1) What does this tell us about Plan B's intentions in making the film?
Plan B's intentions were to show that teenagers who are seen as troublemakers and useless as vulnerable people who have no direction in their life as they have "nobody to show them love or put them in their right path" (Plan B). He wants to show the public the reasons why these teenagers behave the way they do. He wants people to 'feel something' whilst watching the film hence why he uses such graphic scenes such as filming in a crack den; the crack den used in the movie was and actual crack den as Drew wanted everything to look real and not staged(also he was on a low budget). He wants the audience to connect with the characters and feel what they're going through as for him it shows that they care and this is exactly the feeling he was trying to achieve.
Plan B's intentions with making the film are related to representing the lifestyle the youth live with, he wanted to subvert the prejudices on council housed individuals, in particular, the teenagers. He explicitly focuses on 'chavs' and hood-rats overall and wishes to show the audience the style of life these young adults carry out and an explanation for the actions in events such as the London riots. He wanted to demonstrate how the youth a misunderstood but didn't want to glamorise violence at the same time.
When making the film Plan B also wanted to represent how taking away opportunities for the youth will lead them to take part in drugs and violence as that is there only way out. Plan B had a "clear sense" of what he wanted to promote and this was an explanation as to why the youth are seen as negative and this is down to the fact that society tends to alienate this group (by taking away opportunities). The photographer himself stated how Plan B himself wanted to provide two hours of "entertainment" as long as educating the youth.
2) What do we learn about the production process for Ill Manors?
During the production process, Plan B wanted to portray life in a different context by endorsingthe realism of the suburban areas which are not highly regarded in society. In the film, he used some qualified actors such as Riz Ahmed, but the rest of the cast were not experienced and this helps to raise the realism of street life. Plan B decided to film in East London in order to help the reader understand the background he came from and the society which helped shape his experiences.
In 2008 Plan B released a short film before, to help him gain experience as a director. The film he released in 2008 was originally a 20-page script and he were told overnight that he had to decrease his script to 5 pages. As a result, he made a rap song and because rap is a part of hip-hop this was useful for Plan B to prove the realism of growing up in the ghetto. This experience finally helped him to be a better director, particularly with the credit crunch which took place in 2009 and so Plan B released the short-film on a low-budget. The film was released on Channel 4 and as a result, of the short-film, it led Plan B to become stimulated to make a film combined with music. The soundtrack for 'Ill Manors' is a narrative for the film and Plan B wisely fixed rap music in the film to help make his dreams to become a reality.
When filming 'Ill Manors' the cast and crew had come into contact with gangs many times, 'Ill Manors' was filmed at locations which were real (not in a studio) such as crack dens and eventually the gangs would show up and would to tell members of the cast and crew not to shoot there as it isn’t their area. Also, at one point when filming outside a train station a gang approached Plan B and the cast and crew demanding that Plan B had to find elsewhere to film because the gang owned that particular turf and Plan B decided not to move and another gang which was scarier came by and said it was okay for Plan B to film. Plan B stood his ground as that is what he's grown up to be like.
'Ill Manors' was on a roughly low budget. This art house film is mainly targeted at a niche, small audience, and not a mass market audience. We also comprehend that a lot of the start-up money came out of Plan B's savings, with him hoping to gain more money after the release of the film. This was highly risky for Plan B, as his whole career was lying on this one film. However, with self-confidence, as belief from his crew, he managed to release the film, with a great public reception. Also, in order to make the film realistic, he had to get the right casting members. This meant that he was able to make it seem valid and make a statement. Also, As the production was low budget they didn't have much technical equipment such as backlighting to use in the dark etc. so they couldn't make the movie look very dramatic and do things like highlight certain features of the actor’s faces as they do in professional Hollywood films.
3) What can you tell about the possible target audience from this short documentary?
The target audience was originally aimed at those who were involved in the riots and those who feel like an outcast in society (working class especially). The C/D/E demographic in particular and those who are reformers as they can understand an explanation for why the youth act a type of way. Although it could be debated that the target audience is the ABC1 demographic to alter their view on the youth and comprehend why they also act negativelyand, therefore, the will have the power to help change the youth. The attempt to reinforce the stereotype actually overpowered the intention to subvert the stereotype. Similarly, as Plan B was once a council house child himself, the audience instantaneously assumes that the target audience would be people like himself, which may have decreased the success rate that the film had. The uses and gratifications would be the surveillance of the documentary as for example the audience would want information about the movie as where is the location and why the actors. The other uses and gratification would be the diversion as to just being interested in the movie as to away distracting yourself from something else.
4) Does the film successfully do what director Ben Drew (Plan B) set out to achieve? Explain your answer with reference to both the film and the 'making of' documentary.
From what we heard in the documentary, the movie did achieve what Plan B wanted. He managed to get real and well-known actors, locations that took a natural frame of mind, and showed honesty. Likewise, he was able to draw on his own experiences and come out of his comfort zone in making the film. He also managed to join his musical abilities into the film, which was a bonus for his music career. The director of photography for the film said that the film showed how 'times have changed', which could have again targeted the older audience more. Overall, I believe Plan B was satisfied with the release of his film, as he said: 'It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but the most fulfilling.'
The film is successful in presenting why the youth act negatively and this is for the reason that they are ignored in society. From the film, Plan B wanted to show the audience what the youth will end up in (drugs and violence) if they have no place in a society and society is mostly worried about politics rather than their individual lives.
Also, in the film the soundtrack is important as it is a narrative and it talks about how community centres are shut down. In society, if the youth is not busy it's bound for them to result in violence if their opportunities are taken away from them. The film in specific gives the audience an insight to the grim reality teenagers have to live through and the only escape is through either living through it or to completely make a change, change can only happen if somebody like Plan B is educating the youth about the costs of the lifestyle they choose.
Broadcast/online
1) What is SBTV? Research the channel and explain how it became successful.
Identify the target audience for this interview (demographics/psychographics) & say why.
Identify the target audience for this interview (demographics/psychographics) & say why.
SBTV is a multi-faceted corporation run by a small team of young people who work on web-based viral content at different music-based events. SB.TV was created in 2006 by a teenager Jamal Edwards, for the first three years, Edwards worked alone to deliver unprofessional footage concerning many British grime artists, such as Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Chipmunk and Tinchy Stryder. As the channel began to interest more attention, it also began to present lifestyle interviews and event reportage, and a production team of ten people was recognised as a result. In recent times, the company has quoted its aim to develop a more "diverse youth lifestyle broadcaster", including more genres of music. This has been seen in the presence of acoustic artists such as Ed Sheeran and other popular artists such as Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, The Wanted and Pixie Lott. In February 2011, SB.TV launched their own music label Just Jam (an imprint of Sony RCA) and lately published their first signing as east London MC, Maxsta. In March 2011, it had been advised that the company are likely to go into business with restaurant chain Nando's. The SB.TV website then stopped as close to a million people searched "Jamal Edwards."T On 10 April 2012, SB.TV released a cypher with grime collective Boy Better Know, to celebrate reaching 100 million views across all videos.
The target audience is largely teenagers who have an interest in grime music, but the age range is between 14 - 25 years, 70% males and 30% females. Demographics would fall between theC/D/E range as the corporation focus on mostly subversive and undiscovered artists. Also, this would attract this demographic because the channel itself isn't high-budget. The psychographics would be mainly falling into the mainstream’s category and people who like to keep up-to--date with new trends and upcoming artists in the music industry.
2) What is the audience appeal for an interview like this? How does the opening of the clip emphasise this appeal?
The opening of the clip shows one of the actors from 'Ill Manors' trying to slyly get an interview with Plan B. This would appeal to the target audience by representing people who are trying to be adventurous and sort of breaking the rules (explorers). The interview is informal and uses mature language (such as swearing) which would also attract the target audience.
The audience appeal is that they have made it look like he’s breaking in but really it’s just deliberate like that, it is also appealing to how the broadcaster is young as the audience so they can communicate to his age. It gives the audience that it does not just interview but it’s more of a chat between friends and how Ben Drew is like him where he's from making it very informal.
The use of colloquialism (informal language) is the main way the audience appeal is signified as teenagers are the main group who use this sort of language as opposed to the older generation. The start of the clip highlights this appeal to teenagers as the use of swearing and things like caps allows the teenagers to connect with the people in the interview as they are acting in a similar way to teenagers. The fact that Marcel said "we aren't allowed here at this time" also appeals to teenagers as they are probable to do things that do things they're not supposed to do as well.
3) How is Plan B (the brand) represented in this text?
Both the negative and positive side to Plan B is represented in this text. Due to his usage of swear words and absence of respect, his could be seen as a negative person as the use of swear words is not a good thing in wider society. As he in on camera his actions should be much more polite and respectful than how he acts at the start of the clip. As an individual who has been in the music industry for a long time, you would expect him to understand how to act when there is a camera around. However as the clip goes on a positive representation of his is shown which positively subverts the negative view as he has been sleeping in his offices for days just to get the editing for his movie right which shows a dedicated producer; someone who is determined and persistent. He seems to still portray himself as the thing he aims to subvert in his movie 'Ill Manors', a 'Chav'. Despite this, one could argue that his work ethic portrays him as the opposite. This is due to him being able to make a film all alone and manage to gain a mass amount of success post production.
In addition to this, he is represented as hard-working as he's directing to get the best footage together as possible. He says in the interview how he sleeps with his shoe on which enhances his gangster image. Moreover, Plan B is seen as laid-back and relaxed as well as serious because he's working non-stop.
Television
1) What is the history of the Jonathan Ross show? What channels has it appeared on? Why has Jonathan Ross been a controversial media figure in the past?
The Jonathan Ross Show is a British talk show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first airing on ITV on 3 September 2011 and airs on Saturday evenings following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, in July 2010. Succeeding a guest appearance by Ross on The Russell Brand Show broadcast on 18 October 2008, Ross was postponed for 12 weeks without pay by the BBC on 29 October, after a series of vulgar answer phone messageswere left for then 78-year-old actor Andrew Sach concerning Sachs' granddaughter by Russell Brand and Ross, which were broadcast on the pre-recorded show. A media story about the calls made a high number of objections. Brand resigned from the BBC while Ross was suspended without pay.
2) Identify the target audience for this interview (demographics/psychographics) and say why.
The target audience would be between the ages of 16 - 40 years, the teenagers are most possibly to be attracted to this interview because the show itself interviews famous artists and actors such as Jay-Z and Rihanna. The older generation are likely to watch this interview as a result of wanting answers for the riots. So it could be intended at mainstreamers who watch the show to keep updated on celebrities as well as reformers who have an understanding of why the youth act out and politics with the demographics of ABC1.
3) What is the audience appeal for a programme like the Jonathan Ross show?
The Jonathan Ross show interviews many famous celebrities, such as Rihanna, Jay-Z and Beyonce and this would be expected to attract teenagers who have an interest in urban culture. The show is on a prime-time every Saturday night and this means it will have many viewers. The show has also had many old actors and politicians and this would appeal more middle-aged/middle-class people who have an interest in politics and the economy.
Also, the audience appeal of the programme is that it is a comedy and give the uses and gratification of surveillance. E.g. the you want information on the celebrities and that what the show is really about and it also suppose be the celebrities who are endorsing something new and want to induce it to the audience and get what their opinion would be.
4) How is Plan B (the brand) represented in this text?
Plan B is represented as a role model icon on this show. This is as Ross states: 'Most interesting artist around', which takes importance of Plan B. Similarly, the listing of the qualities Plan B has: rapper, songwriter, actor and director shows how qualified and skilled he is. In addition, when the topic of education comes up, Plan B states he went to the 'University of Life', the sarcasm in his talk here emphasizes that even though all the tough times, he is still able to find the humour in his life. We all know that Plan B is against the prejudice against the youth; however, he is still able to see right from wrong. The fact that Plan B comprehends that the source of where these issues develop from is parents not loving their children, he can challenge that by means of the music to put across his point.
Plan B is represented in another way in the show compared to the SBTV interview. He's shown as an intelligent young man who is "articulate" in spite of not being able to finish school. He succeeded to be involved in the Hackney Project which permitted people to feel a part of the Olympics. Nevertheless when he was asked to go back to his old school for promotion he clarified that it was a school for the deprived kids. His point that has been obvious all over his movie and numerous other texts remains to be brought in the show as he reminds the audience why the riots took place and how teenagers continue to be misunderstood by the media and consequently judged by the older generation which creates moral panic as well. The live audience and celebrities on the show seem to agree with this view as they applaud him. The fact that Plan B admits that he has met young politicians as is able to engage in elegant discussionsand adult humour shows he is intelligent. He also represented as a well-mannered man as he shakes Jonathan's hand and displays his manners through the word "thank you".
Radio
1) How popular is BBC Radio 1? Find average listening figures for the station. How has the BBC Radio 1 audience declined over recent years? Why might this have happened?
BBC Radio 1 is a British radio station functioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts across many countries, specifying in modern and current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 delivers other genres after 7:00 pm, including electronic dance, hip hop, rock, indie or interviews. It's predictable that Radio 1 has an estimate of 53,502(2014) listeners and it can also be digitally spread in many other countries.
However BBC 1 radio has declined over the years as there has been an increase in their competition as more people now listen to music online or on multimedia devices than on the radio.
2) Who is the target audience for BBC Radio 1?
BBC Radio 1’s target audience is aimed primarily at the 15–29 age groups, although the average age of the UK audience in 2008 was 33. The target audience of demographic of ABC1 as most people listens to the radio in the car mostly.
3) How does Plan B promote Ill Manors in this interview?
Plan B promotes his film by consciously mentioning it through the interview even when he has not been questioned on it. He mentions that he had to complete shots of phones and mini sim chips which almost acts as behind the scenes footages and promotes the narrative of the film. This was attempted to target his audience in the movie. He also mentioned the faith he has in his actors, as they were all unknown but he believed he would be able to turn them into successful and well-established artists. Likewise, he says he owes the crew a lot as they worked extremely hard and done this for 'peanuts'.
He frequently mentions the release date which is May 4th; this promotes when the audience will be able to go and see the movie which is targeting them. Parts of the main song ’Ill Manors’ track were taken from the beat of a German song; Drew got in contact with the German label company, and got permission to use the backing beat.
Plan B promotes 'Ill Manors as a film which shows what occurs with the youth growing up in East London. He also indicated that if this film was successful he would go on to produce morefilms. He labels his role in 'Ill Manors' in terms of the production process and this helps to increase his star image. Plan B plays many parts in terms of the production such as directing, filming and editing. His involvement with the film is likely to attract many of his fans.
4) What representation of Plan B can we find in this interview?
The representation of Plan B that we can find in this interview is that he is a very dedicated young man as he describes how he's been sleeping on a sofa in his studio because of the fact that he is putting in hard effort and time to edit 'Ill Manors' ; however that he is also very last minute. We are told that he was the mastermind behind the music, directing and editing. It consisted of creativity and patience, but he told us it was all worth the stress, as it was a successful film at the end of it all. As a director, Plan B learnt that he will not leave things to the last minute and that he has high hopes for his future.
The fact that he got consent to be allowed to use the backing track from a German song shows that he is quite a reasonable man as he took the time to interact with them himself. In this interview he is seen as a devoted and hardworking directed as he mentions he sleeps on the couch in his office meaning he must work long hours just to make this film good. The makings of a true director are shown in this interview as he refers to his crew members for working so hard and mentions how he finished filming at 4 am but he still managed to get to this interview.
