Self Reflection

Unit 1: Research Techniques

Understand the purpose of research in the media industries.

Market research involves audience data, which is carried out by BARB, the broadcasting audience research board. They collect viewing figures for TV programs. Film audience data is recorded by box office reports.

(1)

BARB, to show the product reach (how many viewers the product has.), collects audience data, through, visitor surveys, statistics gathered by organisations and box office reports. People also subscribe to BARB to help them with their research, they log in and out of programmes which log what they have viewed and for how long, giving BARB figures they need to produce the product reach figures.

Audience awareness is essential to research in the research in

the media. Audience awareness is taking into consideration who your target audience are., so you can adjust your product to your audiences preferences. [2]

BMRB, British market research bureau, collect audience profile data which includes the age, gender, ethnicity, income bracket, location and even the interest groups that watch the advertisement/film and or programme. Social class has to be taken into consideration; people are catorgarised into groups, known as demographics. This the shows the advertisers what group people are in so they know how much they are earning to see if they would be able to afford the product they are advertising.

These are the categories people are placed in according to their social income, Demographics, collected by BMRB. [3]

Consumer behaviour is the study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy how and why they buy. It attempts to understand the buyers decision making process both individually and in groups. It is essential to the development of marketing strategies, especially pricing, product design, segmentation, targeting, positioning and promotion. It assess’ the influences of friends family and social groups on the buyer. [4]

Consumer attitudes is qualitative research studying how consumers select, secure, use and dispose of products services and experiences and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society.

Companies also need to know what their audience is expecting, by giving their product a genre e.g. horror, the audience automatically expects to see monsters, blood dark lighting etc. Companies can also use qualitative research which is face to face interviews and questions to find out what their audience want, they also use focus groups, where a group of people talk about the programes they like and want to be able to access on TV.

Competitor analysis is analysing other companies in the market so that the company can produce something better or different, such as supermarket prices and TV programmes. Competitor has two primary activities, 1) obtaining information about important competitors and 2) using the information to predict competitor behaviour.

The goal is to understand which competitors to compete with, competitor’s strategies and planned actions, how the competitors might react to a firms actions and how to influence competitor behaviour to the firms’ own advantage.

Advertising placement occurs in films, plays, television & television series, music videos, video games and books. Product placement occurs with the inclusion of a brands logo in shot, or a favourable mention or appearance of a product in the shot. Use of familiar products in a film would make it seem more real to the audience.

Production research includes checking the contents are viable, such as the location the facilities, support and suppliers. The cost also has to be checked for the equipment etc. The project must be viable, meaning it should be possible, e.g. A 5-minute speech in the Bahamas cannot be filmed if the project has to be finished in a few days, it would be impossible to complete. The placement needs to be considered, were, when and who they are aiming the product at, e.g. Time it will be broadcasted, how they will publicise it, the channel it will be broadcasted on, and their target audience, which in turn affects all the placement ideas. The competition also has to be analysed so the producers can see if they can improve their product to be better than their competition.

Footnotes.

1. Image from http://www.barb.co.uk/viewingsummary/weekreports.cfm?report=total&requesttimeout=500

2. www.barb.co.uk

3. www.bmrb.co.uk

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_behaviour

Understanding The Purpose Of Research.

Applying A Range Of Research Methods And Techniques.

Presenting Research Results.

Unit 2: Pre-production Techniques

Understand Requirements For Production

Obtain Resources For Production

Apply Production Logistics

Unit 7: understanding the TV and Film Industries

Know about technologies, ownership and funding and television and film Industries.

　
Introduction to the Media.
　
Television is the most popular means of entertainment and information, but with the internet and interactive media becoming more and more popular they are competing for their audiences and funds. [1]
Public service broadcasting is the reference to broadcasters that are funded, wholly or partly by the public. They receive the funds through donations, television licence fee (such as the BBC) or by direct funding by the state. Depending on the country and station, broadcasting can be nationally and/ locally operated. In some counties, public broadcasting is dominated by a single organisation e.g. BBC in the UK and ABC in Australia. However some countries have multiple broadcasting organisations operating regionally e.g. Germany. In the US, public broadcasting stations are always locally licensed. [2] British television started broadcasting in 1936, and now has many free and subscription services such as Sky, Cable, Freeview etc. The audience can view up to 600 channels and own on-demand content, where the consumer can choose what to watch, when to watch it. There is 27,000 hours of domestic content produced a year costing £2.6billion. Analogue terrestrial channels are currently being switched of due to digital TV being more efficient. [3]
The BBC was founded by John Reith[4 ]in 1922. It was the first national broadcasting organisation and was founded on the 18th of October 1922 as the British broadcasting company Ltd. The BBC charter parliament stated the mission of the BBC is;
　
　
　
“To inform, educate and entertain.”
　
　
　
In 1927, the BBC was made a publicly funded corporation. The corporation broadcasts globally on television, radio and the internet, producing programmes and information services. BBC is primarily funded by TV license fee, paid by the public, therefore are expected to broadcast programmes that commercial broadcasters would not normally broadcast. Money is also raised by the sales of merchandise and programming. [5]
ITV began transmitting on 22nd September 1955. It was made up of regional companies but is now a commercial company trying to make a profit. ITV is funded by advertisements. [6] ITV’s network programming covers a range of genres; drama, entertainment, news, current affairs, factual, sport and children’s programmes. This ensures that viewers in the UK can access allsorts of programmes and can almost always have the chance to see something they want to watch on ITV. ITV2, ITV3, ITV4and CiTV are ITV’s digital channels. ITV also provides a range of new media and interactive services vi the internet, mobile and broadband. [7] ITV1 is Britain’s most popular commercial channel. ITV1 can be viewed via: Freeview on Channel 3 Cable on Channel 103 Satellite on Channel 103 and free online at itv.com. [8] ITV2 broadcasts a mix of talent, celebrity gossip and factual shows e.g. ‘America‘s Got Talent‘, ’Secret Diary’, and ’Celebrity Juice: Set Tour’. [9] ITV3 broadcasts dramas such as ‘Doc Martin,’ ‘A Touch of Frost,’ and ‘Inspector Morse.’ ITV3 can be viewed via: Freeview on Channel 10 Cable on Channel 116 Satellite on Channel 119 and free online at itv.com. [10] ITV4 broadcasts challenging drama, cult films and premium sport events such as ‘Cops with Cameras,’ ‘UEFA cup’ and ‘boxing’. [11] Channel 4 was launched November 2nd 1982. It is funded by advertisements. Channel 4 transmits across the whole f the UK except for some parts of Wales, which is covered by the Welsh language S4C. The purpose of the programme was recently defined in 2003. It states that;
　
　
　
"the public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:
(a) demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes;
(b) appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
　
(c) makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value; and
　
(d) exhibits a distinctive character." [12]
　
　
　
Channel 4 has firmly stepped into digital TV, its sister channels being; E4, More4, Film4 and 4music. Channel 4 caters for a niche audience, its target audience is teenagers and young adults. [13]
Channel 5, launched in 1997 by the Spice Girls, is also funded by advertisements. [14] The digital channels from Five are Fiver, Five Live and Five US. Five broadcasts dramas such as ‘CSI: Miami‘, ‘Greys anatomy’ and ‘Sex and the City‘. It also broadcasts shows such as ‘Fifth Gear‘, ‘Home and Away’ and ‘Neighbours‘. [15]
Sky TV, formed in 1990, funded by advertising is a subscription and pay-per-view service. It is owned by ‘Media Tycoon’ Rupert Murdoch. Rupert Murdoch owns ‘The times’ ‘Broadsheet’ ‘The Sun’ ‘Sky’ and ‘News International, Fox News etc’ He also owns Harper Collins, the biggest publisher, and 20th Century Fox. [16]
　
　
　
Foot notes.
1. (http://www.skillset.org/tv/industry/) 　
2. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_broadcasting)
3. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_television)
4. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Reith,_1st_Baron_Reith)
5. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC)
6. (class notes)
7. (http://www.itv.com)
8. (www.itv.com/Channels/ITV1/default.html)
9. (http://www.itv.com/Channels/ITV2/default.html)
10. (www.itv.com/Channels/ITV3/default.html)
11. (http://www.itv.com/Channels/ITV4/default.html)
12. (http://www.channel4.com/about4/overview.html)
13. (class notes)
14. (class notes)
15. (http://www.five.tv/)
16. (class notes)

How have advances in technology effected the TV industry and how have Audiences changed as a result?

‘Everyday, new technology is tearing down old ways of doing business in the process it is driving us away from a mass media were news and entertainment was centrally controlled and its taking us to an exciting new world.’

(Rupert Murdoch, Media Tycoom)

Channels such as BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and 5 still broadcast on analogue and are available to everybody who owns a TV set [1]. Due to the governments policy, digital switch over, everybody will have to have digital TV, this means every one will be able to receive digital channels such as Dave, ITV2, E4, Challenge etc. By switching to digital services such as interactivity, audio and visual impairment options such as subtitles and on on-on screen listings become available. People can also add chanells they are interested in by purchasing extra movie channels or sport channels [2].

DAEWOO set-top box. [3]

‘Nearly 6 in 10 house holds, nearly 57% across the UK now have access to broadband’

(James Thickett, www.ofcom.org.uk)

Ofcom’s latest report shows that ‘60% of rural households have broadband, whereas 58% of urban households have broadband.’ James Thickett explains that he thinks this due to the

‘lower income and higher use of mobile phones.’

(James Thickett, www.ofcom.org.uk) [4]

After 2009, analogue TV/terrestrial TV will be replaced by digital TV. Unless analogue TV’s are connected to a set-top box that is capable of converting digital signals into analogue signals, they won’t be able to display a picture. [5]

The digital switch over means that TV becomes more interactive with services such as ‘The Red Button’ , ‘On-Demand’, ‘Sky Plus’ etc. The red button is a Sky Digital feature which enables different feeds from an event the viewer is watching. E.g. 2006 FIFA World Cup, viewers had the opportunity to watch the matches from different or multiple camera angles. The red button service also enables viewers to watch TV services out of the UK.

[6] The red button also allows the audience of shopping channels such as ‘Price Drop’ and ‘bid TV’ to purchase items without ringing up, they simply press the red button and follow on screen instructions. The ‘red button’ also has enabled reality TV programmes such as ‘The X factor’ and ‘Big Brother’ to be more interactive as the audience with digital TV can press the red button to vote for contestants they want to win or contestants they want to vote out.

‘On Demand’ allows the audience to chose when they want to watch a programme. They can also skip the advertisements using Sky Plus and other services. This is beneficial for the audience but could in turn be a disadvantage to the channel, as companies will stop paying them to show their adverts.[7] On-Demand also allows viewers to watch a full series consecutively.

Digital viewers can also access the service ‘Pay-Per-View’, owned by HBO, this allows the viewers to purchase programmes for the private telecast to their home. This way of viewing purchased programmes is shown at the same time to everybody who ordered it. Whereas ‘Video-on-demand’ allows viewers to purchase a programme and watch it whenever they want to view it. [8] Pay-per-view channels include soft porn, for example babe Station, this is allowed because the viewer knows what to expect as they are paying for it, this way they cannot be offended or complain.

TV channels such as Channel 4 and BBC allow viewers to watch channels on the internet. The BBC has the BBC iPlayer service, which allows viewers to watch programmes they missed on TV on the internet. [9] Channel 4 has a similar service ‘Channel 4 catch up’ which allows viewers to watch programmes from the past 30 days which were broadcasted on 4. Both of these services are free.

With digital TV becoming more popular, more programmes are being made for the channels, e.g. 'Nickelodeon' who broadcast children’s’ cartoons and programmes. 'Discovery Channel' with more specific channels and more specific programmes, mass audiences are becoming smaller and smaller, making them niche audiences. Niche audiences are audiences which have a similar or the same interests, which therefore makes it easier for channels to know their audiences so they can buy and or produce programmes, documentaries etc that appeal to their niche audience. Because digital TV offers a range of channels and has now created small niche audiences, advertisers have had to change their way of marketing, they have to decide what channel to place their ad' on, and have to acknowledge that their audience may now be a niche audience of young children or teenagers, female or male, and not any more a mixture of people. This means their advert has to appeal to the audience, depending on the channel they are advertising on they will have a niche audience. One advantage of this is the fact that they know who their audience will be therefore they know who to target their advert at, on the other hand, the product they are advertising may be t a specific audience and not be as flexible so therefore they will have to broadcast it on a certain channel which could mean competition to get their advert on a particular channel is high, therefore making it hard to get guarantee the advert will be showed to its target audience.

The uses and gratification theory,

‘Personal Relationships — People create personal relationships with the characters in a media text. Potentially this could become dangerous if people do not question the reality of such texts. It also creates a common ground for conversation in people's every day lives.

Personal Identity — People often identify a part of themselves in a media text, either through character or circumstance. For example, hair style trends stemming from a magazine feature. This can go a long way in people's ideologies.

Surveillance — The audience gain an understanding of the world around them by consuming a media text, for example print and broadcast news.

Diversion - Consumed purely for entertainment purposes, distractions from everyday life.’

(Jay G. Blumler and Elihu Katz 1974) [10]

Since technology has advanced in TV, has become more relevant, as the audiences have fragmented and are now niche audiences the programmes have to be similar to the other programmes being broadcasted on the digital channel. The audiences watch different programmes for different reasons, e.g. ‘Trouble’ audiences watch this for diversion.

‘New media’ is a term referring to the different ways people today communicate electronically, through computer technology. ‘Old’ media is media in forms such as newspapers and magazines that are clearly not electrical. New media includes;

‘Web sites, streaming audio and video, chat rooms, e-mail, online communities, Web advertising, DVD and CD-ROM media, virtual reality environments, integration of digital data with the telephone, such as Internet telephony, digital cameras, mobile computing’ [11]

New Media refers to the communication between desktop, laptop computers, and handhelds and the transfer of media between them and floppy disks and compact disks etc.

[12]

Foot notes.

1. Class notes

2. (http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/what__and__why)

3.(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31A7Q0NZ6YL._SL500_AA280_.jpgmages/I/31A7Q0NZ6YL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)

4. (http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2008/05/nr_20080522)

5. (http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/comnews/PressReleases/2008/DTV_june.html)

6. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Button_(Digital_Television)

7. Class notes

8. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay-per-view)

9. (www.bbc.co.uk/info/channels/iplayer.shtml)

10. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uses_and_gratifications)

11. (www.channel4.com/watch_online/)

12. (www.webopedia.com/TERM/n/new_media.html)

Case Study, Channel 4

[1] Channel 4 has sister channels on digital TV such as More4, broadcasting documentaries, films, news, current affairs, true stories and classic shows, E4, which broadcasts comedy shows, such as phone jaker,

Phone jaker. (2)

Dramas such as friends and scrubs, and Film4, which broadcasts films of all genres. C4 has its own website, www.channel4.com, where TV listings are available, games,

(3)

and ‘catch up online’ where the choice from any programme broadcasted on C4 in the past 30 days is available to watch, for free, online. Other technologies C4’s website has is the ability to play clips of the programmes you may be considering watching and games you can play.

What's next for Channel 4

‘We set out what we believe to be an exciting role for Channel 4, building on its traditional strengths - with young and diverse audiences in particular - to become a public service network delivering public value across broadcasting and new digital media. Our new public purposes build on the values enshrined in our remit - innovation, diversity, distinctiveness and educational programming - to set out more clearly how we will deliver and measure public value across different forms of media, both on- and off-screen.

The plans that we have set out - covering originated UK content, new voices and talent, social engagement, enhanced supplier and partnership models, and diversity - reflect a strengthened commitment to the unique role of Channel 4, and the children's TV and new media pilots show how we can deliver public value in new areas.

These commitments represent an important step as we refocus Channel 4's activities, but for us to fulfill our ambitions - and for the new 4IP and children's content initiatives in particular to be able to continue beyond the period of their pilots - a new funding solution will be needed.’

(4)

report on C4’s future priorities.

Foot Notes

1.www.channel4.com

2.http://www.e4.com/fonejacker/doitandwin/0eb4365855495c11e531ae5d61bdd3f1/participate.e4)
3.http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/games/index.html

4. http://www.channel4.com/about4/next_on4.html

How is the TV industry funded and how does this effect programming?

The Public serving broadcasting service (PSB) has 3 main purposes for programmes such as the BBC, which are paid for by the public through the TV license. The 3 main purposes are to; Inform, Educate and Entertain. Therefore the BBC broadcast documentaries, Dramas, news, information films and costume drama. Because advertisers do not drive them, they can be less commercial. Whereas ITV, C4 & 5 are commercially funded, they have to provide programmes that will generate an audience.[1] Such as, I’m a celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!’ ‘Loose Women’ and ‘Coronation Street.’ [2] As these will generate an audience advertisers will pay to have their product advertised on the channel because more people are going to see it on the TV, this in turn supports the channel and helps them pay for other programmes to be made. This is why ITV, C4 and 5 can broadcast programmes of different genres etc as they can generate their own audiences where as the BBC have to broadcast programmes that cater for all people, as the BBC is paid for by everybody owning a TV. [3]

There is a range of different packages consumers can buy once subscribed to a bigger provider. There is a range of relatively cheap yet basic packages but for more advanced packages the price increases. More advanced packages cover everything form, movies, dramas, geographical and historic channels, sport, entertainment, children’s channels and everything else you can think of. The two big providers are Sky and Virgin Media, but providers such as BT Vision, top up TV and add-on subscriptions from Setanta Sports are now available for consumers.[4]

Once consumers have subscribed to one of the main providers, they are encouraged to buy other packages within the provider e.g. with Sky encourage consumers to buy either Sky HD or Sky+, then further encouraged to purchase Sky TV with Sky+ Box £22 a month, Sky TV and Sky movies £26 a month, Sky TV with Sky Sports pack £36 a month, and Sky world with sky+ box £47 a month.

[5]

Virgin offers consumers a ‘mix and match’ of Virgin bundles, 2 for £20, 3 for £30 and 4 for £40,

[6]

Sky, Virgin Media, Star choice, BT Vision etc all allow consumers to subscribe on the internet and allows them to buy packages of certain programmes e.g. sports, films. It is all made simple on the internet, consumers can look and choose which packages they want to buy with just the click of a button then follow the onscreen instructions.

Consumers can also pay for certain programmes or events on a channel, such as babe station, and other soft porn programmes, boxing events, and wrestling events. Consumers can pay a one off fee, monthly or annual fee for these programmes. The same way customers can purchase films on on-demand, etc. Pay-per-view is currently more popular in the US. Stateside, events such as; basketball, baseball, WWE (wrestling). Packages can also be purchased such as; ESPN GamePlan, showing college football.

(Image from http://www.insight-com.com/ppv.asp)

And ESPN FULL COURT package which shows basketball games.

(Image from http://www.insight-com.com/ppv.asp)

Sponsorship is the process of a product such as Baileys, sponsoring films on 4, paying the channel to support them on making the film/programme/documentary then in turn the channel plays the products advert, at the beginning, and before the advertisements and at the end of the adverts, before the programme re-starts. This in turn ensures the audience sees the product over and over again throughout the programme, hopefully persuading the audience to buy it.

Deciding on whom they are going to have sponsoring the programme comes down to the audience of the programme; E.g. Wrigglys Extra chewing gum sponsors Hollyoaks on channel 4. Because the audience of Hollyoaks is young adults, and teenagers it ensures both the programmes and the sponsors product is seen by the target audience. Whereas Films on 4 have been sponsored by Toyota Rav4, and Stella, which connotes the films target audience is modern, beer drinking men, which could affect the films viewing numbers. [6]

"Product placement risked further harming trust in TV, already rocked by last year's series of deception scandals, adding that as a viewer he did not "want to feel the script has been written by the commercial marketing director."

Culture secretary, Andy Burnham, (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jun/11/advertising)

Product placement is currently illegal in the UK but is acceptable in the U.S. Product placement occurs in programmes and films. The media keep big brands such as Apple Mac, Starbucks, MacDonald’s etc in the public eye, they do this by integrating the product into the film or programme e.g. spider-man. The brands will pay for their product to be in the film/programme, which puts extra money into the film or programme being made. [7] Andy Burnham rejects the idea of product placement becoming legal in the UK. He says,

"But I can also see the costs. There is a risk that product placement exacerbates this decline in trust [in television] and contaminates our programmes,"

Others say it will ‘Americanise’ our country. By making people in the UK feel as though they have to eat, drink wear, the same things they see people in the programmes wearing, drinking and eating.

‘Ofcom's advice on your next step

Advertising and sponsorship on TV or radio -

Sponsorship and product placement

Companies can pay money to broadcasters to have their brand or products associated with a programme. This is called sponsorship.

Companies are not permitted to pay broadcasters to have their brand or products included in a programme. This is called product placement.

Our Broadcasting Code has rules which broadcasters must follow’ [8]

Niche audiences are attracted to certain advertisers because, niche audiences are easier to target as advertisers can find out their demographics, which in turn gets the niche audiences, which are now their target audiences, attention. Demographics are the categories in which the public are placed in by their income, where they live etc, this allows advertisers to know who to aim their advert at e.g. flyers advertising cleaners, will be posted to those who have a good income and possibly quite a big house, because the advertisers knows they can afford it and might need their services. [9]

Foot Notes

1.Class notes

2.(www.itv.com)

3.Class notes

4.(http://www.digitalchoices.co.uk/partner-44076/subscription-tv.html)

5.http://packages.sky.com/?affiliate=true&CMP=AFC-UKesalesAffiliates&P36=AZEGCJ&PURL=skytv.at/energychoices)

http://www.digitalchoices.co.uk/partner-44076/virgin-media-supplier-review.html)

Class notes

8.Class notes

9.(www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/ads/sponsorship/)

10. Class notes

Produce a short documentary or presentation, which covers the following points......(P1, M1, D1)

• The difference between mainstream and independent cinema.
• What is Bollywood?
  
• The studio system in Hollywood, who are the big players and what other film studios do they now own?
• How have the Big Media conglomerates used horizontal and vertical intergration, in order to become the major players in the film industry?
  
• How does the British Film Council help fund the British film industry?
• Why is it dangerous that a few companies provide us with the majority of our media?
  
• A breakdown of British TV, who owns what?
• The big six media conglomerates and their involvement with TV across the world.
• Why is it dangerous that only six companies provide the vast majority of the world's media?

Contracts.

There are many different types of contract within the media, different job roles allow people to work different contracts.

Attachment contracts means the employee works for a different department for a short period of time. It can also be to work on a specific project. Whereas a secondment contract means the employee works on either a specific project or in a different department for a longer period of time, 2 years for example.

Fixed term contracts mean working for a set amount of time on a specific project, producers and directors usually work fixed term contracts and work on one project at a time. Whereas freelance workers work for themselves, they wait for a company to call them and work for it. They may be employed or known of by several companies but will only work for one company at a time, the one who ring them first with work.

Casual contracts allow the employee to work when they are available, the employer will ring them up and ask if they are available to work that day. Likewise, Flexi contracts let employees work certain hours that suit their lifestyle e.g. mothers of young children can work the hours were their children are at school and have time off to pick them up etc. It also means as long as a certain amount of hours are worked over a set amount of days, the employee can have days off e.g. as long as 60 hours are worked over 6 days, they can have 2 days off.

A voluntary worker goes to work to help out, unpaid, and allows students for example to gain experience and become known to the media business possibly get job there.

Confidentiality.

Working in the media means singing a confidentiality agreement. Depending on their job they have to keep quiet about a lot of things. E.g. plot lines, any body working on a project that needs to or wants to keep the plot line quiet has to sign a confidentiality clause, even any runners that are on set at the time. This includes cameramen, actors, directors and producers.

Accountants also have to sign a confidentiality clause, people on and off set shouldn’t find out how much anybody is earning for being involved in a certain project. Although it comes out in the news, in newspapers etc, anybody on the set involved with money has to keep quiet about everything within their line of work.

Exclusivity.

Some contracts state that the employee can only work for that organisation, this is called exclusivity. Celebrities in particular sign contracts to say they can only work for a certain station e.g. Jonathan Ross. Jonathan Ross can only work for the BBC, he has a radio station and chat show within the BBC. Although he has signed an exclusivity contract he does do other projects, for example the OSCARS and comic relief.

Employment Legislation.

Employment legislation are the rules and regulations which companies must abide by when employing staff.

Equal opportunities - everybody is eligible for the job irrespective of colour, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origins, gender, marital/civil partnership status, sexuality, disability or age.(1)

Employment equality (Age) - everybody is eligible for the job irrespective of age. Employment equality regulations state that age should not effect the way they are treat, or spoken to. Companies, according to employment equality (age) 2006, cannot impose a contractual term that depends on age. If a job requires strength, quick reactions times, or be difficult for people with health problems, tests should be applied to all applicants whatever their age. (2)

Employers liability- Employers liability means that the employer is responsible for the health and safety of his or her employees whilst they are working for them. If an employee is injured or becomes ill whilst working for you, it is possible for them to claim compensation if the employer appears responsible. (3)

Employee rights- Every one at works in entitled to; national minimum wage, working time rights (breaks, holidays, holiday pay and a limit on the working week) health and safety protection, the right to join a union and protection from unlawful discrimination including, age, race, colour, sexuality, gender, marital/civil partnerships, or disability. Employees working for an agency also have the same rights. They also have some extra rights. Agencies cannot charge you for finding you work, charge you for your uniform without letting you know, make unlawful deductions from your pay, force you to work more than 48 hours a week or discriminate against you. (4)

Trade union - Belonging to a trade union means the employee has somebody to talk to about work related issues. The trade union will then take appropriate action and take it to the employer, rather than having 10 or 20 people complaining to the employer, the trade union takes each members concerns. The trade union also helps with any disputes with the company, over pay, sickness leave etc. A trade union also helps out with knowing your rights, and always in the employees best interest.

Intellectual property- Intellectual property is the protection of your own work. If something e.g. a design, trademark, music and films, is your own work and you don’t want anybody to use it, it is protected, this doesn’t mean it wont be used though. It is illegal to use intellectual property for your own benefits if it is not your own. Owners of intellectual property have the right to sell, use, or licence it.

Copyright - A form of intellectual property, that allows the creator rights for a certain period of time. The creators rights include the publication, distribution and adaptation of the work.

Trademarks- Trademarks are a particular slogan, letter, number, word, colour, sound, smell, logo, shape, picture, and/or packaging to any product. The owner of the product and ‘trademark’ has the right to sell, use and or license it.

Foot Notes.

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/diversity.shtml
2. http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:y29FwfyEaEMJ:www.lvsc.org.uk/shared_asp_files/GFSR.asp%3FNodeID%3D96038+what+is+employment+equality+age+in+the+media%3F&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk
3. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf
4.http://ww.worksmart.org.uk/

Comments:

Unit 7:

Distinction 1: Issues surrounding technologies ownership and funding in the television and film industries will be evident. Relevant examples are cited that evidence understanding and discussed in detail using sophisticated language.

Distinction 2: Correct and substantial descriptions of common job roles in the television and film industries. A detailed understanding of the characteristics of different duties in management, administrative and creative roles are evident through sophisticated discussions.

Distinction 3: Accurate descriptions of the most usual contractual, legal and ethical obligations. Researched examples that relate to legal and ethical issues are evident and discussed in a sophisticated manner with fluidity.