Unit 29: Advertising for TV

Task 1: Write an analysis for 2 or 3 advertisements.

Advert 1: Veet 'weeks of adventure'

When looking at this advert we can immediately see that its main target audience is women. The product is made for mainly women and the characters in the advert are women. At the beginning of the advert we see that an establishing shot of three women in a desert. This establishes the first line of appeal. This is an aspirational scene, women who see that advert will be attracted to how these women are living their lives, being able to travel to beautiful landscapes. This also appeals to dreams and fantasy as women may have plans to want to travel to exotic places and see the world. After this we see the women return to a luxurious looking hotel, using the glamorous places line of appeal. This advert can also connect with the successful career line of appeal as these women seem to be able to afford to travel to these places and experience the wonders of the world. However the main line of appeal in the advert would have to be the use of beautiful women. They are signifying that if you use their product it will make your legs look smooth, therefore making you seem better looking. This advert appeals to women who think about their appearance but are also busy, this being because the advert emphasises how you can be on the go but still look beautiful. Furthermore appealing to women, they have used the voice-over of Holly Willoughby, a popular television personality. Therefore making the audience think that she uses this product and wanting to use it themselves.

There are different persuasive techniques in this advert also. The first one reward power, this advert offers the audience a promise that their legs will be smoother for longer, also making you look better. The next one being star power, the voice over of Holly makes the product much more appealing to her fans and people who admire her.
When considering Young and Rubicam's theory we see that the target audience would fit into a few categories. The first one being aspirers, this being because the target audience for this product will be thinking about their appearance and would tend to be of a younger to middle aged generation. The second category would be explorers. We see in the advert that the women are travelling and seeking adventure, therefore appealing to an audience who wants an instant effect with a product. This products primary target audience is defiantly young to middle aged women of a lower to middle class background who want to achieve a good appearance and sense of superiority.
There is a non- diagetic music bed used throughtout this advert, it is effective as it is upbeat and easy on the ear, not distracting you from the voice-over of the product itself. The voice- over is clear and well paced, making it easy to hear while looking at the advert. The characters in this advert are all women, appealing to the stereotype that only women will want to wax their legs and looking after their appearance. The main camera shots in this advert are close-ups and long shots, this is to keep the story developing but also show the audiece how smooth the characters legs are.

Advert 2: Kellogg's bran flakes.

This advert is very much focusing on the elite people and experts line of appeal. The use of Chris Hoy throughout this advert will appeal to anybody who is interested in cycling, sports and wanting to better themselves in general. It also focuses on successful careers, the advert being about how Chris has acheived such success in cycling. Both these lines of appeal will interest and anchor the audiences attention, making them want to try this product because he is accoicated with it and eats it himself.
This also fits in with the factor of pursuasion, as Chris is an expert in his field this therefore is the use of expert and star power. Winning gold medals for Britian at the Olimypics has made Chris a very popular figure for the British Public, therefore making this product seem appealing as he is endorsing it. I think the main target audience for this product will be people of interest in sport (especially males), the secondary target audience being anyone interested in Chris Hoy and what he is involved in.
An edgy non-diagetic music bed is used in this advert, keeping up with the pace of Chris Hoy's busy schedule and training. However it doesnt overtake the voice-over and fits in with the theme of the advert. The voice-over itself is personal to the audience as it is Chris speaking, this will be appealing and will mean that they are more likely to pay attention to what he is saying. The sound effects of the bike are used to show the power that Chris uses, therefore making it seem that this product has helped towards this power. The camera shots in this advert are fast paced and edgy to fit in with the music bed and further emphasise the energy that Chris has in his sport.

TASK 2: Making Reference to a range of the narrative structures outlined above, write a detailed analysis of the different narrative structures employed and try to explain why they have been used to help sell the product.

Samsung 'G800' advert:

In this advert we see that there is a linear structured narrative, with the character of the male being followed throughout a day of his life. There is a search and journey pattern of narrative in this narrative. We see that the man is on a journey in a normal day of his life, starting off in what seems to be the morning, progressing into the afternoon and ending in the evening. This can also be explored using Todorov's theory. The advert starts off with an equilibrium, with the man walking down the street on his phone. The disruption being his finding the first symbol of a heart and continuing to find them. Then we see that resolution with the scene of the woman receiving the picture messages that the man has sent. This is a signifier that connotes how these symbols are showing his emotions towards the woman. There is a mixture of realistic and anti-realistic narrative in this advert. This is because we see a normal work day of a male in a city, being very realistic. However on his travels we see that his embarks on different structures and objects in the shape of a heart. This is not very likely to happen in a realistic situation, at least not the amount of shapes he comes across.

TASK 3: Compare the advert below with two other adverts of your choice and explain which of the above styles they employ. Explain why the styles are used and say how effective you think the adverts are. Drop the youtube links into your blog for the ads you want to use.

L'Oreal Advert:

The L'Oreal advertisement is a documentary style, this is clear as the advert describes the effects and benefits of the product. However, it is also a talking head style advert as the star vehicle talks directly to the camera. This mix of styles makes the advert appear more realistic which reaches the target audience. The documentary style is common when advertising domestic products because it provides the audience with knowledge before they purchase the hairspray. This advert follows both the expert power and star power factors factors of persuasion, they have been used to interest the consumers but also for gain the audiences trust in the product.
If a consumer witnesses that Jennifer Aniston trusts and uses the product then they will want to use and trust the product too. One or both of these factors is used in almost all of the 'domestic' adverts as it is a good way to hook the consumers interest.

Nescafe Gold Adverts:

Adversely, The Nescafe Gold advert is in the style of a series/serial.This advert differs from the L'Oreal advert because it adopts a story line that follows on in each advert, this means that the advert employs the effect of a television programme, this enables the advert to stand out from other adverts because the simple easy to follow plot gains the attention of the audience. This means that they begin to know the characters and develop a friendly relationship with the brand. By doing this the brand then becomes recognizable to us and the audience can trust all the products produced. People have become aware of the brand and its quality therefore the product can be purchased with confidence, this style is a good way to hook consumers and introduce an approachable, happy atmosphere with the brand.

Head and Shoulders advert:

The head and shoulders Parody advert incorporates a humorous style, as it is a parody of a romance film. The love affair is between the man and his hair and it is effective as it shows the effects of the product in a way that will be recognised. The music bed in the advert mirrors a romance film but juxtaposes against the clips of the man and his hair, which adds to the humour. The voice over at the end of of advert promotes the product but also follows the style of a love film. The audience who is most likely men, seen as the advertisement features a man, are likely to buy the product because the friendly attitude of the advert reflects the product.

TASK 4: For two of the adverts above, explain how the adverts use the common codes and conventions of advertising.

Codes and conventions of tv advertising

• Picture of product / logo
• Repetition - Product name
• Contact detail - small print
• Close ups of packaging
• Lines of appeal
• Factors of persuasion
• Simple narratives
• Voice Over
• Music Bed - sound effects
• Slogans or straplines
• Advert styles - tag lines

iron-bru advert:

This advert is a parody of the famous Christmas film 'The Snowman', in which they have changed the original lyrics to created a humourous effect. At the start of the advert we immediately see the character of the boy holding the can of Iron-Bru in a close up shot symbolising to the audience what the theme of the advert is. We see repetition of this logo throughout the advert to cement the product and make sure the logo is easily recognised. There are a few lines of appeal in this advert, the first being comedy and the second being fantasy. It could also suggest an appeal of nostalgia for the audience that watched the original short film. The most important factor of persuasion in this advert is the star power of the well known tune played throughout, the iconic snowman is also a factor of persuasion and will anchor the audiences attention when this is seen. This advert will appeal to a wide age range as 'The Snowman' was made in 1982 with a family based viewing and the Iron-Bru product is also iconic among the British. The slapstick we can see when the boy sings about his can of Iron-Bru will appeal the sense of humour of generally a younger audience. We do not see a voice over in this advert which is unusual for an advert of this type. We see a lot of similar camera shots, such as close ups of the characters smiling faces and long shots of the characters flying. The is a reward power in this advert as the boy and the snowman are arguing over the Iron-Bru, this parody creates a sense that this drink is so good that you will get a reward from drinking it. Therefore making the snowman go to such lengths to drop the child for the drink. At the end of the advert we see a low shot of a castle with the slogan 'Have a phenomenal Christmas'. The low angle shot of the castle creates a grand effect and the slogan creates a positive connotation for the audience, therefore making the product look friendly and appealing.

Task 6:

Who are the ASA?

The ASA describe themselves as 'the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media'. They regulate all advertising across the UK media and make sure they are legal to be broadcasted. They deal with most types of advertising, such as radio commercials, leaflets and newspaper advertisements. Although the ASA cover most advertising they do not cover all types, they do not include such advertising as medical and financial advertising. The ASA respond to complaints in three main ways. The first of these is providing adjudications which give important guidance on the codes that are provided to advertisers. This part of the ASA helps to prevent breaking of the codes. However, if codes are broken the ASA will give sanctions to the advertisers that don't comply. The third way in which they prevent breaking of the codes is to proactively search out breaking of the codes in advertising. Here are some examples of the codes for tv advertising:

5.3.3 pricing requirements:

a) Quoted prices must be inclusive of all non-optional taxes, duties and fees, including freight, delivery or postal charges, which apply to all buyers. If such charges cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, advertisers must state that additional charges may be payable.

(b) Where goods are available on an instalment basis and the individual instalment costs are given, the total price of the goods must be equally prominent. If the instalment frequency is other than monthly, this must be made clear

(c) Where the headline cost of goods and services available by mail order or other distance selling means does not include delivery, the delivery charge must be clearly indicated beside the headline price.Advertisements for products or services coming within the recognised character of, or specifically concerned with the following are not acceptable:

3.1 Unacceptable categories:

(a) breath-testing devices and products that purport to mask the effects of alcohol

(b) betting tips

(c)

(d) all tobacco products. Also non-tobacco products or services which share a name, emblem or other feature with a tobacco product where these are prohibited by law from advertising in other UK media. See the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Brandsharing) Regulations 2004.

(e) private investigation agencies

(f) guns and gun clubs

(g) escort agencies

(h) pornography

(i) the occult etc. (See 10.3 – The occult, psychic practices and exorcism – for details and some exceptions)

(j) commercial services offering individual advice on personal or consumer problems

(k) pyramid promotional schemes

Task 7: Audience classification.

There are various differences in technology available to modern audiences, the first of these are digital television. This gives viewers access to hundreds of channels, with most appealing to a different target audiences. Televisions have also become cheap and accessible which means a household can watch more than one channel. Many children now have their own televisions in their room. It is very different to twenty years ago when media had a less sprawling reach, with only 3 television channels to satisfy peoples entertainment needs and no internet for people to find information. Nowadays its has become increasingly hard for the main television channels to maintain their viewing numbers. The main modern technology, the internet, now means that you can watch what you want, when you want. With websites such as BBC iplayer, there is now the freedom to decide what content you wish to watch at anytime. There is also the luxury to access and download free music and films. Rupert Murdoch is quoted to have said about this subject that 'Everyday new technology is tearing down old ways of doing business, in the process it is driving us away from a mass media where news and entertainment was centrally controlled. And it is taking us to an exciting new world where consumers like you are determining what content you want, when you want it and how you want it'. An example of the change is that in 1992 an episode of The Only Fools And Horses got 20.1 viewers, whereas a recent episode of The popular ITV programme The X Factor only reached an audience of 10 million. This shows the extent of what digital television have done to mainstream viewing.

Task 8: Create a brief for your client covering the main aims of the advertisement.

T.V advertisement for Pudsey Grangefield School
Prepared by: Penguin Media- 0113 2456781
PGS Marketing and Communications
Mount Pleasant road, Pudsey, Leeds, LS28 7ND

Background / Overview
Pudsey Grangefield is a successful school and 6-form college
The ad is aimed at upcoming students and their parents.

What is the objective and purpose of the ad?
The ad must aim to attract new students and persuade them and their parents to choose PGS.

Target Audience. Who are we talking to?
The ad will be aimed at Year 6 pupils and their Parents.
The ad will also be aimed at potential 6th form students.
The ad will have a broad target audience, aiming at children, teenagers and adults.

What’s the single most important thing to say?
PGS provides an excellent education, variety of subjects, and an enjoyable school experience.

What are the supporting rational and emotional ‘reasons to buy?’
PGS is the best performing school in the area, gaining A*-C GCSE results, the most up-to-date technology, a new building.
East is local successful business with a solid customer base and a good reputation in the community.
Value is important in difficult economic times.
Logistics are important. East can deliver quality food to local businesses, sticking to a set timescale.
Locality is important because the business is local they can supply the personal service that quality local businesses require.

Details that will assist the creative team…
Possible detail

Consumer insights: Vox-pops of local people saying positive things about East.

“The service is outstanding and the variety of food is exceptional and most importantly they always make us feel welcome.”

Description of brand personality: Learning, Enjoying, Exploring, Developing Skills.

Positioning Taglines: Your children deserve the best education possible
Let us provide them with the best years of their lives.

Creative thought starters:
Your children are our priority
Let us work together.

Task 9: Create a questionnaire consisting of 6-10 questions. Remember the results that you are looking for should help you when you come to plan your TV advert.

Q1. Do you like to see an advertisement in the style of an animation?

YES/NO

Q2. do you like famous songs/music in an advert?

YES/NO

Q3. What is your preferred genre of animation?

COMEDY ACTION ROMANCE SPORT CHARITY THRILLER

Q4. Do you prefer an advert to follow a narrative?

YES/NO

Q5.Do you prefer an all music advertisement or one with a voice over?

MUSIC VOICE-OVER

Q6.Do you prefer an advert to have soft music or one that consists of powerful and upbeat songs?

SOFT UPBEAT

Q7. Do you like to see celebrities in an advertisement?

YES/NO

Q8.Do you think a tagline is a good asset to an advert?

YES/NO

Q1. Do you like to see an advertisement in the style of an animation?

Q3. What is your preferred genre of animation?

COMEDY ACTION ROMANCE SPORT CHARITY THRILLER

Q7. Do you like to see celebrities in an advertisement?

YES/NO

Task 10: You must interview 3 or more friends and then, document your findings…..

Task 11: Set up a focus group and document your results. Use you class as the focus group, explain the demographic of the group and pick out some of the more relevant comments and explain how they will help inform your planning. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of running a focus group and how this can effect your results.
The demographic of our target audience are teenagers aged 11-18, . This audience would be interested in upbeat lively music beds. adverts with a humorous/ comedy genre. Advantages of focus groups include that they are easy to create a session, they are good for getting strong data that represents participants' own ideas and thoughts, focus groups collect a variety of information which collates a strong range of data. Although there are many dis-advantages such as demand characteristics, where the participants may only say what they think you expect or want them to say, or they may be influenced by other members of the group, which could mean they don't feel comfortable expressing their own idea's so they go along with the majority. There are also advantages to focus groups, we can gather information such as; participants' interpretations are not individual. Points made in this session by participants which could assist us in our planning include an effective narrative (journey throughout advert), memorable character (audience can identify with them), adverts that include a humourous element such as the Head and Shoulders advert.

Task 12: Consider the advertising codes for TV and pick out one code that you think you must be conscious of when producing your advertisement. Explain why and explain how you will make sure that you do not contravene the code.

When producing our advertisement a code that we would have to be careful not to break, is

Misleading advertising and children. Considering our target audience of potential students and parents, this is a very important code. Our advertisement will be played on the school website for anyone to view, so we have to ensure that everything we include is ethical and true. We must show lessons as they would normally take place and be ensure that everyone that features in the advert have given consent.

Task 13: What type of programme would your advert be placed in between?

In my oppinion think the best programme for our advert to be in between would be This morning or Loose Women as these programmes are aimed at mothers and housewives. It would be a good opportunity for parents to view our advert and consider PGS. Another channel I think would be a good place for our advert to be placed between is Sweet Life on Deck from the Disney Channel. This programme is played frequently on the Disney Channel and as this audience 9-15 years old this capturing our primary target audience - students. This programme is a teen sitcom and is comedy so content is quite light hearted and funny, this appealing to our target audience. Considering Young and Rubicon's audience classification table, I think the category this programme's target audience would fit into would be explorers as this category has a young demographic of students, which specifically targets our primary target audience of students. The audience's psycographics of this programme would want experience and adventure, this suiting our advert's audience as students would gain experience from working on the station and experience the adventure of something new and exciting.

Task 14 : Produce a record of your initial ideas that covers….

• Factors of persuasion and lines of appeal
• Narrative
• Music
• Characters
• Style

A line of appeal that would be apparent in our advert would be childhood because our advert goes through the stages of teenage years, this is effective because is shows the potential pupils what their childhood could be like, preparing them for adventure and excitement. However this lie of appeal is also effective because the parents that watch it could get a sense of nostalgia and begin to reminisce on their school life. These memories could be powerful enough for the parent to remember the advert and therefore remember the school. The factor of persuasion that features in our advert is Reward Power, as the advert shows that after all the hard work you put into your school life, comes back around and rewards you with some memorable teenage years.
The narrative in this advert would be 'The Journey Throughout Your School Years', this narrative would encapsulate disruptions and resolutions and finally closing with a happy equilibrium, hence advertising PGS positively. The music,would be upbeat and joyful, to represent the excitement of school life , the pace would also represent the characteristics of how fast high school goes. Characters in this advert would include the main character, a student boy who grows up, teachers and other students who would assist the main student, these characters would act as helpers. The style of this advert would be a serial as it is giving the audience a chance to see what happens throughout the stages of school life.

Task 15: Complete a treatment for your TV advert that covers the following in detail….

• Factors of persuasion
• Lines of appeal
• style
• narrative
• narrative goals
• characters
• Camera shots
• editing

The Lines of appeal that is included in our advert is childhood as potential students are given a chance to see what high school life is like from the very beginning. Also parents who watch the advert could be taken back to their childhood days and enjoy the memories. Another line of appeal in our advert is self-importance and pride as the advert shows the journey students go through as they progress though school, this will be reflected with emotions and facial expressions.

A factor of persuasion in our advert is reward power as thins linking with the line of appeal, self-importance and pride the experience students gain from going through the journey of school is rewarding and students can feel a sense of achievement from their hard work.

The advert will be in a serial style acting as a ‘journey throughout high school’. The advert will not be too formal as it needs to be fun and exciting, to encourage other students to join us, Up-beat music and various camera shots/ angles will reflect the fun element of the advert.

The advert will feature a sequential narrative as the advert will show the sequential events, using a child that 'grows- up' as he experiences high school, The start of the advert will feature the boy walking though the school gates as a year seven, The final part of the advert will feature the boy (who has now grown up) walking out of the school gates. Considering Propp’s theory the narrative will include helpers to help the students if they have a problem for example, being friends. The narrative will end on a happy equilibrium as the main character walks out of the school gates. Student may incur disruptions and resolutions along the way, as the narrative is a realist narrative, the advert will reflect true events that may happen. .

The main character in the advert is a student boy, who is followed from years seven, through to year 13. Other characters will include teachers, and other pupils who feature as classmates and friends.

Possible camera shots that may feature in our advert include a POV shot to show 'school from a pupils perspective', close-up shots to show the main character’s facial expression and long shots and medium shots to show the classrooms and school environment.

Software that we may use when editing our advert may include Final Cut Express to edit the whole video in, we may also use Audacity if sound levels need altering.

Task 16: Write a report with screen-shots, detailing the equipment and software you will be using and how you intend to use it.

Equipment we will be using will include a Flip Camera with a portable tripod this to capture smooth POV shots for example, when the main character is making his way through the school building. We will use a variety of camera shots including close ups to show the students' happy expressions and panning shots to make a smooth transition between lessons. We may also need artificial lighting is lighting is low in any of the classrooms, to maintain continuity throughout. Software we will be using includes Imovie and final cut express. This is where we will edit all of our footage, we may use garageband and audacity for audio effects. People involved in our advert will be the main character, other students and teachers. Considering props, costumes and locations; character will not need to be in costumes as student's uniforms and teacher's dress will fit with the school setting. Locations will be set inside the school, as our advert is based on an acitivy inside school.

Task 17: Create a storyboard for your production

Task 18: You must create a production schedule, this will help you set some targets and will also keep everybody who is in the production, informed of what is happening when.

Task 20: Complete version of your TV Advert

Task 21: Evaluation

Evaluation feedback:

warm feeling, good music choice, need a voice over or info in first 30 second, education is about?, a wide range of new tech...., a-level shot needs shortening, creativity, safe environment..., fast paced when music change, take out shot of boy in science, put effects on some clips, some more info, change clip effects

The purpose in this project was to produce an advertisement for Pudsey Grangefield School, this advert had to include a positive and insightful view of the school for prospective students and parents to view on the school website. After the advertisement was completed it was shown to a group of my peers and they were asked to provide relevant feedback. They commented saying that the advert had a 'warm feeling and a good choice of music', they also said 'the transitions are fluid and helps to inform the narrative'. All of the group understood the preferred reading of the advert and enjoyed the choice of music. As the primary target audience are students, it was suited that my peers watched the advert and made relevant comments.

As the advertisement was to promote the school we gave out a positive message. As we are students of this school it could mean that we have put in a bias view to the school. However I do not think that this has been done to an extreme extent and the positive feeling to the advert will be warmly welcomed by the viewers. As our advert included unscripted footage from around the school we got a chance to film a wide range of age and ethnic groups, also both sexes were included. Although the advert did focus on a boy at the beginning, I do not feel that this has made it bias towards females and will still appeal to both sexes. The two upbeat instrumentals that we used as are music bed added a light-hearted mood to the advert. As we used instrumentals and didn't included singing it kept the focus of the footage and viewers will not be preoccupied by a popular song. The locations were extremely appropriate for our advert as we filmed all the footage at our school and will real students. This also means that our video is realistic for our genre.

During the production of the advert we made sure that all unneeded voices were extracted and the levels of the music were correct. We also made sure that the levels of the music were brought down but still audible for the voice over near the end of the advert.

I would regard our advert as multi strand narrative because we demonstrated the school life of children of different ages and who decide to take differing subjects.

During the production of this advert I learnt furthermore how to work as a team, I also reenforced my knowledge of how to use garageband and Imovie to its full extent. I think that using these skills are a good strength to have, however as a group we do need to improve on time management in our next project. I think that I was a good team member as I gave relevant opinions and helped in both the filming and the production of the advert. I listened to the others opinions and we took them all into consideration. In any further project I an involved in a plan to improve by making sure I apply myself totally in the time available.

Self refection

Unit 1: Research techniques

Understanding the purpose of research:

Market Research: Market research is research in which an individual will strive to find information in there selected market in such fields as prefereces, services and products etc. This information could be found in a variety of ways such as conducting focus groups, questionaires or interviews. I used this technique in unit 29 in task 9, to plan my TV advert and to gain a better understanding of what my target audience wanted to see in the advert I designed a questionaire. This gave me a better insight into how I should produce my advert.

Audience data: Audience data is where information or data is collected from an audience via sampling or speculation of a product, giving feedback according to what their opinion was. This data could be either on a quantitative or qualatitive format. I did this in unit 29 task 10 where I carried out interviews with my classmates to gain a better understanding of their views of advertising.

Audience Profiling:. Audience profiling is the analysis of a persons behavioural and psychological characteristics in order to assess thier capabilites and place them into subgroups and categories. I did this throughout unit 21, single camera drama, specifically in task 6 whereby I gained a better understanding of the social classes and to be able to aim my drama at the correct target audience.

Advertising placement: Advertising placement refers to the process of advertisers placing their adverts during a specific time or period allowing them to benefit from peak viewing times or allowing them to target a specific market segment. I gained a more clear understanding of this process in unit 7 in tasks 4 and 5 where I analyised British television and the power advertising has on some of our channels. For example the cost of prime time adverting slots on ITV.

Production Research

Resources: Resources are required in order to carry out tasks. This can be anything from equipment, facilities, funding or even the assistance of individuals. I have done this in most of the evaluations in the unit by describing the equipment that has or would be used in my productions. I also did this in unit 22 when we had to analyise and describe what equipment would be needed to produce our Friday World production.

Audience: In production terms an audience is a group of people who are gathered in order to watch or listen to an event. This was completed in all my productions to give me an understading of what people thought of my production and to help me improve in the future with their constructive critism.

Applying a range of research Methods and Techniques

Quantitative research: Quantitive research is data gathered numerically. This can be programme ratings and figures. Website Hits and sales figures. Qualitative data can be closed questionnaires and surveys. Data is recorded in a table and analysed to determine how successful a product/programme/film is. I did this in 29 task 9 when data I had collected from my peers were made into charts to be easily compared.

Qualitative research: Is research which cannot be recorded numerically. It is usually people’s opinions such as film reviews, responses to programmes and campaigns. It can be research such as open ended questionnaires. I did this again in unit 29 when I interviewed various people on their opinions on advertising. Therefore making the task qualitative research.

Primary Sources: Primary sources of research can come in terms of interviews, which can take place over the phone, face to face of via email. However if an interview is face to face a person can express their views easier than over the telephone or email, due to facial expressions and the ease of a face to face conversation. Interview questions can be open ended which allow the interviewee to express their oppinions fully and allow the researcher to gather more data. Or questions can be closed where they have a simply clear answer. Other sources of primary data include observations, questionnaires, focus groups and meetings. In TV advertising focus groups and questionaires were made to gather data about advertising. It also helped me to decide what target audience I should have been basing my advert around.

Consumer Categorisation: This is where consumers are categorised due to their socio-economic background, their geographic classification, ethnographic classification, age, gender, sexual orientation, occupational group and educational background. This is a way for programmes to suit the programme to their target audience to gain viewings. I used this in my single camera drama unit when i looked into social class and the categories that are accociated with them.

Presenting research results

Techniques: These are the techniques in order to present the research results. The techniques can be written in terms of a report or a review. They can be oral in terms of a presentation, video, video diary. Or as usuing graphic aids, pie charts, bar charts. The results will either be formal or informal. I used a variety of these techniques throughout my units, for example in TV Advertising task 9 i completed a group of charts to help me easily compare my finding. In a lot of my units I have completed various reviews of television to gain a more intellegent look on media.

Quotation and refererence: It is important to source quotes and reference information using a bibliography and citations, this can be done using such styles as the Harvard reference system, citation, footnotes, acknowledgements, credits, appendices. In my understanding TV industry unit I did this throughout to make sure that all the sources that I had used in my tasks had been recognised and I did not copy any of my work.

Unit 2: Pre-production techniques

Understand requirements for production

Resources:
I considered the use of resources in unit 22 multi camera drama when I had to take into consideration what equipment would be needed for the Friday World production.

Codes of practice and regulations:
Throughout the unit I had to consider the codes and regulations set in the media, these include health and safety rules and the regulation of bodies such as OFCOM. I considered these in various taks when I completed the relevant health and safety paperwork to made sure I was within the correct boundries to keep my productions as safe as possible. I also found out more about medis legislation in TV advertising task 10.

Be able to obtain resources for production

Equipment:
Our main use of equipment was in units 21 and 22 when we had to gain an understanding of what equipment was needed to make a drama, these included mics, cameras, tripods and lighting. An example of doing this is in unit 22 when we had to set out what equipment we needed to produce Friday World.

Personnel:
This was done in unit 22 when we had to set out in our group what role they were going to play in our Friday World production. Roles such as presenters, editors and camera operators were needed in this production.

Materials:
A script was produced in unit 22 to enable our group to get a clear idea of what was happening in our production. It also gave us the opportunity to decide where to place different audio pieces and clips.

Be able to apply production logistics

Planning Schedule:
In unit 21 task 10 I produced a production schedule to enable us to stick to a time limit and stay on track. It also helped us to make sure everything was completed.

Documentation:
In unit 21 a production schedule was commpleted, also a script was set out, this enabled me to cleary document the on going production I was completing. A script was also completed in unit 22.

Planning logistics for production:
A detailed plan for our Friday World production was set out to make sure that the group knew exactly what they were doing and what we wanted to acheive.

Unit 7: Understanding the TV and Film industry

Task 1: Using the questions below to help you structure your essay, answer the following question

How have advances in technology effected the TV industry and how have audiences changed as a result?

The popularity of Sky can be partly attributed to its ability to record, pause and rewind live programmes at the touch of a button. This is also available through Virgin on demand and TIVO. However, TIVO is currently not available in the UK and is the main satellite viewing in the USA. In the UK today there are five channels that still broadcast in analogue, those being BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, C4 AND C5. The majority of these channels are funded by advertising, the exception being BBC 1 and 2 which is funded by the Television License. Although, analogue will not be broadcast that much longer as all channels are moving to the modern digital signal and analogue is being phased out across the UK. Among the regions already on the digital switchover are Wales and the West Country and all regions will have switched over by the end of 2012. To find out more you can go to the DigitalUK website. All new televisions now come with freeview installed; freeview is a free service that offers a range of over 40 programmes including E4 and Film4. Freeview also offers an interactive service via the red button and over 20 digital radio stations. This means that there is no contract and some boxes are even able to record programmes and offer a HD option. OFCOM reported at the end of June 2009, 29,700,000 television sets were equipped to view digital terrestrial in the UK. Freeview is managed by DTV Services Ltd, a company owned and run by its five shareholders - BBC, BSkyB, Channel 4, ITV and Arqiva. http://www.freeview.co.uk/About-Us

Satellite television is becoming more popular every day, with the main provider being BskyB. Satellite television can be accessed with an outdoor antenna such as a satellite dish and a tuner module either built into the TV or an external box plugged into the TV. This will give a viewer the widest choice of channels in the UK, this includes Sky Sports and over 50 HD channels. It is said that around 80% of British homes have subscribed to satellite television, highlighting the impact this form of television is having on the UK as a form of entertainment. Satellite offers over 300 basic channels which means it can cater to many niche markets, who can flick to find there preferred viewing material.
The popularity of Sky can be partly attributed to its ability to record, pause and rewind live programmes at the touch of a button. This is also available through Virgin on demand and TIVO. However, TIVO is currently not available in the UK and is the main satellite viewing in the USA.

Another aspect that has enabled viewers to interact with television is the red button, which has many functions. One being the ability find out certain information quickly and easily without leaving your seat. For example, the red button on BBC enables you to go straight to a recorded feed of the weather for the next 5 days that is updated regularly. Another feature it has is to create a multi-screen format. An example of this can be seen in a sporting event when you can choose which game you would like to watch and switch between whenever the viewer likes. The red button means that a viewer can participate in a programme, for example a competition. With the press of the red button the viewer can vote to keep their favourite contestant in the competition. This has created a whole new platform for viewer interactions.

The ways in which we can access TV has dramatically changed over the past decade and is still changing day by day. The greatest change has been the ever more accessible internet. This has meant a viewer can watch their favourite programmes practically whenever and wherever they choose. Platforms such as BBC iplayer and 4OD enable programmes to be watched on the internet as soon as the programme has been aired on TV for free, there is also the accessibility of viewing programming of a whole series. This enables viewers to catch up with programming they would have otherwise missed. This is in keeping with the fast paced lifestyle of viewers in these modern times. It is no longer just the box in the corner of the room that you can access programming anymore, you can access it from computers, laptop, iphones, ipads and many more technological advances. The viewer is now able to purchase films and programmes from such websites as itunes, the possibilities seem endless.

These endless ways to watch television has seen the decline of mass audiences, long gone is the days that a prime time slot would reel in a third of the UK population. There are some key factors in this decline, one of them being the boom in channel numbers, with over 800 being available to Sky viewers. Viewers are now able to find their niche, meaning channels now see viewers watching in their thousands rather than millions. The main advancement that has brought the demise of these mass audiences is the internet, viewers are now able to find their favourite programmes and films, whether that is legal or illegal, and watch them whenever they please.

However, television has not yet lost its effect on audiences throughout the UK. It is still the foundation of many a viewers social life, following the uses and gratification theory it has upheld many years. Diversion is still very much present for viewers are they seek out entertainment from comedy programming and live viewing such as Big Brother. While prime time viewing such as Strictly come Dancing highlights the personal relationships and personal identity between viewers with coverage on a nationwide scale being the main topic of conversation in the UK. Surveillance is highly present in television as news programming and channels are greatly watched, giving viewers an insight into the world’s events.

Viewers can access films on digital tv in a few ways. The first way is through channels that purely play films such as sky movies. There are some channels such as film4 that can be accessed on freeview which means viewers can access a variety of films for free. Sky also offers a box office, where the viewer can purchase newly brought out films, this can cost anything from £3.99. Sky+ also offers a movies anytime package in which you can access some of the most popular movies at anytime using the sky+ menu.

Advances in technology have meant that film makers now have many more advertising opportunities to advertise their films and target the right demographic. Tv now has many more channels to advertise from that suit niche audience, therefore film makers can choose which channel would suit an advertisement of their film. The Internet means that films can be advertised on almost any website. Films can now be accessed through the internet, which may have hindered the film industry, this is because films can easily be pirated and copied. Websites such as youtube mean that films can be accessed for free.

Referencing:

DigitalUK. (2011). DigitalUK. Available: http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/home. Last accessed 24th feb 2011.

Freeview. (2008). aboutus. Available: http://www.freeview.co.uk/About-Us. Last accessed 24th feb 2011.

RadioandTelly. (2002-2010). Satellite TV - Sky Digital and Freesat Explored. Available: http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/satellitetv.html. Last accessed 14th march 2011.

Wikipedia. (2011). Satellite television. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_television. Last accessed 16th march 2011.

Task 2: Choose a TV broadcasting organisation, such as, Sky, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and create a short case study on how your chosen organisation uses technology at the moment and how it is looking to use technology in the future.

The BBC or British Broadcasting Corporation is state owned and paid for via the UK television licence. It states that ‘The BBC is the largest broadcasting organisation in the world. Its mission is to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform, educate and entertain. http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/purpose/what.shtml

The BBC began production in 1922, when the government licensed the six main UK manufacturers of radio to form the BBC for the public.

Currently the BBC is made up of 8 national TV channels and regional programming, 10 national radio stations, 40 local radio stations and a up to date website. However the BBC plan to extent this vast amount of technology even further. They have set out plans to deliver internet-connected televisions, extend their BBC iplayer and harness the full potential of BBC online. With the ever advancing mobile technology such as the 'android' phone, the BBC website and apps are readily available on the go through your phone. The BBC have laid out a structure to improve their technology and advancements:

‘• Extending partnership between BBC Worldwide and Channel 4 (section 2)

• Sharing BBC news content with newspapers (section 3)

• Exploring new approaches to the delivery of content over the internet and helping stimulate

investment in digital networks (section 3)

• Partnering with the commercial radio sector, including around digital radio but also on

technology and development (section 3)’
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/future/pdf/digital_britain_exec.pdf

The BBC have made adjectives to improve their website and iplayer, they have set out to create a archive library of all its programming. They are also taking steps to create a strong connection with digital TV, HD programming and play a leading role in the digital TV switchover in order to help and aid the UK viewers. The BBC have now begun to show some of its programming in HD and plan by 2012 to show the majority of its programming in HD.

Referencing:

BBC. (2010). BBC objectives 2010/11. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/purpose/objectives.shtml. Last accessed 18th april 2011.

BBC. (2011). Aboutus. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/purpose/what.shtml. Last accessed 17th april 2011.

BBC. (2002). A short history of the BBC. Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1231593.stm. Last accessed 17th april 2011.

BBC Executive . (2009). Digital Britain: the BBC’s role. Available: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/future/pdf/digital_britain_exec.pdf. Last accessed 17th april 2011.

Task 3: How is the TV industry funded and how does this effect programming? (Include a breakdown of British TV – who are the main players?)

There are a varied range of financially sustained TV programming in Britain today, the effects of which can change a channels context and viewing population. The first format is public service broadcasting, mainly the BBC, they are funded by the public through the television licence which is paid on a yearly basis by any household owner that owns a television. This means that the public get a better opinion and input into the type of programming they choose to watch. The licence costs £145 per year for a colour television in the home. Being a public broadcaster the BBC has the responsibility to provide a wide range of viewing for its audience, caters to all tastes and views. As a result the BBC now has a specialist range of channels such as BBC3 that caters to comedy fans with such programmes as 'Russell Howards Good News' and BBC4 that has a variety of history and geographical based programming to entertain the niche audience. As the BBC is publically financed it means they are able to take risks with the choice of programming, comedians and off the wall actors have become hugely popular because of this. One of the most popular examples being 'The Office' which started off with a some audience, channels who were not in this was financially looked after would not have carried on to show this programme but the BBC did and now the programme has been watched in many places in the world.

However, the majority of television is financed by advertising. Channels such as ITV, channel 4 and 5 are all reliant on advertising to bring in their funding. In turn companies have the ability to advertise their product on a nationwide scale, giving the channels great revenue to take hold of. Therefore, channels with a higher audience rating will attract higher advertising fees, for example a prime time Saturday evening slot. The focus on advertising has led to an increase in reality TV in recent years, these programmes on ITV and channel 4 especially have yielded a massive audience with a wide range target audience from the young to old, being open to all. Examples being 'XFactor' and 'Big Brother' have been some of the highest watched programmes of recent times, therefore resulting in astronomical advertising prices. Massive revenue can also be secured by sponsorship of programming, some of the biggest being such programming as Coronation Street, with the sponsor being Harvey's Furniture. Another avenue for profit, product placement, has recently come into place on UK television. This has given channels the chance to create another form of income. OFCOM regulates this, some of the exceptions in this advertising includes alcohol and cigarettes.As this type of funding is not sustainable or assured as the BBC is these channels cannot take the programming risks and instead choose to pick programme that will appeal to the nation as a whole, rather than the niche audiences.

TV Licence . (2011). TV Licence costs. Available: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/tv-licence-types-and-costs-top2/. Last accessed 20th April 2011.

Task 4: Write a report on the film industry covering the following points…..

In the genre of the film industry there are two main types that exist, independent and mainstream cinema. These form of cinema contrast greatly in their production, target audience and approach to cinema. The majority of the worlds cinema is made by mainstream industry, this is primarily made up of companies based in and around Hollywood, Los Angeles: Paramount, Colombia, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Disney and Warner Bros. In total, they represent 97% of the total world film industry, highlighting the massive influence the 'big 6' have on the worlds film audience.

This dominance can not always been seen as a positive though, the 'big 6' have a great influence on its audience, with its production having primarily western ideals and culture, therefore limiting viewers from seeing the vibrancy and different cultures of the rest of the world. Therefore viewers are subjected to typical happy endings and unrealistic violence as their main film viewing, not being able to access independent alternative films.

Although, alternative industries have been breaking though and have become popular in recent years, one of the most successful being Bollywood, India's alternative to Hollywood. This industry is one of the biggest makers of film production in india and now the world. In 2006, Bollywood was valued at over $10.7 billion and had gathered viewing in cinemas worldwide of up to 3.7 tickets. Bollywood produces dozens of films a year, many of which become hugely popular.

Meanwhile, Britain has several film corporations, those being 'Film4' and BBC film as the biggest. These companies have created many successful films over the years, recently Film4 have worked on such production as Slumdog millionaire and Borat, the first of which gained 7 BAFTA's. These films created great audience income and Slumdog Millionaire created a total gross revenue of $377,910,544. However, many films from these companies follow the codes and conventions of many western films, limiting the extent of the vibrancy from other cultures and genres.

The United kingdom Film Council was founded in 2000 by the labour government with an aim to 'stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UK. The UKFC has a mandate that spans culture, social and economic priorities.' The council secured lottery funding of £160 million which has been distributed to over 900 films. Although the council has helped many films over the past decade the council has been closed and now most of the responsibilities from the council have been taken over by the British Film Institute.

Task 5: Ownership and control – Does it matter who owns the media?

The vast media structure that dominates programming audiences spend their life watching is dominated by 6 global powerhouses also know as the 'big 6' which consist of: New corp, Viacom, Disney, Time Warner, CBS and General Electric. Each company boast a range of high shares and influences in the media sphere, which collectively amounts to 86% of the worlds media. This is made up with the biggest company Time Warner with 18% followed by Viacom with 16%.

The six conglomerates have generally similar global reach and influence which extents to various reaches of the media spectrum. All of the big 6 have reached out with other ventures than they were origionally known for to increase their power and influence in the media world, also massivly increasing their profits. This venture is known as vertical integration, this is where a company extends its influence or power by reaching out into varying outlets to the business they originally established under a means of ' securing the supplies needed by the firm to produce its product and the market needed to sell the product. The result is a more efficient business with lower cost and more profits'.

All of the big 6 have completed and followed this process, therefore suggesting why they have achieved such an extent of influence and wealth. For example, the most successful of the conglomerates, General Electric, acheived a revenue in 2009 of $157billion with involved in TV, online, publishing and film industries. All of the big 6 are in simular situations to this. Vertigal intergration is used with the hope to boost profits and power in the media worlds and the worlds markets. A recent example of this can be seen the UK media industry with the takeover of BskyB by News corp. The head of New corp, who already owns a plethera of tabloid newspapers, will now have controll of one of the biggest salitille television services in the country. This will therefore strengthen Murdocks power and influence further in the media world. "The combination of Sky with his newspapers, such as the Sun and the Sunday Times, would generate annual revenues of around £8bn, compared with the £4.6bn income of the next largest player, the BBC."

The Western world is having massive influence on the rest of the world through the medium of the media. The vast amount of western idealist movies being shown to the rest of the world has meant that it has influenced people greatly. For example, when Sex and the City is shown in an eastern country, the fashion culture shown in the film who highly influence the women of these different countries. This is known as cultural hegemony. This influence gives these companies a platform to sell their products and gain massive profits. For example if a company show a certain car in a film they will get profit from the car company.

Rupert Murdock, one of the main players in media, owns some of the biggest companies in the UK such as tabloid newspapers, The Times and The Sun, as well as BSkyB. He also has big influence in America owning some important newspapers and TV networks such as the Fox TV Network. He also has influence on TV in countries such as Australia and Italy. Recently, he was given permission to take over a majority share of BSkyB, this decision could be argued as one more step in Rupert Murdocks bid for power. This way, Murdock is able to sway his employees to filter his own views down through the media. As he is a right wing conservative some would say this recent passing of his takeover was happily completed by the conservative party, which is in power at the moment. However, because of this Sky news has been regularly accused of being bias in its news broadcasts, this demonstrates how too much power can effect the media in a negative way.

Perhaps one of the greatest examples is the merger of AOL and Time Warner, which is said to have created a company worth over $350billion. This merger demonstrated the intergration of one of the largest internet suppliers with one of the largest film industry providers, this meant that together they could dominate all aspects of media. An example in which they could do this would be producing a film and advertising it on their internet space to create a great revenue from that film. 'The merger’s potential to change the news, entertainment, Internet, and e-commerce landscape is staggering.' This merger has however met objection and opposers, this giant powerful company has meant that other companies cannot compete have lost profit, in some cases shut down. The viewing public therfore do not have much alternitive to comply with this merger and are not able to choose an aternative, a dangerous view in the western world.

Refercenes:
Freepress. (2011). Ownership Chart. Available: http://www.freepress.net/ownership/chart/main. Last accessed 26 April 2011

QuickMBA. (1999). Vertigal Integration . Available: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/vertical-integration/. Last accessed 26 April 2011.

BBCNews. (2010). Murdoch's News Corporation in BSkyB takeover bid. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10316087. Last accessed 26 April 2011

BBCNews. (2000). The AOL - Time Warner merger. Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/597782.stm. Last accessed 26 April 2011

Paul Baldwin. (2000). Your guide to the AOL-Time Warner merger. Available: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/your-guide-to-the-aol-time-warner-merger/5033093. Last accessed 26th April 2011

Task 6: Use the resources below to create an organisational chart/essay/powerpoint/speech package/short film that highlights the different jobs available in the TV and Film Industries.

The various job roles in the TV and film industry play an equally important role in creating a professional piece of film. One of the sectors of this is management with such job roles including director. The director of a production has some important roles, they must have the ability to make careful and detailed preparations to enable a production to run smoothly, they must also have great communications skills and be able to lead a team. Around the directing position there may be side positions such as 1st assistant director, this job would involve taking on some of the responsibilities of a director such as organising script changes. To achieve this position it is vital that you have had extensive experience in the field of media. It is typical of this position to be employed by a company which a fixed term contract.
A makeup and hair artist, a job found in the creative sector, is another role to help keep the cogs turning on a film and TV production. This position involves a large amount of face to face interaction and presentational skills. To achieve this position you must have the relevant qualifications in hair and beauty and extensive experience. To achieve this, a person may have to start out as a trainee and work their way up. This position is usually freelance and piece work with companies hiring this service for a day or short term. This means they are paid on an hourly basis.
Another sector in this industry is editorial, with a job role such as a vision mixer. This position involves fast paced editing and tough decisions. There are two main scenarios that a vision mixer can be found in, a live TV programme or a pre recorded multi camera setting. In a live situation a vision mixer is in charge of editing what we see with a use of cuts, wipes and mixes etc. However in a pre recorded format the mixer will be working from a running order previously produced, this will outline all the shots required in the production. This role requires previous experience in camera skills and the relevant technology. These positions are usually fixed terms contracts, working with a company of differing projects.
A researcher is another vital role in a production, there job is to make all the starting preparations in a project, such as finding relevant locations and making sure copyright requirements are met. They may also negotiate fees with such people as freelance workers or location owners, this will be overviewed by the producers and directors at every stage in the project. Although researchers play an important role in productions they are often only contracted for one project and work on a freelance basis.
A production manager is responsible for all organisational aspects of production scheduling and budgeting. One job they have is to produce a production schedule of script breakdown to verify time scales, budget limits and schedules. This job must include sufficient technical experience 'On drama productions they use Movie Magic (a specialist scheduling and budgeting software package) which provides logistical breakdowns of scripts, detailing all aspects of production requirements.' This role is one of the most highly pressured, with overseeing and time limited responsibilities.Throughout a production all persons involved must liaise and work together to enable the production to run smoothly and to finish with a high standard piece.

Skillset. (2011). Production Manager - TV. Available: http://www.skillset.org/tv/jobs/production/article_5481_1.asp. Last accessed 26 April 2011.

Task 7: You are a special guest on a radio programme and you are on the show as an industry specialist. Choose a specific job role, preferably a role that you are interested in pursuing in the future and research the role. You will be asked the questions that are listed below and you are expected to give comprehensive answers.

Task 8: Explain some of the different types of jobs and contracts that are being advertised currently at the BBC.

One job that is being advertised at the BBC at the moment is the position of Commerical Analyst, this role has a continuing contract type with the aim of supporting all financial planning and analysis reporting activities. The BBC website states that you must possess 'Strong analytical skills reflecting an ability to manipulate and interpret data, to provide meaningful and useful analysis for decision making purposes'.

Another job currently available at the BBC is a Broadcast Journalist for BBC Radio Devon. This position is a 12 months fixed role contract with the opportunity to produce creative radio and breaking news stories for the station. For this position you need to demonstrate 'You'll need to be able to demonstrate that you've got the journalism skills, voice and enthusiasm to work in this busy news team.'

Alot of people who work in the media industry have to work on a confidentiality agreement. This agreement is for privacy, to say they wont reveal any company information to outside sources. This may be for people who work on the set of a TV programme such as Eastenders to keep upcoming storylines private. Accountants may have to sign this agreement to keep financial information private.

Aswell as confidentiality agreements companies also have exclusivity agreements, this is an agreement where employers only engage with one business and do not liase with other companies. An example of this would be Jonathon Ross. He will be contracted by the BBC to only take on jobs that are requested of him by the BBC. Therefore he wouldn’t be able to start another show on a different channel, as it would break his working contract.

Task 9: Fill in a PGS Media Risk Assessment or create a hyperlink to a form that you have filled out for another unit.

Task 10: Provide definitions of and examples relating to the following terms of Media Legislation

Employment Equality (Age) Regulations Act 2006- This act of legislation has now been superseded by the Equality Act 2010, though its principal is the same as before: to ensure that people are not discriminated upon due to their age. However, recently, it has been disputed that the BBC have breached this act of legislation. There has been accusations that the programme ‘Countryfile’ has axed presenters Miriam O’Reilly, as well as Juliet Morris and Michaela Strachan from the show an replaced them with someone who was younger. O’Reilly successfully sued the BBC in an employment tribunal on the grounds of ageism.

Employers Liability- All employers are responsible for their staff, and should therefore insure their employees so that they are covered in case anything should happen. Employers are responsible for the health and safety, so if the employee encouters an illness or injury that was work related, it falls on to the employer to take responsability. then the employer has to pay out compensation to the employee. So, if you were an investigating undercover journalist the project would have to be tested to see the risk involved.

Employee Rights- Employee’s have rights to be entitled a minimum wage and sick pay. The minimum wage for over 21 is £5.93 and this is so that the employer pays you a satisfactory amount. Due to the high work demand in the media industry jobs are paid at the minimum wage. Another right that you are legally obliged to have is a contract of employment, to ensure that both the employer and employee are protected. The contract may state the amount of holidays that you can have, as well as including the details of what happens when the employee is ill and sick pay has to be paid.

Belonging to a Trade Union- A trade union is a group in which the employer pays a membership fee to, and in return they are protected should the worker feel unhappy about any work related issues. The trade union is dependent on the job you have: Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) if you work in any of these fields, for Journalists there is the National Union of Journalists or, if you work in London, the London Freelance Branch is for freelance journalists. In the media industry, it is essential that you are part of a trade union to ensure that you are protected, should anything happen, i.e. your pay could decrease, and the trade union would fight for you.

Intellectual Property: Copyright- The Intellectual Property Office Copyright protects work of literary, art, music, layouts, recordings and broadcastings. The © is a symbol that marks copyright, though all work that has a ‘physical’ recording is automatically covered as being copyrighted. In the media, the most common types of plagiarism would be articles, as they can be difficult to source, because of the internet; it is quite easy to copy someone else’s work. For example, The Pop Idol vs. X Factor issue between Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell has been a long debated issue concerning the formatting of ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Pop Idol’ (American Idol) as there have been claims that Cowell has stolen the format.

Trademarks- These are symbols (logos and brand names) ™ that allow the public to recognise one brand from another. Recently, there have been quite a lot of disputes in the media regarding trademarks, as supermarkets are copying the leading brands colour scheme for their own branded products, in the hope that the customer doesn't notice. Leading brands claim that supermarkets’ brands market share is increasing, therefore their sales are decreasing.