HOW & WHY APPROACHES TO THE REGULATION OF THE PRESS AND FILM INDUSTRY HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME

Topic 1: explain the BBFC’s current role (board of classification) in regulating film

Currently, the film industry in the UK is regulated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). (TOPIC SENTENCE) 
The BBFC is responsible for classifying films that have a cinema and DVD release. The BBFC uses published Classification Guidelines for certain age ranges, ensuring that the content of the film is age appropriate and that children or young people do not see films that are unsuitable for them.

The BBFC Classification Guidelines are based on regular research with the public and updated every 4-5 years. The research involves more than 10,000 people from across the UK, including teenagers. The Classification Guidelines are available on the BBFC website.

The classifications are:

·       U – Suitable for all

·       PG – Parental Guidance

·       12A – Only used for films shown in cinemas and suitable for 12 years and over. However, people younger than 12 may see a 12A so long as they are accompanied by an adult

·       12 – Video release suitable for 12 years and over

·       15 – Suitable for only 15 years and over

·       18 – Suitable only for adults

Topic 2: explain the BBFC’s origins as the British Board of Film Censors

Approaches to film regulation have changed over the last three generations. (TOPIC SENTENCE) 
By the 1930s, film was neither a state monopoly nor subject to public service obligations unlike broadcasting, but the development of the British Board of Film Censors supervised anti-rearmament or ‘peace’ propaganda. Its operating costs were met by the cinema trade itself from fees charged for ‘examining’ films. It was a private body but with a president nominated by the Home Secretary. Its main aim was to control negative propaganda at home and endorse positive cultural propaganda overseas. By persuading companies to submit ‘scenarios’ first before starting production, it could prevent ‘undesirable’ films being made as well as interfere in details, down to the choice of individual words. The means were there to ‘educate’ the cinema-going public which by 1934 stood at 18 million, far more that the circulation figures of the national daily press and the BBC. It was the only true mass medium of the period. For example, feature films could shape general attitudes to particular policies and events, a form of ‘psychological rearmament’ (Vansittart). Cinema screens were kept free from films that portrayed soldiers as dupes of bodies with a vested interest in war, or films that presented army life as tyrannical, dull and futile. It was from the industrial and working class that recruits had to come, as well as those needed for the new armaments industries. As a result, after 1935 there was no chance for any film with an anti-rearmament or pacifist message to reach the mass audience of 82 % working class youngsters who went to the cinema weekly.  The trade association of film distributors was presided over by Sir Albert Clavering, director of the Conservative Party’s own film propaganda organization. Films take time and money to produce: distributors did not risk investing their time and money in films that might get banned. The BBFC refused to certify film that (for example) ‘portrayed British officers and forces in disgraceful, reprehensible or equivocal light’ or contained ‘realistic representations’ of the horrors of war’ and even ‘the presentation of objectionable propaganda’. This was politically important given the period with WW2 starting in 1939 and continuing until 1945.

Therefore, studios that turned out films ‘with the right messages’ like Alexander Korda’s London Films received City capital investment. By contrast, soft left /anti-war thinkers like the film critic (and later famous novelist) Graham Greene were dismayed by this approach. John Grierson, the pioneering ‘father of documentary film’ bemoaned the fact that peace stood no chance when the cinema made ‘war more exciting than peace’ and that its overall effect on the young was to act as ‘the recruiting sergeant’. Newsreels of the time, unlike newspapers,  also depended for much of their news material on the actual news footage and the active co-operation of various government agencies. Therefore the government could influence and control much of the diet that the cinema-going public consumed. One perfect example was a Pathe newsreel on the occasion of Hitler’s occupation of the Rhineland in 1936: ‘Scraps of Paper - German Troops Enter Rhineland’. Its consistent argument was that ‘the Germans have not changed’ and were preparing for war, despite the defeat of WW1. It deployed parroted propaganda phrases, pictures and posters, bits of film from previous events, with the unscrupulous use of photos such as German ministers in episcopal dress apparently ‘Heiling Hitler’ as he announced that he had torn up the peace treaty (the shots of the ministers were actually from a harvest festival). The main objective of making people accept rearmament was to stereotype Germans as ‘the beastly Hun’.

Topic 3: offer case studies
Occasionally film classifications create controversy and these incidents reflect society and its changing attitudes. (TOPIC SENTENCE)

My first example is Battleship Potemkin (dir. Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)

According to the Regulator archive report, the film was rejected when first submitted in September 1926, on the grounds that films should not address issues of ‘political controversy’ and that Potemkin’s pro-Revolutionary message was therefore unacceptable for classification. It was suggested that the film was rejected for “inflammatory subtitles and Bolshevist Propaganda”. The nine day British general strike in May 1926 had provoked fears amongst some quarters of society of a potential revolution in the UK. According to The Times, screenings of the film in Berlin had already led to unrest and a censorship battle began between left wing supporters of the film and right-wing efforts to have it banned. It was remarked by some at the time that, had violence been the real problem, cuts could have been made. However, the fact that no attempts were made to tone down the film suggested political motives. By the time the film was looked at the again, in 1954, silent films were no longer commercially viable and the film was therefore likely to appeal only to a very small and select audience. With its potential to cause political unrest diminished, especially after the death of Stalin in 1953, the film was finally classified X uncut (persons under 16 not admitted). Subsequently the film was reclassified PG uncut for a limited cinema re-release in 1987 and is now acknowledged as a classic.

My second example is The Dark Knight (dir. Christopher Nolan 2008). The most complained about film of all time in Britain is The Dark Knight, which received 364 complaints in 2008. The rating was 12A.

When The Dark Knight was released, some film critics thought it was too violent for children. This was a problem for the film's production company, Warner Bros., as the film was based on the DC Comic franchise, Batman, which is popular with younger audiences. The BBFC gave the film a 12A certification meaning children under the age of 12 could see the film if accompanied by an adult. Many commentators felt this rating was inappropriate given the film's tone and content; however, it remained a 12A throughout its theatrical run.

Newspapers reflected public opinion in questioning whether The Dark Knight was suitable for children. The Batman sequel has a 12A certificate, although the BBFC strongly advises parents not to take under-12s. So why choose a classification that would admit them? Because of printing deadlines for press information, critics sometimes see movies without knowing the certificate they have been given. This allows critics to play censor-for-a-day. During a preview of The Dark Knight, critics concluded that the film must be a 15, because of its numerous shootings and knifings, persistent atmosphere of nihilistic morbidity and the terrifying appearance and speech of Heath Ledger’s Joker,.

However, as it was classified 12A, unaware parents were able to take a child of any age to see it.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), in response to the incredulity of reviewers,  offered three justifications: 1) They are definitely not saying that the film is suitable for under-12s and strongly advise parents not to take younger children. 2) That the violence is discreetly presented. 3) The movie has a cartoon atmosphere, which lessens the impact of the aggression.

But critics felt that the film’s producers must be grinning like the Joker at what they had got away with. Though Batman is based on a cartoon, director Christopher Nolan proclaimed his aim to make the cinema version more realistic: his Gotham City is indistinguishable from today’s New York. And, while it’s true that we are spared much gory detail of the damage done by bullets and blades, the film contains widespread use of knives, currently a sensitive issue.

If the BBFC really is not recommending that under-12s go, why choose a classification that could admit them? Its confused stance made a case for the return of the strict 12 certificate, although even that would be too low. In may people's view, the number that fits is 15, although, as the movie industry is well aware, such toughness would cut its box office numbers. However, whatever the public opinion, a film is only reclassified if the company who owns it submits it to the BBFC for a new classification.

My third case study is The Woman In Black (dir. James Watkins 2012). Daniel Radcliffe's horror movie The Woman In Black is the most complained about film of the year 2012 so far according to regulators. It attracted 120 complaints, three times as many as 2011’s most complained about movie, ballet drama Black Swan.

On the regulator website they warn that the film - which sees Radcliffe play a young lawyer who visits a remote, haunted village - contains “a number of scenes of supernatural horror and threat”.

The issue may have been the rating. The Woman In Black had six seconds of cuts made to ensure it got a 12A. The regulator admitted “some people felt the film was too scary at 12A".

The controversial certificate was introduced in 2002 after school kids complained that the old ‘12’ rating (i.e. no one under that age was allowed in) barred them from seeing ‘Spider-Man’. The regulator introduced the softer 12A, which allows youngsters under that age to see the film if accompanied by an adult. The vague rating, however, has been a constant irritant to the BBFC, with the vast majority of their complaints reserved for 12A films that were felt to be too grown-up for the age bracket.

These include Casino Royale, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Beowulf.

Alternative case studies: Fight Club (dir. David Fincher 1999) info here, Clockwork Orange (dir. Stanley Kubrik 1971)  info here.
Fight Club (1999) was classified 18. Some felt an uncut 18 was acceptable for this adult viewing experience, but there were concerns under the BBFC Guidelines of the time about the glamorisation of violence and the potential for encouraging an interest in organised bare-fist fighting. Neither the novel nor the film condoned brutal fighting, as the conclusion of the narrative makes clear. Objections to Fight Club also centred round the moral panic that Brad Pitt's huge appeal would inspire youngsters to start bare-knuckle fighting. Some reports of this emerged in the US but none in the UK.
In 2002, revised guidelines concluded: "The new BBFC Guidelines established the principle that adults should be free to choose their own entertainment, within the law, and it was considered that there was nothing in Fight Club that was in breach of UK law, or felt to be harmful."

Clockwork Orange (1971) was classified 18 uncut but horrified many. At the time, the BBFC's Secretary, Stephen Murphy, defended the film by stating that: "Disturbed though we were by the first half of the film, which is basically a statement of some of the problems of violence, we were, nonetheless, satisfied by the end of the film that it could not be accused of exploitation: quite the contrary, it is a valuable contribution to the whole debate about violence". But a strong body of press and public opinion that the criminal and anti-social actions of the film's main character, Alex, would be copied by young people, inspired by his charismatic example to break the law. Indeed, reports in the papers suggested that some attacks now occurring were inspired by the film. In fact, however, no such behaviour by anyone over the age of 18 was ever reliably established as being related to the film.

In 1973, allegedly concerned about reports of copycat violence, and threats made to the safety of himself and his family, Kubrick withdrew the film from circulation in the UK. It was not until after Kubrick's death that his family agreed to permit the release of the film again. It was submitted to the BBFC in 1999 for a modern classification certificate and received an 18, without cuts, to replace its old X certificate.

1979 BBFC Life of Brian AA classification challenged by local council authorities who said it was blasphemous and banned it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjz16xjeBAA

Topic 4: explain the current situation / current thinking.

The ways in which we consume film nowadays makes regulation increasingly problematic as people claim the right to express themselves freely (TOPIC SENTENCE)

Gatekeeper is the term for who allows and decides which content will go forward and be published or broadcast. Changing technologies have drastically altered the traditional gatekeeping process.

Nowadays, it is possible to consume film online, using unregulated sites like BitTorrent. This means that illegal, racist, untrue and inflammatory material as well as material that is harmful to children is available. Anyone can upload anything they want. Consumers have become producers. 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day. Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt suggest that the global nature of the net and the volume of material uploaded make effective regulation very difficult. 

Whilst Tapscott and Williams in Wikinomics celebrated how mass collaboration had changed everything, with the knowledge, resources, and computing power of billions of people who self-organise into  a massive collective force, making the web the first global platform for collaboration in history, it is also true that this democratising force is open to potential abuse. Plunkett (2008) argued that a “new generation of UK media power players are ditching traditional gatekeepers and going straight to their audience via the web”.

It could be argued that self-regulation is the answer. Self-regulation is when individuals make choices about what media to access, or publish as a prosumer. It is also the display of control by established media outlets who can choose what content to distribute based on moral and ethical guidelines.

But there is little consensus about what is acceptable. In 2009 John Beyer of Mediawatch UK, said “The BBFC has become far too lax in what it permits for public exhibition and there has been a gradual shift in what they regard as acceptable so that what would have been regarded as 18 a few years ago is now thought suitable for 15”. Certainly, more adult content seems acceptable at the certificate 12A level, ten years on, after films like The Dark Knight and Hunger Games, perhaps because of public desensitization. With parental responsibility for protecting children open to abuse and easy access to illegal downloads, some would argue that there has never been greater need for regulation.

Media regulation has always been controversial since it assumes state intervention, which limits freedom of expression and the right to communication. Globalization, technological convergence, and other structural changes such as privatization, commercialization, industry consolidation, and reregulation (referring to the relaxation of strict rules for broadcasting and telecommunications and the introduction of ‘light touch’ regulatory frameworks) have had an impact that affects media policymaking and regulation. Many commentators attempt to elaborate on the theoretical foundations for understanding the ongoing developments in communications policy and regulatory aspects by providing definitions of the concept of the ‘public interest’. In 2003, OFCOM was established, drawing together duties that had been the work of five different regulators. Lunt and Livingstone  draw attention to the ways in which media policy is formulated and how the claims of ‘citizen’ and ‘consumer’ can conflict: the traditional distinction is that citizens are involved with politics and consumers are attached with popular culture.

The UK Government has announced that in January 2020, after a consultation on social media companies such as Facebook and Google, OFCOM will enforce codes of practice that spell out what tech companies need to do to protect users from harmful content. These will cover terrorism, child abuse, illegal drug and weapon sales, cyberbullying, self-harm, harassment, disinformation, violence and pornography. In other words, this is a new ‘duty of care’ approach that sets out legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. When the consultation on regulating social media companies was published in the summer of 2019, there were concerns that it could lead to regulation of the press by the back door, but the Government committed to ‘defending freedom of expression and in particular recognising and defending the invaluable role of the free press’. (Steven Swinford, 31.12.19 The Times ‘Tech bosses face court if they fail to protect users’)

It seems to me that every generation faces challenges in reconciling the need to protect the citizen, a need overseen by government regulatory bodies, and the right to develop new technologies that enhance our freedoms, liberate our creativity and offer us the freedom to consume media where, when and how we wish.

Topic 5: explain the role of IPSO and how it came about

Like the BBFC, IPSO are a semi-official independent body but unlike the BBFC they are self-regulating  - this particular aspect has put them under public scrutiny post Leveson Inquiry with ministers, the public and even sections of the media questioning their effectiveness as an organization funded by the newspaper industry. (TOPIC SENTENCE)

The former regulator the PCC was described as toothless and inadequate during the phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of The New of the World. The Leveson Inquiry raised the issue of statutory regulation but editors resisted, preferring to adhere to their own 'Editors Codes of Conduct'. IPSO regulates a voluntary membership of over 1,500 newspapers and magazines and 1,000 online news titles. Some newspapers have refused to sign up the voluntary code, including The Guardian, The Observer and the FT.

IPSO has the power to levy fines of up to £1 million; however, in practice, it has never issued any financial penalties. Editors print an apology with due prominence. In practice, the majority of complaints to IPSO are about accuracy and minor grammatical errors. 

The alternative, to have statutory regulation, has been opposed because it opens the door to state censorship in a democracy like ours where the Press is regarded as the fourth pillar of the Establishment. This means that the Press should be able to hold power to account. However, it is also argued that newspapers use the 'freedom of the Press' argument to legitimise intrusion which supports the cynical argument that newspaper Editors disregard IPSO codes in the pursuit of sales. Whilst The Observer / Guardian, The Telegraph and The Independent have developed their own exacting codes of conduct that reinforce brand integrity and maintain reader trust, titles like The Daily Star adopt a much looser approach to sexually explicit content and adopt a 'publish and be damned' approach.

Another challenge to regulation is the reality of decentralised global media and the difficulties of policing online global media. Most tech giants fall beyond the reach of the UK's regulatory system. The failure of social media to control fake news and extremist content is made harder by online anonymity and the explosion of online content.

There is another important issue. Regulation is not just about censorship; it should equally be about content creation. However, this balance in the media landscape shifted after the 2003 Communications Act and the creation of OFCOM. Instead of the focus being on citizen-oriented approaches, a consumer-oriented approach has dominated the media landscape: the regulatory system gives media makers as much freedom as possible to make the media that audiences want to see and choices regarding content are largely devolved to audiences, with a reliance on advertising. As a result, media makers often promote entertainment values over public service.

Livingstone and Lunt argue that the consumer-oriented regulatory approach trusts media producers to police their own content guided by 'light-touch' editorial codes of independent regulators. Their argument that the media landscape is dominated by a consumer-based regulatory system (rather than a citizen-based system) can be applied to the newspaper sector. Citizen-based approaches to regulation are concerned with encouraging the production of content that contributes to the social and cultural health of society, to improve the lives of citizens and contribute to the well-being of wider society. In this model, power is held to account.

By contrast, Henry Jenkins emphasises the benefits of global media, with audiences now able to make their own digital content and make connections with like-minded communities across the world. This process allows for groups to take charge of real changes at grassroots level. Equally, David Gauntlett values the diversity of representations offered in the media; he sees the value of enabling individuals to encounter a wide range of identities that can help shape our own values and sense of self.

In conclusion, media regulation has changed over time and, with the new challenges of global media producers, the freedom offered to individuals by digital media and the issues over the difficulty of regulating online content, it will change further to meet new concerns.

HOLIDAY WORK

1. Only one essay, so that you have time for research and planning.

" How and why have approaches to the regulation of film and the Press changed over time?"

Generic mark scheme is below (from a specimen paper for different questions).
HERE is a possible pathway through the essay, but there are many ways that you could explore the question.

2. COMPLETE ALL RESEARCH & PLANNING ON YOUR BLOG

Post on the blogroll if you wish but ALSO POST EACH under the RELEVANT PAGE

Please take this holiday work seriously. You do not yet realise just how much more there is at A2 this year. 
All this (including filming & editing/ making the website/ poster/trailers/short/postcard) has to be completed by half term for moderation Friday 14 February 2020.
We will tackle the evaluation questions after half term.
Mocks start on 2nd March 2019 for one week.

QUIZLET

Have a go to learn and to revise!

QUIZLET 1

QUIZLET 2

CASTING

Present your casting decisions like this on SlideShare.

REGULATION PRESENTATIONS

1 Alfie, Sarah

https://theday.co.uk/stories/zayn-pain-as-singer-takes-new-direction
Why should we care about paparazzi culture?
The accounts of many celebrities have been hacked and their privacy destroyed.
Zayn Malik, 22,  decided to leave One Direction in 2015 explaining that he wanted to lead a ‘normal life’ away from media scrutiny. Do celebrities like Malik deserve to be treated with more respect by the press?

Celebrities, who owe much of their fame and money to the tabloid press culture, cannot have their cake and eat it. If celebrities are careful, they can manage their publicity. What’s more, privacy is a privilege, not a right. As the controversial PR guru Max Clifford admits: ‘If you use the media, you can’t complain too much when the media uses you.’

But Malik is a 22-year-old who has been thrust into the limelight on the back of hard work and talent. Doesn’t he deserve to have his private life kept out of the public eye? And had the press not interfered, he would probably still be part of One Direction. As Malik explained: ‘I don’t want to live a life where everything I do is put on the internet and dissected.’

Malik is the latest in the long line of celebrities who have had their private lives scrutinised, some would say persecuted, in the media. Earlier this month, in a development of a long-standing case, X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos declared that she was suing The Sun after the newspaper claimed she dealt cocaine.

In cases of severe intrusion, celebrities often receive compensation when the press has meddled in their private affairs. In May 2011 actress Sienna Miller won £100,000 in damages from the now-defunct News of the World after herphone was hacked by the newspaper. Two months later the newspaper closed down when it was revealed that it had illegally obtained information on celebrities, royals, politicians and the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

The Zayn Malik case gives an insight into the pressure of being famous, particularly at such a young age. It can help us understand the complex relationship between the media and celebrity. One Direction and Zayn Malik have extraordinary influence, so Malik’s actions may lead to people reassessing their view of paparazzi culture.

Tulisa Contostavlos

A singer-songwriter and television presenter usually known simply as ‘Tulisa’. Once a member of hip-hop group N-Dubz, she was stitched up by the The Sun’s so-called ‘fake sheik’ journalist. The Sun claimed she was a cocaine dealer but drug charges against her were later dropped.

Phone was hacked

A UK controversy in which newspapers within the News International group owned by Rupert Murdoch illegally infiltrated private mobile phone messages. A newspaper within the group, the News of the World, folded as a result. One of the consequences of the scandal was the commissioning of the Leveson Inquiry, a report by Lord Justice Leveson into the culture and ethics of the press which set out guidelines for regulation.

Milly Dowler

13-year-old girl abducted and murdered on her way home from school in Surrey in 2002. The News of the World hacked into her voicemail while she was missing, an act that helped further tarnish the newspaper’s reputation and led to its closure.

2 Tom, Lucy

https://theday.co.uk/stories/six-years-in-prison-for-sharing-fake-news April 2018

Six years in prison for sharing fake news

Malaysia has introduced a controversial new law to combat 'fake news'. The bill’s definition of fake news is incredibly broad, describing it as “any news, information, data and reports which is or are wholly or partly false”. Offenders are defined as anyone who “knowingly creates, offers, publishes, prints, distributes, circulates or disseminates any fake news”.

Professional news sites, blogs and personal social media accounts are all covered by the law. Many see the bill as an attempt by the government to crack down on dissent and silence political opposition ahead of upcoming elections.

Professional news sites, blogs and personal social media accounts are all covered by the law. BUT Many see the bill as an attempt by the government to crack down on dissent and silence political opposition ahead of upcoming elections.

How to define 'fake news'?

There is currently no law specifically banning “fake news” in Britain. However, newspapers are mainly regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation which states that the press must not publish “inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by the text”. In practise, those who break this code are usually asked to publish a correction or make an apology.

6 Charles Gordon, Rosie Brown

https://theday.co.uk/stories/judge-sends-press-politics-and-police-to-stocks
Why is it essential that what newspapers report is as accurate and fair as possible?
Are newspapers still so relevant now as decades ago? Did the Leveson report look at online media? Is that easy to regulate?

Leveson's report on the ‘Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press’ was published – and the troubling reality behind some of Britain’s most powerful people and institutions was exposed.

The Inquiry – chaired by Lord Justice Leveson – was born from scandal. What scandal?

Leveson remained optimistic about the Press: 

‘I know how vital the press is,’ he said, as he announced the publication of his report. ‘The press operating freely and in the public interest is one of the true safeguards of our democracy’.

Some share that optimism. Largely, they argue, the problems of the press are down to foolish mistakes, selfish behaviour and short-sighted misjudgement. Leveson’s report, they say, identifies that human error causes corruption: by cracking down on these individual slip-ups, we can reform our troubled press.

Others disagree. When newspapers are run by large and powerful companies bent on increasing their sales, they say, of course the press will be dominated by seedy reporting and sinister political influence. It is not individuals, they say, but institutions that created this mess.

7 Martha, Max Green

Murdered Teenager's Voicemail Hacked by Tabloid

https://theday.co.uk/stories/murdered-teenager-s-voicemail-hacked-by-tabloid

The latest chapter in the story of phone hacking at the News of the World has shocked the UK: a missing girl's phone messages were listened to, suggesting to police she was alive.

Until now, some members of the establishment have held off from condemning Rupert Murdoch's media empire for its involvement in illegal hacking of mobile phones.

But this week, as it emerged that private investigators working for the News of the World had been listening to voicemail on the phone of murdered 13-year-old Milly Dowler, condemnation was near-universal. The fact that the police investigation may have been misled into thinking she was still alive because there was activity on her mobile account, has prompted widespread anger.

Why haven't the police investigated this alleged hacking if it happened in 2002?

Questions have been asked about whether police and tabloids have an unhealthily cosy relationship. Milly Dowler's name was in the paperwork seized from the private detective who was sent to jail in 2007 for breaking into mobile voicemails of royal aides.

Why do the readers put up with this behaviour?

Bluntly, people buy newspapers with scandalous stories in them.The News of the World can call itself Britain's biggest selling paper because its readership is nearly seven and a half million.

But surely this has crossed the line?

That's the consensus. Dialling into someone else's mobile and picking up their messages is illegal. When it's done by a newspaper to an ordinary citizen, disrupting a missing person search, it becomes even more shocking.

5 Georgie, Nathan, Thea

https://theday.co.uk/stories/phone-hacking-trial-reaches-dramatic-climax

Phone Hacking Trial Reaches Dramatic climax

Story behind the phone-hacking conspiracy - BBC News Video

It all began in 2005 when royals and celebrities accused theNews of the World of hacking into their private voicemails in order to obtain salacious stories. But the paper claimed that just a few ‘rotten apples’ were responsible.

Brooks walked free from the Old Bailey after being found not guilty of four charges, including plotting to hack phones. Coulson was found guilty of conspiring to hack phones while at the now defunct newspaper. 

The crisis reignited when allegations emerged that staff at the newspaper had hacked into the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. It sparked a wave of public revulsion that forced Brooks and Coulson to resign.

The verdict on Coulson has also damaged the prime minister David Cameron, who hired the tabloid editor to lead the Tory party’s media operations in 2007. Cameron has been obliged to apologise.

Some believe the outcome of one of the most expensive criminal prosecutions and lengthy police inquiries in history has drawn a line under the phone-hacking scandal. Six journallists out of the eight charged have pleaded guilty or been found guilty of phone-hacking. Two were sent to prison.

Why should I care about the trial’s outcome?

The scandal has thrown up all sorts of issues that are important to our everyday lives. Public opinion is influenced by what is read in the papers, so those in charge have a duty to be fair and impartial. There have been calls to regulate the press, but opponents warn this could lead to censorship and give politicians too much power over what papers publish.

Why would anyone hack a phone?

Quite simply for a ‘good’ story. In its heyday, the News of the World was Britain’s biggest selling paper with a readership of nearly seven and a half million. Formidable pressure was put on journalists to do whatever it took to find a good scoop, even if that meant breaking the law and destroying people’s lives.

4 Charles Clements, Max Ragan

https://theday.co.uk/stories/prime-minister-takes-the-stand-at-leveson-inquiry

Prime Minister takes the stand at Leveson Inquiry

3 Lucas Keech, Yue Chun

https://theday.co.uk/stories/uk-newspapers-face-toughest-ever-press-code

UK Newspapers Face Toughest Ever Press Code

Maddie

Press Regulation in the Age of Fake News
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/may/23/press-regulation-in-the-age-of-fake-news

HOW TO: GOOGLE FORMS QUESTIONNAIRE

Audience questionnaire using Google Forms.

First, decide what questions you wish to ask. They should be based on the type of production that you plan to make so that you elicit the info that you need. 

Use a mix of open and closed questions. They will yield different data.

Use a mix of images (film posters) and trailers with video links and image (film trailers).

Some questions may be yes/no, some may invite more than one option to be ticked.

At AS you are making a film opening, so you may want to discover the answers to questions about:

• the age, gender of your audience
• where do they watch films: cinema, DVD, BBC iPlayer, Amazon, Netflix, other streaming platform
• which genre of film that the target audience enjoy
• which three recent films have they enjoyed
• have they seen any if these trailers / films? (Identify three with links)
• what is the most likely reason they would see a film? director, actor, sequel
• what platforms they use to find out about films? Cinema, Television, Website, DVD, Social media
• whether they are influenced by reviews, recommendations, social media, talk shows (like Graham Norton)

At A2, if you are making a short as well as film postcards, you should  have a link to at least 3 short films (so your respondee can watch them) and three film postcards (visual). Ask about film festivals.

• Did you know that you can view short film trailers on film festival websites?
• Do you know about any of these film festivals that screen shorts? BFI London Film Festival; Smalls; BAFTA Short Film Awards; Edinburgh; Sundance

Think about how you open and close a questionnaire. Don't force a respondent to include their email address. Keep your greeting / explanation brief and courteous; thank them at the end.

• aim for 30 respondents, ideally of your target age 15 - 35+
• present the data analysis in bar chart /pie chart form with a written explanation on your blog post.
• email me the questionnaire before issuing it so that I can stress test it for you.

YOUR POST:

RESEARCH: AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

• state that you used Google Forms and why it is so useful
• explain what was the aim of the questionnaire and where you intend to publish it
• comment on the kinds of questions that you asked, drawing attention to the fact that you wanted to research the target audience for the kind of film that you yourself and your production team were planning to make, in particular, the target age group
• "Through the use of Google Forms, I was able to collect data that I will be able to present in both graphical forms and words, as I asked questions that yielded both quantitative and qualitative data."
• Use Bit.ly to shorten links. Open Bit.ly and paste your long hyperlink. It generates a nice short one.

HOW TO EMBED PINTEREST

1. Copy the url of your Pinterest board such as https://www.pinterest.com/jennymmann/stereotypes-in-film/
2. Open a new tab and find Pinterest Developer Widget Builder. Select BOARD.
Scroll down and copy the html and then open your blog and paste it in. Don't forget to include pinit.js once per page, right before the closing </BODY> tag.

For example:

PLANNING YOUR PRODUCTION

This is the work flow:

RESEARCH CHECKLIST

PLANNING: ADVANCED PRODUCTION

You should have completed all Research tasks in October (AO4 20 marks).
November is your planning month. 
December is your construction month - when you film and edit.
Your planning will be both about concepts - what your film opening is about - and about organization - the processes involved in achieving it. The film opening is worth 60 marks for the planning and construction combined. You can share the tasks.

The TITLE of each post starts with the word PLANNING

PLANNING: INITIAL DEVELOPMENT Mind map plus discussion, decisions & revisions like this one
PLANNING: TREATMENT Topline & Big Question like this one plus extended treatment outline. Emmy winner Ben Tricklebank's treatment for his short Young Man's Game is here. The presentation of the treatment inspired me with its clarity and organization. 
PLANNING: MY TARGET AUDIENCE
PLANNING: AUDIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE Google Forms like this one
PLANNING: CHARACTERS  Characters with images + outfits, with a focus on the representation of social groups and issues, such as stereotypes / anti-stereotypes One Pinterest board for characters, one for issues Like these and this one
PLANNING: CASTING in a Slideshare like this
PLANNING: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT HOT SEATING Interview your protagonist in role Video /audio like this video interview or this audio version 
PLANNING: PROPS LIST like this one
PLANNING: LOCATIONS photos of recces + internet images Collage like PicMonkey, Fuzl like this one
PLANNING: STORYBOARD Hand drawn images + arrows + notes like this
PLANNING: SHOT LIST Follow the format issued Word Document like this one 
PLANNING: CALL SHEET Follow the format issued Word Document with images like this one
PLANNING: RISK ASSESSMENT Follow the format issued Word Document like this one

ADVANCED PRODUCTION: INITIAL DEVELOPMENT

An account of your initial ideas, with a mind map if possible.
Mind maps can be hand drawn or you can use a software tool.
Include lists, sketches or photos of locations.
Add ideas that you have of props, people, themes.
This is a reflective, log-book like post, not formal, with a lot of freedom to explain why you rejected an idea / reformulated an idea / developed an idea.
Title idea?
I should have enough information by the end of the post to understand the treatment that you are pitching me.

RESEARCH: UNDERSTANDING MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION

Make a collage to show that you understand a distributor's marketing package

On the Film Distributors' Association site, you watch the presentation by Kezia Williams head of theatrical distribution at Pathe, on how distributors work to create a successful marketing campaign for each film. You investigate the different aspects of a marketing campaign for a specific recent film, such as

• film website
• film posters
• film trailers
• FB
• Instagram
• Twitter
• cross promotion / product tie-ins (like Heineken and James Bond in SkyFall and Spectre, Toyota and Star Wars
• news articles, interviews, award ceremonies

PREP You make a one-page collage showing all these elements together. Post this on your blog under the title RESEARCH: FILM MARKETING. When you pick your visuals, remember why the distributor created these particular marketing strategies, by looking at the bullet points below.

Later, your next prep task will be to write about it. If you want to get ahead, here is the task:
Introduce the post, using the sentence at the top of this post (or something similar).
Explain that a distributor identifies key strengths or 'hooks' in a film as selling points, such as

• its genre, such as biopic, literary adaptation, sequel
• its special effects
• its cast, director
• awards or reviews

Below are examples of how Yesterday was marketed. Collect your marketing materials before starting your collage.

RESEARCH: SCOOP.IT!

SCOOP.IT! SHORT FILM

SCOOP.IT! FILM TRAILERS, FILM POSTERS & FILM MARKETING

Scoop.it! is a very useful 'content curation' platform. I have used it here to research how trailers and posters fit into a whole marketing package (short films). The platform offers the space for 'insights', that is, my own reflections on what I have learnt. It is also an interactive platform that suggests research material depending on key words.

RESEARCH: CODES & CONVENTIONS

By now you should have completed the research tasks outlined on the class blog for August and September. Most important among these are the 3+ pieces of close textual analysis, either of 3+ short films or 3+ film trailers. 

Having studied these, you are now in a position to write with confidence about either Trailer Codes and Conventions or Short Film Codes and Conventions. Create a presentation showing your understanding and knowledge, with visuals.

FILM FESTIVALS

Thanks for this article to The Case for Global Film 

The Venice Film Festival is arguably the birthplace of the concept of ‘global cinema’ in the immediate post-war years when films from Asia, particularly from Japan, began to carry off prizes (Gold Lion for Best Film and Silver for best director).  Other annual festivals include London, Edinburgh, Berlin, Pordenone, Bologna (Il Cinema Ritrovato) and Göteburg. In the north of the UK,  Bradford has three festivals (Bradford Film Festival, Bite the Mango and Bradford Animation Festival), and there is Viva in Manchester and the Leeds International Film Festival. 
In many countries, and especially the UK, the only chance to see some films in a cinema will be at a festival and at a major festival with a ‘film market’ there is the chance that popular festival screenings can help to secure a distribution deal. There is always a debate about which festivals are most important in this respect. Here is one possible classification.
The Premier League
The major festivals (the ‘A-List’) are carefully placed in the calendar and each has a film market and some prizes. The three premier festivals are Berlin, Cannes and Venice. Toronto also ought to be included in this league – although it doesn’t have market.
These four grab the attention of the international film industry and are widely reported. Berlin happens in February. The Berlinale offers two major prizes – the Golden Bear and the Silver Bear in various categories. Recently the Berlinale has developed a reputation for mixing some Hollywood glamour with smaller, more independent and ‘socially-minded’ films from around the world. The education officers from the UK’s specialised cinemas often attend to see one of the best selections of children’s films – sadly neglected elsewhere.
Cannes is perhaps the most glamorous of the four majors and grabs the headlines in May. It also offers a range of distinctive prizes headed by the Palme d’Or. Major stars appear on the red carpet and Hollywood films and filmmakers are often featured, although the top prize usually goes to a ‘specialised film’ of some kind. The film market in Cannes has grown to become a major event in its own right.
Venice takes place in late August/early September. It is organised as part of the ‘Biennale’, an overarching festival of all the arts. Venic does indeed offer the Gold and Silver Lion to films in competition. In recent years, the Venice winner has often been a film straddling ‘art’ and ‘popular’ that has gone on from Venice to attract large audiences. Mike Leigh won with Vera Drake in 2004 and Ang Lee won twice with Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Lust, Caution in 2007. Like many other festivals, Venice also has a ‘Retrospective’ section – an attempt to show all the work of a specific director or films from a particular genre.
Toronto follows Venice very quickly in September and offers something different. Toronto is not about prizes as such – it is much more about giving a wide variety of films a first North American screening and the chance to get a critical and popular audience airing. This gives the opportunity for Hollywood studios to show films that might be expected to be contenders for Oscars and other awards. Shown at Toronto, these films can create an early buzz which helps a platform release in the Autumn leading up to a possible wide release as nomination time appears.
Other major festivals
Other festivals receive less extensive media coverage so their aim is usually to find a particular niche or specialism. Often this will be a focus on their own national cinema (just as Toronto promotes Canadian cinema in the face of massive representation of films from over the border). In the UK, the UK Film Council has now decided to give backing to just two UK film festivals in an attempt to get them accepted as A List. Edinburgh has now moved away from the main arts festival in August and rescheduled in June. Once known for its important retrospectives and championing of smaller and more ‘left field’ films, Edinburgh has gradually emerged as an essential promoter of British Cinema with the annual Michael Powell Award for ‘Best British Film’ – won by Somers Town in 2008.
London is set to be given the biggest boost by the UKFC (and new BFI director, Greg Dyke) who would like it to move to a new setting to rival Cannes and Venice. At the moment, the London Film Festival spreads itself across many venues in the West End as well as on the South Bank. It has traditionally been a non-competitive ‘festival of festivals’ with a huge number of screenings over a fortnight in October, many of which have already been seen at Cannes, Venice etc. and others that are due to open in the Autumn. Although still primarily aimed at the general public, London has been increasing the attractions for industry delegates. (London is the unofficial capital of the international – as distinct from domestic, North American – film industry.)
More specialised festivals include Sundance, held in Colorado in January and targeting independent cinema. Originally set up by Robert Redford, Sundance has grown as the ‘indy’ sector has become dominated by studios searching for pick-ups. Rotterdam, also in January, is important for this site because it tends to support aspects of global cinema, particularly from Asia and often from the more ‘extreme’ directors. It also invests in new films through the Hubert Bals Fund. This is an important function of some festivals and is sometimes the deciding factor in films getting made and exhibited.
National and regional festivals
Tokyo has an important festival in East Asia in October and with Hong Kong (which hosts the Asian Film Awards in March) performs the same kind of function as Toronto. Pusan, the port city in South Korea, also hosts a major festival in Asia and to some extent mirrors Rotterdam in its attempts to get involved in production as well as sending a group of Asian films to the Netherlands.
In Africa there are two major festivals which alternate annually in Carthage and Ougadougou. Eastern European films often get their chance to be seen at the long-standing Karlovy-Vary in the Czech Republic and in Latin America at the major festivals in Havana. 
India has several festivals including International Film Festival of India (recently in Goa) and Mumbai as well as the more art/’world cinema’ orientated ones in Kolkota and Trivandrum (the Kerala International Film Festival).
There are numerous other European, North American and Australasian festivals as well as many specialist film festivals and in time we will try to list more. You can discover the extent of festival coverage across the globe via the following links:
Wikipedia’s list of film festivals
http://www.festivalfocus.org/
Britfilms’ directory of film festivals
FIPRESCI – The International Federation of Film Critics (which offers prizes at some festivals)
FIAPF – The International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations. This organisation accredits fifty of the most important film festivals, giving them film industry status. You can download a list of accredited film festivals from the website.

The following linked posting specifically about festivals was from Cannes 2008. It proved to be quite contentious. Read it here.