Scenario: Your have been commissioned by BBC North East to create an appropriate media product based on the theme ‘Life in the North East’.
Task 1 - Development of Ideas for a Creative Media Product
You will effectively (updating individual production diaries):
- identify the target audience you need to address
- identify the range of resources and materials available to you
- identify the skills you have those that will develop from the production
- mind map a number of appropriate ideas
- identify the production management requirements for each idea
- decide which idea might be appropriate
- undertake research into appropriate content based on the target audience
- undertake research into appropriate production techniques
- identify potential constraints on production
- identify ways to address constraints
Task 2 - Preparing a Pitch
You will:
- finalise ideas for their media product
- prepare a proposal
- prepare a presentation including delegate notes and presenter’s notes
- give the presentation in the form of a pitch to your client and take note of feedback
- refine ideas as a result of the pitch, where appropriate.
Task 3 - Managing the Production
You will:
- determine production roles (if employing a team or working in a group*)
- complete pre-production process
- complete production process
- complete post-production process
- show rough cut or draft product to focus group
- make changes to finished product, where necessary.
Development of Ideas
The following is a mindmap of some initial ideas I had based off of the theme of ‘Living in the North East’.
The two ideas that stand out the most to me is the website and history, as I love my history and have previous experience with Wix editor when it comes to create a website. With this in mind, I can get about identifying and profiling my audience, look into what demographic would be best targeted. BARB website may help; however, this mostly surveys TV audiences and may not be very telling for internet audiences. Another source, Google analytics, may be more appropriate, as it inquires about people’s search history and uses this as a basis. Still, this is very broad, so a more local source would be appropriate. Teesside University’s Demographic change in the North East England would be more appropriate, or perhaps the Regional Profiles: Key Statistics PDF file.
Skills that will be appropriate to this task with be research techniques, planning, formatting, writing and web design, all of which I have experience with and have adapted to throughout this two year course. Production management requirements would include organizing said website, as well as appropriating articles on seperate tabs depending on the section of history. Production techniques would include research into secondary sources, as well as quantitative research based off of empirical research, or qualitative research which can be more subjected upon findings.
I see no reason as to why there should be constraints on my project, so long as I do not plagiarize or out right steal my information, as well as cite my sources where appropriate, and approach the subject with respect for history and culture. Have been commissioned by BBC North East to accomplish this task, I can rely on their rules and regulations, in addition to counting on them for advertising my product to their own audience. Speaking of which, let’s have a look at the target audience and demographic of BBC North East. The BBC Trust Service Review on local radio and news in the North East would be an appropriate source to cite.
Preparing a Pitch
I have finalized that my media product will be online based, a website with research and information about the North East of England.
Proposal
The outline of my product is as follows: a history based website concerning that of the North East, for those interested in learning about our rich heritage as a region. I believe this could not only inform the people of our region to the history of the North East, but also expose it to tourists that traffic in and around the county Durham, city of Sunderland and Tyne & Wear. Exemplar history sites of the North East region include the following:
Obviously, the one thing these websites all have in common (and will have in common with mine) is that they concern history and the specific history of the North East region. However, they all vary in design, style and format, some looking more professional than others.
Perhaps the most interactive and unique of these websites is ‘A History of the north east in 100 places’, linked last in my list.
Once you click the ‘Explore places>” option, it takes you to the following page where you can select a number of landmarks to view.
This format is simple to follow yet also very professional looking and modern, which can appeal to a younger demographic perhaps put off by the more old fashioned or formal websites.
Colours are often bold and dark, brooding even; however, the ‘100 places’ one is more light in tone with an undertone of grey. Looking at this, I may choose to also blend these styles with a more, dare I say, ‘original’ red/burgundy color scheme with appropriate colors to match (I’m thinking black and white). But how does this all tie into my proposal? Well, I have outlined what I think of these websites and believe, that by identifying these components, I can better use to utilize my own website to its fullest potential. I intend to place citations for my sources when it comes to the articles.
The target audience, of course, would be situated towards those already inhabiting the North East, as well as those coming to visit (tourists). BBC North East, being the company that has commissioned me to make this project a reality, would also help to promote towards the demographics of the region, ensuring their internet traffic audience either views or at least is made aware of the websites existence.
According to the report Demographic change in the North East England by Tony Chapman and Michael Jackson (no not the singer), “Demographic change: key indicators 2004- 2029 | The population of the North East is expected to remain fairly static over the next twenty-five years, with the revised projected increase in population being only 19,500 from its estimated level in 2004 of 2,542,200, an increase of only 0.8% compared to 11% nationally.” So then, between now and 2029 we can expect at least an uptick in population growth, hopefully with more people exposed to advertising of the website.
Meanwhile, the Regional Profiles: Key Statistics PDF file (report by Office of National Statistics) says, “The North East covers 8,600 square kilometres (sq km) and is the smallest region or country in the UK outside London in terms of area… Population density in the North East in mid-2010 was 300 people per sq km, below the England average of 401 but above the UK average of 257.” Population is sparse in the region; that said, I believe that if the BBC North East programming were to promote our product, we could make a viable product. It all depends on the content and whether or not it is worth revisiting.
Managing the Production
With pre-production and the pitch out of the way, it is at this stage where I actually begin production of my website and the information on it. Production roles will all be exclusively mine to undertake, given this is a one man project. That said, the roles include:
- Web designer
- Writer
- Producer
These will be the roles I will have to undertake in order to complete my project. Henceforth, from now on I shall be documenting the production process of my project (writing and web design). The following is a link to my website: https://mattytulip.wixsite.com/earl-of-durham
The following is the template for my history website, chosen from the CV/Personal Portfolio section.
The choice may be baffling to some, but I see potential in the idea; however, it may mean a change in approach as to what I write about when it comes to the events and histories of the North East. I think it would be best to instead focus on one particular historical period or event of the North East, rather than a broad, all-encompassing historical website, as there are already websites for that. So now the question remains: what historical period or event would be best to focus on when concerning the North East? There are a few in mind:
- North East England during WW1 or WW2.
- Penshaw Monument and its history.
- Coal mining industry in the North East.
I find the history of Penshaw Monument, as well as the person it was built in honor for, quite interesting in aspect.
John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, (12 April 1792 – 28 July 1840) was a British Whig statesman, colonial administrator, Governor General and high commissioner of British North America. He was a founding member and chairman of the New Zealand Company that played a key role in the colonisation of New Zealand. Also known as "Radical Jack", he is commonly referred to in Canadian history texts simply as Lord Durham. Lord Durham died at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in July 1840, aged 48, and was buried at St Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street. The Penshaw Monument in County Durham, on a hill west of Sunderland, was built in his honour.
Having only recently learned of the Earl myself, I think it would be nice to bring light as to the origins and purpose of the monument, as well as the man it was dedicated too. I took original photos of the monument to use for my website. The following are those photos:
These will be important, as most photos of Penshaw taken by the BBC are under copyright law. Besides, original photos are the best way to go as this shows my dedication to the project. These are photos of my initial draft of the website:
The following photos were used for the website:
The portrait, sourced from Google images, was obvious for a visual representation of the Earl of Durham. As for the top right photo, I used this as a background photo for the top page. As for the lower left, this is part of the ‘Did you know?’ section, and reflects a nice shadow of the monument, almost matching the desired theme of the section, offering what people may not know. As for the last image, the plak I think looks nice when scrolling the site, as it is readable when scrolling up and down.
As for the rest of the images, I could add a gallery section in order to exhibit the rest of my photos, in order to give a better presentation of the monument for visitors and tourists. Wix, being mobile friendly as well, means this website offers a unique app for visitors or tourists to the site. This could work well into the tie-in with the BBC, who can advertise the product on their own website and through ads.
Overall, when comparing to initial ideas and plan, the concept has changed drastically, from a full history on the North East to a more niche website focused on the Earl and Penshaw.
Feedback
The following is written feedback from my peers, as part of the assignment.
Positive comments include:
- Nice colour scheme
- Good use of images
- Very informative on local content
- Neat layout and design
- Professional looking history site
Critical feedback includes:
- Links to possible historical videos or documentaries
- Use of more methods in order to express the content i.e. videos
- Use videos to show off the areas described
- More photos
Overall I’m quite pleased with the feedback. The dominate request appears to be a link to any possible videos or documentaries related to the historical context. In addition, a request for more images is also asked of, and it could be that I could implement a photo gallery for unused images of the monument. Having reflected, I think I have done a great job of getting over the historical information of the website, and in turn achieved the theme of the north east, as it was a niche website on local history.
Positive site, where did u come up with the information on this posting? I'm pleased I discovered it though, ill be checking back soon to find out what additional posts you include.
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