Part the XXXIV: Where Nick Goes to the BBC.

5/13/11

 As part of our final day of classes, our media course took a journey to London to see the British Film Institute and the BBC Television Center.  The BFI has recently created the Mediateque where they have begun to digitize all of their collections of film, television and advertisements.  They are working slowly but surely as they convert the over one million pieces of their entire collection.  It is rather interesting as one can type in any keyword and the database returns any films, tv shows, and ads that relate to the subject therein.  The predicted price of conversion for the whole project in over three billion pounds.  I, for example, dipped into their football and cricket collections as well as the episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus that they had in the system.  It would definitely be interesting to see how much more is added to the collection in the future.

  The later part of the day was spent at the BBC Television Center.  Here, in the 1940s, some of the first TV studios in the world were laid out.  Any studios that came afterward are based directly on those designed here.    We even got to see studio one which is currently the place where the British episodes of "So You Think You Can Dance?" is filmed.  It is also a place where many pieces of BBC history are kept.  Props and pieces from shows like "Eastenders", "Dr. Who", and "Absolutely Fabulous" fill cases in all of the hallways.

Example: a Tardis

  All in all, it was an interesting day and I got to learn a lot about the history of BBC media and the role it has played for the people of England.  It is also interesting to see the fans of singer Jessie J who were mobbing the gates hoping to see her after she was on a music show at the studios.