Www.abc.net.au



BtN: Episode 15 Transcript 07/06/11

On this week's Behind the News:

• Why some people are calling for live animal exports to be banned.

• The report that says Aussie shoppers are being ripped off.

• And behind the scenes to see how TV cameras work.

Hi I'm Nathan Bazley, welcome to Behind the News. Also on the show, Tash takes on one of the lead roles in an orchestra but first today.

Carbon Ad

Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: The fight is continuing over the Government's planned carbon tax and different tactics are being used to try to sway the public one way or the other. The latest strategy involves a TV ad urging people to support a carbon tax but it's up to politicians to support or reject the tax now not us. So why is the ad aimed at us? Let's find out.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: TV programs always come with a huge side-serving of ads, trying to sell you all sorts of different products and services. But there are a few ads out there trying to sell you something very different. Not a car or fast food, but an idea.

AD: Need an idea? Well we have ideas! Ideas coming out of our ears! Thousands of ideas going dirt cheap!

They aren't quite this in-your-face though; they sound a little more like this.

MICHAEL CATON, ACTOR: We'd be saying yes to less carbon pollution.

CATE BLANCHETT, ACTRESS: And finally doing something about climate change.

The idea being sold here is that the Government's Carbon Tax is good.

And to help sell that idea, they have used two famous actors who share the view. It's all aimed at convincing you, the general public, that a Carbon Tax is something you should support.

NATHAN: But the big question here is why try to convince you? As a member of the public, this decision isn't in your hands. It's in the hands of the members of federal parliament. So why go to all the expense of filming an ad and playing it all over the country, when most of you watching don't even get a say? Well changing public opinion might not help directly, but it can still be one of the most powerful forces in modern politics. All it takes is the right ad and some time. Say this ad came on during your favourite TV show.

ADVERTISER: We are the pro-pizza group and we think every kid deserves free pizza of their own!

FAKE JUSTIN BEIBER: Yeah, free pizza!

Millions of people might watch the ad, but some would feel really strongly about it. Others would see a celebrity endorsing it, so they'd trust what they say. Then they might tell their friends, ring radio stations and write email after email to their local politician, telling them how they feel about the pro-pizza group.

When an idea becomes that popular, it's only a matter of time until politicians have to take notice. Even though it might not be election time now, ignoring popular ideas could come back to haunt them when an election next comes around.

FAKE JULIA GILLARD: I vote in favour of pizza for Australia.

FAKE TONY ABBOTT: The opposition agrees! Australia needs pizza!

That's what fans of a carbon tax hope will happen by making an ad of their own. And to help get the message across, they used celebrities that might help convince people. Michael Caton and Cate Blanchett have both supported environmental causes in the past. And by using them both, they hoped to appeal to a wider range of people, men and women of different ages and even different political backgrounds.

Of course, the other side of the debate could do exactly the same thing and fight back with ads of their own. But they might not have to! Sometimes political ads can backfire, turning people against something instead of supporting it. This ad was criticised by some in the media when first broadcast, so the people behind it will be hoping that won't turn people off. And that makes ads can be a powerful, yet risky way to try to win over the public.

Presenter: For a quick look at some more of this week's news stories, here's Matt with the Wire.

The Wire

Contaminated bean sprouts are thought to have killed 22 people and made more than 2 thousand sick in Europe and the US. Testing of the sprouts has found they contain E-Coli, a bacteria which commonly causes bad food poisoning. The outbreak started in Germany and quickly spread further. The government is warning Australian doctors to be on the lookout for infections relating to the E-Coli outbreak here.

*****

And Australia has a new political party so far with just one member. Federal independent MP Bob Katter has launched "The Australian Party" saying people are sick of the major parties. The party opposes the carbon tax, foreign ownership and the dominance of the major supermarkets. Its first test will be in next year's Queensland election.

Live Exports

Reporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: There's been a lot of talk lately about whether Australia should be exporting livestock like sheep and cattle overseas. Some shocking video has come out showing animals being treated badly. Now, some people want live exports banned. Tash reports.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: From dusty paddocks to our dinner plates. Producing and selling meat is one of Australia's biggest industries! But it's just been rocked by a major scandal.

For years Australian cattle have been transported overseas alive. The animals are then turned into meat once they reach other countries. They're called live exports. But a recent news investigation has got a lot of people concerned about them. Secret filming in Indonesia has revealed that Australian cattle are sometimes made to suffer before being turned into meat. This is where we'll stop the pictures because what happens to the cattle next is too cruel to watch. Since the story hit the news, it's made a lot of people angry and now many want live exports to be banned!

But, banning live exports isn't a popular idea with everyone. Here in Australia it's big business. Over the past 20 years, more than 6.5 million cattle have been shipped to Indonesia alone. People who support live exports argue that a ban would hurt the Australian economy and could mean some people losing their jobs.

Some countries in the Middle East prefer to buy live cattle. One of the main reasons is so they can sell the meat fresh. In some countries people don't have fridges and freezers, so they're less likely to want to buy chilled or frozen meat. And some people want to be able to kill the animal and prepare the meat themselves using their traditional techniques.

But on the other side of the argument some people think that transporting animals over long distances is cruel. They're often packed into tight spaces and some cattle and sheep can die along the way. And even though Australia has rules to treat the animals as humanely as possible, there's no guarantee that the same rules will be applied overseas. And in Indonesia, we know that hasn't been the case.

So with arguments on both sides, what is the government going to do? Well, since the Indonesia video was revealed, a few actions have already been taken. The Australian Government says 11 Indonesian abattoirs won't be used anymore. And politicians are now looking at a special investigation into Australian cattle exports to Indonesia. But is it enough?

Online Poll

Sometimes news like this can be upsetting if it makes you sad, you can talk to an adult about it or we've got some info that might help on our website. Now, that story raised some big questions so let's make it this week's poll. The question is: Should live exports be banned? To vote just head to our website.

And let's have a look now at the results of last week's poll. We asked you if kids should wear head protection when playing contact sports. 64 per cent of you said yes they should. 36 per cent said no. Thanks for taking part.

Ripped Off

Reporter: Kirsty Bennett

INTRO: Have you ever felt that your pocket money doesn't stretch very far when you go shopping? Well, a new report says it may be because Aussie shoppers are being ripped off. It says the same item of shopping can often be bought overseas for much less. So how do shops justify charging higher prices in Australia and what can we do about it? Here's Kirsty.

KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: When these products go through a checkout in Australia we're paying top dollar! A report has found that items like clothes, shoes and CDs cost a lot more to buy here than in other countries. So why are Aussie shoppers forking out so much more?

All businesses mark up their products. That's when they bump up the price so they can make a profit. Take this clothes store for example. They buy products from a supplier.

SUPPLIER: Hey there, i've got your order of shoes for you. That'll be $20 please.

KIRSTY: So to make a profit the shop owner marks up the price.

CUSTOMER: Hi I'd like to buy a pair of shoes.

OWNER: Well we just got these in 25 dollars if you just take a seat over there Jordan will be with you.

KIRSTY: So for this pair of shoes the mark up is five dollars and that's what the shop owner keeps to pay for expenses and whatever is leftover is profit. But a report has found that the mark ups in Australia can be as much as 142 per cent. So that same pair of shoes could cost the shopper nearly 50 dollars! So why are Aussie businesses charging more?

Well some retailers reckon the big reason is that expenses in Australia are some of the highest in the world. So that means paying big wages, high rent and even bills can cost a lot. There are also taxes to pay when shops order products from overseas. But even with all these extra expenses, some consumer groups reckon Aussie shoppers are still paying too much.

To shop smart, you can look out for sale items or special offers. Also check out the cost of the same item in different shops because often the price will vary. You can also do some of your shopping online and that can even mean buying from other countries, which don't have such a big mark up. Although some online book and music stores have tried to stop this by making shoppers pay different prices depending on which country they live in. Back at the mall and if you think an item is over-priced you can try asking for a discount. It's called haggling and while it's more common in markets some stores, selling big expensive items are prepared to offer a reduction. I tried it and I have to admit, I felt embarrassed and got rejected a lot.

But when it worked - it worked well! I got 40 dollars off these shoes. Just because I had the guts to ask and they threw in a free pack of socks! I checked out getting money off TVs and most of those places were good at giving you a discount. And the weirdest one and embarrassing was when I asked for 30 cents off my hot chocolate but I think I was just a bit lucky with that one!

So with big mark-ups around, I'll try to shop smarter in the future although haggling is probably a step too far for me!

TV Cameras

Reporter: Sean Maynard

INTRO: Right now I'm being filmed on a television camera but have you ever wondered what they actually look like? Once upon a time they used to be very large, heavy and difficult to move around but nowadays thanks to newer technology, they're a lot easier to use. And it might surprise you to learn they don't even need a person to operate them! Sean's gone behind the scenes to find out how we use cameras to make the news.

HOWARD WARE, ABC NEWS DIRECTOR: OK stand by studio, we're on air in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 opening's rolling, stand by on the floor and cue.

SEAN MAYNARD, REPORTER: This is where the ABC newsreader sits. I've got two cameras pointed at me... but there's no one else in the room. It actually feels a bit lonely! It's all being controlled outside the studio by a guy called Howard. His job is TV News Director but when it comes to news, he's a man of many talents!

HOWARD: I'm the cameraman, the audio operator, the character generator operator, the director, the vision mixer, everything. The only other person in the control room is actually the producer and they have a pure editorial function.

Howard uses something that looks like a video game controller.

HOWARD: That's actually the controller for all three cameras. I can program into those cameras all the shots I require beforehand, any movements I require beforehand and even have the facilities for moving the cameras around the studio and they find out where they are from a barcode system on the walls.

That's how they do it now but how did they make TV in the past? This is one of the very first cameras used in Australia. It dates back to the beginning of television in the mid 1950's. It has no zoom function like you find on cameras today. So if they wanted to film something further away they had to manually attach a different lens to the front of the camera.

It's a bit like needing lots of magnifying glasses just to be able to see the world around you. It all looks very big and bulky and that's because it had to make room for this gadget. It's an image orthicon and its sole job is to convert picture into an electrical signal. Nowadays this tiny little chip replaces that massive pick up device.

But this camera couldn't operate on its own. It needed all this equipment just to begin rolling, plus its own camera operator. For a studio with three cameras, you'd need three times that equipment and at least three people to work it! As for recording.

HOWARD: This is a tape from a modern tape recorder and it records one hour, whereas this tape here only maybe 10 or 15 minutes.

Colour TV arrived in 1975 and that meant the cameras had to fit a lot more technology inside them. To make all the pieces fit; the old parts were swapped for smaller ones.

HOWARD: We've now gone from valves to transistors, so there's less room taken up there and also the tubes that were in the camera originally are now being replaced by these much smaller ones.

By the 1980s, cameras were light enough to carry because the parts inside them had shrunk in size. But even this camera didn't come with a recorder. Nowadays most crews record on digital memory cards like this one and the cameras are a lot easier to carry around. And while it may have taken 50 years to shrink the video camera it's still up to the camera operator to get the best shot.

Quiz 1

So now you know how long cameras have been around for but what about the news? It's time for a quiz. The question is: When was the first ABC news bulletin broadcast on TV?

1936

1956

1976

Answer: 1956

And originally those bulletins were made up of no more than two minutes of pictures and 13 minutes of straight talking. Now it's time to catch up on this week's top sports stories in the Score.

The Score

The issue of racial abuse has raised its ugly head in round 11 of the AFL on the weekend. Collingwood president Eddie McGuire was seen scolding a St Kilda fan on TV for what he said were "borderline racist comments" aimed at a Magpies player. And North Melbourne's Sudanese-born rookie Majak Daw was racially abused while playing for Werribee in a Victorian League match on Saturday.

DAW: I don't condone racism, I don't think it should be allowed to happen in modern day football but I suppose there are some people out there that still think it's okay. Codes bosses have condemned both acts saying people guilty of this kind of abuse will be punished.

*************

The Socceroos have outclassed New Zealand 3 - 0 in an international friendly in Adelaide. Josh Kennedy found the net first after pressuring the Kiwi goalkeeper into a mistake before making it two from a corner kick in the second half. The final goal came minutes before time... a penalty allowing local young gun James Troisi to grab his first international career goal.

*************

Finally today to a sport called Jugger which first appeared as an idea in a dodgy movie from the 1980's. And the best description of it is medieval football. Opponents use padded weapons to try to stop their adversaries placing the loop or 'skull' as they call it over their spike. They don't play to the death, as the movie said but they certainly get a killer workout.

Quiz 2

We've got a story about music coming up next. To get us in the mood, let's have a musical quiz. The question is: To what family of instruments does the saxophone belong?

Brass

Woodwind

Percussion

Answer: Woodwind

Even though a saxophone might look brass coloured, it's actually a woodwind instrument because of a wooden reed that makes its sound.

Sticking with music.

Conductor

Reporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: We're about to meet one of the key players in an orchestra. They don't belong in the woodwind, brass, strings or percussion section and they don't even make a sound. We're talking about the conductor. It's an unusual job and as Tash found out there's a lot more to conducting than waving around a baton.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Who's the most important person in the orchestra? The violinist who leads or maybe it's the person who plays loudest? Well, some people reckon the most important person could be the one who makes no noise at all.

It's the conductor. They stand at the front of an orchestra, band or choir to guide the musicians through the music. The conductor tells the musicians when to start by lifting the baton. And he waves it around to keep them in time. He can tell them to play softer or be more dramatic. And he sometimes uses his other hand to cue in the instruments when it's their turn.

So what skills do you need to be a conductor? Well, it helps to know how to play lots of instruments in the orchestra and in particular the piano. They're like a musical expert and need to know the piece of music just as well, if not better, than the musicians. And you've got to have a good ear, because you need to be able to hear the pitch of all the different instruments. And that can be hard when they're all playing at the same time.

Andrew's regarded as an up-and-coming conductor. He's going to give me a few pointers.

REPORTER: What are the first things I need to know to be able to use this?

ANDREW: You should probably be able to hold it. Everybody holds the baton in a different way and some people don't use one.

ANDREW: This is an extension of your arm, so it shouldn't be skewed with like that.

ANDREW: Probably the most basic pattern you can have it two beats to a bar and one, two, one, two.

REPORTER: What happens to the other arm?

ANDREW: The other arm is generally considered the music maker. But when people begin to conduct, they quite often conduct symmetrically so you'll have one, two, one, two or the hand is held here against the lapels and it does nothing.

REPORTER: I like that one.

ANDREW: I think it's time for you to have a crack at it.

This is me trying to go slow and this is me trying to make them go faster.

It's not as easy as it looks. Your right and left hand are doing different things; your eyes are trying to cue the next musicians, while your ears are having to listen to something else. Its takes some serious multi-tasking and in the end, no-one was calling for an encore

Closer

Don't forget to log onto our website and get more info about any of our stories. You can send us your comments and vote in our poll and we'll see you next time.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download