Tuesday 11 May 2010
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research,planning and evaluation stages
I used iMac to create my trailer. The programs which i used to create my trailer were mostly from an iMac, i used iMovie, iWeb,photoshop and Garageband.
During the research period youtube was really helpful for watching soap opera trailers and picking up ideas on how to construct the trailer. I looked at the duration of each trailer and this determined the length of time the trailer would be. It was also useful when examining the trailer the conventions they used. Overall Youtube was very useful since i can watch past trailers which do not appear on television anymore. It really did speed up the whole process of research and collecting information.
The video camera i used was already something i was familiar with it was very simple in terms of zooming and pausing. Very basic. However it could have been better if the microphone was better, it would have made the main character's voice stronger and convey a better representation of the character. A digital camera was also used to take pictures for posters and ideas for posters - it is conventional to use the location of the soap for the poster like Eastenders. However i used Paint to achieve a different approach to this, a more experimental approach (taking into account the target audience) i tried to create a caricature style poster.
I used Windows Moviemaker for my previous production and so iMovie was very new to me. I learned through trial and error and experimenting with some movie clips, i realised that the effects and settings were much easier to use and more convenient. Examining the effects and how the program worked allowed us as a group to be inspired for better ideas in camera shots and helped us to be more inventive. For example when adding in the music to the trailer it was much easier to manage sound levels and volume in each shot - we put the volume of the music down when the main character was speaking.
Creating the website was quite tricky the first time but i did create a house style for each page. It was very conveniant as i could edit the images' colour and size in the program without having to use photoshop for each picture. I did this technique for the banner on each page simply copying and pasting it onto each page without having to repeatedly editing it. I didnt use photoshop for the website or poster but i did learn the basics of the program. It was helpful because it allowed me to move pictures from a website to place it in to iWeb.
I was going to use Garageband program to put together 3 tracks for the background music of the trailer but then decided that one track would work better.
Friday 5 March 2010
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
I have also interviewed the potential target audiences. Soaps have a wide range of target audiences and i wanted to see whether it would attract other types of audience too, so i have also interviewed an audience from a slightly different background...
This is Bill, he has come from a working-class background but has a fashion degree and is working at a fashion distribution company. He has gone up to middle-class and has quite a comftable life. However, his job is being effected from the recession and has effected him in a way to adjust his consumer lifestyle to the current economic recession. He is quite busy with his work but he does like going to watch a film at the cinema. He enjoys films which have a realistic and educational factor. He likes to shop in the latest designer clothes but he keeps the classic professional look. He likes to go out once in a while with his friends after work to a bar or club and is in the know about the latest music releases so he enjoys most types of music. His family watch EastEnders but because he does not have time he cannot watch it often. Our soap, according to the focus group, he would enjoy watching a soap which is similar to his lifestyle, so he would be able to watch our soap at 9pm twice a week when it is broadcasted. He would sympathise with the characters as they have also felt the squeeze in this economical crisis. He also lives on his own and is not married even though he is 28 years old (it is expected him to marry due to his culture by this age but his work gets in the way) as london is a multi-cultural society he would find a place for himself in the soap as the boss is muslim.
Bill would watch Verve House bcause it fits in his schedule and he can find the realism in this soap. Such as the mixed classes and multi-cultural characters.
How effective is the combination of your main products and ancillary texts?
The trailer shows the boss's side of the recession. Firing your workers are not always easy. From the focus group findings i decided it was a good idea to have the boss as the main introduced character. It is a stressful trailer, it is it made up of fast shots and repetitive shots to emphasise that it was a repetitive and stressful, also confusing experience for the boss.
The Poster:
The poster looks like from a newspaper comic at the back, usually they have similar drawing on newspapers such as "The Metro" which is a common Londoner newspaper as it is usually read by commuters in the morning (People who are the target audience).
I think this poster is really good. It takes into account the target audience and it also takes into account British norms: We like to 'lighten up the situation'. I used paint for this poster and i beleive i achieved a comic effect. However i do think that it could have looked more professional but still acheive the comic look if i had used photoshop, i.e. the colour could have been more vibrant.
The website:
The website has the same font as the poster. I think i have acheived a house style like this, and also i have used similar colours, the colours i used are not too bright. For the website i think i have sufficient detail and managed to include everything i can for an upcoming soap. I did the gallery page and i think i have established the area of where the main body of the soap would be. Pictures are important as they can excite the audience and pictures can create a familiarity with the audience.
Overall, I think i have acheived a well-balanced mixture of three products. The website and poster have the same font and the trailer's camera shots are used as part of the banner on the website. I think i have considered and researched my target audience thoroughly and have linked the three products well.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?(2)
The title is the name of the company Verve House. I think that it is quite a clever name to use because of the word - house within the title. It brings everyone in and creates a union and a feel that everyone is 'under the same roof'. The word Verve according to the dictionary means "vitality: an energetic style". So in other words it means an energetic house or busy house. This sums up the soap because the characters are drawn together by this mid-point which is Verve House. It sums up what they have in common and what they are going through: the recession causing them to make quick choices. If looked into it deeper, the idea of having coffee: being alert and ready but then get tired quicker because of the caffeine.. The name is a good choice overall.
However, most soaps are named after the area which it is in for example, EastEnders (east London). Verve house does not unit a community but rather forms one. I think it successfully represents an individualistic society and draws different people together who do not necessarily have to be living in the same street. Verve House houses other staff other than the office employees. The caretakers, receptionists and more extra people.. But they still form a 'House'. It unites the audience with the characters also and welcomes them into the house because they are both experiencing the economic depression.
Setting:
Verve House is set in North London. I beleive it is a realistic portrait of London, i have seen programmes where foreigners come to England, especially London assuming that the United Kingdom is a fairytale-like place and then being smacked with the truth when they arrive. The setting is a realistic representation of London within the working world. There are vans and cars parked in front of the office which make it look really industrial, however when you walk in it has classy offices. It is a good contrast i beleive as it merges two styles together, middle-class and working-class. And that is what i wanted to acheive. London is a indicidualistic multi-cultural society and i think it is good to show how differences can become an identity of a place i.e. London. The recession is what unites them if you set aside the status of individuals.
Costume/Props:
As we were filming in offices we already had the props which we needed to acheive office effect. However the additional props which were vital are the coffee cups, ashtray, cigarettes, different outfits for the boss. The outfits of all actors had to be smart and suitable for the workplace to add to the realism. The coffee cups were a way to show how stressed the boss was and that maybe she had been lacking in sleep. The ashtray is quite important to show how much she was smoking. The clothing changed to show that it was different days and that the 'firing' process was stressfull and time consuming. The change in clothes is not a filming error. The aim of the changes were to stress the audience and to make sense of the situation. Smoking within the trailer in the office could be argued that it is unrealistic, however it does show that she is high in status, powerful and stressed. It also shows she is independent and brave. The boss also has a headscarf which is quite important to show her spirituality and also, to confront stereotypical ideas of the muslim community. I think it is a big issue today about the prejudices of islam and has caused a national fear.
Camera work/ editing:
The editing is the main eye catching thing about this trailer. The aim of the cutting camera work is to show a build up and routine of the boss's stress. The ashtray building up, cups building up, the pace of the music all suggest as though she is losing her mind. The variety of fast paced shots suggests what the boss is feeling and suggests how alone she feels. The fast shots also show how the characters feel from being fired but only a glimpse. The camera shots are just for the boss to show how she feels, alot of the time people hate their bosses but we were trying to emphasise with her. As it is a new soap being introduced it is quite long for a trailer compared with EastEnders:
However this could be because most people know who the characters are in Eastenders and this trailer may fail to attract NEW audiences.
Narrative:
Other soap operas may show gritty reality to the audience but they fail to show the emoitional psychological part of it. They may accessorize their storylines with emotions for the audience to feel but jepodises the character of the person going through the stress, usually by skipping to a different storyline.
Monday 1 March 2010
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The trailer which I participated in producing is based on a soap which has conventions of soap operas and dramas. My production is based on a business and on its workers going through the recession. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction usually broadcasted on television. What differentiates a soap from other television drama programs is the open-ended nature of the narrative, with stories spanning several episodes. Soap operas have a large scale of target audience; young teenagers to the older ages. The success of soap operas is mainly the narratives used and also the characters as well as the settings. An example of a successful soap opera is EastEnders. The series has been going on for over twenty years and is the most watched programme in the
In my production social class is an obvious matter and there are clear lines between the classes. In contemporary
The production is mostly woman dominated. This emphasises on the success of women and also to represent them in a way to break stereotypical image of women. One of the characters featuring in the production is a homosexual young female; the men in the office are attracted to her but she is not interested. The aim of this character is to show that there is not always an ‘office slut’ and that women are not subsidiary to men. The personal assistant is male and unpopular with the employees but has a close platonic relationship with the boss. He is unsuccessful socially and represents a male character who, in some ways, subsidiary to women. This is just to draw a contrast between reality and stereotypical characters where in soaps usually women are obedient to men. Women are becoming more successful and stronger as time goes by. The boss is the dominant female and she is typically a stressful person because of her commitments to her work. She also represents the Muslim religion which is not found in British soaps. Her religion is not so much of a ‘big deal’, her headscarf is the only symbol to show this and this shocks the audience, in a way, to see a Muslim female boss in the workplace.
There is also a character in the production that has ADHD. Soaps do not tackle mental disorders as ‘normal’ as often. Schizophrenia is also a manageable disorder when taking prescription drugs. It is quite common to meet an array of people in
Realism is a massive part of soaps. Traditional soaps are community based but unfortunately this is not so common in
A current issue such as the recession which is globally impacting people and businesses are not being touched on enough by soaps. It is a major event in most peoples’ lives because it has caused people to lose jobs and even go bankrupt. This massive issue should be highlighted more and not featuring this in a soap is quite peculiar because a soap is actually meant to reflect real life; the audiences’ life. As the target audience are working classes for most soaps and the crisis has affected this class a lot, it should be used as a main storyline which runs throughout the episodes. My production’s spine and what holds together the storyline is actually this matter: the money crisis. Because money is such a universal thing, the target audience are middle and working classes.
In soaps it is fair to say that narratives are exaggerated because every episode there is always something wrong with someone. No one is ever just happy. I understand that this is done for entertainment purposes, and I would say that this exaggeration is not an accurate representation of people. Some of the major problems which have happened to some of the characters’ lives in Eastenders would not happen in anyone’s lifetimes. I believe that if featuring a happier episode it would have more of an effect to the audience if something bad happened in the next episode because it would disappoint the audience rather than an ongoing ‘unlucky’ experience for the characters.
The target audience for my production are people between early 20s up to middle age who work in an office environment. They would be able to sympathise with the characters, i.e. the new girl character would be a window for the audience to learn and understand the surroundings and the idea of the soap and to meet to the people who are featured in the soap. They would learn about the soap with the new girl. The other characters are appealing in different ways for the audience; the ADHD sufferer is actually a good looking character and is meant to appeal to the female audience. Eastenders has such a large scale of audience of different backgrounds; this is because they feature such a huge scale of different characters. My production would just appeal to a niche audience, an audience that would appeal to the characters. Young adults may be interested in watching this soap because they may want to work in an office or already do and want to empathise with the soap.
Soap opera narratives run concurrently and intersect. This structure has worked well; the intersecting storylines are like mini-cliffhangers keeps the audience waiting. The main cliffhanger at the end of the episodes keeps the audience waiting for the next episode. This is a main element of soaps and this convention is necessary to keep a soap running, so we have kept this vital element. The interweaving storylines keep the characters updated and the storylines updated and gives a chance to unravel more and more storylines to keep the audience interested. It also creates a way to bond the characters and maybe even introduce new ones. Soap operas also have central meeting points. In Eastenders the pub, launderette and the market are the main points in which characters meet each other and also to form gossip (another convention). The ideas of the meeting points are also a vital ingredient to identify a program as a soap. The meeting points in my production are places where an office employee is likely to go and, the target audience of middle class and working class are also likely to identify with. These places are the pub, the car park, and the kitchen of the office. There would also be outside meeting points away from the office premises to maybe introduce new characters or to just have a chance to see the characters outside of the working environment. However, like in EastEnders where everyone knows each other somehow, not everyone would know each other in my production, simply because of the main message of
The ideas being communicated is that long running soap operas, however successful they may be, they are actually outdated when paralleled with the real world. They do cover the realistic issues of daily life through storylines, but they seem exaggerated.
Copyright free music for the trailer
Thursday 25 February 2010
My experince with the creation of the Website
I am not a very experienced user of photoshop as i had only used it before for small adjustments. I caught on quite quickly on how to use it and to create the banners on there was not hard. I did not use it for complex image editing since the images i used did not need much manipulating.