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St. Paul’s Catholic College

Center Number:64770

Candidate Number:6192

Candidate Name: Dayle Alex Latham

A2 Media Studies

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media –

Production Log

Evidence of Planning & Research

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Aims and Objectives

AO2– Assess candidates’ application of knowledge and understanding in evaluating their own work, showing how meanings and responses are created.

AO3– Assess candidates’ ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills.

AO4– Assess candidates’ ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research.

Brief Chosen

A 45 second – 1 minute 30 second trailer for a NEW Soap Opera that will be exhibited on BBC 3 at 8:30pm (after Eastenders) that will appeal to a Male and Female audience.

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Contents

Textual Analysis

Eastenders - Soap Opera Codes & Conventions - Multi Strand Narrative

Coronation Street

“..the home, the family, domestic tribulationsand the strong woman, and as such, it has long been said to appeal to the female viewer”

‘Masculinity and Popular television’ – Rebecca Feasey (2007)

- Is this evident and how is this presented to the audience?

Research

Purpose of a Trailer Multi-Platform promotion Textual Analysis – Coronation Street and Hollyoaks

Deadlines – Production Work Filming Dates: Wednesday 23rd October 2013 0800 – 1200 hrs Edited Trailer – Complete: Friday 14th February 2014 Promotional Poster – Complete:Friday 14th February 2014 Promotional Magazine Cover – Complete:Friday 14th February 2014 Evaluation – Complete:Friday 14th February 2014

Production Work

Director Producer Institution research – BBC Three

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Soap Opera Codes & Conventions – Lesson 2 1) What are some of the Codes & Conventions of this genre?

Codes and conventions

Similar setting

Similar plots

British actors and actresses

Beautiful young women

London location

Good and bad characters (Bad vs. good)

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2) Codes & Conventions of the Soap Opera Genre The Soap Opera genre can be categorized by the ‘repeated’ (Steve Neale) elements of:

1. Connotes a domestic setting – the contrast with epic and melodramatic forms of high cultural products.

2. Setting: domestic, anti – romantic, empirical and secular contemporary world.

3. Plot and narrative setting: episodic and shapeless.

4. Characterisation – realism, domestic, social and sexual aspect

of life.

5. Themes and issues: social class, mobility, gender relationships, desire and transgression.

Eastenders(1985 – Present)

Key information regarding this text:

First broadcast – 19th February 1985

Each episode repeated on BBC3 at 10pm

There were initially two episodes of the soap each week Textual Analysis Task http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye51O8WBVVM&feature=related -

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You MUST complete the Table below whilst watching the TWO promotional trailers for the BBC Soap Opera Eastenders. You SHOULD aim to identify key examples (Verbal, Non-Verbal, Technical) from each trailer that demonstrates your understanding. You COULD apply relevant audience theory to explain what impact these key examples would have on the target demographic. In your opinion, according to Hartley’s Seven Subjectivities, what is the target audience for Eastenders?

Age

14 - 60

Gender

Male and Female

Nationality

British and American’s

Trailer 1) What is the Focus of this trailer? The theme of action and revenge is highlighted dramatically, the sound track by Johnny Cash – “God’s gonna cut you down” – fits immensely well and has a symbiotic relationship with the media text.

Code &

Convention

Evidence

(Verbal, Non-Verbal, Technical)

Impact on the Audience

(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)

Romance

Max and Stacey “I love you”

Katz– Personal Relationship – a social use of information in conversation, allowing the audience to have a companionship with the dialogue.

Family relationships and/or conflict

Tanya, Max and Bradley “Dirty little secret”

Katz – Diversion - this is an indicator of how routine is altered and set of course, normality is about to change to reality for some of the actors/actresses.

Focus on

Markets located throughout the Albert

Maslow – Social Climbers – there are social climbers amongst the audience and

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working class communities

Square characters on screen, as they’ll use the market to get new and nicer clothes, to have a social standing/ fit in to the community they are apart of: Albert Square.

“Multi-Stranded Narrative”

Stacey and Max Stacey and Bradley – being tracked, and portayed through several different shot types: tracking, ots, cu, pov.

Katz - Surveillance –tracks max going through, showing a mortuary casket open, his brother then disappears from the frame – highlights that Max is going to have several factors effecting him, and preventing him accomplishing any set ideas or goals, for example cheating on Tanya with Stacey.

‘Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

“Dirty little secret” – used as a narrative to enlighten the audience of what is to commence in the episode/series.

Maslow – ‘Explorer’s and viewers who would want to find out more about the dirty little secret. This scandal and intrigue is common place in the genre it seems.

Trailer 2) What is the Focus of this trailer? Max’s secret comes out and all is revealed.

Code &

Convention

Evidence

(Verbal, Non-Verbal, Technical)

Impact on the Audience

(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)

Romance

Stacey dressed provocatively

Katz- ‘Diversion’ Stacey’s offensive behavior is off-putting from the real dispute at hand.

Family relationships and/or conflict

Max and Tanya Bradley Jack

Hartley- ‘families’ can relate this to the situation and how they would be feeling. There for it also links in with Maslow’s ‘Caregivers’ as they would feel remorseful for Tanya, plus Bradley.

Focus on working class communities

Stacey dressed as a maid. Bradley as a security man.

Katz- ‘Diversion’ they are playing different characters compared to normal which is making it more fantasized than real life, ‘personal identification’. Individuals with these jobs or alike can narrate how people are regarded stereotypically.

“Multi-Stranded Narrative”

Shows multiple people: Max, Stacey, Tanya, Bradley and Jack.

Hartley- ‘Family’, ‘gender’ and ‘age’ are all affected. Bradley and Stacey are younger than the other three and are seen as underneath them as they are still lacking adolescent behavior’s and traits. Max, Tanya and

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Jack are all in suits. Stacey (female) seen as a challenging female. The men are seen to be tougher and more significant. Tanya is emotional. Categorizes are shown here.

‘Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

Verbal song: “Sooner or later gonna cut ya down.”

Maslow- ‘Survivors’ want Max to live but the lyrics connote that something is certainly about to occur which will distress Max.

Multi-stranded narrative A Multi-stranded narrativecan be defined as….. Telling a story from more than one persons point of view. Telling multiple stories about multiple characters in an Open Narrative episode for example. You MUST deconstruct the 10-minute extract from Eastendersand identify where the following elements are presented to the audience:

Multi-stranded narrative Family relationships and/or conflict Focus on working class communities ‘Disequilibrium’ (Todorov) Romance

You SHOULD write down x1-2 examples for EACH of the elements above that are presented. Code & Convention Evidence Impact on the audience

Multi-stranded narrative

Lauren, Michael and Lucy Katz – ‘Understanding of community’ because it is showing more than one persons point of view in the community, it is set in.

Family relationships and/or conflict

Max and Tanya argue: “when were you apart of this convo?”

Hartley’s relates to family. Katz – personal identification

Focus on working class communities

Café Lucy, market Peter stalls

Maslow – shows them being social climbers, working towards a goal.

Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

Max, Michael, Kat and Alice–Relationship troubles, Kat confronts Michael about Alice, Max and Kirsty and Tanya.

Maslow- ‘Caregivers’ sympathizes with Tanya because Kirsty ruins their relation and Alice’s innocence.

Romance

Alice love sick. Tanya still loves Max

Maslow- ‘Caregivers’ because Alice has been

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worked by Michael and has an untrue sense that he likes her back, and the audience feels for Tanya, for her heartbreak.

Soap Opera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson 3 Textual Analysis According to Rebecca Feasey in ‘Masculinity and Popular television’ (2007), the Soap Opera genre tends to focus on: The home, the family, domestic tribulations and the strong women and as such, it has long been said to appeal to the female viewer.

1) – Do you agree? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_ApPT6isY(First 5 minutes)

You MUST deconstruct the opening 5 minutes of a sequence from the popular ITV Soap Opera Coronation Street (1960 – Present) to identify examples of where this ideology is presented to the target audience. You SHOULD also try and identify, to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the genre, any Codes & Conventions associated to the Soap Opera genre. Code & Convention Evidence Impact on the audience Rebecca Feasey (2007) Ideology: 1. Female comes up with suggestions on what to do, which is anti-stereotypical but at the same time common place in the Soap Opera genre. 2. Family problems David, Gail, Kylie and baby – dealing with the idea of a baby in

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Soap Opera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson 4 Textual Analysis

1) What is the purpose of a trailer?

the family, an everyday thing for young parents in Britain, which in turn helps establish a ‘Personal relationship’ (Katz) between the viewers and characters. 3. ‘Did I ask for your opinion?’ Michelle – ‘Strong female’ character trait and something a male audience may not come to expect as being stereotypical in terms of the female genders representation. 4. Men scared of women Steve, Michelle – overpowered by the female. 5. Michelle speaks over Steve– showing a gender role reversal, as she is more dominant and over powering than him, which is unusual for the audience, as stereotypically, the audience would believe the male is more dominant than thefemale.

Multi-stranded narrative

Michelle, Steve, David and Kylie

Fast paced cuts – POV shots

Family relationships and/or conflict

David, Kylie, Gail, Nick, Michelle and Steve

Hartley- ‘Families’ are affected by the difficult family situation exposed, where you feel like you have to help out your family. Katz’- ‘Personal identification’, people can relate with the complications confronted here.

Focus on working class communities

Pub Burden The pub is a ‘community home’ for the working class society, to be a burden to a place of that hierarchy reveals how low that person is.

Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

‘I don’t like surprises’ Instantly the audience know she isn’t happy.

Romance

Kylie: ‘how much I appreciate you’

Reveals how much Kylie appreciates the other character on screen, highlighting the theme of romance.

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To promote and advertise the episode before it is shown on T.V. to inform, provide clues. Marketing.

2) What are the benefits of Multi-Platform promotion of a media text?

Broadcast shows audiences watching the channel.

E – Media younger, broader audiences, viral, cheap and easy.

Ultimately, some form of Convergence is important when promoting a text to the target audience

3) Textual Analysis –

You MUSTmake notes on the following areas when deconstructing this sequence from Coronation Street:

Multi-stranded narrative Character dilemmas ‘Personal Identification’ (Katz)

Steve looks worried. Becky has a drink. Non – verbal good luck good luck Eileen crosses her fingers Liz and Jason look at each other Roy and Haley happy for Becky Multiple characters involved in the wedding

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http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hollyoaks/4od

The above link will take you to some of the latest episodes of Hollyoaks.

1. What are the connotations of the Ident for the popular Channel Four Teen

Soap Opera Hollyoaks(1995 – Present)? Males vs. female.Boys vs. girls. Clear genders divide. Pink before blue female first, strong, main. Hollyoaks – “White Wedding Trailer” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2sW-r9Vb4

2. You MUSTmake notes on the following areas when deconstructing this sequence from Hollyoaks:

Binary opposition of the non-diegetic music Symbolism of the non-verbal code of the tear Representation of Pregnancy Any other examples that would impact the audience

Wedding is bad. Death, unwanted pregnancy bump looked fake, everything fake – big issue – oversized bump. Judgmental. “It’s a nice day for a white wedding” – not a nice day all in black. “Shotgun” – (answer to pregnancy before marriage). “What have you done?”. Black tear little hope, betrayal.

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Production Work

1) What is the role of a Producer? Over see all production aspects across 3 stages, manage everyone.

2) What is the role of a Director? Over see the creative aspects of the production. Direct people.

3) Institution research – You MUSTresearch the institution that your trailer will be exhibited on.

Launched February 9th 2008

Replaced BBC choice

Target audience 16-34 years old age group

Focuses on new talent and new technologies