News Article 27

Banksy work in Calais 'Jungle' shows Steve Jobs as Migrant 



This is how BBC News represented the story:

The graffiti artist Banksy has created a new artwork in the so-called Jungle refugee camp in Calais depicting the late Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple.

The artwork shows Jobs, the son of a Syrian migrant, carrying an early Apple computer and a bin bag of possessions. The work is intended to draw attention to the benefits of migration, Banksy said. The artist, who has never revealed his identity, donated elements of a recent installation to the camp for shelter.

In a rare public statement, Banksy said "We're often led to believe migration is a drain on the country's resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. Apple is the world's most profitable company, it pays over $7bn (£4.6bn) a year in taxes - and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs."

The work - painted on a concrete bridge in the camp - shows Jobs in his trademark black polo neck and round glasses. He appears to be carrying a bin bag full of his possessions, as if he were a migrant. In pictures posted on the artist's website, the work can be seen near tents and adjacent to another piece of graffiti which reads: "Nobody deserves to live this way!"

The camp in Calais is home to about 7,000 migrants and refugees, the majority from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea. While at the camp, Banksy painted several other pieces, including one based on Theodore Gericault's famous painting Raft of the Medusa, but depicting refugees waving towards a luxury yacht.

Banksy recently donated wood and other structural elements from his "bemusement park" installation Dismaland to the Calais camp to help build shelters. The installation, in Weston-Super-Mare, closed in September.

My opinion on the news article:

I thought this was a really interesting story and I have always liked the work of Banksy because there is usually a meaning behind it and I also like the sense of mystery about his work. This particular piece is very impactful as it explores the negative perception of migration and by using Steve Jobs as the subject, it is likely to catch peoples attention and then this issue may start to be seen in a better light. Furthermore, I feel BBC News represented this story very well because they wrote about his piece in detail, including quotations, statistics, contextual information and good images. 

Production Idea

News Article 26

Syria air strikes: RAF jets carry out second mission



Source of the story: BBC News (breaking news flash)

RAF jets have carried out their second set of air strikes in Syria since MPs backed military action against so-called Islamic State in the country.

It is understood the targets were oil fields again, and the mission involved two Typhoons and two Tornados.

On Thursday, four Tornado jets launched the first air strikes, hitting the Omar oil fields in eastern Syria.

MPs backed UK military action against IS in Syria, by 397 votes to 223, after a 10-hour Commons debate on Wednesday.

My opinion on the story:

Since I heard about this story on Thursday, I have been following it and personally, I feel that is a very big risk to take. I just don't understand how paying back violence with violence is going to solve anything? Surely by bombing Syria, we are therefore victimising ourselves to ISIS and they are more likely to attack us. Furthermore, innocent people are very likely to die during these air strikes, and whether it is very few or hundreds/thousands/millions, it is still innocent people dying who have absolutely no reason to. With the votes being 397 to 223, it still shows that a large amount of MPs were strongly against it and I believe they definitely jumped to a conclusion too quick. So overall, I am struggling to see any benefit of our government doing this and I think that it will sadly, only lead to retaliation and then we are caught in the cycle of war.  

News Article 25

THREE CHILDREN DIE IN LANCASHIRE'S CARE SYSTEM



This is how BBC News represented the story:

Three children died during an inspection into a council's "inadequate" children's services, an Ofsted report has revealed.

An investigation into the deaths is ongoing, after "serious failures" were found in Lancashire County Council's child care services. The report said it was "too soon" to establish if the children's unrelated deaths could have been prevented. The council said it was addressing the concerns "quickly and effectively".

The report said all the council's child care services had "significantly deteriorated" since the last inspection in 2012, when the authority was found to be good overall. It said: "During the inspection, three children tragically died in unrelated incidents. "Their families were open cases to children's social care and they were receiving services as children in need."

The report said an investigation into the children's circumstances were at an early stage, but noted that records connected to the children showed inadequacies. "Some of this poor practice was seen in a much larger number of cases where children had not been harmed," the report continued.

The inspectors' widespread concerns include:

• A lack of effective management oversight
• A failure to involve key agencies in discussions at all stages of child protection
• Complex work allocated to staff with insufficient qualifications or experience
• Failure to give some children leaving care the level of support they need to enter adult life successfully

The report praised the council for the way children are listened to, and the way the risks of child sexual exploitation were tackled. The authority said it had begun implementing a number of changes, backed by a new £5m investment.

Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "The children and young people who need these services deserve the best care and support, and we are very sorry that in some cases they have clearly not been receiving it. "The council must now act quickly and effectively to resolve the problems identified during the inspection."

My opinion on the story:

I personally feel that BBC News represented this story well because they have included as much information as they can at this moment in time and the use of quotations and statistics means the viewer is gaining factual and important knowledge. It is also clear to read with the use of bullet points. My opinion on the actual story is that I was firstly very shocked when I read it because the fact that three children died in one care system shows that something is definitely very wrong and changes need to be made. It is a sad news story to read and to the three children that died, RIP. 

Mediterranea review- BFI Film Festival

On Friday 16^th of October, I went with my film and media class to watch a screening of Mediterranea at the BFI Film Festival in Brixton. This took place in a small arthouse cinema called ‘The Ritzy’ and it was followed by a short question and answer with the director, Jonas Carpignano who gave some useful information about the production of the film and on the characters which I found very intriguing. This was Carpignano’s first feature film but he has previously directed five short films: La Casa d’Argento Bava (2006), Resurrection Man (2010), Bayou Black (2011), A Chiana (2012) and A Ciambra (2014). A common similarity that I noticed between most of these films and Mediterranea is that they show the journey of the protagonist(s) and at times, the narrative is based upon the director’s historical and cultural background.  Due to this being his first feature and the actors being unknown, the director explained that it was difficult to fund the film and that he had to go to about five different production companies. Jonas Carpignano also wrote Mediterranea and it was produced in 2015 with End Cue and it was first released on September, 2^nd in France. The music was by Dan Romer, the director of photography was Wyatt Garfield, the editing was by Sanabel Cherqaoui, Affonso Gonçalves and Nico Leunen and the production design was by Marco Ascanio Viarigi.

Starring: Koudous Seihon (Ayiva), Alassane Sy (Abas), Pio Amato (Pio), Annalisa Pagano (Cristina Riso), Sinka Bourehima (Ahmed) and Davide Schipilliti (Rocco), Mediterranea is a social realism, documentary drama which looks at the dangerous life of refugees and it follows the journey of Ayiva and Abas as they make their way from Africa to Italy in the search for a better life. What stood out to me most in the narrative was the huge sense of realism which gave me a true insight into the migrant experience regarding their fear, exploitation and survival. Mediterranea developed from Carpignano’s short film, A Chiana which looks at the real-life events and characters leading to the Italian riots and it focuses on the story of Ayiva who of course is the main protagonist in Mediterranea. The cast for Mediterranea is un-professional and Carpignano explained in his Q&A that he met most of them in the small town he has spent a large proportion of his life in, meaning that what is seen in the film are their actual stories so it is a completely honest reflection of the events they have experienced in their lives so far. This really added to the realism of the film and it wasn’t until after that we were told the vast majority of the film was based upon true stories which I thought would have been good to know before so I could have emphasised with the characters to an even larger extent. However, I did feel a strong connection with the characters, especially Ayiva throughout due to such strong, emotional performances and after finding out that they are un-professional actors, I was even more impressed because they had such a powerful delivery.

The cinematography also added to the realism of the film because it was all filmed using handheld camera. I believe the director did this to represent how the lives of the migrants in this film are not constructed or carefully placed into a scripted narrative but instead, they are gritty and real. The camera was also quite shaky at times which symbolises how the characters journeys and experiences were unstable and they were forced to go through terrifying and emotional events which ‘shook them up’ meaning they have not been able to get their lives under control. Regarding the cinematography, there were some absolutely beautiful shots throughout Mediterranea, such as the amazing ocean shot below, with the strong inclusion of bokeh behind the night-life scenes which I found truly stunning and I believe Carpignano included this to represent how although the characters are constantly surrounded by harshness and negativity, they can still look to find the good and beauty in their situations. There was a recurring extreme close up shot that was used of Ayiva and Abas each time they reached a new location and this was an effective way of documenting their journey because the audience were able to see their reactions which were often a look of fear and helplessness because they were completely unsure of what to expect.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed Mediterranea because at times, the narrative was very emotionally moving and I was able to gain connections with a lot of the characters. The messages touched upon were clearly close to the director and a lot of passion and heart-felt emotion went into making Mediterranea which was definitely reflected throughout. Although I found the ending slightly confusing due to the ambiguity and enigma codes that it left the audience with, it was still very effective at expressing the main theme of ‘personal journeys’. The cinematography was incredible, the performances were outstanding and I am going to rate this film 7.5/10. It was not my favourite film from the collection I have watched at the BFI Film Festival (Ayanda was my favourite) but it was definitely impactful and I would encourage others to watch it.

^ The Director- Jonas Carpignano 

News Article 24

Abandoned James Bond screenplay?




This was a story I found on the Guardian and this is how they represented it:

A “lost” James Bond movie written by Peter Morgan, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Frost/Nixon and The Queen, would have seen Daniel Craig’s 007 forced to kill Judi Dench’s spymaster M in a shock finale, according to a new book.

Morgan’s screenplay for the proposed film, titled Once Upon a Spy, was turned down by Bond producers and director Sam Mendes prior to the release of 2012’sSkyfall. However, the script’s key elements, which included a mistake from M’s past coming back to haunt her and the MI6 bigwig dying at the end, were retained for the $1.1bn blockbuster.

Interviewed for the book Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury, regular Bond screenwriter Robert Wade suggested that Morgan’s mistake was to veer too close to the style ofJohn le Carré, rather than 007 creator Ian Fleming.

Once Upon a Spy would have flashed back to M’s days as an MI6 agent stationed in Berlin during the cold war. Her affair with a KGB agent has lasting ramifications three decades later when the man’s son, a Russian oligarch, surfaces to blackmail the spymaster. Bond is called in to tackle the villain, but is forced to kill M at the movie’s denouement.

“[Co-writer] Neal [Purvis] and I are pretty well steeped in Fleming. I think Peter was more interested in Le Carré. It just didn’t work,” said Wade, according to Digital Spy. “We always found [the script] really, really difficult to make credible or satisfying. It was very dark … The only thing that remained was that M’s past comes back to haunt her and she dies at the end.”

Wade and Purvis rewrote Morgan’s screenplay into a script titled Nothing Is Forever, which was finally retitled Skyfall. The latter film went on to be the highest-grossing film so far in the long-running spy series, and received excellent reviews.

My opinion on the news story:

I found this really interesting to read and I never knew there was an alternative narrative and title to Skyfall. It goes to show how much pre-production is involved with film-making and it may take numerous times to get the story 'perfect' and it is crucial to ensure that the script is to the best of the writer's ability. Although this alternative storyline does sound dark, personally I would have liked to have seen it and I think there are some really fascinating elements in there which may have improved Skyfall. 

#PrayForTheWorld

Although I have already posted my news of the week, after hearing about the devastating attacks in Paris, I thought it was invaluable to write about it. 

Key points to note about the Paris attacks:

Here is a video posted by BBC News regarding the response on social media:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34825501

There has been so much support across the world, #PrayForParis has been trending on Twitter, Facebook users can put the French flag over their profile picture. Paris turned out their lights in mourning, however, Cities such as London have been turning on their lights in support for Paris. 



Some responses to the event:

It is not just Paris. These are the devastating events that happened across the world in the same 24 hours. 



To hear all this terrible news is absolutely heart-breaking and I am honestly speechless about how awful it is. My heart goes out to everyone that was affected by these events and together, we need to create world peace because our freedom is under threat and innocent people have died because of evil terrorists and this needs to stop. Rest In Peace to all of those who tragically are no longer with us today. 

#PrayForParis

#PrayForJapan

#PrayForMexico

#PrayForBaghdad

#Pray ForBeirut

#PrayForTheWorld

News Article 23

Four in ten sixth form colleges could close due to education budget cuts?

This is how The Independent represented the story:

A crisis in education funding could see the closure of as many as four in ten sixth-form and further education colleges, according to a new financial analysis. Research by House of Commons library staff shows £1.6billion could be wiped off the budget for colleges next year if the Government goes ahead with 25 per cent cuts to the service. That, according to their analysis, would be the equivalent of closing four in ten colleges - threatening nearly half of England’s sixth-form colleges and one in three further education colleges.

“This is a deeply worrying report and confirms our fears that some sixth-form colleges could be wiped from the map after the spending review,” said James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth-Form Colleges Association said.

Labour’s Shadow Education secretary Lucy Powell - for whom the analysis was carried out, added: “It is simply not possible to build a 21st century on falling investment in education. Yet this Government is putting post-16 education on a cliff edge for the next generation - and holding our young people and our country back.”

Conservative party sources dismissed the figures as “back of a fag packet” calculations and accused Labour of “scaremongering”. However, one sixth-form college which has already had to make cuts is Barrow-in-Furness where A-Levels have already been scrapped in Spanish, religious studies, design and technology and religious studies. David Batten, its principal, said; “We have made many efficiency savings already: we have restructured management, increased workloads ... and have had to say goodbye to many good colleagues. “We are getting to the point where the funding available for sixth-form students, which is less than that available for a school pupil and far less than that available for a university undergraduate, is simply not enough to offer a good education to students and keep a small sixth-form college running.”

My opinion on the news story:

Firstly, The Independent is a centre-left wing paper and I think this is reflected in this report because when talking about the conservative party, they use negative language such as "dismissed" and then go on to immediately make a counter argument. This can therefore be seen as biased because the reader is not getting a balanced view of the events. Regarding the actual news story, I think this is shocking because 4 in 10 sixth forms is a lot and if this many were to close, it would have very negative effects on our education system. For example, the students would have to leave and join new colleges, which will result in an increase in class sizes which could impact the quality of their learning. 

News Article 22

Teenager in court for the second time regarding the death of Bailey Gwynne 


Bailey Gwynne 

This is how BBC News represented the story:

A teenage boy has appeared in court for a second time charged with murdering 16-year-old Bailey Gwynne, who was stabbed at his Aberdeen school.

Bailey died after the incident at Cults Academy on 28 October. The 16-year-old accused - who cannot be named for legal reasons - appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. The boy is also charged with having a blade or point on school premises. He made no plea, was fully committed and remanded in custody. Special assemblies were held on Monday as pupils returned to classes for the first time since the incident. Bailey's family issued a message of thanks for the support they have received.

Here are some pictures below that were shown in the news report that followed his death:

My opinion on the news article:

It is absolutely awful that this has happened and the fact this teenager has been taken to court for the second time, I think, shows that he most probably is guilty. The face that he was carrying a blade on school premises makes me question the safety of some schools and they need to ensure that every pupil is completely safe on school property because that is one of their roles as an institution. BBC news represented this story well however possibly they lacked some detailed information so audiences may not know enough about the story as they probably should. 

Stacey Dooley Investigates: Saving the Cyber Sex Girls

Stacey Dooley Investigates: Saving the Cyber Sex Girls was directed by Joyce Trozzo and produced in 2015 by Elena Andreicheva and Joyce Trozzo with BBC 3, Twenty Twenty TV and Watershed TV Production. Camera was by Steven Mochrie and it was edited by Badger Cooper. Presented by Stacey Dooley and starring Marisol Ayad and Larni, Saving the Cyber Sex Girls is a very emotional documentary about child abuse that is being carried out in cybersex dens in the Philippines. Stacey discovers that children as young as two are being paid by customers, who watch via webcams, to perform sex acts for their pleasure- they are forced into doing it.

The documentary explores very powerful themes such as trafficking, poverty, exploitation and sexual abuse. It was shocking to find out that the customers include 750,000 people online at any one time and that 139 Brits this year so far have been investigated for committing these acts so it happens across the world. I never would have considered these numbers to be so awfully high and this is an issue I was not entirely aware of previously so I am glad this documentary has been made because more people need to be aware of this. Stacey finds out that this issue has arose due to a simultaneous rise in both poverty and cheap, high-speed internet access and these girls are sexually exposing themselves online in an act of desperation because it is the only way they can make money to support their families, and sometimes even their families force them to do it. This was very horrifying to here because it highlights how these huge levels of poverty are destroying the lives of these young children and this really upsets me because I can’t even begin to imagine how it must feel and it is the stories of the underworld like these that the media seem to ignore and they shouldn’t.

Stacey also goes to a prison and talks to some of the inmates, including Marisol Ayad. On first encounter, Marisol lies to Stacey, claiming that she is innocent but after undergoing some further research, Stacey realises that she ran a cybersex den where children as young as two were forced to perform for the webcams and when confronting Marisol for the second time, she admitted to doing so. I believe this shows that she is ashamed and embarrassed as to what she is done but also that she does not realise the seriousness of the issue and I hope she realises that what she did is completely unacceptable and sickening. There was also a tear-wrenching scene in which Stacey visits an anger management/therapy area for the children who have been involved with sexual exploitation to let out their emotions and this really emphasised how much they had been hurt, mentally and physically and the heart-breaking reality of this scene really put it into perspective for the audience as to how serious this is.

In conclusion, I think this documentary is really important and I would like to see the media cover issues like child abuse in cybersex dens because it is something that so many people are oblivious to and it should not be this way and we need to make a change. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I felt so many emotions throughout such as anger, shock, horror and sadness and I would highly recommend this to anyone. 

Reggie Yates- Race Riots USA

So, I am a big fan of documentaries because they are engaging, informative and often cover serious issues that people need to be aware of. Reggie Yates-Race Riots USA definitely did not disappoint and I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt a great amount of information from it.  

Race Riots USA was directed and filmed by Ruhi Hamid and produced in 2015 by Kandise Abiola and Sam Anthony with BBC Three and Sundog Pictures. Stephen Slator was the archive researcher, Russel Crockett was the editor and Gary Black and Matt Gettemieir were the sound recordists. Presented by Reggie Yates and starring Clifton Kinnie, Dorothy Kaiser and Brendan Roediger, Race Riots USA explores the position of African-Americans in America’s current society. This investigation was triggered by the death of black teenager, Michael Brown who was killed by white policeman, Darren Wilson a year ago in the town of Ferguson. This death led to rioting in Ferguson and when Reggie goes to visit the town, he discovers a new generation of young activists. He was led around by 18 year old, Clifton Kinnie who helps to unravel the story of Michael Brown and Kinnie was a big figure in this documentary because he emphasised that he just wants freedom and he wants himself and his younger brother to feel safe when walking down the street. This really highlights the issue of police brutality in America and how it is targeted towards race, conveying that the negative representations of black people in the media have contributed to the negative stereotypes that they are associated with (violent, always out to cause trouble etc.) and this is wrong.  

Some shocking statistics were mentioned in this documentary that help to back up these points. 70% of Ferguson’s citizens are black and on the day of the shooting, only 3/53 of the police were black. Michael Brown’s body was left on the road for four hours in front of his friends and family. Last year, 11,000 people in Ferguson were stopped for traffic violations and 9/10 of these people were African Americans. Ferguson police have spent more money on uniforms than on training. 280 million guns are owned by Americans. These really horrified me and by including these statistics, Reggie is providing contextual factors for the audience that can help them to generate their own opinion and for me, I thought it was absolutely awful Michael’s body was left on the road for four hours because that is extremely disrespectful and just imagine being there and having to witness such an emotional and heart-wrenching moment.

Furthermore in this documentary, Reggie covers both sides of the argument and talks to a wide variety of people so the overall experience is un-biased for the audience. He joins the new recruits on police training day and watches them undergo a traffic stop in which they almost immediately pull out guns and the situation escalates very quickly and their reasoning for this was because the citizens in the car are likely to also own guns. I really don’t agree with how easy it is for an American to purchase a gun and yes, although they have it to protect themselves, they are not exactly safer if everyone else also has one so I think something definitely needs to be done about this issue in my opinion. He also talks to a pro-police party who are in support of Darren Wilson and it was interesting to see that all but one of these people were white, emphasising that it is not their race being targeted by the police and this inequality needs to change.

In conclusion, I loved this documentary because it was strong, powerful and emotional and I gained a really beneficial understanding of the race issues in America. Reggie Yates covered the story really well and I thought it was great how he spoke to people across the argument rather than just one particular side because it gave the audience a more in-depth insight and this will definitely be great for a media case study due to its coverage on the representation of race. 

News Article 21

It's a box office battle between Star Wars and The Hunger Games!





It's tough competition regarding who will be most successful in the global box office between The Force Awakens and Mockingjay Part 2 but who will rise to the top? This is how The Guardian represented this discussion: 

The hype surrounding the release of both films is almost unprecedented and has seen the share prices of leading global cinema chains rise as analysts predict they are heading for bumper revenues.

Advance tickets for Mockingjay, which stars Hollywood’s highest-paid female star, Jennifer Lawrence, as the teenage archer and hunter turned rebel leader Everdeen, started selling online as far back as the start of October. Given that the previous three Hunger Games films have grossed more than £1.5bn, Lionsgate, the company behind Mockingjay, has spent heavily to ensure that few people on the planet are unaware that the final instalment of the franchise comes out in the UK on 19 November.

But The Force Awakens, which comes out in the UK on 18 December, has already broken previous opening day advance sales records. Cinema chain Imax collected $6.5m from ticket sales in a single day. Imax has never previously sold more than $1m in advance ticket sales in a single day. Many chains are screening a midnight viewing on 17 December, so that fans can see the film as soon it is released. “We’re seeing sellouts across the board – from Hollywood to London, to Sparks, Nevada, and everywhere in between,” Greg Foster, CEO of Imax Entertainment, said recently.

Some analysts believe that The Force Awakens may become the highest-grossing film of all time, eclipsing Avatar, which banked $2.8bn around the world.But Katniss could still be victorious. The Force Awakens has failed to secure a release date for this year in China, where it is not as well known as the Hunger Gamesfranchise, which is enjoying a surge in popularity. The first instalment of Mockingjay brought in $31.4m in its first eight days of showing in China. In contrast, 2012’s The Hunger Games and its 2013 sequel,Catching Fire, both brought in about $28m in China in total.

My opinion on this:

This was a relevant and interesting news article and I believe The Guardian represented it really well because they have included facts, statistics and quotations. Going by the evidence provided by this article, I personally feel that The Force Awakens will be more successful in the box office firstly because it has already broken previous opening day advance sales and also because the franchise started in 1977 whereas The Hunger Games began in 2012 so Star Wars has had a much longer time to build up a wider audience and fan base so there are more dedicated fans who will be guaranteed to watch the film. 

News Article 20

Hollywood actress, Maureen O'Hara dies at age 95

This is how BBC News represented the story:

Irish-American actress Maureen O'Hara, one of the last living stars from the golden age of Hollywood, has died aged 95, her manager said.

She died in her sleep at her home in Boise, Idaho, Johnny Nicoletti said. O'Hara starred in the 1941 multi-Oscar winning drama, How Green Was My Valley, set in a Welsh mining village. She also regularly featured alongside John Wayne, in films such as the Quiet Man. 

Born in Dublin, she moved to Hollywood in 1939 and later became a US citizen. "Her characters were feisty and fearless, just as she was in real life," her family said in a statement. "She was also proudly Irish and spent her entire lifetime sharing her heritage and the wonderful culture of the Emerald Isle with the world." Ireland's President Michael D Higgins said "she will be remembered as an outstanding and versatile actress, whose work especially in film, will endure for many years to come".

Her first credited film was My Irish Molly, her only appearance under her real name FitzSimons. How Green Was My Valley was her breakthrough. It was enormously popular in its day, beating Orson Welles' Citizen Kane to Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. Other well-known works include Miracle on 34th Street, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Parent Trap. The Quiet Man was one of five films where she appeared alongside John Wayne, and was the one she said she was most proud of. Her family said she had died listening to music from the film. O'Hara gave up acting for a long period starting in the early seventies, taking over the management from her husband of a commercial airline in 1978 after he died in a plane crash.

Actress Jessica Chastain tweeted: "RIP #MaureenOHara from one tough redhead broad to another. Thankful for the light you shared."

Mia Farrow tweeted: "RIP beautiful, kind, strong Maureen O'Hara."

And Homeland and Supergirl star David Harewood wrote: "Lost in a crowd of greats, not a single Oscar. That's showbiz."

My opinion on the news story:

I think it is very sad that Maureen O'Hara passed away, she was an incredible actress who clearly worked to her full potential and she has impacted the lives of many others in a positive way. BBC News represented the story very well, giving relevant facts, context, images and audience response. I wish the best for her family dealing with their loss and RIP. 

News Article 19

Is "food porn" making us fat?




This is how The Guardian represented the story:

As the name suggests, “food porn” is usually considered a vicarious pleasure. You might not have the time, or the waistline, to make Nigella Lawson’s ice cream cake, for example, but, by seeing her making it on TV, you can get at least a little of the thrill without the calories. However, for those who think it’s healthier to look but not touch, there’s some bad news. A recent review of scientific studies suggest that excessive looking could actually be making us fatter after all.

The argument is that, when we see an attractive image of food, blood rushes to the parts of our brain associated with taste. We experience the desire to eat, even if we’re not hungry. According to one of the authors of the review, Professor Charles Spence of Oxford University, this has been measured in brain scans. “The taste cortex lights up,” he says. “There’s an increase in blood-flow and, depending on the state of the person, or how realistic the image is, it might be triggering restraint mechanisms. You’re seeing it and thinking: ‘I shouldn’t be eating that.’”

Our brains, which evolved to be constantly on the lookout for difficult-to-find calories, are now relentlessly confronted by a barrage of easily obtained deliciousness. Over the course of the day our restraint mechanisms have to kick in again and again until, ultimately, we might give up and reach for a slice of cake.

This may seem to contradict the concept of “food porn” as an alternative to actual food but Dr Spence argues that one is a powerful incitement to the other. “The traditional notion is that it’s harmless fun and I can have the pleasure without the calories,” he says. “What we’re trying to say in this paper is that there are consequences from food porn. It’s a term that hints at the way that it depletes our resources of self-restraint. When we sit down for a meal at home after watching a cookery programme maybe we eat more than we would otherwise have done.” 

Manufacturers and chefs are getting increasingly sophisticated in the way they present food. They understand what’s going on in our brain when we look at their product. “When you see a picture of food on a package you imagine what it would be like to eat it,” says Spence. “And if I make it look like it’s easier to eat you’ll enjoy it more. For example, if I put a spoon on the right hand side of the cereal bowl in the picture, and you’re a right-hander, that’ll make it much easier for you to imagine eating it. Where as if I put the spoon on the left it doesn’t look as nice.”

My opinion on the news story:

This news article immediately caught my interest and it is very relevant because it shows the power of advertising and it highlights that all media is constructed because even food manufacturers are promoting their products in certain, enhanced ways to encourage their audience to desire and want to buy the product. There is lots of good information in this article and The Guardian have included quotations, examples and statistics which engage the viewer and I personally learnt a lot from reading it. I agree with the effect "food porn" may have on us and I believe this is an interesting study that can be linked to serious topics such as obesity. 

BFI Film Festival- my experience

On Wednesday, 7^th October, I went with my Media class to watch six new British short films at the BFI London Film Festival. Each film was completely different and I really enjoyed the experience, especially due to the question and answer at the end which was truly insightful.

First we watched Operator, directed by Caroline Bartleet which was a drama about a 999 operator who deals with a huge fire emergency, giving the audience an insight as to what she does on a daily basis. We do not see the emergency, only the operator talking on the phone, allowing us to see the incident from her perspective. The theme of control was highlighted throughout the film in two different ways. Firstly, the operator had to take control of the situation, telling Gemma (the person trapped in a fire) what to do and she was fully aware that she was holding Gemma’s life in her hands. Secondly, the operator had to take control of herself by staying completely calm throughout and not panicking, therefore reassuring Gemma. Next, we watched Otherwise Engaged which was a comedy about Dave proposing to his girlfriend, Megs and how social media affected this event. The main themes of social media/technology really conveyed how much our generations have changed over time and how before smart phones, more people would live life ‘in the moment’ whereas nowadays, many people feel the need to see events unravel through their phones rather than soaking up the experience through their own eyes. However, this message was conveyed in a light-hearted tone and there was a lot of laughter coming from the audience throughout. 

A film which illustrated similar themes to Otherwise Engaged was C.T.R.L, directed by Mariana Conde. This was a drama about a phone app which is used to take complete control over people and it is demonstrated through two people who cross paths on a street. This film showed the power of technology and provided a subtle dystopian future as to what technology holds for us in years to come. It reminded me of the TV series, Humans which also provides the audience which an unnerving future and I believe the purpose of the short film was to make the audience have an awareness of the possible dangers of our technology-driven future. We watched two films in the genre of documentary: Copycat directed by Charlie Lyne and Lines directed by Cecile Emeke. Copycat was about filmmaker, Rolfe Kanefsky and his story, regarding horror films. It was unique because it was put together with clips from his films, with the narrative being told through a voice over in which Charlie interviewed Rolfe but personally it didn’t grab my interest because I found it hard to follow at times. Lines was about the meaning of song lyrics to a variety of different women and it covered powerful themes such as how something as simple as lyrics can impact someone’s life, change their perspectives and inspire and influence them. The final film we watched was Black Sheep, directed by Cristian Cerami. This was a social realism, drama, documentary about two brothers and their opinions and influences of the EDL. During the Q&A, Christian explained that the film was unscripted and these were the boy’s genuine opinions which shocked me because they were quite harsh, especially at their young age but by having this theme of realism, the audience are given a true insight into their lives. There was also a theme of irony because although they showed hatred towards non-British ethnicities throughout, the ending showed Sam getting his hair cut by a Muslim barber, which highlights his lack of maturity in my opinion.

My favourite films were Operator and Otherwise England because they had gripping narratives which held my attention for the whole duration and I did not feel that sense of involvement in films such as Lines. Operator showed me that you do not need numerous locations and characters to make a powerful short film, but instead you need a strong performance and meaningful messages which illustrate your passion for filmmaking. Otherwise England was a great example of how to write an effective comedy, which I believe is one of the harder genres to perfect and I believe that to do so, you need a realistic, current narrative that your audience can relate to and engage with.

As mentioned earlier, I loved the Q&A with the filmmakers because they expressed their passions and ideas behind each of the films and gave us an insight into what the filmmaking experience is actually like, regarding budgets, production time, challenges and achievements. I also found it very interesting when they spoke about the routes they took to get to where they are today, which were all completely different, because I want to be in the film industry when I am older so it was great to see the various routes. The highlight was being able to speak to some of the directors in person after the Q&A and they gave me advice regarding my future as a film-maker which was incredible useful so I am very grateful for that experience.

Although I am likely to be doing print-based media for my coursework, these short films have given me inspiration for my A2 film coursework (which will be a short film) because I have learnt that simplicity is key and storytelling is hugely important. Also, it is vital to perfect the micro features because for example, in Lines, the sound syncing was slightly off which was noticeable throughout and personally distracted my attention from the actual narrative so I have learnt to take careful care during the production of both my media and film coursework. 

News Article 18

Ebola nurse, Pauline Cafferkey remains in serious condition. 



This is how BBC News represented the story: 

Nurse Pauline Cafferkey remains in a "serious condition" after being readmitted to the isolation unit where she was previously treated for Ebola. She was returned to the Royal Free Hospital in London after tests indicated the virus is still present in her body. It is not thought the 39-year-old nurse is contagious.

She was initially admitted to a hospital in Glasgow on Tuesday after feeling unwell. Ms Cafferkey, from Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, spent almost a month in isolation at the beginning of the year after contracting the virus in December 2014. Bodily tissues can harbour the Ebola infection months after the person appears to have fully recovered.

Ms Cafferkey was transferred to the Royal Free Hospital in the early hours of Friday morning due to an "unusual late complication" in her illness. Dr Ben Neuman, a virologist from the University of Reading, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that the outlook for Ms Cafferkey was good and it was unlikely the virus remained infectious. He said: "Once the virus is removed from the blood once, it tends to retreat into the hard-to-access components of the body. It'll hide in places like the back of your eye or breast milk." He said the effects of the virus on the body could last for up to two years, although it was difficult to know how long it could actually persist.

He added: "The nice news here is that she's beaten the virus once so she can probably beat it again. The odds are that she has actually inherited a lucky set of genes and these are probably what protected her the first time and probably what will keep her safe the second time regardless of any treatment. The outlook's good."

Ms Cafferkey contracted Ebola while working as a volunteer with Save the Children at a treatment centre in Kerry Town, in Sierra Leone. She was diagnosed on 29 December last year, after returning to Glasgow via London.

My opinion on the news story:

The way that BBC News has represented this story is good because they have included relevant information, along with facts, statistics and quotations. I think it is awful that the virus is still in Ms Cafferkey and it highlights the strength and seriousness of Ebola but I am glad that she is very likely to beat the virus again. I hope she recovers soon and that one day there will be cures for all cancers and diseases such as Ebola. 

Comparison between Skyfall and Kingsman

In this analysis, I am going to be comparing the two films: Kingsman and Skyfall, focusing particularly on genre, narrative and representation. Kingsman was directed by Matthew Vaughn and he also wrote the screenplay along with Jane Goldman which was based upon a comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. It was produced in 2014 by Matthew Vaughn, Adam Bohling and David Reid with 20^th Century Fox (also the distributer). Skyfall, on the other hand, was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. It was produced in 2012 by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson with Eon Productions, with the distributer being MGM. Both films were of a high budget: Kingsman was $81 million and Skyfall was much higher at $200 million. Regarding their box offices, Skyfall became the highest grossing film in the UK as well as the highest grossing film worldwide for MGM and Sony Pictures after it made an incredible $1, 108 million. Kingsman also did very well, grossing an overall total of $412.1 million which made it Matthew Vaughn’s most commercially successful film. I believe Skyfall did better in the box office than Kingsman because the James Bond films have been a running series since 1962 (Dr. No) so it has developed a wide audience base since then who will keep coming back to watch the newest Bond movie as they know what to expect. Also Kingsman was released at the same time as Fifty Shades of Grey which may have stolen some of its limelight due to its strong controversy.

Both films have a different cast with Kingsman starring: Colin Firth (Harry), Taron Egerton (Eggsy), Samuel L. Jackson (Valentine) and Sofia Boutella (Gazelle) and Skyfall starring: Daniel Craig (James Bond), Judi Dench (M), Javier Bardem (Silva) and Ralph Fiennes (Gareth). They share the genres of action, adventure and crime because they both follow a spy-agency, resulting in the usual conventions such as missions, murders, ‘saving the world’ and of course, both protagonists have a goal. The goal of Eggsy is to become a Kingsman by competing in a series of tests against the other recruits and to help prevent the antagonist, Valentine from destroying the world with his newly invented sim card. Similar to Eggsy, Bond’s goal is to defeat the antagonist, Silva and therefore save his agency, M16. As the Bond films have been running since 1962, the audiences are likely to have expectations regarding the elements that make up Skyfall, therefore suggesting that the series has established its own genre. For example, the opening scene of Skyfall and other Bond films jumps straight into intense action, clearly illustrating its genre and immediately sparking the audiences interest, meaning they are gripped within seconds. Kingsman also did exceptionally well with their opening and it transported the audience straight into the action genre, giving them an insight into what to expect for the remainder of the film and I feel a strong opening scene is particularly important for these genres because the audience have expectations for a fast paced, action-packed experience so want their interest to be gained immediately.

Within these genres, there are additionally expected plot situations such as chase and fight sequences which are seen in both of these films, however executed in slightly different ways. Skyfall takes a more traditional approach with explosions, fast paced editing and rapid cuts which makes the audience feel as if they are a part of the action and although Kingsman also includes these elements, it has the added genre of comedy which provides a sense of humour to some of the fight scenes. An example of this is the church scene because although the characters have been turned ‘evil’ by Valentine, there is upbeat music playing in the background which would usually be used to create a positive atmosphere so therefore it is being juxtaposed with the violence in the scene. Audio codes are key in action films and Bond movies are known for their recognisable sound tracks and unique theme tunes and of course, Skyfall has incorporated this into their ‘plot situations’. For example, the fight scene between James Bond and Patrice that takes place at Shanghai incorporates a build-up of dramatic, non-diegetic music that creates tension and the low key lighting results in Bond and Patrice being silhouettes against the city lights, showing their fight in a sophisticated manner and for both Skyfall and Kingsman, the action sequences are ‘stylised and professional’.

Both Skyfall and Kingsman follow a linear narrative structure but with multiple strands within it, which is known as a flexi-narrative. In Skyfall, the narrative strands include Bonds goal to defeat Silva, Bonds struggle to cope with his ageing and vulnerability and the threats towards M and the pressure this is causing her and all of these intertwine with the as so mentioned plot situations to create a more challenging narrative. The different strands in Kingsman are: Eggsy training to become a gentleman spy, the problems caused by the invention of Valentines new sim card and family issues regarding Eggsy’s mum and step-dad. These all combine together to increase the complexity of the narrative which furthermore challenges the audience and keeps them watching.

Todorov’s theory fits in with the narrative of Kingsman and Skyfall but again, it is more complex and there is more than one disruption/realisation in each. I am going to break each of them down in a list format.

Skyfall

Equilibrium: Action sequence at the beginning of the film because it is expected of this genre.

Disruption: The ‘death’ of Bond.

Disruption 2: When Silva hacks M16’s system and steals the details of all the undercover agents.

Realisation: Bond returns to active service to eliminate Silva.

Realisation 2: Final action sequence that takes place at Skyfall, it is the big climax to the whole narrative.

New Equilibrium: The end scene leaves the audience with enigma codes regarding Bonds new mission, he is back to active service again.

Kingsman

Equilibrium: Eggsy lives at home with his mother and step-father. Stealing the car (this is his normal lifestyle).

Disruption: Eggsy gets sent to prison but then gets freed by Harry.

Realisation: The pub scene, Eggsy realises what he is getting himself into.

Disruption 2: Valentines invention of the sim card in which he is set to destroy the world.

Disruption 3: Eggsy does not make it as a Kingsman.

Realisation 2: Eggsy discovers the gun he would have used to shoot his dog was a blank.

Disruption 4: Harry dies.

Realisation 3: Eggsy helps to save the world by eliminating Valentine.

New Equilibrium: All the antagonists have been destroyed and Eggsy celebrates with a girl he met.

The most immediate comparisons I have made between Kingsman and Skyfall revolve around representation and there is a huge variety of different portrayals but I am going to discuss masculinity, age and class. Masculinity and what it is to be seen by a society as a ‘true man’ is huge in both of these films as they are both a ‘test’ of the protagonist’s masculinity and it is believed that they have to fit into the stereotype of being: strong, heroic, brave, independent and popular with women. In Kingsman, Eggsy has to undergo a series of tests which examine him on most of these qualities, meaning in order to be a true Kingsman, he has to tick the boxes of masculinity. However saying this, the representation of the ideal man is definitely challenged in the film because Harry encourages Eggsy to be respectful, protective and fair towards women and near the beginning of the film, we also find out that Eggsy used to be a gymnast to which he was forced to quit by his step-father as he did not see the sport as ‘manly’, showing their juxtaposed opinions on masculinity and gender roles. Also, Eggsy’s masculinity is challenged when he could not shoot his dog to reach the next stage of becoming a Kingsman and this event was foreshadowed at the beginning of the film when he swerves and crashes a car to avoid hitting an animal on the road, showing him to have a strong heart. Similarly, Skyfall also challenges this subject matter because although at the start of the narrative, Bond survives what could have been an awful death, gambles, drinks and sleeps with women which are stereotypical ‘masculine’ traits, as the narrative progresses we as an audience can see a transformation in Bond who has become physically weaker, shown through his tests in which he is unable to shoot accurately and struggles with his stamina, highlighting his vulnerability. Throughout the film, Bond is trying to prove himself as a man and overcome the barriers that are preventing this but we are constantly seeing him struggle meaning the audience cannot help but emphasise with him.

Kingsman focuses on the representation of youth whereas Skyfall more so focuses on the representation of older age. At the beginning of Kingsman, youth is represented negatively because we see Eggsy and his friends steal a rival gang’s car and they get into a car chase with the police, resulting in Eggsy ending up in prison. This represents young people, specifically males, as being ruthless, careless, violent and as ‘troublemakers’ which is enhanced by the iconography at the beginning which includes an estate and ‘chav’ like clothing. However, as the narrative progresses and the audience see Eggsy slowly transform into a gentleman, our views on his youth change and he is now respected and looked upon in a positive manner. It is awful that in order for Eggsy to be seen as a good figure in society, he had to wear a suit and act like a ‘real man’ because it illustrates the harsh stereotypes forced upon youths. Skyfall represents older age in both a positive and negative manner. It is represented positively within the character of ‘M’ who is an older woman with a significant amount of power in the government and therefore has the ability to be in control. However, the negative impacts of ageing are strongly highlighted in Skyfall because M is at times portrayed as vulnerable due to her age and I believe that throughout the film, this is foreshadowing (spoiler alert) her death at the end. Bond’s older age is a big focus in the narrative and there are many close ups of him that express his exhaustion and vulnerability and this along with the fact he failed his tests and was told he can “stay dead” conveys he is no longer fit for the job, representing people of an older age as weak and almost ‘useless’.

Our dominant ideology (straight, white, middle-aged, middle-class males) plays a huge role in the representation of class and it also explains why our main protagonists in both Kingsman and Skyfall fit into most of these categories, because the producers are members of our dominant ideology and have designed characters that mirror themselves, making them more “relatable”. Skyfall only represents those of the middle/upper class, portraying them to be the superior beings and it suggests that in order to have a significant amount of power, you have to dress, act and be brought up in the same environment as the characters in this film. However, in Kingsman, Eggsy comes from a working class background and he proves that you do not have to be higher class in order to become a Kingsman and this is reinforced by Harry who tells him that being a gentleman spy is not about your class, accent, clothing choice etc. but in fact, is about being “comfortable in your own skin”. This provides a much more realistic representation for the audience who will now be able to relate to Eggy to a greater extent because negative classism is not being forced upon them like it is in Skyfall.

In conclusion, there are many similarities and differences between Kingsman and Skyfall regarding genre, narrative and representation and I feel there is a lot to discuss in each meaning they are both rich media texts. Due to its comedic side, I preferred Kingsman and I also found it more ‘refreshing’ compared to other spy films I have seen. Overall, they are both excellent films and I would rate Kingsman 9.5/10 and Skyfall 7/10.