Media City

Manchester is a world centre for media, and as we see, media makes a difference. Coronation Street is a very sucessful production, now using grooming, stabbings, drug dealing, rape and so on as storylines.

What about Rochdale, not far from all that media skillbase. High-definition video production is relatively cheap and easy today, a Rochdale soap opera might 'make a difference'? Or, would it just frighten people away?

There are always plenty of everyday real-life storylines, drugs, stabbings, murders, rapes, politics etc.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/110189/mohammad-shafiqul-alom-sentenced-to-life-for-murder-of-akbar-masood

But isn't Coronation Street simply Woodbine Street in every other Northern town? Rochdale tends to draw all the publicity to it simply because it was the first to be found out not 'outing' a lot of its dirty going's on and has now become a magnet for every gutter-press snipe looking for a 'pay-out'. Benefit's capital. Paedophile capital. Grooming gang capital. Traffickers capital. All good for a Daily Mirror banner headline and sells like nan-bread on a windy Good Friday. Let us not get carried away with our notoriety. It's all ideal for indolent MP's and councillors. Grist to the mill. Whilst you're worrying about 'dirty goings on' you are not concerning yourselves with 'their' indolence and lack of care.

Indolence and Lack of Care! Sort of catchy in a way, and straight to the point. It will serve as a working title for a home made Rochdale drama-documentary. What do all these students do when they have finished their media studies courses? Make pop music videos and write computer games?

What else can they do????? Everybody should go to university. Everybody should get a degree. Everybody should get a good paid job thereafter. And everybody should reside in Utopia where the elephants make their nests in rhubarb trees. It's social engineered twaddle. In the 'real' world you should do that to which you consider yourself suited and anything else required to pay the bills and bring up the family - if that's what you want. There isn't going to be the 'jobs' for everyone and some will have to be content with 'social' works and a reasonably structured living. Regardless of 'what should be'.

Meanwhile the 'robots' will attend to everything else -. believe it or not I saw a robot bricklaying the other day. Ten robots to one human overseer. What does that tell you?

The council have paid someone in Hull £12,000 for a 90 second promotional film. According to my calculator, that's £133 per second, or, eight thousand pounds per minute. That must be a suberb production.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/111658/council-pays-12000-for-a-97-second-promotional-film


Wake up at the back there, you're missing the film!

One assumes that this is the promotional Rochdale (look what we have to offer) film. Your first argument should have been - why a company in Hull when Rochdale itself has a number of good promo-video producers and production teams? Was it put out to tender? If not - why not? And now for your question as to costs.

First and foremost the production team from Hull would have to come and stay in Rochdale for at least a few days (or hire local) to do their research into the project and the council's requirements. Then returning with the 'shot' sequences to their headquarters where they would then have to add the sound tracks etc etc etc. And then the final editing and production before art work and packaging and distribution. I see nothing expensive (12k) for a good quality film of 90 minutes of that nature always and providing the finished product is of the best quality etc and provides the council with what it needs. (You will note I used the word 'needs' - In this instance it is and was needed for the town's promotion as part of any new or ongoing re-generation programme).

The Rochdale news reports it as a (very) short, 97 second film, that is, one minute and 37 seconds.
https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/111658/council-pays-12000-for-a-97-second-promotional-film

 You blinked, missed it.

And, continues on the theme of financial extravaganza.
https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/111790/cashstrapped-council-spends-50000-rebranding-school-dining-rooms

I of course meant 90 seconds not 90 minutes - and I stand by the above comments. It's not the 'time' that's important in marketing promotions but - the impact the advert has. For instance - naked bathing always gets everyone's attention. (Does it have any naked people in it?) Without seeing the film and experiencing the impact I cannot comment further.

As for the 'Naked Kitchens' and a further 50k again spent outside the borough I wonder who it is they are trying to impress? Just how much is bull-shit? And why new uniforms? Seems another mindless project dreamt up by council employees who need to display the fact they are doing something useful. Both projects symptomatic of time consumption in order to impress -. Only it doesn't.

If there really is no-one in Rochdale capable of making a very short promotional video to, or to design some posters, menus and uniforms for a reasonable fee, it might be best if Rochdale keeps quiet about this lack of ability within the town.

              Shhhhhhh!

It has been the standard practice now for some 30 -40 years that 'councils' only administrate and are no longer in the business of formulating and advancing their own requirements and ideas. These practices are farmed out in order that no come-back can be levelled at the council employee should the idea and its advancement go 'pear-shaped'. It's the modern form of arse-protecting -. You can't get me I'm part of the 'union' is now 'You can't get me I'm part of the council'. Amazing how quickly bureaucrats latch on to good ideas. I'm sorry to say that you are paying only for paper-pushers not 'real doers'.