So summer is over and more importantly festival season has finished for another year. Traditionally, festivals were the soundtracks to our summers – events where people escape from their daily lives and enjoy a weekend of festivities (usually in some remote part of the country) whilst listening and dancing to their favourite bands and solo artists. However, this summer has seen some of the music industry’s most prolific figures (e.g. – Michael Eavis) fear for the future of the common music festival.

Eavis said earlier this year that ‘festivals are not selling out’ and fears that ‘people have seen it all before’, putting in jeopardy his own iconic (and some call the best) festival, Glastonbury. His predictions serve a stark warning to festival-goers and organisers alike as there is a real chance that in three to four years the summer music scene may be quite different from the one we experience today.

So what has lead Eavis to this stark prediction? Are we really in jeopardy of losing music festivals for good? The last few years have been economically difficult, which has meant that people have been forced to be more careful with their money. Combine that with the fact that festivals are as expensive as a holiday abroad, and it makes sense that they are the first thing people cut back on when money is tight. There has also been a growth in European festivals, which attract larger crowds at cheaper prices and usually have the added bonus of guaranteed sunshine, which means people can combine a festival with a summer holiday.

The other problem with current festivals is they all appear to be the same. As Eavis says, people are becoming bored of seeing the same bands on the same circuit each year. For a £200 ticket, people are expecting more from their experience and want to see creativity, individuality and difference when they invest in a large-scale music event. I personally, would hate to see the end of festivals. As a music fan, festivals allow you to see a variety of acts in one place and allow you to forget about everything for a weekend. However, I do believe that the festival format is becoming stale with the same line-ups appearing at festivals across the country and a lack of imagination in not only the acts playing, but also the experience as a whole. We want to experience a unique and exciting musical wonderland, which is different from anything else we have seen before. These are the things that summer and more importantly festivals were made for.

Last night, I saw the premiere of MTV’s Geordie Shore – the UK equivalent to Jersey Shore.  I tuned in, with baited breath to find out whether this was going to be another gem of scripted reality (similar to The Only Way is Essex) or a return to car crash TV in the vein of Big Brother.

The programme was (as anyone who watches the US version will know) an hour of car crash TV featuring half naked women, lots of alcohol and men who fake bake so much that they could easily glow in the dark.  This was definitely a return to reality TV at its worst, but this is precisely why the audience will tune in.  The fake and artificial situations of programmes such as The Hills and Made in Chelsea has meant that TV shows have been forced to employ soap opera writers to direct real people in scripted, sensationalised storylines to get ratings.  Geordie Shore bucks this trend by bringing the brutal reality of what young twentysomethings in Newcastle get up to in their spare time without the need of a script.

There is no denying that the characters in the show could be putting on a front to get the media attention that they crave and the show is edited to highlight the most dramatic storylines, but ultimately this show depicts real people in real situations.

The recent success of the The Only Way Is Essex at the BAFTA’s has proved that there is an appetite in the TV schedules for programmes featuring scripted reality, but will this return to TV in the style of Big Brother, depicting fame hungry individuals getting up to all sorts of alcohol induced madness mean that traditional reality TV is back?

The film based on the creation of Facebook was one of the main winners at the Golden Globes at the weekend.  The Social Network won Best Film Drama, Best Director (David Fincher), Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin) and Best Original Score, indicating that it is likely to be a winner at next month’s Oscars ceremony.
The beginning of the year is typically the season for film hype and buzz of potential Oscar winners and to some it may come as a surprise that a film about the social networking phenomenon that we all know and love, Facebook, has become so critically acclaimed.  Personally, I have not seen the film, so cannot comment on how good it is, but it is telling of our times, that a film based on social media is now making the media headlines.  This news is likely to be tweeted, re-tweeted, watched on Youtube and possibly even written about on Facebook, which exemplifies the power of the social media platform. 
How long is it before we see films based on Apple and films streamed live on Youtube where people can comment and affect the ending of the film they are watching?  The media landscape is constantly changing and developing, which has meant that media innovation and the way people use and review social media are becoming stories themselves.  The key to a successful film is an engaging story and The Social Network has proved that there is more to Facebook than a site which allows you to connect and comment on your friend’s lives.

Many of us have been in a situation where we have had to sell ourselves, sell our business or sell an idea.  This requires us to make someone believe every word we say with personality and conviction.  All of these things crossed my mind whilst attending the Media Business Course last week in Brighton.  How do I sell myself, but more importantly my idea to the client?  This led me to think about what makes the perfect pitch?
When thinking about what makes the perfect pitch, several things cross your mind.  How should I present my ideas, who am I talking to, what is the objective of the pitch, how can I convey all of the important information effectively and how can I get the client to buy into every word I say?  For some people, it’s all about the data – facts and figures tying every point back to a statistic.  For others, it is about creating an emotional connection– telling them a story through ideas generated to fulfill the brief.  For me, it is probably a bit of both.  What is clear from last week’s course is that style over substance does not work.  Ultimately, a pitch needs to follow a clear structure.  Points need to be made clearly and early-on and the first 15 minutes should not be spent relaying a funny anecdote of a drunken uncle which bears no relevance to the brief that has been set.  On top of this, you should be yourself and make sure that you are confident in the message you are delivering.
Being yourself could ultimately be one of the key learnings of the course.  Pitches can be stressful and challenging, but ultimately what you say and how you say it dictate the final outcome.  Things will inevitably go wrong – your computer may crash, you may be a bit shaky delivering your opening sentence, that coffee you have to settle your nerves may end up being splashed across your freshly ironed shirt.  However, all of these things should not distract away from the message you are relaying – the idea you are getting the client to understand and ultimately fall in love with.  Sometimes the old school flipchart is a better way to express a point compared to a flashy presentation.  Youtube can be used to promote a message, but it must be relevant to the brief and when things do go wrong you ultimately just need to go with flow.
From what I’ve learnt, structure is key, personality vital and making sure insight and objectivity is clear throughout the course of the presentation will really help you excel in a pitch environment.  I am by no means an expert, so these are just a few observations of what I think makes a good pitch.  I would be interested to hear your ideas…