Casino Royale – Official UK Website

http://www.sonypictures.co.uk/movies/casinoroyale/

Interactivity
• Can vote online for Eva Green for BAFTA’s Orange Rising Star Award
• You can play the Casino Royale strategy game
• You can register for updates
• You are given the option to play poker
• You can read the Yarbrough Blog which shows you behind the scenes and a closer look of the film itself.

Market/promoting film
• You can watch trailer for film on website
• You can read about the film and find out information such as storyline, cast, crew and soundtracks for the film.
• It tells us that film is out in cinemas now, which would promote the film to the audience.

Attracting the audience
• Site tells us that it had 9 BAFTA award nominations, showing that the film was successful leaving audience wanting to watch film
• Interactive features will attract an audience with options to watch film video clips and vote online, as well as play games.

Fansite: Neighbours

Website link: http://www.ramsay-street.co.uk/

This is the longest running neighbours fansite in the world. The website is targeted specifically to fans of neighbours. It offers latest news about the programme, epsiode guides, information about the characters, magazine and newspaper articles, videos and still screen shots, as well as links to kylie minogue and holly valance mini sites, both of who were previous stars of the show. The audience is offered the chance to contact the site via email and express any issues they want to.

Vlog: Alien vlog 1 - The first contact

Website link: http://www.thedailyreel.com/videos/alien-vlog-1-first-contact

Undoubtedly the first of many, this animated vlog follows teenaged Nerk as he travels the universe to Earth with the 'rents. The vlog can be seen on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ofXQf3xcM.

YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view, and share video clips. Videos can be rated, and the average rating and the number of times a video has been watched are both published. Similarly to MySpace, an online community can be created whereby you can view, comment and rate over people's videos. YouTube can be used by anyone for free, and is therefore a great example of personalisation and interactivity.

New phenonomenon: PS3

The Playstation 3 is a gaming console produced by Sony Entertainment. It was released at the end of 2006 in Japan and the USA and by spring 2007 in the UK and acts as a direct competetor to rival consoles; the Wii by Nintendo and the Xbox 360 from Microsoft. It is the third console made by Sony and replaces the Playstation 2, the most successful games console ever greated. The Playstation 3 is a next generation console. The processer chip used to run the PS3, running at over 4GHz is up to ten times faster than curent home computers. This makes PS3 the most powerful games console ever created. TThis new technology feature allows real time processing. Something that has not previously been possible and allows graphics, sound and physics to be processed near instantly by a supercomputer like chip. The PS3 also uses Blu-Ray disks. These are the latest technology set to replace DVDs, and can store as much as 50GB on a dual layered disk. This allows designers to produce the most creative, in depth and graphically excellent games possible. It also means that future capabilities are inbcreased as designers have the storage space to make dramatic advances to games, lengthening the potential lifetime of the PS3. The PS3 allows Playstation Portable owners to link up the two machines. The PSP can access the internet through the PS3. Data can also be transferred from one to another, this wireless function opens possibilities for more entertainment on the go. The Playstation 3 has embraced the 21st century and has made a bold step in front of any other console producers. The vast range of new technologies used by the PS3 make it the most technologically advanced console ever made. New goals will be set for the standards of games in the future change. High definition graphics and huge processing powers allow designers to produce games which will impress users beyond any expectations.

Music downlading: Limewire

Downloading music off the internet has become extremely popular in recent years, with downloading figures having affects on the position of songs on the music charts.

Limewire, is a programme that can be downloaded for free and can be used to download any song you could possibly want and transferred you’re your own computer to listen to. This is extremely convenient, as you do not have to get off your seat to do this, with the stress of going out and buying/ordering a CD not a problem. You can choose to download songs and listen to them whenever you want; all you need is access to internet and a computer/lap top. The process of downloading the music will only take you a matter of minutes, making this method of consuming music far more efficient and easy then going around looking and buying CD’s.

Audiences that most commonly use programs such as Limewire are teenagers and young adults, who enjoy listening to music, but cannot go out and buy CD’s as they simply do not have the money. Also, these are the kind of people that are more likely to explore the internet and find out new information and ideas, such as coming across programs such as Limewire.

A Disadvantage of programs such as Limewire is that the sales of big record labels have slumped dramatically, due to the fact that their music can now be downloaded for free over the internet, therefore making small profits from CD sales.
There are currently 300 legal digital music websites, three times as many as existed a year ago. Digital music services have registered 2.2m subscribers around the world, which is up from 1.5m in January. The two most popular are iTunes, offering 1.5m tracks and Napster, which offers 1.2m

Blog of my choice: MySpace - Max and Barry

Website link: http://www.myspace.com/wearemaxandbarry

MySpace is a popular social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music and videos internationally.

Profiles contain two standard "blurbs": "About Me" and "Who I'd Like to Meet" sections. Profiles also contain an "Interests" section and a "Details" section. However, fields in these sections will not be displayed if members do not fill them in. Profiles also contain a blog with standard fields for content, emotion, and media. MySpace also supports uploading images. One of the images can be chosen to be the "default image," the image that will be seen on the profile's main page, search page, and as the image that will appear to the side of the user's name on comments, messages, etc. Flash, such as on MySpace's video service, can be embedded. Images and videos can also be commented on by your MySpace “friends”. Also there is a "details" section which allows the user to provide personal information on the user such as his/her race, religion, and sexual orientation. The User's Friends Space contains a count of a user's friends, a "Top Friends" area, and a link to view all of the user's friends. Users can choose a certain number of friends to be displayed on their profile in the "Top Friends" area. By clicking on other users’ profiles you will be directed to their own individual profile where you can also comment them. Below the User's Friends Space (by default) is the "comments" section, wherein the user's friends may leave comments for all viewers to read. Users of MySpace also have the option to edit the appearance of their profiles by pasting HTML onto their profiles. MySpace profiles for musicians are different from normal profiles in that artists are allowed to upload up to four MP3 songs onto their page. Also, MySpace users can choose to have music on their profile, which they would have to add from a band or artists own page. MySpace also allows users to create their own individual blogs, for their friends to view and comment, as well as being able to post individual bulletins for all their friends to see.

MySpace also promotes things such as various bands and artists, as well as things such as books and comedy shows.
Overall, MySpace is an excellent example of personalisation, in terms of how users can create their own profile with endless of features on them which are specific to them. There is also a sense of an online community, where people can interact with one another. Something else key to MySpace is the huge variety of media experiences that can be obtained, such as videos, photos, music and more.

Podcast of my choice: Ricky Gervais Show

Website link - http://www.rickygervais.com/podcast.php

The Ricky Gervais Show is a comedy audio show in the UK starring Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant from world famous comedy series The Office, and Karl Pilkington. The show started as a weekly show until 2005. In November 2005, Guardian Unlimited offered the show as a podcast series of 12 shows. Throughout January and February 2006, the podcast was consistently ranked the number one podcast in the world; it may appear in the 2007 Guinness World Record for the world's most downloaded podcast, having gained an average of 261,670 downloads per episode during its first month. The show became increasingly successful as Gervais and Merchant spent much of the air time mocking Karl Pilkington. He was little known before but througout the series became an increasingly important part of the show. His general opinions and ideas on life came across as totally ludicrus and Gervais and Merchant constantly talk him into situations where he can only reply with insane and hilarious suggestions.Features such as Karl's Diary and Monkey News were essentialy, stories beased on nonsensical ideas and thoughts from Karl's somewhat twisted mind.

The podcast uses new media technology to obtain such a wide audience. The podcast is essentially an audio program that can be downloaded from the internet and listened to on a computer or mp3 player such as the Apple iPod. The iPod is a multifunctional piece of equipment, it can be used as a music player, a movie player, for games and even as a portable hard drive storage device. The ability to download a podcast onto hardware such as an iPod means that people can listen to and enjoy the show wherever they are; at home, on the way to work or even whilst doing the weekly shopping.

The target audience for the Ricky Gervais podcast is extremely broad. Mostly for those who understand or appreciate a more mature or sophisticated sense of humor but it is accessible to anyone and the limits of who may enjoy this technology are endless

Radio show website – Flirty @ 9.30 (lol)

Website link: http://www.capitalfm.com/Article.asp?id=7729

Website offering listeners of capital FM to read information about one of their favourite shows and possibly sign up for.

Website layout the same as the Capital FM homepage, with the different options to click on and read about across the top of the page. Also, the same ITV2 advert can be seen on this page, something that is clearly one of Capital FM’s main features. The same contact information as seen on the homepage is also on this website.

The site offers fans of Capital FM and in particularly, the Flirty at 9.30 fans the chance to sign up to be on the show by filling out contact details and their individual stories.

The target audience for this show and the website for this show would be young people, both sexes, roughly between 18-30 who want to find their true love. Flirty @ 9.30 and this website offers them the chance to do this.

Radio station website – Capital FM

Website link - http://www.capitalfm.com/

This is the official website for the very popular London radio show, Capital FM. The site allows fans of the radio show to be able to listen to their favourite shows online, as well as download podcasts and find out information on all of their favourite shows, as well as their favourite bands and celebrities. Offers a convenient alternative to the traditional way audiences listen to the radio. It is also very non-linear, in the way that audiences can choose what they listen to online, instead of waiting for their favourite songs to come on the radio.

Page split up into several main sections. These include, pictures, different show information, coming events, FAQ’s, news, option to listen to show and information on films.

As well as offering a variety of different options for the audience, the website involves the audience in terms of its interactivity. Audiences can sign up to competitions to win ipods and tickets to various gigs, as well as signing up to receive business advice, and meet their favourite celebrities. The website also offers contact information offering phoning, texting and emailing options to the viewers. The website offers other simple things such as the current weather, which means viewers do not have to go elsewhere to find out information like this, which keeps the audience involved within the website and therefore Capital FM

Finally, the website includes adverts for itv2, where viewers can sign up for the chance to win a week’s work experience to be a top celebrity magazine editor

Interactivity
Alternative to traditional way of accessing radio

Online magazine: FHM

Website link - http://www.fhm.com/Site/NewHome.aspx

FHM is an international monthly man’s magazine. The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994. Founded by Chris Astridge, the magazine was a predominantly fashion-based publication distributed through high street men's fashion outlets. Circulation expanded to newsagents by the spring of 1987.
After the emergence of James Brown's Loaded magazine (regarded as the blueprint for the lad's mag genre) and later competing titles such as GQ and Esquire, For Him firmed up its editorial approach to compete with the expanding market and introduced a sports supplement. It then went monthly and changed its name to FHM. It subsequently expanded internationally. As of January 2007, it published 28 editions per month including editions in Russia, the United States, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Croatia, Australi, Estonia, New Zealand, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Venezuela, Thailand, the Philippines, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden, Singapore, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany and Turkey.
FHM became the best-selling magazine in Britain during the mid to late 1990s, selling 700,000 copies per month. Towards the end of the decade the lads' culture in which the magazine thrived began to die off and publishers turned to celebrity-oriented titles to boost overall sales. Heat overtook FHM as the UK's biggest selling magazine.
As well as the photo shoots, the magazine contains articles on a wide variety of topics, including profiles of sports stars, movie, music, gadget and book reviews, gossip, men's fashion shoots, the "bar scene" in a variety of locations, guy tales of sex, and extensive discussion of sexual techniques.
In December 2006 it was announced that FHM will be discontinuing its United States' print edition after the March '07 issue, turning to an all digital format with the launch of FHM Online.
The website shows the future of the FHM magazine, where the audience will go online to read the magazine, instead of buying an actual copy every month. The website involves a variety of different media texts, with references to games, bands, films, DVD’s, TV programmes, as well as other hardware devices, and much, much more.
The website offers a variety of options for the audience to click on. These options are common features in the monthly magazine and include, girls, style, games and entertainment. The audience can click on these options and by doing this they are effectively reading a copy of the magazine without having to go to the shop and buy it. On top of this, the website homepage offers the audience a variety of articles to click on and read about, as well as free downloads, signing up for various things, playing games and watching videos. In terms of interactivity, the website offers the audience the chance to vote for certain things, signing up for various articles and news, and chances to win competitions.
It is clear that the website is targeting men, and the age group that is being targeted is around 18-25.

Example of converged, portable technology: PSP

The PSP (PlayStation Portable) system is the first truly integrated portable entertainment system designed to handle multiple applications – music, video, photo, internet, and wireless connectivity, with games as its key feature. The PSP system features an unmatched library of entertainment content, combining more than 135 games and more than 430 feature films, TV programs, and videos on UMD (universal media disc, developed by Sony specific to the PSP)from major studios and record labels, as well as downloadable content from the internet.

The PlayStation Portable can connect to a wireless network through Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b. This allows two (or more) players with PlayStation portables to create a local, ad-hoc network for multiplayer gameplay, and also allows the a PSP user to connect to the internet via an internet-connected Wi-Fi router. By connecting to the internet, players can compete against other players also connected to the internet, or browse the web and download files to the Memory Stick via the built-in Access Co. NetFront browser.

The PlayStation Portable features a standard IrDA port located on the top left of the device. To date, the only games or applications to leverage this feature have been homebrew. This can be used to control many TVs as well as other iR devices.

The PlayStation Portable's main menu allows the user to configure the system for use across the Internet or an intranet via a wireless connection, known as infrastructure mode. The PlayStation Portable's menu can recognize protected and non-protected wireless networks within its range, and supports connecting to WEP and WPA encrypted networks.

Use of infrastructure networks in PlayStation Portable software began with a small number of titles at the U.S. launch, supporting online play.

South Korean PlayStation Portables have shipped with software providing web browsing and multimedia streaming features.

Sony's LocationFree Player allows users to stream live television broadcasts (or other video content) to their PlayStation Portable, within their WiFi network, or remotely via the internet.

The RSS features allow the user to download video web feeds or listen to podcasts from websites. RSS or podcast content can be saved to the Memory Stick Duo. Audio content can be streamed and played live. Blogs however, are not supported.

Ad-hoc wireless networking allows for up to 16 PlayStation Portables within range to communicate directly to each other (typically for multi player gaming). One unit acts as the host for a game, which is available to other PlayStation Portable units within that system's range, and appears in a list when the client PlayStation Portable searches for available hosts. You can also use an Ad-Hoc network to send images from one PlayStation Portable to another by use of the "send" and "receive" functions that appear in the "PHOTO" menu.

Some titles for the PlayStation Portable support a feature dubbed "gamesharing", which facilitates a limited set of multi player features between two PlayStation Portables with only one copy of the game UMD. A reduced version of the game being shared is transferred to the PlayStation Portable without a UMD via the PlayStation Portable's Wi-Fi connection, whereupon it is loaded into RAM and runs.

Website for TV programme: Prison Break

Website link: http://www.fox.com/prisonbreak/

The website has many different options for the audience. There is a choice of 9 main options to click on at the top of the screen that are linked to the show. These are ; show informaton, Recaps, Bios, Videos, Photos, Features, Boards (audience forums), Mobile options and a fan blog. Also, on the main page, you can click on a choice of video clips to watch from some point during the series. You can also view the photo gallery of members of the cast. The audience has the option to sign up for the forums and find out information about the show and catch up on anything they have missed. The site is also interactive and the audience has the option to vote online for free about their opinions of the show. On the main screen, different images and bits of information flash up allowing you to click on it to find out more. You can click to view a whole episode of your choice, and there is also a reference to the official Prison Break magazine which you can also sign up for.

The website has a few adverts for certain products, including Fox Mobile, where you can access TV episodes on your phone. The website also advertises other Fox TV programs, with a link at the top where you can choose from any Fox program and click on it to direct you to the website for that program.

Mainstream Broadcaster Website: Sky

Website link: http://mysky.sky.com/portal/site/skycom/home

Sky Digital is the only digital satellite TV broadcaster in the UK. Launched in 1998 to replace its previous satellite TV network, Sky Digital has added a number of innovative additions to its service such as Sky+, allowing viewers to ‘pause’ live broadcasts and schedule future programs to be recorded using a digital video recorder, and has launched a range of programmes that are broadcast in High Definition resolution (HDTV). Recently, Sky Digital has expanded into the converging communications market offering fast internet access with Sky Broadband and free evening and weekend calls over a landline - this multimedia ‘triple play’ package is advertised as Surf Speak See.
The website is split into 6 sections, these are; Home, My Sky, Products and Services, Sky Shop, TV Guide and Customer Support. You can click on any of these across the top of the page to give you a new page on the information you desire. The website homepage also has links to different programs that sky digital offers such as news, sports and movie channels. There are also options to sign up for new Sky Broadband, Sky HD box, the traditional Sky box and Sky Anytime. These are all examples of how Sky is countinually developing new methods of viewing and keeping up with technology. Sky also offers the EPG (electronic program guide) where you can find out times and information on programs you want to watch, and what they are about. Together with the Sky Plus box, you can affectively create your own channel whereby you record what you want to watch and store it in the Sky Plus planner where you can view it later on when it suits you. This makes the viewing experience very specific to you where you only watch what you want and when you want. It adds to the way in which viewing digital TV is now becoming more and more non-linear.
There is no refernce on the website to the target audience of Sky. However it is quite clear that Sky is trying to target anyone, due to the huge variety of channels and other sources of entertainment that it offers. With Sky, there is guranteed to be something for everyone.
In terms of institutions , the main institutions involved are Sky and Sky and British Broadcasting. However, any independent production company would be an institution such as MTV. By advertising different institutions, Sky can increase sales and attract more customers. They do this by advertising on niche channels to a narrow range of audience but which they know will be interested in the advert. For example, they would do this by advertsing for childrens toys on Cartoon Network. Sky are constantly advertising new features of technology for the audience to purchase. For example adverts for Sky HD, Sky Plus, Sky Broadband are all very common adverts.