TV & Cinema

Coca Cola Christmas TV Ad.

stephen trott — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:35:57 GMT

I'm just wondering, after spending most of the weekend disgracefully glued to the TV, if i'm the only one to notice that Coke have butchered the magic of Christmas from their 'Santa lorry' ad? The premise of the previous edit; that a young boy who almost misses the magical trucks passing through his town, pushes his way through the crowds to see the truck disappointingly driving away, only to have his faith in Christmas fully restored when the Santa on the back winks at him and sips his delightfully refreshing beverage; has been re-edited, to incorporate the new global coke branding at the cost of the whole reassuringly magical moral of the story! the Santa winking shot has completely disappeared and the boy is left standing in the street having missed the magical christmas truck. i can only imagine his mother has to scrape him off the asphalt in a fit of tears that is only consolable by a... Pepsi Cola??? dear oh dear oh dear. how does an ad with a monumental media buy behind it like this get through every stage of the process with no one realising they have butchered out the magic of Christmas like cack-handed axe wealding ogres? bemusing. Stephen.

What do you think?

Bill Oswald — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:02:01 GMT

This is a video that displays what a few amature film makers can achieve:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtmTGI-ukB0

Enjoy!

What was your favourite film of 2008?

Forum Admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:19:57 GMT

Despite the media downturn, the cinema industry had a good year, with cinema admissions up 1.1% on the previous year and the highest summer admissions since 1969. But which film from the top 10 highest grossing movies of the year in the UK did you enjoy the most?

[Poll]

Per-second advertising rates on cable TV and public TV?

Vera St — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:22:10 GMT

I'm looking for statistics on price range for per-second advertising on cable TV and network/public TV here in UK.

Can't find any. Have you seen public analytics on this issue of maybe anybody has real data on some channels?

Would be grateful for you help, thank you.

Old geezer TV co pops two new strands . . .

Chris Gosling — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:01:20 GMT

One of the UK's smallest TV production outfits, Serious Leisure TV, is launching two specialist programme strands on satellite next week.

Goodbye, 9 to 5! is aimed at people over 55, retired or keen to be, while Countryside Britain has a mixed target audience of countryside enthusiasts, both working and recreational. Both programmes will occupy the same time slot on alternate days, six days every week, and the first programme pair will play for two weeks before being followed by weekly editions.

The programmes will be broadcast by niche broadcaster Information TV on Sky channel 166 and Freesat 402, which already broadcasts Serious Leisure's Caravan Channel programme - which has been running fortnightly programmes for near three years.

Goodbye, 9 to 5! is due to premiere at 6pm on Wednesday 10th June, and will play on Wednesdays, Fridays and Mondays; Countryside Britain premieres at 6pm on Thursday 11th June, and plays on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Chris Gosling, who started Serious Leisure TV three years ago, says that producing original material for satellite channels is difficult, but very rewarding. "The object of the exercise is to produce TV which will interest highly specific audience groups, without spending the amounts of money terrestrial TV splashes around. That means the research and journalism has to be good, but production values aren't so slick - but that can be an advantage."

"I believe that specialist programme viewers are increasingly looking for programming which directly addresses their interests - but mainstream broadcasters tend to produce only for a mass audience, so their material tends to try and inform/entertain a mass audience. In our concept, we talk to our audience as people who often know as much or more than we do about their specific subject."

"That specialist audience is also expert enough to easily detect when broadcasters aren't at home with their subjects, or don't have a genuine personal interest in the topic - and they react poorly to that - they'd rather see serious information presented in a straight-forward way without flashy effects."

Gosling believes that his style of production has a very strong future. "We've had staggering success with The Caravan Channel, which has broadcast around 70 half-hour shows over the last three years, and with a similar boating programme, which we made 25 editions of, up to August 2008. I think we'll see similar success with this pair of programmes, which hit markets where we know and understand the audience - because we are them."

Goodbye, 9 to 5! premieres at 6pm on Wednesday, 10th June on Information TV, Sky 166 and Freesat 402. It is simulcast on broadband - see Information TV's homepage watch now feature. It plays on Fridays, Mondays and Wednesdays until 24th June, when it will be replaced by the next (weekly) edition. Website is completing development

Countryside Britain premieres at 6pm on Thursday, 11th June on Information TV, Sky 166 and Freesat 402. It is simulcast on broadband - see Information TV's homepage watch now feature. It plays on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays until 25th June, when it will be replaced by the next (weekly) edition. Website is completing development

The Caravan Channel is broadcast on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 7pm, on Information TV, Sky 166 and Freesat 402. It is simulcast on broadband - see Information TV's homepage watch now feature. There's a new edition every two weeks. Website is www.caravanchannel.tv

What will the backlash be for ITV?

Lyndon Morant — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:08:39 GMT

So ITV miss the only goal in the a terribly dull FA Cup game last night by cutting back to the commercial too late, then moments later have a static screen for 5minutes. Apologies to those who "may have missed the goal" probably didn't cut it for all those that did miss the goal (and that's going to be pretty much everybody). In this digital age, should mistakes like that ever happen? How is it even possible? Were you cross or is it something you - unlike me - aren't going to lose any sleep over?

Should Carol Thatcher have been axed for private golliwog joke?

Forum Admin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:59:52 GMT

The BBC has dropped former British premier Margaret Thatcher's daughter from one of its programmes after she used the word "golliwog" to describe a tennis player.

Thatcher allegedly made the comment during a conversation with fellow presenters after Thursday's filming for The One Show, in which she has appeared as a regular roving reporter for the last three years.

Is the BBC right to drop Thatcher despite the comment being made in private?

[Poll]

Would you like to watch the Olympics on Sky or ITV?

Forum Admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:52:38 GMT

The International Olympic Committee's decision to reject a bid from the BBC for televised rights to the Games after 2012 raises the possibility of bids from Sky, ITV and others.

Would you like to see the BBC's grip on the Olympics -- which it has aired for the last 50 years -- broken? Or would joint coverage shared between the corporation and its commercial rivals be a fairer distribution of the televised rights? Given the sharp downturn in advertising revenue being experienced by commercial broadcasters, it it about time that advertisers had the chance to buy space around the big most watched Olympic events?

[Poll]

Should the BBC charge viewers to participate in its programming?

Forum Admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:30:51 GMT

Hundreds of TV viewers have complained following a bungle in the scoring system that led to all three semi-finalists in 'Strictly Come Dancing' being put through to next week's final.

The BBC and internet message boards were inundated with calls and emails branding the outcome a fix. Viewers will not get a refund, with votes carried through to next week's show.

Should the BBC charge licence fee payers to participate in phone-in competitions? Is there a better way of promoting viewer participation - perhaps through the internet?

[Poll]

Big Brother 2009 : Send in the clowns.

Adrian Madden — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:37:15 GMT

I hope they extend it this year, 12 weeks isn't long enough for me, I'd like it to stretch to at least 15 weeks. Give the British public what they want, and they want more. Even now, thinking about the opening night on channel four is making me quite giddy. Those first glimpses of the new housemates as they step out of those limos.....the word on the vine for this year is that a Mexican will be entering the house. Imagine. A Mexican.

Anyone else looking forward to this voyeuristic televisual extravaganza ???

Bet the Mexican can hardly wait.......

Adrian.

www.sanaerjewellery.co.uk

Has Ross over stepped the mark again?

Forum Admin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:24:05 GMT

BBC presenter Jonathan Ross has landed himself in fresh controversy just minutes into his first show on BBC Radio 2 following a three-month suspension with a joke about his producer having sex with an 86-year-old Spanish woman "for charity", who suffers from dementia.

Is Ross out of order or is this latest scandal a storm in a tea cup?

[Poll]

Did the BBC take the right stance over the Gaza appeal?

Forum Admin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:29:42 GMT

Was the BBC right to decide against broadcasting the Gaza appeal?

[Poll]

Should Jonathan Ross apologise when he returns to the BBC this week?

Forum Admin — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:08:41 GMT

TV and radio presenter Jonathan Ross will reportedly refuse to bow to public pressure for his part in the obscene phone calls scandal with an apology when he returns with his Friday night chat show this week.

The return marks the end of a three-month BBC suspension. Are Ross' previous apologies sufficient? Have you missed Ross during his three-month ban? Should he apologise on-air to viewers this Friday?

[Poll]

Is BBC Worldwide the answer to Channel 4's funding shortfall?

Forum Admin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:59:58 GMT

The Government is considering merging Channel 4 with the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, in a bid to secure the future of Channel 4 without using part of the BBC's £3.4bn licence fee.

Is Channel 4, which is suffering from a sharp advertising downturn, deserving of such help or would it be more appropriate to use the BBC's licence fee to part fund the broadcaster? Is it fair that the BBC could lose brands such as Top Gear and the Radio Times to Channel 4?
[Poll]