Monday, 7 July 2014

How TV Changed!

Changes in TV




Over the last 20 years, TV has changed in a lot of ways. The change to TV even including TV’s not being a necessary anymore. With companies like Apple, Netflix, Amazon and many others, other ways of watching television programs and films have become available


With Smart TV, streaming video has become a battleground, where Amazon, Apple, Google, Horizon, Hulu and many others are competing to get the best streaming service for the market. Watching television no longer necessarily involves watching a television, with many shows set to stream on tablets and computers.
Between renting shows that just aired through Itunes and Hulu, people can watch things whenever they feel like and the technology is moving in the smart TV direction where web-based technology allows access to television. With shows available for rent or for free online shortly after broadcast, we’re now seeing movies follow this example with video on demand. This is where people can watch movies just as easily at home, as they can at the cinema. This has been a boom for low budget and art films in making a print of a movie can cost thousands of dollars.

On your phone you can watch your favourite TV programs right on your screen because of the developments in mobile TV.  With Mobile TV you can watch your favourite TV shows indoors, outdoors, while eating lunch or on a long journey. You can also choose pre-recorded videos, clips, movies, cartoons, talk shows and much more.


By Josh Jermy

Wednesday, 25 June 2014

British TV Companies


British TV Companies

 

BBC – The British Broadcasting Corporation (known as the BBC) is a British public service broadcasting corporation. The main responsibility of the BBC is to provide impartial public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The BBC’s main headquarters are in London but also has major production centres in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow and Salford Quays. The BBC is the oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees with at least 23,000.

The BBC operates under a Royal Charter and a license and Agreement from the Home Secretary. Within the United Kingdom its work is funded by the annual television license fee, which is charged to all the British households, companies and organisations using the type of equipment to receive live television broadcasts. The level of fee is set annually by the British Government.

The BBC has been produced television since 1932, although the regular service started on 2nd November 1396. The BBC has since launched many channels and are included the channels from the list below:

1.       BBC One

2.       BBC Two

3.       BBC Three

4.       BBC Four

5.       BBC News

6.       BBC Parliament

7.       CBBC

8.       CBeebies

9.       BBC One +1

10.   BBC Alba

11.   BBC World News

12.   BBC America

13.   BBC Entertainment

 


ITV – ITV is a commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. ITV launched in 1955 as Independent Television under the auspices of Independent Television Authority, to provide competition for the BBC. It is the oldest commercial network in the United Kingdom. Since 1990 and the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, it’s been known by Channel 3 (its legal name).

ITV is a network of television channels that operate regional television services that also share programming between each other that are displayed on the entire network. In years more recent, several competitors have merged so currently the fifteen franchises are in the hands of three companies. ITV is funded commercially.

ITV has several different categories of programs they broadcast including: ITV News, ITV Weather, ITV Sport, CITV and ITV Schools. ITV has many channels and are listed below.

1.       ITV

2.       ITV 2

3.       ITV 3

4.       ITV 4

5.       ITV Encore

6.       CITV

7.       The Store

 

BskyB – British Sky Broadcasting Group plc (more commonly known as Sky) is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephone services company that is headquartered in London, with operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The broadcasting group was formed in 1990 by the equal merger of Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting. BskyB is the largest pay-tv broadcaster in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 10 million subscribers. Sky is funded by the subscription fees and commercially.  

BskyB is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The market capitalization of the company is estimated at £14.32 ($23 Million) as of September 2013. 21st Century Fox owns 39.14% controlling stake in the company.

After a rocky start to the company and lots of money lost, on September 1st 1993, Sky multi-channels were launched. The package included four channels formerly available, broadcasting Astra’s satellites and introducing all new channels. The service continued until 2001, with the launch of the Sky Digital Platform. Within two months of the launch, Sky had gained 400,000 subscribers.

Sky’s content also now includes Sky +HD (which was launched in 2006) and Sky 3D. Sky TV is now available on demand, on game consoles, mobile devices and online. There are currently almost 700 channels available on Sky.
 
 
Written by Josh Jermy

Contracts, Ethics and Legal Rights in Film

The Employment Legislation – Contracts, Ethics and Legal Rights in Film

 

The Employment Legislation covers the laws and standards that ensure that employees do not suffer from dangerous, illegal or unhealthy working environments or practises.  In the film industry there are many different laws that have been made up of contracts, ethics and legal rights. These contracts, ethics and legal rights are included in the list below.

 

Health and Safety – This ensures a safe and healthy working environment.

Equal Opportunities – This ensures that there is no discrimination within the film industry. This also ensures no matter your age, disability, gender, race, religion or sexuality; you will get a fair chance. Under the discrimination act include: The employment rights act, the sexual discrimination act 1975, the equal pay act 1970, the race relations act 1976, the disability discrimination act 1995, the national minimum wage act 1998, the working time directive 1999 and the employment reactions act 1999.

Insurance – Employees must get insurance in order to cover themselves from accidents, illness or injuries. Depending on their insurance premium, will depend on what compensation they may be able to claim. This will also help cover costs, if having problems with employees.

Copyright – Copyright is one of the main Intellectual Property Issues. Workers in the film industry often in creative roles will need to understand who owns the rights to the work. Whether it’s themselves as the author of the work or the company producing the film own the rights. Scriptwriters sell the rights to their work in order to it to be turned into screenplay for a feature film.  Employees also may need to obtain copyright information if they are to use clips, music or phrases from other films.

Trademark – Trademark is the other main Intellectual Property Issue in film. Trademarks are signs in forms of logos and/or words/phrases that distinguish one company from another. These trademarks must be registered with the Intellectual Property Office. This is so they can stand recognisable to the public to the brand they belong to. Big companies like Disney have many trademarks including the world famous Disneyland logo. This is to protect the brand from anything that could ruin its reputation.

 

Written by Josh Jermy

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

C.V.

Josh Jermy - Curriculum Vitae  
Contact information – Mobile Number: 07429 387076, Home Number: 01273 381088, Email: joshjermy@yahoo.co.uk, Address: 2 Westbrook Way, Southwick, West Sussex, Postcode: BN42 4BF.

Background

After studying at college for three years, I took a gap year to travel and now that is over I'm looking to start my employment career. I studied Creative media (Level 2), Filmmaking (Level 2) and Filmmaking (Level 3) over my three years at college. I also studied English in my final year at college. At school I also did a college course in Animal Care.

My strengths are writing, all types of written work, creative media, good communication and people skills; I work well with others but also get a job done working alone. I am also good at getting work done on time and work well to tight deadlines. Working under pressure doesn’t faze me and I actually prefer it as at times it brings out the best of me.

I am looking to bring something new, different and exciting to a work team or to an individual job and hope to gain more experience in the creative, film and media industry. I also have a good knowledge of film and always keep up to date with what’s going on in the film industry.  I am open to other career paths.


Employment History – N/A


Education

Kings Manor/Shoreham Academy – High School (2007-2011)

Brinsbury College – Animal Care Level 1 (2008-2009)

Northbrook College and University – Creative Media Level 2 (2011-2012)

City College Brighton and Hove – Filmmaking Level 2 and Level 3 (2012-214)


Qualifications

Grade C in English Literature

Grade B in Work Related Studies

Grade C in Maths

Animal Care – Level 1

Creative Media – Level 2

City and Guilds in English Level 1 and 2

Filmmaking – Level 2

Filmmaking – Level 3


Training

Basic Camera Techniques and Sound Recording Skills

Script Writing Experience (Which includes an advert for Lion Bar)


Editing Short Films using Adobe Premiere

Story Board Artist Training

Director of Short Films and Music Videos

Computer Literate

Organising Schedules for Short Films

Animal Sitter Training

Interests

I enjoy watching films, writing film reviews for my blog, taking care of my animals, keeping up to date with the film industry, socialising with friends, going to the cinema, travelling and learning new things.

Monday, 23 June 2014

Netflix

Netflix


 

 
Netflix was founded in 1997 and is an American provider of on-demand Internet streaming media available to North and South America, parts of Europe (including the United Kingdom) and the Caribbean. They also provide flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States (where DVD’s are mailed and sent via Permit Reply Mail). Netflix’s headquarters are in Los Gatos, California. In 1999, it started a subscription-based digital distribution service, and by 2009 it was offering over 100,000 titles on DVD and had also surpassed 10 million subscribers.

On February 25th 2007, Netflix had announced their billionth DVD delivery. In April 2011, Netflix had 23.6 million subscribers in the United States and 26 million worldwide. Netflix’s revenue reached at least $1.5 billion by 2011. By October 2012, Netflix had announced an 88% fall in third quarter profits. By January 2013, Netflix had announced they’d added another 2 million subscribers in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2012, with the total up to 29.4 million subscribers worldwide.

By March 2013, Netflix had 33 million subscribers. That number had then increased to 36.3 million by April 2013. By the end of the year, Netflix reported 33.1 million subscribers in the United States.

 
 
Netflix also produce and distribute their own TV shows which include House of Cards, Hemlock Grove, Orange is the New Black and Bad Samaritans.
They also have many series in development including; Marvel's Daredevil, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Marvel's Luke Cage, Marvel's Iron Fist and Marvel's Defenders.
 
 
Written by Josh Jermy.

Comparing Soundtracks in Film


Comparing Soundtracks in Film – Drive and Inception

 
I have chosen these two soundtracks because they are two of my favourites and also add a lot to the respective films they are for. They are also from two of my favourite film composers; Cliff Martinez and Hans Zimmer. The soundtracks are both very different and very alike which is why I thought it would be a good comparison.



Cliff Martinez composes a great soundtrack for Drive which catches the right tones; the emotional expects of the film and adds another layer to the film. I have many favourite tracks from the soundtrack but I’m going to choose the track; He Had a Good Time (track 8) and I have chosen this track because it really captures all the right things about the scenes it is in. It adds a layer of emotion and helps you connect with the characters and what they are thinking. This track and many others also help the film not need dialogue in some scenes because the soundtrack actually helps you know what they might be thinking and what the tones are in various scenes.

Here is a link to the track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp4Kr6bpz-c

 

Now onto the soundtrack of Inception which was composed by my one of the greatest film composers of all time; Hans Zimmer. The soundtrack for the film is one of my favourites because when I first saw the film at the cinema back in 2010, the soundtrack at times had my hairs on my arms and the back of my neck on edge because of how intense it was when the big thrilling moments of the film were happening. The track I am going to pick for this soundtrack is; Dream is Collapsing (track 3). This track is one of the stand outs of this soundtrack and is a truly brilliant composed track. It adds layers of intensity, emotion, thrills and just great sound. When this was first played during the film, you can sense a shift in tone and can really tell how intense and thrilling this film was going to be.
Here is a link to the track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imamcajBEJs

 
The two tracks I selected both have a lot in common but are very different in many ways. The tones for the tracks are very different with one having the tone that intensifies things (Dream is Collapsing) and the other that brings a layer of emotion and feelings (He Had a Good Time). Both tracks work very well for the film and what they have in common is, that they both capture the right tones for the scenes they are used.  If it’s the emotions, intensity or tone, these tracks are good examples of the right track, for the right scene, in the right movie.


Written by Josh Jermy

Film Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Film Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Director: Marc Webb

Writers: Alex Kurtzman, Robert Orci, Jeff Pinkner and James Vanderbilt

Producers: Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Stan Lee, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti and Sally Field

Composer: Hans Zimmer

Film Companies: Sony, Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment

Running Time: 142 Minutes

Budget: $200 Million

Release Date: April 16th 2014 (UK), May 2nd (US)

 

Plot: Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up super-villains: Electro, Green Goblin and Rhino against him, impacting on his life.

 

Review: After the successful reboot which made over $750 million worldwide fewer than two years ago the sequel comes in with the takes raised and by doing so makes a successful film.

In the first act the film is action packed and has a great opening action sequence which is filmed well and shows of the city of New York while it makes you feel as if you’re there with Spider-Man swinging from building to building. This is where you’re introduced to Max Dillion (Jamie Foxx) who is saved by Spider-Man and starts to shape his destiny.

The middle act of the film focuses more on Peter Parker’s (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacey’s (Emma Stone) on/off relationship, the investigation into his past and his parent’s disappearance and the reappearance of his old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan). This part of the film is not so action packed but is still interesting and has a lot of emotion to it as the performances are solid from all the cast involved.

The final act is once again action packed and shows of some spectacular special effects and some thrilling action sequences right up to the unpredictable ending. The last half hour of the film is hard to keep your eyes from the screen as heroes and villains clash in entertaining and thrilling action pieces.

Moving onto the cast, Andrew Garfield excels in his role of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. His confident, cocky and humour is fun to watch as he swings around the city as Spider-Man whereas, when he’s Peter Parker he’s struggling with the guilt carried from the finale of the last film which harper’s his relationships and his chances of happiness.

His on/off love interest Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) is lovable in the role. She is goofy, funny, smart and strong showing off she is a strong character and shows why she is great for Peter Parker’s character and why they love each other.

The chemistry between Garfield and Stone is unmistakable. The romance is believable as it feels real, is relatable and has those cute awkward moments which make the romance work. As the romance is on/off in the film it adds another layer to their romance and it also lets them try to restrain themselves from being together so that a promise can be kept.

Now onto the villains, Jamie Foxx plays the nerdy loner Max Dillion well with some funny and weird moments among his growing obsession with Spider-Man. When he becomes Electro after an accident at OsCorp he becomes mad with wanting power and adds a different side to his character.

Dane DeHaan is also very good in his role of Harry Osborn. Showing the strains of the genetic illness he has, his character unravels as the film goes along and he soon becomes well known comic book villain: Green Goblin. His portrayal as the Green Goblin reminds me in some ways of how he is in some of the cartoons and is quite creepy.

The final villain of the film is a Russian mobster (Paul Giamatti) who becomes The Rhino who makes a smaller functional appearance and is out for revenge against Spider-Man.

The rest of the cast are good in their roles including Sally Field as May (Peter’s Aunt) who shows a range of emotion and humour and is ever great as she always is. Other small appearances set up future characters for future films.

Other things to be noted include some great uses of 3D (some of the best I’ve seen), good special effects and very good romantic core to the movie which really make this movie that much better.

 Overall I really liked this movie and thought it improved on its predecessor and is possibly my favourite of all the Spider-Man feature films and look forward to future of the franchise as it’s been well set up after a big ending for the film

 
Rating: *****
 
Written by Josh Jermy

Thursday, 29 May 2014

Film Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Film Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier


 
Directors: The Russo Brothers

Writers: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Producers: Kevin Feige and Stan Lee

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Toby Jones, Robert Redford and Samuel L. Jackson

Composer: Henry Jackman

Film Companies: Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios

Release date: March 26th 2014 (UK), April 4th 2014 (US)

Running Time: 136 Minutes

Budget: $170 Million

 

Plot: Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.

 

Review: With each Marvel film released within the “Cinematic Universe” the expectations go up and with this film its not different.

The latest entry is a sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) but also feels more like a direct sequel to Avengers Assemble (2012) and the film doesn’t disappoint.

Set in modern times this film uses the character of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) very well with him adapting to life in a different era. The pop references help this along and this film shows that you’d have so much to adapt to if you got thrown into another time.

The film itself is executed very well and the choice of genre works for the film, as this is a unique genre for a superhero film. The espionage spy thrilling feeling to the film makes the film at times quite chilling and tense. The film also has a tone of realism to it and shows that no one is invincible in this universe.

The plot of the film is very well written with some nice dialogue including references to the Marvel world and history what are always nice touches.  The plot also has some nice plot twists and isn’t as predictable as some superhero films and this keeps you on the edge of your seat and also sets the film up for a thrilling action packed ending.

Onto the action of the film: The film has a lot of action in it and may even have more action than Avengers: Assemble had which was a welcome surprise. The action is well filmed and with a lot of it done with practical effects and real stunts it is really enjoyable watching. A few fight scenes are very well choreographed including a fight scene between hero and villain.

The cast of the film is very strong lead by Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America who grows into the role and is a perfect fit (in my opinion) for the role and shows that he is about justice and doing what’s right and has a nice dynamic with the rest of the cast and the agency he is working for: SHIELD.

Scarlett Johansson returns as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and gives her best performance in the role showing she’s not good at kicking ass but also is vulnerable and adds a lot of humanity to her role. She also has good chemistry with Chris Evans and the dynamic between the two really works in this film.

Samuel L Jackson has his biggest and most important role as Nick Fury and also gives his best performance as this film gives his character depth and while some of his actions are questionable you understand why he is making them. He also is involved in a big action sequence which was well shot and built up very well.

Robert Redford and Anthony Mackie are welcome additions to the cast. Redford plays a SHIELD Senior Leader and brings a lot to his role, while Anthony Mackie is great as Falcon. He is funny and also shows that he belongs to be right in the thick of the action. His winged suit is also a nice use of technology.

The rest of the cast including Sebastian Stan, Frank Grillo and Cobie Smulders do well in their roles, especially Sebastian Stan showing a transformation of character from his last appearance and shows that he can be very diverse with his role.

The 3D is well used in the action sequences and the special effects are very good and with the mix of special and practical effects the film benefits from this and also adds something different to the film.

Overall I loved the film as it is a game changer and is probably the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe other than universally favourite: Avengers Assemble. The film has a lot going for it and everything was executed well and I look forward to seeing more superhero films like this.

Also look out for a great Stan Lee cameo and wait until the end of the credits as you may miss a scene or two…

 

Rating: *****
 
 
Written by Josh Jermy

Soundtrack Report - Part 2

Soundtrack Report – Part 1

 

Drive (2011)

 
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Composer: Cliff Martinez

 

Report on the director: Nicolas Winding Refn is known for making stylish movies that are also violent. Drive is both of these things and the film itself is a beatifully made film that is among my favourite films. This compares to his other films with the violence. His next film ‘Only God Forgives’ was also known for these things and also is composed by Cliff Martinez and stars Ryan Gosling.

Nicolas Winding Refn won the award of Best Director and Cannes Festival (2011) after his film recieved a standing overation. He was not nominated for an Academy Award (to the surprise of many critics) but was nominated for Best Director at the BAFTA’s but didn’t win the award.

 

Musical Score: The musical score is hands down one of my favourite soundtracks of all time. The use of composed music by Cliff Martinez, while using songs from various artists that fit the film is a very clever approach and it suits the film and also adds another layer to the film.

Songs including ‘Nightcall’ by Kavinsky ft. LoveFoxxx, ‘Under Your Spell’ by Desire, ‘A Real Hero’ by College ft. Electric Youth and ‘Tick of a Clock’ by Chromatics are a great use of other songs that Cliff Martinez has helped compose into the soundtrack. Some of these songs are now very popular and have been used in other films. Both ‘A Real Hero’ and ‘Tick of a Clock’ are used in the film ‘Taken 2’. Other films and adverts have used songs from the album as well.

Other highlights from the album include songs like ‘Hammer’, ‘Bride of Deluxe’ ‘I Drive’ ‘He Had a Good Time’ and ‘They Broke his Pelvis’, which were all composed by Cliff Martinez.
 
 
Written by Josh Jermy