The Great British Bake Off - Case Study Analysis

'The Great British Bake Off' is a reality t.v show which revolves around a baking competition that attempts to find the most talented ammeter baker in Britain. The show is broadcast on BBC 1, Wednesdays at 20.00, and is currently presented by Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and Mel and Sue who supposedly bring a comedic element to the show. The show is extremely successful as it draws in on average 10 million viewers per episode which is extremely impressive considering the decline in reality t.v in the modern day due to the up rise in series on outlets such as Netflix and Amazon Prime where the majority of t.v is consumed. However 'GBBO' seems to be the exception to this trend as it draws in a reliable audience who are also very active on social media. The show features people of different ethnicity's and classes in order to portray an equal positive representation on the bakers regardless of their backgrounds as well as to target and captivate a larger audience, relatable individuals on screen being effective in broadening the target audience as well as allowing audience members to become interested in each characters life on the whole. 

Weekly News #16

SOURCE: BBC NEWS - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35818409

In this weeks news I read about how tech giants 'Sony' will be releasing a virtual reality headset for their worldwide console, the 'PlayStation'. The headsets price has been released at £282 (399$) which is $200 cheaper than 'Facebook's Oculus Rift and $400 less than the HTC Vive , all rival products that are expected to be released around the same time. This article is a clear reminder of the ever advancing technology in the modern world, and the rivalry that rises up between the various companies as similar products are released in the hope that each individual companies product is most successful after being distributed between the current worldwide audience who are becoming ever more immersed in the video games, as technology advances,  subsequently making the various games more real for video gamers allowing them to completely escape reality as they enter a different world. Research has shown that around 53 million people will own their most recent console, the 'PlayStation 4' when their newest product is released, providing this innovative way of playing games on 'PlayStation' with a massive audience which means the product is almost certain to be a massive success when released predicted to make around 1.6 million by 2017. 

National & Regional Identity - Reality Television

I will be exploring how reality t.v programmes like 'Geordie Shore','The only way Is Essex' and 'Made in Chelsea' represent the specific region displayed in the title in both positive and negative ways. Regional dialect,accents and specific activities the various groups may partake in are usually all evident in this particular genre of television, possibly giving the passive audience the impression that these activities are the normality for the people situated in these areas. These television programmes also often play on stereotypes in order to engage the audience possibly for the intention of entertainment or to make the experience relatable for people who recognise the particular slang used or activities/locations that are ongoing and constantly shown through out the show. These stereotypes usually resulting in the characters featured in these shows being rather archetypal as they are put in place in order to inform the audience of an element about the chosen region often resulting in characters that only one intention and consequently have a very shallow depth of character. One key example of this is how 'Scotty T's' only intentions through out the 'Geordie Shore' series is to go out and 'pull birds', this archetypal character possibly being relatable to the viewer or recognisable in the viewers group of friends, resulting in an entertaining experience due to 'Scotty T's' actions and personality possibly being funny for viewers maybe due to him being relatable in some way, or again humorous for viewers unable to relate to the programme due to his stupidity displayed through out the programme. 

The Untouchables - Film Analysis

'The Untouchables' is a 2011 biographical comedy drama directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the film explores themes of; class, humanity, disability, insecurities, wealth, love, humour, and friendship as we see the lives of two completely different people collide resulting in an possibly unexpected positive outcome for both characters. Driss (Omar Sy), a young black man living on a poverty stricken estate, and Philipe (Francois Cluzet) , an elderly white disabled millionaire come into contact after Driss unwillingly attends a job interview in attempt to gain a signature towards claiming his benefits, consequently meeting Philipe and soon after being given a job as his personal handler. The film was a huge success worldwide earning itself the title of second highest selling French film of all time, gaining an astounding $426.6 million at the box office with just a $10.8 million budget, this success possibly aided by distributers (The Weinstein Company) who were key in providing the film with the ever important American audience. The film possessed and cleverly played against many stereotypes in the duration of the film, allowing the characters to immediately become recognisable and have a level of characterisation and depth to them. I personally think the major theme displayed through out the film was humanity, I believe this due to the characters evidently being very different in class (and many other aspects) , and both characters living two extremely different lives, yet they are still able to show affection and care for one another, overcoming the barrier that may be seen by many people in the modern world between these two very different people.  

This film will be very useful as a case study for our media exam surrounding representation as there are many examples of both positive and negative representations of gender,age,disability,race and class, throughout the film. I personally think the representation of disability was positive in this particular film, our protagonist Philipe is consequently paralysed below the neck after a hand gliding accident leaving him wheelchair bound and constantly needing help with literally everything in his every day life. However even though Philipe is the victim of a devastating incident leaving him unable to live a completely normal life due to his mobility , he continues to demonstrate his determination in many forms through out the film as it is clear he is set on living a life as enjoyable as it can possibly be, his love and passion for art and hand gliding is displayed in the film proving the clear determination he possess as his disability is not able to stop him from doing what he loves. 

Weekly News #15

SOURCE: BBC NEWS - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35696238

In this weeks news I discovered an article with a headline stating: 'Doctors urge schools to ban tackling in rugby', this article immediately informing me in the first sentence that more than 70 doctors and academics say injuries from the 'high-impact collision sport' can leave lifelong consequences for many children in severe cases. This article made it obvious of the many injuries you may sustain during a child's rugby game (ligamentous tears,dislocated shoulders,fractures and concussion), all which could lead to short or long term after effects after the injury is sustained, some of these being memory loss, diminished verbal abilities and stunt of growth. All of these injuries and after effects making the sport of rugby for children at first come across as a ridiculous idea due to the health of many children being put at risk in order to play a contact sport. Gaining a different perspective on the matter from p.e teacher Jonny Cross was also interesting as he stated that the contact sport of rugby helped build character in the children and gave many students a well needed challenge, boosting their confidence individually and academically, also informing the reporter that the students are taught the correct postures and techniques in order to protect themselves and potentially avoid serious injury in matches. Overall this article was very interesting and thought provoking due to the obvious topic of injuries being sustained  in rugby games possibly being made more serious after being informed of the severe consequences it may have on the current generations children. I also do believe the contact sport is an outlet for many children and does provide them with a confidence boost, and if played regularly the sport also has the positive effects of keeping you in good shape due to the determination and energy needed to play a rugby game at any standard. Finally I agree that the situation should be taken 'extremely seriously' by the RFU (Rugby Football Union) and researched further after being informed of the serious health impacts the nation wide sport of rugby can have on many children. 

Weekly News #14

SOURCE:BBC UK NEWS- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-35635932 

In this weeks news I discovered an article stating how a female referee had been 'verbally abused' after sending someone off while 'refereeing a mens football game', the female referee spoke out saying "He didn't like the decision, so he started hurling abuse at me about my sexuality." I personally thought this article was clear evidence of the on going problem surrounding sexism in the playing and involvement in the nation wide sport of football, due to football largely being considered as a 'mens game'. In sating this there have been many recent cases of women's football becoming increasingly more popular nation wide. One key example of this is how massive sports video game company (EA Sports) have included a game mode in which you can play as women in their most recent release of the most popular football game worldwide 'Fifa '. Even though the problem of sexism in football is still evident in the modern day due to many football fanatics in England focusing on well established clubs who play in the 'Barclays Premier League', I do believe the situation is improving as women's football is becoming increasingly more popular due to being aired on t.v more and more. Global companies like 'EA Sports' also providing awareness of the women's football as they bring the skill that many female footballers possess to the publics attention through extremely popular video games, like 'Fifa 16'. This concluding in a positive representation of women's football as they are credited for the skill they show in game on equal terms with the more popular 'mens football'. 

Report

PRE PRODUCTION

In order to create a poster and dvd cover displaying the conventions of a thriller I decided to look at a variety of professional posters and dvd covers following my intended Genre before starting production. In doing this I gained inspiration and ideas in how i could display the story I had in mind in order to fit the thriller conventions. The main visual codes that immediately struck me were the use of the colour red in all posters, also the dark environment usually surrounding the protagonist creates a mysterious ambiguous feeling for the audience, resulting in thought provoking posters concluding in the audience wandering what the featured person could be thinking of or running from, this is evident in my main inspiration 'Little Red Riding Hood' (2011). 

This poster was the main inspiration I used in my production due to my intended story at the time also being about a teenager running through the woods away from former gang members intending to harm him, I thought the surrounding trees were very effective in this poster as the spiky branches could signify the danger the protagonist (little red riding hood) is under, these trees also create a dark intimidating effect resulting in us (the audience) thinking about the danger the featured charter may be facing. Next the eye catching  central image of the character dressed in red really stood out to me, I thought this was very effective in leading the viewer into the poster again making us think about the safety of her due to us noticing she is running due to the clever composition of the shot in between the two trees. I thought the size of the trees also caused an intimidating effect on the protagonist possibly reflecting vulnerability, this is emphasised by her dramatic facial expression. 

Shutter Island (2010) also provided me with inspiration before starting production and making my poster and dvd cover. One of the main visual codes that immediately stood out to me was the bold red coloured headline, I thought the roughness of the red font could possibly signify danger the may be featured in the film, or even blood that may be spilt through out the thriller. The facial expression captured of protagonist Leonardo DiCaprio was also a factor i liked about the poster, I thought the low level lighting on his face caused me to think about the possible personally the character might possess, as the facial expression could be seen as fear or anger, leaving the audience thought provoked fitting the thriller genre. 



After taking these two posters as my main inspiration in production i proceeded to sketch a rough idea for a possible composition for my poster, including red drips to signify the danger and blood spilt in the film itself. Like in 'Little Red Riding Hood' I placed my protagonist central image running 'Into the woods' literally, i thought this was fitting due to my intended film being named this but also the real photo shoot would capture the intimidating dark environment overlooking my protagonist, capturing the intended feeling of mystery and danger which I hope will effectively follow the thriller conventions. 

Next I read a number of screenplays including thrillers such as; 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Gone Girl', both theses scripts followed the key conventions of most thrillers placing ordinary people (shown by environment e.g in 'Gone Girl' ,the first scene features a stereotypical American house) in extraordinary situations ultimately providing the film with the 'thrilling' aspect for the audience . This also allowed me an insight into how the screenplays of renowned professions like David Fincher (Directer of 'Gone Girl') and Quentin Tarantino (director of 'Pulp Fiction') format there screenplays . I proceeded to write a 9 page script using the format i gathered from both professional scripts, resulting in a story in which a first ambiguous teenager named Darren (17) is hunted by his former gang and chased from the local estate 'Into The Woods', bearing in mind my thriller poster and dvd cover had an audience of teenagers I created a teenager living on an estate in order for the character to be relatable to a teenage audience. An extract of my screenplay can be seen under the Pulp Fiction screenplay above, mine clearly displaying the format and description needed for a professional screenplay. 

PRODUCTION

After writing my script and becoming familiar with my story, I proceeded to take a range of photos of a teenage male who fit the description of my character perfectly. I took a range of shots due to having the intentions of using images on the front back and inside of my DVD cover, and also due to wanting to produce a double exposure on my poster overlapping images in order to create a thought provoking composition. 


I attempted to capture fear in this particular shot as my character checks behind himself during the chase scene in my film, inserting this picture into both my poster and DVD cover will hopefully show the danger Darren (my protagonist  faces as he his hunted down by his former gang. I also thought including clothing brands (e.g: adidas, north face) commonly worn by many teenagers will add to the relatable story.In this shot I captured my protagonist behind bars, symbolising how he feels personally,  trapped as he is unable to escape the gang despite his willingness to change due to him deciding to opt out in order to pursue a career as a long distance runner.

I will use this shot for my main image in both my poster and DVD cover, I think I captured my intended composition as it is clear Darren is entering some kind of woodland due to the trees visible in the photo. His clothing also following the stereotypical thought many people may possess of teenagers as his jeans are below his waist and his hood over his head, this immediately becoming relatable to many teenagers due to them possibly dressing this way themselves. I also thought this image was effective in being ambiguous as we are not sure why the featured figure is entering the woods, un aware that really he is out intended to practice cross country running in which we know him to be good at, before he is spotted and hunted down by the gang he recently opted out of.