Research Project - Artefact 6 Evaluation

Artefact six formed a research document that summed up the whole research and came to a conclusion to what the future on online content will be. It shows how content is being adjusted to keep up with the issue of online piracy and presents new strategies that are being used to tackle online piracy.

It argues a case that not enough is being done by big companies and associations to reduce piracy. Issues are raised about these organisations not successfully working together to beat online piracy and how this affects the industry as a whole.

The artefact looks into laws being enforced in countries to reduce online piracy by tracking and prosecuting individuals who frequently share files illegally. It highlights the dispute of anti-piracy technology being introduced to Freeview TV to stop illegal copying of TV shows for distribution on the internet.
It draws attention to the amount of illegal file sharing websites that have been fined or prosecuted and the vast crackdown countries are enforcing in their anti-piracy laws.

This document provides the new ways that are being used to help prevent online piracy and concludes how successful they may be with reference to previous artefacts.
It indicates measures that may be successful in helping, with what is an issue that affects every user of the World Wide Web.

Research Project - Artefact 6 Ideas

For my final artefact I want to sum up and bring together all my previous artefact's, and come to some sort of conclusion to how the issue of online piracy can be successfully tackled. I think the best way for me to do this is by producing a research document, that looks into strategies that were used previously and ones that are being used now, to ones that are newly being introduced and compare their success rates.

I think I can also look to where the future of online TV and content is leading to with its association with online piracy. I will need to look into new laws and legislations being introduced and how they affect it. I believe the new Digital Economy Act enforced in the UK last year (2010) will play a part in the argument for stopping pirates and prosecuting them for future decrease in piracy.

For this, I will need to do thorough research to come to a strong conclusion that justifies its findings.

Research Project - Artefact 5 Evaluation

Artefact 5 interviewed a famous Nottingham director called Chris Cooke, well known for his film ‘One for the Road’ (2004). It presented Chris Cooke with a series of questions about online piracy. The aim of this artefact was to understand his view on online piracy and how he is dealing with the change. This artefact focuses on a local person in Nottingham to get a more personal view.
This artefact provided me with essential information as it not only said why piracy is bad, but it also gave reasons why it was beneficial. I received unexpected answers, which in turn provided me with a different side to the issue of online piracy.
When asked about his view on online piracy, I received a strong view in favour of online piracy. The reasoning behind this was that he said a lot of films that were old or rare have been re-discovered by online piracy. He goes onto say that online piracy has been the main platform for films that would be lost, or films that haven’t been seen for centuries and it enables people to become fans of those films and learn from those films. It also gives an opportunity for those films to be re-released or re-mastered, and ‘piracy is what saved those films.’
The thing that struck me was when Chris mentioned being approached and being sold a pirated DVD of his own film, to which he gave a positive response. He said that he was happy that someone had even wanted to even copy his film and re-sell it and no one had really lost money. He mentions that he made it his priority to make the extras on his DVD have ‘real added value’. My next artefact will look into the future of online programming and piracy.

Research Project - Update - Chris Cooke Interview!

Okay, after a loooong time waiting I have managed to get myself an interview with Nottingham director Chris Cooke, known famously for his film One for the Road (2003) -

I will interview him next week and have written up a list of questions for this. I am hoping to get a very good response from this. I am glad I have managed to get this interview with a renowned director as it will make my artifact have good response and make it strong.

Research Project - Update

Okay, I have'nt updated my research project in about 3 weeks. I've been really busy with filming my client project. As well as this, I have contacted so many different film companies/organisation in Nottingham for my next artifact and haven't had success. My idea for this artifact was to interview an industry expert and get their view about online piracy. See how they are dealing with it and what measures they have in place etc. Two people I had in mind were Shane Meadows or Chris Cooke (Yes, i may be getting my hopes a bit too high). But the idea I want to put across a more personal approach, hence having a director based in Nottingham and see how they cope with piracy with their work. This will also help me as a practitioner to learn how this could affect me in the near future and ways it can be prevented. I will continue to look for someone and hopefully I will soon!

Research Project - Artefact 4 Evaluation

For my fourth artefact, I set up a series focus groups in the well-known school called the Nottingham Academy, with the time I had there as part of my PGCE work experience. The aim of this artefact was to see whether students were being made aware about the issue of piracy at school and the role teachers had in this.
It presented a class of twenty-two sixth form students with three popular anti-piracy adverts by to watch and followed by them completing a short questionnaire with feedback. They were also shown an anti-piracy advert I produced as part of this. From the class, 82% of students had never seen these piracy warning videos before.
Most students in the class were aware of what online piracy was and 91% of them admitted to downloading content without paying for it. When the students were asked whether these videos will make them change their minds and stop them from downloading illegally in the future, 21 out of the 22 students said it would not.
These videos were then presented to a series of teachers. I specifically picked teachers that could relate online piracy to their subject of teaching. I showed the videos to a head of Media Studies, a Media Studies teacher, and two heads of ICT for year eight and eleven. When asked whether the issue of piracy is in any way made aware to their students in their subject of teaching, 100% of the teachers answered no.
This is a clear indication that more needs to be done in schools to make children aware about the issue of online piracy, which may help in tackling the issue in some way. My next artefact will interview a film industry expert and see what measures they have in place to tackle this issue.

Research Project - Artefact 4 Ideas

I have been on my PGCE work placement for 2 weeks now, and I have been given the chance the teach part of the lesson in the ICT class. I was told I could do anything of my choice as a 'task' for the class next week. This got me thinking and it provided me with an ideal chance to get a really good strong next artifact. The questions that arose to me was: What is being told to children at school about the issue of online piracy? I have decided to set up a series of focus groups with students in which I will show three popular anti-piracy adverts. This will follow by the class completing a question with their feedback. This will determine what they know about the issue and what affect, if any, these anti-piracy adverts have on them.

I will do this separately for a teachers focus group in which the same procedure will be carried out, however with a different set of questions. This will hopefully show what is being taught, if anything, in schools about online piracy. I have planned the focus group for the teachers by letting the relevant teachers know to be present e.g. Head of ICT, and media teachers.