SEVEN

Not if you believe social media feedback. Tweets like the three below would not back this up.

“So the new Bond song is awful... Thanks @samsmithworld”

“ Not the best...just doesn't have the chorus or ooomppph to it. Not very 'Bond like' other then the strings and piano.”

“The new #JamesBond theme by @samsmithworld is a good song in its own right. But I can't see it as the opening song of a Bond movie.”

Now I know that these are only three tweets, but there are many more that echo the same opinion. Likewise, there are many that are in support of the song - mainly from Sam Smith’s fans.

This song and the debate mentioned above actually teach us some valuable research lessons. 

The first of these is to be wary of forming your opinion on social media alone. Negative opinions seem to be the loudest. They’re the ones that come to the top and dominate the headlines.

In this case, if you asked yourself what the public think of Sam Smith’s Bond theme, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was a monstrosity -  a god awful song that is not fit to compete with its predecessors. Obviously you’d be wrong - the statistics around song plays and sales would tell you it’s not the worst Bond song but the most successful. 

Flip this and you’ll learn another lesson - how important it is not to just believe the statistics and the value of looking beyond these. Look at the chart positions and Writing’s on the Wall is the best Bond song as it charted the highest.

However, the tweets above and the many others would make you think otherwise.

The same applies to any insight work that we conduct. Realising the importance of gaining in-depth qualitative feedback from a variety of sources and demographics can take a piece of insight to the next level. Likewise, getting those hard statistics can validate any work. Balance is key and neither should be neglected when conducting research.

Back to the song and the film....here’s a teaser video of the song (the full one wasn’t out at the time of publishing) and the trailer for the film out on Nov 6. 

Who doesn’t love a good Bond film?! 

In 2008, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ showed Brad Pitt getting younger instead of older. The effects were good, but I personally think they got a bit sketchy when Benjamin Button was supposed to be in his late teens – he looked kind of air brushed and ‘glowy’.

The image of Michael Douglas though is absolutely spot on, clearly showing how much technology has progressed in as little as 7 years. And then there’s the Galaxy advert with the resurrection of Audrey Hepburn. I remember the first time I saw this, I was amazed at how realistic it looked- albeit a little uneasy about the concept of using a dead star’s image to promote a product (obviously without their consent). 

Because of how easy it’s becoming to transform people’s faces using this de-ageing technology, I predict we’ll be seeing a lot more of our ageing (or deceased) celebrities looking young and healthy on our movie screens.

How long will it be before we see full length feature films with Jonny Depp looking as young as he did in Blow, or Leonardo Di Caprio back to his fresh-faced Titanic days? Will the death of famous actors like Heath Ledger cease to affect the finishing of a film or the release of a sequel?

And will this mean that we will hardly ever see new talent in the cinema, because we will just continuously recycle our old favourites?

I don’t know about you, but the thought of this is terrifying and fascinating at the same time. I guess only time will tell…

(If in 10 years, this all comes true, just remember that we predicted it first!)

Let’s take Raheem Sterling as an example. A 20-year old individual who has only had a relatively decent reputation in football for the best part of two years. He has created a role model portraying the mentality of sulking until you get what you want. But that shouldn’t be the case. That isn’t something which is going to create the next footballing generation into people who want to play football for the love of the game, and it will make youngsters at all age levels feel as though they can dictate before their time and disrupt the ethos of a football club. This was shown by his desire to not turn up for training (a breach of his contract) and the severity of the breakdown in working relationships with many at the club. Sterling is someone who has had his mind disrupted by an agent who is only motivated by how much money he can make out of his client. How can anyone comprehend a 20-year old being worth £200,000 a week? Sterling’s attitude towards Liverpool was nothing short of shoddy. But at the end of the day, he got what he wanted: a transfer to Man City. Liverpool may have got a tidy £49m for him, but still, players and clubs should look for mutuality rather than fighting against each other. After all, what sort of message does that send to fans and those who are supposed to be inspired by him? It just goes to show that he is more bothered about money than his perception in the public. That doesn’t send the message which football hopes to show.

However, contrary to all of this, there are some footballers that do show a positive message.  One player who I am going to talk about is based across the River Mersey – Everton’s Steven Naismith. He has hit the headlines on many an occasion, simply for his wonderful work towards the people who need it more than most. When he played for Rangers, he purchased tickets from the club and went out and distributed them to the homeless people of Glasgow. He has since repeated this numerous times in Liverpool. He also spends lots of time working with injured service personnel and helping them get back into employment once they have returned from the line of duty and have recovered their health. Furthermore, he is also an ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland, helping raise awareness of the disease. 

Another player – Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil – is also famed for his generosity to those less privileged. He used his 2014 World Cup winners money to pay for operations for 23 disabled Brazilian children, and just over one year on, has done the same for 11 more children. This is from someone who was also transferred for a similar amount to Sterling, showing that it is an individual’s attitude compared to a football wide one when it comes to the big money bandied about.

Obviously, not everyone can afford to help others to this extent, but it is gestures like Naismith and Ozil’s that make me proud to be a football fan, not those of Sterling.

Films now seem to be no longer treated with respect, they're now seen as money makers, focusing more on cheap thrills rather than art. Less care and effort are being put in to them, mainly due to the decline in practical effects, with digital effects (CGI) becoming prominent. Think of Ben-Hur's incredible chariot race scene, if it was remade today it would most likely be almost entirely CGI.

An example of a film that has fantastic practical effects is The Thing (1982) because of the sheer amount of work and attention to detail put into the effects. The use of practical effects provides a much creepier atmosphere and a feeling of realism rather than boring computer generated gore and monsters such as the terrible 2011 remake of the film. Practical effects are what made the original film the masterpiece that it is, making the film practically timeless even after being out all these years.

There doesn't really seem to be any heart put into newer films, because rather than telling the audience a good story they instead just add a few fancy explosion effects and have done with it. Compare a classic film such as Hitchcock's Psycho and then compare it with practically any movie made by Michael Bay and look at the difference.

It appears that these days most new films have no story or at least no original story and seem to rely on remaking films rather than coming up with new ideas such as the 2015 Poltergeist remake.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate newer films. Movies such as Jurassic World, Transformers and Terminator Genesis are all entertaining, but in terms of quality and story, they really can't compete with older films.

Now and again there is a gem that really stands out from the rest, focusing on performance and a good story such as Birdman, but these films are rare and don't always do well at the box office due to how different they are to today's blockbusters.

There may still be hope for films yet as director JJ Abrams is trying to focus predominantly on using practical effects in the newest Star Wars film, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, possibly trying to avoid making the same mistake the badly received prequels did due to their abundance of CGI. See the below video for a behind the scenes look at the upcoming film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hzd_K5QdXQ

For some reason- at least in my mind, this seems to be more acceptable than being a superfan of One Direction or Doctor Who for example. And this puzzles me, because I have no idea why it’s different.

Anyway, ever interested in the concept of super fans- (particularly those who differ from the intended audience of said obsession), I sought out a self-confessed ‘Disnerd’, asked her a few questions about her love for Disney.

Introducing “Ariel” from the US…

Firstly, how old are you and where are you from?

I'm 14 and I'm from Texas.

How long have you been a ‘Disnerd’?

I've been a Disnerd for practically my entire life.

What’s your favourite Disney film and why?

I love nearly all films but if I had to choose it would be one of the older movies such as Lady and the Tramp, or Fox and the Hound.

Who’s your favourite Disney character and why?

My favorite Disney character is either Ariel, because I've loved her movie since I was young and am willing to watch it anyday, or Giselle because she's so clueless about how the real world functions it's adorable, similar to Ariel.

Sorry for my lack of Disney knowledge, but who’s Giselle?

Giselle is from Enchanted, she's one of my favorite Disney redheads.

How many times have you been to Disneyland/Disneyworld?

I have been to Disneyland 0 times but I've been to Disneyworld once.

What is it about Disney that appeals to you?

Disney appeals to me because it's something that brings out the inner child in everyone so you could all laugh or cry or have a sing-along night to you favorite movies.

What separates a Disnerd from an everyday Disney fan?

A Disnerd, in my opinion, is someone who's life is largely built on Disney, meaning they've grown up watching almost nothing but their shows and movies and to this day are complete dorks when it comes to Disney. They'd go as far as redecorating their room to fit a Disney theme, having a Disney wedding or simply knowing everything there is to know about every movie Disney has made. A typical, everyday Disney fan is not as extreme as a Disnerd, yet they do enjoy sitting down every once in awhile to watch a Disney movie. They may not know half of what a Disnerd knows and aren't as, what I would say "obsessed", of Disney.

Would you describe yourself as a superfan for anything/anyone else?

I would say I am a superfan for one or two other fandoms, but neither compare to Disney.

What would you like to say to those who think Disney is only for children?

I would say that they could think whatever they like, but they should know that when I'm old and on my death bed I request nothing but Disney movies to play all day while I wear my Mickey ears and sing-along to the songs as best as I can.

There was a time when the internet was bursting at the seams with fad diets, thigh gaps and meal recommendations which were tantamount to starving yourself. Both males and females craved the angular, bony looks of the borderline anorexic supermodel, and would be willing to go to unhealthy lengths to get there.

I’m not saying that all of this doesn’t exist anymore, but it’s impossible not to notice its decline. In the past couple of years there’s been a clear shift in aspirations to be fit and strong, rather than skinny and frail-looking.

Recent research by youth insight agency Ypulse, shows that 59% of 13-39 year olds say ‘Being fit is the new pretty’, and this is reflected in the rise of fashion sportswear which is popping up all over the high street.

In the recent past, sportswear worn anywhere apart from the gym was synonymous with being a chav, but now, it’s considered high fashion (this pic of super-fit model Jourdan Dunn wearing high fashion Adidas is PROOF).

You only need to take a scroll through your Instagram feed to see the number of fitness-related hashtags or ‘progress selfies’- which there is now no shame in posting by the way (unlike gym selfies, which are a massive insta faux pas). There are now probably as many online fitness icons helping us on our quest to get moving, as there are make-up gurus trying to help us look like Kim K.

Not only is being fit a new trend, but so is eating well. I don’t know about you, but 18 months ago I’d never heard of kale, quinoa or chia seeds, but now I unwittingly eat them on a regular basis, packed in my M&S soup or salad. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t see the hashtags #cleaneating #health or #fitness across my Twitter and Instagram feeds, and it’s actually really making me want to join a gym and buy a spiralizer…

I think we can all agree, that this new fitness craze can only be a good thing. Who cares if some people are only taking part so they look good on social media?? Even if the motives are wrong, the effect is the same.

Anyway, I’ve got to get off, I’m late for my spinning class and I need to take a picture of my #healthy courgette noodles for Instagram.

Music plays a surprisingly large part of culture; a powerful force present since the beginning of man. With the such power comes great consequence, as music shapes the way we all act and think.

Music has been shown to positively impact creativity and intelligence. When played in the background, studies show that a boost in productivity can clearly be seen. Despite such amazing impacts, this is not all music can do. The effects of music education are even greater; a child can show boosted understanding of proportional mathematics gained from an understanding of timing and rhythm. Positive improvements in English studies also prove how fundamentally important music in study can be. Not only can music benefit the good, music education has rescued many children from the great depths of academic failure. A child in Edinburgh was part of larger study concerning the impacts of musical education. This child proceed to go from a D in Maths to a A within 8 weeks immediately after taking up the violin. If this is not enough proof to show how critically important musical education is, I don't know what is.

Music can also have deeply negative effects upon young impressionable minds. Music is a modem for emotional shifting, to the high and low. Adolescents who experience troubling times in their teenage years can often rely on music which influences them in a negative way and music that can encourage them in their self-destructive ways. Heavy metal bands are assumed the culprits of sadistic activity, however the most unassuming acts can often be the most harmful. Nicki Minaj released the single Anaconda recently which is a typical example. Young adolescents listening to such chart hits can in no way benefit from the content of such songs. This, in many ways, can be a warning to any troubled young people who can too easily fall into a vulnerable, impressionable state.