The Top Films: The Lists

At the end of the year you always get the annual 'best of' lists. This year is no exception as many websites / magazines / newspapers get in on the act. In fact this year is worse as there are also the 'end of the decade lists to compare.

Here are a few of them to agree or disagree with. What do you think?

Total Film Top 30 Films of the decade

Total Film 18 great noughties films you may have missed

Paste Magazine 50 best movies of the decade

The Observer Best films of the year

Why don't you post an image of your favourite film of 2009 with some reasons for your choice?

Future of TV

Marketing Video Games

After completing the research of a video games company of your choice and your case study of video game regulation, you are now ready to have a crack at marketing.

Choose an important release (a recent one will help) and see what you can find out. Some things to look out for will be:

• Trailers - audio and visual
• Examples of viral marketing
• Internet advertising
• Promotions, tie-ins and point of sale material
• Social networking
• Launch day activities
• Magazine activity
• Soundtracks
• Posters

Maybe a starting point would be the recent Modern Warfare 2 by Infinity Ward. Here is the trailer produced for release day:

And here is an example of blog that has content about the marketing campaign or alternatively in the LA Times.

The more detail you can find out about different marketing techniques the better off you will be in the exam.

The Marketing of GTA4

Grand Theft Auto 4 - Marketing

View more presentations from Media Studies.

Video Games Developer Case Study

You should produce a case study of a video games company of your choice.

You should include:

• The origins of the company
• Examples of the games that they have developed or are developing
• Information about the size of the business (local, national, international etc)
• Turnover / profits

Essay on Video Game Regulation

How are video games regulated in the UK and why is regulation needed?

You must cover:

• The role of the BBFC
• The role of PEGI
• Examples of games and why they have gained their age classification
• The concern over children accessing inappropriate games
• The status of the law in regard to supplying games to underage children
• Examples of games causing controversy. Look here for good examples.

There is no guidance on a word count except to say that all of the points above have to be covered in some detail. No plagiarism please. Use pictures as illustrations wherever necessary.

Regulation and Video Games

Videogames in the UK are classified by two regulatory bodies. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) classify approximately 10% of all videogames released. PEGI (Pan-European Game Information) classify the other 90%.

• Are a non-governmental regulatory body
• Their age classifications are enforced by law.
• They classify videogames which contain video footage of, or depictions of the following:
• Human sexual activity
• Acts of gross violence towards humans and animals
• Criminal activity
• Drug use

Go to the website: http://www.pbbfc.co.uk/guides_Videogames.asp

• Are a self-regulatory body (set up voluntarily by the videogame industry to regulate their own products)
• Their classifications are guidelines for parents and retailers and are NOT enforced by law.
• If any game contains depictions of human sexual activity, acts of gross violence towards humans or animals, criminal activity or drug use, by law the game is exempt from PEGI classification and must be classified legally by the BBFC before sale.

Go to the website: http://www.pegi.info/en/index/id/28/

PEGI ratings: