Friday 8 January 2010
Monday 4 January 2010
4. How did you use technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Video camera: We used this to film our documentary. The role and use of new media was very important in the various stages of the production. Through planning we used the internet for research and a dictaphone recorded the audience research. We recorded all of this as well as the evaluation onto a blog. Using videos, sound bites and also moodboards, technology has helped me to show the different aspects of my work in different ways. We encountered several problems with the technology due to the server in school being down a lot. We had to learn how to use the software for the audio and video from scratch, which wasn't difficult but more time consuming in terms of discovering the effects we wanted to use. The most useful piece of equipment was probably the tripod. Although the camera is essential for the filming, the tripod is what made the shots look professional.
It was also handy having the camera phone close by as the other equipment was sometimes difficult to get hold of due to the demand in the school for such equipment. Technology has also proven to be useful in the evaluation stages of this. Through use of a blog, all of the research, planning and final tasks could be logged.
I made voice clips and using Microsoft Movie Maker, made them into video clips that could be uploaded. Using this program I also put together the different videos required to show my audience research and other aspects. Using Adobe Photoshop I was able to create the mood boards. I took screen grabs from documentaries shown on You Tube and also the BBC iplayer website. this enabled me to compare screen grabs from my documentary.
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
In order to gather the audience feedback we set up a small group session with people from our target audience. We filmed them watching the documentary and adverts then we asked them several questions. The video below is taken from this session.
Next we took copies of the documentary and adverts and showed them to more people in the target audience. Below are quotes from these people.
'It’s really interesting and I like the use of cut aways and SFX’.
'It looks really professional and I would defiantly be interested in watching the rest of it’.
‘The use of cut aways are really effective in the ways it relates to the interview’
'I like the voice over because he sounds dark and mysterious and this fits in well with the theme of Halloween’
'The print add is eye catching because it makes me wonder why there is a suit with a pumpkin head, then I see its for a documentary and I want to find out more.’
'The radio links with the other tasks well and is interesting.'I like the music used as it is a known song but its different and it makes me want to watch more of the documentary.’
'It’s really spooky and I like that element in documentaries.’
'The sound of the voice over is a bit quiet but I like the five minutes on a whole.’
'Some of the connections between the shot could be smoother, it jumps around a bit but the content is good’.
‘I think the channel choice is good because channel 4 plays many documentaries in a similar style.’
The significance of the audience feedback was that it helped us to improve the designs and edit. From looking at this feedback it tells us that our documentary looks professional in terms of style, layout and SFX. This tells us that we are aiming the documentary at the right target audience. A weakness found was in the sound levels with the interview with the vicar being a lot quieter than any of the other audio. To improve this we have edited the levels more appropriately. By doing this we will be making the viewing easier for the audience. Another weakness found by the audience was that some of the transitions aren’t very smooth however we have changed this to make it more even.
Audience feedback is important for real documentaries as it is what the producers need to make money. The number of viewers counts as audience feedback. For instance a soap opera that has constantly high viewings is having constantly positive audience feedback or they wouldn't keep watching it.
Next we took copies of the documentary and adverts and showed them to more people in the target audience. Below are quotes from these people.
'It’s really interesting and I like the use of cut aways and SFX’.
'It looks really professional and I would defiantly be interested in watching the rest of it’.
‘The use of cut aways are really effective in the ways it relates to the interview’
'I like the voice over because he sounds dark and mysterious and this fits in well with the theme of Halloween’
'The print add is eye catching because it makes me wonder why there is a suit with a pumpkin head, then I see its for a documentary and I want to find out more.’
'The radio links with the other tasks well and is interesting.'I like the music used as it is a known song but its different and it makes me want to watch more of the documentary.’
'It’s really spooky and I like that element in documentaries.’
'The sound of the voice over is a bit quiet but I like the five minutes on a whole.’
'Some of the connections between the shot could be smoother, it jumps around a bit but the content is good’.
‘I think the channel choice is good because channel 4 plays many documentaries in a similar style.’The significance of the audience feedback was that it helped us to improve the designs and edit. From looking at this feedback it tells us that our documentary looks professional in terms of style, layout and SFX. This tells us that we are aiming the documentary at the right target audience. A weakness found was in the sound levels with the interview with the vicar being a lot quieter than any of the other audio. To improve this we have edited the levels more appropriately. By doing this we will be making the viewing easier for the audience. Another weakness found by the audience was that some of the transitions aren’t very smooth however we have changed this to make it more even.
Audience feedback is important for real documentaries as it is what the producers need to make money. The number of viewers counts as audience feedback. For instance a soap opera that has constantly high viewings is having constantly positive audience feedback or they wouldn't keep watching it.
Thursday 17 December 2009
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?
Coherence is created across the advertising package through use of the title, voice over, slogan, key image, style and ways in which the audience is addressed.
• Firstly the title ‘Halloween: Things That Go Bump In The Night’ is shown throughout all three products. This backs up for the audience that what they are watching, is the program that they saw the images of. 'Bump' and 'Night' signify spooky happenings and this represents the audience as interesting in the unknown. The audience would use this documentary to gain information on the subject but also as entertainment.
• Next the tag line of ‘Tune in if you dare’ is shown in both the print and radio adverts. This links the two adverts together and is memorable. It is informal and involves the audience directly. This links to the documentary as it is suggesting that it is spooky and the topic of Halloween is already seen as scary.
• The channel and scheduling is the same as this has to be relevant so the audience know when the program is and on what channel. This leads the audience to the right place at the right time. Channel 4 has several niche audiences, one of these niche audiences are similar to the target audience we are aiming our documentary at. As we are scheduling the documentary at a time as similar programs with similar target audiences, we feel that this would connote the audience appropriately. This is a strength as it connotes the audience as being interested in such topics. Similar program shown on this channel are 'Darren Brown The Events', 'David Blaine: Vertigo' and 'Russel Brand Skinned'.
"The public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:
* demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programs;
* appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
* makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programs of an educational nature and other programs of educative value; and
* exhibits a distinctive character."
www.channel4.com /www.wikipedia.com
It is important for channel 4 that advertising increases viewings as it is unlike the BBC and doesn't get paid for by TV licenses therefore all money made is from advertising.
• The voice over was recorded by the same person for the documentary and also the radio advert. This is because we felt it connected the two together. We used this voice because he was serious and our audience research showed a male, serious voice over was most appropriate. As he is a member of the target audience therefore he signifies them appropriately.
The audience appeal is coherent throughout the product and the ancillary tasks. The imagery of the pumpkin is shown throughout the main task and the print ad. This is a traditional Halloween symbol and is instantly recognizable. The suit and sweets show that behind every suit is a child who loves sweets. This is shown in the documentary through the interviewees showing what they like about Halloween. Also the documentary has a dark feeling about it through the use of the Halloween theme tune. This is also used in the radio add along with the sound bed of recognizable Halloween noises.
• Style:The documentary and ancillary tasks address our target audience using effective techniques which relate to the spooky side of Halloween:
- The music is dark and ominous and echoing which adds to the feel of the unknown. This relates to the aspects of Halloween that we normal don’t talk about such as the pagan side.
- The colours used are also very dark connoting the scary side. The only time bright colours are used are when there are shots of the sweets which tend to be bright anyway, and the vicar who is wearing a light green. However this contrasts with the darkness outside where he is filmed and also the echo in his voice.
- The imagery used also is there to intrigue the target audience. The suit is unusual as he has sweet hands, feet and a pumpkin head. This is a strange image and it would entice the audience into wanting to know what it is about.
The image below shows all of the radio stations that the radio advert will appear on. These have been chosen as they cover a wide range on people allowing the documentary to be widely heard about therefore enticing hopefully many viewers who are interested in he topic of Halloween.
• Firstly the title ‘Halloween: Things That Go Bump In The Night’ is shown throughout all three products. This backs up for the audience that what they are watching, is the program that they saw the images of. 'Bump' and 'Night' signify spooky happenings and this represents the audience as interesting in the unknown. The audience would use this documentary to gain information on the subject but also as entertainment.
• Next the tag line of ‘Tune in if you dare’ is shown in both the print and radio adverts. This links the two adverts together and is memorable. It is informal and involves the audience directly. This links to the documentary as it is suggesting that it is spooky and the topic of Halloween is already seen as scary.
• The channel and scheduling is the same as this has to be relevant so the audience know when the program is and on what channel. This leads the audience to the right place at the right time. Channel 4 has several niche audiences, one of these niche audiences are similar to the target audience we are aiming our documentary at. As we are scheduling the documentary at a time as similar programs with similar target audiences, we feel that this would connote the audience appropriately. This is a strength as it connotes the audience as being interested in such topics. Similar program shown on this channel are 'Darren Brown The Events', 'David Blaine: Vertigo' and 'Russel Brand Skinned'.
"The public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:
* demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programs;
* appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
* makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programs of an educational nature and other programs of educative value; and
* exhibits a distinctive character."
www.channel4.com /www.wikipedia.com
It is important for channel 4 that advertising increases viewings as it is unlike the BBC and doesn't get paid for by TV licenses therefore all money made is from advertising.
• The voice over was recorded by the same person for the documentary and also the radio advert. This is because we felt it connected the two together. We used this voice because he was serious and our audience research showed a male, serious voice over was most appropriate. As he is a member of the target audience therefore he signifies them appropriately.
The audience appeal is coherent throughout the product and the ancillary tasks. The imagery of the pumpkin is shown throughout the main task and the print ad. This is a traditional Halloween symbol and is instantly recognizable. The suit and sweets show that behind every suit is a child who loves sweets. This is shown in the documentary through the interviewees showing what they like about Halloween. Also the documentary has a dark feeling about it through the use of the Halloween theme tune. This is also used in the radio add along with the sound bed of recognizable Halloween noises.
• Style:The documentary and ancillary tasks address our target audience using effective techniques which relate to the spooky side of Halloween:
- The music is dark and ominous and echoing which adds to the feel of the unknown. This relates to the aspects of Halloween that we normal don’t talk about such as the pagan side.
- The colours used are also very dark connoting the scary side. The only time bright colours are used are when there are shots of the sweets which tend to be bright anyway, and the vicar who is wearing a light green. However this contrasts with the darkness outside where he is filmed and also the echo in his voice.
- The imagery used also is there to intrigue the target audience. The suit is unusual as he has sweet hands, feet and a pumpkin head. This is a strange image and it would entice the audience into wanting to know what it is about.
The image below shows all of the radio stations that the radio advert will appear on. These have been chosen as they cover a wide range on people allowing the documentary to be widely heard about therefore enticing hopefully many viewers who are interested in he topic of Halloween.
Wednesday 16 December 2009
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I aimed to use the forms and conventions of a real documentary. In order to do this extensive research was undertaken in order to create a direction for the product. Below are some of the different techniques we have used in our product and how.
- The clip of the Sociologist is important as it represents his authority and status due to how he is dressed smartly and sat at an office desk. The sociology books signify that he knows a lot about Sociology. The posters in the background also emphasise his teaching status and this would appeal to the audience as he is proud of him pupils therefore puts their work on display, this makes him likable.
The narrative which we have followed is single strand which professional documentaries mainly follow. This makes it easier to follow and also adds more of an emphasise on the content.
A code and convention that we used within the editing process was that you never hear the questions for the interview, only the answers. Following this we edited out the questions and put together the different sections to make it sound like continuous speech.
This is an example of cutaways taken from a documentary on the post. The cut aways are short clips which illustrate the dialogue.
This is the voxpop interviews taken from our documentary.
The use of graphics is important as they tell the audience who the person in the shot is and what relevance they have in the documentary. We have used this convention in our documentary. The graphics have been placed on the left, their name at the top then their job status underneath. This is in a block colour so that it is easier to read.
We also had to email the record labels asking for permission to use their video footage and music. These emails are as below in the blog.
Voice over script
We used a male voice over due to the audience feedback favoring a male voice over and also because we felt that it added to the atmosphere as it is deeper adding to the spooky feel that we were building up. This voice over is known as 'Voice of god' as we do not see the narrator, we only hear his voice.
We chose Halloween themed filmed such as Halloween, Hocus Pocus etc for the music and achieve material. We used popular films and music so that the audience would be able to relate to the documentary. Also the use of the song 'Things that go bump in the night' directly relates to the documentary and that is why we used it.
- The clip of the Sociologist is important as it represents his authority and status due to how he is dressed smartly and sat at an office desk. The sociology books signify that he knows a lot about Sociology. The posters in the background also emphasise his teaching status and this would appeal to the audience as he is proud of him pupils therefore puts their work on display, this makes him likable.
The narrative which we have followed is single strand which professional documentaries mainly follow. This makes it easier to follow and also adds more of an emphasise on the content.
A code and convention that we used within the editing process was that you never hear the questions for the interview, only the answers. Following this we edited out the questions and put together the different sections to make it sound like continuous speech.
This is an example of cutaways taken from a documentary on the post. The cut aways are short clips which illustrate the dialogue.
This is the voxpop interviews taken from our documentary.
The use of graphics is important as they tell the audience who the person in the shot is and what relevance they have in the documentary. We have used this convention in our documentary. The graphics have been placed on the left, their name at the top then their job status underneath. This is in a block colour so that it is easier to read.
We also had to email the record labels asking for permission to use their video footage and music. These emails are as below in the blog.
Voice over script
We used a male voice over due to the audience feedback favoring a male voice over and also because we felt that it added to the atmosphere as it is deeper adding to the spooky feel that we were building up. This voice over is known as 'Voice of god' as we do not see the narrator, we only hear his voice.
We chose Halloween themed filmed such as Halloween, Hocus Pocus etc for the music and achieve material. We used popular films and music so that the audience would be able to relate to the documentary. Also the use of the song 'Things that go bump in the night' directly relates to the documentary and that is why we used it.
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