Misfits and Black Mirror

Misfits created and written by Howard Overman and Black Mirror created by Charlie Brooker have both their similarities and differences. Both of these shows are produced by channel 4. They are both in the sci-fi genre and show a dystopian future in a different way.  They both have a target audience of young adults but Black Mirror focuses more on the changing of the world and Misfits focuses on how we can be changed.

Black Mirror shows how technology can run the future and change it usually for the worst where as in Misfits they use a supernatural element by giving the group of protagonist’s super powers. Misfits isn’t set in the future but it defiantly shows a strong theme of Dystopia. Both Misfits and Black Mirror show strong connotations on how the world has a lack of control and order to create an unimaginable world. However Misfits can also come under the sub genre of black Comedy.

Due to Misfits being a hybrid-genre of sci-fi comedy the producer has opened up a lot more pathways that the TV show can take in order to be a lot more interesting. Misfits follows the narrative of a group of young offenders on community service that after a strange storm learn they now have a superpower. Although superpowers are very unrealistic the show adds a great sense of realism due to the portrayal of the characters. This show has a big representation of youth; the five main characters who happen to be teenagers are all on community service which certainly doesn’t portray teenagers in a good light. The youth are depicted in a worse light when they start committing terrible crimes even if they do it unintentionally.  Kelly is one of the protagonists and possibly the biggest stereotyped character; she is portrayed as lower class with bad language, lots of makeup and not much dignity. Kelly reminds me of a character in the film Fish Tank called Mia where she is portrayed in exactly the same way but you can see Mia is of a low social class which made me realise how Kelly was shown in the same way.

Black Mirror however follows a narrative in a dystopian future especially the second episode which surrounds the use of technology and how it will affect us in the future. The first episode surrounds the British prime minister being blackmailed into bestiality in order to save a princess’s life. This episode shows a representation of class and how much power they have. If the person he had to save wasn’t someone who belonged to a family of such great power maybe she would’ve been considered not worth saving, also the prime minister who is also upper class is who the blackmail was aimed at. Someone of such high status is more likely to attract attention. He has power over whether the princess died or lived but she had power over whether he was publicly embarrassed or deemed as a killer. They both have great power against one another although unintentionally. So this shows how Misfits and Black Mirror have the theme of power in both although very different types of power. However in the second episode we saw how the future would change at the speed technology is growing; soon our lives will be ruled by technology, the technology would be in charge of us and decide how we live our lives.

In conclusion both TV shows present themselves similarly by using similar themes. However how they both follow the conventions of the sci-fi genre is very different with one showing the birth of the supernatural and the other showing a new life for humans under the rule of technology. 

News Article 14

Pass Mark raised for GCSE's this September

Pupils will have to score more highly to gain a "good pass" in their GCSEs, under changes to England's exams.

Candidates will have to obtain a Grade 5, equivalent to a low B or high C now, as grading switches to numbers nine to one in exams to be taken first in 2017.

The aim is to make standards comparable to top-performing countries such as Finland, Canada, and the Netherlands. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan says raising the bar on GCSE exams will help pupils achieve in life. The new grading system, which replaces the A to G system with a new nine-to-one numbered scale, comes as new "more rigorous" GCSEs are being introduced for first teaching this September.

The new grading system has been designed to reveal the differences between candidates at the top end. Currently, candidates are expected to achieve a C to attain a "good pass", although grades below this are still officially considered passes.

New GCSEs

• GCSEs to be graded from nine to one, replacing A*-to-G grades
• Grade 9 will be highest
• Grade 5 will be considered a good pass, equivalent to a current low B or high C. It will be linked to standards in high performing countries
• Grade 4 will be equivalent to current low C grade
• Grade 1 will be lowest
• Introduced for new-style GCSEs in English and maths to be taught from September 2015
• First of new exam grades awarded summer 2017

I do think this is a better more reliable way to understand which students are more ready and will strive more from going on to take A-Levels. However I also think that it'll make it a lot harder for more students to achieve the grades they are aiming for as they'll have to work so much harder to even get a 4 (C grade) therefore making it more difficult to get into colleges or 6th forms which will stop them from going onto further education such as university. They'll have a lot less opportunities in life if they do not get the grades.

A2 Coursework idea

Q: How far does the 1st person shooter genre affect the attitudes and behavior of young people?

Research:

• Crimes previously blamed on games of this genre
• Statistics on positive and negative effects this genre typically has on people
• Controversy surrounding violent games such as Call Of Duty and not games that have potential violence such as The Sims
• Does this genre of games encourage people to use weapons
• Questionnaire/interview results? 

Primary Research

This will mainly surround specific 1st person shooter games such as CoD and Battlefield and research on how they affect young people depending on how much they play the games. I will look into how the aim of all these games is too kill as many people as possible and how this aim may affect different people perhaps based on different personality traits.

Secondary research

I will look at a range of different texts that will help me in my research. I will do this to triangulate my sources and make my conclusion to the question more reliable. I may include the opinions of different people on this genre compared to other genre of games.

News Article 13

Georgia Flood: Animals from zoo escaped

Heavy flooding in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, has killed eight people and officials are warning residents to stay indoors to avoid animals that have escaped from a zoo as many dangerous animals are still loose.

The missing animals include tigers, lions, bears and wolves. It is believed that a zookeeper is among the dead. A hippopotamus was cornered in one of the city's main squares and subdued with a tranquiliser gun. However other animals have been killed in the flood. Rescue workers are searching submerged homes to check for trapped residents. Dozens of people have been left homeless after their houses were damaged or destroyed. 

10 people have been reported missing and Mayor Davit Narmania said the situation was "very grave". Other animals have been recaptured or killed though it is unclear how many are missing. Helicopters are now circling the city as part of a search and rescue operation. Tbilisi's vice-mayor, Irakly Lekvinadze, estimated the preliminary damage at $10m (£6.43m).

I hope that they find the rest of the animals quickly for the safety of both the animals and the people of Tbilisi and continue to search for those reported missing in the hope that they may have survived this terrible flood.

News Article 12

Pitch Perfect 2 top US Box office charts

Pitch Perfect 2 has made an impressive $70.3m (£44.7m) debut at the US box office, storming ahead of George Miller's Mad Max reboot, Fury Road.

The comedy sequel earned more in its first weekend than the $65m that the first film pulled in over the course of its entire US run in cinemas. Universal's Nick Carpou described the musical sequel's success as "amazing". Directed by actress Elizabeth Banks, it marks the highest ever opening for a first-time feature film director.

"People loved the first movie and it resonated well beyond that $65m that the first film did," said Carpou, Universal's domestic distribution chief. "To be able to build on the first film and expand its popularity is pretty amazing."

The film sees Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson reprising their original roles, alongside newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, as the fictional a capella singing group The Barden Bellas. The story sees the Bellas square off against German aca-champions Das Sound Machine in an international singing contest.

Tom Hardy in his new role as Mad Max

Tom Hardy's turn as the reinvented Mad Max - filling the shoes of Mel Gibson 30 years on - racked up $44.4m, having received positive reviews when it premiered at Cannes Film Festival last week.

However the film remains a long way from profit. Pitch Perfect 2 cost a modest $29m to produce, while Mad Max: Fury Road carries a significant $150m price tag.

News Article 11

Riots have broken out in London over election Result

There have been riots in London concerning the Conservatives getting into power for the next four years. Thousands of people went to London to protest against the Conservatives getting into power once again. It is said that the Conservatives did not receive the most amount of votes but received the highest amount of seats in parliament.

The people are rioting over some changed that the Conservatives have said they will make. Some of these changes will be privatising the NHS, scrapping the human rights act to replace it with the British Bill of rights and reducing annual benefits.

The Conservatives with leader David Cameron reached 331 seats in parliament, Labour had 232 seats and the Lib Dems only received 8 seats.
Mr Cameron's rivals Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage have all resigned after election disappointment.

I personally don't think these riots will change anything in the country and unfortunately wont get the Conservatives out of power but I think it's good that people are finally standing up for what they believe in. I'm unhappy that the Conservatives are in power and if I could vote would vote for Labour. I disagree with how power is granted and feel our votes should be the decider on who governs our country. Some of the changes that will be made such as privatising the NHS will ruin the county and it reinforces the idea that the Conservatives are only for the rich.

News Article 10

Nigerian Women freed by Boko Haram tell of captivity horror

Former hostages held by Boko Haram militants in northern Nigeria say some fellow captives were stoned to death as the army approached to rescue them.

The Military says many Boko Haram bases in the Sambisa Forest have been destroyed

The women said Boko Haram fighters started pelting them when they refused to run away as the army came nearer. A group of nearly 300 women and children was brought out of the vast Sambisa forest to a government camp.

The military says it has rescued more than 700 people in the past week in an offensive against the Islamist group. The women said several were killed in the stoning, but they did not know how many.

Others were killed inadvertently by the military during the rescue operation, they added. Soldiers did not realise "in time that we were not the enemies" and some women and children were "run over by their trucks", said survivor Asama Umoru.

The survivors said that when they were initially captured, the militants had killed men and older boys in front of their families before taking women and children into the forest. Some were forced into marriage. One woman, Lami Musa, 27, said she had avoided that fate. "When they realised I was pregnant, they said I was impregnated by an infidel [her husband] and they killed him," she said.

Other survivors said the militant Islamists never let them out of their sight - not even when they went to the toilet. "They didn't allow us to move an inch," one of the freed women, Asabe Umaru, told Reuters news agency. "We were kept in one place. We were under bondage."

One woman described how they were fed just one meal a day. "We were fed only ground dry maize in the afternoons. It was not good for human consumption," Cecilia Abel told Reuters. "Every day, we witnessed the death of one of us and waited for our turn," said Umaru, a 24-year-old mother of two.

Boko Haram is said to have abducted over 2000 women and children but of those released none of the freed women and children are thought to be any of the 300 school girls that were abducted more than 1 year ago. 

I think the events that have happened in Nigeria are absolutely awful and the rest of the captive need to be found and returned. What is happening in Nigeria is not aired on the news enough so people don't understand just how terrible the events have gotten.