Corbyn Daredevil Awards & Festivals Designing Games – an Interview
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FEBRUARY 2016 ISSUE 55 THE RETURN OF TWIN COVERING PEAKS CORBYN DAREDEVIL AWARDS & FESTIVALS DESIGNING GAMES – AN INTERVIEW MM55_cover.indd 1 02/02/2016 15:50 Contents 4 Making the Most of 13 What Has the Internet MediaMag Ever Done for Me? MediaMagazine is published Bill Thompson, journalist, by the English and Media 6 Jeremy Corbyn technology guru, and BBC Centre, a non-profit making Steph Hendry explores Click contributor summarises organisation. The Centre the role of the press in the his thought-provoking publishes a wide range of seismic impact of Jeremy keynote presentation to classroom materials and Corbyn’s Labour leadership. the 2015 MediaMagazine runs courses for teachers. Student Conference. If you’re studying English 10 From Back Bench to at A Level, look out for Front Page: the Press 16 Daredevil: the emagazine, also published Demonisation of Jeremy Birth of the Marvel by the Centre. Corbyn Televisual Universe? Harry Cunningham takes a Sean Richardson explores closer look at the context the USP of the Marvel of the headlines. Universe and the appeals of Daredevil, its latest baby. The English and Media Centre 18 Compton Terrace London N1 2UN Telephone: 020 7359 8080 Fax: 020 7354 0133 6 20 Email for subscription enquiries: [email protected] Editor: Jenny Grahame Copy-editing: Andrew McCallum Subscriptions manager: Emma Marron Design: 38 64 Sam Sullivan Newington Design Print: This magazine is not photocopiable. Why not subscribe to our web package S&G Group which includes a downloadable and printable PDF of the current issue or Cover: Twin Peaks, showing on encourage your students to take out an additional £12 subscription? SyFy, courtesy of image.net Tel 020 7359 8080 for details. ISSN: 1478-8616 2 20 I Can’t Even: Speaking 42 Music in Ads: Fannish How Does it Work? Kirsty Worrow investigates Mike Hobbs interviewed the language and strategies musicians and marketers to of online fan communities. investigate how advertisers hit the magic combination 24 Transnational of music and imagery that Amigos: the Newest will generate the emotions Trend in Film Studies that melt consumers’ hearts. Nick Lacey explores one of the fastest-growing 46 Psycho-Killers? Seth developments in world Rogan, The Interview and film: the growth of the Sony Hack 58 transnational cinema. What happens when a major Hollywood studio 27 Ten Things to Love dares to tangle with About Film Festivals one of the world’s most There’s a whole new world powerful dictators? of cinema out there in the Jonathan Nunns reports. shape of the Film Festival. Roy Stafford explains why 50 A Taste of the BBC you should investigate. Caroline Birks outlines the strategies of BBC 31 Gold Rush: The Business Taster – the interactive 24 16 Behind Winning Awards testing ground which aims In MediaMag 54 we to personalise your own explored the different viewing experiences. factors influencing the process behind the major 54 Designing the Gaming film awards. But did you Experience: An Interview know it usually takes a huge with Jonathan Topf, amount of money to help Technical Artist a film get nominated in Owen Davey interviews 30 the first place? Pete Turner Jonathan Topf, Technical investigates the money Artist at Digital Product 62 What’s a Media Text? behind winning Oscars. studio Ustwo, about the Tony Fahy, Media Subject future of videogaming Specialist for OCR, raises 36 Cartoon by Goom: and the working routine one of the subject’s Genre of a games designer. thorniest questions: what exactly is a media text? 38 Media, Publics, Protest 58 Twin Peaks: Survival of and Power the Revival 64 The Fourth Wave? Natalie Fenton, Professor Tionee Joseph has Feminism in the Digital Age at Goldsmiths College, rediscovered an enigmatic Chloe Gray explores University of London, cult TV drama series which networked feminism, and considers what the galvanised audiences the role of digital and social internet has done for the in the 90s – and is media in transforming news media, freedom of about to be revived. debates about the meaning information, and democracy. of gender equality. 3 Making the Most of MediaMag A Taste of the BBC From Back Bench to Front Page Spend half an Using articles from the MediaMag archive and recent hour investigating news coverage to help you, discuss the following: one of the Tasters • How much influence do you believe at bbc.co.uk/taster, newspapers have over the way people vote? making sure that • How far do proprietors shape the political you've covered agendas of their newspapers? the whole range • What is the role of a journalist in reporting within the class. Report back on your popular ideas on the fringes of political parties findings, covering the following issues: which subsequently enter the mainstream? • How well does it keep you • Has Corbyn's decision to allow his MPs to watching, and for how long? publicly voice their disagreements, and his • How creatively does it use determination to avoid 'spin' changed the ‘short form’ video? relationship between journalists and politicians? • What techological innovation/s does it rely on? • How different is the experience from just watching output? • At what sort of audience is it targeted? What Has the Internet Try devising your own shortform Ever Done for Me? experimental Taster, either around an existing BBC drama or documentary, In this article, Bill a BBC programme from the past Thompson suggests that which you think could do well as online connectivity is now so a revival, or a concept of your own pervasive it's almost invisible. choice. Create a pitch presentation Try addressing this question by conducting an for your idea which includes: audit of your own Internet use. Sounds impossible/ • a summary of what your Taster boring/pointless? Make it personal and/or creative will do – its form and genre, by logging your own internet use in detail its pleasures for the user over the course of 24-48 hours, and presenting • the interactive technology which will your findings in one of the following ways: make it experimental – e.g. 360 degrees, • as a diary 3D, data collection via social media, etc. • as an infographic, map or chart, e.g. • how the BBC will benefit if your annotated pie-chart, spreadsheet or graph pitch is selected for development • in the form of a prezi or other interactive format • what makes it different from • as a visual representation of you and your Internet anything else out there use, using artwork, drawing, images, colour, etc. • what you would ideally Share your own individual version with others in present on video or YouTube the class, and compare the different formats you to demonstrate your idea. have used. Talk about the range of sites you visit And finally, remember the BBC's most frequently around the class, the different three most important considerations: search engines you have used and the paths Is it mobile? Is it social? Can it scale? (useful or otherwise) they have taken you down, the different purposes of your online use, the proportion of time spent on social media, etc. 4 I Can't Even: Speaking Fannish Music in Ads Autoethnography is a form of self-reflection Variations on a (rugby) and writing that explores your personal theme: experience and connects this autobiographical Compare both the visuals story to wider cultural, political, and social and the use of music in this meanings and understandings (Wikipedia). ad, about the struggles of a Are you, or have you ever been, a true fan – e.g. legendary rugby player, with a Belieber, a Swiftie, A Whovian, a One Direction the representation of the fan, a Panemian...? Try this research task adapted struggle of a whole team in from the cultural theorist Henry Jenkins: the O2 Wear the Rose – Make Write a short autoethnography describing your Them Giants ad, which is also accompanied by a own history as a fan of some aspect of popular video showing how the ad was animated. Search for entertainment. You should explore whether or not ‘YouTube O2 Wear the Rose – Make Them Giants’. you think of yourself as a fan, what kinds Budding musicians/ Music Tech students: of fan practices you engage with, how you Research more of the work of composer Einaudi, define a fan, how you became invested in much of which is available on YouTube. He has the media franchises that have been part scored or provided music for a wide range of of your life, and how your feelings about TV shows and ads including Top Gear, the 2012 being a fan might have adjusted over time. Olympics, and many other sporting contexts, as well Search ‘fandom participatory culture’ as film and TV drama, including This is England. at http://henryjenkins.org – then think about submitting it to MediaMagazine for publication! You never know... A creative competition and an invitation! The 2016 MediaMag An Invitation to Write Production Competition for MediaMag ach year, MediaMag hosts a competition to share ediaMag wants to get you writing! We want to hear Eand enjoy the amazing creativity and skill of our Mmore of your voices in the magazine, and give you the readers – and this year that means you. It’s the highlight chance to share your own passions, interests, and favourite of the MediaMag calendar, and your chance to showcase media experiences. your talents! If your work is shortlisted, you’ll be invited We want short pieces of writing from you – no longer than to a screening, awards ceremony and networking 750 words – on the topic: reception at the prestigious NFT1 at BFI Southbank. Why I love... (insert your own choice of text, app, game, To give you a taste of the competition, visit the box-set, band, movie, reality TV show, social media platform, webpage for the 2015 awards here: https://www.