1. St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number:64770
Candidate Number:5978
Candidate Name: Lydia Rama
A2 Media Studies
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media –
Production Log
Evidence of Planning & Research
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2. 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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3. 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: 22nd and 23rd October
Edited Trailer – Complete:
14th February 2014
Promotional Poster – Complete: 14th February 2014
Promotional Magazine Cover – Complete:
Evaluation – Complete:
14th February 2014
14th February 2014
Production Work
Director
Producer
Institution research – BBC Three
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4. Soap Opera Codes & Conventions – Lesson 2
1) What are some of the Codes & Conventions of this genre?
Soap Opera codes and conventions
1.)
Mystery
2.)
Antagonisms and conflict within community
3.)
Focus on working class community
4.)
Family relationships and conflict
5.)
Realism
6.)
Multi-standard narratives
7.)
Romance
8.)
Cliff hangers
9.)
Set in a community
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5. 2) Codes & Conventions of the Soap Opera Genre
The Soap Opera genre can be categorized by the ‘repeated’
(Steve Neale) elements of:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Romance
Family and family relationships
relationships and/or conflict between characters
Focus on working class community + set in a community
5.
6.
Antagonism and conflict within + mystery and cliffhangers
The community multi standard narratives and realism
Eastenders (1985 – Present)
Key information regarding this text:
Exhibited on BBC and repeated on BBC three
One of the UK’s highest rated programs
Set in the ‘kitchen sink’ setting of fictional Walford, East London
It was first broadcasted on BB in the year 1985.
Eastenders is broadcasted four times a week.
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6. 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.
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
15 to over 30’s
Gender
Male and female but mostly female
Nationality
British
Trailer 1)
What is the Focus of this trailer?
Max and Stacie are the focus of this trailer as they are both married couples
however they are having affair with each other behind their partner’s backs. They
are the focus of this trailer because they are the main storyline in Eastenders at the
moment.
Code
&
Convention
Romance
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
Evidence
Impact on the Audience
(Verbal, Non-Verbal,
Technical)
(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)
‘ I love you’
- Boyfriend
This connotes that Stacey and Bradley
have a romantic relationship and are
boyfriend and girlfriend.
Likes father
Likes son?
This connotes that Stacey
could be seeing both the
father and the son. This
Hartley – Family – Family audience
impact! This could persuade the audience
to want to carry on watching Eastenders
because they will be interested to see
whom Stacey actually likes. They will also
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7. Focus on
working class
communities
connotes that she could
be having an affair with
one of them.
‘I know your dirty filthy
little secret’ Connotes that
Max has been hiding
secrets from his wife.
-Market setting
In a street ‘
Talking to two different
“Multi-Stranded guys the Father and the
Narrative”
son. This connotes that
she is dating both the
Father and the son.
‘I know your dirty filthy
little secret’ Tanya is
‘Disequilibrium’ angry at max.
(Todorov)
want to see when the affair will be
revealed.
This could cause conflict between the
father and the son if Stacey is dating both
of them secretly.
This represents a working class
community and is a typical setting for a
Soap Opera as it is based on working class
characters that live in a working class
community.
This will make the audience interested in
the current storyline on Eastenders. The
audience will want to know who Stacey
actually likes as it will cause a conflict
between the Father and the Son.
The audience will see that the affair could
be revealed and Tanya could ruin Stacey’s
happy relationship with Bradley if she has
found out about the affair.
Trailer 2)
What is the Focus of this trailer?
The focus of this trailer is on Max, Stacey, Bradley, Tanya and Jack. The trailer is
focused on these characters because Max and Stacey are having affair. They have
focused on all of the characters as the story involve all of them and is hinting that
the other characters will find out about the affair soon.
Code
&
Convention
Evidence
Impact on the Audience
(Verbal, Non-Verbal,
Technical)
(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)
Romance
Cleaner is the person
Max is having an affair
with.
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
Man near death bed
This connotes that
Max’s secrets may come
to an end or that he
may die.
Stacey dressed in a cleaner costume
connotes that Max is having an affair with
Stacey. This connotes that Stacey is from a
lower class family and has a lower status
compared to the other characters.
Tanya is pulling out the death bed which
could make the audience think that Tanya is
going to find out about the affair and end it.
They will want to find out when Tanya will
figure out what Max is doing as they will
want to see what she does to him.
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8. Focus on
working class
communities
-police officer
-cleaner – How is this
relevant? Explain
Different characters
“Multi-Stranded The cleaner
Narrative”
The police officer
Max
Different characters
have different emotions
and feelings towards
Max.
-’Judgmentday for max’
Connotes that Max
‘Disequilibrium’ secrets and lies are
(Todorov)
going to come to an end.
Tanya is pulling out the death bed which
could make the audience think that Tanya is
going to find out about the affair and end it.
They will want to find out when Tanya will
figure out what Max is doing as they
The cleaner represents that Stacey is from a
working class family and has the lowest
status compared to the other characters.
Max is dressed in s suite which represents
he has a high status and is a wealthy man.
Bradley is in a police costume which
suggests he
This ‘signifies’ that the affair is going to be
revealed. It suggests hat something bad
could happen to Max once the affair is
revealed.
Multi-stranded narrative
A Multi-stranded narrative can be defined as Soap has different types of stories and
storylines from different characters. For example Eastenders have The Brannings,
The Mitchell’s and the Masoods.
1.) Telling a story from more than one point of view.
2.) Telling multiple stories about 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
Multi-stranded
narrative
Family
Evidence
Multiple character
problems
Impact on the audience
The audience see how it
effects the family
‘I’m sick of being this
Family audience can
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9. relationships
and/or conflict
influence Grandma ‘
-Women walks away then
grabs her
Focus on working
class communities
-Market setting
Street setting
House settings
Disequilibrium’ (Todorov) -Arguing in the houseLauren
Romance
-Max and Tanya
separated.
- Jack and Sharon
relate to this as families
argue with each other.
The audience may also
have similar arguments to
the characters in
Eastenders.
The audience can relate to
the market setting, as the
audience that Eastenders
is targeting is middle class
families.
Katz – ‘Personal identity’ –
as this is a familiar
scenario in any nuclear
household.
Maslow – ‘Caregivers’ will
feel sorry for Tanya
because her husband has
cheated on her. They will
sympathies with her.
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 tabulation and the strong women, and as such, it
has been said to appeal to the female viewer.
1) – Do you agree?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_ApPT6isY(First 5 minutes)
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10. 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 SHOULDalso 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.The setting is in a home with the characters sitting at the dining table having a cup
of tea. This represents a working class family home.
2. The two girls arguing at the table suggest that they are both strong and dominant
female characters. This would appeal to female viewers, as they will be interested
in what as caused the two women to argue.
3.‘She’s your Sister Leanne’ suggests that Leanne has have and affair with her
sister’sboyfriend, which has caused conflict between the two sisters and their
mother. This would be targeted towards the female viewers.
4.Set in a street to represent what typical working class communities are like. This
would target working class families to watch Connotation street, as they would be
able to relate to some of the dramas going on in Coronation street.
5.The rovers is a pub and is a typical convention used by Soap Operas as it is where
most of the characters go or have confrontations.
Multi-stranded
narrative
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
Because Coronation Street
is a Soap different
characters are involved
with different stories and
lives. For example at the
begging it is set in the
house with the two men
and a women. It then
changes to another scene
to show another family
having breakfast.
Conflict between the two
men at the begging.
Conflict between the two
females about a man.
Different viewers from
different sex and ages can
relate to different types of
characters and different
types of character
situations.
Families who are going
through a similar
situation or argue with a
family member will relate
to this. The audience will
also want to carry on
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11. Focus on working
class communities
Set is a street. Set in
people’s houses in a
working class community.
Disequilibrium’ (Todorov) When Leanne talks about
seeing her sisters ex
boyfriend. This causes the
sisters to argue at the
breakfast table an also
causes them to argue
downstairs in the pub.
Leanne and her sister are
Romance
both involved with the
same man or where both
involved with the same
man.
watching so see how the
characters resolve their
argument.
Viewers are middle class
families who live in
similar areas and houses
to the characters in
Coronation street. The
setting represents the
people who watch the
Soap so therefore they can
relate to the families.
Maslow Caregivers will
feel sorry for Leanne’s
sister as her Leanne has
had an affair with
someone she likes or is
romantically involved in.
The audience will be
interested in who the man
is if they do not no who he
is. They will also choose
one of the sisters to side
with over the other.
Soap Opera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson 4
Textual Analysis
1) What is the purpose of a trailer?
To promote and preview a new product, that will attract a target audience. It will
need to contain a USP*. Convergence* Marketing*
2) What are the benefits of Multi-Platform promotion of a media text?
-
Attract a larger target market so that more people will be persuaded to
watch their Soap.
More exposure to the public. They will be able to attract new viewers who
have never watch their Soap before to watch it.
3.) Ultimately, some form of convergenceis important when promoting a text to
the target audience.
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12. You MUSTmake notes on the following areas when deconstructing this sequence
from Coronation Street:
Multi-stranded narrative
Character dilemmas
‘Personal Identification’ (Katz)
Male getting married-dilemma-looks worried/unsure
Personal identification+ Multi standard narrative
Dilemma-irony ‘I’m feeling lucky’ This could suggest to the audience that something
might ruin the day and they day might not be as lucky.
The male’s body language shows him looking worried and unsure. This connotes
that he might not be ready to marry or that he is not sure if he wants to marry the
bride. This connotes that he might change his mind last minute before marrying the
bride, which could ruin her lucky day.
There is a multi standard narrative. The different characters such as the bride and
the groom are shown in the sequence so that the viewers can see the different
points of views from both of the characters.
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13. 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)?
Targeting an under–30 target audience for both genders, challenging conventional
view.
The logo is pink and blue, which represents boys and girls so therefore the Soap
Opera, is aimed at both genders. The gender logos are also shown on the logo. The
female sign is pink to represent females and the male sign blue to represent the
male gender.
Hollyoaks – “White Wedding Trailer” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2sWr9Vb4
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
+ Death
+ Marriage
+ Pregnancy
+ ‘it’s a nice day for white wedding’-everyone is wearing black. Black is the opposite
to white so therefore it could suggest that it is not going to be a nice day. Brides
always wear white on their wedding, which represent happiness and joy, as it is a
light color.
The bride is wearing a black dress so therefore her wedding day I not going to be a
joyful happy day.
Black is usually worn at a funeral so this Connotes that death could happen or that
the wedding might come to a horrible end.
Song lyrics are a non-diegetic sound
‘It’s a nice day to start again. These verbal diegetic lyrics are used when the bride
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14. and groom are working together towards the alter. This Connotes that they are
planning to have a fresh start which Connotes that they may not have had a good
relationship in the past or may have secrets. Their secrets or things from the past
may come up during the wedding.
The black tear Connotes that the bride could be emotionally unstable to get married
and might not want to marry her fiancé. The doll being dropped on the floor and
smashing to pieces as the bride is walking down is which could suggest that the
wedding is going to be a disaster. The black tear from the bride’s eye connotes that
she might die on her wedding day, as she looks emotionally unstable.
Production Work
1) What is the role of a Producer?
–Oversee all aspects of the production across the 3 stages of the coursework.
–Manage everyone and ensure everyone and everything is in place in order
for the text to look fit for purpose.
2) What is the role of a Director?
- Oversee the creative aspects of the production.
- Direct people in front and behind the camera
- To make sure that all of the creative aspects are complete to fit the
purpose of the trailer.
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15. 3) Institution research –
1.3 % audience watch BBC Three.
BBC Three was launched in February 2009.
The age group for BBC Three is people aged 16-34.
Only broadcasted on Freeview T.V.
They received over £2 billion TV license during 2002 and 2003.
BBC three have a 60 second news update so that they do no have to spend
time doing live broadcasts.
9 million people watch BBC three every week.
BBC three have completion with other channels such as ITV2 and E4 who
have similar target audience to them.
The BBC have always found it hard to attract a younger audience so it is
important that they promote BBC three in the correct way so that they can
get higher ratings than the other channels .
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