This blog will follow my research and development of two chosen themes. The aim is to research and explore my chosen themes and their effect on our culture and media. I will be looking at these themes in our present time, as well as the past and future.
My research will hopefully expand far from my original themes and will cover a vast area of knowledge, which I can then interlink and combine to create inventive and creative ideas that I can use to create games or other types of media.
The seven seas cover almost 70% of the earth and over 90% of the vast oceans are still unexplored. There is so much we don’t know and have yet to discover about the ‘dark depths’.
The sea is very culturally relevant, mainly due to travel, trade, tourism and the damage that these do to the sea. Thousands of boats and ships leave port every day for journeys of varied lengths, whether it is a trading boat, cargo ship, or cruise ship, all of them cause pollution to the atmosphere and the sea. The world wouldn’t function the way it does without the sea, but every day that passes, we are further damaging the oceans and their inhabitants, and this damage isn’t reversible.
I will look at the function of the sea in our everyday lives, the damage we cause, and the on-going exploration and discovery of the sea, as well as looking at how we used to use the sea and how we came to rely on it so much. I will also look at what may lie ahead for the sea and how pollution and global warming may change it.
---------- Transport
Without travel and transportation we would not have civilizations. Without roads, railways, waterways and pipelines, our lives today would be very different. Transportation plays a key role in globalization as well as trade and industry growth, but all forms of transport cause pollution and use large amounts of land.
Transportation is very high on our cultural agenda and its importance has brought about many arguments and confusion in governments. The upkeep of transportation, with new vehicles, boats, and aircraft being built constantly, and the upkeep of roads, railways and ports work together to add up to probably the most expensive and vast industries.
I will again, be looking at the present, past and future of transportation and its effect on our culture. My research on transportation will work with my other theme to create unique and thorough ideas.
I now plan to search the internet and other media for interesting stories and articles based on my mind-maps above. I will look at my mind-maps and pick a few single words from each one and mainly research into those, as a way of narrowing my vision, and preventing my research from being too vastly spread.
The sea is vast and unexplored, and has played a key role in the development of mankind. I will be looking into deep sea exploration and discoveries initially and will see where that takes me.
Dixon, B. (2011)
Chinese Submarine (Jiaolong) and its crew of 3, dived to depths of over 5000 meters during September 2011. They have been diving to depths of over 3000 meters over the last few months, and reach 5057 meters in the most decent dive.
The purpose of the dives was to record information about the substantial pressure at those depths, and also to plant a Chinese flag at 3000 meters in the South Chinese Sea.
The submarine weighs 22 tonnes and was only 8.2 meters long, but it can withstand 5000 tonnes of pressure.
Dixon, B. (2011)
In my opinion this story is a real milestone in exploration of the sea, as at 5000 meters, the submarine can cover 70% of all the sea beds in the world, which opens up a huge opportunity for mankind to really begin to understand what is actually down there.
The deep sea angler fish is a fascinating and intriguing fish. As Blane Perun explains; "There are more than 200 different species of anglerfish worldwide... One of the ocean's strangest looking fish... found worldwide in near freezing water more than 3,000 feet below the surface."
Perun, B. (2011)
This anglerfish is so strange looking, it makes me wonder what else could be deep down in the sea, below the depth possible today, and it also makes me think, what used to be down there hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Based on the theory of evolution, there must be or used to be fish that this angler fish evolved from.
I have come across an article where scientist claim that many deep sea fish species are endangered due to deep sea fishing and nothing is being done about it. This instantly shocked me, as based on my knowledge, it is illegal to hunt a species which is classed as endangered. Not only that, but it seems completely ignorant to hunt a species to a point where it becomes extinct. Once it is extinct, there will be a massive drop in profit for the fishing companies. It makes me think that these companies are only thinking about now and not thinking about the future. Why choose high profit for a short period of time, when you can have medium profit inevitably.
Eilperin, J. (2011)
The main reason these fish are so easily endangered due to fishing is because of their life spans and the way that they reproduce. Juliet Eilperin explains that"Orange Roughy, which Australia declared a threatened species in 2006, take 30 years to reach sexual maturity and live up to 149 years." -Eilperin, J. (2011)
Problems like this will only get worse as "The estimated mean depth of fishing has more than tripled since the 1950s, from 492 feet to 1,706 feet in 2004" - Telmo Morato, and once technology improves, deep sea fishing companies will continue to go deeper, allowing them to fish and endanger more species.
From looking at the research I have already done, I have noticed that the deeper down into the ocean we go, the weirder and scary looking the species get.
I have decided to look into the creepiest and oddest looking species in the deep sea.
John. (2007)
"This strange cartilaginous fish uses its long snout to scan over the sea floor for the electrical impulses of its prey that bury in the muddy sea floor, just like a metal detector. Like other chimaeras (such as ghost and elephant sharks), these animals lay horny egg cases in which their young are left to develop, potentially for up to one year."
John. (2007)
Unknown. (2007). 10 Horrible Deep Sea Creatures.
"The giant isopod, known scientifically as Bathynomus giganteus, is the largest known member of the isopod family. It is very closely related to the small pillbugs that you can find in the garden. It is a carnivorous crustacean that spends its time scavenging the deep ocean floor. Food is extremely scarce at these great depths, so the isopod has adapted to eat whatever happens to fall to the ocean floor from above. It will also feed on some of the small invertebrates that live at these depths." - Unknown. (2007). 10 Horrible Deep Sea Creatures. "Giant isopods are known to reach a size of over 16 inches in length and are one of the largest members of the crustacean family. These animals are very prehistoric in appearance. When threatened, the can roll themselves into a tight ball where they are protected by their strong, armour-plated shells. They have complex mouths that contain many components that work together to pierce, shred, and disembowel live or dead prey. Giant isopods are all over the world at depths of over 2000 feet." - Unknown. (2007). 10 Horrible Deep Sea Creatures.
This species truly intrigues me, as when I was very young, I would spend hours collecting small pillbugs (woodlice). They were the only bug that didn't creep me out. I have always been scared of the open sea and the odd creatures in the sea, but noticing that this giant isopod is very much like the small pillbug, it makes me less creeped out. It also makes me think about giantism and if it is possible in every species.
The small pillbug is about 1cm in length and the giant isopod is up to 16inches in length. They are genetically very similar and clearly relate to each other somehow. If you think about the scale difference; over 30 times larger, and the possibility that giantism like this is possible with every species, we could evolve into 180ft humans. That's the height of Niagara Falls.
Thanks to the development of technology, there are now robots and submarines that are able to explore the vast depths and sea beds around the world, which opens up a new opportunity for discovering ship wrecks and other lost treasures.
Brady, S. (2011)
One surprising fact I found out was that "In recent years, cash-strapped governments have started looking to lost cargoes as a way to raise money."
Broad, W. (2011)
If I had to put a name to this idea, it would be Deep Sea Pirates.
The idea that governments fund their countries by searching for lost treasures is truly worrying. And what worries me more is that the British government is one of the first to do so. Although, they have discovered two lost cargo ships already in just the past few years. "Both ships had been owned by the British Indian Steam Navigation Company" and collectively, their treasures add up to around £150 million worth of silver. The deep sea diving company that discovered them (Odyssey) will keep 80% of the profit, and the government will receive 20%. Brady, S. (2011)
I have learnt lots of new things in the past week or so. There have been so many new discoveries, and there is so much more to learn about what is down in the pitch black seas.
Until recently, the deep sea hadn't even been touched on by humans, except for sinking ships and our waste. But we seem to be really focusing on exploring it now. Sometimes for scientific discovery, but sometimes for profit and selfish gain.
I think exploring the deep sea is a good idea and is really useful for understanding more about species and evolution, but it is impossible for humans not to resist the urge to exploit other species and discoveries for selfish needs, such as; fishing species into extinction and disturbing ship wrecks which are technically resting places for the entire crews.
I'm having fun researching into the sea and exploration, but I feel the area is too vast and I need to focus on a small aspect of it, to allow myself to branch off more and to really look into subjects more intensely.
The most obvious link The Sea has with the media would either be Fishing or Cruise Holidays. There are also many games related to the sea, countless films, and 100's of documentaries and TV shows.
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Games
One of my favourite games is Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and the first mission of the campaign involve you and a team of experienced soldiers being dropped onto a huge freight in the open sea.
FlashTrackz. (2010)
One of the oldest games is Battleships. This game has been popular for countless years and new and up-to-date versions keep getting released.
Unknown. (2009). Battleship Screenshot 2.
Above is an image of the newest Battleship game. It is available on Xbox360 Live Arcade. It still works in exactly the same way as the original, and it has still sold well.
Fish mini-games; there are countless mini-games on the internet where you control one or more fish around a fish tank/the sea/etc.. You start off small and eat small fish, but then get bigger and eat bigger fish whilst avoid fish larger than you from eating you. It is a simple and addiction concept.
There are many Fishing specific games out there too. As it is a fairly niche market for games, there is only one of two good Fishing games.
Martes, A. (2007)
'Rapala: Tournament Fishing' has been the most famous fishing game for Xbox. It was release in 2007 and it has a main campaign mode, aswell as single tournament modes and online tournaments for multiplayer. It is a good game and has done well.
Landis, S. (2008)
A very popular game that features Fishing is RuneScape. Runescape is an MMORPG game that has millions of users. It has been around for many years and one of the key professions in the game is Fishing. Each skill levels up to 99 and Fishing is seen as one of the hardest to achieve, and requires great dedication. There are many rewards once you reach level 99 Fishing and it is one of the best ways to gain mass amounts of money in the RuneScape.
There is a solid background of Pirate games out there, most of which derive from Pirate films, but there are some original Pirate Games out there.
GameSpot. (2007). Sid Meier's Pirates!.
Sid Meier's Pirates!
This game was released in 2007 and received high ratings on all consoles, except the Wii. It did well and was an addicting game.
You played as a Pirate Captain of the Caribbean; you levelled up and gained new skills and increased your crew and ship size. You could ransack Ports and find hidden ancient treasures.
I like the sound of this game and can see why it did so well. It is hard for a Pirate game to well without the backing of a film previous to it.
GameSpot. (2008). Pirates of the Burning Sea.
Pirates of the Burning Sea.
This game is quite different to other Pirate games as it is a MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game). It is again set in the Caribbean, and you level up your character and gain skills and talents. You can face-off with other players, or team up to fight larger and stronger foes.
It received great ratings all around, but never got the attention it deserved. It did well, but could have done amazing if it was more known about.
I really like MMORPG's, and I would have loved to play this game back when it was more popular when released in 2008. Lots of players still play this game, but it doesn't have enough frequently players to reach its true potential.
GameSpot. (2011). Pirates of Black Cove.
Pirates of Black Cove.
This PC game came out this year. It is an action/strategy game where you play as a crew of pirates trying to become the best and most feared. It received rather bad reviews and had many updates within the first week of release due to errors and glitches.
I like the look of this game, the style is nice and the environments seem to be vast and well created, but from reading many reviews, it seems this game has potential to be great, but was just made badly and there are too many problems for it to be fun. But even due to its horrible reviews (3.5/10), the game still sold well in its first 2 weeks of release which I believe to be because of the consistent Pirate fan-base. VanOrd, K. (2011).
There are many other Pirate games about, some do well, and some do not. Most are similar to 'Sid Meier's Pirates!', and have a story to follow. ----------
TV
There are 1000's of documentaries about the sea, above and below the surface. There are documentaries about cruise ships and life on-board. There are also ones about fishing, from both the fisherman's and the fishes perspectives. There are also ones about the deep sea and life down there. There are also ones about trade via the sea and freights.
I think the fact that there are so many documentaries about the sea, proves the fact there is so much to learn and find out about it.
Amazon. (2009)
One interesting documentary series going on at the moment on BBC Four is 'South Pacific'. This show looks at the remote Islands in the South Pacific. It has had episodes about waves and surfing, aswell as one about fishing and the lower life-stock of fish.
It is an unbiased show and gives the viewer both sides of an argument if there is one.
The episode about fishing in the South Pacific shows a big fishing company and how they use large nets to catch 1000's of fish in a day. Then they explain what this is doing to the numbers of fish in the area they fish.
BBC. (2011)
Then they go on to show a fishing company that has been around for decades, and shows that they still use their old techniques of fishing with as it doesn't cause the fish numbers to drop.
WhySharksMatter. (2010)
One thing I have myself doing quite often now, is logging onto Youtube.com and searching for videos of the deep sea. I have also been watching many deep sea documentaries. I find these videos really interesting as some of the creatures being discovered are insanely obscure.
Some really popular deep sea documentaries are Deep Sea Salvage, Deep Sea Detectives, IMAX Under The Sea 3D, and Aliens of the Deep Sea.
Some of the newer documentaries coming out now, document the after effects of tsunamis. There have been videos on Youtube.com with millions of views, showing a tsunami in progress, the after effects of a tsunami, and some things that have been pulled up out of the sea due to the tsunami.
Below are some images from those videos.
BBC. (2011)
Fricker, M. (2011)
Cliff. (2005)
Christensen, B. (2011)
Pat. (2008)
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Films
Play. (2011)
Films make the sea seem like a scary and unforgiving environment, and all the films to do with the sea, tend to be horrors/thrillers. After searching 'The Sea' into Play.com's search under the DVD section, I found 334 films to do with the sea. The majority were mature films about sharks, but there were also a good amount of children's fiction films, all animated.
Some great Shark Films are 'Deep Blue Sea', 'Open Water', 'Shark Night', 'Jaws', 'The Beach', 'Soul Surfer'.
All these films portray sharks as the enemy and they are always after humans for food, which isn't a trait of sharks normally.
There seems to be a small number of shark and sea based films, and it cannot be classed as its own category, but all the films that come out, always tend to do well. There seems to be a very steady but high popularity of these types of films; not many, but always popular.
LeVasseur, A. (2003)
Open Water is a very unique film, it is about a couple that get left out in the open water, far too far to swim to any land. They have life jackets and were out scuba diving. They get left out in the water and a shark locates them. It really plays on the fear of the open water and the fear of sharks.
Michael. (2011)
Shark Night is the newest of the films I have listed, it seems to be about a group of young adults on a lake holiday doing water sports, when a shark appears and the film unfolds from there.
IMDB. (2010). Clash of the Titans.
Clash of the Titans doesn't heavily involve the sea, but includes the Kraken (mythical creature) and shows its immense power and mysteriousness, which still makes the viewer fear the sea and its contents.
IMDB. (2011). Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. "Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too." - IMDB. (2011). Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This 4th instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series came out this year (2011), and was yet another huge success. It was just as funny and fun as the past 3, and the story kept my interested the whole time. This episode of the franchise brought in more profit than any of the other 3 films; $1,043,871,802. IMDB. (2011). Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Don. (2011)
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.
This epic story is based on the books from years ago. It is an animated film, but is in a very realistic style, which is something very new. The story follows Tintin and Captain Haddock as they set off on a treasure hunt. It is a good looking film and the popularity of the books and past products of the franchise means that this film should do very well.
Pereyra, A. (2006)
Happy Feet is about a penguin that tap dances. He is seen as strange by other penguins, but becomes loved by everyone. It is a film for young children, which is ideal, as a cuddly penguin is just as advertiseable as a cuddly bear.
I think penguins are a good animal for children to like, and i think the film was a good idea. Happy Feet was such a hit that they have made Happy Feet 2.
It seemed as though the penguin phase came out of nowhere, and it was a big hit.
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Geordie. (2006)
Overall, The Sea is a big part of everything and cannot be left out of any media, but it is very strong in Film and TV over other Medias such as Games or Magazines.
The Sea is portrayed in films as a dangerous and scary environment, and features mainly in horror/scary films involving sharks or other feared predators. Whereas in documentaries and TV shows, it is portrayed as an unknown and mysterious environment. Both are accurate and related, as part of what makes the films to do with the sea scary, is the unknown and not knowing what is down there, and not knowing how it works. ---------- TV
When searching through the BBC website for documentaries, I came across a TV show called Frozen Planet. I decided to watch a few episodes, and some of the things I saw were truly amazing. It was genuinely interesting and fascinating.
BBC. (2011)
Frozen Planet documents the on goings of the Antarctic of the year. The most recently episode documented polar bears and how they raised and protect their cubs. It also showed seals; how the mothers raise their young and how the males work during mating season. But the most interesting part of the episode for me, was the 14 year old caterpillar; it is a caterpilla covered in fur/hair, that stocks up on food over the sun month in the Antarctic, then gets frozen in the cold and dies. But returns to life after almost 9 months with sun and with freezing temperatures. It repeats this process for over 14 years, until one year it decides to create its cocoon, and just before the sun months are over, it emerges from its cocoon as a giant moth. The moth then fly's off to mate, until it dies just a few days later. BBC. (2011)
This documentary is truely something new. Things shown in this show have never been seen before. It is one of the most viewed programmes on the BBC at this moment in time.
BBC. (2011)
One of the most featured animals in Frozen Planet are Penguins. The King Penguins, seen in the image above, is the second largest penguin species alive today.
Penguins could be said to be the icon of the cold. They were the most popular animal a few years ago, around the time that the film Happy Feet was released.
Gray, R. (2010)
Another very popular animal are Seals. But they did not become loved due to a film like penguins. Their love came from the issue of Seal Clubbing (seal hunting) in Canada. People would go out with blunt weapons and hunt seals and beat them to death like it was some kind of sport.
Seal hunting had been going on for decades, but never as much until near the millennium. Because of the increase in the amount of seal hunting, it got more attention, good and bad. There were masses of complaints and petitions filed to stop the 'sport'. It eventually received so much bad press that the 'sport' was banned.
It was because of the mass hate for seal clubbing, that gave birth to the huge love for seals.
Stock, S. (2008)
Since the banning of seal clubbing, the amount of seals in zoos and water parks have increased, and there are many seal shows, where seals show off tricks.
Seals are clever and fast learners, and because of this and their recent increase in popularity, they have been featured in many TV programmes and Films in recent years.
I like that Seals are popular and I love seeing them at zoos and watching them have fun and do tricks. They are one of the most entertaining animals. ---------- Toys
Cuddly Toys have always been popular for children and as a gift for your female partner. The icon cuddly toy is the bear, but there is a huge market for cuddly toys of animals from the sea. From the hippo, to the duck, to the killer whale. As I noted before, penguins have been hugely popular since Happy Feet, but there are so many other toys of sea animals.
thegiftexperience. (2011)
Most of these animals have a few stories with that animal being the main character. Daffy Duck, Mumble (penguin), Gloria (hippo), Willy (killer whale), etc..
Films, TV and stories with talking animals as character have always been popular, and are usually targeted at children. As technology advances, better visuals and lip syncing is making animated films more popular.
There was under 100 animated films in the 1970's.
Fewer than 250 animated films in the 1980's.
Around 500 animated films in the 1990's. Most of which were in the late 90's.
Over 2000 animated films since 2000, with more being produced each year. Unknown. (2010). List of animated feature films. Completist Geek. (2010) IMDB. (2011). Most Popular Animation Feature Films. Listopedia. (2011)
I personally love cuddly toys, not for myself of course, to give as a gift.
They are a great idea and have proved to do well. Obviously certain animals will do better than others, and that depends on where else they are featured; Films, TV, Books, etc.. ---------- Books
Banville, J. (2005)
When I typed 'The Sea' into Waterstones.com search, it came back with 8007 results. Scanning through them, there were a small number that had those words in the title but weren't at all related to the sea.
Waterstones. (2011). Search Results: 'The Sea'.
There were alot of book for children; 'Winnine Under the Sea', 'Under the Sea - Sticker Book', 'Five Go Down to the Sea - Famous Five', etc.. But the majority of the books were more mature novels about life at sea, or life by the sea. There were a fair few Percy Jackson titles. I noticed that alot of the novels were fiction and clearly included mythical creatures. There were also a fair number of fishing book and guides, aswell as some factual novels about species of the sea.
I was genuinely surprised at the amount of sea related books. But however I had correctly predicted that the majority would be fiction novels, with mythical creatures heavily referenced.
There is clearly a large market for books about and to do with the sea. ---------- Sport
Mark Warner. (2011)
Water Sports.
When I was in year 9 at high school, I went on a school trip to Greece for a watersports holiday. The resort we went to was fairly good and there was lots to do. I went back to Greece with my family this year. We stayed at a large resort across the bay from the resort I went to on the school trip. Seeing how much the two resorts had improved and grown was astonishing. They were now huge and very modern and there was twice as much to do than before.
It was a clear sign that watersports and holidays have really been on the increase over the last 7 years.
Roho. (2011)
Jet Ski's, Water Ski's, Wake Boarding, Sailing and Surfing are probably the most popular watersports at the moment. It isn't a huge sport, but it is fastly growing. There are competitions all around the world, but it isn't popular enough to be seen on live television yet.
I really enjoy watersports, wake boarding especially, and I can see it becoming a huge sensation in years to come.
Transportation is such a huge part of our daily lives. It doesn't just get us from A to B, it is one of the foundations of our civilization. I will be initially looking into aircraft and flight, but will then move onto other forms of transport.
I first wanted to research into how flight is possible and the different techniques used by numerous aircrafts.
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Fleming, C. (2010)
There are many ways to achieve flight, first there was the hot air balloon style of flight, dating back to 3rd century BC. The correct term is Aerostats (Greek meaning - air-standing). The only objects to achieve flight before these were kites.
The primary technique for this type of flight is low-density gases which using air displacement, make the aircraft technically lighter than the air surrounding it, resulting in upwards lift. Fleming, C. (2010)
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Plomitzer, G. (2010)
For heavier air based aircraft, such as Zeppelins or Airships, a technique was created called Aerodynamic Lift, where the air or gas inside the aircraft is forced downwards, which based on Newton's law, forces the aircraft upwards. This is a working technique but is so rarely used, as Zeppelin's and Airships never really saw the light of day due to them being too dangerous and accident prone. Plomitzer, G. (2010)
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Unknown. (2011). Aircraft.
The next and most common type of lift is Fixed Wing. This is the type of flight used on most aircraft today, from Boeing 747's to The Concorde.
The way this technique works is based on the aeroplane building up highspeeds until the point where the air flow over the wings causes upwards lift. The technique was discovered from kites but works in a slightly different way.
There are many key aspects to producing flight with fixed wing aircraft. The number of wings (monoplane or biplane), type of wing support (braced, rigid or flexible), and wing planform (aspect ratio and angle of sweep), aswell as the location of the horizontal stabilizer and the angle of the wings (positive - dihedral, negative - anhedral, zero). Unknown. (2011). Aircraft.
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Unknown. (Unknown). AH-64 Apache USA Army's Primary Attack Helicopter.
The last type of flight is Rotorcraft. The main aircraft which uses the rotorcraft technique is the Helicopter, but there are also autogyros and gyrodynes.
Rotorcraft is the use of a spinning rotor turning aerofoil section blades to produce lift.
Helicopters have a rotor turned by an engine-driven shaft which turns blades to push air downwards, creating upwards thrust. Helicopters manoeuvre by tilting, which in-turn, tilts the direction the air is being forced. e.g. tilting the nose of the helicopter downwards changes the downwards air force to a slightly backwards angle, forcing the helicopter forwards. Unknown. (Unknown). AH-64 Apache USA Army's Primary Attack Helicopter.
The military is generally split into three main sections; ground, air and sea. The dominant section is ground with the vast number of tanks and other vehicles. The sea section is more for defence but is becoming increasingly significant due to long range missiles, nukes, aircraft carriers and submarines. The air is mainly used as support for ground forces. It is used for carrying personnel, bombings, stealth missions, air on air assault, and reconnaissance.
Most Interesting Facts. (2010)
Aircrafts in the military are being used more and more as time goes on, and if things keep going the way they are, war will be a very different scene from what it has been in the past.
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Pilot School
ETPS. (2011)
One of the best pilot schools in the world is based in Wiltshire, England. It opened in 1943 and has been providing the military with well trained pilots since. The big change set to happen in the next year, is a course for civilians, instead of just focusing on military needs.
The school focuses on fast jets and rotary aircraft, "Activities are split into five main categories. Principal is the 12-month graduate course for military test pilots and flight-test engineers, covering both fixed- and rotary-wing sectors." - ETPS. (2011)
Students at the 'Empire Test Pilot's School' (ETPS) get the chance to fly around 30 different aircraft provided by the QinetiQ Fleet. Testing different aircraft allows pilot's to be diverse and have a wider range of abilities, it also open their mind to a range of controls and navigation systems. ETPS. (2011)
A few of the aircrafts the students get the chance to fly are;
One of the newer things the school has to offer is a state of the art simulator for fast jet and helicopter operations. This allows the students to experience flight controls almost exactly as they are in real flight, but with zero risk and cost.
Due to new technology and increased military aircraft use, more pilots are needed each year, and the amount of students attending the ETPS is increasing. It is a very in-depth and specialist school and last year they only took on 24 students. They are expecting 28 next year, and a similar increase the year after. Not all of the students attending the school will pass the course as you need to be the best of the best to become a military pilot, and the criteria is very strict. ETPS. (2011)
Gustafsson, J. (2010)
The ETPS said that there has been a decrease in the demand for trained fast jet pilots, and a large increase in rotary-wing pilots. This is due to the military lowering the amount of Panavia Tornado GR4 aircrafts they have, and completely ridding of all their Harrier GR7 and GR9's. Gustafsson, J. (2010)
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Unknown. (2005). Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
One of the reasons the military is lowering its number of fast moving jets is due to the new development of unmanned aircraft. The most common and well known example is the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle); these are either remotely controlled by a pilot, or fly autonomously based on a pre-programmed flight plan. They sometimes carry lethal weapons, but are mainly used for reconnaissance (" the process of obtaining information about the position, activities, resources, etc., of an enemy or potential enemy") -
Mifflin, H. (2009)
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Версия. (2011)
One of the more new UAV's is the Shadow M2, "a significantly larger and heavier version of its RQ-7B Shadow, the US Army's standard tactical unmanned air vehicle... The wingspan of the Shadow M2 grows from 20ft to 25ft (6.1m to 7.6m), and the aircraft is heavier by 120lb (54.4kg). It also features a redesigned fuselage, replacing the signature box with a streamlined, lift-generating structure. These changes extend the flight duration to 16h... The aircraft will use a new Lycoming engine that generates 60lb of thrust, up from 35lb, and a five-blade propeller. The engine is undergoing static tests and is expected to make its first flight in early 2012." - Rosenberg, Z. (2011)
This UAV is highly effective and will be a key factor in the military once its designs have been finalised and it is put into production.
Air Framer. (2011)
An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle like the Shadow M2 or the Shadow 200 seen in the image above mid-take off, are controlled by a trained pilot who can be located nearby or thousands of kilometres away on a different continent. The controls allow the pilot to direct the aircraft where they want or need to go, and it allows them to control the use of reconnaissance equipment and/or weapons.
A few examples of what a UAV can be equipped with are; synthetic aperture radar with ground and dismount moving target indicators, wide-area surveillance, signals intelligence, electronic warfare, satellite communications, communications relay systems and enhanced EO/IR sensors.
Now that the new Shadow M2 is heavier and more stable, it is able to carry more equipment at once, so therefore it is able to carry out reconnaissance missions whilst still being armed for combat. Air Framer. (2011)
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Norris, G. (2011)
Another unmanned aircraft is the "Northrop Grumman's X-47B naval Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS)." -Perry, D. (2011)
Unlike the standard UAV, this UCAS is built for combat. It is still in its development stages, but has had many test flights and has reach heights of over 5000ft and has proven stable and resourceful. A recent flight was carried out with the landing gear up for the first time. With the landing gear down, the aircraft was more stable and held better in turns, but with the landing gear up, the aircraft was more prone to instability and loss of control in turns. Luckily, the X-47B was successful and held control the entire flight.
The next tests it must endure will consist of landing and manouvring around an aircraft carrier out at sea, and payload and weapons test flight must be carried out.
Perry, D. (2011)
This Unmanned Combat Air System is a real step forward in technology, and with further development of UAV's, they will change the way the military carry's out missions in the future.
I've had alot of fun researching into aircrafts and the military, and I have found some really interesting information. I can see the opportunity for some good research into the past and future for this topic, but I feel I need to expand my Transport research a little bit more and look into something other than just aircrafts.
The general feel I get from the research I have done, is that aircraft technology is moving forward very fast, and there are many plans for new aircrafts, but due to the high costs of production, not all good designs are seeing the light of day. I also feel the military is really pushing forward with unmanned aircraft, and I feel this is a dangerous move as having aircrafts without a pilot inside them rids human judgement in delicate situations. There may be cameras and radar, but the pilot controlling the UAV or UCAS won't actually be there to make a judgement call, which could result in a bad decision or mistake.
To sum up, I am all for UAV's and unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance missions, but unmanned aircrafts for use in combat situations might be a dangerous idea. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Links with the Media
Aircrafts have a huge link with the media, especially the games market. There are countless games that involve aircrafts in some form. There are also many Flight Simulators, which are games that very closely replicate the task and actions done by pilots. There are some flight simulators that are mainly played for fun, but there are also simulators that are there to help train pilots without the risk of actually being in the air.
Rendle, C. (2011)
There are millions of pounds worth of simulator technology at all main airports in England. The most equipped in London Gatwick, which has flight simulators which replicate flying a huge list of planes; Airbus A320, Airbus A340-600*, Boeing 737-300, 737-800, 747-400*, 757, 757/767, 777-300ER*.
Anyone can book to use these flight simulators, and a professional pilot will guide and instruct you through the lesson.
These simulators inside airports appear to be very popular and I see it as a good way to allow people to see what being a pilot is really like. Rendle, C. (2011)
----------
A game that has just recently been released; Battlefield 3, has many aircrafts and airbased combat in a key part of the game.
Battlefield 3 is a First Person Shooter with a strong campaign and addicting online multiplayer gamemodes.
The previous Battlefield games have had aircrafts and air combat in them too, but i felt the newest one would show the most up-to-date examples.
Travis. (2011)
Some of the aircrafts that the game features are the F/A 18 Super Hornet, A10 ThunderBolt, Sukhoi Su-35 and the Sukhoi Su-39. These aircrafts are all modern models and really shows off the technology of today.
Battlefield 3 is such a huge and popular game, and what separates it from other FPS multiplayer games, is its larger maps, realism and vehicles. Having tanks, jeeps, and jets really makes it stand out from the crowd.
Davenport, B. (2011)
I know from experience that when playing this and the previous games online, you would always be waiting for the helicopter or jets to respawn after someone has previously used it; people were always fighting over who gets to use the aircrafts.
Game Spot. (2009). Tom Clancy's HAWX.
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X "A new air combat game set in the near future when a private military force attacks the U.S. using technologically advanced jet fighters." - Game Spot. (2009). Tom Clancy's HAWX. This game, released in 2009, was another one of the Tom Clancy games, all of which seem to do fairly well. This Air Combat based game did extremely well, well enough that is, for a H.A.W.X 2 to be made, which was recently released. It looks like a very realistic looking and feeling game. The game received a User Score of 8/10, which is very impressive. Game Spot. (2009). Tom Clancy's HAWX.
GameSpot. (2008). Frontlines: Fuel of War.
Frontline: Fuel of War
This game isn't specifically about Air Combat or flight, like H.A.W.X, but helicopters and jets play a key role in the multiplayer side of the game.
It is an FPS game made by THQ. The multiplayer was very impressive aswell as the single player side of the game. The aircrafts in the multiplayer maps were loved so much that THQ introduced two new Air Vehicles in an update with new maps.
I personally loved this game, but felt it didn't receive the attention it deserved. It got a 7.3/10 User Score, and had good reviews all over the board. GameSpot. (2008). Frontlines: Fuel of War.
----------
Other recent games that have aviation and aircrafts as a key part of the game are:
SkyDrift
MySims SkyHeroes
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2
Apache: Air Assault
Snoopy Flying Ace
Transformers: The Game
Air Conflicts: Secret Wars
Call Of Duty's
----------
Aviation just about touches on every kind of media, there are many aviation based magazine, tonnes of games for consoles, simulators, mini-games on the internet, TV shows and documentaries, films, etc...
But the people who are most interested in aviation take it further; plane spotting.
Plane Spotting is the observation and logging of the registration numbers of aircraft: gliders, powered aircraft, balloons, airships, helicopters, and microlights.
Plane spotters tend to set up and spot just outside the grounds of airports, and take note of the aircrafts taking off and landing. There are many ways in which a plane spotter can differentiate between aircrafts; the noise of the engine, the number of vapour trails, size, type and position of the engines, position of the wings.
It requires a vast knowledge of aircrafts and aviation to be a good plane spotter, and it is a growing hobby all around the world.
Blackmun, C. (2011)
----------
Overall, the media advertises aviation and aircrafts as the newest and advanced technology man has, even though it has been around for over 100 years. But none the less, it is our most advanced technology, but it is also seen and bad for the environment and very costly.
Aviation as a career; pilot, aviation specialist, physics, etc... are very complex and demanding, and a career only the brightest minds can indulge into.
Firth, N. (2010)
Man powered aircraft ideas have been around for a few decades now, but a huge milestone in the technology has been logged with the 'Snowbird'.
Although the machine requires a car to pull it along briefly to initially take flight, the man powered machine begins to flap its 32 meter long wings and travel a significant distance. Firth, N. (2010) Ornithopter Project. (2010)
This video shows the Snowbird's record breaking flight. It is truly surreal to see this aircraft flap its huge carbon fibre wings.
I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg for man powered aircrafts, and I think the interest and development of the designs is going to get a huge amount of attention as environmental issues are growing and growing, and if man can design a form of flight that does not use any type of fuel, then huge earth problems will be solved.
Also, many games and films set in futuristic or alternate realities show use of single man flying machine such as jet packs, and these man powered aircrafts designs are slowly stepping closer to the idea of jetpack and similar one-man flight forms. ----------
When I was briefly researching into gliders and man powered aircrafts, I stumbled across this interesting use of human leg power: Pedal Pub. (2011)
This insane idea is a large bike that sits 16 people; it is a moving pub, it has a keg of beer and other beverages available. Each person has pedals and with their combined efforts, the large bike moves at surprising spees. The vehicle is road legal, although it does make you wonder how, as it is literally drink driving.. in a sense.
This party bus type idea is becoming increasing popular, and the company is expanding yearly.
It is a great idea and looking at the popularity of Party Buses and similar products, this is going to become more popular in coming years. Although it is definitely a summer time only event, as doing this in the cold would be unpleasant. This is most likely why the Pedal Pub is currently only available in America.
If there was one of these available for hire in this country, I know what I would be doing for my next birthday. Pedal Pub. (2011) ----------
A bike design for a more practical use is the 'Folding Electric Bike'. There is a brand new design out, called the CMYK 2.0:
Brooklyness. (2011)
This innovative idea was created for getting around quicker and easier whilst using public transport. The product advertises its primary use for getting to work; "You can ride it from your home or apartment to the train or bus station. Fold down the handlebars and seat to carry it on board. Ride it to your office, and fold it again to store under your desk". - Brooklyness. (2011)
It has a small electric motor aswell as pedals for man powered use. It can be charged up at any normal plug socket, and can move at speeds of up to 12 mph. Brooklyness. (2011) I think this is a good idea and can see it becoming increasingly popular, mainly due to environmental fuel issues of driving short distances to train/bus stations every morning. I see it as the half way point of walking and driving. ----------
Whilst looking at a blog of interesting bike designs -Thomas, J. (2011), I found a link to the Dutch Cycling Embassy website, which is where I found this brilliant video: DutchCyclingEmbassy. (2011)
This video shows how important cycling is in Netherlands. It is the single most used form of transportation in the Netherlands, and the countries road systems are being built with cycling as its top priority.
After watching this video, I wish our country was as reliant on cycling as the Netherlands. Fuel usage is minimal and the average weight and health of people who live in the Netherlands is better than England, America and most other countries.
Because of the huge list of Pro's, and tiny list of Con's for having a cycling dominant country, I predict that cycling on a large scale like in the Netherlands, is going to be normal for most countries in the future. It may not be soon, but eventually, fuel usage from cars and other motorised transport is going to need to drop, drastically, and this is one way of doing that. ----------
After looking at the Netherlands and their cycle strong country, I wondered if London was planning anything to do with bicycles.
BBC. (2010). London saddles up for new bike hire scheme.
After some research, I found that London has introduced a new bicycle renting scheme. There will be 5000 bikes across London, that will be locking into docking stations in various locations. These bikes can be used by anyone that has a key. 6000 keys have been given out initially, at the cost of £3 a key. You must also pay to rent the bicycles, at around £1 per hour, and more for longer periods of time. Initially I saw this as a bad idea, but thinking further, it could work. BBC. (2010). London saddles up for new bike hire scheme.
My only criticism is that this is another lazy version of something that works; the Netherlands bicycle renting systems is controlled by a workforce that handles the payment, upkeep and dispatching of rented bikes. It is a tested and working way of renting bikes in mass numbers. London ignores most of the working ideas the Netherlands has and goes for an almost employeeless idea where the bikes are locked up in docking stations all over London. This leaves the bikes open for theft and damage.
BBC. (2010). London saddles up for new bike hire scheme.
The other issue I have, is why has London decided to put bike rental into effect without first expanding the amount of bike storage. I feel that people would be more inclined to ride their own bikes around London, then rent one everyday. There is also the fact that people will have to walk or travel initially to reach one of the bicycle docking stations, and then there is also the possibility that all the available bikes may already be taken.
I believe that London should have more and better secured bicycle storage in all train/bus stations and work places, and bicycle storage should be a higher priority over bike rental. ----------
After looking into bicycles and other man powered vehicles, and realising that they are becoming increasingly more popular due to worries about our environment and the damage we are doing, I then wanted to look into new environmentally friendly transport.
Shell. (2010). Shell, a large fuel supplier in countries around the world, states that "The number of cars on the road is expected to triple by 2050". - Shell. (2010). They also say that they are going to achieve 'smarter mobility', so that we do not cause too much CO2 emissions, and run our fossil fuel to nil. This is a bold statement to make, and I believe that even with hybrid car and more man powered vehicles, mankinds selfishness and disregard for the future will get in the way of this happening. Not everyone has the money to trade in their car and by a new hybrid model that is better for the environment, and if they ban cars that are bad for the environment, then the people that can't afford brand new cars are going to use public transport, and more people needing public transport, means more buses and trains, which isn't as bad, but still is bad for the environment. Shell. (2010).
It is a vicious circle, and it cannot be prevented, and I believe that companies like Shell know that. It seems like big companies are simply trying to find ways to make what fuels are left, last longer. Whereas they should be finding alternative ways to transport around that do not use any fuels at all.
Unknown. (2010). Shell Eco-marathon.
The Shell Eco-marathon is an event where all the new eco-friendly products are shown to the public. The vehicle in the image is a one man vehicle that travelled 3,836 kilometre on one litre of fuel. It is super lightweight and energy efficient due to fuel cells and hydrogen power. It is also extremely eco-friendly to manufacture, and is built with eco-friendly materials. This is just the beginning of eco-friendly driving. But designing the eco-friendly vehicles is just the start, introducing them to the public for everyday use is the hard part. Unknown. (2010). Shell Eco-marathon.
This vehicle has become hugely popular and is getting alot of attention, mainly due to the immense distance is can travel on such low fuel. Shell has received mass amounts of funding to take this idea and create vehicles that can be used by the public.
Toyota. (2011).
A environmentally friendly vehicle that is available already is the Hybrid. The image above shows a Toyota Auris Hybrid. Alot of car companies are realising Hybrid car, which proves that hybrid cars are becoming more popular. Toyota alone have sold over 3 million hybrid cars worldwide, which in turn has saved 11 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. "A full hybrid vehicle is a car that can run on just the engine, just the batteries, or both." - Toyota. (2011).
The only problem I see with these Hybrid cars is the harmful emissions caused from manufacturing these cars, and the harmful emissions caused when scraping an old car for a new hybrid.
The only reason these hybrid car are not as popular as they should be, and not everyone has one, is due to their price tag. A new Toyota Hybrid averages at about £20,000. Toyota. (2011).
Ford. (2011).
Ford is the first car company to make one of its car manufacture factories eco-friendly. They have renovated one of the factories in England to be powered by just wind power. The factory doesn't produce harmful emissions either. Ford. (2011). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Games
Transportation is in almost all games, whether it is a racing game, flying game, olympics game, MMORPG, puzzle game, etc...
Syed, S. (2010).
Games like Gran Turismo and Forza are solely car games, where the only mechanics are ones involving cars. These racing games are very popular with all audiences, whether it's an 8 year old child, or a 38 year old grown man. Racing games have such a broad audience range, which is one of the reasons they are so popular.
In my opinion, the other main reasons racing games are so popular, are:
- ability to drive at speed that are illegal on real roads.
- ability to own and drive expensive and fast cars that most people could not afford to buy in real life.
- ability to be a famous race car driver like most people wanted to be when they were 10.
Chaudhary. (2011).
Car games have always been popular, and they always will. They might even become more popular, if the number of cars on the road lower because of pollution.
Rock Star Games. (2011).
Other games like Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, Far Cry and Borderlands for example, use alot of driving in their games, but in these games, the driving isn't the only mechanic. In games like these, you play one person (usually), and you explore a large world doing missions and progressing through a story line.
These games have to have transportation in them as they have such large environments, if the player was to walk everywhere, the player would get bored very easily.
In the first Grand Theft Auto (GTA) games, there was car and driving missions, but as the franchise released new games, cars were more of a part of the game. In one of the more recent GTA games, you can buy a Garage, and collect cars. You can modify your cars and 'Pimp them out'. This was very popular due to the TV on MTV called 'Pimp My Ride'. This TV show took beaten up old cars from people who are struggling with money or have problems in their lives, and they modify and fix their car and add lots of personal touches that the person will like.
I think that one of the reasons why driving around in games like GTA is so popular is because you can drive around normal streets like a crazy person.
Mudgal, K. (2011).
The game Saints Row incorporated a similar thing in their game, and the most recent Saints Row game is being released in the next week or two, and I am looking forward to seeing what else they have added to do with cars and transportation.
Burner, F. (2008).
In the GTA games, you also had the ability to fly in aircrafts. They weren't used for offensive purposes, they just allowed the player to fly around the world, which for me, was one of the best parts of the game.
EA. (2009). The Saboteur.
A game that I have personally played and enjoyed is The Saboteur. This game is set in Paris during the Nazi invasion. There are many recognisable tanks and vehicles and when you cause too much aggrovation for the Nazi's, they set their aircrafts after you, which fly over shooting at you. There are also always german Zeppelin's flying above Paris tracking and shooting you.
I really like this game, it is set in a good time period, and the storyline really makes you want to fight for the Resistance against the Germans.
---------- Sport
Inside F1. (2011). Grand Prix.
One of the most popular sporting events is the Grand Prix. Millions of peope what the event every year, and it is becoming more popular every year that passes.
Inside F1. (2006). McLaren unveils 2006 livery.
F1 cars are the fastest racing vehicles around and are very difficult to drive. The car can move at speeds over 100 mph and car brake and turn very sharply, which means the race tracks have lots of corners and sharp turns. There are also many straights that allow the driver to accelerate to high speed.
Unknown. (2010). Formula One.
The combination of awesome cars, speed, competitivity and danger make for brilliant entertainment. My only issue with this sport is the length of the races. They last for a long time and the racers end up going around the tracks countless times. I find the sport interesting, but not enough to watch a whole race.
Other car racing is still fast, but not as fast a F1.
Other examples of car racing are:
Touring Car Racing.
Blackmore, A. (2008).
This type of racing involves production derived race cars (everyday cars that have been modified for racing) and is competed on tracks that are created in the style of real roads.
This is one of my preferred types of racing as it is full contact, and also because the cars are modified from cars you can buy yourself.
Sports Car Racing
General Motors. (2007).
This type of racing is similar to Touring Racing, but is with sports cars. The cars are faster and the tracks are harder, but there aren't as many competitions.
The reason I prefer Touring Racing to this faster version, is because the races are never as close at the finish, and because I don't like the look of the cars as much.
Stock Car Racing
Unknown. (Unknown). Speedway - NASCAR.
This type of racing is huge in America and is best known as NASCAR. It involves purpose-built racing cars which are built to tight specifications. The tracks are usually oval.
I mainly know about this type of racing because of seeing it in so many films. The first example is in one of the Final Destination films, when they are watching the NASCAR race, then a car crashed and bring down half the arena.
Rallying.
Coursey, S. (2010).
This type of racing has to be my favorite, just because of the recklessness of it, and the skill involved to drive in those cars and on the tracks.
There are two main classes; road legal and production based. This means that some competitions are with non-modified road legal cars, and other competitions are with car built for rallying.
This is one of the more well known and famous types of racing, and is well know because of the World Rally Championship (WRC).
Leader S.p.a. (2011).
Part of the reason this type of racing has become hugely popular is because of the rally games that have been released over the years. The image above is from the most recent WRC Rally game released in 2011. This addition to the WRC rally games sold better than the previous ones, showing an increase in popularity.
There is also Produciton-car Racing, One-make Racing, Drag Racing, Off-road Racing, Kart Racing, Historical Racing, Banger Racing, Hillclimbing, Slalom, Demolition Derby, and many more. ---------- Red Bull Racing
Unknown. (2011). Race Day, Lausitz.
Unknown. (2011). Josh Sheehan - Double Flip.
Red Bull (the drink) sponsers a huge amount of racing events and is becoming hugely popular. It does Motorcross races and competitions (Red Bull X Fighters), and it also does racing with aircrafts (Red Bull Air Race).
I love the Red Bull racing events, they are entertaining and intense, and I can see them getting more and more popular over coming years. ---------- Adverts
Rubberdarkie. (2006).
Car adverts have started to become big budget and more entertaining. One of the most popular is the video above for the Citroen C4.
I really liked this advert, it was clever and amusing, but like all over recent car adverts, it doesn't have much relevance to the product, it is an advert to grab your attention.
After people saw this on the TV, or in the cinema, they then went online to Youtube.com to find the video. There are countless users that have uploaded this video for people to watch, and all together, the advert has more than 10 million views.
There are some great airline adverts out there too. One of my favorites is the Virgin Atlantic 25 Years adverts. VirginAmerica. (2009).
Airline adverts, aswell as car, train and coach adverts, like to use humour to get the viewers attention. If they don't use humour, then most of the time there is another key input to grab the viewers attention. The adverts never have alot of facts about the product, but they give the viewer the necessary information needed to find the facts and info they want (website, link, phone number).
I think that the logic behind funny, clever and interesting adverts is so people get it stuck in their mind. If I see a really awesome advert, I usually ask my friends if they have seen it, if they have then we'll talk about it, if they haven't, they will usually look for it on the internet, and then they will go on to tell other people about it.
Making the adverts funny, clever and interesting makes people want to watch them, and tell other people about them.
Bank Media. (2010).
Another type of advertising that links with transportation is motorway adverts and adverts on trucks.
For me to get back home from university, it is over a 4 hour drive, so I spend alot of time on motorways, and every 15 minutes I usually see a trailer in a field next to the motorway advertising something. This is a good idea as 1000's of people will pass it everyday, and even though not everyone will glance at it, alot of people will have your company/product in their mind. ---------- Toys
Mattle. (2011).
The first car toys that come to mind for me are HotWheels. I had lots of these when I was young, and they are still for sale today. There is a constant stream of new HotWheels toys, and one of the most recent ones is this 'Custom Racer'.
Tesco. (2011). Hot Wheels Custom Racers Power Machines.
It looks like a combination between a Hummer and a Monster Truck. I can see why this toy would be appealing to young boys; its big, colourful and mean looking.
It can actually be modified as it has over 25 interchangeable parts. Tesco. (2011). Hot Wheels Custom Racers Power Machines.
The HotWheels toys have changed alot, as when I used to buy them, they used to just be small metal race cars.
Hot Wheels. (2011). 10 Series of 10 Cars.
Looking into it, HotWheels still sell the cars I used to buy when I was really young, and there has also been new designs released.
Digital Additions. (2011).
Controllable Toys (Planes, Boats, Cars).
Remote control toys are some of the best selling toys on the market. You can get remote control cars, boats, planes, helicopters, trucks, trains, etc..
I really liked remote control cars when I was younger, and I'd love to have a go with a remote control plane or helicoter, just because they weren't around when I was younger.
Generic. (2011).
Remote control cars have been around for years, but are still hugely popular, whereas remote control planes and helicopter are new. Because of the dangers of having a fast moving objects in the air, the remote control planes and helicopters aren't advertised for children like the car version are. They are seen as a more mature toy as they are harder to use and can be hazardous. ---------- Films/TV
Carvalho, C. (2006).
Cars 1 and 2.
These animated films by Disney were a huge success in 2006 when the first one came out, and this year when the second one was in cinema in July.
The film is about cars who have personalities. The story follows a hot-shot race car called Lightning McQueen whilst he competes in races, makes friends and runs into trouble.
The films are aimed at a young audience of any age up to 16, but can still be enjoyed by anyone.
I like the idea of cars being alive and having personalities, and they have done a great job linking the look of the cars with their personalities and how they act (e.g. stupid and clumsey = old banger). Carvalho, C. (2006).
IMDB. (2011). Cars 2.
The first film made $60,000,000 in its opening weekend, and $460,000,000 overall. With these figures, it would be a mistake not to make a sequal.
The second one made a similar $66,000,000 in its opening weekend, and has made $191,200,000 so far which is impressive. Cars 2 is expected to bring in over $500,000,000 in the next year. IMDB. (2011). Cars 2.
Hailey, J. (2008).
DeathRace
This film is one of my favorite car films of all time, it is entertaining and intense, and has a great list of characters.
It is about a bad-ass but good at heart ex-con who is forced to race in event known as the Deathrace, where inmates race whilst trying to kill each other.
The film has a budget of $45,000,000, and has earned $75,000,000 since its release.
The film was, according to the writters and producer, a prequal to Deathrace 2000 (1975), even though it was set after in 2012. Hailey, J. (2008).
Kris, S. (2011).
Transformers.
These epic films are one of my favorite sets of films ever, they are action packed and great to watch.
The films are based around the cartoons and comics from years ago. The films follow Sam Witwicky as he befriends the Autobots (good transformers) whilst they fight against the evil Decepticons (bad transformers). The story has progressed well over the 3 films, and I still enjoy them.
The reason I think this film links with Transport is because the transformers turn into car, trucks and aircrafts as their way of blending into life on our planet.
The first film (2007) made over $700,000,000 worldwide, which clearly indicated a sequal or two needed to be made. The second film (2009) raked in over $830,000,000 and the third film (2011) has made over 1.1 Billion dollars since July. The franchise has completely exploded and has potential to keep going. Kris, S. (2011).
Unknown. (2005). Airport (TV Series).
Airport (TV Series).
Airport is a TV series by the BBC (also aired on Dave) that follows the on-goings of London Heathrow Airport.
UKTV. (2011). Dave.
This 'fly on the way' style program has 10 series which were all filmed before 2005, but it is still aired requently on the channels Dave and UKTV People. BBC One also shows repeats, but not as often.
There is speculation of new series being filmed due to the ongoing popularity of the previous series'.
Airport was surprisingly popular in America and Australia. 3 series of an american version were created 2004/2005 called Airline USA. Unknown. (2005). Airport (TV Series).
UKTV. (2011). Driving Wars Episode Guide.
Driving Wars (TV Series).
Driving Wars is a new show this year, and features state of the art robotics; two teams compete whilst controlling full-size remote control cars in crazy stunts, races other other events. It is a great program and really interesting. There have been 8 episodes aired so far for this first series with new episodes every wednesday. There are plans for more series to come due to the inital attention it has gained.
UKTV. (2011). Driving Wars Episode Guide.
I think it is the combination of awesome stunts, tense car chases and absolute destruction of real cars that makes this a good show. --------- Books
Waterstones. (2011). Search Results: 'Transport'.
When I search the words 'Plane', 'Car', and 'Transport', into WaterStones.com, it came back with 1496, 4035, and 5495 results respectively.
This proves that this is big demand for transport related books, and also that cars are more popular than planes (with books), but this may have been because half the results for 'car' and 'transport' were driving instructing and theory handbooks.
Apart from books about learning to drive, the results were things like:
- travel games and puzzle books for long drives.
- road trip guides.
- books about urban travel and future changes.
- buying a new car guides.
- race car history.
- F1 handbooks.
- London underground guide.
- train history.
etc...
