How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages

Myself using The Camera

Myself using Premiere Pro

Hotmail

Hotmail was used as m personal email address.  This allowed production team members to send images they had taken on there cameras that were made to be accessed by the whole team. It allowed me to download and save the images into my documents.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro was the software i used to edit my footage for my soap trailer.  Premiere Pro allowed me to cut footage down, change image scale, change the speed and time duration, add transition and effects, import music into the trailer timeline and create titles. 

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop was used for the construction of my poster and tv listing guide.  It allowed me to edit and refine images. I could access blending and cropping tools allowing my to edit parts of the images that i did not need.  It also allowed me to use texts which was enabled to access many font styles and size.

Facebook

Facebook was a way of communicating with my production team so we can schedule times to get together and film.  It was also helpful in my target audience qestionnaire as i couldnt contact everyone face to face so was allowed to communicate to them through facebook.

Google Search Engine

Google search engine was my main source i used in my research and planning stages.  It helped me locate videos of soap trailers, websites for soaps and images to back up on my blog.

Freeplaymusic

Freeplaymusic is the site where i located my background music for my soap trailer.  This site has every genre of music that is copyright free.

SONY Carl Ziess Video Camera

All of the footage for my media soap trailer was recorded on a sony video camera. 

SONY ICD-PX820

This Sony voice recorder was used in my evaluation stages for my media product.  It was used for me to record an evaluation on how effective the combination of my main media product and ancillary texts are. 

Samsung NV3

My samsung camera was used to take photographs of didital images i could use in my poster and tv listing guide.

Nokia XpressMusic 5220

My Nokia phone was used in the planning and constructing stages of my media product as i had to get in contact with members of the production group. 

Wacom Intous4 Small

The Intous was used in the planning stages of my final media product. I used the intous to sketch out my ideas on how i wanted the poster and tv listing guide to look like.

What have you learned from audience feedback?

While making my soap trailer we were set a date where we should have our first draft ready by.  This allowed us to create a questionnaire to receive audience feedback. 
What i picked up from my results was;

• certain words like corruption for the titles were not understood, this means the words have to be easier to understand
• the volumne of the trailer was too loud for the viewers to enjoy
• effects did not need to be added to the titles
• the music was appropriate for the genre
• the brightness of the trailer did not need to be enhanced except for the places where it was dark

After looking at all of these points i went on to make improvements to the soap trailer. Here are the improvements i made:

1. from my audience feedback it was apparent that corruption was not the type of word i should use for one of the titles. This word wasnt really understood and made the viewer understand that storyline as having a different meaning. I think the reason why this didnt come across so well to the viewer was because it wasnt obvious and it had a deeper meaning too it. So with this information in hand i went on to change the title in the soap trailer, the original still image said "corruption" i changed the final one to "murder.. ?" This word made the storyline easier to understand as the word has one understanding.  Also by using a question mark at the end of murder, it makes the viewer think more into the storyline whether or not the lady drugging his drinks could be classed as murdering him.  This will make the viewer more intrigued by using the question mark so overall was a good improvement to make

2. One of the things i picked up from my audience feedback was there own comments at the end of it.  They said in the improvement section that the actress walking along the corridor is walking too fast.  I then noted that this looked strange in the main media text as it wasnt realistic.  I changed the speed duration of that section of footage back down to its normal time.  The reason i did it before hand was because the time it took for her to walk along the corridor was too long so i changed the duration.   However now i used the cut tool to half the clip so she started half way along the corridor so it didnt take up to much time. This still kept to the match on action shot that i wanted for this section of footage. This change has been an improvement to my work as it helps connote realism to the soap.

3.  The audience feedback showed that improvements needed to be made when there was a scene outside at the beginning of the trailer with the drug dealing scene.  The brightness of this scene had been enhanced too much and deterred from the realism of the scene.  It also didnt fit well with all the rest of the footage as colour were very light.  I changed the brightness down and enhanced the contrast which made the characters stand out more in the dark surroundings. 

4.  The audience feedback showed that it would kept to the conventions of a soap trailer if i included a bbc one image still at the end of the trailer.  This would give the information element of the uses and gratifications theory to the viewer. This is because it will satisfy their curosity of when the programme is starting and what channel it will be scheduled on. I made this image on photoshop, i had to use the text tool to get the title of the soap "Eaton" to look like the font of bbc one.  After making this in another layer it was quite easy positioning the titles on the image.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

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

1. The ways in which this screen grab of my media product uses conventions of a real media products is from the costumes of teens in this certain storyline of drug addiction.  This is a convention of a soap trailer as it is showing the struggles and pressure that teens deal with.  This is a typical aspect of a soap trailer as it is dramatizing situations that most teens go through. 

2.  This screen shot has the conventions of a real media product by the use of camera angle.   The camera has been set to a close up.  This helps draw attention to the storyline of the scene in action.  After the woman says farewell to her husband you wonder why she so hastily locks the door.  It is later evident in the last part of this scene that she is having an affair as she greets another man at the back door to the house.  This is a typical aspect of a soap trailer as it is allowing the audience to interpret the storyline as it gradually unfolds, but as the trailer leaves it as a cliffhanger the audience is drawn in to find out more.

3. This screen shot of a figure knocking at the door is also a convention of a real media product.  The silhoette of the man is too dark to make out who it could be.  This is often done in soap trailers as it keeps the audience thinking who the person is as they are unable to view the persons face.  This is a typical aspect of a soap trailer as it wants the viewer to think who this person could be, and normally when there face is revealed the audience will be shocked to find out who it really is.

4. The ways in which this screen grab uses conventions from a real media product is that it is introducing us to a character.  This is a typical convention of a real media product as it shows the audience what that characters personality is like and what role they will play for the rest of the programme.

5. This screen grab uses conventions of a real media product by the use of titles.  In real media products for soap trailer there is often titles giving quick words that detail the storylines of the soap.  The title already suggests what is happening in the storyline that is about to be shown.  But by the use of a question mark it makes us question if that is what actually is going to happen. This convention of a real media product challenges the use of the title being another guideline into what the storyline is about.  This aspect is commonly seen in soap trailers as if there is no dialogue andjust the backing track it is another prompt to the audience on what could happen in the storyline.

6. This screen grab uses conventions of a real media product by the use of camera angles.  The camera angle that is set for this shot is a match on action shot.  The older lady walk towards the camera with a rather stern menacing expression on her face.  This uses forms from a real media product as you question her intentions from the earlier shot of her spiking her husbands drink. 

7. This screen grab shows the convention of a real media product being the shot reverse shot angle.  Not only does this shot use shot reverse shot but it also allows the audience to see the social issues that are dealt with in the soap.  This social issue outlines underaged drinking.  The use of shot reverse shot allows us to view the conversationg taken place.  By the use of the camera angle being over the shoulder and viewing the teens putting pressure on that individual it makes the teen being pressurised seem very vunerable.  the body language they use in this screen grab i also typical of a convetion for a real media product as it helps stereotype what kind of people thety are. 

8. This shot shows the drinks bottle being pushed away as the girl who was being pressured into drinking it refuses and it falls to the ground.  This shot is typical for a convention in a real soap trailer as it is the ultimatum that she has refused to let these people bully her into drinking.  The bottle rolls away like an incident is about to take place with the teenagers. This a convention in a real media product as it shows the refusal in a social issue which will make the situation more of a problem causing the drama in the soap opera.

9. This screen grab is a typical convention of a real soap trailer as it has the bbc one logo, the title of the soap, the date and time at the end of the trailer.  This is a convention of a real media product as from research i did most of the trailers end with a shot giving details on the soaps screening time.  This is done for the uses and gratification theory information element as it inform the viewer on necessary information about the soap.  This shot at the end of the trailer also has a voiceover reading out what is said in the frame.  The voiceover is done by a female as from research for my target audience females are normally the main audience for soap operas. 

Final Soap Trailer

The link below will take you to youtube where my final soap trailer is located.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnyRdQGUQYY

First Draft of Soap Trailer

This is my first draft of my soap trailer. After completing this first draft i wanted to get audience feedback so i could alter any elements that needed improvements.  I set out by making a questionnaire that could answer any of my quiries for the outcome of my first draft.  Here are my results:



Question 1. All of the participants that took part in the questionnaire agreed that the words were appropriate too the storyline.  One person commented that they didnt really get the storyline when the word corruption appeared but otherwise thought the trailer was good.

Question 2. 12 out of the 14 participants agreed that the musc synced well with the clips. The two that didnt said that they thought the music was too fast and loud.

Question 3. 9 of the participants rated the clips at 3 on how well they flow together and 5 rated them at 4.

Question 4. The majority agreed that no effects should be added to the titles with 4 saying there should be. 

Question 5. 9 answered no to the question with 3 stating yes for the words to appear quicker. The last two were unsure if the words should appear quicker.

Question 6. There was a balance between participants thinking the brightness should be enhanced.  The majority answered that they wouldnt change the brightness off the clips with one saying only when it is dark.
I shall use all of this information when i go back to the final edit of my soap trailer.

My Final Poster

Planning for My Poster

Research into TV Drama Posters

When i was looking into researching on soap opera posters i found it very difficult to locate any.  I think its quite hard to find soap opera posters as there is hardly ever a new soap being released .  This could be as existing soaps are very successful so it is hard to come up with a new idea that will be just as successful as the existing soaps.  So in this blog entry i have looked at TV Drama Posters.  I have done this as TV Dramas are regularly being advertised on posters as a new series with diferent storylines start very often.  This can give me ideas into how i could layout and make a successful poster.  I have listed posters from a British television drama and an Americian television drama.

This poster is from the ITV 1 drama, marchlands which is a supernatural drama.  The story is set around three families at three different generations in the same house.  They are all linked together by the spirit of a young girl who drowned in mysterious circumstances.  I liked the use of the image that they represented for the storyline of the show in this poster.  It tells the viewer that this young girl that drowned is haunting the house by the fact water is running down the stairs, also informing us how she died.  The light at the top of the stairs behind the girl suggests that she is a spirit and giving the viewers perspective can ultimately tell you that she is good rather than evil.  However this opinion can be altered by the fact the water is streaming down the stairs so you wonder, why would she be allowing this to happen and in doing so makes you think about the narrative behind he character.  I thought this poster is very effective as it has one image and not a selection of images. Even though it is one image the image itself is very thought provoking and along with the information on the left side stating the programme title, date, time and channel it is also simplistic in design.

This is the poster for the Hit American drama series, Dexter.  The programme centers around Dexter Morgan who is a forensic stain pattern analyst for the Miami police and by night a serial killer who targets criminals who he believes have escaped justice.  The poster like the marchlands poster is very simple in design but detailed in imagery.  It contains the main character dexter and him running his finger along a butchers knife.  He is made to look guilty in this picture but by his actions you can tell that it is actually the opposite.  His smile also makes him seem menacing.  There is a blurred image behind him, personally this makes it seem like that image is who he has to pretend to be when he is working and the dominant image is who he really is.  The reason why i think its blurred is because that person he pretends to be is almost an illusion.  The poster also has the same font that is at the beginning of the programme.  The colours in the picture are very clean and neutral compared to the title which is presented as a blood splatter.  I think this is made to represent his personality when he is the serial killer, that he has to ensure to do a clean job.  The poster also states when the show is being played and what channel it is on.

Overall the posters i have researched for TV dramas have one dominant image in them not a series of images showing different aspects of it.  This is the main point i have picked up as without prior looking at posters i would have thought various images would be across the page.  The images however normally have two meanings depending on how the viewer interprets it this is what interests the viewer on the information on the drama, they wont to know which side of the meaning it is.  Also the poster contains the shows title, the date its on, the time it begins and what channel.  This informs the viewer about relevant information on the show rather than crowding the page with points about the show that are saying too much about it .

Research on Posters

This poster was set for the inferno week on hollyoaks. The narrative to the poster comes from the revelant storyline onfolding in hollyoaks.  A huge fire is about to rage through II Gnosh which can be the unfortunate ending for some that are doomed to not escape and those that will escape.  The tagline for the inferno week is very effective, the sentence "A week that will change Hollyoaks forever" It is effective in the fact it grips the viewer to want to find out what could be so dramatic to change hollyoaks forever.  The pictures themselves link and support the storyline the poster is aiming at.  Its linking to the fact that in this weeks episodes there is going to be a fire, so the characters are represented as being ablaze.  However the images are still appealing to the target audience of the soap. Noted points on the poster:

• warm colours
• the dominant image of the characters go across the page lined up
• tagline and date at the bottom
• the channel 4 logo to the right

This is the common poster for the soap opera, Eastenders on the BBC.  It has the iconic thames river in it which this aerial view normally associates to the programme Eastenders.  It uses the same font that would be at the beginning of the programme this supports the synergy aspect.  It also has which channel the soap will be on. Points made on the poster:

• very simplistic but effective
• big font for the title of the soap
• has the aerial view on where the programme is set, informing the viewer
• white font stands out against the greens and greys of the aerial shot

Posters for soap operas are in short supple as the soap operas are mainly advertised on TV or in a Tv Listings Guide.  This is because so often the storyline changes it would be alot of circulation to make a new poster everytime an event happens on soaps.  So for big events on soaps they have a poster gripping the audience to find out more.

My Tv Magazine Listings

Planning for my Tv Listings Guide

Magazine Initial Idea

Looking at the common conventions of a magazine cover i had thought out how i wanted my cover too look like. The drawing above was done on a graphics tablet which you essential use as an input device which allows you to hand draw image which can be saved onto your computer. I thought this would be better to sketch out my ideas as its clearer to see and it can easily be saved as a jpeg.  I have gathered the information i analysed from some top tv listings guide and used these ideas in my own sketch.  My initial idea is that the magazine title will be located at the top right hand corner with issue numbers and dates in the titles box.  As the research showed that other programmes are normally situated at the sides of the magazine i kept to this convention as well, including the other programmes at the side and an exclusive article along the bottom. The dominant picture will also take up the majority of the page. A border at the top will inform a release of a new programme with an image in the top corner that will be circular. 

Conventions of a Magazine Front Cover



Similarities between the Tv Guide Listings

After Researching into the top rated Tv Listings Guide i found that there were alot of similarities between them.  These are the similaritieas that can be accounted for in the magazines:

• The magazine title is normally located at the top of the magazine cover
• Titles for the magazine are Eyecatching, clear and very simplified
• Bold Fonts
• Backgrounds tend to be a blue/light blue colour as its relaxing and generally doesnt contrast with the dominant image.
• The main storyline image covers the majority of the page
• Coverlines are always at the side and bottom of the cover
• Other storyline images are bordered off in different shapes
• Use emphasise on the price of the magazine but stating "only"
• Date and issue numbers are located near the magazines title

Research on Tv Listings Guides

One of my ancillary texts is going to be the front of a magazine cover for a tv listings guide.  In preparation for this I researched some top tv listing guides.  I found out what was the top rated tv listings guides by using the internet.  The web listed these guides: Total Tv Guide, Tv Times, Tv Easy and Inside Soap.  In further development i looked at the covers and annotated on how they keep to the same conventions as eachother.  I also looked at the aspects of them that can be similiar and differ as well.

Out of all the magazine covers i have looked at i found this one to be the most appealing.  I think this was the most appealing to me as it has a sufficient amount of information and pictures without crowding the cover.  The headline was also eyecatching as it uses a different font in the middle of the title to put emphasis on what the issue will include.  To not the other things included on this cover is:

• The title of the magazine is very bold and simplified, and the colours make it stand off the page.
• Other programmes are promoted at the front, top and left hand side
• "NEW" is clearly labelled at the front of every relevant coverline. This attracts the viewers as they want to find more information on this new release.
• has bright colours and a few colours that can be define as cool dark colours this is because they are calming but present a sense of stability.
• colour photo fills most of the page
• main feature being Rhona, Marlon & Paddy there aligned like a family potrait which can apply to there relationship
• Same font styles except the headline

I found this magazine cover to be very interesting. The headline was the focal point of this cover, the colours yellow and black are typically seen on a danger sign for people not to cross. So this backs up the effect of the headlines story. I also found the layout to be arranged in an effective order that works well.  Here are some other things i noticed:

• mainly consists of warm colours with the exception of green representing a field for the world cup final.
• Bold headline made to stick out by the black outline around the text, eyecatching.
• The other programmes are promoted at the side aligned in two columns.
• Website address - access more online
• Price made to be shocking as its stated as "only" 49p
• dominant picture has a glow around it
• The shapes used to border the images, not just square but circular as well.
• barcode at the bottom of the page

The inside soap magazine cover was also another one that appealed to me.  I found the composition of the magazine was appropriate.  The titles and information are the compact into the cover to show there is alot going on in this weeks tv guide.  What also should be noted is:

• Magazines title across the top of the page just below a coverline
• Boasts about it being the "first for BIG soap news"
• Use of warm colours
• Same fonts
• Uses quotes from the soap to draw in the reader.

I found total tv guide likes to lure the reader in.  For instance it emphasises about the price its being sold at as it is repected twice like you have to be told again as its such a good value.  Its also created an image at the bottom of the page like the cover is being turned over with it listing other important contents in the mag.  I think this lure is effective as it visually makes you want to turn the page. What also is shown on the magazine cover is:

• mixture of cool and warm colours
• blue background
• Price - bold, first thing you notice
• Other programmes running down the side of the magazine cover
• Magazine title across the top of the cover, its made to be very clear and simple
• advertises that it is best for freeview users
• barcode at the bottom of the page