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.

Filming and editing the focus group.

Monday 8th February 2010

People present: Thegla Savvides, Elena Christodoulou, Natalie Michael

We decided to film a focus group's responses to our trailer. We selected a group of people within our target audience and showed them our trailer. After doing this, we set the camera up in a quiet corridor and asked three questions to them:

1. "Our target audience are people aged between 16-25, do you think this trailer would attract our target audience, if so how? "
   
2. "What is your opinion of our trailer and what worked well/didn't work well?"
   
3. "The soap will be aired on Tuesdays at 8pm, would you be willing to watch it?"
   "Does the timing of the soap affect anything else you usually watch?"

We then ingested this footage onto Imovie HD on the macs and began editing what we had filmed. This was harder than we had originally thought because we did not know how to use this software. Elena had done the editing on Final Cut Pro which she was familiar with. We eventually got the hang of this and began editing. We added titles and fades and parts where a black screen comes up which shows the question asked followed by the people's responses.

The creation of the website

In order to create the website, we used a programme called iWeb on a Mac computer. The whole process of making the website took a long time, but we are happy with the end result. The rest of my group had previous experience on this programme when they went to the CLC, however as I was unable to go i was not as experienced as them. However, i managed to teach myself how to use this through much determination and dedication.

As a group, we sat together and planned what we wanted on each page, using what we had found to have been successful from our research on current soap websites.

Natalie Michael and Thegla Savvides began with the basic outline of the website with inputs from the other group members.

I then added most of the things we had put onto our plan to the website. I did this is in a basic way which later we could edit to how we wanted. I filled up most of the pages, taking photos of other people available who could pose as being extras in our soap. These people's pictures were featured on our character's page but they did not have have their own character biography pages. Only our characters have biography pages.

Once this was mainly done, me and Elena stayed behind after school and went through the basic I had done. We changed fonts and colours making the website clearer and more attractive to our target audience. We changed the white font to red on the character profile pages making it much clearer and eye-catching for the audience to read. The fonts were changed throughout most of the pages as through feedback from peers, we found that the original one wasn't as good as the new one. We also hyperlinked the pages together making pictures and text link to the appropriate pages.

On the page for 'Andrea's Diary', we added stars to the corner of the pages as we thought that the page looked a little bare. This made the page seem more fun and girly and should make the viewer feel comfortable visiting the page. We were unable to change the colour of this stars from white. After some more exploration, Thegla realised that this was indeed possible and we changed them to a calming pink and yellow colour. This fitted with the feel of a diary page. we added shadows to the text boxes, images and text as without the shadow, these aspects looked flat on the page.

After we had filmed the focus group and edited this, we added it to our website onto the interview page. we also added some footage of this onto the out-takes page.

Our website plans.

The mac computer with iweb and the creation of our website.

Filming - Day 3

Sunday 31st January 2010

Today we finished the filming for the trailer. We all met up and began setting up the first setting for the first note. This note was to be received through the post with all the post. We set the camera up on the tripod and positioned it at an angle to the front door. The camera was positioned next to a plant and in some shots we had a leaf from the plant in front of part of the camera. this created a nice effect. Natalie N posted the letters through the door and we filmed Thegla walking past the camera and picking up the letters. The note flies out from the main pack of letters and we got a selection of close up shots to show the audience the notes. We encountered a problem with the lighting in this scene, too much sunlight was coming through the window in the door so we had to cover it up with a dark coloured piece of card. This prevented most of the bright sunlight from coming through. We filmed a selection of these shots including low shots to just show Thegla's feet walking to pick up the post, wide shots of all that was happening and and some close-ups of just the post focusing on the note. We also filmed the scene with the door out of focus and then as the post comes through the door comes into focus. This was a more creative type of shot.

For the next note we decided to film Thegla waking up to the house and once she gets to the front door she takes her keys out of her pocket and finds a note in there too. We shot a selection of wide shots, showing Thegla walk past the camera to the house, shots where the camera followed her to the door and over the shoulder shots showing the note then Thegla looking around before going into the house. Whilst we filmed with the camera following her, we had to make the camera into a Steadicam to allow the shot look more professional and less shaky.

To film the third note being received, Thegla was sat at a table with her folder. As she flicks through her folder she sees a post-it note stuck on one of the pages. To film this we had the camera from a side shot and it pans round to an over-the-shoulder shot as she is flicking through the folder. This turned out to be a relatively easy scene to film as it was one quick camera move to film it. The lighting was a bit dark, but nothing could be done to fix this.

The fourth note was to be found in shopping bags, folded in between an item of clothing. This was filmed using a wide shot, a close up shot and a panning shot. We will select the best ones during the editing stage.

The final note is the one that is received by a text message. We shot a wide shot of Thegla watching television then when she receives the text a close up shot was filmed.

The final part of the trailer to film was the dead body at the end. This was the role I was playing. We found a run-down alley way and a grass area just off this. We filmed close-ups, panning shots, wide shots and low shots. We filmed these when the sun wasnt very bright so the trees could create shadows that would hopefully make the scene look eerie and effective. The best will be selected during editing in order to make this scene look affective and fit in with the contents of the trailer.

Me and Elena fixing the lighting.

Me acting as the dead body.

me filming with the home made steady cam and Elena holding the microphone.

Elena filming, me holding the microphone and Thegla acting.