SEPTEMBER 2011: THE PRODUCTION ISSUE M M MediaMagazine edia agazine Menglish and media centre issue 37 | septemberM 2011 Production and … english english and media centre Freaks and geeks Your own production work Practice, planning, professionalism | issue | 37 issue | september 2011 Movie budgets and money shots Producing the Royal Wedding The role of the producer Production courses MM MM MediaMagazine is published by Welcome to MediaMag 37 – and welcome to the start of a new the English and Media Centre, a term, new course, and (we hope) lots of new readers. non-profit making organisation. This issue of MediaMag is all about Production, in all its many The Centre publishes a wide range and varied forms, from the back-stories of classic production of classroom materials and runs courses for teachers. If you’re set-piece scenes in Saving Private Ryan and Bonnie and Clyde studying English at A Level, look out to the logistics of producing a global spectacle such as the Royal for emagazine, also published by Wedding. Roy Stafford explores movie budgets at both ends of the Centre. the spectrum to find out where all the money goes, while Emma Louise Howard The English and Media Centre considers innovative strategies for making the most of zero finance. We look at the 18 Compton Terrace production history of Freaks, one of the most controversial cult movies of all time, London N1 2UN and consider how arguably subversive productions such as Family Guy manage to Telephone: 020 7359 8080 keep their edge inside the Murdoch empire. Fax: 020 7354 0133 Most importantly, we have a series of pieces designed to support your own Email for subscription enquiries: production coursework – after all, it’s worth 50% of your A Level, and requires [email protected] rather more than a ‘point and shoot’ approach, as Rob McInnes points out. Steph Managing Editor: Michael Simons Hendry provides a route through the AQA MEST2 spec, and Pete Fraser reminds you of some of the key criteria for success in any form of production work across all Editor: Jenny Grahame specs; while our resident cartoonist Goom shows you exactly how not to make a film Editorial assistant/admin: for your coursework. Rebecca Scambler And for those of you currently confronting UCAS, and puzzling over the Design: Sparkloop bewildering range of film and media production degree courses, we bring you Print: S&G Group personal accounts from three former A Level students and MediaMag readers who have just completed their first year in three of the most prestigious media Cover: Monsters courtesy of image.net departments in the country: Leeds, Lincoln and Bournemouth. Thanks to Alex, Tim ISSN: 1478-8616 and Tara for their insights. Linked with the theme of this issue, we’re launching our new MediaMag Production Competition, to tie in with our 10th anniversary and a special launch of your work next spring. Please visit the back page for details – a great opportunity to beef up your showreel, share your brilliant work online and prizes. Finally, the production theme is at the heart of our forthcoming student conference in London on 4th November, with a morning of inspiring presentations, an afternoon of fantastic practitioners discussing examples of their work, and opportunities to talk to Skillset, examiners, and university departments. Make sure you’ve visited http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mmagconference/ for further details. Meanwhile, have a good term – and start producing! Remember, MediaMag now has its own Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/mediamag.emc New to MediaMag Online in September This magazine is not to be photocopied. Why New MediaMagClips from Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Media at LSE Details of the MediaMag Student Conference not subscribe to our Entry forms for the Production Competition web package which Web supplement featuring articles on films about the Iraq War, Dogme 95, and much more includes a downloadable And a reminder of our next issues and printable PDF of December 2011: Politics and Power the current issue or February 2012: Participation encourage your students April 2012: Play to take out their own £10 For further details of deadlines and topics, contact [email protected] subscription? 2 MediaMagazine | September 2011 | english and media centre MM contents Front Page News Getting into trouble Wedding-watching: the 04 News, views, reviews, previews. 30 with Bonnie and Clyde 53 Production of a Royal The Ps in Production: Jonathan Nunns traces the Spectacle What can Media Product and Productivity troubled production history of Studies students learn from 06 the iconic 1967 outlaw movie the gigantic global media Rob McInnes identifies some of which led the American New production that was the the P-words which will help you Wave. Royal Wedding? Alex Fraser put your own production work investigates. in perspective. Freaks: the History In Defence of Media 2.0 34 of Cinema’s Greatest or How to Stop Worrying Sideshow Michael Ewins 11 reports on the bizarre story of and Learn to Love Being one of the most curious cult a Geek Media teacher Nick movies ever made. Potamitis reflects on his own past as a wannabe producer, and Crime Doesn’t Pay – urges you to embrace your inner 38 or Does it? Will Rimmer Horror and Heroics: the geek. compares two films ideally Cinema of September suited to the AS Film Studies US 57 11th On the tenth anniversary Movie Budgets: Where Comparative Study: Kubrick’s of 9/11, Pete Turner explores 14 Does All the Money Go? The Killing, and Soderbergh’s cinematic representations of Roy Stafford explores the Ocean’s Eleven. mysteries of movie budgets, and the day that arguably changed suggests that in the future, big the world, and questions the may not always be best. motivations of their producers. Production Tips 2.0: 41 Practice, Planning, Professionalism Whatever specification or module you’re Cash-Strapped Creatives studying, follow Pete Fraser’s 18 Emma Louise Howard golden rules, warm-up exercises Moving on Up: Studying investigates the creative and basic tips for successful 61 Production in Higher strategies developed for low- video production work. Education As UCAS time budget movies. How Not to Make a Film looms, three former A Level Producing Private Ryan: For Your Production students who went on to study 44 production at university describe the Story of an Epic- Cartoon by 22 Coursework the experiences of their first James Goom. Opening Sequence year: Alex Fraser at Leeds, Tim Rose takes a close look at the Hodson at Lincoln, and Tara Cox making of one of cinema’s most Dealing with MEST 2 at Bournemouth. complex and costly war movie 46 Steph Hendry talks you through sequences. the best ways to boost your How to Make a Good grade in AQA’s Mest 2 unit. Online Portfolio Owen Family Guy: an 65 Martin Pope: a Davey and Callum Alden discuss 27 Institutional Case Study the importance of getting your Producer’s Life Mike Lewd, crude, rude, and owned by 48 work seen by audiences out Hobbs interviews independent Fox. Tina Dixon investigates how there in the real world, and the producer Martin Pope on the Family Guy gets away with it. best ways of presenting it online. role of the producer in both film and TV, his life in the industry, Competition Details of our and making The Gruffalo. 67 new MediaMag Production competition. english and media centre | September 2011 | MediaMagazine 3 Front Page News Are we sexing up the sexualisation of children? The past few years have seen an influx of concluded: ‘Children are not, in reports looking into potential areas of ‘harm’ for any sense, simply the dupes of children and teens, and outlining solutions to marketers.’ help protect them. The commercial ‘sexualisation’ Some practitioners have of children has emerged as a major concern, with commented that the Bailey research in America and the UK attracting the Review gives an over-simplistic attention of parents, politicians and the media and moralistic account of the nationwide, most recently in the Bailey Review issues. Critics have argued that the in June 2011 (http://www.education.gov.uk/ preoccupation with ‘sexualisation’ b0074315/bailey-review). But is all this attention favours white middle-class parents justified? Can we rely on the information we are whose children are not generally receiving? In her evaluation of the Bailey Review, facing hardship, and who arguably Dr Petra Boynton expresses her concern about tend to engage in debates in ways the validity of such reports, suggesting that we that judge or look down on other Perhaps we should ask why, if the commercial may have lost sight of the bigger picture where people and their children. sexualisation of children is such a serious issue, child welfare is concerned. This line of criticism has been condemned by these numerous reports have not led to any Boynton’s first criticism of The Bailey Review many as downplaying the potential dangers of real change. It is uncomfortable to think that is that its conclusions are based on limited sexualisation and thus acting against the interest however well-meaning programmes like Stop or cherry-picked data with no differentiation of young people. Boynton, and Buckingham, Pimping our Kids might be, the high profile of made between academic research and PR would respond that, in fact, questioning the child sexualisation equates to higher viewing campaigns. She argues that, while primarily integrity of these reports is imperative to figures and increased profits. As a society it’s concerning young people, most reports have young people’s welfare in that it prompts us essential we’re properly informed and that made little attempt at actually including them.