In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts? What have you leaned from your audience feedback? How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
When I first chose to
create a Soap Opera advert, my original plan was to do a ‘fairy tale andchildren’s story themed party’ – but with a twist. Each storyline I had
proposed to include in my advert had its own allocated fairy tale that I felt
could relate to the storyline in some way. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ would play the drugged up teenager
(links to the speculation that the author or the book was taking drugs at the
time of writing – hence the quirky storyline). ‘Snow White’ was going to be a
normal teenage girl who gets her drink spiked by another character that
dislikes her who would be played by the ‘Wicked Witch’ (a more modern day
portrayal of Snow White getting her apple poisoned by the Wicked Witch in the
fairytale). ‘Cinderella and Prince Charming’ were going to be the couple that
are in love, with Prince Charming proposing to Cinderella. ‘Little Red Riding
Hood’ and ‘The Big Bad Wolf’ was going to represent a domestic violence
situation, with ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ being the victim. And finally, ‘Hansel
and Gretel’ were going to represent family structures and would show a brother
and sister being the best of friends.
However, due to a number
of reasons and problems that couldn’t be foreseen (cast members having other
commitments, lack of costumes etc) and due to me moving house, I dismissed the
‘fairy tale’ idea, and focused on something I felt was a bit more achievable
with a higher chance of me showing my potential.
The storylines involved in
a Soap Opera advert are always a vital part of attracting an audience. Having a
‘gripping’ storyline that leaves the audience in suspense is a fantastic
example of a convention in a soap opera advert. Coronation Street’s storyline
of Frank’s murder gripped the nation, with a number of Coronation Street’s cast being a suspect of his murder. Viewers
across the world watched the following episodes, each having their own
speculation as to who they believe killed Coronation Street’s enemy, Frank. Though this is a simple storyline,
with murder often happening within the dramatic world of Soap Operas, the ‘Who
Dunnit?’ style storyline allowed the programme’s viewers ratings to increase.
^ The 'Who Dunnit?' style advert for Frank's murder.
As part of my research, I
gave ten friends a list of different storylines and asked them to give their honest
opinion on which three they felt would be appropriate for my advert, but also,
storylines that they felt the target audience would be able to relate too.
Wes Foster:
’’I think that the domestic violence one is definitely a good storyline that
should be used, as domestic violence in teenage relationships is on the rise,
so this could raise awareness.’’
Natalie Wild:
’’An affair always makes a soap opera much more interesting, and always leaves
the audience curious as to what’s going to happen next.’’
It was from this research
that I chose to focus on Teenage Pregnancy, Alcohol (Not Drug) Addiction,
Domestic Violence, and an Affair as my storylines based on the audience
feedback results.
Non Diegetic sound is
another convention that I've included in my final product in the form of a
soundtrack.
The song choice by
producers usually is a song that’s relevant to the storyline(s) being promoted
through the use of lyrics. Irony can be used when picking the song choice, with
an example being Hollyoaks’ advert promoting the upcoming wedding of Riley and
Mercedes. The advert shows everybody at the church (bride and groom, family and
friends etc) all dressed in black. The mise en scene of the advert is all
black, which immediately connotes that something drastic is going to happen –
which it did when Mercedes’ affair with Riley’s Dad was revealed, ending the
wedding. The song used in this advert ‘Billy Joel – White Wedding’ is an ironic
way of song choice – for the reasons I’ve explained above – but also because a ‘white
wedding’ is far from exactly what happened in the end.
I chose the song ‘Sweet
Nothing’ by Florence and the Machine ft Calvin Harris as I felt some of
the lyrics reflected the storylines included. For example, one line of the
lyrics is ‘You’re giving me such sweet nothing’. This is relevant to the
domestic violence storyline as the victim is getting ‘sweet nothing’ off the
offender. It’s also relevant to the love affair storyline because the girl who
walks into the room (the man’s girlfriend) is gaining ‘sweet nothing’ from her
cheating boyfriend.
Non Diegetic Sound can
also be used in the form of a voice over. A suggestion by one of my teachers
when I asked for feedback of my original draft was that a voice over should be
considered as the scenes were all mixed together, causing confusion, and a
voice over would allow the audience to be more aware of exactly what is going
on. I decided against using a voice over, as I didn’t want any speaking
involved in the final product, which is why I chose to add titles inbetween
scenes instead so it was more 'audience friendly'.
The location of the advert must be recognizable to the audience who watch the show, otherwise they might not have a true understanding of exactly what is being advertised. As my advert is advertising a soap opera that is 'coming soon' to TV, then the specific locations used in my advert weren't really specific. Though in future adverts, I'd maybe have to continue using such locations to carry on the aspects of continuity involved.
The casting is also another convention that is relevant when producing the advert. Existing soap operas such as Hollyoaks etc, cast recognizable characters in their advert which then makes the advert easily recognizable.
^ Characters of Coronation including Hayley and Roy Cropper, Carla and Michelle Connor, Steve and Becky McDonald, Tina McIntrye and Graeme Procter. These characters all had big storylines at the time of the advert, which makes them easily recognised.
This is another convention that I've been unsuccessful on achieving, as the characters are not recognizable as the TV Soap Opera being advertised has not being broadcast on the TV. If I was to make a follow up TV Soap Opera advert though, I would follow this convention and I would cast recognizable character to be a part of it and to keep up the continuity.
Content included in any advert before the watershed time of 9pm must include content that can be deemed 'family friendly'. I've followed this convention as it then targets a more widened audience instead of just my target audience, meaning that the audience ratings are likely to increase.
The 'family friendly' content however can be avoided, if the programme is broadcast at a later time. Hollyoaks produced a week of episodes called 'Hollyoaks Later' which featured after 9pm. Due to the time of the broadcast, it was allowed to feature adult themes, rather than having to stick to the tame content that they have to abide by to stick with the regulations of the watershed.
Soap Opera Poster that I created: Finished.
Hollyoaks Poster.
My Soap Opera poster is landscape as I would place it in a magazine as a double page spread. More! magazine would be a likely candidate for me to feature my magazine, as it has the same target audience that I have aimed my advert at.
Soap Opera: Logo
The most obvious convention of all is that it must have the Soap Opera's name on the poster, to allow the audience to know what is being advertised.
The blue and the pink colour used reflects the gender differences between both male and females (similar to the Hollyoaks logo that they use). But it also connotes that the soap opera is aimed at both males and females, rather than predominantly targeting just one gender.
My original plan was to create a street sign similar to the Coronation Street logo, though I didn't feel that this would reflect the target audience of 16 - 24 year olds.
Soap Opera Poster: Text
Another convention is that text is kept to a minimum. This is to leave it as a mystery to the audience so they watch the programme. But, text must give information away so they know what time to watch, what day, what channel etc.
When creating my poster, I completely went against the minimal text convention, and wrote key words that I felt were relevant to the Soap Opera. I included 'pregnancy' even though for my final product, I deleted the scenes of the teenage pregnancy, though this could represent storylines that could be possibly shown later on in the show.
Most of the words included have negative connotations, apart from 'LoveFunLifeLaughter' which are the only positive sounding words. This is why I included the tag line and rhetorical question 'Happy Ever After?' as a sense of irony and sarcasm.
Soap Opera Poster: Website Link
I've also imposed Post Modernism features into my production, through the use of referring to the internet. My original idea was going to use a Facebook link, or a Twitter 'hashtag' such as #AlxRoad. But, this then narrows down the audience because even though millions of people worldwide have social networking accounts, not everybody does. By just having a link to channel 4's website, there is no subscription people don't need to make an account to access it, so anybody with internet access is able to search the website.
On this website, I'd include character profiles of the cast so the audience were able to identify the characters. I'd do 'fan interviews' as a way of interaction between the cast and the fans - this always proves to be popular. I'd have links to video interviews with the characters too.
Soap Opera Poster: Main Image
I didn't use Photoshop or any other image manipulation techniques to edit this image. Instead, I simply changed the camera settings, experimented with lighting so I was able to gain the shadowing as I have above.
In the advert, Danny's character is violent to his girlfriend. I wanted to portray this within this image which is why half of Danny's face is covered by a shadow, and the other half of his face is visibly clear. The way I wanted this to be interpreted is that Danny has a 'dark side' to his character (hitting his girlfriend, using threatening gestures etc).
Tv Listings Magazine Front Cover: Finished
Mastheads on any magazine front cover are typically in the left third of the page. This is due to the layout that retailers set out magazines on the shelves (overlapping one another), which is why I followed this convention and placed the masthead in the top left hand of the page.
Main Sell-Line is the main 'screamer' that is spread across the page. It's usually one word such as 'Shock!' (which I used for mine) that 'screams' from the page as a way of grabbing the attention of readers with the intention that something dramatic is going to happen, which makes them more likely to watch the programme.
Sub Sell-Line is the tag line that is accompanying the main sell-line. 'Alex's Terror' is similar to the Main Sell-Line as it grabs the attention of the reader, and the drama of it gives curiousity to the readers.
Price is always a good way to sell a magazine, especially if it's good value for money! I chose to price my magazine up at 20p to compete with other magazines that were having the 20p promotion such as TV Pick and What's on TV; though their 20p price was merely a promotion! A cheap price allows competition between other magazines meaning that standards increase also.
Main Image is another vital prospect of a magazine front cover. The main image is always related to the Soap Opera that is being promoted, and usually includes a recognisable character(s). Because this soap opera would be 'new' the characters' wouldn't be recogniseable; though it would be a good promotion for both the soap and the characters themselves.
Anchor Stories are the two articles that I've included at the bottom of the magazine front cover. 'Ziggy's New Adventure' and 'Snow Tales: The Dangers' are both random articles that I've quickly made up myself. But, both images are accompanied by a caption stating what each programme is called, meaning that I've followed the codes and conventions.
Date is usually located directly beneath the masthead, or surrounding the barcode. I did both of these as I felt that if a reader was unfamiliar with looking underneath the masthead and vice versa, then it works out well.
Skyline is another convention that I've followed; though I haven't included other programmes that are being broadcasted. Instead, I've included other things that are within the magazine such as puzzles, competitions etc. This would also allow the readership of this magazine to expand because if a person enjoys doing puzzles, but doesn't like reading TV magazines, then the twenty pence price tag of the magazine may mean that they might buy the magazine, even if it is just for the puzzles and the competitions included inside.
Barcode's of magazines are typically placed in the bottom right hand corner of the magazine as they aren't really a relevant part of the magazine, but they still need to be included on the front cover to be scanned at wherever they consumer is purchasing the magazine from.
Background Colour of any TV listings magazine cover is usually blue. I continued with this convention by using a blue background as I felt it gave the main image a sense of vibrancy.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
Soap Opera Advert: Poster
Soap Opera Advert: TV Listings Magazine Front Cover
I chose to use Alx and Danny for both my poster and my TV listings magazine cover, to carry on with the theme of continuity. I used the green room (but with a white background) to take a number of photos of both of them, whilst experimenting with a range of camera angles and different lighting. Below are the images that I didn't use.
Jordyn Odell: ''The Lighting on this image is a bit weird. I prefer the landscape photo of Danny on his own.'' (Referring to the image used on my poster)
Alx Southerington: ''This is way too dark - You can't see Danny's face! Though the dark lighting does add a lot of mystery.''
Wes Foster: 'This photo already looks like Alx has a black eye (on the left eye) which would be ideal for the domestic violence storyline.''
Me: ''I didn't choose this photo because Alx looking down doesn't conform to the codes and conventions were eye contact is made to the audience.''
However; the image that I chose to use for the TV listings magazine front cover required a little editing, which is when I chose to edit on Adobe Photoshop. I'm quite familiar with Adobe Photoshop, thanks to my AS coursework that I completed last year with the brief of creating a music magazine of my choice.
The Original Image
Edit: 'Cooling Filter'
Edit: Black and White
Jordyn Odell: ''The Black and White effect fits in with the 'darker' topic that these two characters are involved in - though this image would not be suitable for a TV Listings Magazine front cover, as they are colour images that are used.''
Edit: Increase 'Redness'
Me: I like the increased redness on this image, as it adds a sense of warmth to the image, deflecting the audience away from the negative storyline that they are being cast in. :)
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
New Media Technologies are all part of the Post Modern era that we're currently living in. Baurdillard (a post modern theorist) suggests that we are living in a society that is involved in an 'over visual ecstasy of communication' through sites such as Facebook.
Searching YouTube for other student's Soap Opera videos.
When I first began researching Soap Opera adverts, I used the video search engine website, YouTube to search for other students who also did a Soap Opera advert. I wrote down things that I wanted to include in mine (such as fade to black transistions inbetween shoots inside of just continually cutting between scenes). But I also found criticisms of things that I didn't want too include in my final product too such as a voice over or any audible speaking between characters. The reason I didn't include voice overs/audible communication etc is because the Hull accent often gets slated for being 'too common' and I felt that maybe this would put off possible viewers if they too didn't like the accent.
I also searched YouTube for other videos that have been professionally made so I could also gain inspiration for creating my video. It was from these videos that I made a list of codes and conventions that I felt appeared in the majority, if not all of the videos that I watched. Hollyoaks was the main Soap Opera adverts that I watched, as that is the type of programme that I felt Alexandra Road (the name of my Soap Opera) would be similar too. Alexandra Road and Hollyoaks both have a similar target audience too. By gaining inspiration from their video adverts, the chances of their audience liking my programme would also be increased too.
Blogger is another example of a modern new media technology that I used to gain research. On the right hand side of my blog, I asked a few questions in the hope that people would answer the questions so I would be abled to get a brief overview of what I should aim my target audience at etc. Only two people answered the questions, due to Blogger stating that the 'content is blocked' (see above) causing some difficulties to my research. I overcame this by asking people (mainly friends) to answer a questionnaire so I could gain a better knowledge and understanding of their opinions.
The online website 'Prezi' (www.prezi.com) is a great website, allowing you to create fun and unique mind maps which I used to plan my original thoughts and ideas. It's a little bit hard to get used too, but by experimenting it allows you to gain a better knowledge of the website. The little images that you can add also gave me inspiration when I was planning my original plan of a fairy tale themed soap opera advert.
This is my own example of a Prezi that I have created to give a brief description of some (not all of the new media technologies have being included) of the technologies that I have used through the planning, research and construction of my final product.
Evidence of using Google Search
Search engine Google also came in useful when I wanted to search for storylines that I could possibly use in my Soap Opera advert. I searched 'Soap Opera Storylines' and the drop down part of the search engine came up with other suggestions such as 'typical soap opera storylines', which allowed me to widen my search with regards to planning and the research of my Soap Opera advert.
Adobe Premier Pro is the editing software that college provided us with that allows us to edit and produce our video. When I first began editing, I had no previous experience of video editing so I became quite confused about what each tool did and what each effect did. As time progressed though, I became more comfortable with using the programme, especially after experimenting with the different tools and layer etc.
Evidence: Using Adobe Premier Pro
After I'd created my first draft, I asked friends and teachers who I felt would be honest with me on their views about my video. One piece of constructive criticism that I gained from doing audience feedback is that the majority of people that I asked failed to understand what each storyline was about. When I asked them to expand on what they meant, they explained that the storylines were placed 'all over the place' and this confused them. A suggestion that a teacher gave was that I could include words relevant to the storylines flashing up between scenes. I then took this into consideration and began to experiment with different titles. By clicking 'Title' followed by 'New Title' and then 'Default Still' I was able to create the different words flashing up inbetween scenes.
Though you cannot clearly see the Adobe Premier Pro editing workspace on the left of each of these images, I managed to create this cut simply by cutting down the layers, and then piecing them together.
Jordyn Odell: ''I like how the paper hitting the bin directly corresponds with the beat of the music.''
The overlapping of the images (see top image) was created by selecting 'motion' on the workspace, then changing the scale of the image, and then rotating each image and then layering them above each other (see workspace).
Dave Dunton: ''I think it's fantastic how you've done the shot with your mate who pins his girlfriend to the wall when he starts to threaten to punch her.''
Alx Southerington: ''Oooh I like that.''
Similar to the example given above, this image was also done through layering. I chose the piece of film that I wanted to edit, and I selected the precise duration I wanted it to be. I placed each layer above each other, and then changed the scale of each picture to '500.0'. I then moved each image into place and then cut the specific layer down to exactly when I wanted each film to 'flash' up on the screen.
I used the 3D transistion 'Dip to Black' (as seen above) and cross dissolve as a cut inbetween scenes in my advert.
I used Adobe Photoshop to edit all the images that required editing. The main image I used for the TV listings magazine front cover had quite dark lighting. I overcome this by increasing the brightness (Image > Adjustments > Brightness).
Alx's hair is also quite light, and it blended in with the white glow of the image. I decided to dark Alx's hair so the main image would stand out from the background. I selected the paintbrush tool, and then selected the mask tool (bottom of the toolbox, second from the bottom) and then coloured in which areas of the image I wanted to change. I like selected 'inverse' so only the intended area was selected, clicked 'new layer' then 'soft light' and then selected the colour that I did so I could change Alx's hair.
The white glow around the edge of the image was simply done by using a soft touch paintbrush around the edge of the image.
I used an 'Outer Glow Shadow' on the main headline 'Shock!' to make it seem more intense and dramatic, which also turned it into the main focal point of the TV listsings magazine front cover.
Audience Feedback:
For my audience feedback, I used two methods - interviews (done using a camera), and questionnaires that the person filled out themselves. Each person gave both positive and negative feedback. The positive feedback was quite inspirtaional and has given me further ideas that I could use if I wanted to continue with this product. The negative feedback was minor things that could simply be changed, so this was a positive outcome also.
(Video won't rotate)
Joe: Male/Student/19
(This video won't rotate either)
Max Ravelle: 17/Male/Student.
Response Number One: Provides positive responses that gives me encouragement and confidence of my work.
Response Number Two: Unsure on the validity of this response.
Response Number Three: Gives a positive detailed description of my final products.
Response Number Four: Allows me to realise that there are continuity issues within my final product.
Response Number Five: Quite a brief descriptive response, and gives feedback that they don't feel the ancillary texts and video link with one another.
I felt that the majority of the audience feedback were being positive towards my final product, though there were a few critical comments which I appreciate as this has given me ideas of how to change things if I were to do so in the future.
The average overall rating that people seemed to give was 8.5 - something that I am very proud of. It has given me more confidence about the work that I have produced.
How effective if the combintaion of your main product and ancillary texts?
Shoot One - Lizzie; (7pm) > Walking around the corner. > Walking across the road. > Knocking on the front door. (Duration: Approximately Fifteen Minutes)
Shoot Two - Dave and Lizzie; > Dave opening the front door. > Lizzie stood on the doorstep. > Dave inviting Lizzie inside the house. > Dave and Lizzie both stood together in the hallway of the house. > Dave taking Lizzie's hand and leading her upstairs. > Dave and Lizzie in a bedroom. (Duration: Approximately One Hour)
Shoot Three - Lisa, Dave and Lizzie; > Lisa walks into the bedroom. > Lisa sees Dave and Lizzie together. > Lisa storms out of the bedroom. > Lisa slams the bedroom door shut. (Duration: Approximately Forty Five Minutes) Day Two: 'Alcohol Problems' > Characters: Oliver. > Location: My House.
> Oliver walking into the kitchen. > Oliver casually throwing the letters aside as he flicks through them. > Picks one letter up and begins to open it. > Reads the letter. > Steps back looking shocked. > Opens a bottle of alcohol and drinks it. > Oliver slumped on the floor, surrounded with empty alcohol bottles. (Duration: Approximately Two Hours) Day Three: 'Domestic Violence & Pregnancy'> Characters: Alx and Danny. > Location: College (Near Smokers Garden, and the Female Toilets).
Shoot One - Alx and Danny; > Location: Near Smokers Garden.
> Alx and Danny both walking with one another. > Both seen to be clearly arguing. > Alx pushes Danny who retaliates and shoves Alx against the wall. > Danny makes a number of hand gestures as though he's going to punch Alx. (Duration: Approximatley Thirty Minutes)
Shoot Two - Alx; > Location: Female Toilets.
> Alx walks into the toilets. > Opens the cubicle door and walks in. > Sits down and looks upset. > Comes out of the toilet. > Texts Danny saying 'I'm Pregnant'. (Duration: Approximately Thirty Minutes)
Though Soap Operas are watched by both males and females, they are predominantly targetted at females.
Soap Operas do however try to get the male attention by casting female characters that seem attractive to males, as a way of increasing the male:female ratio of the audience that watch the show.
Storylines that are broadcasted within the show also try and keen an unbiased perspective of things, though they too can target a specific gender.
For example, a recent storyline in Coronation Street involved Tyrone Dobbs and his girlfriend/fiancee Kirsty. She kept abusing him both emotionally and physically. Tyrone's friends, Tina and Tommy became aware of the domestic situation that was going on and tried to help, but Kirsty completely switched the situation and blamed Tyrone - claiming that he was the one hitting her! This storyline was loved by the nation as it gave a comfort to men who were/are in a similar situation, and it gave them the courage to go to the police as the truth was eventually found out and all charges against Tyrone were dropped.
The storylines that I have included (Alcohol Problems, Domestic Violence, Love Scandal) are stories that I feel both males and females are able to relate too, hopefully meaning that the ratio of male: female viewers will balance out.
The age bracket that I have chosen to target for my audience is 16 - 24 as similar to the storylines, I feel that this age bracket will be able to relate this to it more.
