Forecast

After finishing my research into both Gothic and Transport I have made the following predictions about the next 5 years.

Ecoboost Engine Logo.
(Ford Motor Company. 2011).

I believe that as non renewable resources continue to decline and become more expensive cars will become more ecologically friendly. A good example I found of this was in my Transport Horizon, where I found the  Ford EcoBoost Engine (Ford Motor Company. 2008. Ecoboost Engine Technology.) I believe that these will start to become incorporated into all of Ford's new cars, and by 2016 every new car produced will have some form of 'eco technology' inside it. What will make this especially prevalent is the eco technology may actually become cheaper to incorporate as it offsets the amount of money spent on fuel.

Hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius will also be much more mainstream, although I believe that cheaper cars will also have hybrid technology inside them - but this may be cheaper and less economical technology than the more expensive hybrid cars.

(Tata Motors. 2008)

I also predict that within 5 years time a major car company will announce they are making a 'super economical' car. This will be a very small car primarily aimed for people in the city, like the SMART cars, however it will contain a lot of economical technology. It will be a hybrid car, mostly relying on electric to run - with the petrol for longer journeys. I believe however in a surprising move this car will be very cheap, and affordable for most people - like India's Tata Nano (BBC News. 2008. World's Cheapest Car Goes on Show.), in an attempt to get people to move onto the saving technology.

(Guiney, P. 2009).

Despite these moves to be more economical in the consumer market I believe that Formula 1 racing will still be around and unaffected by it. As trends over the previous years show I also believe that the Formula 1 cars will advance quite a bit by the next 5 years, becoming even faster yet still remaining safe. In 1956 the fastest speed the cars could go was 150mph (SoftNews NET. 2008) whereas today they can go up to 220mph (Ref. (Collantie, K. 2011). I predict that Formula 1 cars will in fact become so fast that new tracks will have to be built or existing ones modified to accommodate the new top speeds.This has already happened in the past with some tracks being dropped previously, and street circuits such as Monaco being called unsafe at the speeds cars race at today (Collantie, K. 2011. If DRS is Unsafe For Monaco.)

I also believe that the popularity of the DRS system in 2011, and added tactics it has brought to the races, will spur more tactical additions to the races. I believe that as more technology gets added to the cars, teams will actually be able to change certain variables whilst the car is racing. They may be able to change the softness of suspension or limit the engine speed of the driver remotely. At the end of 5 years time I believe that the helmets drivers use will also be updated to have augmented reality, allowing many vital statistics such as engine/tire temperature, fuel and potential problems to appear layered over their vision - like the Helmet Mounted Symbology System by BAE Systems (BAE Systems. 2011. New Typhoon Helmet.) Although this will come into place I can also foresee it being removed soon after it is implemented as it could cause a distraction and some crashes to occur.

(Pettinger, T. 2011).

I believe that trains will become more popular, although ticket prices still be expensive (Pettinger, T. 2011). The trains in London however could become improved as an effect from hosting the Olympics in 2012 with the network improvement underway (Net Resources International. 2011) Trains in London may become more reliable, with more frequent trains and an overall better service like the Paris Metro currently has. However I believe this effect would be short lived, and an increase in cost to the system would lead to the government cutting budgets and the service ultimately returning to current standards.

Travel by airplane my become more expensive - however as it will probably rise not too much higher than inflation the impact of the higher ticket prices should not be felt too much. I believe though that within the next 5 years a project to 'resurrect' Concorde may be made. Taking the concept of Concorde I believe a company will try to create an economic plane that will travel very fast in the upper atmosphere. This plane may even come in two parts and in essence be a glider - using some kind of 'boosting' plane working on conventional fuel to get it high in the atmosphere which then the 'Concorde Glider' could sail quickly for long distances on hardly any fuel. If this plane is successful then I believe that travel to America and other far reach parts of the globe would become significantly cheaper.

By 2025 the UK should have at least 8 new nuclear reactors if current plans go as they should (Pfeifer, S. 2011). I believe that the change to use more renewable energies however will be a slow one, and that within the next 5 years hardly any change will have happened. Plans for more wind farms and solar panels will be discussed, but the high cost versus the low return will lead to abandoning the plans for more 'cheap' non-renewable's.

I believe that in the next 5 years the popularity of Gothic architecture will stay the same. I doubt that any new buildings will be built in the style, but I do believe that repairs will continue on existing buildings. The buildings should still be of interest to people though, and should retain their popularity for interesting design.

(Twisted Pictures. 2005).

I also predict that the link between the Gothic style and horror will grow, and by 2016 there will be more films containing it's influence in settings. Recent films and games I have found from my research such as Underworld (2004), Condemned 2 (2008) and Darksiders (2010) would suggest that the gritty settings and interesting shapes Gothic has to offer will continue to grow in popularity especially in the horror genre.

I believe that horror in itself will become more popular than it currently is, with many horror films, games and books being released in the next year as shown in my research. I believe that the days of 'gorefest' horror such as Saw 2 (2005) are over, and people are more interested in paranormal or psychological horror. If this trend continues I believe that within 5 years The X Files, or a tv show very similar, could be remade on television to cater for this increased popularity.

(InSOLense. 2009).

After 2012 I predict that there will be a lot of media attention on the lack of the Apocalypse. There will probably be a lot of media on it in the recent years afterwards, but it will die down very quickly in newspapers and magazines. The Apocalypse and judgement day however have always been popular in films and games - such as Fallout 3 (2008), and I believe this trend will continue. I believe that Fallout 4 will come out in the next 5 years, but also many other games and films will have the setting of a post apocalyptic world. I believe that a few of them will take the opportunity to pose an alternate history timeline where the Apocalypse - or some catastrophic event - happened in 2012.

(Doumax, D. 2005)

I believe that along with this there will be more media attention on cults for a short amount of time. I predict that there will be news reports of cults committing weird acts and mass suicides for a few years after 2012, mistaking it for some kind of 'sign' or wanting to achieve a 'higher presence'. This could spark people's worries and in 5 years time I predict that there may be a few more 'protect yourself from cults' books and websites available to the public. However despite this increased cult activity I believe that Scientology will begin to unravel in the next 5 years as people become more aware and scared of cults. I believe that governments will also become more aware and doubtful over Scientology and its effects, and will try to make it harder for the organization to operate.

Gothic - Horizon

I took a look at books about Gothic coming out in the near future.

One that took my interest was Canterbury and the Gothic Revival by Lawrence Lyle, due to be released in 2013 (Lyle, L. 2013). I thought this was an interesting example because rather than looking at the Gothic revival as a whole, it is concentrating on how it affected the one city of Canterbury. This could also be a very interesting book to read because Canterbury is a very historic town most known for its cathedral.

(Okean. 2005)

Gothic Britain: Nation and Race, Culture and Criticism, 1708-1890 by Sondeep Kandola, due to be released in 2012 (Kandola, S. 2012). also interested me. Rather than looking at Gothic architecture it takes a look at cultural influences (literature, political and art) and how they shaped Britain.

True Blood: Investigating Vampires and Southern Gothic (Investigating Cult TV Series) by Brigid Cherry, due to be released in 2012 (Cherry, B. 2012). also interested me. This book takes a look at Gothic fiction, vampires etc, and Southern Gothic - which is a form of Gothic fiction concentrating on the South of America (Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2011).

From my research I've found that there are a lot of books coming out in the near future that represent an interest in Gothic both as an architecture and art form.

(Jay, P. 2010).

I wanted to look for some buildings that are currently being built in the Gothic style, but found it difficult to find. However I did manage to find an article on CBC (a Canadian news network) of buildings that are being worked on and renovated. In Ottawa some of the city's historical Gothic buildings are in disrepair and are being fixed by the government. The Wellington Building (pictured above) is due to be finished in 2015. (Jay, P. 2011).

I thought I would also have a look at the goth subculture and any music that may be coming out soon. I found through a search on HMV that the next album of Goth Industrial Anthems is being released in the near future. The website lists a release date of 01/01/2013 although I believe that it will be released sooner as the date seems like a placeholder. However this album still proves that in the near future Gothic rock will still be bought by people. (Cleopatra. 2012).

Dark Shadows is a film coming out in may 2012:

"A gothic-horror tale centering on the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts. Based on the cult TV series." (IMDB. 2011. Dark Shadows.)

(Gallo, L. 2011).

This film will be heavily influenced from the 1980's TV show of the same named, which was influenced very much in the Gothic style. I was interested to see this film is coming out in the near future not only because of its story and setting, but also because it is being directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. Tim Burton has quite a history in making dark and heavily Gothic inspired films (such as Batman 1989) which should carry its influence over to this new film.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.
(Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. 2012). 

Another film that caught my eye was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012). The title for a start sounds ridiculous,  however I was surprised to learn that it is based on a best selling novel (Grahame-Smith, S. 2010)! This film is again another great example of Gothic, (especially Gothic horror) being used in a film coming out in the near future. I was interested to learn that the story mixes in historical events of Lincolns life with the fiction that he hunted vampires during his spare time. I believe this makes for an interesting story, as I find 'alternate reality' stories very interesting (for example, "What if JFK was never shot".) - and a good example of this is the titles from Watchmen.

(Grahame-Smith, S. 2010)

Watchmen
(Warner Bros Pictures. 2009).

I believe that the examples I've shown prove that there are a few films coming out in the near future that prove an interest in Gothic and horror.

I want to look more a horror in media in the near future.

(Capcom. 2012).

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City  is a horror game coming out in 2012 which sets the player back in Raccoon City during the zombie outbreak. This is the same setting as the Resident Evil 2 &3 games, but the player now plays as part of the Umbrella Security Force, trying to cover up evidence of their involvement in the disaster.  I find this an interesting setting for the game. As a player it can be nice to revisit a location where you have previously played in a different game, but see it from another perspective. Whilst your playing you get the sense of what is also going on from the other games.

The Darkness 2.
(2K Games. 2012). 

The Darkness 2 is a sequel to The Darkness video game based on the comic books. The first game was quite popular and the sequel is highly anticipated between fans of both the game and comic. 

The Darkness 2. 

(2K Games. 2012). 

(Her Majesty's Theatre. 2011).

The Phantom of the Opera is playing at Her Majesty's Theatre in London with it's last booking on 28th April 2012. (Her Majesty's Theatre. 2011). I found this an interesting example of horror in the media in the near future. It's nice to see that classical horror, especially in the form of a theatre production, are still popular enough for people to go and see. I believe this form of media will continue for a long time, however I believe it will also decline in popularity as time continues and technology becomes more interactive.

This has got me thinking about what technology might be coming out in the future which will improve interaction with an audience and media.

Wii U.
(Nintendo. 2012).

The Wii U is the next console by Nintendo and aims to improve user interactivity by turning the controller into a touch screen tablet. Due to be released in 2012 it will also be compatible with the current Wii motion controllers.

"The new controller incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 touch screen and traditional button controls, including two analog Circle Pads. This combination removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world." - (Nintendo. 2011. About Wii U.)

Judgement Day

I had a look at Play.com for any items coming out in the future related to Judgement Day and found this:

Terminator T-1000 Statue.

(Play.com 2012). 

I was interested to find this statue, due for release 27th January 2012, because it shows that people are still interested in items from the film Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The figure is selling for £279.99! I believe that this figure and its price also show that the film is still popular today.

(Brandywine Productions. 2012).

Looking at Judgement Day or the Appocalpyse in films due to come out I found an interesting example. Prometheus (2012) (IMDB. 2011. Coming Soon.) is where a team of explorers find a secret to the origin of mankind and leaves them in a "terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.". This is a loose example of a Judgement Day or Apocalypse scenario based on mankind being wiped out by aliens, not a higher power.

(Agostini, D. 2011).

There is also lots of media attention on the Apocalypse which people believe the Mayan's predicted would occur in 2012. I found this article from ABC News which claims a recent discovery proves that the Mayan's thought the Apocalypse will occur in 2012. (Francis, E. 2011).

I also had a look at future video games featuring The Apocalypse.

(Ubisoft. 2012. I Am Alive.)

I Am Alive (2012):

"In the post-apocalyptic action/adventure I Am Alive, players are faced with thought-provoking choices in the role of a survivor on a journey to find his wife and daughter, who were lost during the "Event."". (IGN. 2011. I Am Alive.)

Metro: Last Light.

 (THQ. 2012).

Metro: Last Light (2012) is a video game set in a post Apocalyptic Russia and forces the player to fight for their survival journeying through the ruined cities. (THQ.com. 2011. Metro: Last Light).

Cults

I had a look on Amazon for books coming out about cults in the future.

(Reitman, J. 2012).

Inside Scientology (2012) by Janet Reitman is a book coming out in 2012 which will be discussing scientology. 

However the book I found that most interested me was:

(Lee, E. 2012).

"The origins of modern religion in human sacrifice, ritual cannibalism, visionary intoxication, and the Cult of the Dead Explores ancient practices of producing sacred hallucinogenic foods and oils from the bodies of the dead for ritual consumption and religious anointing Explains how these practices are deeply embedded in the symbolism, theology, and sacraments of modern religion, specifically Christianity and the Eucharist Documents the rites of Cults of the Dead from the prehistoric Minoans on Crete to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Hebrews to early and medieval Christian sects such as the Cathars Long before the beginnings of civilization, humans have been sacrificed and their flesh used to produce sacred foods and oils for use in religious rites." (Lee, E. 2012).

I found this book very interesting. I really like both the title and front cover picture of the book, and could possibly use it for a character or fraction in my IP. I believe from the books I have posted here I have shown a steady interest (although perhaps not as big an interest in the past) in cults and cult activities. 

Whilst looking on Play.com for items coming out soon related to cults I came across this music album from Blue Oyster Cult. 

(Blue Oyster Cult. 2012).

This album is being released on the 9th of January 2012. I found the name of the artist interesting, and thought the album cover was clever for matching the artist's name. I thought the picture of the album cover was quite weird. It's a bit unsettling having all the people in masks crowding around you, and could easily be a very spooky and disturbing image. However the blue tint to the picture and style it's been drawn in makes the image seem very tame and nonthreatening.

Transport - Horizon

I'll start by looking at some cars coming out in the near future.

Ford Fiesta ST. 
(Ford Motor Company. 2011). 

Ford are bringing out many new models of cars, one of which is the Ford Fiesta ST. What I found interesting when I saw this car was the engine; it uses a 1.6 litre Ecoboost petrol engine. (Which Car Magazine. 2011). I wanted to find out what an Ecoboost engine was so I researched it a bit more. The Ecoboost engine gives a 20% better fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse emissions than similar sized engines. Ford also apparently see these as an alternative to hybrid cars, leading to them promising to use them much more in the future. (Ford Motor Company. 2008. Ecoboost Engine Technology.)

Ecoboost Engine Logo.
(Ford Motor Company. 2011).

I was also interested to learn about a new Toyota Prius for 2012 which now also allows you to charge it up from a plug in to the mains electricity, whereas previously it could only be charged by the electricity generated by the car. Because it is a hybrid car the charge time is also only one and a half hours long! (Which Car Magazine. 2011. Toyota Prius Plug In.)

Toyota Prius Plug In Hybrid.
(Toyota. 2011).

Another interesting car I found was the BMW i3 which is an electric car from BMW.

 BMW i3.
(BMW. 2011).  

Apparently it ill be able to do 90 miles before it needs recharging and will be able to reach 60mph in 8 seconds. I found this car interesting though for the design of it (which will probably change) and because I didn't think BMW, a company famed for making more expensive semi luxury cars, would make an electric car. (Which Car Magazine. 2011. BMW i3.)

All of the cars above were shown recently at the Frankfurt Motorshow 2011, however some of them, like the BMW i3 will most likely be seen next year at the Paris Motorshow 2012. (Amc Promotion. 2011).

Also when these cars come out they should be represented well in the media, with magazines (such as Which Car Magazine) and TV shows (such as Top Gear) featuring the cars and reviewing them.

Racing

Formula 1 will of course be taking place again in 2012, starting in Melbourne, Australia in march and ending in Sao Paulo, Brazil in November. (Formula 1. 2011. Formula 1 2012 Race Calendar)

 (Boullier, E. 2010).

You can already buy tickets for the Valencia Grand Prix, ranging from £43 to £471! (Valencia Grand Prix. 2011).

I was interested to find that Jenson Button will be releasing an autobiography in 2013 called My World and its available to preorder on Amazon. (Button, J. 2013).

(Fun Box Media. 2012). 

There are also a lot of racing games coming out in 2012, such as Glacier 3 for the Wii and Ben 10: Galactic Racing for the Nintendo DS. (Amazon. 2011. Racing Game Search.)

 (Original Film. 2001).

Fast and Furious 6 is the next film in the series to be released in 2013, staring Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel. (Original Film, 2013).
 

I think because this is the 6th film in the long running series it shows quite an interest in the racing genre. From the media I've currently collected I think its safe to say that racing will still be quite popular in the next few years.

Trains

(Slipstreamjc. 2005).

 

I was looking for a new train being released in 2012 when I saw an interesting article about how they are improving the railway network in London for the 2012 Olympics. (Net Resources International. 2011).

 "By 2012 there will be a total of ten public transport lines feeding into Stratford, representing the capability of a train arriving in the area every 15 seconds." (Net Resources International. 2011).

(Philips, A. 2013).

I came across an interesting book on Amazon called Flying Scotsman Manual: An Insight into Maintaining, Operating and Restoring the Legendary Steam Locomotive by Philip Atkins. It describes the process of restoring, maintaining and operating the old train, the first one to achieve 100mph. I found this book interesting because it links the future and past of trains in my reach together. (Philips, A. 2013).

Planes
Whilst researching I found a very interesting prediction by Airbus on what commercial flights might look like in 40 years time: http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/life/airbus-transparent-plane-of-future-146498

A350 XWB.
(Airbus. 2011).

The Airbus A350 is scheduled to have its first flight in 2012, with commercial flights starting in 2014. (Ref. (Airbus. 2011. A350 XWB.) I really like the look of the Airbus A350, the interior looks nice and spacious in the business class of the airliner.

A350 XWB.

(Airbus. 2011.)

Heathrow.
(Getty Images. 2011).

I wondered if anything was happening at Heathrow during the Olympics whilst doing my research. I found a very interesting article in The Daily Telegraph about how for one day Heathrow will have an 'athletes only' terminal to ease congestion from everyone leaving after the games have finished. I think this is a really good and cool idea, it will stop the athletes being bothered by the public as they wait for planes and should be a nice environment for them - even if it is set up in a cargo area!

Combat Wings: The Great Battles of World War 2.
(Nintendo. 2012).

I found that a game called Combat Wings: The Great Battles of World War 2 is being released in 2012. (Nintendo. 2012. Combat Wings: the Great Battles of World War 2).   I found this interesting as well because it shows a continuing interest of planes from the world war 2 era, and the combat associated with them.

(O'Connor, W. 2012).

I saw this book on Amazon and was really interested by it. It would be very interesting to read about the pilot and his experiences with the F-117 Stealth Nighthawk and the NATO campaign over Kosovo.

FCV-R.
(Toyota. 2011). 

I decided to have a look and see if there is anything in the near future about hydrogen fuel cells and found an article about Toyota who have announced 3 concept cars they will show at next years Tokyo Motor Show. The FCV-R is their fuel cell car, boasting a range of 430 miles they hope to be offering them to the public by 2015. (Wood,C. 2011). I'm interested to see that car companies are planning to offer hydrogen fuel cell cars to the mass market in the near future. I think these are a more viable option than electric cars, although the problem with them is that it takes a lot of energy to get the hydrogen.

This got me thinking about renewable energies and so I found in 2012 Berlin will have a Solar Energy fair, which is described as a "World Trade Fair for Renewable Energies". (Events Eye. 2011).

(Tomas, F. 2005).

I also found a canceled deal to put solar panels on 600 buildings in London. (Eysenck, J. 2011).

(Kuhn, S. 2005).

I had a look at nuclear power and found that the UK is building 8 new nuclear reactors by 2025. (Pfeifer, S. 2011). There has been critisim over this action though following the Fukushima plant incident, but also because it is said that the UK will be left behind in the movement to change to renewable energy sources rather than using nuclear, coal and gas.(Carrington, D. 2011).

(Dahlkamp, F. 2013).

There are a lot of books coming out in the near future relating to nuclear power, however one that interested me was Uranim Deposits of the World by Franz J. Dahlkamp being released in 2013. The book topic seems a little weird to me, however I think its more for industry professionals than the casual reader. What also amazed me was the price of the book which is £1,147.50!

Transport - The Past

Ever since the dawn of man some ever evolving form of transport has existed.

(Hutchinson, G. 1997)

Amazon lists many books relating to transport in the past, mostly educational books such as Medieval Ships and Shipping by Gillian Hutchinson (1997).

 (Georgraphers A-Z Map Company. 1939/2008).

Whilst looking through Amazon I also had a look at Atlas's and A-Z maps. I found this was an interesting example; it's a reprinted (2008) edition of an A-Z map of London from 1939. I feel this is a very good and strong example that people have been interested in transport far back in the past (1939) and the more recent past (2008). This is quite a quirky item that I believe would spark most people's interests - especially if they live in London.

Trains Planes and Automobiles. 
 (Paramount Pictures. 1987).

Of course I couldn't look at transport in the past without mentioning Trains, Planes and Automobiles (1987). The whole plot of the film is about two characters trying to get home for Christmas, however unfortunate events (such as planes being delayed, a car crash, etc)  prevent them from an easy trip. The film was very popular when it was released, and in 2000 it was voted the 10th greatest comedy film by Total Film Magazine.

To me this film proves an extreme interest in transport in the media. The fact the whole film's plot is about traveling home and the common problems and setbacks you can face and it is one of many people's favorite films. The film is also of course held together by the funny comedy of the situations they find themselves in, and I believe if the film was done as a factual "boring" piece it wouldn't be very popular at all. People therefore enjoy the comedy applied to the mundane and stressful situations in the film.

One Piece at a Time.
(Columbia. 1976).

One Piece At A Time (1976) is a song sung by Johnny Cash about a man who sneaks parts out of a Cadillac whilst he works at the factory over a few years and at the end puts it all together. However because the parts are all from different years and makes the car ends up being a mismatch and looking very weird.

There are quite a few different songs that are about traveling such as Take Me Home, Country Roads (1971), Free Bird (1973) and even On the Road Again (1979). There's even more songs about traveling than I've listed here (http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/30-songs-that-capture-the-spirit-of-travel/), but the fact that there are these popular songs about traveling shows that people even want to listen to songs about it!

 Bullitt.

(Warner Bros. 1968). 

I thought it would be interesting to see when the first car chase was in a film. Bullitt (1968) staring Steve McQueen is commonly known as the first film with what we regard today as a car chase. The film's iconic car chase also greatly popularized the Ford Mustang and has been an inspiration for many sequences since.

(Coopmans, L. 2006).

British Grand Prix 1952.
(Getty images. 1952). 

Car chases lead on nicely to car racing. I wondered how long the Formula 1 had been running for and was surprised to learn it has been going since 1950. I thought that the Formula 1 was a much more recent invention. The cars have changed dramatically since then of course, pictured above is the Alpha Romeo which won the 1951 championship. (Willamson, M. 2009).

The Formula 1 Grand Prix has been broadcast on TV ever since its first days of racing, with its first colour broadcast being the 1967 German Grand Prix. Other forms of media such as magazines and newspapers have also covered the event in great detail since the start gaining a wide following. (Telegraph Media. 1968. Britian's Formula One Champions.)

Bicycle
When we think of the bicycles in the past we think of the penny farthing.

(Cheshire Life. 2010).

I found an interesting event that takes place every 10 years in Knutsford where people race penny farthing's. (Cheshire Life. (2010).

(CULT-TV. 1998).

Whilst looking for past media about the penny farthing I found an interesting use of it as a counter in The Prisoner Board Game (1998). The penny farthing was an icon in the TV Show, used on the badges displaying each prisoners number.

(Royal Doulton. 1843).

Whilst doing an eBay search for 'Penny farthing' I came across this rather interesting Royal Doulton figurine called 'Biddy Penny Farthing'. The Royal Doulton figurines are now considered quite rare and very valuable. I was very interested to see this hand painted figurine named after the bicycle, proof that it was quite popular in culture so that people would get the reference.

Airplanes
Planes have always been popular in the media.

  Airplane.
(Paramount Pictures. 1980).

I couldn't talk about airplanes in the past media without mentioning the obvious Airplane (1980) starring Leslie Nielsen. The whole film takes place on an airplane trip when food poisoning takes hold of some of the passengers and crew. Funny humor mixed in with situations that wouldn't occur on a normal flight ensure entertainment in the usual Leslie Nielsen (see The Naked Gun).

Final Destination.
(New Line Cinema. 2000). 

Final Destination (2000) taps into a lot of peoples fear of flying and death when a teenagers 'foresees' the plane blowing up and saves his friends, only to be hunted down by death afterwards. The film was very popular and has sparked many sequels. 

I believe that the film Final Destination (2000) was successful because it didn't do anything particularly unrealistic. Although it exaggerated and invented exotic deaths for people, they were all still things that you believe could happen (if you were to be so unlucky).

I thought an interesting thing to look at would be a past press launch of an airliner, however it was quite hard to find information about it. I did manage to find a video on the Airbus website of the A350 launch press conference http://videos.airbus.com/video/iLyROoafIleD.html

I also found a press release video from airbus to the media for the launch of the Airbus 380.

The Airbus A380 Launch Customers and More!
(Airbus. 2009).  

Previously companies have made quite a big deal about the launch of a new aircraft and have more recently made tried hard to get them published in as much media as they can. They even throw big parties in aircraft hangers to allow people to get up close and personal with the impressive scale of the planes, such as with the party they held for the first completed Airbus A380 in France, 2005.

Airbus A380.
(Airbus. 2005).

I believe that airline companies, such as Boeing and Airbus, like to publicly announce these new planes to boost their share prices on the stock markets. (The Telegraph. 2010. Airbus A380 Facts and Figures.)

A famous plane in the past is Concorde. Concorde was shut down and grounded in 2003 after a series of failures on aircraft and most notably a crash which killed all 100 passengers in France in July 2000. Concorde was most notable for its fast travel times and noticeable dipped nose.

Concorde has been in the media with books detailing the aircraft and events, such as The Concorde Story (2005) by Peter March. (March, P. 2005).

(March, P. 2005).

Concorde Airfix Set.
(AirFix. 1998).

(Wenk, D. 2007).

Trains have also been popular in the past media. A prominent example would be in western films, where steam trains were the fastest method of transport. Films such as Wild Wild West (1999) and Back to the Future Part 3 (1990) took this concept and added an amount of fiction to them to make them more interesting to the viewers.

Back to the Future Part 3.

(Universal Pictures. 1990).

I believe companies are very keen to add steam trains to films of this genre and time period because many people associate the period with the steam train. Ironically I believe that previous films set in this period, like The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) and Joe Kidd (1972), are responsible for this.

(Royal Mint. 2004).

In 2004 a £2 coin was released with a picture of a steam train on the back of it to commemorate a centenary of Richard Trevithick's steam engine design.

The EuroTunnel has had a lot of media attention over the years.When it opened in 1994 the BBC had a large coverage of the event as the Queen attended to officially open it. (BBC News. 1994. 1994 President and Queen Open Chunnel.)

(Alba Home Vision. 2010).

A year ago the official story of the making of the tunnel was released on DVD. Although the official guide book to the tunnel has been on sale since it opened.

 Mission Impossible.

(Paramount Pictures. 1996). 

The tunnel is also very popular to be featured in films, such as Mission Impossible (1996).

Army Chief to Review Eurotunnel Security.

(BBC News. 2001).

The Eurotunnel has also been in the news over the past few years however for negative reasons. Many immigrants hide on lorries driven into the trains and come over to the UK illegally. This has received a lot of negative press, and arguments have been made to step up security for the depots. (BBC News. 2001. Army Chief to Review Eurotunnel Security.)

Hornby R1071 Eurostar 00 Gauge Train Set.

 (Hornby. 2009).

Hornby even released a Eurostar train for their railway sets in 2009.

(Eurostar. 2005).

I believe from the examples I have collected I have showed that there has been a strong interest in the past in different types of trains. There are lots of media, ranging from factual books to toys covering lots of different kinds of trains and locations.

Advertising

(Heimann, J. 2001).

I found an very interesting book on amazon which is a collection of adverts from the 1950's. This book, published in 2001, is a prime example of advertising in the past media.

 (ZEUS Cameras. 1950).

 (Cambillis. 1950).

 

(Pabst. 1950).

The adverts of the 1950's had a very stylized, almost cut out, look to them. I think this is an interesting contrast to the adverts we have today with fancy computer graphics.

I thought it would be interesting to know when the first radio advert was broadcast. I found that on November 2, 1920 a radio station called KDKA aired the first radio advert in history. (WGBH. 1998). Since then radio advertising has been a frequent and constant stream of media.

(Hayhurst, I. 2009).

I believe that radio advertising has changed dramatically since it started in the 1920's. When people couldn't watch TV, radio had a large listener base - so companies could reach a very large audience with a simple radio advert. However as TV was invented and people stopped listening to radio as much I believe it has 'devolved' into a form of getting your message across to a more localized audience rather than a national wide audience. (Farber, D. 2004).

"The first commercial shown on TV in Britain was for Gibbs S R Toothpaste and was transmitted at 8.12 pm on Sept 22 1955 during a variety show hosted by Jack Jackson." (TurnipNet. 1999).

I found the above quote of the first commercial shown on British TV interesting. Adverts seem commonplace on TV today and I can imagine it was weird for the audience back in 1955 when the TV program was interrupted for an advert.