INTRODUCING MEDIA PRODUCTS AND AUDIENCES - WEEK 1 - THE COMPANY

The first post you're going to write on your media blog is actually part of one of the units we'll be working on until the  Spring Term. It's called 'Introducing Media Products And Audiences'. Basically in this unit  you'll be looking at a media company and one of the products they make and writing about all aspects of the product.

The first criteria we can hit is about the company that makes your chosen product.

Before you start researching/writing,  have a think about what media product you're going to want to write about. Bear in mind that you'll be analyzing all aspects of the meaning and production of this product so it's got to be a product you're into, that you don't mind rewatching/rereading/replaying. The product can be . . .

A film/DVD/BlueRay
A TV Show/Boxset
A Radio Show or Radio Station.
A Video Game (PC/Console)
A magazine or newspaper.
A website.

I'm afraid that music (albums/CDs etc) count as MUSIC rather than MEDIA products so you can't choose them. However you COULD choose a music video, a band's website, or a book about a band.

Also - be careful that you don't choose a TECHNOLOGY product i.e hardware like a console, a PC/tablet or a phone. Although these are media-related you can't really analyse them for meaning like you can an artistic work. So if you're choosing a company like Apple, Microsoft or Nintendo make sure there's a MEDIA PRODUCT (a game or app perhaps) they make that you can analyse, not a console or a piece of kit.

Once you've chosen the product, go through the following steps and add them to your first media-work blogpost. You can actually use my questions as subheadings in the post if you wish. 

1. Click on 'Create New Post' and first, make sure you've given it the title 'PRODUCTS & AUDIENCES LEARNING OUTCOME 1: THE COMPANY'

2. Then, in the post itself tell me the name of the COMPANY that made the product. Also insert an image of their logo.

3. Who owns it? Is it independent or is it owned by a bigger media company or a 'parent' company? Is it actually a public-service company like the BBC (i.e paid for by a license fee & subsidies from the government, not advertising)?

4. What is the history of the company? Give me the basics of when they started out and where, and how they've developed. What was the initial purpose of the company? Are they still just involved in the business they started out in?

5. What range of products do they bring out? can you name other examples of products they bring out? What genre(s) of product do the company tend to focus on?

6. Finally - who are their competitors? What other companies would they consider to be rivals? What other companies bring out similar products or appeal to the same audience?

YOU SHOULD END UP WITH a short blogpost outlining the details of a Media Company, who owns them, what their products are + who their competitors are.

WHERE WILL YOU FIND THE INFO?
Wikipedia as a launchpad, not a dead end, is a useful starting point. Also check out the company's own website - does it have an 'About Us' or 'F.A.Q' section? If you get stuck, give us a shout.

WHEN YOU'VE FINISHED THE BLOG POST MAKE SURE YOU LABEL IT CORRECTLY AND PUBLISH IT (DON'T JUST LEAVE IT AS A DRAFT)  
For all your stuff for this unit label the post 'Industry' and 'Media Products And Audiences'. That way when it comes to assessment I can search all your posts that relate to this unit.

WHAT YOU COULD BE DOING IN READINESS FOR NEXT WEEK
As you can see - on the criteria the next thing you have to write about is the PURPOSE of your product. Can you please research interviews/videos/articles in which the makers/developers of the product talk about WHY they made it? See what you can find.