supercurricular

1. Channel 4 virtual work experience

Module 1:

Welcome to Channel 4;

Channel 4 is a UK broadcaster established in 1982, celebrated for its innovative and socially relevant content. It is publicly owned and commercially funded, allowing it to maintain independence and creativity. 

They collaborate extensively with independent production companies, creating innovative ideas. 

From Idea to broadcast 

The Creative Genesis: It all starts with the production Company, the imaginative architects behind the show’s concept. Crafting a compelling ‘pitch,’ they represent their ideas to the decision-makers, the Commissioners, who hold the power to give a green light. 

Funding the magic: The onto the financial engine that fuels the magic- advertisements. In the UK alone, a staggering 858 billion adverts contribute to the funding pool for television productions. 

Assembling the puzzle: Once approved, the production company assembles a diverse team of experts, including runners, caterers, sound engineers, and casting directors. Witness the collaborative effort, akin to putting together a puzzle, with each role crucial to the final picture. 

The Channel 4 Handoff: The journey does not end with production. The show is handed back to Channel 4, marking the beginning of a new adventure. 

Channel 4’s team in action: It is then over to Channel 4’s social media and advertising team to spread the word about the show. Schedulers decide the perfect timing for viewers to tune in, and the sales team secures exciting sponsorships. 

The culmination: After Meticulous planning and execution, it is finally time for the audience to enjoy the show. 

 

Careers 

Advertising and Marketing: They covered different elements of a campaign such as social media, influencer marketing, sponsorship activations, brand adverts, and content partnerships. I found this job interesting and something I would like to investigate further. 

Data Analysis: They use coding and data to help target shows at the right audience and create shows the audience wants to watch. They a social media data. I found this interesting, however it is very heavily coding based, I might investigate online coding courses.  

Sales: They focus on using appropriate adverts for tv shows and scheduling them for a time where the target audience will be reached. I also found this one interesting, I like the fact that it is quite data driven but also based on analyzing who will be watching and what is appropriate.  

Social media: Creating innovative ideas for social media content and communicating with talent and production to create this content. 

Module 2:

This module was focused on careers in Channel 4 and the general TV industry. They gave case studies of other people working in these positions such as Amelia Dimoldenburg and other young people in creative positions. There was then a personality task, describing different personality types and the characteristics and job roles that can be associated with them. 

There was then a quiz asking for subjects that you find interesting, and characteristics you can relate to, to recommend a job role. I was given Producer. Whilst I think this would be an amazing job, it is not something I have considered and I don’t think it is right for me, but I have gained information on other job roles I find more interesting. 

Module 3:

This module was based on employability, the first task was to read the job description of an employer and what they look for.  

A great candidate will answer using PEE – point, evidence, explain. 

You then had to rate candidates from video interviews based on the detail of their response, their motivation for the role, and engagement.  

One of the video interviewees did not have the right motivation for the role, their body language and answers made them seem not too eager to actually get the job. Some of their answers were lacking research and it seemed as if they have not fully prepared for an interview with this company. 

The second candidate was good, they seemed passionate and motivated, they were engaged and kept eye contact and engaged body language. They had strong answers for each question, drawing from both professional and personal experiences. They had clearly researched for the interview. 

Whilst the third candidate's answers were good content, they seemed rehearsed and as if they did not actually mean what they were saying. Their answers were short, and they had a disengaged way about them. 

I found this Course really useful in exploring careers in media and Channel 4. It has encouraged me to look at the apprenticeships Channel 4 offers and showcased the variety of roles available. 

 2.

3. Mrs Fisher postmodernism

I watched the postmodernism and Baudrillard Mrs Fisher videos to try and understand the theory better. She explained it in a more simple way and I feel that I could apply it to the set texts more easily and more accurately now.

4.  Memento article from the media magazine.

Article

 

An independently released, earlier Christopher Nolan film.

The author talks about 'film noir', a style of film which came from the 'Golden Era' of Hollywood. 'often studied as a way of seeing the zeitgeist of war-time and post war America, with a bitterness and malaise being reflected on screen that wasn't present in other popular muscials'

The story is narrated through the protagonist, for example explaining his health condition over the phone to a mystery person, in turn explaining important elements of the story. 

the film is not in chronological order and shifts between colour and black and white, both intertwined. We are put in the same position as the protagonist, slowly piecing together the narrative, and the arguably confusing nature of the film, it is hard to follow, could be a direct reflection of Leonard's confusion. However, whilst Leonard is unable to piece the parts of the story up in order to make sense of it, we can as we can remember the moments.

The author writes that the film has a circular narrative, reflecting Leonard's life, he is in an endless cycle of suffering. 

This film may benefit from repeat watching, as you are able to pick up 'clues' and references throughout, and different perspectives of Leonard himself. I really enjoyed memento, although even at the end of the film I still had not quite understood what had happened, you were left still trying to put everything together, however, I liked the distorted narrative. A scene that stuck with me was when Natalie was revealed to be 'bad' ( in some sense) and they get into a fight, only for her to manipulate his lak of memory and change the story.

5.  The theory drop-  Levi Strauss. Media magazine article

Levi Strauss studied many ancient Myths and stories and found that many conformed to binary and oppositional pairs, for example the Sun and the Moon seen as opposites of each other. He investigated thinking structures and the way in which we understand information. He presented the idea that we make sense of the world around us through oppositions. Although he studied mainly ancient myths and stories, these can be applied to modern media texts, the use of oppositional pairs such as good and evil can be seen throughout texts, for example in crime and spy dramas. However, so more modern texts may subvert these and this theory could be seen as too simple to apply to some, ignoring complexities in story lines and characters.

6. Sofia Coppola: The Politics of Pretty

They discussed Sofia Coppola films and the debates around them. Sofia Coppola often receives critiques for nepotism and that her films are only ‘pretty’ and lack any substance or meaning. They have often been described as girly. They fail to consider that the prettiness of her films are in fact a refernece to a deeper meaning. They explore sexist views surrounding her films but also where her films lack and can be criticized.

7.  A History Of The World Through Getty Images

He talks about the story and meaning behind the images themselves but also copyright laws and how photos are in the public domain but are behind a paywall. He talks about pruces and laws for use in films.

8. 

I made a zine using photos and quotes from Olivia Dean, I really enjoyed it and I think it is good practice for the NEAs. I hope I can improve on this in the future by doing more of them or on my NEA. I took inspiration from Zine on Beabadoobee from The Face, interest zines, and a recent zine on Dua Lipa.

Beabadoobee zine = Doobee zine

9. 

I watched this youtube video about the marketing for Charli xcx's album, 'brat'. Music marketing is something that interests me and this campaign in particular as it was very successful and this video explores why that is. How Charli xcx represented herself throughout this campaign is a part of the album's success, representation being one of things we look at when studying music videos, and I think one thing our set texts and brat have in common is how they try and connect with their fans. 

10. 

This introductory video to Clay Shirk'ys end of audience theory was a useful recap when I was revising theory. It was useful to hear him talk about it himself and his example about Amazon reviews and how they may not directly benefit them transactional, but they take advantage of people wanting to share their opinion in public.