Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Explain, using specific examples, how the expansion of digital media has been an improvement for audiences.
There are so many ways in which digital media has expanded over the last decade or so, opening up a whoe new world of access for the audiences of films. Although different forms of media have been developed and thereby perhaps have split up film-viewing audiences, certain expansions have been a certain improvement for audiences in order to move with the times. The emphasis being mainly on film access, film audiences can access films online (not only is this convenient, but opens up a global variety of other film genres to audiences) as well as on various other platforms. Accessing film online is something many people will take part in, it's possible to watch films both legally and illegally from all over the globe from one's computer screen. Specific examples being things such as SkyPlayer, although you must be registered with Sky to use it it usually provides the most recent of blockbuster films after they have been released on DVD. Other examples include online TV channel players such as 4OD and BBCiPlayer which allow audiences to view recently shown programmes or film from the TV channel on their computer.
Internet access of films not only provides convenience for audiences but also provide them with a whole host of film types they could not access before. Although such access creates niche or 'cult' audiences and may provide problems for blockbuster film industires, for audiences this is a great improvement. People with alternative film interests can find what they're looking for and not be limited by their national film industry & it's trends. There are many film genres from different cultures that have become a lot more popular thanks to this internet access, such as Japanese anime (a personal favourite of my own). Also kinds of 'cult' films are becoming a lot more popular and thus shown in cinemas attracting huge interest, even when they are low budget. In my opinion this is a great improvement, as people's preferences are not as heavily influenced by the high-budget films overloaded with CGI and with vortually no plot (namely Avatar).
Furthermore, advances in the platforms films can be viewed on is also a great improvement. So not only can audiences watch films on their TVs, at the cinema or online but on so many other things. These include various game consoles such as Sony PSP and PS3 as well as Microsoft's Xbox 360. Mobile phones are also geared up to deal with film streaming now. In addition, advances in the traditional methods of viewing films at home such as VHS are also great improvements. Although there's nothing like watching a video from the 90's, there is no doubt that DVD and BluRay discs are an extreme improvement in sound picture quality in home film viewing. Cable providers such as Sky and Virgin also have features available to customers that allow them to record and watch films from current TV so they can watch them at any time they want, they can also pause/rewind/fastforward live TV which is an extremely useful feature.
Internet access of films not only provides convenience for audiences but also provide them with a whole host of film types they could not access before. Although such access creates niche or 'cult' audiences and may provide problems for blockbuster film industires, for audiences this is a great improvement. People with alternative film interests can find what they're looking for and not be limited by their national film industry & it's trends. There are many film genres from different cultures that have become a lot more popular thanks to this internet access, such as Japanese anime (a personal favourite of my own). Also kinds of 'cult' films are becoming a lot more popular and thus shown in cinemas attracting huge interest, even when they are low budget. In my opinion this is a great improvement, as people's preferences are not as heavily influenced by the high-budget films overloaded with CGI and with vortually no plot (namely Avatar).
Furthermore, advances in the platforms films can be viewed on is also a great improvement. So not only can audiences watch films on their TVs, at the cinema or online but on so many other things. These include various game consoles such as Sony PSP and PS3 as well as Microsoft's Xbox 360. Mobile phones are also geared up to deal with film streaming now. In addition, advances in the traditional methods of viewing films at home such as VHS are also great improvements. Although there's nothing like watching a video from the 90's, there is no doubt that DVD and BluRay discs are an extreme improvement in sound picture quality in home film viewing. Cable providers such as Sky and Virgin also have features available to customers that allow them to record and watch films from current TV so they can watch them at any time they want, they can also pause/rewind/fastforward live TV which is an extremely useful feature.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Narrative Theories
Propp
Propp came up with the theory that characters in a story take on single or multiple specific roles of narrative 'spheres of action' or functions. So in short, the character roles create the narrative. Propp came up with 7 character types usually found in a narrative (a character could adopt 1 or more of these roles); the Hero (restores narrative equilibrium by embarking on a quest), the Villain (creates the narrative destruction), the Donor (gives the Hero something to help store equlibrium), the Helper (aids the Hero), the Princess (most threatened by the villain, usually has to be saved), the Dispatcher (sends the Hero on their task) and the False Hero (appears to be good but turns out to be bad in the end).
Todorov
Todorov came up with 5 generic stages he thought would be found in a narrative, and tend to be found in most mainstream ones. These stages are as follows;
1. a state of equilibrium at the beginning
2. a disruption of this equilibrium by some action
3. a realisation that there has been a disruption
4. an attempt to repair this disruption
5. a restoration of the initial equilibrium
Barthes
Barthes came up with 5 codes which he thought were woven into any narrative. These 5 codes are as follows:Enigma Code - Something the audience does not know.
Action Code - Something the audience knows and don't need explaining. (E.g. Packing a suitcase in a hurry connotes running away)
Semic Code - Using hints (E.g. Mansion, Sports car, Butler, Posh classical music) to connote certain concepts such as wealth.
Symbolic Code - A structure which organizes meaning such as through the use of binary opposites.
Referential Code - Looks at the audiences wider cultural knowledge, morality and ideology.
Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss saw narrative structures in terms of binary oppositions; sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts. For example, Good & Evil, Earth & Space, Old & Young, Dark & Light, etc. He was not interested in the order events were arranged. Themes contain a variety of binary oppositions, such as sci-fi films may contain Earth & Space as well as Good & Evil and Humans & Aliens, etc.
Propp came up with the theory that characters in a story take on single or multiple specific roles of narrative 'spheres of action' or functions. So in short, the character roles create the narrative. Propp came up with 7 character types usually found in a narrative (a character could adopt 1 or more of these roles); the Hero (restores narrative equilibrium by embarking on a quest), the Villain (creates the narrative destruction), the Donor (gives the Hero something to help store equlibrium), the Helper (aids the Hero), the Princess (most threatened by the villain, usually has to be saved), the Dispatcher (sends the Hero on their task) and the False Hero (appears to be good but turns out to be bad in the end).
Todorov
Todorov came up with 5 generic stages he thought would be found in a narrative, and tend to be found in most mainstream ones. These stages are as follows;
1. a state of equilibrium at the beginning
2. a disruption of this equilibrium by some action
3. a realisation that there has been a disruption
4. an attempt to repair this disruption
5. a restoration of the initial equilibrium
Barthes
Barthes came up with 5 codes which he thought were woven into any narrative. These 5 codes are as follows:Enigma Code - Something the audience does not know.
Action Code - Something the audience knows and don't need explaining. (E.g. Packing a suitcase in a hurry connotes running away)
Semic Code - Using hints (E.g. Mansion, Sports car, Butler, Posh classical music) to connote certain concepts such as wealth.
Symbolic Code - A structure which organizes meaning such as through the use of binary opposites.
Referential Code - Looks at the audiences wider cultural knowledge, morality and ideology.
Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss saw narrative structures in terms of binary oppositions; sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts. For example, Good & Evil, Earth & Space, Old & Young, Dark & Light, etc. He was not interested in the order events were arranged. Themes contain a variety of binary oppositions, such as sci-fi films may contain Earth & Space as well as Good & Evil and Humans & Aliens, etc.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Converging a Game-Show
The game show I would choose to converge (if I could) is Robot Wars; the game show where contestants create their own robots and then throw them into battle with one another. There are many media formats that Robot Wars could be converged with; those of video games, iPhone apps, webcam/internet streams, internet competitions and perhaps betting.
Production
Converging robot wars with various media formats other than television could lead to changes in production with the original programme. One of these changes maybe how contestants would gain the chance to appear on the show; instead of traditionally applying by post or phone call a competition could be created in which would-be contestants would have to compete in order to appear on the TV show. For example, an online multiplayer game could be made (in the theme of Robot Wars of course) in which people could customise & build virtual robots and then fight each other with them. When players would win matches they would gain points, those with the most points by a certain date would be those who could build their own real-life robot and fight with it on the programme. Further more, if webcam streaming would become a part of the show then it would need to be considered where the webcams could be placed during production. The most obvious ideas could be on the battling robots themselves, this way people on the internet could watch different aspects of the matches. If this happened, another element could be introduced – that of betting on matches. While watching live webcam streams spectators could bet online (perhaps with points they had earned on the online multiplayer game) which robot they thought would win the current match, or future ones.
Distribution
The aforementioned idea of webcam streaming links to distribution as it provides another format on which the television programme can be accessed & watched, and thus distributed to viewers. Depending on which channel Robot Wars would be broadcast on at the time, downloadable or stream-able episodes of the series could be available to the public on internet players such as 4 OnDemand and BBCiPlayer. DVD boxsets could also be sold.
Marketing
In terms of marketing, as well as online multiplayer games, there could be a range of various other video games produced based upon Robot Wars that could be marketed to gain profit. DVD box-sets of the series’ could also be sold. Furthermore, the show & its merchandise would mainly be advertised on television as well as on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to ensure that all audiences are reached. Also applications such as news feeds could be available for download to mobile phones to raise audience awareness of upcoming episodes and release of merchandise.
Technologies
Assessing all that I have already mentioned, aside from all the conventional TV-show-making equipment, other technologies we would need to utilise would mainly be that of the internet and its many qualities (especially since the internet can be accessed not only from a computer, but also from mobile phones, PSPs and other handheld devices). Also, mobile phones and gaming systems are also being addressed if phone applications and video games are also to be produced. Thus, audiences can interact with the game show on all manner of formats, depending on their preference – the more formats the game show accesses the larger audience it reaches.
Production
Converging robot wars with various media formats other than television could lead to changes in production with the original programme. One of these changes maybe how contestants would gain the chance to appear on the show; instead of traditionally applying by post or phone call a competition could be created in which would-be contestants would have to compete in order to appear on the TV show. For example, an online multiplayer game could be made (in the theme of Robot Wars of course) in which people could customise & build virtual robots and then fight each other with them. When players would win matches they would gain points, those with the most points by a certain date would be those who could build their own real-life robot and fight with it on the programme. Further more, if webcam streaming would become a part of the show then it would need to be considered where the webcams could be placed during production. The most obvious ideas could be on the battling robots themselves, this way people on the internet could watch different aspects of the matches. If this happened, another element could be introduced – that of betting on matches. While watching live webcam streams spectators could bet online (perhaps with points they had earned on the online multiplayer game) which robot they thought would win the current match, or future ones.
Distribution
The aforementioned idea of webcam streaming links to distribution as it provides another format on which the television programme can be accessed & watched, and thus distributed to viewers. Depending on which channel Robot Wars would be broadcast on at the time, downloadable or stream-able episodes of the series could be available to the public on internet players such as 4 OnDemand and BBCiPlayer. DVD boxsets could also be sold.
Marketing
In terms of marketing, as well as online multiplayer games, there could be a range of various other video games produced based upon Robot Wars that could be marketed to gain profit. DVD box-sets of the series’ could also be sold. Furthermore, the show & its merchandise would mainly be advertised on television as well as on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to ensure that all audiences are reached. Also applications such as news feeds could be available for download to mobile phones to raise audience awareness of upcoming episodes and release of merchandise.
Technologies
Assessing all that I have already mentioned, aside from all the conventional TV-show-making equipment, other technologies we would need to utilise would mainly be that of the internet and its many qualities (especially since the internet can be accessed not only from a computer, but also from mobile phones, PSPs and other handheld devices). Also, mobile phones and gaming systems are also being addressed if phone applications and video games are also to be produced. Thus, audiences can interact with the game show on all manner of formats, depending on their preference – the more formats the game show accesses the larger audience it reaches.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
What is TV Drama?
There are many things included in the genre of TV drama. In simple terms, TV drama is fictional action in narrative form. TV drama splits into many different sub-genres in modern broadcast, and it is important to understand how and why.
Examples of TV Drama; Wallander, Doctors, Made in Wales, Eastenders, Holby City, Doctor Who, Lip Service, Being Human, Sherlock, Casualty, The Vut, Middletown, Lennon Naked, Made in Wales. (Broadcast on BBC)
Examples of TV Drama mixed with another genre; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Heartbeat, Inspector Morse. Many of these are crime, detective or police dramas. The reason for this combination is because police shows and action often go hand in hand; therefore you get a police drama, this way it's action in real-life context.
Different kinds of TV Drama; Comedy Drama, Police Drama, Detective Drama, Medical Drama, Historical Drama, Political Drama, Romance Drama, Legal Drama, Sci-Fi Drama, Supernatural Drama, Military Drama, Children's Drama,
*Needs Finishing*
Examples of TV Drama; Wallander, Doctors, Made in Wales, Eastenders, Holby City, Doctor Who, Lip Service, Being Human, Sherlock, Casualty, The Vut, Middletown, Lennon Naked, Made in Wales. (Broadcast on BBC)
Examples of TV Drama mixed with another genre; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Heartbeat, Inspector Morse. Many of these are crime, detective or police dramas. The reason for this combination is because police shows and action often go hand in hand; therefore you get a police drama, this way it's action in real-life context.
Different kinds of TV Drama; Comedy Drama, Police Drama, Detective Drama, Medical Drama, Historical Drama, Political Drama, Romance Drama, Legal Drama, Sci-Fi Drama, Supernatural Drama, Military Drama, Children's Drama,
*Needs Finishing*
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Thriller Evaluation - Full Version
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