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

TRAILER:

I believe that our trailer, as a whole, is successful as it appeals to our main target audience. I believe we also used the editing stage to our advantage as we made good use of fades and dissolves in order to create the eerie atmosphere of the trailer. The music we added was also beneficial as it fit well with the sequence (what was being shown and with the genre of it). The trailer is interesting and keeps the audience watching as they try to make sense of the notes and to see what the character may or may not have done. Our trailer, in some ways, keeps the audience active and engages them as they too try to make sense of the notes along with the character, this is a strength as the audience do not get bored whilst watching it.

Our trailer creates enigmas as we wanted it to be a teaser, this makes the audience more intrigued and makes them want to know more.

The length of the trailer may be a possible weakness, as it is unusual for a trailer to be around 2 1/2 minutes long. However, we wanted our trailer to be a bit longer than trailers usually are. We wanted to challenge this normal convention of trailers. Our soap would be aired on the BBC which is a public service broadcasting. Our soap breaks away from a traditional soap as our trailer has crime elements and links with a drama. The BBC would be allowed to show a long trailer but it would not be shown on channels such as Channel 4.

WEBSITE:

As this was the first time I had used iweb and the fact that I found myself to have one of the leading roles in the creation of the website, I believe our website is quite successful with what we were trying to achieve. It appeals to our target audience (both genders aged between 16-25). I believe it does this due to us using fonts and colours which both genders can relate to. We used a light blue as the background and white, black and red as the font colours. The font we used was 'Bradley Hand ICT' which is neither girly nor too masculine. The red we used was eye-catching and we only used it on words which we wanted to stand out, such as 'MURDER' and the question marks on the suspects faces. The webpages are well hyperlinked such as by clicking on a characters face on the characters page will lead to the characters biography page. On 'Andrea's' page it can link to her diary page and there is a link to this on the homepage too. The well hyperlinked pages work to our advantage as they will not confuse a visitor to the website and it makes it easier for the person to navigate their way around the website. We overcame problems to the hyperlinking by adding fullstops on the menu to represent pages as we were unable to make drop down menus. The photos and videos attract the audience as the characters are the same ages as them so they can relate to them. Our webpages attract the audience. For example, 'Andreas diary' page is fun and welcoming as we put stars around the corners in calming yellow and pink colours.

The main weaknesses of our website is that we could have put a different selection of pages which would have appealed to a wider target audience. We could have added pages which would engage the audience more, such as games. We also should have added the trailer and a sneak peak of the next episode which would have drawn in an audience.

TV GUIDE COVER:

I used bright, eye-catching colours which attract the target audience. The colours all link with each other, such as the strapline and the puffs are both in a bright yellow, the text is all written in white and the straplines at the top and bottom of the page are in a bright pink. As I used the conventions of a successful TV guide, I believe mine works well. This is a good point as this layout of TV guide already works well for the audience. The title for my TV guide - 'ALL TV' - is easy to remember and can be catchy. My TV guide advertises other TV programmes which is successful too as this is also done in successful TV guides.

However, my TV guide is a little confusing as the way I have worded the strapline and placed the images can be misleading.



My three products link well together as a whole product as they are all successful in attracting a target audience. The fonts and colours we used all link together. In the website, on the home page, the word MURDER is written in a bright red, on my TV guide cover, the word MURDER is also written in a bright red. This links the products together. The narrative of the trailer is referred to in both the website and my TV guide cover. My products link together by narratives, themes and in the way they target the audience.

I believe we carried out many aspects of the tasks well. A main reason for this is the fact that we carried out a lot of in-depth planning for both the trailer and the website.

If I was to complete the tasks again, I would add more pages to the website which would attract the target audience, I would also shorten the length of the trailer, sending the message out in a much quicker way. I would also change some parts of the TV guide cover. I would rearrange the image by placing Thegla in the main image and place me separate from this.

3. -Task 3 - What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

FOCUS GROUPS:
At the start of our production, we carried out a pilot focus group consisting of our class mates, this enabled us to prepare our questions and to make sure they were broad enough for our target audience to answer. This also allowed us to make sure our pitch and treatment were clear and easy to understand.

Once this was completed, we carried out our first focus group. This was made up of both genders aged between 17 and 18. These people fit into our target audience. The people who took part did not provide us with the answers we were hoping for which would have helped us to improve our ideas. They did not, however, have any criticisms of our product, which can be seen that our work would have appealed to their age group (our target audience).

Once our product was finished, we held another focus group. This time, we set up a room and a camera and we showed a group of people our trailer. We then filmed their responses. This turned out to be very beneficial as we found that many of these people did like our trailer for the right reasons. The filmed focus group can be seen on our website.

We also handed out questionnaires to people of our target audience. This was intended to find out what sort of soaps they watch and what of these soaps appeals to them. We found that most people enjoyed good storylines and characters they could relate to. We tried to incorporate this into our product.

I also showed my TV guide cover to a group of people to see what they thought of it. They believed that the colours and fonts worked well the layout and style of the magazine and it would be the sort of TV guide they would purchase and read.

Our website was also shown to a group of people which enabled us to find out whether we were successful in appealing to their age group. They believed that the layout and aspects of each page worked well and would attract them to our website.

FACEBOOK:
We uploaded our trailer onto Facebook in order for us to receive some feedback as to what people believed to be the strengths and weaknesses of our product. Many believed our trailer was successful in terms of what we were showing. The people who had access to watch our trailer fit into our target audience.

3. - task 2 - attracting a target audience youtube

We uploaded our trailer onto YouTube, in order to add annotations.

We used other trailers as inspiration:

Eastenders:

This is the trailer for Archie and Peggy's wedding. This was an unconventional trailer, only using one storyline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDHBOfalY84

Hollyoaks:

This trailer uses questions throughout the trailer, involving the audience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjnQGsGKS4

This trailer uses notes in order to create suspicion within the audience which we used within our trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzJc7TIsbO8&feature=related

3. - Task 1 - Who would be the target audience for your media product and how did you attract and target that audience?

This is Rezhaw and Louisa. They are both 17 years old and live in North London.

They both enjoy spending time with their friends, watching films, going shopping and listening to music. They can usually be seen wearing jeans and a top, adopting a casual look rather than over dressing on a daily basis. They both fit into the middle class as their parents have respectable jobs that allow for them to experience the things which the average middle class person would, for example, they can shop in fashionable shops, go to the cinema/theatre and enjoy other leisure activities. They both share the same sort of outlooks on life. They both want to go to university and get a degree which will lead them to the jobs they aspire to have.

Rezhaw's ambition is to be a doctor and he has a talent in art. A few of his favourite shops are 'River Island', 'Topman', 'Uniclo' and 'Pull and Bear'. A selection of his favourite books include 'A Child Called It' and 'The Kite Runner'. He enjoys watching films such as 'The Pursuit of Happyness' and 'Seven Pounds'. Some of his favourite TV programmes are Skins, Hollyoaks, Scrubs, Eastenders, Top Gear and The X Factor. He regularly purchases a TV guide, preferring ones such as 'Whats on TV' and 'TV Choice' over a more expensive one such as 'Radio Times'. He occasionally visits the Hollyoaks and Eastenders website so he can catch up on episodes he has missed and to read up on upcoming episodes.

Louisa enjoys listening to music and is a musician herself, with abilities in playing the piano, guitar, drums and singing. She has a weekly Saturday job where she teaches piano at a music school to a class of children. A few of her favourite shops are TopShop, Jane Norman and New Look. Her favourite genre of films are comedy, romantic comedy and horror. She enjoys watching channels like E4, Channel 4, BBC, ITV and ITV2 and all the music channels. A selection of her favourite TV programmes are Friends, Hollyoaks, Skins, 90210 and the X Factor. In music, her favourite artist is Beyonce. She regualrly buys a gossip magazine such as 'Heat' or 'OK'. She tends to buy a TV guide weekly, usually opting for a 'TV Choice' as she finds this magazine to draw her attention and she finds it easy to read and follow. Her favourite soap is Hollyoaks and she occasionally visits the Hollyoaks website to catch up on any news and gossip from the show. She is also regularly on sites like 'Facebook' as she likes talking to her friends as well as spending time with them.

I believe they would both watch our soap because it has the conventions of a soap which they usually watch (e.g Hollyoaks) as well as bringing in elements of a drama such as 'Skins'. Our soap has storylines and conventions which people of this age group typically enjoy. They would be able to relate to the lives of the characters who are a similar age to them and who will be going through events in their lives which teenagers have to deal with. Our soap will be aired on BBC1 which is a channel everyone has access to and it's airing time does not clash with other programmes.

2. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

We connected the camera to a television so that we could all clearly see what was being filmed and so we could notice if there was anything wrong in the shot, for example, at one pint it was noticed that the tip of the microphone was in the top left corner. The microphone was connected to the camera as well as the microphone so we could hear any background noise and make sure that the sound was exactly how we wanted it.



1. Photoshop
I edited photos for my magazine cover, created this collage of technologies and edited other images for the creation of my media products. This is the first time I have ever used photoshop properly so I feel I have learnt a lot, especially how to use the basic functions of it.


2. London Grid for Learning
This is the website we found our music from (this year and last year). This features music that is not copyrighted.

3. Vimeo
We uploaded our trailer onto this so we could all have access to it. We then uploaded it from this onto our blogs by embedding the code.


4. iweb
This is the software we created our website on. I learnt a lot from using this as it was the first time I had used it and was able to teach myself how to use it as I had a large role in creating the website.


5. Apple Mac
We used the apple mac to edit our trailer, the interview and the out-takes and so we could create our website.

6. Blogger
This is where we have kept our diary of our work this year and last year. We have uploaded photos and all our planning and research.

7. You Tube
This is where i uploaded our trailer in order to add annotations and to complete the third evaluation task. I learnt how to add the annotations and pauses to the trailer. The pauses allowed the annotations to stay on the screen longer in order for the audience to be able to read it all.

8. Google
I used this to complete my research and to find images.

9. Imovie HD
This is where we edited our interview and out-takes for our website. This was different to use compared to Final Cut Pro and Windows Movie Maker, which we used last year. I learnt how to edit the short bit of film we had and how to add text, fades and music.

10. Internet
I used the Internet a lot throughout the process. I used it to access 'Blogger', 'You Tube', 'Google' and I mainly used it to allow me to complete my research.


11. Microsoft Publisher
I used this programme to create my magazine front cover. I edited my image in photoshop, then added it to Publisher to make it into a magazine front cover.


12. Paint
I used Paint to edit some photos.


13. Final Cut Pro
This is where we edited our trailer. I learnt how to cut scenes, add music, fades, transitions etc.


14. Facebook - (no image)
We uploaded our trailer onto facebook in order to get some audience feedback.

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

1. The title:
The title for our soap can be seen in the first frame. We decided to name our soap 'IV' (Independent Variable) as the meaning of this can relate to the lives of the characters within the soap. The definition of an 'Independent Variable' in scientific terms is a variable which is manipulated or changed over time. We decided to use a white colour for the text on a black background as this is plain and can appeal to both males and females. The text appears on the screen and a white line runs forming the word 'IV' and is seen above 'Independent Variable'. It uses the font 'Neon'. This then rotates round towards the right. The white line below shows that the soap and the storylines will be continuous.

2. Setting/location
I have chosen to use an image of a bedroom to represent the setting and location as it is the first setting the audience see during the trailer and it is one that keeps reappearing throughout. This is the location where the character makes sense of the notes she has been getting and where she has her flashbacks as to how she got them. Usually in soaps, they use more than one location and various storylines, we challenged this by creating a trailer with only one storyline and one main location until the end where the dead body is revealed. This is also an important setting as it is the final setting the audience see during the trailer and it leads onto the main storyline in the first episode of the soap.
The bedroom of the character tells the audience a lot about her. It is a simple room with a large bookcase and posters on the wall allowing a teenage girl to relate to her, but not not making a male feel uncomfortable.

3. Costume/props
In every trailer and soap, costumes and props are necessary and are therefore a typical media convention. In the third frame, we can see a bed and the notes all lined up in order. These are props. These can be seen from an over-the-shoulder shot. The character is dressed in a black top, which does not make her stand out and leads most of the focus onto the notes (prop) which are a key factor within our trailer.

4. Camerawork/editing
This frame shows a part of the trailer where the camera is going down the alley way leading to the finding of the dead body. This particular part can be seen about half way through the trailer before the character remembers the final note and finally makes sense of the notes. The alley way blurs out of focus as we go further down it, and then it cuts back to the bedroom. This particular piece of editing works well in the trailer as it adds to the mystery of the trailer's atmosphere.

5. Title font/editing
I chose the frame which comes before the title is seen to represent the title font and editing. We decided to include words which we believe represents our soap. This was done during the editing stage and using the font which is seen throughout the trailer showing continuity. This font again appeals to both genders by being neither girly nor masculine. It is quite plain but works well with the trailer. These words fade into the screen starting off at a slow pace but ending up coming fast overlapping each other.

6. Narrative/storyline
The image of the dead body is seen at the end of the trailer. It is the final thing the audience see so it has to be a powerful image to get them to remember it and want to watch the soap in order to find out what has happened and to get to know the storyline.

7. Genre and how the sequence suggests it
As our media product is a trailer for a soap opera, there is no real genre for a soap as the storylines change often. To represent the genre of our soap I chose the sequence with the text. It is the first sequence of text that is shown and it suggest that something big is going to happen due to someones actions. It adds to the mystery and allows the audience to question what will happen and will make them want to know what will happen. It eventually leads onto forming questions which make the audience think about oncoming issues and themes within the soap. The end of the trailer shows a dead body which is linked to these firsts words we see.

8. Characters and how they are introduced
In this frame, we see the main character within the trailer. This is the first time the audience see a character. When being introduced to this character, the audience can clearly see that something is bothering her as she is looking distressed and upset. Throughout the trailer, the audience are only introduced to two characters, the dead body and 'Andrea' which is unusual for a soaps' trailer which has many storylines and characters overlapping.

9. Soundtrack
The soundtrack for our trailer was from the London Grid for Learning website. We got the music from here as we had to use music from copyright free websites. The music we chose fits well with the theme of the trailer.

IV Trailer

We uploaded the video to Elena's brothers Vimeo account, Vimeo is an easy video sharing site giving us the opportunity to upload videos wherever and whenever .

IV Trailer from Louis Christodoulou on Vimeo.