Ofcom

Office of communications, or as it is more commonly known (ofcom) is the independent regulator and competition authority for the communication industries within the United Kingdom. Ofcom was created by the communications act 2002 and was formed on the 29th of December 2003. Ofcom took responsibilities of five previous regulatory bodies.

These previous 5 bodies that made ofcom were;

The Broadcasting Standards Commission

The Independent Television Commission

The Office of telecommunications (Oftel)

The radio authority

The Radiocommunications Agency

Some of the main responsibilities of Ofcom are licensing, undertaking research, creating codes and policies. They also address complaints and look into competition. 

Part of Ofcom's duty is to examine complaints made by viewers or listeners. When Ofcom receive a copy of the programme they check the material to see if it breaches The Broadcasting Code. Ofcom will ask for a response from the broadcaster to the complain. Then Ofcom will deem the situation "resolved" or take further action.

Ofcom considers consultations to be a vital way of helping it to make the right decisions based upon the right evidence. Ofcom's formal process of consultation starts with document being published (which can be found on their website) asking for views and responses.

Ofcom is responsible for the management, regulation,  assignment and licensing of the UK's Electromagnetic spectrum. It Licenses for TV, radio, Mobile phone transmissions and private communications networks.  The Process of Licensing varies on the type of usage required, some licenses may simply have to be applied and paid for. Most of the procedures in place are taken for the previous 5 regulators, but Ofcom may change these procedures within  the future.

One recent issue regarding the "Russell Brand show prank telephone calls row" had to undergo regulation from Ofcom. The Show gained many complaints and was resolved by Russell Brand being suspended completely  from the BBC and Jonathan Ross suffering a 3 month suspension.

However Journalist such as Jim Black Criticised Ofcom, citing what he sees as its pandering to conformity:

"simply dispensing rules and regulations from on high, coercing and threatening people into line, makes things worse. being told how to behave is different from knowing how to behave. Indeed, it is precisely the experience of stifling conformism promoted by outfits like Ofcom that can lead to the comic tourettes offered by the likes of Ross and Brand.

six jobs i am interested in within the media.

RUNNER

The role of Runner is the accepted and conventional entry-level position within the film production industry - the first rung on the ladder

As the role's name suggests, Runners first and foremost run errands.  Their responsibilities vary widely from shoot to shoot, but usually involve conveying messages, organising props, looking after cast and crew (making and distributing tea and coffee can be an hourly task), driving, delivering technical equipment, and attending to specific requests from the Producer, Director or Assistant Directors.

Runner

The role of the runner is the entry level position within the film industry.

Runners first and foremost run errands

Their responsibilities vary widely from shoot to shoot

Can involve:

Conveying messages

Organising props

Looking after cast and crew

Tea and coffee

Delivering technical equipment

RESEARCHER

The key skills needed for this job are initiative, the ability to listen to people and build up trust and rapport with them. You also need to remain impartial and non-judgemental, have the ability to plan and juggle work, have writing skills, a curiosity about life and people, and be able to network.

He has to check out information, ensuring everything is factually correct, initiate ideas and explore them, consider different angles on stories, contribute to the website, interview contributors, edit interviews and work within a team. 'The overall responsibility for the programme is with the producer, as soon as the programme goes on air, your responsibility stops as a researcher. The more skilled and experienced you are as a researcher, the more responsibility you will get.'

Researcher

Key skills:

Initiative

Ability to listen to people

Writing skills

Check out information

Ensuring everything is factually correct

Initiate ideas and explore them

Contributor contacts, time scheduling availability.

EDITOR

The film or videotape editor works in the post-production editing suite putting together, as a sequence, the final product, which consists of related shots from the raw camera footage. Working closely with the director to meet his or her requirements it is the skill of the editor that determines the quality and delivery of the final product.

Editor

Post production team

Sequencing raw camera footage together to create the final product

The relationship between the director and editor determines the quality and delivery of the final product

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

DoPs work closely with the Director and Production Designer to give a film its visual signature. Lighting is one of the fundamental elements in filmmaking; the way in which light falls on an actor's face, reveals an interior space, or illuminates a landscape, can create mood, drama and excitement for the audience. The ability of cinema to entertain and emotionally move an audience is the result of a highly collaborative process which encompasses performance, editing and music. The role of the Director of Photography or Cinematographer is to provide a film with its unique visual identity, or look.

Director Of Photography

Works closely with director

Give a film its visual signature

Lighting

Creating moods

Entertain and emotionally move audience

SCREENWRITER

Screenwriters are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television dramas are made.

Screenwriters create fresh ideas and bring stories to life in scripts for productions like feature films, TV comedy and drama, animation, children's programmes and computer games.

As a screenwriter, you might develop your own original ideas and sell ('pitch') them to producers. Alternatively, producers may commission you to create a screenplay from an idea or true story, or to adapt an existing novel, play or comic book.

Screenwriter

Your work would typically involve:

• coming up with themes and ideas
• researching background material 
• developing believable plots and characters
• laying out the screenplay to an agreed format
• preparing short summaries of your ideas and 'pitching' them to producers or development executives
• submitting the ‘first draft’ of your work 
• getting feedback about your work from producers or script editors
• rewriting the script if necessary (you may need to do this several times before arriving at the final agreed version).

CAMERA ASSISTANT

Camera Assistants support senior members of the Camera department, and undergo an important practical apprenticeship. Camera Trainees provide general support to the Camera department, while more senior Assistants carry out precise and complex technical tasks such as swinging camera cranes. Assistants learn crucial practical skills, which eventually help them to progress to more senior roles, such as Camera Operator and eventually Camera Supervisor.

Camera Trainees offer general support to the Studio/Outside Broadcast (OB) Camera department, carrying out simple tasks such as collecting equipment from stores, and assisting with rigging cameras and equipment. Camera Assistants offer general support to the Camera Operator, by rigging (setting up) cameras and accessories, and assisting with camera operation in any way required. They help to move cameras, 'bash' (handle and store) cables, and swing camera cranes.

Camera Assistant

Support senior members of camera department

Undergo practical apprenticeship

General support to camera department

Assisting with rigging and equipment

Assisting with camera operation in any way

London Trip

Today we went to London to visit two places of interest; The London Movieum, and also to visit a live studio and watch a live performance of the comedy show "Not going out" accompanied by the hilarious comedian - Alun Cochrane. The Movieum is a place in London that contains many props, scripts and interactive games in relation to film, also with a tour guide and some dressed up characters performing around the building.

The Movieum was an exciting experience, and we were given a chance to explore the place ourselves. It had everything from a decapitated head prop from "Shaun of the dead" to a gallery of the "Mr. Men" cartoon. Along with clothing and gadgets from "James bond", and robot props from "Dr. Who", along with many other things, made it an interesting experience.

We then had some time to kill before we had to gather on the coach to go to the studio, so we had a quick look at Big Ben and the London eye and head off into city to have a browse, but mainly to get some food because we were all starving. Most of the restaurants were packed with people, along with the streets, and took us some time to find anywhere with a free table, but in the end we managed to get a pizza and something to drink.

Then we went onto the coach again to the television studio, to watch the BBC three comedy; Not going out. This was a good chance to get a behind the scenes look at how a TV programme really works. First thing i noticed was three different sets where scenes are filmed, any scenes that needed to be filmed outside of these sets were pre-recorded before the show. There was also a mass of microphones attached to a crane above, thier purpose was to record the laughter of the crowd. For the show we had to laugh when appropriate. also the sets were surrounded by three or four cameras with a camera operator, and boom operators also.

When charachters clothing or a set had to be altered, we would go to an interval where comedian Alun Cochrane would entertain us. I found Alun hillarious and thought it was a good way to keep the audience amused for the intervals. obviously he was hired specifically for the intervals, and is not a neccassity for the programme, but was a great addition and kept audiences from becoming bored. This made me think more about how budgets work for television companies, as things have to be paid for, that arent always in the forefront of your mind, when thinking about television shows.

I shall leave you with some pictures from the day out.

Day 11-14 - Pitch,ian downs interview,more research and Tom cholmondeley interview

Day 11 - On day 11 we, as a group, pitched our idea for our radio programme. Our idea had to be pitched professionally, in front of four teachers in the role of producer/associate producers. They would make the decision, based on our pitch, to allow us to go ahead and make the programme, or to go back to the drawing board.

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We pitched our idea; which was a christmas radio programme called "Will the recession make it the worst christmas in 30 years?" using a survey as primary research, asking people whether they thought christmas was too commercial, with three answers to tick, yes, no or not sure. which the results fitted similarily with our secondary research, which was an internet poll based on 607 votes. We also used a graph showing the GDP growth and loss of the UK within the last 18 years, visually presenting the first negative GDP fall since 1990.

This was all backed up with scripts and cue cards, and the use of a powerpoint presentation, covering the budget, role allocations, research on our topic, structure plan and various other key elements to our pitch. At the end of the pitch we also answered a series of questions which we answered. At the end of the pitch our project was given a "yes" from the acting panel, it felt very "Dragon's den".

Day 12 - On day 12 we had a radio presenter called Ian downs, who is curently freelancing, to come in and undertake an interview, to use within our roles and processes portfolio. We had prepared questions for him to answer referring to his line of work. His answers would be used in a 2 minute interview, which we would individually have to edit down as part or our roles and processes portfolio.

Day 13 - On day 13 we conducted some more research for our radio programme project, and agreed on hiring out the fostex and condenser mic on a Wednesday, to gather some vox pops and interviews within retail shops and the high street. This went as planned and we gained two interviews from people within retail, and 8 minutes of vox pops ready to be edited down. After this we still felt we needed more audio and plan to soon do this again and collect more material for our project.

Day 14 - On day 14 we conducted a second interview with a man called Tom cholmondeley, a Director for factual programmes such as "Horizon" he is currently creating his own independent prodution team, and again we had prepared questions for him, based on his line of work. We will use the interview and edit it down to two minutes, to assist the Ian downs interview, within our roles and processes portfolio.

Soundscape proposal

First of all I had a think about what type of sound-scape that I wan         ted to do – whether I wanted to do a fixed (1 or series) sound-scape, a moving (journey sound-scape, or a variable (abstract. Imaginary sounds-cape. The type of sound-scape I was most interested in doing was the variable sound-scape.

The sound-scape I chose was “Inside the internet” as I could use a host of individual noises, to sonically paint a picture, of how I think being inside the internet would sound.

Rough ideas I had was to use snippets of advertisements flying in an and out my sound-scape, overlapping each-other. Also I could use dial-up noises and finger clicking on they keyboards. Use electronic noises such as microwave beeping slowed right down. Maybe a train sped up so much that its sound has no relation to its source and becomes abstract. Include overlapping conversations and news being flown in from all decades. 

I could also find sounds from ever-day objects and test them within my sound-scape and see if it assist what my sound-scape is trying to be. As I am gathering individual sounds, rather than a cacophony of sound e.g. standing amongst a crowd in a carnival, it will make my sound-scape much easier to edit, and avoids the risk of masking (where certain noises e.g. crowds talking) to overcome other smaller sounds in which I am trying to pick up. Using this technique I will able to gather hi-fi sound and create a clearer composition.

Also using this sound-scape it will be very easy to create a non-linear sound-scape, ruling out any risk of it becoming a narrative. This theme of being “inside the internet” has been used in certain feature films and television programmes, such as “Futurama” giving me a research sources for my sound-scape.

Day 9/10 - More research for audio project, soundscapes.

Day 9 - On day 9 we researched more into our theme of christmas and commercialism, on agreeing that we should alter our line of research, but stick with the same subject (on day 7) we came up with the idea to make the project more primarily based on the Recession, and see how it affects Christmas, the retail industry, and the consumers 0f its commercialism. The title "Will the recession make christmas 2008 the worst in 30 years?"

So This would be the title we would use in the pitch next week, in that week would, as a group, research into the topic and create our presentation. including budget costs, people we would interview, where we would interview, whether we will use vox pops, and what questions we will ask? primary and secondary research from surveys, internet research, forums, newspapers and any other sources we may find.




Day 10 - On day 10 we went out to do some practice soundscapes in a few different environments around our local town. We had three microphones, 1 condenser mic and a set of dual condenser mics, and used three stands to position them, when we got to our desired location. we set them up in a few good locations. The first was a harbor in Uphill, and gathered noises of the sails clanking, some construction machinery, a radio in the background and some waves. The second location wasn't that good of a source; we went to the beach to record a soundscape of the sea, but the wind was too overpowering and we could not pick up much other sound.

The third location we went was just outside the pier, or rather, where the pier used to be. it lies just next to a main road, near the town centre. The front end of the pier still has some amusements left, therefore still attracts some people. we could pick up children speaking, buses going past, general conversation and seagulls. This was quite a good area, although next to the seafront, there was still a trace of the wind overpowering.

Then we also recorded at both ends of the High street (town centre). The wind here was less overpowering, we got lots of feet walking, buses pulling up again, money in pockets rattling and lots of conversation. This was one of the more successful out of our practices. So what will my soundscape be on, and how will i do it? (read next blog).

Day 7/8 - More discussions on radio programme + First assignment

On day 7 the group got together to have a discussion about our progression with research, as we were all given research roles. There was a lot of good information on the subject we had chosen, but not a great deal in material that was going to aid our radio programme greatly. So based on our research we seemed to have compiled a lot of information and opinions from the modern day christmas (1990-2008) but found less material from other decades we could use. Hence we made made a choice to alter our line of research but stick with the same subject.

On day 8 we had our first assignment, which was the 3 minute new production, using various jingles (of our choice) and blending in the best answers i got from the pier vox pops which i gathered previously. On the week before the exam i felt it bit nervous as, it i the first exam i couldn't really revise for, but when i started to do it and laid the foundations i managed to find my feet. For the exam we used Pro tools sound editing software. I think i did well at the project as a whole, but due to the time limit of 3 minutes i found it hard to fit in as many jingles at the beginning, and end, that i would have liked to. I think the thing i did best was integrating the vox pops into the programme without any disturbance between vox pops. it turned out to be quite fluent.