St. Andrew’s Catholic School

Center Number: ___________________

Candidate Number: _____________________________________

Candidate Name: _______________________________________________________________________

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?

YOU MUST demonstrate what you already know by completing a “Spider Diagram” of what you know about OR expect from this genre:

SettingThe Vic (Pub)Local HousingMarket

NarrativeRelationshipsDeathAdulteryFlashbackFamily IssuesSexualityGossip

CharactersManipulative PersonalitiesGeezerBullyVoyeuristic

IconsCommunityRegional IdentityTheme TuneOverarching storyline

Repetitive ElementsWeek in Week Out all year aroundOpen ended plotsSpecial Episodes for eventsRealismBegin with a hookJack-the-ladTroublesome 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’ (S _ _ _ e N _ _ l _ ) elements of:

1. Romance

2. Family Relationships and/or conflict

3. Focus on Working Class communities

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4. Antagonism and conflict within the community

5. RegionalityEastenders (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.

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+

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Gender Women

Nationality British

Trailer 1)

What is the Focus of this trailer?

Code&

Convention

Evidence

(Verbal, Non-Verbal, Technical)

Impact on the Audience

(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)

RomanceDialogue, Roxy and male character.

Hartley- 20-40

Family relationships and/or conflict

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

Focus on working class communities

Shallow depthMid shot of familySheryl and Danny Family‘New Owner of the Vic’East End Accent

Accent- HartleyPersonal Identity- KatzSocial Climbers- Maslow

“Multi-Stranded Narrative”

Vic TakeoverJanine killed husbandRunawaySister Relationship

‘Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

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

Trailer 2)

What is the Focus of this trailer?

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Code&

Convention

Evidence

(Verbal, Non-Verbal, Technical)

Impact on the Audience

(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)

RomanceAlfie and Kat kissing

Family relationships and/or conflict

Alfie and Kat arguing

Branning’s family in Vic

Pace

Personal Relationship

Focus on working class communities

Market with people

Pub

“Multi-Stranded Narrative”

One storyline

‘Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)

Kat and Alfie fighting

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:

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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

narrativeCarol and Male CharacterStag Do/ Hen Do

Katz- Personal RelationshipsHartley- Gender

Family relationships and/or conflict

Phil and Jack TensionCarol and Male Character

Katz- Personal Relationships

Focus on working class communities

Stag Do and Hen DoFull Shot

Hartley- ClassHartley- Accent- East End

Disequilibrium’ (Todorov) Stag Do mistake- Jack and Phil mistake

Katz- Personal Relationships

Romance Bride and Groom storyline Katz- Personal Relationships

Soap Opera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson 3Textual 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)

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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.

Code & Convention Evidence Impact on the audience

Rebecca Feasey (2007) Ideology: Beliefs

1. Woman working in kitchen, man sitting down

2. Woman giving lift (Gran)

3. 2nd woman strong character

4. Old woman surrounded by her family

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

6. More women to men

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“Multi-Stranded Narrative” In first house- family, gran, liftIn second house- holidays

Family relationships and/or conflict

Conflict between two womanTwo couples in 2nd part

Focus on working class communities

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

Disequilibrium’ (Todorov)Disruption of Gran

Romance Two couples

Other Themes & Issues represented:

Soap Opera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson 4Textual 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 C onvergence is important when promoting a text to the target audience.

3)

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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.

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

Woman Pregnant- close up

Black/Dark- represent evil

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White wedding- opposite to darkness+ dark track and sarcastic

Emotionless- faces of characters

Tear- Doesn’t want to go through with it or it’s going to go wrong.

Production Work

1) What is the role of a Producer?

Decision Making, oversee, organization, consideration to the target audience, financing.

2) What is the role of a Director?

Visualization of the scene, leader, strict and decisive.

3) Institution research –

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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 licences so no ads

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