Essay - "How far do changes to the regulation of media reflect broader social changes?"

The purpose of regulation is to protect the public from inappropriate or damaging content. So regulation is aiming to protect children and sensitive adults. Some could say regulation actually aims to control what we think and know in a sense that we are getting 'brainwashed'. Regulation has become more lenient since it has transferred from conservative to more on the liberal side. The BBFC used to censor movies but is now using age certification to rate movies into certain categories. OFCOM is a statutory organisation meaning it is owned by the government, it focuses on reactive regulation so it would ban certain shows or even worse, revoke the channel's license so all shows on that get cancelled. Not all media is considered equal; TV is more strict in terms of regulation sicne the government owns the OFCOM, the BBFC and PEGI are independent regulators so the regulation is more liberal than OFCOM. There should be a set moral standard but not for everything that can be considered because some things are subjective especially context some into play.
In terms of the BBFC, like I mentioned before, the BBFC were initially more conservative as their initial name was British Board Film Censors; their method of regulation was censorship. In the 1980s, 'video nasties' occurred; illegal home videos of banned movies were in the hands of the public. For example, Evil Dead was released during this time and the BBFC suggested the producers to cuts certain scenes out because at the time, it was considered too gruesome. On the other hand, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was actually allowed to be released if it's rated X but certain councils wanted film to be banned which actually happened.
The BBFC rated Deadpool 15 whereas the Motion Picture Association of America rated the film R even though the UK film policy normally is known to give films higher ratings than the US. On the other hand, the BBFC rated Blue is the Warmest Colour 18 because it contain strong sex including lesbian and very strong language, even though Deadpool is similar but still got 15. Then reason why is that Deadpol is more comedic.
   

Cut up essays

1. General definition, information

The BBFC are an non-government regulatory body to which films are submitted for classification based on their content. They aim to protect the public by providing them with information that allows them to make a more educated decision when selecting a media products. The BBFC also provide verification for as to why they have awarded media products the certificate that they have. Like with the BBFC video games are submitted to PEGI to be given appropriate age ratings. These age ratings are in place to give guidance to the video game customers, particularly parents. The age ratings given to video games are awarded based on their content and suitability, not their difficulty. PEGI used descriptors that are placed on the back of the video games packaging. These descriptors explain the main reason behind why games have been given a particular age rating

Thesis statement

Although these regulatory bodies are in place there are problems with the systems that prevent them from being used as a means of protection, for the public, from the media
Point

Problems are faced by these gatekeepers when it comes to media that they are unable to regulate
Evidence/Case Study Example

For example, media platforms such as YouTube are unregulated due to the excessive quantity of videos submitted to this platform. 

Also piracy of video games and films cause major problems for these gatekeeping organisation. Piracy is a prime example where an advance in technology has posed a threat to regulatory companies aim to protect the public.

A Serbian film is a prime example of a film where by the BBFC have taken precautionary measures in an attempt to prevent the public from being exposed to potentially harmful media content

The Woman In Black was passed by the BBFC with a 12A classification following cuts and was later released uncut on DVD with a 15 age certificate. Ann Maguire a Spanish teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds was stabbed seven times by Will Cornick (a 16-year-old student) and died as a consequence of the school boys actions

Hatred is a game that has not yet been released has already stimulated moral panic simply based on the release of its trailer. In Hatred you play an anti-hero whose sole aim is to put as many “human worms” into the grave as he can. Hatred was given an “Adults Only” (AO) rating by the ESRB for extreme violence rather than sexual content. Effectively preventing any mainstream distribution of the game at retail or on video game consoles. However, PEGI have not yet rated the game and have said that they will not award the game a rating based dimly on the trailer. Until a PEGI rating has been awarded to the game it is hard to criticise the extent to which the regulators have gone to protect the public. Although,  fans of Hatred have demanded developer Destructive Creations include even MORE violence in the stomach-churning title. Such comments may alarm organisations such as PEGI and affect their view of the video game during the classification process.

Dark Souls II is another example of a video game that has evoked moral panic amongst the public. Dark Souls II is an action role-playing video game. PEGI rated the video game with a 16+ for the violence that was in the game. It was suggested that ‘Dark Souls II is truly the most controversial game this generation’. One of the main controversial factors related to the video game Dark Souls II was the crime that followed that was later blamed partially on the criminal having played the violent game, including Dark Souls II,  in which he was able to virtually perform that acts that he later carried out in person. In November 2014, months after the release of Dark Souls II, Ann Maguire a Spanish teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds was stabbed seven times by Will Cornick (a 16-year-old student) and died as a consequence of the school boys actions.  The age rating given to the video game by PEGI meant that Cornick was seen to be of an appropriate age to be playing such games as Dark Souls II. In this case it could be suggested that the regulators failed in their job and should have taken stricter precautions in an attempt to prevent such crimes

Analysis/Argument

For example, it is not illegal for a person who is of age to buy a particular media product for a person who is under the age certificate of a product and allow them to view it. In this respect organisations such as PEGI and BBFC are carrying out the service that they hope to provide by informing the buyer of the content and the potential harm that such products may cause to a consumer who is not of suitable age to be subjected to the media product.
Theory

Historical Context

The BBFC and PEGI are the two organisations who certificate and rate media products. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) was set up in 1912 to protect the public from media material that may present harm risk. Originally the BBFC only classified cinema films until the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984 when it started regulating videos/DVDs. In 1984 the BBFC began to regulate video games as well. From 2003 the responsibility of regulating video games was passed from the BBFC to PEGI (Pan European Game Information). However, the BBFC will continue to classify all games that feature strong pornographic content and ancillary games attached to a wider, primary linear submission.

Future Prediction

 Both the producers of film and video games are attempting to push the boundaries to see what they are able to get away with. This is making the role of regulators to protect the public even harder. The regulatory bodies are only ably to regulate for the ‘normal’ person and have to make a decision on media products as they see appropriate. There is never going to be full protection of the public from media but the regulators work to do the job to the best of their ability. Content is always going to be available on formats that aren’t able to be regulated and therefore the extent to which the public can be protected is limited.

Evaluation Q1 Prep

In What Ways Does Your Media Production Use, Develop or Challenge Forms & Conventions of Real Media Texts?
 The conventions that I'm going to be focusing on is the dominant image, film title, the coming soon text and credits from the poster we have created.

Regulation

Regulation is a ruling that is decided or set by an authority to protect the public from viewing media that can be very damaging or inappropriate. Every film has a BBFC rating which differentiates the level of intensity for different types of audiences. For example, a violent slasher with sex and drug references is going to be rated around 18 and over because that is what's considered damaging media to younger viewers. Every form of media has to be regulated as they all have the same violent things (e.g. video games, music videos, TV shows).  The BBFC regulates video games as video games can be seen as films that are playable and are in your control. Video games are getting more realistic and graphic with the content (e.g. shooter games such as Call of Duty, Battlefield etc have guys running and gunning) and that type of content is regulated to stay away from children because to them, they can't be exposed to that type of content. The BBFC also regulate music videos as some music videos have a lot of nudity which is considered explicit and is not to be exposed to children. Also, some of the music will be censored if it has swear words or some sort of profanity. Some would agree that we can't just have one regulator because his right and wrong is going to be different from everyone else. One could argue that we shouldn't regulate as much as because we shouldn't hide from the truth, the reality of the world. The BBFC regulates many forms of media to protect the vulnerable from harmful and inappropriate content (e.g. a victim of war would not like to play shooter games). Also, they probably don't want criminal activity to increase because of the influence of media as a whole.

30 min timed essay - Digital Technology

Digital technology are electronic tools that involves a lot of things such as social media, applications and so forth. Currently, all forms of media texts including horror movie trailers rely heavily on digital technology since we live in the age where technology is everywhere we go now and it enhances creativity. My creation of media has gotten better over the 2 years due to my understanding of digital technology getting better too.

In the first year which was AS, the preliminary task was to create a college magazine. The college magazine wasn't my best work even though I have used digital technology before. I had only 1 or 2 influence in terms of research which contributed to why it wasn't good. The production had no effort as the students and I didn't know how to use the camera properly at the time since it is more advanced than the cameras on our phone. After production, I really didn't know how to use Adobe InDesign too since it was my first time and I was getting used to it.

Later on, I made my final AS music magazine; I had more influences for my magazine such as the NME magazine with Kano as one example. The examples of the magazines made it better for me to understand what I should put in my magazine in terms of rap and hip hop and magazines in general. In terms of the shoot, I did my shoot outside and used a black guy that is not skinny as my model for my magazine. I took the shot and it came out better than the picture for my preliminary task because I understood more about focusing and zooming better. After shooting, I understood how to use Adobe InDesign and Photoshop better. For example, I knew how to play with the brightness and contrast and make it black and white because I wanted it to look very urban. My understanding developed between the two periods of time.

Now, my group and I are making our A2 horror trailer, magazine front cover and poster. From then to now, we have had so many influences (e.g. from Friday the 13th to Jeepers Creepers) for our trailers, front covers and posters. This is to make sure we reinvent the old and that we put our own flavour into it or else it is just a carbon copy. When shooting for our trailer, we spend a lot more time now and we use lights to add more of an effect as well. We now know how to use the camera properly (e.g. depth of field) to make sure we make the best trailer possible. In addition, we use stabilisers and tripods to make sure our shots don't shake. Post production wise, I now know how to use Photoshop a lot better now; for example, for my poster I now know how to add a graphic overlay on top of the dominant image to give it that red evil look to it. Also, I was able to add blood to the main coverline  s well by puttig it in Multiply mode when that specific layer is selected. In addition, we have learned to edit trailers on a professional level. For example, we know how use the blade tool on Final Cut Pro to trim footage that we took on our shoots.

To conclude, my understanding of the use of digital technology has developed drastically over the 2 years and I know how to do a lot more things with digital technology now than before.

30 minute timed essay - Conventions of RMT

"Explain how significant were the Conventions of Real Media Texts in your development of creativity across your 2 years of production work."

Conventions are rules to follow for a good structure or foundation of the media text. Sometimes they are broken because following the conventions makes it limited and a carbon copy of real life examples. Breaking the conventions also makes the media text unique. lso, conventions are so common that the audience expects it in our horror trailer so sometime it's best to follow. Also, conventions have subtext or deeper meaning behind the media text.

In my AS, my preliminary task was the college magazine. I barely used any examples of college magazines to understand the conventions but I still had some conventions. For example, I had a masthead, main coverline a strapline, dominant image and a secondary image. However, each of them have no meaning underlying because at the time, I didn't learn much about conventions which is why it wasn't good

Later in AS, I did my music magazine which was based on the genre hip hop. Now that I started learning more about the purpose of certain conventions and how they differ depending on the genre you do, I purposely made my magazine lloked the way it was. Even though it is hip hop,  I broke some conventions by making it black and white on the dominant image. Normally, in a hiphop magazine, the magazine is in actual colours. But to make sure that people know it is a hip hop magazine, I made sure my model wears a chain and have the text in bold and strong font. Also,I included red in the boost which is apparent in hip hop magazine. Also, I made suremy model has an intimidating face and isn't skinny to show masculinity which is apparent in hip hop because hip hop is predominantly male

In A2, I did my Year 13 summer trailer; to do this, I identified a set of conventions for certain subgenres. My summer trailer is a slasher horror and we added certain conventions of a slasher. For example, we made the victim a female that is a damsel in distress and the antagonist is a male that has a mysterious identity (because he appears as a silhouette in the trailer). The antagonist was way taller than the female which makes it apparent on the binary opposite. 
Later on in A2, we're now making our final trailer which is again a slasher; the antagonist now has a mask and wears a boiler suit. Also, the trailer has a final boy featuring in it which can be considered as breaking the conventions because it is normally the final girl to battle the antagonist. There are now low angles and high angles of certain shots to emphasise on certain characters's positions. The antagonist is a male which is also a convention in slasher to show the binary opposites of gender as some of the victims are females. It makes males look overpowering as most of the victims die.

To conclude, my understanding on conventions has gone better over the 2 years and I've been able to apply it to my recent work although some conventions were broken.

Research and Planning Essay

I developed my research and planning over the course of 2 years by understanding the formula of magazines and how they are edited and structured when looking through all the really good magazines to enhance the creativity that I come up with. My understanding of the roles of each convention do and how most are required (e.g. masthead, main coverlines, straplines) has become better over the period of time.

For my AS preliminary task, I had to do a college magazine. I had to look at some college magazine on the internet to get an idea of what to do since this was my first task. It required basic skills. such as putting the dominant image in the middle, did each convention and so forth. I didn't do that much because at the time I didn't learn that much so this limited my creativity - I couldn't do what I really wanted to do with the lack of knowledge in terms of editing at the time.

Later on, I did my music magazine. I learnt more about Adobe Photoshop and InDesign and how they operate. This allowed me to make a magazine which was way better than the college magazine as I can now portray my creativity better. I cropped out the model in the image and copied it to make the masthead appear like it is on the brick wall in the background. Also, the I changed the image into black and white by typing minus 100 on the saturation panel as well as grayscaling it on Photoshop. This was inspired by the NME magazine with the UK Rapper Kano on it; on the double page spread, the whole spread is black and white including the dominant image. This was a good effect because it shows the gritty and grimy feel of London since it is such an urban place. On InDesign, I made sure all the conventions consisted of some sort of black and white combination to further emphasise on the theme. Also, I used the same font because I wanted it to be quite minimalist. I developed an understanding of Photoshop/InDesign which allowed me to flourish my creativity as it now has deeper meaning behind everything I do. But it is limited in terms of creativity; I only had to do a music magazine and nothing else.

After this, I am now creating a horror film trailer. Even though my AS music magazine has developed it still had some limits. In a horror trailer, I can now do much more in it than a magazine because so much subliminal messages can be implemented. When researching and planning, I've stumbled upon a lot of trailers such asthe Conjuring 2, Friday the 13th 2009 and many more. There's much more to do for a trailer. My group and I have to consider the location, the costume/makeup, sound design, shotlist and editing the trailer with the sound design as a whole. So creating this allows for more creativity to be shown and portrayed. Editing a trailer is much more complicated than editing a magazine so that means that we have now developed our skills over the course. But it still has itslimits. We are required to do a HORROR trailer, not an action or romance film trailer so it can't be abstract.

To conclude, over the course of 2 years, I have went from creating a basic college magazine to a horror film trailer which requires way more thought into it since so much needs to be considered in order for it to be a really good trailer. In addition, the software we have to use for a trailer is much more complicated (Final Cut Pro) than InDesign or Photoshop. But the more indepth it is, the more creative you can get so it opens doors for innovative content.