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 wha...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

The Archers is BBC Radio 4's "longest running drama" (Independent, 2011) and has been providing entertainment of real stories for over 67 years. It fits the radio 4 remit by providing a "wide range of other speech output including drama" (BBC Trust, 2016) but why has it been running for so long and what makes this drama engaging for its listeners? The episode I listened to was from back in 2013 when Bridge Farm's dairy herd was sold. This programme was grounded in factual research to ensure the programme sounded realistic for the viewers. The writer for The Archers visited a farm's cattle sale because there is "no way a writer could conjure scenes like this out of the imagination" (Solazzo, 2013). This quote shows that in every detail of the programme, in-depth research has been done to immerse the audience in as much realism as possible. The Archers covers a wide range of topics from "domestic violence and dementia to robotic cow mil...

This week I have been doing the groundwork for a factual programme for my Content Delivery University assignment which needs me to research and create a short feature for Channel 4's Food Unwrapped. I'm going to be sharing with you my experiences of doing research and ringing people to find out information and potentially get some contributors for my feature. Firstly, I needed to think about what food am I going to research. Coming up with ideas can be difficult but I remembered something my parents told me when I was younger 'if you eat cheese before bed it'll give you nightmares'. Then I had a light bulb moment! So I began my research into does cheese really give you bad dreams? Using 'newsstand' (a university resource), I began sifting through newspaper articles and websites all about cheese and its dreamy qualities. I found that there hadn't been much research done on the subject as the British Cheese Board state that their study is "a fi...

The Man Who Squeezes Muscles: Searching for Purple Aki is a short documentary on BBC Three that was first shown on 12th September 2016. The documentary shows a hunt for the infamous and mysterious Akinwale Arobieke, also known as Purple Aki (BBC, 2016). The programme opens with presenter narrating as he walks through a poorly lit underpass. This choice of opening location creates enigma and sets the tone of the programme to be an insightful investigation into the "urban legend" (Nissim, 2016). Through the mise-en-scene of graffiti, litter dirt and it all looking very urban it creates the feel of a rough environment for the viewer and sets up what they see and the tone for the rest of the documentary. This documentary "resonates with young people" (BBC, n.d.) as said in BBC Three's commissioning guide because it tackles a subject that "[stimulates] strong emotion and [provokes] reactions" due to Purple Aki being "somewhere between myth and re...

A Mixtape for Gus was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014 (BBC, 2014) and is presented by young composer and musician, Emily Levy, as she delves into the life of her late brother using the mixtapes he made and conversations with some of his friends (BBC, 2014). This programme fits BBC Radio 4's commissioning guide through the use of music and clever actuality to create emotion it engages the "listeners seeking intelligent programmes" (BBC, n.d.). The actuality of the tapes "clattering in the background" (Getintothis, 2016) and her feelings heard, through the sobs and sniffles, add a layer of emotion to the story of the programme, engaging the listeners. The music used by Levy creates a sense of attachment to Gus through the songs by linking with her memories of him. Not only has the music got a special connection for her to Gus, it also offers a nostalgic look into the music of the past and I think this contributes to the success of the programme because ...

Taboo is a “historical drama” (Hughes, 2017) that follows a man who “comes home to bury his father, revive an incestuous bond with sister Zilpha and claim his inheritance” (Duguid, 2017). Originally broadcast “at 9:15pm on BBC One” (Littlejohn, 2017) in January and repeated in March on BBC 2. This programme is suitable for this timeslot because it contains strong language, “harrowing moments” (Hughes, 2017) and subject matter such as “incest and exorcisms” (Hughes, 2017) that are not be suitable for younger viewers if broadcast at an earlier time due to Ofcom’s rules to “protect viewers from offensive and harmful content” (Ofcom, 2013). This drama is typical for BBC Two because it is required to give “an edgy, angled perspective on the world” (BBC, n.d.) with “complex and demanding tales” (BBC, n.d.) which Taboo does by providing the audience “grime and torment” (Hughes, 2017) through the storylines of each episode where the characters need to overcome obstacles to accomplish ...

Quake, a “new audio drama” (Reynolds, 2017) from Radio 4 is about how “the search for survivors begins after a deadly earthquake” (Graham, 2017). This new form of audio drama is “made up of 12 short form audio pieces” (Graham, 2017) and uses the innovative virtual reality technology to tell a gripping story and “illustrates how digital communication methods can help save lives” (BDH, n.d.). The series is “not on radio but online” (Reynolds, 2017), using VR and animations bringing the story to life which is new for Radio 4 as it is its “first virtual reality radio” (BDH, n.d.), winning the “PRIX EUROPA Award for innovation” (BDH, n.d.). This shows how the BBC has taken the first step “into the digital revolution” (Reynolds, 2017) leading the way for others to follow and making this unique for the BBC. BBC Radio 4 should provide a “mixed speech service, offering in-depth news and current affairs and a wide range of other speech output” (BBC, n.d.) and Quake does this by “highlightin...

My Week as a Muslim, a Channel 4 documentary “that aims to give a frank insight into the everyday lives of British Muslims, including the anti-Islamic sentiments they often encounter” (Jones, 2017). The documentary follows Katie Freeman who “is frightened of Muslims” (Nicholson, 2017), as she “puts on makeup and changes her clothes in order to pass as a Muslim” (Khan, 2017) to open her eyes on how life is like for a Muslim woman. This programme was broadcast on 23 October 2017 on Channel 4. Due to some language and sensitive subjects covered in the documentary it was shown at 9pm.  Channel 4 “wanted to do something bold and experimental” (Khan, 2017) when creating this documentary that fits their commissioning guide for a documentary that, “says something about society now” (4 Commissioning, n.d.). In true Channel 4 fashion, this documentary was highly controversial and was “widely criticised for ‘brownface’” (Jones, 2017), however, it was still broadcast   as they ar...

S-Town is a “true-crime” (Salusinszky, 2017) podcast produced by “Serial and This American Life, hosted by Brian Reed” (S.Town, n.d.) and it is a “rapidly expanding set of mini stories” (Romano, 2017) all about murder, mental health and the collapse of a society in Alabama. At the start, Brian “starts by talking about antique clock repair” (McGrane, 2017) and then hooks the audience by saying he “asked me to help him solve a murder” (Serial Productions, n.d.). This appeals to the audience of “loyal, affluent and educated” (Podcast insights, 2017) podcast listeners; making them continue to listen because they want to find out what has happened and if they solve the murder. Listeners were intrigued by the mystery because it focuses on subjects that are “difficult, brutal, and inevitably controversial” (Romano, 2017) and that is why it “scored over 45 million downloads in its first month, making it one of the most downloaded podcasts of all time” (McGrane, 2017). The producers used “c...

Video Game High School (VGHS) is an “original series released on the YouTube channel RocketJump” (Think with Google, 2015) that was crowdfunded on Kickstarter and is “an action/comedy series about surviving high school, fitting in, and landing that perfect head shot” (Wong, n.d.). VGHS was a success on Kickstarter because it has a certain niche target audience of over the age of eleven due to its comedic and action elements, also the style of language used is appropriate for younger audiences. Especially with the use of acronyms used in the programme such as FPS and AFK. The nature of the web series is all about “students [studying] video games” (Tach, 2013), this is the dream of young gamers and this fantasy series is something they can live their dream through. Also, the characters in the series, such as Brian, are relatable because he is going through the “core components of real-life high school” (Tach, 2013) like the intended audience are. https://www.plaidhatgames.com/ga...

99% Invisible is a podcast all about “design, architecture and all the thought that goes into the things most people don’t even think about” (PRX Inc, n.d.). The show is available as a podcast on their website and it is broadcast on a “local public radio station in the US” (Sawyer, 2013), therefore it has a wide listenership due to it being on public radio. It was a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that had a goal of earning 42,000 dollars but it ended it “[raising] over 170,00 dollars” (Quirk, 2016) due to the “strategic and time-intensive marketing initiatives” (Quirk, 2016). These initiatives that were used for 99% Invisible included using “stretch goals” (Maly, 2012). These goals are where backers will receive items/benefits from pledging certain amounts of money. For example, one of the benefits was “custom designed 99% Invisible pocket sized notebooks” (PRX Inc, n.d.) if you pledged over $15. I listened to episode 279 entitled The Containment Plan. The programme is ...

This BBC Three documentary follows Rebecca Southworth, a filmmaker from Manchester, who "revisits her own painful history and meets others like her" (Lapping, n.d.) who have "spent time in care"(Lapping, n.d.).  The programme was commissioned by the BBC and was aired "on BBC Three from Thursday, April 6" (Abbit, 2017) this year. The subject matter of the piece fits BBC Three's remit perfectly because they want to "stimulate strong emotion and provoke reaction" (bbc.co.uk, n.d.) to their target audience of  "16-34 year olds" (bbc.co.uk, n.d.). Also, this programme appeals to its intended audience successfully by using colloquial and informal language while still "[speaking] to [the] audience with intelligence and on a level" (bbc.co.uk, n.d.). The documentary hits exactly what BBC Three are looking for when commissioning programmes because they are looking for factual programmes that look at "parts of society that...

Heavy Toll is a radio documentary produced by Tabatha Konstantine for the Charles Parker Award and won the gold prize. This short documentary piece was played on "BBC Radio 4 Extra on Sunday 10 June" (Cpatrust.org.uk, n.d.) and it follows a "very grim narrative" (Cpatrust.org.uk, n.d.) about two railway workers experiences with "deaths on the railway" (Cpatrust.org.uk, n.d.). The tone of the piece was very somber mainly due to its grim narrative but it was "a truly powerful story, beautifully and sensitively handled" (Cpatrust.org.uk, n.d.) which is appropriate for BBC Radio 4 Extra because they should commission programmes aimed for "listeners seeking intelligent programmes" (BBC, n.d.). Heavy Toll brings a simplistic style to the documentary due to keeping it purely of the interviewees. Also, by having mostly silence during the speech sections makes the programme feel chilling and suitable for the piece as it "really prove...

Eden: Paradise Lost - Channel 4 'Eden: Paradise Lost' was first broadcast as 'Eden' on Channel 4 in 2016. The programme followed the experience of a group of men and women from the UK as they "face the challenge of building a new life and creating a new society from scratch" (Channel4.com, 2015). Using an "embedded crew" (Channel4.com, 2015) the group have only the basics to survive and build a new society but after the only a few episodes being aired in 2016 it was "pulled from screens" (Swindon, 2017) and in 2017 it was rebranded as 'Eden: Paradise Lost' to "tell the story of how it all fell apart so dramatically" (Nicholson, 2017). When the participants emerged from Eden, they realised that it "had not been on television in months" (Nicholson, 2017) mainly due to the ratings falling "from 1.7 million to 800,000 over four episodes" (Swindon, 2017). So why did this programme fail? The five new e...