So what term are we on now? This has all been going past so fast I seriously loose count on what day it is sometimes. So to start of we have had a few classes with Barbara before she jetted of to Australia. I loved her first class as we were discussing show ideas then somehow we got side tracked onto ITV. This discussion soon turned out to be a full blown debate on how shocking ITV really is.
I personally hate ITV and it gave me a chance to let off some steam on this issue. Yes drama's are expensive to make, but do you really think making the shows BBC and Channel4 are making but with half the budget is the answer? No not really, ITV you are a tacky, cheap, boring, dull TV station. If I could be bothered I would look up a thesaurus to find more words for terrible.
You used to have some class, you stood proudly between BBC and Channel4. You had your own style and you were proud of it, this is the only time I remember watching ITV. I went through a phase during High School were in I watched next to none TV, then one day I tuned back in.
I was blown away by how far you had dropped down in the world in those few short years, someone with photoshop had given use a cheap looking new 3D logo, trying to be trendy but failing miserably. The schedule was one of the same programme formats as BBC and Channel4 but with the most idiotic twist. Case and point 'Come Dine With Me' but instead of going home at the end of the night, they stay the night? Really?...seriously? BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing' but with ice, now come one that really takes the biscuit.
ITV you once stood on the shoulders of giants, but sadly to say you are firmly in the gutter bathing in the sweat of giants feet, desperately clawing at scarps. You really wonder why use are struggling to attract revenue money? no one likes a copycat and no one certainly doesn't like a cheap copycat. It's like when some brand like 'Technika' releases an MP3 player that is a plain rip off, of the iPod. You are never going to be as sexy and as cool as that, just be yourself, bring back the drama!
Don't even get me started on ITV2, if you don't have enough decent programmes for your flagship station you shouldn't have three digital ones.
Deep Breaths...Deep Breaths...The Royal Mail Boss taking ITV over!...*Puts head in hands*
So developing TV ideas with Adam, It was good to get back to actually creating some TV ideas. To actually put into practice what we had been learning in class, such as devices and storylining .
Its one thing thinking you have a good idea, but does it fit what the broadcasters are after? As with Barbara's class it has been shown that the briefs given out by the BBC and such don't really themselves have a full understanding what they want. 'Something funny like that show....scrubs' Yeah...something serious...that...urm...will be successful!
It's strange to think back to when I was a kid, when I watched something that wasn't all that good on TV. I always thought 'Oh it must just be me that doesn't like it' I always thought you know that these big institutions knew what they were doing and if they made something I didn't like, then I was the only one that didn't like it.
Now that I'm older and having been given the chance to look firmly into the practices of these broadcasts. It really is astonishing how much it is just 'The blind leading the blind' Not one of the TV stations seems to have a clue what we the audience want. As soon as one format is moderately successful they all jump onto the format like a pack of hungry wolves. So we end up seeing four spin-offs, of some dancing show.
Its all just become to much about money, money. How can we make more of the stuff, what format will bring us in more money. This approach I feel has been at the route cause of the lack of powerful, fresh, daring and dare I say it engaging TV drama or Doc's.
We see broadcasters such as the BBC buying American Drama, such as 'The Wire' Yes this show is brilliance in every way. A show that can have an entire dialog piece were in they only say 'Mother Fucker' and we still know entirely what they are really saying to each other, and what they are thinking. This is a show I love, but I can't help feel just a little cheated the BBC buying it in. It's not really for them to show, its for one of the satellite channels that shows these American shows, such as HBO.
Paying TV License money for them to just buy a pre-made product just doesn't feel right. This is money that should have been used for a TV drama that could rival such a show.
I really think these broadcasters need to wake up, yes these are uncertain times. Yes there is a war going on were in hundreds are dyeing. Yes the world climate seems to be nose diving into uncertainty. So its understandable why they are maybe just a little scared to offend anyone or cause panic with any daring TV drama or Doc. They tried something moderately daring with 'Survivors' but at some stage the PC man got his red pen out, and we were left with a show that just preaches family values and trust in one another that we can al save each other.
This is a show that had the chance to challenge our views on alot of different subject matters. Such as how close we all are to really turning on ourselves. How much power does the Government really have, we trust in them to protect us, but really they are just as helpless as the rest of us.
I'm just completely shocked at how bad UK TV really has nose dived over the years. All the TV drama sitting on my shelf is American born and bred. So TV license man, if you are reading this, and I really hope you are. I have not watched ANY TV what so ever in the past year since my License ran out. So don't you even dare say I need to buy another one. Keep your empty threats to yourself.
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So Essays and deadlines, trips to distant libraries. It almost feel like we are at University, as much as that feeling made me feel all studenty and such. This is something that really has worn off on me. I would much prefer to go back to being 'creative' and sitting in booths all day.
Ray's and Richards work has been sealed and handed in, wether they are any good is yet to be seen. I do have alot more faith in this script than I did in my last one, it does feel like it has far more of a structure and theme attached for good measure. Wether the board with have issue with the helicopter chase and the sword fight is yet to be seen, I'm just kidding...nah seriously I'm really not joking...
Rays essay was actually an interesting look in the work of cinematographers, even if it did feel someone like we were being duped into picking this as a specialism next year. It was interesting to see the creative process behind some of the smallest of detail in a scene. Also it was fascinating so delve into the close professional relationships that a Director and DP share. This makes sense to use the same DP you know and trust to deliver each time, but it had never occurred to me just how much a director will use the same DP.
When we were first posed with the task of finding such a relationship, my initial thought was one of 'christ, how am I going to do that' but a quick look on IMDB showed me just how many of these relationships exist. I can say with out looking away, that I do have a far more understanding of what the role of a DP is and how very important it is. *Cough* sorry been feeling a little ill recently.
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The keys to the Kingdom.
So we had John York back into speak to us about internet drama. The talked kicked of with a debate about why internet drama is still yet so very bad, and what can be done to make it better, and yes make money of it. It was posed to us that the person who does find the formula to make money of this will be one very lucky person.
Now let me pose a question, does the kingdom actually exist? I am inclined to say 'No' a very big no at that. The reason is hasn't worked and won't work is that it doesn't have a place on the internet. Internet drama will always be those 5/10 minute pieces, tell me who will wait a week to see just another 5 minutes of drama, and well a probably badly made drama at that.
Secondly you aren't going to make money of it because well, we have grown up with the internet being built on the foundation that its a 'free flowing' stream of information and connections. You can't suddenly turn around and start asking for money, it just isn't going to happen. Wether its £2, £1, 10p or 5p parting with money is still spending money at the end of the day. I just feel a bunch of rather old men have gathered around a table somewhere to discuss this new 'internet' thing, and how they can make some $$$ out of it.
John himself said its not going to be something his generation will solve, but I feel even with ours its less likely to happen. What I feel is that as soon as TV's catch up and start being able to connect to the internet in ways a PC can do, then they will stop loosing money. As soon as a viewer can get all of his or hers media in the one place then and only then will the kingdom exist any shape or form. It's almost like asking us to know what the next week lottery numbers will be, yes it holds vast amounts of money, but well it hasn't happened yet. We are all sitting on the cusp of something big. Phones are catching up, we are seeing the birth of Slate devices such as the iPad and the HP version, we are seeing the first few internet enabled TV sets. There will be no money to be made in any great amount until this ecosystem is born and connected, until I can universally access any and all media from the any one device will there be any money.
Apple proved this with the iPhone App store, until they came along there was no money to be made here. But Apple came along created an ecosystem were in these things have a central place to live and evolve and more importantly, they can be transferred onto multiple devices.
So until there exists such an universal ecosystem will the TV people be seeing any $$$ in their eyes. Sorry...we just aren't there yet, one has to walk before we can run.
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