8th December - DEADLINE

It's finished!


Our radio programme is now complete and we are in the process of submitting it!
At 5 minutes long, we have just made it within the time limit after rigorous editing by Harry and Rachel.

My next post will include the presenters script and the structure that we aimed to comply with prior to editing.

Radio Programme, group meeting 1/12/09

Present: Annie, Harry, Ross, Rachel.
Absent: nobody.

Our radio programme is beginning to take shape. Rachel has gathered roughly ten interviews, and has heard back from the SU president.
Action points: Tuesday 1st December, Harry is gathering more vox pops.
Wednesday 2nd December, Rachel and Harry will be editing vox pops and interviews, as well as interviewing Mike.
Thursday 3rd December, we will all be coming in to edit our radio programme and record the presenters narration, which I personally will be doing. It is our aim to complete the project by the end of this day.

Radio Programme group meeting Tuesday 24th November.

14:00.

Attended: Annie and Ross.

Unattended: Rachel and Harry.

Flirt night recording on the 18th didn't happen as planned. I e-mailed each member of the group and only got one reply, so I didn't feel it was worth my time making the journey to record sounds when I didn't even have a sound recorder in my posession.

After speaking to Mike, Ross and I decided to make a plan B, as the deadline is looming and we still have no material to edit. It was agreed that I would e-mail both Rachel and Harry to see if there was any progress in gathering vox pops and interviews. If I have no reply by the following day then we will have to record some for ourselves, just in case we have little material to work with.

Radio Programme group meeting Monday 16th November

12:00, almost everyone late for various reasons.

All attended.

The main purpose of the meeting was to decide what roles we will all take in producing our five minute radio programme about Freshers Week.

It was agreed that to make obtaining vox pops and interviews easier, Rachel and Harry will interview their housemates, I will attempt to prepare the narration for the introduction to the programme, and Ross will take an active role in editing the material once we have it.

Also, Rachel e-mailed the president of the Students Union to try and secure and interview.

Our next move is to go to the Flirt night on Wednesday 18th November and record some sounds to act as background noise before narration fades in over the top of it.

Updated radio programme proposal.*

*The previous post can now be ignored.

We had a group meeting on Tuesday 10th November (Annie, Rachel, Ross, Harry), and came to the conclusion that what we had previously decided to include in our radio programme about freshers week, would most likely exceed the five minute time limit.
Therefore we have agreed to focus solely on reviewing the week through vox pops and interviews with students, and hopefully an interview with the SU president as well.

The questions we will be asking are:
1. What was your favourite night and why?
2. Was there anything that wasn’t at Freshers’ Week that you would like to see?
3. What was the stupidest thing that you did during Freshers Week?
4. What advice would you give to future freshers?
5. (SU President) How do you think this years Freshers Week went, and what will you do differently next year?

Sound assignment - radio programme.

Proposal - To produce a radio programme lasting just 4-5 minutes on a relevant subject of our choice (our choice being to focus on Freshers Week).

Treatment - Freshers Week is an exciting time for any first year student, as it allows them to embrace the uni lifestyle as well as getting to know their fellow students. Our short radio programme (pod cast) would aim to discover and promote the good experiences of many first year students, primarily at Bath Spa but even other universities.

Main features of Freshers Weeks are the themed Flirt nights at Student Unions, Freshers Fairs, Celebrity guests, and of course, many academic aspects as well. Through the use of vox pops and interviews with 2nd and 3rd year students, the programme would hope to learn more about peoples opinions when it comes to Freshers Week, what they liked/disliked/how it could be improved, and also any advice that they may have for future students.

A more negative aspect of Freshers Week was highlighted this year in national newspapers and is always a particular worry.

http://www.national-student.co.uk/pages/uk_news/freshers_week_rape_hell_for_to_young_women.html

Our programme would feature a section on how to keep yourself safe, and still enjoy your first week of university.

In order to conclude the programme on a positive note, we would promote upcoming events, as well as local transport available specifically to Bath Spa, for instance the orange buses and local taxi firm phone numbers, once again reminding students to take care of themselves and still have fun.

I have just one question...

How the hell have I managed to end up following my own blog??!
Answers on a postcard please.

"Do I really need..." Proposal and Treatment.

Proposal: "Do I really need... to work?"

A controversial look at attitudes towards the welfare system in Great Britain, in a fly-on-the-wall style documentary following several out-of-work individuals, as they live each day on benefits during the current economic crisis.


Treatment: "Do I really need... to work?"

With the world currently in recession, everyone is feeling the pinch, and some have even been forced out of work because of it, and ultimately forced to rely on the benefit system in order to lead a basic lifestyle.
The documentary will follow several individuals from different walks of life, who all have one thing in common - they are surviving on government handouts. It will feature those who have lost their jobs due to the recession, and their struggle to find work whilst living on the benefit system, as well as the attitudes of those who simply have no intention of finding work, despite being physically and mentally able to do so, and are happy to live off of the taxpayer.

As well as interviews with these people and filming 'a day in their lives', this programme will also examine the negative representation in the media of those who depend on handouts, and interview some who, with genuine reasons, have been affected by this.
In order to demonstrate the contrast on this controversial issue, and put a positive spin on it's presentation, the first case study shown will be that of an individual who is facing a daily struggle to find a job after being made redundant.


The second to be introduced will be someone who has never had a proper job, and who has no reservations about sponging off of our welfare state, instead of earning a wage for themselves.

Thirdly, archival footage of a programme such as The Jeremy Kyle Show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMrJGz3EIg&feature=related will be used to show negative representations of those dependant on benefits, as well as articles from newspapers such as THE SUN with a derogatory representation of the benefit culture.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2677798/The-Sun-examines-the-blackspots-of-broken-Britain-Day-1-Merthyr-Tydfil-in-Mid-Glamorgan.html
In addition to this, the use of vox pops may be employed in order to demonstrate attitudes of the general public towards those in acceptance of handouts, and of the issue as a whole.

Next, the programme will feature an interview with somebody who has a disability which disallows them to work completely, with the aim of showing their struggle to come to terms with their situation, as well as the difficulty that they experienced to obtain the financial help that they need.

To conclude the programme, the first individual will be re-visited in their search for employment to see what, if any, progress has been made, and will hopefully stand to be a positive conclusion to an issue which can potentially affect everyone, either in the present or in the future.