Factual Programming theory

Factual programming

In the Factual Programming industry, there are multiple issues that can effect the end product that is released. Some of the issues are:

Accuracy

In Factual Programs, the truth should never be twited. This would mean that the program is not as accurate as the viewer is lead to believe. The Accuracy in a factual program could sometimes be twisted to make the viewer more interested in the topic. Sometimes the full true story could not intrigue the audience enough to make them watch it and therefore the channel would not be making money as there is no viewers. This would be enough to persuade a broadcaster to alter the truth as they need to make money. Another reason as to why the accuracy might not be exact is because the broadcaster might want a certain point across through their program and to do this they need to exaggerate certain points made so the viewers can get out of the program what the broadcaster has intended. The accuracy in a factual program is an important factor as viewers can be lead to believe false facts which in turn can make them bias towards something and have strong opinions on a person that may be unnecessary.

Balance

Balance is important in factual programming to ensure that there is no bias involved. In a factual program where there is debate involved, each side must be treat equally. This is because the broadcaster must show that they are not taking a certain side. The reason behind this is because the viewers could all side with different oppositions and therefore would not want to see what they agree with being turned down and not given the same opportunity as every one else to make a point. A big example of this is in political debates. Each Party would need the same time on a factual program to make their argument so that they all had the same opportunity to get people to join them. Also, if some viewers support a certain party and they are not given enough time to speak then this would be seen as unfair and bias to the other party(s). 

Impartiality

All factual programs should be impartial. This means that they do not take sides. By taking sides they could be offending certain viewers and can be hiding certain information from the public that they have a right to know. Being partial can be treating someone or thing differently to others of a similar variety. This would show that you favor them over others. In Factual programming everyone has to be treat equally and given the same opportunity as everyone else. An example of the broadcaster being partial is if they questioned a certain person's views involved in the program and did not question any one else's. Depending on what was being asked, the broadcaster could show that they were on the side of that person by asking supportive questions or they could show they were against them by questioning the point they are trying to make. This would not show impartiality in the factual program. 

Objectivity

Objectivity means there is a lack of bias. Objectivity is based purely off facts and not opinions. This is important in factual programming as the consumer would then be getting true information and can then make decisions on the topic that are reasonable. Depending on the topic of the factual program depends on how much objectivity needs to come in to play. In most cases, there needs to be a lack of bias because then the viewer is not being forced upon something and can then enjoy the program in their own way. Objectivity is good in factual programming as it allows viewers to develop opinions on the topic which can be individual. This would be useful to the producer as it allows them to find out the thoughts of the viewer on certain aspects of their project and can attract a larger audience.  

Subjectivity

Subjectivity is the opposite to Objectivity. This means it is purely based on opinion. This can also play a big part in factual programming. Depending on the topic of the program would decide whether the program is more objective or subjective. Some factual programs have a topic that the majority of people will have a strong opinion on and may not want to hear any other side to the topic. By agreeing with the vast majority the producer would be receiving a larger audience as it would appeal to them. In some other cases, people might want to hear opinions in a factual program as it can help them decide their own and it could benefit the program as people might find other opinions interesting. 

Opinion

Opinion can effect the production of factual programming. This is because a producers opinion can decide what is included into a program and what isn't. If the producer has a strong opinion on the topic then they can edit it so that it portrays their opinion to the public. This is not always a good thing as there will always be some people who don't agree with their opinion but if it's the majority of people that don't then the feedback will most likely be negative. Other people's opinions must be taken into account before showing a program as the producer should aim to not upset anyone. Although this is almost impossible, the producer should still try and please the vast majority. Through research, opinions can be found meaning that a factual program can be altered to avoid offending a lot of viewers. 

Bias
Bias can hugely effect a Factual program. If the factual program is created with a bias nature then it can portray something or someone in a specifically negative or positive way. This is because the producer will be very opinionated to the topic and wants to portray their opinion across to their audience. Bias can sometimes persuade audiences who do not already have an opinion to then have the same opinion. This is because the audience might be talked in to thinking negatively or positively about something without actually knowing all the facts. This might be done to get more people on backing up someone or thing to show what they are doing is right. For example if there was a sports related factual program on then they may be bias as they are trying to persuade more people to support a certain team so they can benefit with more followers.

Codes and Conventions

Newsreader
A newsreader is someone who is a lead presenter on a news program. Their job is to tell the audience at home the latest headlines each day. In a news program there is generally one or two presenters that alternate telling different stories of the day. This is generally done to keep the program a bit more interesting. If their is only one news reader then they read all the headlines which is the case with a lot of major news shows however almost every news program will have other people reading news for certain topics such as sport.

Image from: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/bbc-newsreaders-banned-from-appearing-together-1458805

This image shows the basic layout for a newsreader. The newsreader(s) generally look at the camera throughout the show as they are addressing the news to the audience that are watching at home. To ensure they look at the camera, the te Newsreaders are supposed to look formal and smart to help show that what they are discussing is a serious matter. On the set, there is generally multiple workplace items. In the image above there are laptops, pens and work paper. This is to make the set look more of a workplace than a TV studio. To help this a long there is also a back drop which gives the professional workplace look. This is usually a busy office or a city skyline. 



Field reporters
A field reporter in a news program is someone who will add to a headline by being at the location of the story. An example of a more common event in which a field reporter would be involved is when there are strikes. The field reporter would go out and interview one of the people striking. Field reporters generally don't have a uniform or dress code, they tend to dress in an appropriate manor to their surroundings for example, if they are reporting from an exotic hot country then they will most likely wear summer clothes. On the odd occasion a field reporter will be reporting from a dangerous location. This can be if there is an attack on a certain town or city and they need to report it. On the off chance this happens, the reporter would probably need to wear protective gear like a bullet proof vest.

Interviewing
Interviews are important in the news as it allows the audience to get more personal information on a headline. In an interview, the people related to the headline will be asked questions, these can range from their opinions on something or straight facts. The people interviewed can be people who have something to say about a headline or the headline could be about this person. An example is if a political party has announced a change then the leader of the party could be interviewed and a member of the public with a strong opinion of the change could be interviewed. Interviews are often done in a place that is convenient for the person being interviewed. This also gives the audience some extra information about the person as they will be able to gather some from the area. Interviews are good for giving the general public more personal information. This is useful as the public would not usually be able to find this out and therefore would be more interested in watching it.

Experts and witnesses
Experts and witnesses can be very effective in news. They can give more unknown information to a subject that can make it much more interesting for the audience. An expert is good because they can provide facts that most people don't know about and in turn can also provide explanations to questions raised by the topic. A witness is just as useful as they can give a story of what they have seen to give the audience a visual on an event that has taken place. This is better than someone trying to figure it out for themselves who wasn't actually there. Depending on the story would depend on who would be better, A witness would be better if something such as a crime had taken place because the witness could tell the audience what they saw therefore letting them know more or less exactly what happened. An expert would be useful in a story if the news report lacked some unexplained information. An example is if there was a change in a certain species of animal's behavior then the expert could explain why this has happened and give some info on the animal.

Report structure
Most news reports are generally laid out in the same way. There are lots of techniques that people are familiar with as they have been used over and over for years. One of the techniques is to start with the news reporter giving a short individual introduction. In the introduction they are often giving the basics behind a headline to give the audience an insight as to what they are gong to discuss. This is most often filmed outside of a studio in an area that is related to the topic in some form. For example if the story is based on schools then the reporter might be filmed walking through a school corridor or a school gym. Included with this are separate shots that cut away from the shot of the reporter. These can often show the reporters surroundings or things that relate to the story. Also there is also sometimes statistics displayed when the reporter is talking so the audience can get an idea of what effect the topic has or how serious the matter is. After the introduction there is generally an interview. This is usually set up by sitting the interviewer and interviewee opposite each other. Most of the time this uses two cameras. This is useful as it means the shot can change between people incase the person being interviewed mumbles. This allows the editor to cut out the mumble and let the conversation flow better. The structure is usually rounded off with the reporter concluding their topic. This is also usually filmed outside of the studio and often in the same place as the introduction was filmed. A similar technique is displayed to the introduction entirely.


Realism documentary
A realism documentary is a form of documentary that is based on facts and the truth. Everything they show is entirely accurate. The aim behind a realism documentary is to show an audience the full truth behind real life events and people. This engages viewers as they can learn a lot from these forms of documentary. Realism documentary are often on nature because you can show an accurate documentary on these that would be very informative and the truth wouldn't need to be twisted to engage the viewer as long as this was something they're relatively interested in. Realism documentary's can be on people as well however this is not as common. This is because documentaries often change people's view as it makes them look more interesting. If a realism documentary is created on a person or people then it is most often made by following them and showing the viewers what makes them unique and interesting.


Dramatisation in documentaries
Dramatisation is when a documentary will show acted pieces in between the usual interviews. This is done for effect as it gives the viewers a visual as to what is being discussed in the  documentary. This is often done in documentaries that are based on historical events. This is because depending on when the event happened there is likely no film footage of it to display in the documentary and therefore a reenactment is required. Experts can define what the actual event would have been like so the producer can make a clip of the actors showing the audience what happened. This also helps make the documentary more interesting as it could show scenes of action, drama and other genres. Another popular use for dramatisation is in crime documentaries. Crimes are often reenacted in documentaries to show the audience what took place. This is useful as the person involved in the crime can not always explain the event good enough so that the audience can get a visual and also just watching the person speak about the event can get boring to watch whereas the crime acted out would be entertaining.


Narritivisation in documentaries
Narritivisation is another effect used in documentaries. This is when found footage and still images are used to help give the audience a visual. This is helpful as the viewers can get a much more accurate representation of an event as the clips being showed are from when it actually took place. These are more often used in documentaries that are based on recent events. This is because there is often footage of the event that can be used. There are many documentaries that have been made on 9/11. This a good example of when narritivisation is used. There is a lot of footage of 9/11 so people watching a documentary on it can see exactly what happened. This is useful as it lets the viewer become more involved in the documentary which in turn would make it more entertaining to watch.

Cell based animation

Cell based animation

 

Walt Disney is one of the most well known men to ever have lived. Walt Disney created many films and animations that he is still known for today. His first production was a series named 'Alice Comedies' In this there was a young girl actor and an animated cat which went on adventures together. Walt Disney then tried to create a completely animated TV series named 'Oswald The Lucky Rabbit' in 1927. In about a year the contract for this was terminated and therefore Walt had to think of a new idea. This triggered the arrival of Mickey Mouse who later became the face of Disney. It wasn't until 1937 when Disney released his first animated feature film. 'Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs'. This was one of the first animated feature films to use sound as it was a musical. It achieved major success and earned around $8,000,000 internationally from it's first release. This spurred on Disney to continue making animated feature films and therefore has achieved what it has today being one of the biggest companies in the world.

Scooby Doo was made in 1969. The Scooby Doo franchise consists of multiple different programs and a few of it's own films. The shows generally consist of a group of kids and their dog travelling in a van and solving mysteries involving monsters and ghosts. The cartoon has survived so long as every so often they will re-release a new program that is slightly different from the one before and will appeal more to the current generation.

 

  

One of the most well known cartoons made is Wacky Races. The show only created episodes for two years from 1968-1970 however it did create 2 spin off shows. The show was based on different races in the US which included 11 different race cars manned by either 1 or 2 characters. The characters all had cars which matched their personality. The most popular characters were Dick Dastardly and Muttley. These were the trouble makers of the show and managed to get their own program, "Dick Dastardly and Muttley in their flying machines". Another popular character was Penelope Pitstop. This character also got a spin off show, "The perils of Penelope Pitstop".

An animation which turned digital was The Simpsons. The first episode aired in 1989. It was created by Matt Groening for the Fox Network. It is generally aimed at an adult audience. The first episode which was made digitally was aired in 1995. Since then their have been many more seasons and even a movie which was shown in 2007. This is a clip from The Simpsons Movie. In the film, we see the town of Springfield become trapped in a huge Dome due to the Mishaps of Homer. The family must then attempt to save their town and friends.

A recent cartoon which is no longer being created is 'Foster's home for imaginary friends'. This cartoon was first aired in 2004 and played it's last episode in 2009. It was a show about a big house which was home to creatures that children had imagined in their head. One of the characters was an 8 year old boy named 'Mac' and he had his imaginary friend 'Bloo'. Together they made friends with the rest of the imaginary friends and get up to all sorts together. The show was based on building friendships and showing children the importance of friends.

 

Model based animation

Model Based Animation

Model based is a form of stop motion animation that is made by using different 3D objects and moving them to a sequence. The models are commonly made from materials like clay and plasticine. These are the most popular materials to use for this form of animation because they can be easily moulded into different shapes. This makes them useful as you can make them look realistic which is good for telling a story. Model based animations are made the same way as most other stop motion animations, a picture is taken every time the model is moved to give the illusion of movement. Most Model based animations are aimed at a younger audience. This is because the models are often made from childish objects such as toys and children are also fond of the plasticine as it resembles play-doh. Most older audiences would not be interested in watching an animation made with toys however like most other forms of stop motion, some model based animations can have adult themes.

This video is a clip from the animation, 'Wallace and Gromit'. This is a model based animation created by a British company called 'Aardman'. Over time it has generated 4 short films and one feature length film. The series is created with plasticine and when it first started out it was made entirely by just modelling clay, moving it and taking a picture after each movement. This is an extremely long process as it takes around 24 frames (pictures) to make a second of film and only an average of 30 frames can get completed in a day meaning just over 1 second of film is made a day. Their feature length film took around 15 months in total to complete. Some of the effects in the feature length film were created on a computer because it would be impossible to create them just through stop motion.

This is another model based animation. This is a video created by a youtuber called 'Forestfire101'. He specialises in creating stop motion lego films. This clip in particular is based on a lego Harry Potter collection. His videos are not like most other lego stop motion as they are targeted at an older audience. This is because they have a lot of adult themes involved in it's comedy. These videos will be created the same way as the other stop motion videos however they will use a computers technology to make the figures mouths move and look more realistic. These videos are very popular on youtube and get almost a million views on each video.

This is a video of my own model based animation. It shows 3 figures made from different coloured clay. The figures each have google eyes attached to them to help develop their characters as this shows that they are creatures. I used a Hue webcam to take a picture of the clay every time I moved it. The pictures would come up on the program istopMotion 3 where I could edit them.

Regulation in the creative media sectors

In the creative media sector, there are multiple regulatory bodies in place to keep media productions suitable for the public. Different Regulatory bodies moderate different areas of media. They are there to make sure that each piece of work follows it's set guidelines and does not produce anything unsuitable for a public audience. There are many guidelines set for each section  of media that define what would be okay for the public to see or hear. A regulatory body has the power to stop a production being aired before and after it's initial release. Regulatory bodies also work with complaints and will go over a media production if it has been complained about. To do this they will look at the complaints and see what it is that is bothering people about it. They will then look at what guidelines the public think it is breaking and then come up with a final verdict. If it is breaching the guidelines then it will be taken down and the company responsible for it could face punishments such as fines.

The Creative Media sector needs to be regulated as it is protection for the general public. Without it then people could find what they see or hear harmful or offensive. It is especially protecting minors as if they see something that is not suitable for them then it could possibly affect their lifestyle when they grow up. Another reason why regulatory bodies are important is to protect the companies that are creating the productions. If their work is inappropriate and it continues to be aired then the public will start to get bad views on it and in some cases attempts to shut down the company can come in to action. 

BBFC (British Board of Film Classification)

Image from:http://gta.wikia.com/BBFC

The BBFC is a regulatory body that regulates film and videos. They are responsible for the age ratings that come with films and videos. These age ratings are:

• U (Universal)-suitable for all audiences aged 4 and over.
• PG (Parental Guidance)-suitable for anyone over the age of 8 and anyone younger as long as their parents believe it will not upset them. 
• 12/12A-suitable for anyone aged 12 or above. A 12A film requires anyone under 12 to be accompanied by an adult. 
• 15-suitable for anyone aged 15 or over.
• 18-suitable for anyone aged 18 or over.

There is also a special category (R18) which is just for films that contain sex or strong fetish material. These films cannot be shown in regular cinemas, they must be specially licensed and any of these videos can only be sold in licensed shops. The BBFC decide age ratings by watching films all the way through and testing it to their criteria. An example of how this works is that if a film has strong language throughout then it will have to be either a 15 or an 18 rating depending on what else it contains.

One film that the BBFC had to ban from being shown was "The Human Centipede 2". This film was banned as it was sexually violent and potentially obscene. The BBFC felt that the film did not portray any of the victims as anything other than objects and it was potentially in breach of the 'Obscene Publications act'. The BBFC decided that this film could never be reclassified as no amount of cuts would make it suitable. This changed however as in 2011, the film had made 32 cuts which totaled to around 2 minutes and 37 seconds and the BBFC had granted it an 18 age rating certificate.

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Human_Centipede_2_(Full_Sequence)

OFCOM (Office of Communications)

Image from: https://twitter.com/ofcom

OFCOM is the regulatory body that regulates radio, television, fixed line tele communications, postal services, mobiles and airwaves (Wi-Fi). Their job is to keep any harmful material from being used in any of these sectors. Their main priority is to regulate TV and radio as it is easier for people to get harmed through these sectors than it is for any of the others they cover as these are broadcast to the general public everyday. The way they regulate these sectors is by looking at complaints. They cannot watch every program as there is too many being broadcast all the time so they rely on  the general public to tell them if they are unhappy with something. Ofcom look at each complaint individually and access it against the broadcasting code to check to see if any of the programs complained about break the rules.  The broadcasting code is made up of 10 sections, these are:

• Protecting under 18's
• Harm and Offence
• Crime
• Religion
• Due impartiality and due accuracy and undue prominence of views and opinions
• Elections and Referendums
• Fairness
• Privacy
• Commercial references in TV programming
• Commercial communications in radio programming

If any broadcaster was to breach the broadcasting code then they would have to face a sanction given by Ofcom. Depending on the seriousness of the breach, defines how serious of a sanction is given. if it is only a minor offence that happened the one time then the broadcast will most likely only get taken down and a warning will be handed out to the broadcaster. If it is a serious offence or the broadcaster is repeatedly breaching the code then Ofcom can impose a fine or even take away the license to broadcast. Ofcom do not deal with complaints for programs that are still in production. Those complaints must be taken to the producer first.

On 2nd November 2014, Kiss FM breached the broadcasting code. They did this as they had played the song 'Open Wide' by Calvin Harris featuring Big Sean. By playing this song they were in breach as it contained multiple swear words and has sexual references throughout. This is not acceptable to play at quarter to 6 in the evening. Kiss had not listened to the track before hand and had trusted the record label, Sony, to have provided them with a radio edit. This was not seen as a good enough excuse however as Kiss should not have allowed a track to be played that hadn't previously been listened to by the station itself. As a sanction, Kiss FM were made to widen the procedure for checking new song content and the producer in charge of that particular show was punished for his actions. 

Image from: https://www.fabriclondon.com/blog/view/radio-waves-kiss-fm-presents-fabric

IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation)

Image from: http://www.prweekjobs.co.uk/jobs/public-affairs-policy/london-central-/

IPSO are the regulators of the Newspaper and Magazine industry. IPSO have not always been the company that regulates this sector of Media. before them it was the PCC (Press Complaints Commision) that were the regulatory body. The PCC was shut down as it was claimed to be 'inadequate' and 'absent' by David Cameron. It was described like this as it was expected to do serious research into the News Of The World scandal however the work produced from the company was not good enough, especially considering there was so much controversy surrounding the topic. On the 8th August 2014, the PCC was shut down and replaced with IPSO.  

IPSO's job is to uphold the Editors code of practice and make sure it does not get breached. The code basically looks at things like Privacy, they make sure that no paper or magazine is invading someones personal life or taking details from them that should be kept private. It also deals with things involved with harassment. They make sure that none of the press are harassing anyone when they are trying to get some information for their newspaper/magazine. 

Recently the Derby Telegraph had been found by IPSO to have broken three rules of the Editors code. The Newspaper had published an image of a girl that appears to have been hit by a car. Their was a complaint made by the girls mother. She was not pleased with the fact that the picture was taken when everyone involved was in a state of shock and emergency services were yet to arrive. The image was seen to have breached clause 3-Privacy, clause 5-intrusion into grief and shock and clause 6-Children. After Ipso had investigated further into the subject, they saw it to only breach Clause 5 as it caused distress to the family. The Newspaper had to take down the image from the article and write an apology to the family.

Image from: http://www.beatingangerderby.co.uk/anger-management/derby-telegraph-article

ASA (Advertising Standards Authority)

Image from: http://www.isba.org.uk/news/2014/11/26/the-asa-has-warned-video-bloggers-to-clearly-label-advertising-content

The ASA are the regulatory body that regulate advertising. They are an independant company that has been set up since 1962. Their main job is to regulate adverts and make sure they do not lie or make false claims about a product. The majority of advertisements that are broadcast are checked to see if their content is appropriate before they are cleared to go on air. Every advert that is broadcast on TV must follow Ofcom's UK code of broadcasting. If the ASA find one of the rules has been breached then they will refer them to Ofcom and they will hand out a sanction to the offender. Adverts that are not being broadcast, for example billboards or online ads, are not always checked by the ASA before they are published. This is because there are millions of ads published every year so the ASA cannot check all of them. These kind of ads have to follow a CAP code. If the publishers do not follow this code then they will get punished. The most serious punishment that they can receive is that all of their future advertisements that are not being broadcast have to be pre-checked for as long as 2 years. Once an ad has aired then the viewers/listeners have the right to complain about it. The ASA handle all ad complaints. They can take action on an advertising publisher from just one complaint as long as it presents a valid point. It does not take multiple complaints to take down an ad. In 2012 the ASA recieved a total of 31,298 complaints for around 18,990 different ads. 3,700 of these ads had to be changed or taken down. When an ad breaches the codes, it is either taken down or has to be changed until it is suitable. If a broadcast advert is in breach of the broadcasting code then like TV, the publishers can also have their license to broadcast taken off them.

Recently the company, Virgin Media has had an advert banned from TV after their rivals, Sky and BT, had put in complaints about it. The advert featured athlete Usain Bolt dressed as different characters using the virgin media services around a house. The ad states that Virgin media provides 5 times faster downloading speeds than BT and Sky. This was complained about by BT as they did not provide sufficient information to prove that this was true. Sky also complained after this as well as BT complaining again as Virgin implied that everyone would always be able to download things 5 times faster however this was just based off average speeds. Despite Virgin trying to defend their ads, the ASA stated that Virgin did not supply enough information about their speeds on their website. The ASA staid "the information provided was not sufficient to ensure the details of the comparison could be verified". To deal with the second complaint, the ASA said that the statement "download five times faster Sky and BT's regular broadband" was misleading. This is because they made it out as though it was always 5 times faster than it's rivals which would not be the case. The ASA said it would have been acceptable if they had showed that it was based on average speeds and was not a definite figure.

Image from: https://recombu.com/digital/article/virgin-media-usain-bolt-bt-sky-filed-complaints

Issues related with regulation

Consumer Choice
Consumer Choice in media is basically that people can watch/listen to what they choose to. This is an issue in regulation as some people think that some areas of media should not be regulated. This is because it is there choice for what they want to watch and so they can choose whether to watch non regulated productions. For example some people may want to watch films without all the cuts in them, cuts that will have had to be made after regulation. This means that people are questioning the job of regulators as they believe it should be their choice as to what they 'consume' and not someone else's.

Freedom of Information
Freedom of information means that people should be able to learn what they want and should not be restricted from learning new information. Everything should just be open to the public. Due to the Regulatory bodies this is not always the case. Some information is withdrawn from certain media sectors as it breaches some of their rules. Lots of productions, especially anything based off an actual event, will have content removed as a regulatory body feels it would be inappropriate to share the information. This is not something everyone is pleased about. Many people feel they have a right to know this information as much as anyone else does and it should be available to them if they want to know it. Also some people think that letting the government keep hold of the information is giving them too much power and giving the public less freedom to do as they please. In countries like China, the government have complete control over the media and restrict the general public from many things. This has led the public to be scared of the government as they worry for their lives if they break the rules and use some of the band areas of media. The people of Britain do not want their country to turn out the same way and so would want more freedom so they can be certain we are not heading in the same direction as China.

Censorship
Censorship in media is ensuring that there is no harmful or offensive content in a media production. All the regulatory bodies are involved with censorship. When they regulate their sectors of media, they are doing so to ensure that everything is suitable for it's target audience.  For example, films will be regulated before they are broadcast by the BBFC. Films generally come with an age rating that shows how old you must be to watch it and most films that can range from 12 rating upwards are played from 9 o'clock upwards. This is because after this time children are not expected to be watching TV and if they are then it should be with the parents consent. If an explicit film was to be shown before 9 then it would need cuts. Any part of the film that would be too explicit for a child would have to be cut out. This is what Censorship is. It is mainly in place to protect minors and prevent any harm coming to people who would not be happy seeing explicit content. It is argued whether censorship should even exist. This is because some people would like to watch what they want, when they want and they will decide if it's appropriate or not. People don't like to wait until 9 o'clock for a wider range of programs to come on that they might enjoy more. Others would disagree as they would not want to risk their children seeing any inappropriate content. As long as there is a watershed then they can tell what time programs may start becoming more explicit.

Time lapse

Time lapse

A time lapse is an animation created by a series of images. The images are automatically taken through a timer and when all the pictures are taken they are sped up into a video to make a time lapse. A time lapse animation is usually made to film things that would usually take a long time and make it shorter. They can show people how something can progress without them having to watch the actual thing for hours. Time lapse can also be used to tell a story however this is would not be very affective as they generally go too fast to tell a story, this is why they generally are used to get one point across.

This is a time lapse video. It shows a man drawing a bag of M&M's. He takes a picture every couple of seconds from a birds eye view of the picture. The video lasts around 3 minutes yet the actual drawing will have taken around an hour. This video is one of many. There are a lot of other videos that are similar as they show someone drawing something different. These videos are popular because people will take interest in the persons talent and they can also be watched as tutorials.

This is another time lapse video .The video is 14 years in 4 minutes. It shows a girls life from a baby to 14 years old. A picture will have been taken once every few days for 14 years. This is a one of a kind video which is proved to be very popular. It is the only one of it's kind as the timescale needed to create it is extremely long however the end product is interesting to everyone.

This video is of a homeless army veteran. In the video he is given a complete makeover which includes his outfit and hair. The camera takes a picture around every 2 seconds and through it we see him gradually change in appearance. The actual makeover will have taken around about an hour to complete. This video is for all audiences and many people can watch it as inspiration to show how you can change. There are similar videos to this that show how people can change their look as this is something that interests a lot of people. It is done as a time lapse animation because the makeover process is generally a long one and it would be too boring to watch it go on for an hour or so,

cut out animation

Cut out animation

A Cut out is a form of animation that creates stories by using paper or card cut outs. Each moving object in the animation will be a different paper cut out. The animation works by taking a picture and then moving the different parts to move how you want. Common uses of cut outs is to create characters. A character will be made by cutting out each body part. This way you can move each body part and make it look as though the character is moving. 

This is our animation. We made this by taking newspapers and magazines and cutting out images that we thought would look good in our animation. We then moved each image a tiny bit at a time to make them move. Our background is also a cut out image which we took from a newspaper. The difference with this is we stuck blue tac on the back of it so it didn't move out of place when we were moving the other cut outs.

This clip is of the TV show South Park. South Park's first episode was made in 1997 using cut outs and stop motion technology. It took around 3 months until the episode was finished. Nowadays, it is helped a long using digital animation. The south park episodes will have used a lot more cut outs so they can make their characters do more actions. An example is they will have their eyes and their pupils as cut outs so they can make their characters look around. South Park has become an immensely popular franchise with 18 seasons a feature film and even their own video game which all started out with just a few cut out paper characters.

This animation is made by Lotte Reiniger. The animation was made in 1926. It was one of the first animations created and was made entirely using cut out paper characters that were made to look like silhouettes. Reiniger made feature films using only paper cut outs. The process for this will have taken an extremely long time as the paper can only be moved ever so slightly in between shots to make it look realistic and get a good end product.

Pixelation animation

Pixilation animation

Pixelation animation is a stop motion animation which is made using people. It is made in the same way that the other stop motion techniques are however it is most commonly made using real settings as well as people rather than fake sets and and objects. The People will have to move slightly between each shot which would make the whole production harder to complete as it is harder to keep a person or another living thing completely still. Pixelation animations generally do not contain other living things as it would be too hard to get them to move exactly as you want them too.

This is a pixilation animation that I was involved in making. To make this we used a hue webcam to take pictures of ourselves. We took around 5 pictures each and on each picture we changed our facial expression. This meant when it was played it showed the person in the centre of the screen pull 5 different faces in less than a second and then the person would change and the next person would do the same. The whole video lasts around 6 seconds even though we had to take 5 pictures for each person.

In this video we see a boy being chased by another boy. Throughout the video they come together and battle in different environments that relate to other animations such as "Mario". To add in the animation, the creator will have had to insert the images to each shot. If the animation was made by taking lots of pictures then the animated objects would have to be adding to each picture for as long as the animator wants it in the production.

This is another pixelation animation. In this animation we see a man acting out his daydream. In his daydream he pursues all different kinds of adventures. including running away from a boulder. This animation is done by making the man lie on the grass and make objects move past him. By taking the pictures from a birds eye view it looks like the man is stood up and when an object goes past it looks as though it around him. This video was created in 2012.

This pixelation video shows a couple going on an adventure together. They travel through all different environments including the ocean and riding in a hot air balloon. They have made this animation by making the pair lay down on a laminate floor and have created objects using basic materials. Like the last video, they take pictures of them from a birds eye view and making them move between each picture taken. This video was uploaded in 2011.