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Brainstorming with BBC Children in Need

I had an interesting visit to the BBC Children in Need (CiN) offices at Bridge House, MediaCityUK today. The afternoon was to develop and brainstorm ideas for the social media and online content to be produced to promote this year's CiN campaign. Myself and 7 others were chosen to from the University of Salford to help the social media team. We were welcomed in the building by reception and went through a tight security procedure and checks before we could go any further. Once we'd done this, it was on with the visitors lanyard and into the office to meet Peter and Nick, the CiN social media team. The offices have a friendly and comfortable feel, with a giant Pudsey bear made from a bush and photographs from all the previous programmes all over one wall. Also, headshots and names of the team were near the front of the office to let everyone know who each person was, which I thought was a nice touch. The brainstorming session kicked off with us discussing what content we see
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And they all lived happily ever after...with CONFLICT

This week we're going to talk about story and content, because, STORY IS EVERYTHING and CONTENT IS KING (Saunders, 2018). Without these aspects, the final piece will not be a success. Robert Thirkell is a master of factual programming and his focus on storytelling makes his programmes innovative and compelling. His book CONFLICT is an insiders guide to factual and reality storytelling that gives trade secrets from the industry's fountain of wisdom. CONFLICT focuses on 8 areas of creating a factual programme using the main example of Jamie's School Dinners . These  8 areas are Characters, Out of the box, Narrative drive, Front, Love, Interviews, Care and Timeline. Which the first letters spell out CONFLICT, I told you this guy was clever! Thirkell talks about how combining different genres is the "key to success in modern TV" (Thirkell, 2010, p.27) and he uses a variety of examples and case studies to prove how combining genres leads to creative success. CONF
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Back In Time For Tea

As mentioned in my previous blog here , this week is all about copyright. I watched BBC Two's Back In Time For Tea, this programme includes a multitude of copyrighted items, for example, appliances, food products, archive footage and music. Back In Time For Tea follows "the Ellis family [who] travel Back in Time to discover how life has changed for ordinary working families" (BBC, n.d.a). This programme suits BBC Two as it is part of the "knowledge-building programming" (BBC Trust, 2016) that BBC Two requires by its remit. Within the programme, a range of music from the 1980s was used to illustrate the era the family were in during the episode. To be able to use this music, producers of the programme would need to obtain a licence from PPL and PRS who "ensure that the creators and performers of music are paid when their music is used in public" (PPL & PRS, n.d.). Also, Back In Time For Tea features a variety of footage that is from the 1980s
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Desert Island Discs

This week I am focussing on copyright and clearance, more specifically how copyrighted material is cleared and what has been used in the chosen programme. I listened to the episode featuring Jack Whitehall which was broadcast on 9th February 2018. Desert Island Discs is presented by Kirsty Young who "invites her quests to share the soundtrack of their lives" (BBC, n.d.) and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Desert Island Discs fits BBC Radio 4's remit because the "mixed speech service" (BBC, 2016) is used to "inform, educate and entertain" (BBC, 2016) its audience. The Copyright,  Designs and Pattern Act 1988 is the law on copyright currently in the UK (UKCS, n.d.). It gives the creator of original content control over how their content is used. It is described as when an "individual or organisation creates a work, and applies to a work if it is regarded as original" (UKCS, n.d.) then copyright arises. For Desert Island Discs, the music used w
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This Country

Series 2 of BBC Three's This Country returned this week and we were welcomed back to the Cotswolds with open arms by cousins, Kerry and Kurtan. This Country is a mockumentary comedy series that explores "the lives of young people in modern rural Britain" (BBC Three, n.d.) and is written by "siblings Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper" (BBC, 2017) who play cousins, Kerry and Kurtan. This Country is a perfect example of the programming BBC Three require through their remit and commissioning guide because the programme "[presents] the world from a distinctive but relatable point of view" (BBC, n.d.). Whilst also connecting to the "lives and aspirations of a young and young-at-heart audience" (BBC. n.d.) that BBC Three have. Locations play a huge part in any programme, they help to tell the story and create an immersive environment for the audience; making it feel real. "Visually the location needs to be right" (Mitchell, 2009,
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999: What's Your Emergency?

999: What's Your Emergency? is a Channel 4 factual programme that looks at "modern Britain through the eyes of the emergency services" (Channel4.com, n.d.). The entire process from the 999 call to the deployment of the emergency services is captured as the front line "deal with the unpredictable" (Sturgess, n.d.). Channel 4's remit states that they "shine a light on stories untold elsewhere" (Channel 4, n.d.) and to "stimulate debate among viewers" (Channel 4, n.d.). Through the fast pace and urgency of the actions within the programme, it fits perfectly to the channel remit. The main focus, this week, is all about location and how the locations used within the programme contribute to the story. The first series is based in Blackpool, Lancashire and filmed in a variety of locations, such as, "ambulances, police cars and fire engines, as well as custody suites and on the streets of Blackpool" (Channel 4, 2012). These locat
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Line of Duty

Line of Duty is a BBC One "drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit" (BBC, n.d.). It was first broadcast on 12 February 2014 and has currently reached its fourth season with a fifth and sixth on the way. But what makes it so gripping and engaging? This programme suits the BBC One drama commissioning guide perfectly because it has a "strong investigative aspect ... [explores] how the world around us is changing and the hidden complexities of ordinary life" (BBC, n.d.) through the personal and work lives of the characters. Line of Duty does this very well by "blurring lines between fiction and reality" (Wilson, 2016), which creates a believable carbon copy of how the story would be in reality, with some embellishment to remove the boring bits, making it engaging for the audience. Jed Mercurio, the series creator, said that the series is "founded in truth" (Wilson, 2016) and this can be evidenced th
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