Katriona Fraser's Media Studies AS

In Media, our teacher also mentioned OFCOM, which I had heard of but I wasn't sure about what they are and what they do. So, here's some research I did about them!
OFCOM is the communication regulator in the UK. They regulate the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate. They also make sure that the population of the UK get the best from their communication services and are protected from scams. 
Their main legal duties are to ensure that:

• the UK has a wide range of electronic communications services, including high-speed services such as broadband
• a wide range of high-quality television and radio programmes are provided, appealing to a range of tastes and interests
• television and radio services are provided by a range of different organisations;
• people who watch television and listen to the radio are protected from harmful or offensive material
• people are protected from being treated unfairly in television and radio programmes, and from having their privacy invaded
• a universal postal service is provided in the UK - this means a six days a week, universally priced delivery and collection service across the country
• the radio spectrum (the airwaves used by everyone from taxi firms and boat owners, to mobile-phone companies and broadcasters) is used in the most effective way

Learn more about OFCOM here

Today in Media, we talked a bit about 'BARB'. So, for homework, we were asked to research a bit more about what it is.
So... what is BARB?
BARB is an acronym for 'Broadcasters' Audience Research Board'.
They provide television audience measurement services for broadcasters and the advertising industry in the UK. BARB is owned by BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BSkyB and the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising). They collect the data of the viewing behaviour of the 26 million households in the UK. BARB viewing data offer clients, such as broadcasters and advertisers, a minute by minute breakdown of viewing at regional and national levels. This assesses how programmes, channels or advertising have performed and provides the basis for airtime advertising trading.
Click here to learn more about BARB
Click here to learn more about how BARB gather their data

I found that on their website they have the statistics of the weekly top 10 most viewed shows for every channel. For instance here is BBC1's statistics for the week that ended 15th November 2015:

BBC1

w/e 15 Nov 2015

Name: Katriona Fraser
Production Title:    ‘Caché’	Production Date(s)  December 2015
Date of Risk Assessment     26/11/2015

Hazard	Persons /place who may be harmed	Risk controls already in place	Risk Assessment LOW, MODERATE, HIGH, EXTREME	Further action required to control risk
Rainy weather	Actors, crew members and camera	Umbrella	High	I will check weather everyday leading to filming-may  postpone filming if necessary
Cold weather	Actors and crew members	Everyone will wear appropriate clothing	High	Only needed actors/crew will be outside. Furthermore,  we won’t spend too long on outside shots
Crossing roads	Cast and crew	Everyone will take care to cross roads Emergency services on speed dial	Moderately high (but rare)	We will all wait for traffic lights to go red when crossing busy roads in town

Fire Brigade	999
Ambulance	999
Police	999
Thames Valley Police	101
Chemist	01753 883484
Out of hours chemist	01689 898580

Persons / property	Contact name & Relationship (if applicable)	Contact Number
Actors under 18-Jessica Durand	Mrs Nicola Durand - mother	01753886935
Under 18 actor-Katriona Fraser	Mr Leslie Fraser-father	01753 88371
Locations House	Mr Leslie Fraser-home owner and my father	07802 292067

I'm really excited for the new film 'Carol' to come out. It's one of the first films I've heard about being in the cinema that centres around a homosexual couple. Usually, there are homosexual characters but they are smaller and more in the background than the heterosexual ones. From what I know about it, the film follows two women who become friends in the early 1950's. Their relationship develops as the film progresses into romance. I think this film should be really good as the topic of homosexuality would have been controversial in the time that the film is set. Since it is quite relevant to my film opening, I plan to go see it in the cinema asap!

Here is the storyline (sourced from IMDB):
In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.

On the Pinterest board below are some pictures and quotes that I think represent the couple in my film opening.
I thought the quotes both give a sense of how quickly two people can fall in love.
I want the couple to feel comfortable with each other and to always make each other smile, like best friends that are in love.
I like the idea of their ideal date taking place on the sofa watching Netflix or just generally relaxing together.
I like the laid back vibe in the picture of the two girls in a coffee shop. Follow Katriona's board Caché on Pinterest.

I was devastated to hear about everything that happened in Paris on Friday as it is one of my favourite cities in the world. For my French homework, I was asked to research what happened in Paris on 13th November 2015, so I made a short video. I used videos, pictures and information that I found online (it's mostly in French!). I admit that some of the editing isn't very good as I did it in one night. It was educational to make as I did my research on french news sites like http://www.20minutes.fr/ so I learnt more about ISIS. Here it is:

On Friday 13th November, it was Children In Need. At my school, we had a school sleepover and all came in our pyjamas. We made this video of our teachers in pyjamas having a dance-off to show in assembly! Both the staff and pupils seemed to love the video and our school raised over £700 for the Children In Need Charity! I organised the logistics of making the video, which we did at lunchtime, so it was hard to make sure none of the people who weren't involved in the video saw what we were doing. I also did the editing with Jessie Durand.

After an extensive audition process, I finally selected Jessie and Katriona because:

• they are the right age
• they are willing/ available
• they are relatable to the audience
• they are part of the demographic 

After an extensive and rigorous audition process, my actors are going to be my friend Jessie as the main character, Katriona as Jessie's girlfriend.

This month my school put on a production of 'Bugsy Malone', acted by students in year 8, 9, 10 and 11. Myself and two other Media AS students got the chance to go to one of their rehearsals and interview the cast and director, as well as watch them run through some of the play. We filmed it all and created this video to promote the show! I was a camera operator, director, interviewer and co-editor.
Enjoy!

My favourite song from 'About Time' is this:
In the film it is the song which plays in the background of the happy romantic montage. In my film opening, I plan to include a montage similar to the one. I love this song because it fits what is happening on the screen so well. I want to try recording my friend Jessie playing her ukulele as she can play a lot of happy tunes which I think would fit my happy montage.
I also love this song from 'Love, Rosie':
A lot of Romantic Comedies feature happy, pop songs like :
Another Romantic Comedy film's soundtrack which I love is 'LOL'.

For my film opening, I wanted the title to be in French because I have a huge interest in the French language. I am taking French A Level so I'm passionate about the country and the language. Furthermore, I though it was fitting because French is the 'language of love' and many consider it to be the most romantic language in the world. It is also the home of the world's 'most romantic city', Paris. I chose the word 'caché' which means hidden/ secret as the main character Amber is hiding her sexuality and hides her love for Jessie.

Chick flicks Example: 'Mean Girls' Her parents being zoologists, Cady Heron has never known what "high school" truly meant. She lived her first 15 years in the African jungle, home-schooled, living life with only her parents and the animals of the wilderness, knowing all of the rules of survival. However, when she moves out of Africa, she has to learn the rules of high school, a jungle in itself. She instantly makes friends with two sweet teenagers, Damian and Janis, who, in the terms of the high school, were in the "out crowd." Soon she meets the Plastics, the three crude, beautiful, popular girls, consisting of Regina, the unofficial leader, Gretchen, Regina's full-time follower, and Karen, "one of the dumbest people you will ever meet." They immediately let her into their group, but Cady, wanting to keep her first friends, is unsure. The two convince Cady to keep her relationship with the Plastics, only so that they can know their dark secrets. However, events turn for the worse when Cady falls for Regina's ex-boyfriend, Aaron Samuels. When Regina finds out, she seeks revenge of Cady by taking Aaron back. When Cady finds out, what began as a game to discover secrets turns into a plan to destroy Regina. Now, Cady, Janis, and Damian plot together to bring Regina's status down. However, as Cady spends more time with the Plastics, she, too, begins to become one. Guy films Example: 'Role Models' Danny and Wheeler, well into their 30s, lack something: Danny feels stuck; he's sour and has driven away his terrific girlfriend. Wheeler chases any girl he sees for empty sex. When they get in a fight with a tow-truck driver, they choose community service over jail and are assigned to be big brothers - Danny to Augie, a geek who loves to LARP (Live Action Role Play), and Wheeler to Ronnie, a pint-size foul-mouthed kid. After a rocky start, things start to go well until both Danny and Wheeler make big mistakes. Can the two men figure out how to change enough to be role models to the boys?