Evaluation of My Final Pieces

OCR G324 Advanced Production HUTTON, Georgina3410Aquinas College: 33435(With Eleanor Boocock, Georgie Morton, Amy Hamilton & Lyndsey Page)Q1Q2Q3If a slide relates to more than one question, two tabs will appear in the top right hand corner indicating which questions it is answering.Q4

Planning & Final Pieceshttp://georgiestardust.blogspot.com/I used this BlogSpot blog to upload my planning documents as well as filling in entries such as my audience research and similar trailers. The final trailer, magazine front cover and billboard poster are in the blog, too.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of existing media products?

PlanningQ1To keep my planning clear, concise and in chronological order, I uploaded it to a blogspot.com blog. This allowed all my storyboarding, note making and deconstruction of existing products to be presented in a tidy and clear manner.GeorgieStardust.blogspot.com

Q1Multiple Main Characters.Allows for multiple parallel narratives and convergence. Keeps the audience interestedPOV Over The Shoulder ShotsMakes the audience feel like they are there, experiencing the characters emotions¾ storylines in trailers and episodesKeep the viewers interested and allows the multiple narratives to be spread across multiple episodes .Soap Forms & ConventionsBig Close Up’s to show emotion.Very little makeup and casual clothes to create realismCamera as the fourth wall.On a set, not on location.Blue filters on the light to create dull, realistic atmosphere.Conflict and disequilibrium in each episode.

Soap Forms and ConventionsQ1In order to create a trailer for a soap opera we first have to understand the codes and conventions and how they work in practice.To understand the forms and conventions, Soaps must be deconstructed and evaluated. The following slides show some of these conventions and how I have usedand challengedthem in my Soap trailer.

Evaluating an existing Soap Opera.- Forms & ConventionsQ1Lighting creates realism and mood. Outside lighting is cast through blue filters to create night time. Indoor lighting is cast through a yellow filter to create the effect of an electric bulb.Over the shoulder shotcreates a third person perspective. The viewer feels like they are there, experiencing the events.Low angle shot to show the character’s dominance in the scene.Toned down Christmas decorations create realism of a budget Christmas without the extravagance of TV Drama.

Evaluating an existing Soap Opera.- Forms & ConventionsQ1Outdoor shot uses blue filters to create gritty, realistic lighting. This allows the audience to relate to the soap. It also helps to construct the regional identity of the East End.Realistic costumes represent the dreary day to day existence of the characters. Southern accents are a key aspect of creating regional identity.Sparse Christmas tree with thin tinsel represents the economic state of the country, creating realism.

Evaluating an existing Soap Opera.- Forms & ConventionsQ1Shot-reverse-shotThe audience can engage with the conversation without the fourth wall being broken. Characters can also be seen reacting to lines and environment.Camera as the fourth wall. This is never broken i.e there is never communication with the audience, this keeps the soap realistic and makes the audience feel as if they are watching someone’s life play out rather than being a part of it.Point Of View Shot The point of view shot allows the audience to feel a part of the soap without breaking the fourth wall. This maintains the realism.The Fourth Wall

Comparison- How does my soap use and conform to conventions?Q1The fourth wallMinimal makeup on the characters to create realism.Natural light to keep the gritty, realistic mood to the soap.Even when shooting inside we used the most natural light possible to avoid yellow tones and a happy atmosphere.Big close up to show emotion and reaction.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?Q1DifferencesHuman Subject

Audience can relate to her scared expressionSimilaritiesDull lighting to represent the sombre moodand tell the audience to feel concerned or worried.

Point of view shots to allow the audience to engage with the events.

Little or no soundtrack/vocals. The diegetic sound adds to the atmosphere of the shot.In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?Q1Similarities:Medium close ups to show faces, actions and expressions.

Doing ‘normal’ day to day activites.

Stationary cameraDifferences:Blue lighting on our soap to foreshadow what is to come and represent a flashback. Yellow lighting on Coronation Street to represent happiness and normality.Comparison- How does my soap use and conform to conventions?Q1We decided that our trailer would be shown on e4 and so we studied the Hollyoaks later trailers and colour schemes.By using title cards, the trailer engages with the audience, keeping them informed without giving away too much about the storyline.

Comparison- How does my soap challenge conventions?Q1It is unusual to see slow motion shots in soap opera but we used them to construct flashback scenes as motivation for the murder.It is also unusual to see Blood in soaps because they are prime time viewing. We have chosen to ‘air’ our soap at 8pm, one hour before the watershed and because of the target audience’s age, the use of blood isn’t as shocking as it would be in a soap like Coronation Street.

Parallel NarrativesWe used three main characters and therefore three parallel narratives in our trailer.Q1The narratives, at the same time as being parallel were also converged by the ever-present Stacey.

Creating FlashbacksQ1We used a fade to white transition to represent the flashbacksas well as the echo on the instruments on the backing track.

What Makes Your Trailer Soap?Q1The fourth wallRealistic costumesFiltered, natural looking lightBig close Ups & multiple shot types.

Using Music To Create Mood & StoryQ1For the final trailer, I used an instrumental version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Daddy”, written and performed by Christine McVie from the album Rumours.The track is in the key of D Minor, which is typically the ‘saddest’ ofall keys. This automatically makesthe audience sense the disequilibriumin the trailer and forthcoming episodes.The use of the organ adds to theominous and melancholy sound, foreshadowing what is to come in the episode.The use of echo on the track createsthe feeling of a flashback as well as emphasising the key and mood.

Q2How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

Soap Magazines-Evaluating the forms and conventions of real media products: Soap magazinesQ2DateCover stars eyes are looking out at the reader to engage.Large masthead, to the left of the page. Top 1/3Tabs to allow the reader to flick to the correct page.Price in a star or bubble.No colour scheme or house style.Large font, all in capitals so it is easy to read.Other soaps & characters being referred to by first namesAnchoringWebsite

My ProductQ2Cover stars eyes are looking out at the reader to engage.Large masthead, to the left of the page. Top 1/3Tabs to allow the reader to flick to the correct page.WebsitePrice in a star or bubble.Large font, all in capitals so it is easy to read.No colour scheme or house style.AnchoringOther soaps & characters being referred to by first names

Choosing A Channel & Colour SchemesQ2We decided to use E4 as the channel for soap because of our target audience. To create a house style, we used the Channel 4 style guide.

Making The Products Conform To The Style Guide.Q2

Representing A Region.Q2I used a street name for my trailer to create a regional representation. The audiences who relate to Coronation Street know that it is in Manchester. The same goes for East Enders and London and Emmerdale and Yorkshire.The Coronation Street set represents working class Manchester. The Rovers Return pub and the terraced houses create a realistic representation of life in the suburbs of Manchester.The birds eye view shot of the River Thames immediately shows the audience that the soap is set in London. The Market and the square represent people working hard to make ends meet. The audience can relate to feeling the pressure of finance problems and working to get by.

Audience & RepresentationQ2Q3Aged 16-24Part-time employmentStill in some form of educationWatch television and actively use the internetDisposable income

Go out on Friday nightsRepresenting AgeQ2School soap like Waterloo Road.Using wigs and hair dye to engage with the audience and how they would style or colour their hair.Actresses and characters are the same age as the target audienceModern band t-shirt.Storylines aimed at older audiences because the magazine has a much broader audience than the soap itself.Cast wearing leggings and fur coats represent fashion as it is currently, keeping them ‘up to date’ and young.

Q3What have you learned from audience feedback?

Finding The AudienceQ3Because of the ages of our group and the fact that we were acting in our trailer, we decided that our target audience would be students the same age as ourselves. Because of this, following channel research, we decided that the channel most likely to broadcast our soap would be E4.“E4 is the UK’s most-watched digital channel amongst 16-34 year olds”http://www.channel4.com/corporate/4producers/commissioning/e4.html“All of our commissions will be fun, possibly mischievous, witty and some may even be slightly irresponsible.”Skins

Hollyoaks LaterHow The Audience Affects The ProductQ3At what age did you start watching Soaps?Do you watch Soaps?How do you watch Soaps?Number of peopleAge in yearsHow old are you?Do you learn anything from watching Soaps?What is your employment status?Number of peopleAge in years

Audience Feedback For The Final PieceQ3After seeing the trailer, magazine cover and poster, would you watch ‘Diamond Street’?Who would you say the target audience was?Number of votesNumber of votesAge in yearsWhich product do you think is the most effective form of advertising?Do you watch soaps more than once a week?How old are you?Number of votes

Evaluating My ProductsQ3After surveying both the audience that our soap is aimed at and people from different age groups, the comments were as follows:“The reaction scene in the restaurant needs to be longer so we can engage with the character who is being insulted.”“The adverts definitely look like they are from E4. It’s a lot like ‘Misfits’”“Putting Stacey’s reaction to being stabbed in slow motion would work better. By lengthening it, it could be more dramatic”“There is definitely a clear genre, brand and broadcaster.”“The murder scenes could be darker with possibly more comical conflict.”After gathering my audience feedback, the majority of the people I interviewed agreed that the most effective way to advertise my soap and reach my target audience was by using a combination of the TV trailer, Soap Magazine feature and roadside billboard.

Q4How did you use Media Technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

Creating My Preliminary TaskQ4To create the preliminary trailer, in a group of three we filmed the computer screen when the individual images from a comic strip were on it. This allowed us to practice using the moving image cameras and to understand how the microphones on them worked. It also helped us to understand some of the important camera angles that are conventions of Soap Opera and editing software we were going to use in our final piece.

Researching Similar ProductsQ4To research similar products, the main thing I used was the search engine Google. This allowed me to find images of soap magazine covers and billboard adverts at ease.I also went to my local supermarket to buy copies of different Soap magazines as a basis for comparison. This way, I was also able to study the content and not just the front cover.Thirdly, I watched the Soaps on the television and on BBC iPlayer and ITV catchup. The two websites allowed me to go back and take print screens of the Soaps to study the forms and conventions.

Saving the video filesQ4To prevent my video files getting separated or lost, I stored them on an external hard drive. This allowed me to keep them all together and when elements was unable to find the files, I could easily go into the hard drive and locate them.

Using Premier ElementsQ4To import the media from the HD camera, I chose ‘Get media’. Then, by scrolling through the files on the card, I was able to select the clips that I was going to use in the trailer. By dragging and dropping them, I added them to the timeline for editing.To add a transition, I went to the edit menu and selected transitions. This allowed me to select the ‘dip to white’ which then had to be dragged and dropped onto the correct clip before shortening or lengthening how long the transition would be.

Choosing A SoundtrackQ4To add a soundtrack, I ripped the audio from a YouTube video before adding it to Elements in the same way I added the video footage. To get the audio from the video, I used the website fetchmp3.com.

Adding The SoundtrackQ4After downloading the audio, I uploaded it to elements before dragging and dropping it onto my timeline and editing the volume levels at different points in the trailer.I then added different keyframes at multiple points in the audio.When I had added 4 keyframes, I was able to make the audio dip gradually rather than coming to an abrupt halt and lower the volume from there.

Making The Title CardsQ4I created the title card background in Photoshop. I then copied a crumpled paper image from a stock website. Which I pasted onto a new layer.I made a new image in photoshop, the same size as my video clips.To make the paper e4 purple, I made a new layer and filled it purple.I then chose the layer effect ‘linear burn’ to make the paper look purple.After this, I created another new layer which I filled black before using a soft eraser to create a vignette.I then uploaded this to elements before placing it where I wanted at multiple points on the timeline.

Making The Title CardsQ4I selected the text option on a new image, the same size as my video clips on which I typed each different slogan.After inserting the text, I went to the FX button to add the drop shadow. I then set the distance, spread and size of the shadow.I saved the text pictures as PNG files so that they didn’t have a background, enabling me to overlay them onto the same background in Elements.

Evaluation of My Final Pieces

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