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. 

News Article 17

50% OF TEACHERS IN ENGLAND WANT TO QUIT?



The National Union of Teachers have recently conducted a survey which showed that 53% of the teachers in England are planning on quitting their job in the next two years. It illustrates that 61% of those wanting to quit are blaming it on their workload and 57% are desiring a better work/life balance. 

This is how BBC News represented the story:

Two thirds of the 1,020 primary and secondary school teachers questioned felt morale in the profession had declined over the past five years. Schools minister Nick Gibb pledged to tackle excessive workloads.

The findings of the survey are timely, because last month the five main teaching unions warned of a crisis in recruitment and retention, although the government maintains the vacancy rate has stayed stable at about 1%. The survey, undertaken with a representative sample of teachers, also suggested many were unhappy with some of the government's plans.

• 76% said forcing schools that require improvement to become academies would damage education
• 62% said the plans for 500 new free schools would also damage education
• 54% were not confident the new baseline test for four-year-olds would provide valid information about a child's ability

General secretary of the NUT, Christine Blower, said: "This survey demonstrates the combined, negative impact of the accountability agenda on teacher workload and morale. Teachers feel that the Department for Education's work thus far to tackle workload has been totally inadequate. Meanwhile, nearly one million more pupils are coming into the system over the next decade. The government's solution so far has been to build free schools, often where there are surplus places, and to allow class sizes to grow. Add to this a situation where teachers are leaving in droves and teacher recruitment remains low. We now have a perfect storm of crisis upon crisis in the schools system."

She added that many teachers felt their pay had been eroded over a long period of time, and that many were missing out on the 1% pay rise because of the tightness of school budgets.

Mr Gibb said teaching remained "a hugely popular profession with the highest numbers of people joining since 2008. The latest figures show the number of former teachers coming back to the classroom has continued to rise year after year - from 14,720 in 2011 to 17,350 in 2014.

"While the vast majority of teachers stay in their roles for more than five years, we know unnecessary workload can detract from what matters most - teaching. That's why we launched the Workload Challenge and are working with the profession to understand and tackle the top issues that teachers said caused the most bureaucracy, with leading education experts taking action on key areas such as marking and lesson planning."

My opinion on the news story:

When I first read this article, I was quite shocked as to how many teachers want to quit there job and I did not expect it to be over 50% of them. I personally feel 'the workload challenge' is a great idea because teachers are such a key part to the educational system and obviously improvements need to be made if so many of them want to leave for a better lifestyle. However saying this, jobs are not supposed to be easy and of course they are going to be challenging at times so I think their excuse to leave because over the workload is quite poor.