Understanding Creative Media Industries (phone hacking)

In this unit learners will develop an understanding of the professional practices essential to working in any of the media industries. Learners will understand that media industries are diverse and made up of many different organisational structures which operate at a local, national and global level. Learners will gain an essential understanding of employment opportunities and job roles in the sector and will think about how they can become skilled and multi-skilled through training and professional development. They will also develop some knowledge of financial issues and ownership trends.

The content relating to learning outcomes 2 and 3 lends itself not only to individual and team research but also to role plays, with learners considering certain scenarios and situations in the workplace where they must make professional judgements. It is possible to cover this content by introducing examples from any sector and generating discussion around case studies.

This is a vocationally relevant approach to understanding the legal constraints and how they impact on professional and creative development and practice, whilst at the same time developing an understanding of the ways in which regulatory bodies work in the industry.

 

Regulation of the Media Sector

Introduction to regulation of the media sector

learners research controversial media products produced in their two industries considering:

·         what was controversial about the products

·         who was involved in the controversies

·         what the outcomes were

 

 

Ethical and Legal Constraints within the Media Sector

Introduction to ethical and legal constraints within the media sector.

learners research ethical and legal constraints relevant to their two industries

 

The TASK

 

You are someone who has been involved in the phone hacking scandal.

You need to write an article for your chosen newspaper detailing your judgement about 'phone hacking' and then controversial advertising. 

 

Base your findings on your understanding of legal and ethical considerations

 

·         To prepare your report you will need to;

 

·         Take on a character involved in the issue in a role play

 

·         Consider certain scenarios or situations

 

·         Conduct Individual and team research

 

·         Make professional judgements based on professional considerations

 

·         Use examples from at least two creative media sectors

 

·         Use at least two case studies

 

Step One is to conduct research into the phone hacking scandal

 

Step Two is to pick a character and prepare to take part in a live television debate as that character discussing the issues raised

 

 

Step Three is to write a newspaper article as your chosen character discussing the

 relevance of legislation and ethical issues to this issue showing an

understanding of regulatory issues and the work of regulatory

bodies, reflecting critically on the extent to which regulatory bodies are effective,

 

Start your research by looking at the Guardian web-site which has a thorough archive of articles about the issue of phone-hacking

 

http://www.theguardian.com/media/phone-hacking

 

 

Possible characters could include:

 

• Rebekkah Brooks
• Piers Morgan
• Wayne Rooney
• A representative of the Metropolitan Police Force
• News of the World Journalist Glenn Mulcaire
• David Cameron
• John Prescott
• Parents of Milly Dowler
• A representative of OFCOM
• Hugh Grant
• Sienna Miller and Jude Law
• MP Tom Watson
• Lord Leveson

Research the regulatory bodies and public bodies who have been involved with this issue

 

• Culture , Media and Sport  select committee
• Lord Leveson's inquiry
• Press Standards
• Press Complaints Commission

 

 

 

 

 

They are Nice Robots. They chose to stay. Daft Punk.

Get Lucky is number one in the charts and the groove is back.  A good text to use to explain how the music industry is a global phenomenon.

Start with the interviews with collaborators.  Pharrell Williams is particularly articulate. He explains the global appeal of Daft Punk who have suddenly become huge, appealing to audiences around the world.  No pun on their breakthrough hit which had a  brilliant video directed by Michel Gondry intended.  Williams feels that the music appeals to all ages and touches something elemental like all the great songs.  'This is for the globe'.  He says it is beyond 3D its 4D, 'its in your mind.'  You could say great music touches people and argue the case for music bringing people together. He uses the analogy of the heartbeat and how these robots have tapped into the essenece of humanity.  A good way to sell records if you know which buttons to press.  Get Lucky is one of those songs that hit you when you hear them for the first time and will be the big summer hit. It is released in time for summer so it will be the soundtrack to our holidays. It is retro and there is something for everyone. Williams says it is mid 70's early 80's and then given a modern electronica twist. He explains the appeal of something retro in 2013 as being made cool for a 'different universe, a different dimension'.  The fragmentation of culture means that, 'nothing is in the box anymore'  or no orthodoxy can be accepted without irony in a post-modern world.  This song is a celebration of humanity and its appeal is that it will bring people together.  I can imagine it being huge at festivals and on holidays which goes to the heart of what music is about.
The theme could be taken as being about getting lucky one night but more probably something more heartwarming about love at first sight or sharing with someone. All those elemental aspects of a great pop song, love reminiscence, nostalgia are there.  Williams points to the heartbeat being the centre of the song as if the robots are getting to the essence of humanity. Music as the great unifier.

Williams says, 'people lost respect for the groove...everything is so synthetic...its just missing the gut'.  You could compare this to X-Factor type artists who are manufactured. The theme of the soul of music being lost to corporate capitalism and branding can be discussed through this text.

Look at other collaborators such as Nile Rodgers, legendary rhythm and blues guitarist and producer. This could lead to an exploration of the history of music as a global force. Check out the history of the blues and track its evolution for an amazing trip.

Look at the other music videos for Daft Punk and see how they collaborate with artists in a range of mediums. Directors have made their names through innovative Daft Punk videos like 'Around the World.'  Discover others and see how the director's career has developed.

Look at the distribution of the single and album and how it is defying those who signal the downfall of the music industry.  From radio to cassetes and onto illegal downloading the deathknell has sounded many times.  The industry develops new ways to retain control and ultimately make money for the artist and the companies involved. Those who innovate and look forward like Apple with I-tunes win.  While those like Myspace who don't recognise the signs until too late become intrigiung footnotes in history.  Radio airplay is important for a song like this as it is so catchy.  The music charts are still relevant in marketing the single and the album also. No longer as integral to success, the chart position still creates a news story and a buzz. The other key marketing tool to look as is the use of social media.  Someone may post a link to the video ' I got my groove back' and its gone viral with friends who want to see what the fuss is about. This is the real genius of marketing where audiences are passing it on by their own free will.

How have the band and the record company, Columbia Records, restricted access to the album in the internet age?  This has been interesting as the buzz around the album has made it the 'must have' media artefact of the week.  Look at sites like Spotify and ITunes to see how the single promotes the album and whets the appetite of the audience.

Finally, back to the robots.  You could compare them to the artists you have studied as they have created personas in a different way or one coud say from a different dimension. This time adding an enigmatic code. Who are they and where are they from? Of course its all branding but its fun and post-modern. Maybe even make a comment about this being a clever way of critiquing the celebrity driven madness of pop music. Either that or look at the genre of electronic music and compare them to influential bands such as Kraftwerk, German techno pioneers who are rather faceless teutons behind a row of synthesiser yet sell out the Tate Modern in minutes with their enigmatic shows.  Maybe they are reclusive and not too keen to get caught up with industry demands to promote oneself, preferring the music to be the focus.  You decide and enjoy the groove and have a celebratory dance as the nice robots have decided to stay!

Music Industry

Persona – created by the performer to attract an audience

Star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of materials…stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings’

Beyonce

Lady Ga-ga

Ed Sheeran

How do they construct a persona to attract an audience?

Look at their music videos, album artwork, lyrics, use of wider media

With reference to your selected industry, explore how far your chosen texts are

global.

This is quite a broad question and can be answered from the perspective of global

content (setting, themes etc) as well as from the production, distribution and

audience angles. Please be open-minded and award coherent responses on merit.

• Artists,

performers

• Record

labels

• Marketing/promotion

• Global sales

• Fans

• Internet –websites,official and fan based

• Videos

• Radio Airplay

• Facebook,twitter, use of new media technologies

·       Celebrity

·       Use of news media

·       Global events and exposure

·       Manipulation of media

·       Regulation

·       Distribution including how this has changed

·        

At the upper end of this level, there will be

a sophisticated understanding of media

texts, their industry and/or audience

contexts. Examples used will be detailed,

coherent and lead towards a well established

point of view. Highly

appropriate use of relevant media

terminology.

At the upper end of this level, there will be

a sophisticated analysis of the relationship

between text, industry and audience (as

appropriate). Similarly, there will be a

sophisticated understanding of how

meanings and responses are created.

Look at messages and values in three key music videos

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jul/01/lady-gaga-vigilant-citizen-illuminati

http://vigilantcitizen.com/

Textual Analysis of a TV Drama looking specifically at issues of 'Representation'

Unseen Extract

Mise en Scene

Use of the Camera

Shot types

Editing techniques

Sound

Advice from the Examiners

'Go from the specific to the general'

1 - Pick out textual evidence

2 - Discuss connotations

3 - Broaden your point to discuss representation and to explain how meaning has been created


For example,

The actor is framed in mid-shot with a bewildered look on his face. This connotes that he is lost or struggling to come to terms with his whereabouts. 

He is wearing a leather jacket with wing-collared shirt.  When we see him in wide shot he is wearing flared trousers. The costume  suggests that the drama is set in the 1970's.   

The colour palette is brown and almost sepia which also connotes the time period is in the past.

From these elements of mise-en-scene the audience understands that this character is lost, or uncomfortable in this situation. The narrative may be about a character being out of time and place which is common trope in BBC dramas such as Doctor Who. 

Write a review of a contemporary computer game to demonstrate an understanding of audiences

Marketing of computer games is extremely important. In a crowded market it is often difficult to make products stand out. Different strategies are employed such as courting controversy as you have seen in previous tasks. Another tactic is to appeal to ‘retro’ gamers in marketing classic games that audiences have fond memories of such as the Mario Brothers franchise.

Another key tactic is to set the agenda with positive reviews. A new game has to push the boundaries and provide a new gaming experience.  Influencing the agenda of magazines, newspapers and online reviews can affect sales. 

Your task is to provide a positive review of a computer game that you are familiar with.  You don’t need to be familiar with console games as games on mobile phones and on social media sites like Facebook are part of the industry.  The important thing is that you are enthusiastic about the game and can influence an audience through your use of language.  You need to identify an audience by picking the publication that your review will be published in. For instance, a review of ‘Farmville’  may appear in a magazine aimed at a female market.

·       You must study a range of reviews to understand the conventions of writing for this purpose.

·       You must then write a review for a computer game that you are familiar with.

·       You are answering the examination question below in a creative way.

Discuss the audience appeal of your text

·       Research a range of reviews for computer games. The links in the resources section are a good place to start.

·       Identify the audience by stating the publication or online web-site that your review will appear in

·       Write a response to the examination question in a creative way by writing a positive review of a computer game. This will show an awareness of the audience for your chosen game.

·       In writing the review you will be covering the following examination question

Discuss the audience appeal of your text

Although print versions of these magazines are popular you can also find easily accessible online versions

Edge magazine claims to be the ‘leading magazine for the games industry’ and has many reviews and helpful advice about how to get into the industry

http://www.edge-online.com/

This magazine has a range of reviews

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/#

Each console has their own specialist magazines and this link will take you to one for the X-Box

http://www.oxm.co.uk/

This magazine claims to be the largest source for reviews in the world

http://uk.gamespot.com/reviews.html?mode=top&sortdir=asc