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St. Andrew’s Catholic School

Center Number: 64135

Candidate Number: 4068

Candidate Name: Chris Jacobs

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 at 8:30pm (after Eastenders) that will appeal to a Male and Female audience. YOU SHOULD research when Eastenders is scheduled (Day – Time)

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Contents

Textual Analysis

Eastenders - Soap Opera Codes & Conventions - Multi Strand Narrative

Coronation Street

“..the home, the family, domestic tribulations and 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: Edited Trailer – Complete: Promotional Poster – Complete: Promotional Magazine Cover – Complete: Evaluation – Complete:

Production Work

Director – Roles & Responsibilities? Producer – Roles & Responsibilities? Institution research – BBC Two

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Soap Opera Codes & Conventions – Lesson 2 1) What are some of the Codes & Conventions of this genre? Setting The Vic (Pub) Local Housing Market

Narrative Relationships Death Adultery Flashback Family Issues Sexuality Gossip

Characters Manipulative Personalities Geezer Bully Voyeuristic

Icons Community Regional Identity Theme Tune Overarching storyline

Repetitive Elements Week in Week Out all year around Open ended plots Special Episodes for events Realism Begin with a hook Jack-the-lad Troublesome oldie

Active/Passive Stereotypes

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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. Romance

2. Family Relationships and/or conflict

3. Focus on Working Class communities

4. Antagonism and conflict within the community

5. Regionality Eastenders (1985 – Present)

Key information regarding this text:

Exhibited on BBC 1 and repeated on BBC 3

1 OF UK’s HIGHEST RATED PROGRAMMES

Set in Kitchen setting of fictional Walford , East London Textual Analysis Task http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye51O8WBVVM&feature=related -

YOU MUST complete the Table below whilst watching the TWO promotional trailers for the BBC Soap Opera Eastenders.

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YOU SHOULD aim to identify key examples (Verbal, Non-Verbal, Technical) from each trailer that demonstrates your understanding. Extension - 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

15-60+

Gender

Women

Nationality

British

Trailer 1) What is the Focus of this trailer? Theme of violence, takeover of the Vic (Pub), murder of Michael

Code &

Convention

Evidence

(Verbal, Non-Verbal, Technical)

Impact on the Audience

(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)

Romance

Roxy and male character.

Hartley- 20-40, young audience, This is because

Family relationships and/or conflict

‘Crazy Woman’ ‘Stay from bro/sis’ ‘It was me’ Red lightning on man

Ronnie protects sister which is shown when she says ‘stay away from my sister’ – ‘Care Givers’ (Maslow) Katz- The audience can ‘personally identify’ with characters, due to resemblance of how it would feel to lose everything and willing to protect the ones you love at all costs.

Focus on working class communities

Shallow depth Mid shot of family Sheryl and Danny Family ‘New Owner of the Vic’ East End Accent

Accents are to do with Hartley due to the representation of regionality. Location attracts to the audience because they can relate to where they live and recognize the way the characters are portrayed.

“Multi-Stranded

Vic Takeover Janine killed husband

Katz – the entertainment value is increased for the viewer’s when having more storylines going

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Narrative”

Runaway at the same time.

‘Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

Killed husband, no way out, £250,000 to get away.

Community drivers/Explorers – agree/disagree

Trailer 2) What is the Focus of this trailer? Who is Kat cheating with?

Code &

Convention

Evidence

(Verbal, Non-Verbal, Technical)

Impact on the Audience

(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)

Romance

Alfie and Kat kissing Maslow’s: ‘care givers’ they want Alfie to find out what is going on. Hartley – characters are 20 – 40 so appeals to this age range

Family relationships and/or conflict

Alfie and Kat arguing Brannings family in Vic

Personal Relationship (Katz) – Feeling sorry for Alfie. Moral Ethics – people would disagree with Kat cheating on Alfie with one of the Brannings.

Focus on working class communities

Market with people Pub

Hartley – regionality and nationality represented here with people from different countries and from the same region. This is also shown in the pub with the region represented with the type of people in the pub, community.

“Multi-Stranded Narrative”

One storyline – cheating on Alfie

N/A

‘Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

Kat and Alfie fighting – over the affair Kat had with one of the Brannings

‘Caregivers’ (Maslow) – Audience feels sympathy for Alfie because he was put in this position by Kat.

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Multi-stranded narrative A Multi-stranded narrative can be defined as….. _Telling a story from more than one person’s point of view. Telling multiple stories about multiple characters in an Open Narrative episode for example. YOU MUST deconstruct the 10-minute extract from Eastenders and 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

Carol and Male Character Stag Do/ Hen Do

Katz- ‘Personal Relationships’ - sympathy with Carol trying to hold to relationship with guy. Social Interactions- makes people like they can relate to the characters.

Family relationships and/or conflict

Phil and Jack Tension Carol and Male Character

Katz- ‘Personal Relationships’ - The tension between Jack and Phil due to previous rivalries.

Focus on working class communities

Stag Do and Hen Do in Pub and the club Full Shot

Hartley- Relates to the working class place they are in Hartley- Accent- East End relating to the regionality that is represented.

Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

Stag Do mistake- Jack and Phil mistake

Katz- ‘Personal Relationships’ - Rivalry between these two characters as they dislike each other.

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Romance

Bride and Groom storyline Katz- ‘Personal Relationships’ – The audience can relate to the romance between them.

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 woman, and as such it has long been said to appeal to the female viewer Personal Identity

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

Next Page - 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.

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Code & Convention Evidence Impact on the audience Rebecca Feasey (2007) Ideology: Beliefs

1. Woman working in kitchen, man sitting down Man not helping Yellow gloves

2. Woman giving lift (Gran) Sarcastic comments

3. 2nd woman strong character Swanky and slap up meal

4. Old woman surrounded by her family

5. Young woman sitting in chair rather than at the table

6. More women to men

“Multi-Stranded Narrative”

In first house- family, gran, lift which leads to different storylines. In second house- holidays and talking about the honeymoon they are going on.

Family relationships and/or conflict

Conflict between two women as mum thinks she’s better than the Gran. Two couples in 2nd part family sitting down together eating.

Focus on working class communities

Quite small dining room runs into living room ‘Slap up meal’

Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

Disruption of Gran, when they are having a family discussion and she enters the room and changes the whole mood of the family.

Romance

Two couples – talking about their honeymoon.

Other Themes & Issues represented:

N/A

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Soap Opera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson 4 Textual Analysis

1) What is the purpose of a trailer? Advertise and anticipate the episode, the show, elude to normal Working class family

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

Wider audience appreciation

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

3) Textual Analysis –

Next Page - YOU MUST make notes on the following areas when deconstructing this sequence from Coronation Street:

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

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

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

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1. What are the connotations of the ident for the popular Channel Four Teen Soap Opera Hollyoaks (1995 – Present)?

Gender- symbols+colour Next Page - Hollyoaks – “White Wedding Trailer” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2sW-r9Vb4

2. YOU MUST make 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

Black/Dark- represent evil White wedding- Binary Opposite (Levi Strauss)

- Darkness: death at wedding representation - dark track and sarcastic due to the title, white wedding, contrasting costumes

with white and black representing good and bad. - The connotations of these lyrics are talking what could be happening to the

main character in the forthcoming episodes in the show. Emotionless- faces of characters and the creepy smiles of the characters show they either don’t care what is happening or represent that they know the wedding is doomed. Tear- Doesn’t want to go through with it or it’s going to go wrong.

- People don’t want the wedding to happen Woman Pregnant- close up China doll is shattering represents the baby could be doomed due to the family she is being born into. Murder - the wife seems to be the only one to know which could represent why they are creepily smiling at her giving a clue who the murderer was. Verbal code used in the non-diegetic voiceover ‘love, honor and betray’ – this could allude to betraying her husband in the future?

Production Work

1) What is the role of a Producer? Decision Making, oversee, organization, consideration to the target audience, financing.

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2) What is the role of a Director? Visualization of the scene, leader, strict and decisive.

3) Institution research – YOU MUST research the institution that your trailer will be exhibited on. Tips: Programming, Target audience, Audience figures, History of the channel.

Programmes are specific to audiences (Wimbledon exception)

Focus on documentaries and niche audience shows

Latest highest viewing figures was spring watch, 2.36 million

Aims highbrow programmes compared to mainstream BBC Two

Funded by TV licenses so no ads

Launched on 20th April 1967

Audience share was 6.6% in July 2014

1st July 1967 was the first channel in Europe to be broadcast in color

Target audience is people who don’t already watch BBC 1 or ITV

Several sister channels including: BBC1, BBC3, BBC4,BBC news, BBC Parliament, CBBC and Cbeebies