Research/ Essay Writing Tutorial:

-What was the intention?

-Who's interest does the media product serve?

-Who benefits from it being made and does its production support an ideological position.

-Is it/ was it part of a propaganda campaign- pro something? (May be subtle)

Meaning and Semiotics:

-What meanings are generated by the adaption or news piece?

-What are the social & cultural mechanisms of communication (symbolic/ visual/ formal/ textual/ textural/ auditory/ verbal)

-What are the connotations and meanings being formed- are these 're imagined'- intended or not...

-CONTEXT- Consider reviews/ papers or re-readings of meaning after time has evolved or after other cultural or global changes: political for example.

-Consider also the inter textual relationship that exists now between all media products in culture- books, gaming, cinema, small screen, online etc.

Reading to expand knowledge and power to interpret/ self analyse:

- Undertake reading to clarify and expand your knowledge to answer these types of questions.

- This will help you to develop rich case studies and select relevant and interesting examples of creative output to elaborate around and theorise around.

Critical Writing:

-A clear and confident refusal to accept the conclusions of other writers without evaluating.

-A balanced presentation of reasons why the conclusions of other writers may be accepted or may need to be treated with caution;

-A clear presentation of your own evidence.

Descriptive writing- Not developing argument; merely setting the background within each argument can be developed. As it stands. AVOID OVER-USE (WON'T BE MARKED)

Referencing sources:

-Paraphrasing, Summarising, Quoting- Requires Citation (Author, Initial, Book, Page).

Initial Critical Perspective Essay Ideas: Question 1

Discuss and critically analyse the view that 'with a successful adaption, the original work is transformed into something new and different, although retaining many traces of what was formally' with reference to at least one text adaption for broadcast.

Potential Adaptions:

-A Song of Ice and Fire
-Fargo
-It
-Gotham
-From Dusk Till Dawn
-Sherlock

Successful?- Subjective Term. -Terms of Reference.
-Box office/ Barb
-Recommissioned.
-Frequently Adapted
-Critical Reception
-Journalism/ News

Traces/ What Was It Formally?:
-Plot
-Characters
-Tone
-New and Different/ Modernised.

Critical Perspectives:

-Essay writing and structuring
-Time management

New Skills:
-developing your research and critical writing skills.
-Independent research

Aims:
-Promote deeper critical understanding of audio visual output together with related ethical and ideological concerns.

120- Scheduled Study
180- Independent Study

Assessment:
Written assessment-
-Essay- 50%
-Dissertation Proposal- 50%

Essay 50%

1, Discuss and critically analyse the view that 'with a successful adaption, the original work is transformed into something new and different, although retaining many traces of what was formally' with reference to at least one text adaption for broadcast.

2, Analyse the implications of outline journalism and the extent to which 'we are all journalists now', making reference to examples of both traditional broadcast journalism and citizen journalism.

Project submission:
-10th November 1500 to 1600 hrs-- Draft submission of essay. hard copy on paper, properly formatted using Havard.

-15th December 1000 to 1100 hrs-- Final submission, hard copy-submission through 'Turnitin'.

Question 1:
-What is this question asking you to consider?
-What television broadcasts could you consider referencing as case studies?
-How viable is this as a choice?
-What are the challenges in answering this option and using your chosen case study?

Research: Top Gear

Probably the most famous show which focuses of motoring in the UK is Top Gear. Originally presented by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, the show mostly consisted of the three presenters talking about the latest cars. There is a sense of fun and charisma presented by the three presenters.

The music in particular is a main point of interest as I will be creating the soundtrack for our news piece. I noticed that there was a lot of bass prominent throughout the music featured when they were driving around in their cars. The pieces also appeared to have a moderate pace to them.

I feel that this sort of style will work well with how our style should be and shall try to adapt the music to sound like this. The main complication I would have would be trying to find the balance between the professionalism of the BBC News and the more fun feel of Top Gear

Test Filming a News Story:

Today, we had a workshop which allowed us to have a go at filming a news report. we were allowed the opportunity to use a green screen and even an autocue to allow to get used to how we would film the studio side of the news report.

Previously, we were given the task of creating a script based on a news story that our groups were given. our group was given a story about the increasing number of strikes on the London railway and the disruptions caused by this.

Here is the final script that we managed to devise over Skype:





As I have already been allocated as the studio presenter for our final group project, I stood up to the task of studio presenting this story.

At first, I found that reading from the autocue was quite difficult. However, we were able to increase the size of the font, making less words per line, therefore making it easier to read. We also had to speed up the autocue as the larger lettering meant that there was more space between each paragraph. This caused me to take long pauses between each paragraph which would have looked strange in the final edit of the news report.

After these problems were fixed, I felt comfortable reading from the autocue and was able to give a good natural performance, minus the few stutters and mis-interpretations of punctuation (of which I sloppily wrote myself)

Electric Car Dealerships

We also decided that we should go and follow up on some car dealerships that had been contacted by others in the group in regards to possibly borrowing an electric car to test drive and use for the shoot.
We made our way to the car dealership garages located in Maidstone so we could go and ask the staff there in person in regards to test driving one of their electric cars.

At first, we tried the Renault garage. They immediately said no, stating that they don't personally do that sort of thing. At this point we started to get a bit nervous, thinking that all of the car dealerships would give us the same answer.

The next garage we tried was Nissan. We had a little more luck with them, as the staff member we spoke to went to speak to management. He came back soon after and gave us a different contact number to get in touch with someone who could help us with our request.

Lastly, we tried the Mercedes Benz garage, specifically the Smart Car display. Here we were able to meet with a previous contact we had acquired before who was able to take one of our phone numbers (after checking that at least one of us was over 21 and had a drivers license) and said that they would pass our request onto management.

Hopefully this follows through so can have the opportunity to properly display our subject matter by filming the electric car in action.

28th September: More Location Scouting

Just like before, our group decided that we should arrive at the studios for 10 o'clock so we could scout out some more locations to film the electric car in motion. I managed to find a location that was only roughly eight minutes away from the Maidstone Studios itself.

The road is Lidsing Road, Boxley, Maidstone. the good thing about this road is, while the main stretch of the road is a little bit busy, it leads off onto a smaller road. this is hop farm road, a narrow road surrounded by high hedges and large fields beyond that. This is a great shooting location as it offers some interesting scenery throughout its entire length. Also, we encountered no other vehicles in the time we were there.

This road also leads into an even smaller road, Bell Lane. This road was quite muddy, though, so we didn't venture too far onto it. From the brief look we did have, however, it looked like it would be an enclosed enough space where we would have no disturbances from other road users.

Technology on Youtube Channels

I have started looking into how Technology orientated channels on Youtube choose to advertise and themselves so that we can take some inspiration from them and see if we can emulate the kind of style the websites are going for.

LATEST TECH:

The channel 'Latest Tech' is a channel that supplies videos on any type of technology, be it new gadget releases or demonstrations of said gadgets.

The only proper form of branding that the Youtube channel has( and thus would be the case with most of these channels ) is at the start and end of each video when the logo comes up. There is also a large banner on the actual channel itself. The branding includes a simple logo with a rigid outline to emphasis the lettering. the background is filled with large triangular shapes and various shades of bright colour.

This channel seems to want to make itself stand out against other similar channels. However, I feel that this does not reflect on the subject of technology and the future.

TECHNOLOGY NEWS:

This site goes for a more minimalist approach, again the branding features on the channel banner. The the red colour is very minimal just like the last example but is also used to keep in with the whole 'Youtube' theme. The cleaner style makes the presentation appear more professional and futuristic.

TECHFLOW:

This sight strays from the minimalist style and instead uses eye-catching visuals. The picture reflects on the technological aspect of the website design as it was taken and edit using various pieces of technology. 

FUTURE TECH:

Future Tech incorporates minimalism again bt with a darker background, making for a greater contrast for the brand name to stand out.

AT&T TECH:

Again, going for a minimalist design, this channel features several pictures of various pieces of technology and people using them. there is no title, suggesting that they want to use the pictures in order to visually describe what the channel is about.

Overall, I feel that the most prominent theme that is shown throughout most of these channels is the use of minimalism. This creates a 'cleaner'-looking aesthetic which is more likely to appeal to people looking towards, and reflecting on, the themes of a cleaner future. The title text itself is also not as bold as channels focusing on another topic might use.

This would suggest that if we want to emulate the feel of the futuristic themes for our own 'News Channel' about car technology, then we should go for minimalism to give the report a 'cleaner' aesthetic.

Research BBC News

To help me to get inspiration for how the project should be branded as well as the style of music that is presented here.

The BBC News colour palette mostly consists of reds and whites, giving the overall production a professional and industrial look that reflects on the kind of serious content that is being conveyed to audiences.

The music, however, is what I am most focused on. The opening jingle for the program is iconic. It features a loud 'thud' before an electronic bass-line starts. The 'thud' sound then repeats itself as the news presenters announce each upcoming news story. After the presenters have finished talking, the main part of the jingle/ opening theme begins with a beep representing the countdown of a clock until the start of the first news story. The steady build up of strings is also audible in the background, coming to their peak at the end of the piece. There are also a few electronic noises presented quietly.

I shall take some great inspiration from this opening theme in particular to emulate for our own soundtrack which I shall be creating. Most prominently the style of bass-line as well as using the beeping sound throughout to give the pice a professional feel.

26th September, Location Scouting:

Today, we decided that we should follow up on one of the locations I found to serve as a quiet road where we can film some footage of one of us driving the car (This would almost certainly be Alex, being as he is the only one of us who is over 21 years of age, as the restrictions apply).

The road that we took a look at was Pilgrims Way and Water Lane in Boxley, Maidstone. Upon arriving, there was some great enthusiasm for the location I had found. Closer observation revealed that there was an old railway bridge which narrows the already narrow road. The area underneath is also quite dark, meaning that there could be some good shots of the car slowly emerging from the dim, and then presenting itself in its 'futuristic glory' as it were.

There are several raised parts of land surrounding the bridge, meaning that we can get some higher angle shots of the bridge and, indeed, the car itself. there are also several lay-bys which can be used as camera positions.

Another positive thing about this road was, in the twenty minute space we were at the location for, we only encountered one other car, meaning that this road is not busy at all. We would obviously need permissions to film on this road, with possible road closure, as with all filming on roads.

This footage would be included as part of the 'package' segment of the news report.

Tech/ Electric Car Company logos:

I have started looking into the different logos from various Technology companies and advertisers as well as from Electric Car companies. This was to see if we could get some inspiration on how we should brand or advertise our own news report and what kind of form it would take.

Here's the screen shot from the word document I generated:

It appears that there is a minimalistic theme throughout all of these logos, possibly reflecting on the 'cleaner' aesthetic represented by the futuristic theme of Technology and, indeed, Electric Transport.

3rd Lecture: Writing and Storytelling for News

-Writing well is a subjective art.
-When writing commentary, keep it in the present- Use present tense, even when the commentary is recorded afterwards.
-What sort of story do we want to tell?

-Writing past tense is used in news stories as if you are reflecting on a past event long ago.

-If your average sentence has more than 16 words, it is too long.

Clarity and precision:
-Be clear and precise on what you are going to say.

Never use a metaphor whose proper meaning you do not understand.

Write again and again, simplifying the language you are using to express your story each time.

Consider writing techniques which can help the 'reading' of your story:
-Alliteration- e.g. the Players taking Polo to the Park.
-Aviod Repetition- say them once, tease out thoughts and set them up.
-Rule of Three
-Simililies and metaphors- comparisons and contexts- RELATABLE.
-Personification- Use with caution to avoid cliches!
-Exaggeration- Giving emphasis.

The 'Page Fest'
-PRECISE- Use language correctly, Spelling and Grammar, Use words to speak clearly.
-ACCURATE- Check facts with reliable sources, make sure you are up to date, STATISTICS
-GERMANE- Necessary and Relevant, Know your story, Purpose, Content, Structure
-EQUITABLE- Balance, Fair, Objective, Representative, Sensitivity
-FLOW- Logic, The Natural Order-Structure, Use scripting to naturally link one point to the next point..

Write in the Correct Order:
-Write LEAD-IN first (Intro to story)
-DON'T REPEAT THE LEAD IN WITHIN YOUR PACKAGE

How to write a good lead:
-Attention grabbing
-Concise and not overloaded with facts
-Should sound fresh/ 'new'
-Be written in an 'Active Voice'.
-Be creative
-Conversational in tone.

Attention grabbing:
-Distilling your idea into a TOP LINE
-They can therefore decided wither it is RELEVANT to them

Conversational Tone:
-Write as if you are imparting some important news to a friend.

Things to Avoid:
-'Journalese'- artificially exaggerated
-Overuse of cynical terms

Headlines and coming ups:
-the other important tool in writing for news is creating your HEADLINES- these are the initial brief SELLING TOOL for your stories.

Scripting OOV/SOT
-Requires the ability to discern good sound bites from interviews and the script in an out of them.

Scripting a news package:
-Work out key elements of your film on paper before filming
-Work out shot list and scripted elements such as PTC

Who is involved in the story?
What are they doing now?
What happens next?

Deciding how to tell your story:
-Access
-Time
-Duration
-Angle
-Essentials

Narrative
-Thing of the package as a whole.
-What NARRATIVE THREAD?

Narrative development:
-KEEP IT NEW!

Narrative Structure:
-Chronologically
-Most up to date info/ px first
-Story told through strong central character.

To do list 2:

-Talk about the day (26th September)- checked out road, other locations (park), looking at logos.
Phoned Maidstone Council.

-Set up my tutorial log- My UCA

-Plan research, schedule for upcoming 6 weeks.

-Get mock live show video from Alex/ George to put in blog.

-Update details about Skype.

-Essay Planning

-Talk about the stuff that I missed yesterday in surprise group meeting.

Making Enquiries Into Car Dealership/ Tech Company Themes and Colour Choices

I was also given the task of contacting various car dealerships or tech websites in order to find out more about their advertising through their websites and what they hope to convey to anyone who views their website.

Here are the car dealership websites and tech websites I have attempted to contact:

TESLA:

C (Computer) Net:

FORD HAYNES:

NISSAN:

 MINI:

Some of these have been sent as Feedback emails but I have made sure to make it clear that these emails are just for general enquiry.

Quiet Roads (Filming locations for Car footage)

I have been assigned to look for some quiet roads where we could possibly filming footage of a car in motion near Maidstone. Here are some of which I have found:

Lower Road,  & Dean Street, East Farleigh B2010 (Located South West of Maidstone Town Centre)

This road, although part of a B-Road, appears to be a quiet enough road with several winding bindings ideal for shots of the car. Dean St in particular leads towards a farm and is more narrow. The only problem is that, because of this, we might keep having trouble with oncoming vehicles and ones from behind won't be able to over-take with ease. Though this may be a problem with most of the roads I'll find.




Pilgrims Way, Maidstone ME14 3EB

Pilgrims way is a small street that, eventually leads into what appears to be a farm lane surrounded by fields, making a nice backdrop for the car to be displayed in front of.

However, a small problem is the fact that the area leading into this road in built up and our filming might cause some disturbance among the residents. As long as we stray away from the more urban parts of the road, we should be fine.



Pilgrims Way & Water Lane, Boxley, Maidstone

By coincidence, there is also another Pilgrims Way in Boxley, Maidstone, just north east of the centre of Maidstone. The road itself appears to be quiet, again passing many fields and there are less urban areas than the aforementioned road. This road also connects with Water Lane which appears to be much the same way. Again, the narrow road may cause problems if any other cars happen to come by.



Wouldham Road, Wouldham. (Near Rochester) Other wise shown as High St

Wouldham Road is mostly a straight road, perfect for longer takes of the car. There are some small urban areas dotted across this road as it leads straight through Wouldham (West of Gillingham) itself but there are plenty of long, empty stretches of road which we can use. The scenery overall is mostly filled with trees lining the sides of the road and large fields can often be seen on longer stretches of the road. It is a dual road, however, meaning that it may be a busier road than others.



Chart Hill Road & Lower Farm Road, Broughton Monchelsea (South East of Maidstone)

Chart Hill Road, much like the other roads I have listed on here, is a narrow, mostly enclosed road with a scenic backdrop which would be ideal if we want a quiet place to film footage of the car in motion. However, a road literally on the other side of a field next to it is a farm road and thus appears even more enclosed and provides more bends which would make for some good opportunities for footage.



Extra:

Tyland Lane, Abbey Gate, Maidstone, Kent.       Chatham Road, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent

These are small no-through roads. Perfect if we need somewhere secluded. The only issue is that its a residential area (not-built up however) and may cause some minor disturbances.

Some Minor Confusion That Got A Bit Messy

As strange thing happened which caused quite a lot of stress over the past few days where my group had started harassing me over Facebook and writing negative comments about me on Blogger due to a misunderstanding of a blog post that I had written.

This specific blog post was a To-Do List which I and created to help remind me of what I needed to do over the next few days. One of these was listed as 'Talk About Electric Cars And Why I Do Not Like It' which was intended to be a blog talking about how I don't personally agree with the concept of replacing standard petrol cars with electric cars. However, in hindsight, I realise that I worded this badly. Because of this, the rest of my group mistook this for me having a problem with the project without my telling them.

This did cause quite a big mess as quite a few misleading comments about me were made on their blogs and they had started unnecessarily questioning me on my dedication to the course.

It got to a point where I had to reach out to one of them individually and explain how they were mislead. Thankfully they fully understand this and things appear to be fine.

In future, I shall save all my To-Do Lists as drafts to avoid any more confusion.

I personally do not agree with the idea of looking at each other's blogs seeing as they are our own individual development logs to be communicated solely to our tutor. However, I had to give in and do this just this once as I was very worried about what was being said.

Research: Website Design and Branding: HAYNES FORD MAIDSTONE

The first thing I've already noticed when looking at the front page of the HAYNES FORD website is the wildly different use of colour from that of the TESLA website. Instead of the industrial feel of the Tesla website, Ford goes for a brighter palette with different shades of bright blue and white across the page. This kind of design also reflects on the style and colour of racing cars and stadiums, giving an overall feel that appears more interested in promoting the motoring side of car dealership.

Upon looking at the different types of cars and how they are laid out, I have found that, although the display of their products is laid out in a similar sort of way to the Tesla website, there is far more variation. each car is of a different shape depending on what type of car they are as well as all showing varied colours. The colour palette on the advertising is much more eye-catching and bright compared to the dull muted colours of the Tesla cars that were on show. This makes the advertised vehicle more likely to draw the customers eye.

In terms of branding, the Ford logo is almost immediately noticeable as it is placed near the centre of the screen with a telephone number and another Ford-related advertisement next to it. The Haynes logo is also visible hovering above the Ford logo. This would suggest that Ford and Haynes are proud of their namesake (being a well-known company for several decades) and appear to put their name forward as a hopeful indication of reliability. It is also worthy to note that despite whichever page you click on, the same logos and advertisements stay at the top of every page.

Using this more bold type of design for our own TV news report might be a better option to draw the viewer's eye. However, this shouldn't be so much that the viewer is distracted from the other elements appearing on screen. The Tesla design certainly reflects more on the futuristic aspect of the subject matter of the electric car (something that Haynes Ford is also trying to advertise, though it is not at the forefront like it is with Tesla). I feel that we would need to make a compromise between both stylistic design choices to reflect on both the motoring as well as the futuristic aspects of our own news show.

Research: Electric Car Website Design and Branding: TESLA

My task to help to further research and develop the Electric Car idea our group has had was to look at how the companies involved in the electric car industry wish to advertise and brand their products:

First look at the TESLA website indicates that they're going for a seemingly futuristic/ industrial look. There is a lot of blacks and silver shades around the screen with red being another prominent colour as backdrops to segments of writing. The colours are all muted with even the colour selection for cars consisted of bland, dark variations of several colours such as green, red and blue.

The first page that we are introduced to features a large video of several Tesla cars driving around eye catching scenery, putting the product first and foremost. This means that this will be the first thing that would catch the average buyer's eye, especially due to the impressive graphic.

A look at the cars themselves (or at least the same stock photos with slight colour variations) reveals that the website wants to to put the formality of the products forward, with the cars each being lined up in exactly the same way, showing consistency, each with the same muted colour palette as shown on most of the pages of the website.

Interestingly enough, when it comes to branding, I had to look around the screen to finally find the Tesla logo. It was hidden away at the top left corner of the screen and was very small. This minimalist branding of the products could suggest that the company is putting the products themselves before their name.

Though the muted and industrial colour palette might overall look slightly boring, it is a good reflection on the futuristic nature of what the electric car stands for, making it a good representation of the product. This also gives us an option as to the backdrop colour palette and the various inserts that will persist through our own news report.

I shall look at some other websites for further blog posts so we can compare the styles and designs and choose which type we would like to emulate.

TV News Studio Presenter

I have discussed with the group about who should present out TV News report from the 'studio'. After some thought, I volunteered to be the studio presenter to which they, presently, have agreed. This helps me to show more input into the project overall, being a big part of the main report itself.

I shall also put in the suggestion that should also script what the studio presenter should say, being an integral part of it myself.

Music/ Soundtrack for TV News:

For our TV News project, I have offered to create a small soundtrack which can serve as both our TV New Channel theme and as background music during the package report or when the presenter in the studio is talking.

Presuming our TV News idea will be centered around the subject of cars and electric transport, I should take a look at several car/ racing sports channels/ reports to see what kind of style they go for and see if I can attempt to emulate this style.

Upon speaking to the group about this, they agreed that having original music of our own in our news report would help to make the report feel more unique to us.

This also gives me the opportunity to have a greater role for input into this project.

Electric Cars: Why I Don't Agree

This is just a small segment where I would like to talk about my personal feelings about the overall concept of Electric Cars and their future dominance, as I have declared in a previous post.

I hope that by writing this, I can put forward some points that could go into this new idea that our group is going with , perhaps as a sideline to talk about the negatives of electric cars as a break from our advertisement of them.

My biggest problem with the whole idea of electric cars is the energy consumption. Unleaded and Diesel are both expensive fuel resources that cause pollution, and in an area full of busy traffic, this can become overbearing. However, for the time being, there is still a large supply of both fuel types which are constantly being drilled up and processed for use. The Electric Car, however, I feel would do more damage to energy resources than petrol and diesel would do. Petrol and diesel do have problems with pollution but electric cars use an energy resource that is used by many people constantly and quite often can cut out if used too much.

Fuel has a wider range of resources, meaning that all of the energy isn't all coming from one place. Meaning that there is less likelyhood for there to be a shortage at shorter intervals. Electricity however, being constantly used all the time, is more likely to have shortages.  Electrical shortages are more common with problems such power cuts. I feel that if something as big as a car is being constantly charged on this one resource, there will be much more in terms of power cut and power shortages overall.

Another problem: Noise
Noise Pollution can be a common problem is certain built-up areas, yes. But, for safety's sake, the noise of an engine does give a clear indicator of when a vehicle is nearby for the sake of pedestrians (especially children). For some people (myself included) the noise of an engine also gives a clear indication of how fast the car might be going and when to change gear. A personal experience of mine, when moving from an older car to a newer one, is when I found the engine to be much quite in the newer car. This however, led be to accidentally go over the limit during lessons because the engine was too quite to indicate for me that I was going as fast as I was without looking at the speedometer. I feel that, with an electric car being even quieter (almost silent at times) that this mental connection with the engine noise will be lost among many people and cause lead to accidental speeding.

However, the biggest draw and win for electric cars, indeed, its low effects on the environment which is something that has been addressed and is something that has become worse over a large space of time.

I realise my overall reasons are well informed and researched but these are just points that were made on the basic understanding of cars and the environment. Hopefully something like this post can become included in our new Electric Car Interview idea development.

Work Done During The Morning Session with Joe (21/ 9/ 2017)

Today, we had our first session with Joe who got all of our groups to share one of our ideas. George shared the idea of the Electric Cars (as aforementioned in a previous post). The basic idea was shared to the room and Joe insisted that we go and develop this idea further and find out more about it.

Immediately we set out and started to find more information. I was given the task of finding the nearest dealerships of various Electric Car Manufacturers. Here is the list I made:

Tesla- Bluewater Shopping Centre
LO69 Lower Thames Walk, Dartford DA9 9ST 01322 643007

BMW- Broad Oak BMW Canterbury
Broad Oak Canterbury Road, Canterbury, CT2 7PX 01227 828888

Renault- Motorline Renault (Maidstone)
21 Bircholt Rd, Maidstone ME15 9XX 01622 350920

Nissan- Motorline Nissan Dartford
Bridge Business Park, Rennie Drive, Dartford DA1 5FD 01322 329573

Hyundai- Medway Hyundai
London Rd, Rainham, Gillingham ME8 8PT 01634 408408

Volkswagen- Beadles Volkswagen Maidstone
Quarry Wood retail Park, Wood CI, Maidstone ME20 7TQ 01622 617167

Smart- Smart of Maidstone
Bircholt Road, Maidstone ME15 9YN 01622 914069

Ford- Haynes Ford (Haynes Ford of Maidstone Ltd)
23 Ashford Rd, Maidstone ME14 5DQ 01622 756781


I was also given the task of finding several abondoned locations. The reason for this is so we have some nice shots of run-down areas or buildings that could contrast with the somewhat futurist look of the new Electric Cars.

I did this by searching 'Abandoned Places in Kent' which led me to a big map with certain locations pinpointed onto it. My mind immediately went to the RAF West Malling base that I mentioned heavily when discussing my development of my Beatles idea. The place looked run down from all of the pictures I had seen and I thought it looked perfecter the sort of thing we were looking for. Other locations that appeared on the map I found included an abandoned school. This would have been made for some great shots of the presenter walking through the rotting corridors, possibly then transitioning to the clean and shiny walls of one of the car dealerships, showing a progression of time.This would obviously only be possible as part of the package.

We also needed to find some locations such as castles to create some nice scenery with (something which I wasn't too sure was absolutely necessary and felt didn't quite suit the subject we were using) but, with the help of George, We found such locations as:
-Heaver Castle
-Dungeness
-Rochester Castle
-Chatham Historic Dockyard (We would need extra special permission to shoot here as it is the filming location for many professional films/ TV series).

There are several concerns, some of which I had voiced (though I'm not sure they were taken much notice of) about this project in particular.
- Again, the group appear to still be working in their three, while I struggle to make any input as they seem to talk among themselves. This, again, might lead them to unfairly believe that I am not putting any input into this project, despite the fact that I have clearly helped to find both the locations and the nearest dealerships and how to contact them. My worry is that this may be used by them to reflect badly on me.
- Some other shoot locations that have been chosen are a bit far, especially as I'm still currently not driving and it would be especially difficult to reach some of these places if I'm not driving by then.
- Any input that I have tried to give, such as some aforementioned locations has been almost immediately shot down. Again, giving them incentive to say that I had little to no input.
- Some priority issues: These are mostly minor but the main one is their insistence on using the 4K cameras that the studios has recently acquired. Yes, the picture quality will be even sharper than the standard HD (which I personally think is good enough) but the process of shooting, digitising and editing will take so much longer to do. My issue is, due to short deadline, we won't have much time to mess about with those kind of things.

My enthusiasm for this project is nowhere near as great as it was for the initial Brand Hatch idea. With the Brands Hatch idea, I felt that we had a very plan of how we were going to get to the location, payments, what we would shoot on which day etc. Whereas, with the Electric Car idea, I feel that there is no definite plan as of yet.

When I asked about Brands Hatch and why a decision had been suddenly made to ditch the idea, the answer given to me was that there had been no reply as of yet from them. The problem is that Brands Hatch is a working business with many things to be doing, and the contact email was only put in a day ago. Of course we won't have had any replies yet, we needed to give it time. This is a point I tried to raise with the group but there was no proper acknowledgment of what I was saying.

I'm happy to go with this new idea but I feel that some priorities need sorting out and I want to make sure that my input and concerns are actually acknowledged by the rest of the group rather than them being dismissed and making it look like I'm giving no input at all.

2nd Lecture Cont'd: Developing Your Story

-Copious research needs to be matched with copious (DETAILED AND ACCURATE!) note- taking.

-Be ORGANISED and ensure you keep your contacts and relevant information somewhere you can easily access it.

Who said that?
-Whenever you are delivering information, ensure you ATTRIBUTE the information to RELIABLE sources- simply say 'allegedly/ apparently' is not enough without saying WHERE the information is from.

Setting up your story:
-Just as with the documentary unit, the proof of your journalistic skills is when you try to set your story up to shoot it.
-By the time you set it up you should be clear about:
-What is your story (and is not)#-Who is in your story (ditto)
-Where is it (location/s)
-When is it to be shot (schedule)
-How you will tell it (treatment/ style/ angle)
-And, obviously- WHY you are making the story!

Following up leads:
-The contacts you make in the early stages of research should leas you to the final elements which you will include in your news story.
-Inevitably there will be decisions made on the basis of availability, location, cost etc, but bear in mind these decisions FRAME your story for the audience-
-Be sure you are including elements which are a FAIR and REASONABLE representation of the facts.
-STAY OBJECTIVE.

Don't Burn Your Bridges!:
-You never know when you might need them again.
-Make sure you treat people with:
-RESPECT- be-
-Open and fair
-Honest and direct
-Aware of the intrusion you are making- respect their TIME.
-Treat others how you would expect to be treated!!
-Thank contributors and let them know when/ where the piece they feature in will be aired/ published.

Televison News Story Forms:
-5 Basic Types:
-Readers ('tell' stories)
OOVS/ VO (Out of Vision/ Voice Over)

Readers:
-A short story which the presenter ewads out with no video to accompany it or any fll screen graphics- aka 'tell' the story.

OOVs (aka VOs):
-Stories which the presenter reads which also includes video material i.e. the voice over is performed by the presenter live whilst the video plays for all or part of it.
-Often quite short- 20- 30 minutes.
-If te  presenter is reading over graphics it might be annotated as VO/ g.
-OOVs add variety of pace to the newscast.
-they are especially useful when covering an even and it is not necessary to hear from someone at that event (i.e. it would not add anything to the story).
-e.g. covering a minor event such as a local street fair.
-They are also used if there is a late-breaking story which has been sent through and there isn't time to produce a full package.

How to make an OOV:
-Source your story and relevant information.
-Expand and script information to produce a crafted story.
-Boil down to the essentials of the story and find your ANGLE.
-Can use archive or stock shots.
-Graphics are also useful

OOV/SOT:
-Combination of the OOV (news anchor's voice over pictures) and 'sound on tape' (SOT)
-SOT made up of interview clips.
-Good for varying pace of the programme and allows a more in-depth news report, but not as in depth as a full news package.
-Useful when covering an events and need someone there to comment.

New Package:
-News packages are fully formed self contained news pieces.
-Unlike OOVs and OOV/SOTs the news presenter is not involved in the storytelling itslef, but rather in introducing and wrapping up the story (usually introducing and saying thank you to the reporter at the end) -the reporter takes the lead on the story.
-Therefore the story needs to be worked out BEFORE he shoot to include elements such as te piece to camera.
-This can be done either on paper or if time pressure does not allow (as in the case of a fast turn around story) then it will be worked out on the spot prior to shooting.

2nd Lecture: Sourcing Stories and Story Types

Sources and Contacts:
-A broadcast journalist relies on a wide range of sources and contacts in the never ending search for NEW news.
-The best journalists do not just sit and wait for a story to 'appear', they go out and FIND it.

How journalists find stories with 'news value':
-Working what Fishman (1997) called 'beats'- 'patrolling' much like a police officer on recognized chains of information to supply potential stories with 'new value'.
-What beats form part of this chain of information?
-Many of these beats are exclusively accessed by news journalists, e.g. calling police stations or press offices.
-But what other stories are ignored?

Where the newsroom finds it's stories:
Primary sources:
-Your ow direct contacts.
-Original sources direct from source material eg archive material from libraries etc such as Kew -(National Archives)
-Public Appeals
-Press releases/ stats/ official statements

Secondary sources:
-Stringers (freelancers)
-Other platforms/ media.

Wires:
Newsrooms frequently trawl the wires for up to the minute tip-offs on news stories such as:
-P.A. (Press Association)- provide a range of news stories and content for print and digital media for the UK and Ireland.

Correspondents:
-These subject specialists work in newsrooms and are prized for their in depth knowledge and well honed contacts- often invited to confidential 'lobby' briefings with politicians and on the mailing lists of important relevant bodies.
-Lobby politics- influential groups 'lobby' the governments with their own opinions.

Foreign News sources:
-Journalists, editors and correspondents based permanently abroad for news networks E.g. Gavin Hewitt Europe Editor or Mark Mardell North American Editor.
-Sometimes pooled foreign news 'bureau' with other broadcasters.
-Again valued for their local contacts and on the ground knowledge and access.
-Often long hours, lots of travelling due to wide area covered and can be in dangerous or politically unstable areas- special training usually needed and obviously good language skills.
-International news agencies and large scale news organisations such as ABC, NBC and Sky with whom the likes of the BBC have deals.
-Eurovision News Exchange- facilitates the exchange of stories between Eurovision countries.

Archives:
-Many broadcasters have their own archived material which is a rich source of pictures, as well as independent archives which sell on their material under license.

Beware- Fake News:
-They look like news packages and sound like them, but stories are to be approached with caution, as they are often propaganda.
-Think about how many 'stories' now pop up via social media- WHO IS SENDING THEM AND WHY?
-Blurring the lines between MARKETING and NEWS.
-How do you verify and check these stories?

Communication:
-Whichever your source of information and stories, you will need to be a consummate COMMUNICATOR in order to access these.
-As with the documentary until, know the essentials BEFORE you make a call- do your RESEARCH and know what questions you what to ask.
-Get used to USING YOUR TELEPHONE.
-Emails are good for exchanging information and more functional tasks, but nothing can replace  CONVERSATION thus-
-Build a rapport, gauge the person you are talking to and make a decision about them ad the story.

Be tenacious and have stamina! Get them 'On Side':
-Sometimes you have to be prepared to be creative in order to get what you need.
-Providing you are being ethical, find ways of negotiating obstacles to gain the access you need.
-Often you need to have a stamina and be prepared to push a story and find a new wayof telling your story in order to make it work.
-When people are reluctant to take part, sometimes with good reason. it is useful to explin that this is THEIR CHANCE to put THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY.

Being creative with your methods:
-The art of tracking people down is one you need to master- do your research to identify KEY CONTACTS and build from their.
-Just like a private investigator you will spend a lot of time trying to find people.
-Sometimes you have to think outside the obvious box.

Deadlines:
-Ultimately you will always have DEADLINES so at some point you will have to deliver, wheher ready or not.

Finding your 'Angle':
-the news angle is key to developing your story.
-The angle can be defined as the main SIGNIFICANCE of the story to your partiular ausdience. It is a particular viewpoint of any story.
-There will inevitably be several angles on any story, your job is to decide the angle which beest fits your story/ style.

What makes a story newsworthy?:
-Choosing the 'lead' story is key in determining the 'most newsworthy' story of that particular bulletin.
-The lead story might vary at different times of the day i.e. what is most engaging for the AUDIENCE at different times.

Newsworthiness:
-Subjective!!! But someone has to do it- SETTING THE AGENDA...
-i.e. Deciding what's important (and therefore what isn't!!!) and putting it in order for the programme.
-Typically you will see 15-20 news stories per 30 minute news programme.
-Therefore out of a potential list of possibly limitless stories nationally and globally, deciding what range of stories and the order in which they should be presented is difficult and influential.
-Part of the task is balancing the tone of the range of stories offered- from hard news, breaking stories to softer 'human interest' pieces.
-Journalistic instinct plays a strong part in this decision.
-Key areas which determine this decision are:
-Location
-Timeliness
-Impact
-Prominence/ 'importance'
-Conflict
-Simplicity
-Broadcaster's 'values'.

To Do List...

-Talk about the electric car idea 

-Finish brands hatch blog

-List the car dealerships I have researched into and their addresses and phone numbers.

(THIS IS FOR MY PERSONAL REFERENCE)

25 word Pitch

We rely on transport, it runs our economy. But is it damaging the environment, is the future greener, and better for our world?

Trouble with Communications

Yesterday I experienced some trouble with communications. This was of no fault of the rest of the group.

During Yesterday (20th September) and apparently the night before, Alex, George and Cailan had tried to message me through a group chat on Facebook. However, for whatever reason, when I looked on Facebook on my phone yesterday morning, there were no apparent messages, meaning that none of what they had been messaging was visible to me.  I was therefore under the assumption that there had been no attempt at a group chat just yet.

It wasn't until later that evening that my phone started bleeping at me and telling me that I had several messages coming through that saw the messages (and admittedly panicked).

I'm not too sure why this happened but it appears to be a case of my phone not updating itself when I when I connected it to the WiFi, meaning that none of these messages came through. I have admittedly been having some similar difficulties with this new phone which I only acquired about a month ago. From now on I should check Facebook on other platforms rather than relying on the app on my phone.

I have explained this to the rest of the group and they thankfully appear to understand.

Other Group Ideas 2: Electric Cars and Train Service

The two other ideas from our group included:

Electric Cars:
A point was brought up about how electric cars are slowly taking over from both diesel and unleaded cars. The idea mostly consisted of promoting the electric car and showing them in a good light. This can lead to possible staged live interviews in which we can interview on of certain electric car manufacturers such as 'Tesla' and maybe even get a possible test drive.

I'm not too well informed on the subject of electric cars and I'm in a slight disagreement with the idea of electric cars (Not the idea put forward in the group, I must stress, but rather the concept as whole). Therefore I have some strong opinions on the concept which could be incorporated into this group idea in some way.

The Modern Train Service:
Another idea put forward, by Cailan, is the The Modern Train Service. This idea gives an opportunity for us to speak to everyday commuters who use the train and other public transport (with their permission) as well as possibly talking to the train mangers and driver or staff in the tube a discuss with them how they feel about the current state of the train service.

Again, this is also a subject of which I know very little of. I do not use any train services meaning next to no experiences which I can put forward into the group and I only really now what I catch glimpses of on the news. However, I do also think that this idea can be interesting to do with more develop such as what form the show could take (this is also true of the Electric Car idea).

A worry I have is that, due to my inexperience and having little to no knowledge of both of these subjects, I didn't have as much input to say than I did with both my Beatles idea and the Brands Hatch idea. My worry is, because of this, my group might think that I'm not helping to develop their ideas but its simply the case of me not really knowing much of what they are talking about therefore no being able to add to the discussion.

Also, I was told by Alex that they had been brain-storming these ideas for several weeks as they looked at the brief several weeks prior (they were in a group before and presumably had been working together as a three again before I joined yesterday) while I only properly found out about the brief and what it entails very recently. Meaning it was hard for me overall to pitch in to these ideas as the three had already spent a lot more time discussing them without me already. Which also meant that I felt my own idea was being quietly 'pushed under the carpet' as it were.

However, hopefully this won't lead to any mishaps. Despite not feeling I had to opportunity to have much of a say due to lack of knowledge and not having been in the longer discussion taking place within the three group group members prior, I did listen to everything that was being said and I will hopefully gain more of understanding of the subject of their ideas to a point where I can put a good amount of input into these ideas during further development.

Other Group Ideas: World Super Bikes at Brands Hatch

Another prominent idea which the group has come up with is filming a news story and live interviews surrounding the World Super Bike Finals at Brands Hatch on the Weekend of the 13th October 2017.

This race in particular is significant and 'new' due to it being the final race of the Grand Prix season. I feel like this idea has a lot of merit as the race will be an event watched by many and is a good example of a real life event that is covered by the news with many live interviews.

I feel that this idea in particular will be great to do as there are many shots we can cover for a package as well as being having the possibility to get in touch with people that work at Brands Hatch (mangers, racers, people that work on the race track and make sure it is in good condition to race on etc). We can even interview the many fans that will be attending this race, especially as it is the climax of the Grand Prix season.

The form which the news show could take is rather simple. It would be a dedicated motorsports channel. There are many sports channels around that dedicate themselves to a particular sports such as football (BT Sports) and racing events such as Moto GP and World/ British Super Bikes. Development of this idea will hopefully take more a definite form upon further discussion with the group.

We have already planned, however, and worked out which days we would like to go in to film. Friday 13th October would be a quieter day than the two following days as the qualifying won't take place until the day after on the Saturday and the race itself would be on the Sunday as per usual. Friday would just be the racers practicing and getting themselves comfortable with the track. This means that we can have more time to set up shots to either cut away to during the live interviews or to form part of the package as well as giving us more mobility so we can work faster than we might if the place will be crowded. The Sunday, when the race is on,  would be one of the better days to get interviews with both fans and the people who work there. This will be because the overall atmosphere  will be both exciting for the fans who have come to see the race whilst being able to see the possible nervousness of the management and the racers if we are able to get in contact with them.

We would plan to get to Brands Hatch earlier rather than later so it isn't so busy for us to get into. This might still be a problem on the Sunday being as most people coming to watch the race will probably have the same idea of coming earlier to miss the traffic.

I'm hoping that I will be driving by then as I have a driving test coming up very soon, making it easier for me to get to Brands Hatch overall. However, even if I don't pass the test and am not driving by then, it still shouldn't be too much hassle for me to get there.

In terms of my interaction with the group on this matter, I feel that I have successfully communicated by enthusiasm of the idea. Out of the ideas that were put forward by each of us, I told them that this was the one I favoured being as this is a subject I have some knowledge of, seeing as I used to be a fan of Moto GP as a child. I was also able to work out with Alex how much money it will cost each of us to get in to Brands Hatch for the weekend and a good deal was struck with us all paying a certain amount. We also managed to sort out alternative plans for myself to be able to get there If I do not pass my test.

The only problem I have is the fact that I won't be able to make the shoot on the Saturday due to a night shift at my workplace from 11:00pm until 7:30am, meaning that I would be resting for half of the day. However, upon further thought, if there is still filming to be done during the afternoon, there is the possibility that I could join them again to help film during the afternoon. I haven't communicated this with them yet but shall do I see them again on Thursday. As it is, however, we do have a plan where we alternate between people coming into the shoot on certain days so it isn't too much of a problem.

Overall, I do feel that this would be the ideal shoot to do and shall work with my group to help develop this idea and tie up any loose ends.

Possible Interview site: RAF West Malling

RAF West Malling is located in the West of Kent, England and is the location and, as the name suggests, is situated in West Malling, only a few miles from Maidstone.

The base was originally used as a landing site during the First World War. After that, it was used to host various air shows until it was taken over for Military action in 1940, the early years of World War Two. However, due to taking damage from air raids during the Second World War, RAF West Malling was not fully operational during the famous Battle of Britain. Despite this, the Base did see use during the later stages of both the campaign and the end of the war.

During the year of 1944. RAF West Malling was given the task of intercepting the German VI 'Doodlebugs' that were launched towards London.

The base was also the site of an accidental landing by German Luftwaffe pilots who had reportedly become lost.

After World War Two, RAF West Malling became home to several squadrons from the US Navy. This lasted until 1967.

By coincidence, 1967 was the same year that saw the Beatles visit RAF West Malling. were they went on to film segments for their film 'The Magical Mystery Tour' including footage for songs such as 'Your Mother Should Know' and 'I Am The Walrus'. The film released just three months after this but received negative critical responses. However, the musical soundtrack release which accompanied the film was met with critical acclaim.

DEVELOPED TV NEWS IDEA: The Beatles

My initial idea for our TV News project was based on an article which told how The Beatles had visited an RAF base in West Malling in Kent 50 years ago as of September 2017

I also stated that my idea would to ask people of all ages as to the historical musical significance of the Beatles and show each age groups reactions to them and if their reputation still holds up in modern times.

In terms of interviewees, I felt that we would need a music expert or music historian to tell us of their informed knowledge of how music was back in the 1960s and how The Beatles in particular helped to shape the music industry. This way we would have a well-informed professional source to compare his information to the word of other interviewees from different age groups.

Another barrier that needed to be addressed is what kind of form the news show would take. I feel that the news show should take the form of a specialist Music News Network which we can create which supposedly focuses on the music industry, both older and modern, while also celebrating musical events of the past. The name of this News Network is still pending. However, to make this more localized, this should be focused more around the activities that take place in Kent.

The interviews themselves should be part of the live segment of the show where we could indeed interview the aforementioned interviewees at either a professional music setting, such as perhaps in a specialist music shop (or even a record shop if one can be found), or even have the interview take place around the RAF base in West Malling (if filming would be allowed around there) to further illustrate the local aspect with the physical location being on screen.

The Beatles: John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison spent about a week from 19th September 1967 at the RAF base in West Malling filming music videos for songs from their album, 'The Magical Mystery Tour'. These songs included 'I Am The Walrus' and segments from 'Your Mother Should Know' (Not to be confused with the similarly named ABBA song).

As well as filming at the RAF base, The Beatles also spent some time filming in the town of West Malling itself. This would also give us an opportunity of a possible interview location if we are unable to film at the other suggested areas.

'The Magical Mystery Tour' film which included the footage film in West Malling was released on the 26th December 1967, just over three months after the filming at the base. the filming was met with mixed to negative critical reviews. However, the accompanying soundtrack which included the songs featured in these videos was met with critical and commercial success when it was released beforehand on the 8th December 1967 in the UK.

Here is a link to a segment for the aforementioned video of  'I Am The Walrus' (Unfortunately the full video is not available on YouTube) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKIs1J_nB4A

TV NEWS UNIT Initial Idea

My initial idea for the TV News Unit comes from a website stating that it has been 50 years since the Beatles Visited West Malling in Kent to filming such music videos as for 'I Am The Walrus' at the RAF base.

This idea bears both historical significance whilst also being a current subject.

The Beatles are still a current subject in the modern music industry. Many people still look back at the Beatles and mark them as one of the biggest, if not the biggest, inspiration for all music that has come after their runs in the 1960s and early 1970s.

I feel that we could create this event into a news piece by asking both young and old music listenerson their opinions on the Beatles and whether their influences still hold up today. The inteerview could even take place around the area that they filmed the famous videos. 

here is the original article where I found sme of this information:

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/malling/news/magical-reminder-of-the-beatles-in-kent-132320/

I shall give this idea more thought and write done in a future post my development of this idea and specific types of interviewees that we should have and think about how we can tie this idea into a similar package or live interview, depending on what form this story would take.

The Group

Today we have all chosen our groups of four. The people in my group are:
-Alex Baldwin
-Cailan Cook
-George Nicholls

They appeared apprehensive of letting me into their group at first, presumably because they had worked so well as a three on the previous Documentary project last year. However, I have worked with both Alex and George before on large projects and get on well with both of them, meaning that I will be more than comfortable giving input as I would with people I do not know as well.

1st Lecture : Introduction to TV News:

-Unit Briefing.
-Intro to News- The Newsroom: Structures and Mechanisms.
-Groups and student ambassadors confirmed.

-This unit will build on previous experiences in first year- particularly the documentary unit.

Keys skills to take forward:
-Sourcing stories and storytelling (narrative)
-Sourcing Locations
-Sourcing Contributors
-Scripting/writing to Pictures/ 'Tie Writing'.
-Interviewing.
-Sequencing and actuality.
-S.W.E.F.F!!
-Good Coverage (GVs)
-Good Sound (atmos, correct mic, control background noise etc)
-Factual accuracy/ Fair dealing/ Impartiality and Balance.
-Teamwork and communication.
-Time management and organisational skills.
-Interpreting information and finding news angles.

New Skills:
-Reporting- On screen/ directing talent
-fast Turn-around (6 Weeks until submission)- Get Sory/ access quickly
-Online platform developent/ branding/ concept
-Studio presentation/ news anchoring (green screen possibilities
-Sourcing talent

Unit aims:
-Promote critical understanding of news and current affairs output
-Facilitate the development of a creative methodology for the production of news and current affairs
-Further develop technical skills and collaborative skills for production and post-production of news and current affairs content.
-Develop group presentation skills.

Unit outcomes:
-Demonstrate a critical understanding of news and current affairs.
-Employ creative methodologies fr the production of new and current affairs.

Portfolio:
-Creative news project, fully supported by research journal.

Video Project Brief:
-you are challenged to develop your own ORIGINAL online news channel and produce content for that channel.
-Find a brand which will fit a particular audience and provide content that audience- niche content rather than mixed.

-Design your own branded digital online news channel via website.

Should include the following elements:
-An original title sequence? GFX/ branded strap-line/ stings that fit your wn channel identity.
-Promotional package- a presenter led teaser trailer for your news its.
-1 News package per group- 2'00"- 2'30" duration.
-1 live OB report with a reporter on location (recorded as live to the specified duration of 2'00") which may include some pre-shot material.
-Written material on the web page to further support your channel and explain it's merit and purpose.
-All video material from work shops and your TV Play content should be uploaded to your online journal.
-Films should be accompanied by supporting written material about your news stories and published on your online news channel (see previous year's work for guidance.

Submission:
-News channel web address to be clearly identified on the submission form with a copy of the channel homepage at the time of submission.
-Our two packages uploaded to the course Hard Drive.
-Submit all blogs.

SUSTAIN THE PACING

MAKE SURE WRITING IS GOOD- Not allow it to sound too scripted.

P.T.C

ACTION & REACTION SHOTS- Show what the reporters are looking at.

Interviews: Remember to use MCU (Medium Close Up).

SIGNPOST- Make it transitions and subject clear.