Christopher Backway Showreel

Malcolm Tucker Rant - The Thick of It - DAVID

Nicola Murray
I'm sorry Malcolm, I'm really sorry.

Malcolm Tucker

Fuck's Sake! Well, now we've got another fucking adjective to add to fucking 'smug' and 'glum', haven't we? Fucking Retarded! Jesus Chri-- Do you not think it would be germane to check who you're talking to?! It's a fucking newspaper office! It's not a fucking sanatorium for the fucking deaf, is it?! Are you so dense?! Am I gonna have to run around slapping badges on people, with a big tick on some and a big cross on others, so you know when to shut your gob and when to open it?! Jesus Christ! Oh, but that'd probably confuse you as well, won't it?! That'd be too confusing! You'd see the cross and go "Oh fuck, X marks the spot! Better tell this little person about the prime minister's fucking catastrophic erectile dysfunction!" Oh, but not to worry, not to worry. You've sent fucking Ollie over there to deal with it. Fucking Ollie! He's a fucking, He's a fucking knitted scarf, that twat! He's a fucking balaclava!!

Final Soundtrack Productions: Proposal - DAVID

General Zod's Trial - Man of Steel

Man of Steel was released in June 2013, directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300) and starred Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Michael Shannon as General Zod and more. Man of Steel follows the story of Clark Kent, one of the last of a race from a planet named Krypton and are disguised as humans, is forced to reveal his identity when Earth is invaded by an army of Kryptonian survivors looking to destroy Earth. The particular scene I have chosen is General Zod's Trial. This particular scene happens on the planet Krypton, after a fight between the antagonist, General Zod and Clark Kent's father named Jor-El. General Zod and his comrades is presented to the Kryptonian council in which they are sentenced to 'three-hundred cycles of somatic reconditioning'. The particular scene lasts for 2 minutes and 19 seconds, which is quite a long scene full of more sound effects and music than dialogue.

The director of this film is Zack Snyder who started directing in 1990 when he released a short video documentary named Playground. He made his feature-length debut in 2004 when he released zombie horror movie Dawn of the Dead, a reboot of the 1978 film, directed by George A. Romero. Since then, he has directed 300 (2006), Watchmen (2009), Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) and then rebooted the Superman film series in 2013, with Man of Steel and in 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and is now filming Justice League Parts One (2017) and Two (2019). 

In this scene, there is non-diegetic music heard throughout, which is from the movie's soundtrack this track being called 'I Will Find Him', which is also a line said by Zod in the scene. The music included creates a mood in which a character is seeking revenge, which is General Zod's intentions for Clark Kent/Superman. This track I am getting from YouTube and downloading it to MP3. There is going to be diegetic sound effects which means sound effects that can be heard in the scene that I will download from www.freesound.org and use it in the scene. These sound effects include ship and prison ship engines starting; and electricity from the prison whirring the prison ships in.

I am going to transcribe the scene's spoken word from each character and lip-sync the scene myself. The original scene creates a mood focused on revenge, which is General Zod's main aim for the rest of the film. The scene shows 2 male characters speaking, so I will speak both characters by using two options, by putting on accents or different tones.

I have the opportunity to invite other people to work with as voice actors in my final soundtrack production, but as this is an individual task, I have come to the conclusion that I will voice-over and edit my scene on my own.

I will be using Apple laptops supplied from Coulsdon College and use recording equipment via the application Garageband supplied within the laptop, which is very easy to record on and include sound effects with. An advantage in using Garageband is that the application is very easy to record with on a computer or a laptop. Garageband can also allow a person to add as many music tracks as they want and can control any instrument or track. This involves adjusting the volume, muting or un-muting a track. Disadvantages to this programme include the application can only be used on Apple iMacs or devices that can download other apps. Another disadvantage is that the Garageband is not web based so I would need a device that already has it or we can download it on. Luckily, I have access to a Apple laptop that has the application and I know how to use it. I will record my voice on a laptop using the Garageband software in a soundproof studio next to my classroom, which would get a better result of no background sound from others in my class.      

Malcolm Tucker's Rant - The Thick of It

The Thick of It is a television series released by the BBC and ran for four seasons from 2005 to 2012. The particular scene I have chosen is from season 3 episode 2, released on 31st October 2009. Directed by Armando Iannucci and starred James Smith as Glenn Cullen, Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker, Chris Addison as Oliver Reeder, Rebecca Front as Nicola Murray and more. This episode follows the story of Nicola Murray being in post as Secretary of State for a week, she has got given news that somebody in her department has wiped the immigration records of 170,000 people over the last months. On the same day, she has a press meeting with journalists from the Guardian which Malcolm Tucker attends. This scene happens after the meeting when she learns she revealed this type of news was revealed to a journalist who was in the same meeting, in which Malcolm goes mad at her. This scene lasts for 58 seconds which is a short clip but long enough for using dialogue.

The director of this film is Armando Iannucci who started directing in 1998 when he made a television short 'mockumentary' named Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt. Since this, he has directed many television shows, including I'm Alan Partridge (2002), The Thick of It (2005-2012) and Veep (2012-2015). He made his feature film debut in 2009 when he directed In The Loop, which used many characters from The Thick of It in the story. He is now in pre-production for his new film, The Death of Stalin, which is scheduled to be released in 2017.

Compared to the previous scene shown above, there is diegetic music heard throughout, which sets the mood of the scene as a typical London busy day with sounds like cars passing by and a bicycle bell heard when going past the car. I will create foley sound effects in this scene and also use sound effects downloaded from freesound.org and YouTube. For foley sound effects, I will use books slamming on a table, when Peter Capaldi's characters throws his paperwork very heavily onto his knees. As another foley sound effect, I will also use background voices as people walk past the car, so I might ask people in my class to have a conversation with each other and I will turn the volume down using Garageband software, to make it realistic as possible as it is set in modern-day London. I will record my voice on a laptop using the Garageband software in a soundproof studio next to my classroom, which would get a better result of no background sound from others in my class.  

In this scene, there are two people heard, a male character and a female character. The male character dominates the scene more as he has a lot more lines than her so I have two options: to ask a female person in my class to say the line, or if no-one is available, I will record the line myself. I have transcribed the scene onto a separate piece of paper so I can read the paper and say the lines at the same time. The mood or main theme generated from this particular script is anger, which is shown very vividly with the male character using swear words to emphasise his anger towards Nicola Murray. The words include 'Fuck's sake!','Fuck' and 'Erectile Dysfunction', which is not normally heard in conversation.

I have the opportunity to invite other people to work with as voice actors in my final soundtrack production so as there is a female character involved in the scene, I will ask a girl in my class to voice the character. 

I will be using Apple laptops supplied from Coulsdon College and use recording equipment via the application Garageband supplied within the laptop, which is very easy to record on and include sound effects with. An advantage in using Garageband is that the application is very easy to record with on a computer or a laptop. Garageband can also allow a person to add as many music tracks as they want and can control any instrument or track. This involves adjusting the volume, muting or un-muting a track. Disadvantages to this programme include the application can only be used on Apple iMacs or devices that can download other apps. Another disadvantage is that the Garageband is not web based so I would need a device that already has it or we can download it on. Luckily, I have access to a Apple laptop that has the application and I know how to use it. I will record my voice on a laptop using the Garageband software in a soundproof studio next to my classroom, which would get a better result of no background sound from others in my class.      

Assignment 7.3 - Regulation and Employment in the Media Sector - REBECCA

PART A - REGULATION

Regulatory bodies are organisations made to regulate different media sectors whether that being airing different programmes at suitable times of the day or regulating a specific age to view a film. These type of organisations include Ofcom (The Office of Communications) (TELEVISION industry), ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) (ADVERTISING industry), BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) (FILM industry) and PEGI (Pan European Game Information) (GAMING industry). Thee are sets of rules that a regulatory body has to abide by in order to release a certain product, for example Ofcom have what is called The Ofcom Broadcasting Code. The code not only covers harm or abuse, but other areas including sponsorship, copyright laws, fairness and privacy. There are constraints when in terms of regulation which involve if an advert is too offensive for certain viewers. For example, a television advert might be offensive in the way there is a lot of blood or is sexually offensive for some viewers.

The main regulatory bodies that looks over the television sector is:

Ofcom (The Office of Communications) formed in December 2003 and is the government-approved communications regulator in the UK. Ofcom regulates the television, radio and telephone media sectors. Ofcom's role includes securing a wide range of electronic communications services is available in the UK, securing a wide range of TV and radio services are available in the UK and provides protection for viewers from harmful content on any TV or radio services. If services do not stick to the regulator's rules and codes of practice, Ofcom has powers to punish those who act unlawfully or breach regulatory requirements. Ofcom can make sure a program that breaches regulations not to go on air again and can punish the television companies that are involved in the program. It is important to maintain regulation of TV and radio services to make sure people in the UK get the best from their communication services and are protected from various scams or sharp practices that can affect audiences in the UK.

ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) is the UK's independent regulator of advertising in the media industries. ASA works include acting on complaints given from the people of the UK and to always check every kind of media and to take action against misleading, harmful or offensive advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing. They consider over 30,000 complaints and over 20,000 adverts each year. There are consequences that the ASA sanction to make sure they are not shown again. Broadcasts might face bad publicity if they are complaints given to the ASA. They cannot show advertisements that breach the code and advertisers might lose prime advertising slots and are disqualified from industry awards, denying them to show their work ever again. It is important to have regulations for advertising because they are made sure they aren't shown again on television services if they are deemed offensive and cause controversy amongst an audience. In 1962, CAP (Committee of Advertising Practice) established the ASA as the independent adjudicator under the newly created British Code of Advertising Practice.

The British National Party is a British political party formed in 1982 by John Tyndall and was led at the time by Nick Griffin. This party broadcast was used before the European Parliament election and local elections in the UK and Ireland on Thursday 22nd May 2014, which was then won by UKIP having the majority of the vote and Labour close behind in second, Conservatives being the third party. This party election broadcast by the British National Party criticises muslims and muslim culture and talks about mass immigration that has developed in the UK. The advert features a song sung at the beginning with immigrants being named 'spongers of the Earth' and muslims having 'backward cultures'. This advert was shown on television by all of the leading broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. When the advert was released to viewers, there was an immediate rush of complaints of racial abuse to muslims and immigrants, depicting 'vile cartoons of Muslims swilling alcopops and chasing pre-pubescent girls', as said by the Huffington Post.

The advert was then cut by all the television broadcasters, hence the British National Party having no television advert to motivate people to vote for them. The BNP then responded to the cancellation of their advert by publishing another advert censoring the cartoon involved in the advert and replacing it with Simon Darby talking about BNP 'making a difference' 'making a stand and raising a voice for the silenced British people'. This new advert wasn't released on television but instead on the British National Party YouTube page.

PART B - EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Actor - bring a script to life, put flesh and blood in characters/Agent - represent performers and finds work for clients
Art Director - project managing the work of the art department/Assistant Art Director - carrying out site surveys of locations
Choreographer - training dancers and actors in dance routines/Assistant Choreographer - work with Choreographers to realise their dance concepts
Audio/Dubbing Assistant - organising different elements for the final soundtrack
Bookings Co-ordinator - co-ordinating work schedules, managing resources and liasing with clients
Boom Operator - controlling the long boom arm and fitting radio microphones to actors
Broadcast Engineer - operating, maintaining and managing studio equipment
Camera Operator - ensuring that cameras are ready for the shots to be taken/Camera Assistant - offering general support to the Camera Operator
Colourist - interpreting clients' vision and aspirations
Costume Designer - being in charge of designing, creating and hiring all costumes for actors
Television Director - being responsible for the look of a production and enhancing the final finished programme
Editor - editing all of the filmed footage to make the final product/Edit Assistant - assisting and carrying out basic post-production tasks
Executive Producer - being responsible for the overall quality and success of a television production
Television Gaffer - responsible for the practical aspects of lighting sets and locations
Graphic Artist - creating all the props with graphic or written elements
Junior Engineer - maintaining and fixing of technological equipment
Library Assistant - filing and storing media and paperwork
Lighting Director - designing a specific look required for each shot/Lighting Camera Person - leading a television camera team and realising the Director's vision through the use of lighting
Location Manager - identifying and managing a number of locations required for productions
Make-up and Hair Artist - creating make-ups and hairstyles to meet production requirements/Make-up and Hair Assistant - setting up and maintaining make-up and hair workstations
Make-up and Hair Designer - being responsible for the overall design of make-up and hair throughout production of a television programme/Make-up and Hair Trainee - setting up and maintaining make-up and hair workstations
Network Operations Assistant - working for a cable or satellite broadcaster and responsible for ensuring that programme materials are available
Post Production Runner - supplying refreshments and keeping edit suites clean and tidy
Production Buyer - creating a list of all props and a schedule for when they are needed
Production Manager - being responsible for the organisational aspects of production scheduling and budgeting/Assistant Production Manager - work under the supervision of the production manager
Prosthetics Artist - designing and making specialist prosthetic make-up
Television Researcher - developing programme ideas and presenting findings to decision makers
Script Supervisor - ensuring that television dramas end up making sense
Sound Engineer - making sure all of the sound equipment works on set/Sound Assistant - helping record the best quality sound in a studio or a location
Sound Recordist - recording sound on location or in a studio to enable the most 'realistic' sound
Sound Supervisor - identifying the sound requirements for each production and overseeing the work of all multi-camera productions
Stunt Performer - performing supervised stunts taking actors' places when the stunt is too dangerous
Subtitler - adding subtitles to television programmes for deaf or hard-hearing audiences
Transmission Engineer - supervising the transmission of television programmes
Television Broadcast Journalist - collecting, verifying and analysing information about news/events
Television Presenter - introducing and hosting programmes, reading the news, interviewing people and reporting issues
Variety Artist - being a performer of various kinds
Video Tape Operators - operating, managing and fixing equipment and making tape copies
Vision Mixer - editing programmes live using a variety of transition methods, such as cuts, mixes, wipes and frame manipulation
Walk On and Supporting Artist - providing background action on television productions

This diagram shows the overall structure towards the different types of job roles in the television industry. If a person wants to get a job in the television industry, for example as a Chief Engineer, they would have to work up a ladder of different jobs first. As shown in the diagram above, to become a chief engineer, they would, first of all, look for sound, lighting or technical junior engineering jobs within a television company, which involves maintaining and fixing of technological equipment and working mainly in a studio, but sometimes are needed on location sets for a television series. Some jobs like this are difficult to get, as they're are not a lot of opportunities for these type of jobs, so it would be wise to know somebody in the television industry first before starting looking for jobs. There are also jobs online a person can apply for as well from websites such as indeed.co.uk, reed.com and monster.co.uk. If a person becomes very good at this particular job, they could get promoted to maintenance manager, which involves being the person in charge of everything.

There are many different technical courses involved in the job roles of the television industry. The main course that people look at is the Foundation Degree in Technical Theatre and Stage Management. These type of courses are available at different drama schools, such as LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), Guildhall School of Music and Drama and RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) and other drama schools outside of the London area. According to RADA's website, the Foundation Degree in Technical Theatre and Stage Management will give a solid understanding of all aspects of technical theatre including training in set construction, sound, scenic art, props, costume, lighting and stage management. Other courses involve a Mechanical Engineering Degree which is available at universities, which would be useful for those applying for sound, lighting and technical engineering jobs in the television industry. There are also apprenticeships available for those who are not interested in drama schools or universities, at film or television studios, such as Pinewood Studios (FILM) and ITV Studios (TELEVISION).     

PART C - APPLICATION PACK

https://www.lrsuntory.com/careers/marketing/producer-director/

Television Director

Name: Christopher Backway
E-Mail: chrisbackway2@gmail.com
Address: 
Phone Number: 

Personal Statement: 
When it comes to film making, I always want to achieve the best. I am a very confident leader and make important decisions that will have a positive effect on the outcome of the production. Being also an actor, I am committed to this industry, I want to inspire future generations with my work in film which shows my deep passion for film making. I want to achieve the best out of actors when I work with them, I want to go to their limits to achieve the best possible outcome in the film.

Education (Academic Qualifications):
BTECs: 120 Credit Subsidiary Diploma   Media Studies (Distinction), Performing Arts (Distinction)
                                                                   Coulsdon College (2014 - 2016)
GCSEs: Drama (Grade A)
              English Literature (Grade C)
              English Language (Grade C)
              Mathematics (Grade C)
              Science (Grade C)
              Additional Science (Grade C)

Work Experience:

Coulsdon College, Media Studies Department