A number of students have been interviewed
for Christmas jobs at the Belfry’s winter wonderland experience. Paul failed the interview for the position of
elf and safety officer whilst Reece lasted two days claiming, ‘it was awful, I
was embarrassed.’
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, celebrity interior
designer and host of ‘Changing Rooms’, has designed ‘The Magical Journey’ which opened at The Belfry (£20
entry for children) and its closure is being represented in a way that makes it
a rich story for media students to analyse.
The national press has got hold of this
story as the ‘experience’ has temporarily closed down. This is the latest in a
perennial bout of stories (see Lapland New Forest) about these, sometimes, underwhelming
attractions. A cynic would say that they are exploitative and reduce 'the magic
of Christmas' to a tawdry event driven by consumerism and a lack of
imagination amongst those willing to feed the greed.
For us it presents an
opportunity to have a go at similar headline puns on this festive theme. It’s still
November! Maybe the cuts to the National Elf service
contributed to the shut down.
See if you can beat my headline and write
the article to go with it.
Research
Read the article in the Guardian
....and the comments accompanying it
....and the comments accompanying it
Explore the Facebook page to view the comments
This link will take you to the Magical journey web-site
The Daily Mail calling it Winter
Blunderland.
The Telegraph with an apology from the
event director
Questions to consider
The comments underneath the articles are well worth
reading and show how the audience interacts with media texts. News media are no
longer creating artefacts which are read passively, these stories often take on
a life of their own, moving in sometimes unexpected directions.
How can the
representation of this story affect parties involved?
For example, The Belfry, Laurence Llewelyn
Bowen, residents of Sutton Coldfield, the organisers…
Social media can have a profound effect on
business decisions and empower people. They
can also be manipulated by producers of media texts and trolls alike to steer a
response in an audience.
How does media
interactivity work in relation to this text?
This story is ripe for a little
embellishment. Emerging news ...
There is mention of a child being bitten by a reindeer, our own
prospective elves suggest that most elves are Eastern European. Santa was a
fake as the real one was at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Dudley. It was
actually very good but they are delaying due to the weather and it not being
near Christmas yet. Elves seen smoking.
Long queues, cheap presents, rude staff.
You have researched the facts in the
quality newspapers. Now write the
article for a tabloid audience. Include a headline, an image and two opening paragraphs.
