We conducted a focus group in VERVE HOUSE to find out if our idea of the soap is effective as they were the potential target audience. We gave out hand-outs with a summary of the characters and narrative and also questionnaires on what soaps they watched and how often, also their suggestions on our soap. The information was very valuable because they are the target audience and at the same time they are consumers of this type of media. Asking questions made them think like media producers they were pointing out what would be effected through their idea of what they liked to watch
The information given was very personal, the recession had effected them in a vast way and it also effected their relationships with staff and family. The main information we wanted was how they survived the recession. They told us that during the recession they had gone through a lot of stress. Strangely, they actually had sympathy for the boss who was firing the employees. They understood they situation of the boss and saw him as a person, who naturally, people do go under stress.
"The workers, they only got fired once but the boss had to keep firing people all day... maybe even two days, he felt responsible and upset obviously having to fire people who worked for him all this time", "People went through it once but the boss would do it 30 times a day".
The workers showed understanding for his actions and saw it as something that "had to be done". They also said that they felt like the "group" had come together a lot closer since the recession and caused them to be more emotional. They told us that they would like to see how other people got on and that the idea of having a soap similar to their work environment is very interesting and that they would watch it.
We pitched them our idea and explained the characters and their traits and how we would represent them in the trailer. However, the feedback we got back was that we "went over the top" and that it was not realistic, especially our representation of Peter. Most of them watched EastEnders and did notice that no one had a washing machine. However they find it very interesting and have been watching it for years.
Their opinions of soap operas as consumers... "makes our life feel alot better". The consumers want to emphasise and see how other people are doing other than dealing with their own life problems. As human beings we care and want to know how other people are doing, and also as human beings we are afraid of the unknown; we want to understand and know what is happening to other people. It would feel like a first hand experience of the recession because the media may be exaggerating or not saying enough or not giving in enough insight how it effects people's personal life...
The group were very helpful, they spoke of their personal experience. The recession had effected their family life and they had to adjust to a more limited lifestyle. The work enviroment merged with the home enviroment both equally stressful. This is a good idea for our soap because we can carry storylines to a domestic setting (where soaps are usually based).
From the findings i can conclude that soaps need to adapt to a more gritty, kitchen-sink realism. Not all things on TV are merry and live happily ever after. Last year when i researched "A room for Romeo Brass" this was the exact point: That not everything in life is predictable and has a happy ending. You just move on and carry on living the next day.
"Monday Monday" was also mentioned in the discussion...
This TV drama is based on a company and its workers which is a similar peice of work as ours. It is interesting that our focus group had recognised this and I didn't. This shows that our potential target is interested in this sort of programme and that they would watch our soap.
Their opinions of soap operas as consumers... "makes our life feel alot better". The consumers want to emphasise and see how other people are doing other than dealing with their own life problems. As human beings we care and want to know how other people are doing, and also as human beings we are afraid of the unknown; we want to understand and know what is happening to other people. It would feel like a first hand experience of the recession because the media may be exaggerating or not saying enough or not giving in enough insight how it effects people's personal life...
The group were very helpful, they spoke of their personal experience. The recession had effected their family life and they had to adjust to a more limited lifestyle. The work enviroment merged with the home enviroment both equally stressful. This is a good idea for our soap because we can carry storylines to a domestic setting (where soaps are usually based).
From the findings i can conclude that soaps need to adapt to a more gritty, kitchen-sink realism. Not all things on TV are merry and live happily ever after. Last year when i researched "A room for Romeo Brass" this was the exact point: That not everything in life is predictable and has a happy ending. You just move on and carry on living the next day.
"Monday Monday" was also mentioned in the discussion...
''Monday Monday is an ITV comedy drama. It stars Fay Ripley, Jenny Agutter, Neil Stuke, Holly Aird, Morven Christie and Tom Ellis.
It is set in the head office of a supermarket that has fallen on hard times and had to re-locate its staff from London to Leeds.[2] The show was initially announced as part of ITV's Winter 2007 press pack, but was "iced" until 2009 due to falling advertising in the wake of the economic downturn. (WIKIPEDIA)''This TV drama is based on a company and its workers which is a similar peice of work as ours. It is interesting that our focus group had recognised this and I didn't. This shows that our potential target is interested in this sort of programme and that they would watch our soap.
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