APRIL 2009: THE FREEDOM ISSUE M M MediaMagazine edia agazine Menglish and media centre issue 28 | aprilM 2009 Freedom from Hollywood Diploma students on freedom Sexual freedom TV drama – institutions and audiences Skins Cross-media platforms english and media centre andmedia english Dead Set | issue 28 | april 2009 28|april | issue MM MM MediaMagazine is published by the English and Media Centre, a non-profit making organisation. editorial The Centre publishes a wide range of classroom materials and runs It’s that time of year again: it’s our last issue of the school year courses for teachers. If you’re and the exams are looming. We hope you’ll find plenty of support studying English at A Level, look out for your revision here. If you’re preparing for the OCR AS G322 for emagazine, also published by paper, crack it with our essential planning tips and guidance from the Centre. a principal examiner; Steph Hendry’s helpful summaries and well- The English and Media Centre focused examples of multiplatform media and the concepts which 18 Compton Terrace underpin them will also be useful, particularly for AQA AS students. London N1 2UN You can read two contrasting approaches to the textual analysis of TV drama Telephone: 020 7359 8080 which targets and represents young people, drawing on Skins and Sugar Rush; Fax: 020 7354 0133 and AS Film students must read Mark Ramey’s a powerful case study comparison Email for subscription enquiries: of two thematically linked films, which should provide inspiring ammunition for [email protected] FM2. And given that examiners across all specifications continually remind us of Managing Editor: Michael Simons the importance of using contemporary examples and references, Austin McHale’s analysis of Slumdog Millionaire could hardly be more topical or user-friendly. Editor: Jenny Grahame Many of these articles also touch on the ‘Freedom’ theme of this issue, which Editorial assistant/admin: our contributors have interpreted in diverse and interesting ways, from freedom Rebecca Scambler from Hollywood (Slumdog) to the limits of freedom represented in One Flew Over Design: Sam Sullivan (edition.co.uk) the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shawshank Redemption. Sara Mills debates the ‘free Printed by S&G Group knowledge’ offered by Wikipedia, while Sean Kaye-Smith explores the dangerous ISSN: 1478-8616 freedoms of childhood in film, and Jerome Monahan compares two iconic photographs which represent the lack of freedom from very different perspectives. Cover image: from Slumdog Millionaire, courtesy of image.net And if you’re already considering your UCAS choices, do read Owen Davey’s thought- provoking reflections on his personal experiences of academic freedom and its limitations; styles of teaching and learning may not be at the forefront of your mind right now, but may make quite a bit of difference once you’re balancing workload, How to subscribe social life and pleasure as a first-year undergraduate… The other special feature of this issue is our selection of articles from Creative Four issues a year, published and Media Diploma students from Long Road, Cambridge. They came to visit us at September, December, late February MediaMag to see how the magazine is put together, and we gave them a free hand and late April. to come up with their own ‘Freedom’ articles, which range from online gaming to Centre print-only subscription: censorship, free running to music. Which is, of course, your cue: we really want to publish more of your work! Turn to the back page to see the MediaMag themes £29.95 for next year’s editions, with some ideas of the sorts of things you might be able to 2 year option: £49.90 contribute – or come up with your own interpretations. And bearing in mind the Centre website package: £79.95 long summer of freedom ahead of you (once you’ve dealt with those pesky exams, includes print magazine, full website that is) we hope to hear from you! access and an online PDF version of And finally…good wishes for your exams. the current issue. 2 year option: £139.90 Additional subscriptions for students, teachers or the library can be added to either the print-only subscription or the website package for £10 a year. MediaMagazine website MediaMagArchive on the MediaMagazine This magazine is not photocopiable. 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Centre website package: £79.95 2 MediaMagazine | April 2009 | english and media centre MM contents Front Page News GMTV Maria Brannigan Tank man and the The latest news, reviews describes a unique gold mine of Serra 04 and previews. 65 training scheme, and 57 Pelada Jerome Monahan some inspiring success evaluates the construction, BEYOND FREEDOM stories. impact and influence of TV drama – two iconic photographs FREEDOM SPECIAL institutions and representing the antithesis 06 audiences The Free culture – of freedom. essential guide to e-media comes cracking your G322 19 of age Wikipedia – summer exam paper – freedom of knowledge, straight from the mouth democratisation of of Principal Examiner information, or just a Jason Mazzocchi. dodgy, second-rate Cross-media encyclopaedia? Sara Mills investigates. platforms – an FREEDOM – THE DIPLOMA SECTION: overview Senior 10 Freedom from a selection of freedom-themed articles Examiner Steph Hendry Hollywood – from Level 3 Creative and Media talks you through what Slumdog Millionaire 21 Diploma students you need to know about Tiny budget, unknown media platforms, key cast, no Americans – Freedom of concepts, and how to and massive critical, movement Laurence approach them. commercial and Oscar 41 Smith on the delights of success. Austin McHale free running. Dead Set James Rose explains how Slumdog on Charlie Brooker’s The freedom of Millionaire thrived on its gruesomely satirical take music The power of music 14 freedom from Hollywood. on reality television. 43 to debate, critique and The limits of change minds, from Sam freedom Mark Chappell-Winnington. 26 Ramey finds powerful Freeform music connections in this FM2 Alexander Whitcomb case study comparing 46 explores the diversity and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s hybridity of a remarkable Nest and The Shawshank band. Redemption. Cartoon Need to know Freedom to play – about Depth of Field The freedom trap is online gaming 61 for your unseen textual Regular contributor Owen 48 hazardous to health? analysis? See it here – in 31 Davey reflects ruefully on David Pinchen debates the pictures! the limitations of a ‘free’ pros and cons. university curriculum in Skins – textual Digital Screen Arts. The c-word – analysis in action censoring the 62 A2 Media student The freedom of 49 media? It’s a tricky one. Kirsty Leslie analyses a childhood Sean Kaye- Tim Hodson explores the sequence from Skins to 34 Smith explores a range effectiveness of different explore its representation of powerful films seen forms of media regulation. of disability issues. through the innocent eyes of children. Sugar Rush – sexual freedom Andrea 52 Joyce celebrates the representation of teenage sexuality in Channel 4’s Sugar Rush, and explores its construction through close textual analysis. english and media centre | April 2009 | MediaMagazine 3 front page news Coming to a and Sopena’s film sounds an his account of Stalin’s Credit crunch the last recession. It will be screen near you altogether more intelligent murder of Polish army media interesting to see whether officers in the forest of As usual, this summer treatment of the subject. A Ads in a recession his forecasting is accurate Katyn in 1939 – an atrocity, will be blockbuster time, group of mathematicians A recent Channel 4 News over the next few months. has to club together to uncovered and exploited with the studios hoping to report focused on the state ITV’s troubles solve problems set them by by the Nazis when they make huge bucks out of of the advertising industry ITV are facing big an adversary as the walls invaded Poland – has major ‘properties’ which will during this deep, dark hole troubles in the downturn; close in, finding out what attracted some excellent help bankroll everything of a recession. Advertising it’s just announced a £2.7 links them all in the process. reviews. To date it’s made else they do for the rest of legend Sir Frank Lowe has billion loss in 2008 and its (http://www.imdb.com/ $13 million in worldwide the year. That said, there are survived previous economic director Sir Michael Grade title/tt1016301/) box-office sales, but only always quirky releases to downturns, and gave his was recently spinning the $39,000 in America – look out for too. June 5th: Terminator: views about the kinds of line that ‘sure things are bad MediaMag wonders why... May 18th: Star Trek Salvation trends we should expect now, but come the return We’re boldly backtracking The trailer is portentous, July 17th: Harry Potter in such troubled times. of better economic times, to catch a glimpse of the soundtrack percussive, and the Half-Blood He suggested we won’t ITN will be well placed to Captain Kirk and his crew the director is Joseph Prince be seeing many glossy, benefit’. Now is the time in their youth. It’s a good McGinty Nichol aka McG, Given the importance triumphant bank ads; to monitor the impact of means of keeping some and big bucks have been to the profitability of UK instead, financial advertising the company’s problems, favourite characters alive thrown at it – not least films in 2007 of the last will be much more modest caused mainly by the and launching a new crop the acting talent which Harry Potter movie (and in tone: ‘come to us because migration of advertising of younger actors to play includes Christian Bale that’s based upon the we are safe and reliable’.