly News

Bosses told to bring back Christmas traditions to workplace.

This article from BBC News gives a representation of religion and can also be seen as an issue. This is due to the fact that religion isn't an agreed upon institution, people have differences in beliefs which usually leads to conflict. Which explains the reason why bosses such as the ones mentioned in the article and very cautious of offending workers of different religions. David Isaac, the chairman of the equality and human rights commission (EHRC) said that laws have been misinterpreted as employers became over-sensitive of other faiths and called for a "common sense" approach. "Lots of employers have now become really worried about doing something g discriminatory regarding their Muslim or Jewish staff. 

This article is interesting as it points out to readers that everyone should be accepting of other faiths and religion. And it's also hinting to the fact that Britain is a Christian country (although some might disagree with this in the modern society we live in) and therefore its traditions shouldn't be pushed aside. Dame Louise Casey said recently that Christmas traditions needed to be defended to stop social division. Which leads to the idea that religion is a source of social cohesion as it teaches us right from wrong and benefits people by giving them the strength to fight the exclusion or marginalisation they face by society. 

My Relationship With Music

Music is a form of escapism for me. I didn't take an interest in it until I started secondary school. Possibly because that's when I started using public transport by myself more regularly meaning music acted as a form of entertainment during my journeys home - as it still does. 
My friends and I tend to like the same sort of music, so when we get together if often plays as background noise.

I fund music has great control over my mood, especially certain songs as they have the power to help you remember memories and take you back to how you were feeling at that moment. The majority of the music I listen to will put me in a better mood. I'd say music has a big impact on my life since I listen to it everyday and go out clubbing etc.
I wouldn't say I have a specific taste in music. If you were to go through my iPod I think it'd be surprising to see such a wide range of music, ranging from Rock, Pop, Dubstep, Grime, Garage etc.

Songs

ABBA - Take A Chance On Me

T2 - Heartbroken

Music Industry - "Amy"

"Amy" (2015) is a documentary/biography on the life and death of British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, Directed by Asif Kapadia. It won 1 Oscar and had another 48 wins and 38 nominations, according to IMDb.
According to David Joseph (CEO of Universal Music UK), "It's a very complicated and tender movie. It tackles lots of things about family and media, fame, addiction, but most importantly, it captures the very heart of what she was about, which is an amazing person and a true musical genius."

However, the movie was heavily criticised by Amy's father, Mitch. He stated the film is "misleading" and "contains some basic untruths". This is likely to be due to the fact that the movie presents him as a villain. Even though we don't know if this was the directors original intentions, Amy herself sang "And id my daddy thinks I'm fine" in one of her most popular songs 'Rehab', which won 3 Grammy Awards in 2008. This shows us that Amy's father didn't give his daughter the help and support she desperately needed when she first started experiencing problems with drugs. Although Mitch did note that the movie contains "superb" and "beautiful" footage of his daughter. 
The movie allows the audience to feel as if they knew Amy due to the wide variety of archival footage which clearly explains Amy's story in great detail. It even includes personal footage which was recorded during her journey which gives a great insight into her personality and helps the audience relate to her as we don't usually see celebrities as ordinary people. The finished product shows her from a positive perspective rather than what the media might have portrayed her as which is a mostly troubled drug addict, who was criticised and largely bullied by the media. The movie focuses on showing us 'the girl behind the name' and therefore reveals a lot of information which the media took advantage of and thus ruined her.
Showing the media from this perspective reveals a lot about the negative effects of being famous and actually makes you feel sorry for the people behind the cameras. This highlights how corrupt and constructed the media industry is.

Weekly News

British children among the least active in the world, with exercise 'stripped out' of modern lives

Research comparing 38 countries all around the world placed England, Scotland and Wales among the worst for physical activity. Experts found these results alarming as it showed that movement was being "stripped out" of modern lifestyles, with children weaned on screen-time and starved of outdoor activity.

Latest figures show childhood obesity has reached record levels; with 1 in 10 children being obese when they start primary school.

Researchers said the typical modern lifestyle of spending a day in front of a computer, followed by an evening slumped in front of the television was proving fatal. Which is why they're calling for radical changes to be made in government policies. 

Seeing news like this isn't surprising. Especially as you see parents taking their children out for dinner to McDonalds or KFC, or feeding them ready-meals and frozen foods which aren't good for you in the slightest. I think this shows that parents lack knowledge on healthy diets and can't be bothered to cook something healthier for their children. Therefore I believe it isn't the child's fault if they're over weight. Additionally, as technology advances more and more children find amusement in that rather than going outside or taking part in physical activities.

Coursework Proposal

For my coursework last year I did a DVD cover and poster. This year I'm going to create a magazine cover and articles which will highlight how women are represented in magazine's and consist of clear magazine conventions. However, I think I'm not going to follow the hyper sexual images of women, instead I will create a magazine cover which focuses on the pure success of women. But I will still use things such as make-up and refer to "tips" for women so that it sticks to my research.

Weekly News

First ever Remembrance service held for fallen war horses

The first ever memorial service held to honour horses who had fallen during the First World War and every other battle since then, took place at the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Riding Stables in Plymouth on Sunday. "Eight million horses and countless mules and donkeys died in the First World War" as "they were used to transport ammunition and supplies", this wasn't just due to shellfire alone but also to the terrible conditions they were forced to live in.

A horse called Rocky wore a garland made of poppies and led a parade of five other horses from the stables where Royal Navy Lieutenants and young members of the RNRM Junior Saddle Club attended.

There was also a minute's silence and wreaths were laid down in the 

Being an animal lover, I was very happy to see news like this. I feel as this is the first time I've seen news like this and therefore strongly believe that it should be a more publicised event as well as an annually one.

Since it's the month of remembrance, I think it's important to remember everything from the men and women to the animals, all who helped and fought in the wars and battles; as every single one of them made a difference.

http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/12/first-ever-remembrance-service-held-for-fallen-war-horses-6254514/

Weekly News

Priest blames gays for earthquakes

Father Giovanni Cavalcoli believes that people in central Italy have suffered 'divine punishment' as a result of same-sex civil unions being allowed. The legislation allowing this in Italy only took effect last month, making it the last country in Western Europe to legally recognise same-sex relationships. This could suggest why the priest has such an unusual belief.

He made these comments on a radio station called Radio Maria, on the 30th of October, the day central Italy was struck by a 6.6-magnitude quake (the most powerful to hit the country in 36 years).

However Archbishop Angelo Becciu, number two in the Vatican's powerful Secretariat of State, said Cavalcoli's views are "offensive to believers and disgraceful for non-believers". He also asked for forgiveness from the earthquakes victims and reminded them of the "solidarity and support" of Pope Francis.

Seeing news like this might remind the audience of the somewhat old fashioned views of the Roman Catholic Church and other religions, and therefore creating a negative response towards religion. This is because a lot of people don't have a problem with homosexuality.

On the other hand, the Archbishops response implies that the church no longer holds such strong views against same-sex relationships, not to the extent where they'd be blamed for earthquakes anyway. This is likely to have been said so that there isn't any stigma held against the church by the public. Additionally to this the fact that he reminded society that Pope Francis offers them "support and solidarity" might encourage the people who were affected by the earthquake to turn to religion for a feeling of support and safety.

http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/06/priest-blames-gays-for-earthquakes-6239077/

The Great British Bake Off

Great British Bake Off

Produced by: Love Productions

Broadcasted on: BBC (moving to Channel 4)

TEXT

Genre:

Baking – the TV show is primarily about baking, it is also a game show as it consists of 12 contestants who go head to head to win at the end of the show.

Narrative:

Bakers attempt three challenges each week trying to impress the judges enough to go through to the next round and eventually are crowned Britain's best amateur baker.

Representation:

o   Middle class – the presenters are all celebrities, meaning they’re middle class.

o   Lower class – Paul Hollywood was born into a lower class background, this could be inspiring to lower class audiences as it might encourage them to try harder to pursue a successful career.

o   Men – baking may stereotypically be known as a feminine occupation, however this show makes it clear that it’s for both genders, as men are as successful as females in it.

AUDIENCE

Appeal and targeting:

They target the audience through the large amounts of advertising. The fact that it’s been running since 2010 means it has a large fan base who follow it. The fact that it is the great BRITISH bake off might appeal more to the English population.

Uses and gratification:

o   Information – people who enjoy baking might watch the show for tips and ideas or to generally receive more knowledge on baking.

o   Entertainment – for some it might offer an escape from their everyday life and possibly relieve stress.

o   Social interaction – because it’s such a popular show some may start watching it to be able to join in with peoples discussions about the show. Over 10 million people follow the show.

Other literal responses:

o   Preferred response – the audience love the show, watch it every week, encourage others to watch it, might also watch ‘an extra slice’.

o   Oppositional response – some people may dislike the fact that the show is taking over newspapers, TV and social media. They may not find baking interesting.

o   Negotiated response – some may like the baking concept of the show, but not like the presenters or contestants.

INDUSTRY

Marketing:

o   Merchandise – the great British beak off is clearly very popular as they have merchandise for all the fans of the show.

o   Press coverage – after every new episode, there are articles released about it in Britain’s top newspapers.

Importance for the BBC:

In 2014, the telegraph released an article titled, “BBC's Bake Off draws greater audience than World Cup final”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/great-british-bake-off/11150740/More-tune-into-Great-British-Bake-Off-than-World-Cup-final.html

This shows that the show was important for the BBC as it was giving outstanding numbers of viewers.

10.4 million people were watching this year’s first episode, becoming the most-watched series opener in the show’s history.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-08-25/the-great-british-bake-off-2016-opening-episode-draws-record-breaking-audience

However, the BBC has recently lost the contract to broadcast The Great British Bake Off, which will now be shown on Channel 4. This is due to a falling out between Love Productions and the BBC. Channel 4 offered more money for the show (supposedly £25 million).

“The BBC earlier said it hoped Love Productions would change its mind and that Bake Off was a "quintessentially BBC programme".” – this shows that the BBC is aware of how important the show was for them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37344292

Gogglebox

Gogglebox

Produced by: Studio Lambert

Format distributor: All3Media International

Broadcasted on: Channel 4 at 9pm on Fridays (watershed)

TEXT

Genre: Reality-TV

• Channel 4 groups the text under the genre of documentary, but there is plenty of evidence of hybridity e.g. TV Review show.
• Mainly seems to use aspects of the following documentary sub-­genres: observational documentary, fly on the wall and reality television.

·         Contains signifiers of a television review show.

Narrative:

Some of Britain's most opinionated and avid TV viewers comment freely on the best and worst television shows of the past week, from the comfort of their sofas.

o   There is no plot, but a narrative is constructed for the audience through a range of techniques.

o   One device is the deliberate selection of the voiceover narrator (Caroline Aherne). The ‘narrative’ arises from the situation: sitting in the living room talking about what they are watching.

o   The narrative structure of the show is created through the use of montage: a selection of shots edited together selected to create the impression that the groups are watching at the same time. Same structure is repeated each episode.

o   It is possible to argue that the participants are constructed as characters through the selection and use of mise en scene.

Representation:

o   National Identity - provides a representation of ‘contemporary’ Britain that shows we are united by the shared pleasure we receive from watching television (preferred reading). Oppositional readings might be that it presents a highly mediated, partial, over-­‐simplified representation that reflects ideological assumptions about identity. For example, the balance of age, gender, ethnicity and relationship types could be seen as unrealistic because it is too constructed. A negotiated reading might be that the show provides some insight into how Britain is changing: sitting in front of the television is a valid selection for providing insight into our behaviour. TV continues to have a big impact on British culture, but the ritual of sitting in front of the television has changed over the past 20 years with the growth of technologies. This is suggested partly through such denotations as participants using their smart phone whilst watching.

o   Gender & Ethnicity – channel 4 openly select a range of contributors partly based on these factors; this is deliberate, and the preferred reading might be that it serves to offer a snapshot of modern Britain.

AUDIENCE

Started off with roughly 732,000 viewers yet by the time the second series landed in September 2013 the audience had grown to 1.3 million viewers, with the fifth series' début netting 3.3 million viewers in February 2015.

Appeal and targeting:

It is constructed to appeal to the British audiences primarily through the selection and construction of the show.

Encourages viewers to join in the conversation using the #Gogglebox and features a feed on the website.

There have been spin-off versions with celebrities, this is done to attract a wider audience.

Uses and gratification:

Social interaction – as gogglebox has such a large audience, people watch it to be able to talk about it with their friends and colleagues.

Surveillance – since the show is about what’s been on the TV in the past week, people watch it to get a quicker overview on what’s been happening.

INDUSTRY

Marketing: There has been a lot of press coverage on the show, which is likely to have generated more viewers.

Importance for Channel 4:

The show is highlighted as one of Channel 4’s main success stories and part of the channel’s attempt to mix documentary and comedy.

Scheduling

Scheduling is the decisions made by channels regarding where to place programmes in terms of what day and what time. It consists of analysing ratings and demographics in order to successfully organise the TV schedule. The aim of the schedule is to secure the highest ratings for the channel and the show/programme. It needs to be planned carefully to attract the largest audience possible.
Broadcasters want to attract as many viewers as they can for the media texts they produce and transmit. For commercial stations this helps attract more advertising revenue which helps fund new content. Scheduling choices are therefore an important factor in securing audiences for content.
There are a range of techniques used to keep the audience watching the same channel:

• Inheritance - scheduling a new programme after a popular programme in the hope it inherits some of its audience.
• Hammocking - scheduling a programme in between two popular programmes so that it can receive potential viewers from both.
• Pre-echo - scheduling a less popular programme before a popular one in hope of catching viewers who may watch it earlier.
• Stripping - broadcasting a programme at the same time every day/week to ensure that the audience becomes familiar with the scheduling time and know when to watch it.
• Zoning - where programmes with a similar genre are broadcasted one after the other with the assumption that the fans of the genre will stay with that channel.
• Offensive scheduling - this is where a channel is confident that their programme will gain higher ratings than another programme on a rival channel. Therefore, they broadcast it at the same time in order to lure the 'live' audience.
• Defensive scheduling - when a channel is aware that a programme on a rival channel will receive higher audience figures so they may decide to schedule a programme of minority appeal at this time.

It could be argued that scheduling isn't as important as it used to be simply because of the advanced technology that is widely available. For example, online (including via pirated downloads), online channels such as BBC iPlayer and All 4. This is due to peoples busy lifestyles where they don't have time to watch TV and are likely to watch it on catch up through their laptop, phone or tablet.

Brief History of The Television - Timeline

1831 - The era of electronic inventions: Scientists began working with electronics to make life better. However they knew very little about electricity and how it worked.
1862 - A still picture in transferred: Abbe Giovanna Caselli invented the Pantelegraph. It could transfer an image through wires.
1873 - The transfer of pictures to signals.
1876 - George Carey dreams of a machine that people would use to view pictures.
1880 - Invention of the photophone.
1884 - Paul Nipkow figured out how to send multiple pictures through wires.
1900 - The first "television" was seen at the World Fair in Paris.
1924 - The moving picture is developed by John Baird.
1925 - Television is tested publically.
1928 - First TV station is born "W3XK" owned by Charles Jenkins.
1937 - The first major television network was CBS.
1950 - Colour TV is released to the public.
1956 - Wireless remote.
1969 - The whole world saw Neil Armstrong step onto the moon through their television sets.
1972 - Home Box Office (HBO) became the first pay-tv network in the USA.
1995 to 1997 - DVD.
1997 - The flat screen takes over.
1998 - 2000 - HDTV.
2006 - The UK switch-off of all analogue terrestrial TV broadcasts is scheduled to begin in 2008. And a UK Terrestrial replacement (Freeview) enables analogue television sets to receive programmes.
2010 - 3D TV.

Weekly News

Fury at sex-change programme that shows transgender 'Ben' dressing up as 'Amy' and is aimed at six-year-old children

The new CBBC show 'Just A Girl' features a transgender story line about a school boy who is taking hormone blockers to make it easier to get a sex change surgery later in life. Angry parents have contacted Mumsnet (the UKs most popular parenting website) to express their opposing views about the programme. In addition, Tory MP Peter Bone describes the show as "completely inappropriate" and that he "shares the anger of parents who want to let children be children."

On the other hand, Dr Polly Carmichael, who is a clinical psychologist and specialises in transgender children, told the Mail that raising awareness is a positive step towards challenging stigma and discrimination.

A spokesman for the BBC said "CBBC aims to reflect true life, providing content that mirrors the lives of as many UK children as possible."

In my opinion, as much as I agree that children should be educated about all aspects of life I feel that they are too impressionable to be watching such shows on TV as it is very likely to confuse them and cause further problems. However I understand what the CBBC is attempting to do and I agree that it might produce positive attitudes towards the transgender topic but I think this show is clearly producing more problems. Furthermore, at the end of the day it is the parents' choice what to show their children and I think their opinions should be taken into consideration by the BBC.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fury-sex-change-programme-shows-9156593

Weekly News

Drugs alert as 16-year-old Shellie Callaghan dies after party

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-37670315

This young girl had access to "ecstasy type tablets" at a house party in Midlothian (Scotland). Officers are now strongly urging people not to take the red pills known as "bugatti veyron" and  "purple ninja turtle". It's been reported that young people in the town were very concerned after the death. This news must have woken up a lot of drug-taking teens to the reality of illegal drugs. Rebecca Russel states "I'm really worried because they can pick them up so easily for almost nothing and they don't realise how dangerous they really are." This highlights how little knowledge teenagers have of illegal substances, they are unaware of the serious harm it can cause them.

News like this is very devastating and alarming as it shows how taking illegal substances at parties has been normalised. However, it also suggests that parents and teachers should be trying harder to show teenagers how unsafe illegal drugs like ecstasy are and that they could cost them their life. I also think more action needs to be taken towards the people who actually sell these drugs to teenagers who clearly have no idea of the side effects, they are illegal drugs for a reason and I think there needs to be more media coverage about it to raise awareness. Especially to people in the younger ages, so that heart breaking situations like this can be prevented.

Weekly News

'Killer clown' with a knife is seen following children to school...

The 'killer clown' phase started off in the US but seems to have reached the UK. Police have now started to issue warnings as they believe this to be part of a large prank.

The most recent clown incident in the UK was spotted in County Darham, when a man dressed as a clown jumped out on four children aged 11 and 12, while they were on their way to school (Hermitage Academy). 

The neighbourhood sergeant Mel Sutherland stated "The children arrived at school understandably upset and distressed by this incident." She also included that "we do not think he intended to harm the children, and as far as we are aware, this is part of the prank." In my opinion, it seems that the police aren't taking these incidents seriously enough, they can't simply see someone carrying a knife in public as 'part of a prank' and more serious actions should be taken.

Stephen King tweeted "Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteria--most of em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh." He is known for instilling a fear of clowns into millions of readers with his character Pennywise.

Source: http://news.sky.com/story/killer-clown-with-a-knife-is-seen-following-children-to-school-in-county-durham-10608500 

The Great British Bake Off

Series 7, episode 1.
In this series of "#GBBO" 8 out of 12 contestants are white, this might be the ratio expected from the audience since it's a "British" show, however I think the three contestants from other backgrounds are only there to give the show more diversity. This might be done to attract a wider audience, not just middle-class white people. This first episode consists of many innuendos such as "great penetration", "don't injure yourself on the balls" and a reference to page 3. I guess this is done to entertain the older audience who'd notice these sly remarks and to attract the audiences attention.
There is constant reference to Britain, that is through the repeated clips of pheasants and the British flag buntings that are hang around the whole studio so that they're more or less seen all the time.
After the last challenge, when everything seemed to have gone wrong for the majority of the contestants, there is a clip of rain. This pathetic fallacy is used to possibly highlight their emotions and add to the intense atmosphere, but maybe also pointing to the fact that Britain is known for it's rainy days.
One thing I noticed is that Paul Hollywood seems to be the one giving most of the criticism, he is also the one leading most of the feedback which makes Mary Berry's criticism appear as a bit less valued maybe.

Series 6, finale.
I watched the finale of series 6 to compare and contrast to the new series. The show is exactly the same, I could spot no differences apart from the obvious new contestants. There are still British buntings in the background, the kitchen studio it's filmed in is the same, and it is also raining. The only difference is there seems to be a tad less innuendos in this episode.
I think the show is made to be very intriguing and competitive through the countdowns and intense music which is played.

Weekly News

Volunteers help Cardiff students get home in freshers' week

This article from BBC News is about preventing teenagers from being a part of crime, while being under the influence of alcohol and possibly other drugs too. This is due to a number of sex attacks that happened last September "which prompted police and students'leaders to take action." They've managed to create a "Safe Taxi Scheme" and "the Student Safety Bus" to help create a safer environment for students from Cardiff University. They are supposed to help students who are "vulnerable after drinking too much".
The taxi service seems like a good idea as it lets students get home even if they don't have the money at the time, as they can pay at the student union later. This ensures that teens stay out of trouble and get straight home safely. This article also highlights the dangers of alcohol and what can happen if it's used irresponsibly, which unfortunately seems to happen a lot within this generation.

I find it really refreshing to see news like this and I think schemes like this should be much more common in all universities as it would make everyone feel safer, especially young females who might be vulnerable after a night out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-37391924 

Analysis

Meet the superhumans - an advert to promote the 2012 Paralympics.

The first thing the audience hears is the sound of opening doors, this could be seen as a metaphor, it is opening doors to a new start, new opportunities and an open mind. It is welcoming the audience to a world with no barriers, where possibilities are endless and potential is limitless. We then begin to hear a song by Public Enemy - "Harder than you think". This song is very upbeat and fast paced, it is supposed to make the audience feel excited while watching. Almost a minute into the advert, the music is cut. There are sounds of explosions, car crashes and a babies heart beat. This is very effective as it adds to the dramatic images shown, it makes the audience realise that all of these athletes have had a very difficult life and had unfortunately been through these experiences. It makes the advert more memorable and adds to the realism.

As for visual codes, at the beginning there is very low lighting and shows a silhouette of a human, this allows the audience to make assumptions and leaves them intrigued. It is then soon revealed that it was a disabled person. The clips from army and car accidents are used as flashbacks to remind the audience that all of these disabled athletes have been through a very hard time. Although this is supposed to be negative imagery, it then goes onto showing the superhumans succeeding and doing the same sports as non disabled people. This shows that even though unfortunate accidents have happened to these people, they've worked very hard to change it into something positive, something to be proud of. They are shown using their disabilities to their advantage. The technical codes within this media text are very effective as they clearly present the hard work and effort that these athletes put in, this is shown through the extreme close ups. Additionally, the fast cuts create an exciting atmosphere and make it possible to include many more video clips.

 This is a very positive representation of disability, it's supposed to make the audience see that they really are superhumans.

The Music Video

Rudimental - Waiting all night ft. Ella Eyre - music video.

Throughout the video the song was obviously playing, but at the very beginning you first hear the sound of people pedaling their bikes and doing tricks, with a few beeps from cars. Then suddenly you hear someone on the bike being hit by a car. This adds to the narrative of the music video, which shows the true life story of Kurt Yaeger after his accident in 2006. For the music video to make sense, they had to include a clip of the accident. The sound of cars beeping early on was foreshadowing what is going to happen.

The music video ends in a similar way to how it starts. With the group of pro BMXers riding their bikes. In between that it shows the progression of someone who was hit by a truck. There are close ups of him in the hospital bed, and the devastated expressions of his friends and family members. This negative imagery soon turns positive when it shows all the support he was getting from his family and friends, it is what motivated him to get better. There are clips of him having fun, doing the same things he usually would. He is shown practicing to walk and putting a great amount of effort into training himself. There are even moments of anger included, where he throws bikes etc. because he was failing. But he kept practicing and finally succeeded. This would be very motivational for the audience. The fact that most of the music video is recorded from first person perspective, allows the viewers to feel like they're a part of what was happening.

Regional Identity

I watched season 1, episode 1 of both The Only Way is Essex (2010- ) and Made in Chelsea (2011- ). These are two very successful shows in the UK, and I would argue that they both have a similar audience as both of these shows aim to show off the lifestyles of people who live in Essex and the people who live in Chelsea.
There are obviously multiple differences between the shows, you can tell this by simply looking at their titles. Chelsea is seen as a more upper class area, as it is very close to central London, which means the people living there are wealthy. Whereas the people from Essex are stereo-typically known for being unintelligent and promiscuous.

From the very first episode of The Only Way is Essex, it is clear that the characters massively focus on their appearance and the opposite sex. The vocabulary used throughout the episode includes of "babe" and "fit birds", this might be relatable to some audiences. The fact that the male characters call the females "fit birds" shows the lack of respect they have for them and that they're very shallow as they focus on their appearances. In the episode, the female characters are seen in beauty salons or clothing stores, and the men are seen at the gym to pass time. This implies to the audience that the characters care a lot about their appearance. Although the characters in Made in Chelsea seem to have similar interests, but they appear to be more educated as they discuss books and don't use any slang language, unlike discussing "vajazzles". The music in the TV shows is also an important aspect. In The Only Way is Essex the background music consists of the mainstream songs you'd hear on the radio such as "Frisky" by Tinie Tempah ft. Labrinth; in Made in Chelsea the background music is by the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra which is much more classy and sophisticated. Although "airplanes" by B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams, which would be considered as a pop song.

In Made in Chelsea, the men and women clearly love to take care of themselves and wear nice outfits. The difference between it and The Only Way is Essex is that they shop in shops such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton as they're shown at the beginning of the show. Additionally, unlike the men in The Only Way is Essex who go to the gym as a hobby, the male characters in Made in Chelsea go canoeing and talk about playing polo. This shows a clear contrast in social class between the two shows, as only wealthy people would be known to be doing such activities. Furthermore, the divide in class and status is shown through the setting, in Made in Chelsea the characters are seen drinking champagne and cocktails in a club in central London. Unlike in The Only Way is Essex, where they all go to a local club.
The shows start off very similarly as they both have two male friends discussing females in the car while they're driving; which shows that the genres and themes of the shows are very similar.

Untouchable - Film Analysis

Untouchable (2011) is a French film directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano. The genre of the film would be a biography with a mixture of drama and comedy included within it. The movie covers themes and representations of disability and race but overall it is about friendship. It focuses on a mismatched friendship between a wealthy middle-aged man and a black man who's an ex-convict. Both of these characters have their own disadvantage, one physical and the other socioeconomic. 

Disability is shown mostly under a positive light in this movie, it shows the audience that people with disabilities are still able to live normal and fulfilling lives. An example of this from the movie is when both of the characters go paragliding; an activity which you wouldn't expect a person who is paralyzed from the neck down to be willing, or even to be physically able to do. Phillipe hires Drill as his care taker because he doesn't treat him differently, he doesn't pity him or show him sympathy. That is exactly what Phillipe wanted. The friendship between the two of them grows and they begin to introduce each other to their own worlds. Phillipe has a massive influence on Driss on the way he behaves, this is clearly seen when at the beginning of the movie Driss violently drags a man out of his car because he was parked in a place he wasn't supposed to. Whereas towards the end of the movie, the same situation occurs, except this time Driss asks the man politely to move. This shows the audience how the character has changed positively. Similarly, Driss introduces Phillipe to a different type of music, he also lets Phillipe smoke weed... this is something the audience wouldn't expect an upper class man to be doing.

Race is also a major theme included in the movie, Driss and Phillipe are clearly from two different backgrounds and the audience would have never expected them to become friends. At the beginning of the movie, when Phillipe is interviewing people to be his carer, Driss is the only black man in the room. He is presented very differently to the white men as they are all dressed very smartly and have very good qualifications for the job. Driss however is wearing very casual street clothes and has no interest in actually applying for the job, he just wants to be able to claim his benefits. This is a negative stereotypical representation of black people, but his character grows throughout the movie and shows the audience his true loving nature.

The movie shows the development of Phillipe and Drill's friendship, it is engaging to the audience through the use of humour; which in my opinion is a big factor which lead to the movie being so successful around the world.

Weekly News

'How social media helped me deal with my mental illness'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35607567/how-social-media-helped-me-deal-with-my-mental-illness

Social media is often recognised as having a negative effect on people's lives as it encourages some people to be superficial, give others abuse, "troll" people etc. Even though social media clearly has lots of negative side effects; some people have found that it helped them deal with their mental illness.

The anonymity that some networks provide means that people can open up about their problems without fearing negative perceptions of mental health. Additionally, people are able to connect with others who are going through the same situations/issues which helps because it allows them to feel less isolated.

A 23 year old called Sophie Hawker suffered from anxiety, she found a tweet on twitter about "someone going for their first CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy - a type of counselling) session for anxiety" this made her research further into it and gain the support and advice she needed. She said it gave her "confidence to talk about it in real life because I'd already practised talking about it online".

Madeline is a 21 year old that found Reddit and YouTube helpful. She said "The social media channels where you are interacting with people that you don't know are more helpful for mental health issues".

In my opinion, I think the media needs to be recognised for it's positive effects as well as the negative ones. Although there might be more negative effects to media and the anonymity it provides, there are also positive sides to it as it helps people express themselves in ways they can't do face to face with others. It helps people find the support and information they need to help them with whatever issues they might be going through.

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I worked alone to create a script, poster and DVD cover for a thriller that was supposed to be aimed at a teen audience, which would be from the age of 15-20 as my movie is rated 15. I put a lot of thought into the age rating of my movie and conducted research to make sure I choose the appropriate rating. My movie is called “Love –M”, it’s a thriller with sub-genres of romance and friendship throughout. The romance included is likely to attract more females to watch it, which is specifically why I tried to make the poster and DVD cover appeal to both genders.

For my pre-production I carried out research and looked at many thriller posters and DVD covers to discover what the key codes and conventions are for the thriller genre, to help me with my production. It was immediately clear that the colour code for thrillers is black, white, red and hints of blue. For example, the “Shutter Island” poster has the conventions of a thriller as it includes a picture of the protagonist in low lighting, which creates a more mysterious atmosphere. The title of the movie is in red, and so is the month it is coming out, these are the only two things in red; this is purposely done as they are important pieces of information that need to be remembered by the audience. The image of the island, ties in with the movie title to give the audience a little bit more information about the storyline. On my poster, the title and “coming soon” are also the only images in red, as I thought this will catch the audience’s attention. I also used the idea of the protagonist being in low lighting, as I think this intrigues

the audience by making it more mysterious which should make them want to find out more. The poster of “Gone Girl” has a central image of the protagonist standing backwards, with his head turned toward the side so that you can’t see his full face. I liked the idea of this as it doesn’t reveal much to keep the audience curious; therefore I took a picture of the protagonist in my movie in the same position and put it as the central image of my poster. 

The image below is of my first attempt in creating the poster:

 I wanted the central image to be a silhouette because the audience isn’t supposed to know who the image is of, but once I created it and saw what it looked like I immediately realised that it needs to be a real photograph of someone as that would look much better. This is my final poster:

 The images on my poster and DVD cover were created to appeal to a teen audience of both genders, this was difficult as males and females often like different genres and have contrasting ideas and preferences. This is why I didn’t want my production to reveal too much about the movie, I want the audience to have the freedom to be curious as this should attract them to watch the movie. My central image is in very low lighting to create a sense of mystery and secrecy. The background is filled with notes to give the audience a further insight into the storyline, yet not revealing much at the same time. I think this will appeal to a teen audience as teens often do pass notes around to each other, but also some of the messages could be similar to ones that some teenagers might receive online as part of cyber-bullying or blackmail. This might make them feel relatable to the movie.

In comparison to other thriller movie posters and DVD covers, “Love –M” follows the typical colour scheme of black, white and red; with the red being specifically used to make all the important information stand out. However, the central image of most thriller posters and DVD covers is a picture of the protagonist; this is seen on the “Black Swan”, “The Guest” and “American Psycho” posters as well as many more.

In spite of this I decided to make my central image very dark with only a side view of the characters face, as this created a much more inexplicable style. Furthermore, the fonts used for the title of movies are usually bold to make it eye catching, as seen in the poster of “Hard Candy”. But I decided not to follow this feature as I thought it would be more suitable if my title looked informal and was in a handwriting style, since the title is what is written at the end of every note in the movie. However the title is a darker shade of red, which makes it stand out anyway.

The notes on the poster and DVD cover were created by me to make them appear more realistic. My DVD cover follows the same conventions as other DVD covers of thrillers; it has a dark colour scheme with just a few images at the back. When writing my blurb for the back cover of the DVD, I was trying to make it interesting to make it appeal to a wide audience. The image below is of my final DVD cover:

Overall my final production of my poster and DVD cover to “Love –M” had similar key codes and conventions to other thriller posters because it needs to be clear to the audience what the genre of the movie is. I think I’ve included all of the features that are needed on posters and DVD covers to make it look professional. Although, I think if I actually wrote out the notes in the background and took pictures of them, the poster and DVD cover would have looked better as they’d appear more realistic. Additionally, I could’ve taken more interesting images for the back of my DVD cover to attract people to watch it.

Weekly News

'Error 53' fury mounts as Apple software updates threaten to kill your iPhone 6

- http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/05/error-53-apple-iphone-software-update-handset-worthless-third-party-repair 

This article is from The Guardian newspaper, it's aim was to attract everyone's attention to the major fault in iPhone 6. It achieved this through revealing the so called "error 53" problem. "Thousands of iPhone 6 users claim they have been left holding almost worthless phones because Apple's latest operating system permanently disables the handset if it detects that a repair has been carried out by a non-Apple technician." This problem only becomes apparent if users update to the latest version of Apple's iPhone software, iOS 9. After it was installed many people lost their photos and other data held on the handset, tech experts claim that Apple knows all about the problem, and have done nothing to warn people that this may happen once you install the new update. 

It's very clear that Apple haven't mentioned this because they didn't want to lose customers, and also so that people will have to pay more to get their iPhone's repaired as "Apple charges £236 for a repair to the home button on an iPhone 6 in the UK, while an independent repairer would demand a fraction of that." I think that "error 53" was created purposely so that customers are forced to pay much more to repair their phone, I think this is ridiculous because Apple seem to do this a lot, as there are also multiple problems with their chargers.

Weekly News

UK Scientists Allowed To Modify Human Embryos

Scientists hope to gain an "insight into the causes of miscarriage" by winning the right to 'edit' the activity of genes in human embryos for the first time in the UK. The license will allow Dr Kathy Niakan to take her research further. The embryos they will be using are going to be from couples undergoing IVF treatment who don't need them. The embryos used in the research aren't allowed to be implanted into women. The purpose of this is to "assist infertile couples and reduce the anguish of miscarriage". Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, with laboratories in Hertfordshire and London, rely on "CRISPR-Cas9" technology which allows scientists to edit genes very precisely and very cheaply.

Some scientists are worried what this will lead to, it might end up with genetically modified embryos being implanted into women; there will be unforeseen consequences of this later in life of children with edited genomes, additionally, this could lead to 'designer' babies in the future.

In my opinion, I think what they're trying to do is good but I think it will lead to some ridiculous outcomes, which will lead to people wanting to design their babies etc. I think that as long as they don't let it get out of hand, it will be a great advantage to our knowledge of biological science.

Weekly News

Sex crimes against children rocket 75%

Home Office figures recorded 36,855 child sex offences in the year to September 2015. In the past 4 years child sex offences have increased by 75% (in England and Wales). Telford and Wrekin are the areas with the highest rates of child sex crimes, according to the data. The article (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sex-crimes-against-children-rocket-7243478#rlabs=3%20rt$category%20p$5) consists of multiple statistics which show which areas have the highest rate of child sex crimes.

This article stood out to me, as I'm sure it did to lots of other people. It stood out simply because of the large numbers of child sex offences. After reading this I found it very disturbing and disgusting that people would do such things, and these numbers are just for England and Wales; don't even want to know what they would be for the rest of the world. I think this article was written to raise awareness about this very serious issue to hopefully try and prevent it somehow.