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.

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.

Letters for permission

This first email is to the Warner Brothers asking whether we could use a scene from Wickerman (2006) in our halloween documentary as a cut away.



This email is an email to compass international pictures regaurding to whether we would use a scene from halloween (1978) in the documentary.


This email is to Walt Disney Pictures to ask for permission to use a scene from Hocus Pocus.



This last email is to Island Records asking whether we are able to use a song as our open credit music.




These are all the emails we sent off asking whether we could have permission to use various things.

Print Ad Process

Print ad
This is a shot of the body we are going to use as our main image.



This is some editing of the body on Photoshop.




Heres the spider Tom took off a website.



Heres some editing of the spider on photoshop.



We gathered some sweets to make as feet for out main image. We decided this would connote trick or treating, this would be a benefit for our print ad.



We then edited and cut out hands from the photo above. Here is the editing of the hands below:




Here is the final print ad:

Radio Script

Radio
This is the script which i have done for the Radio which would be promoting the Halloween documentary.
Micheal is the voice over from the documentary and he will be used as the voice over in the radio.

Opening song:
Opening of documentary (Things that go bump in the night)
Voice clips: Halloween Voice clips

Sound bed:
Halloween theme tune

Voice over Michael:
Are you interested in finding out where Halloween originates?

Voice over Michael:
Interested in knowing what lurks through the night?

Voice clip:
Wolf Howl and Evil Cackling witch

Voice over Michael:
Staying home alone on Halloween night?
Too scared to open the door?

Voice clips:
Zombies Moaning and Halloween House

Voice over Michael:
What are your opinions on Halloween?

Voice Clips:
People answering the questions from the documentary

Voice over Kelsey:
Things that go bump in the night which will be scheduled on Channel 4 at 9.30 on Halloween night.

Radio and Print Ideas

Radio Trailers-
Produced in such a way that it can be used in different forms of media
Includes extracts from the programme
Voice over outlining the narrative of the programme and sometimes posing questions which will be answered by the programmes (enigma code)
Says channel
Scheduling
Included background SFX
Different voice over for scheduling
Well known presenter or presenter from show
Music bed

Print Advert-
Image catches attention (not fussy)
Shows the title and channel in bold
Name of programme with a hook line
the name is bigger
presenter could be main image if famous
Portrait
2/3 colours used due to expense

Editing

Edit

The editing process was slow and tedious. Having only used the programme Adobe Premier Pro only once before; it was difficult to get the hang of. We began by capturing the entire of the filming done. Then we cut the different sections up into- vox pops, cut aways, interview with the vicar, interview with the sociologist, and the pumpkin.

Next, by following the running order, we started to piece together the clips we need and don’t then putting them in order. By importing files from DVD’s we would supposedly be able to add in achieve footage from the shining, and wickerman. This was proven to be difficult because some of the DVD’s had blocks on them; therefore we downloaded the clips off a website that downloads from YouTube. This was helpful as it gave the exact clips we need instead of having to go through the entire movie in order to find the correct section.

Firstly, we put together the vox pops as we had decided they were to open the documentary as this would show the opinions of Halloween and give an insight into the show from the start. Next we put together the opening sequence of the pumpkin spelling out ‘Halloween’. After this the carving of the pumpkin was put together and sped up by 500%.

Following this, the interviews were put together in accordance to what they were saying and how well each of the answers linked. We discovered at the point that the interview with the sociologist was louder than with the vicar, so we altered this using the audio tool to make them the same level. At this point the cut aways were then added, bulking out the content and adding to it visually.

The group feel that I took over during the editing process but I feel this was because I had a greater urgency to finish the product and to a high standard. I fed back to the group were possible but otherwise I just followed the planning as much as possible. It was difficult to work as a group as different people had different priorities and standards to which the work was acceptable.

Kelsey and Tom worked well on the opening credits as Kelsey found a website that carved letters into a pumpkin and the idea was used to incorporate this into the documentary. This was a good idea as because it is cartoon it appeals to another age range within the target audience. Kelsey also worked on a short film which will be shown within the questionnaire section of the blog. This was well done and looks effective within the blog. Toms work on the cut aways was appropriate as he managed to add effects onto the clips to give them an eerie feel. This was affective in accordance to our plan.

To conclude, the editing process was time consuming due to insufficient computers that froze a lot and the standard in which we wanted the work to be at. The following images are screen grabs from different sections throughout the editing process. As the saying goes ‘a film is never completed only ever abandoned’ and I believe this to be relevant to this task.

Filming

The filming of the documentary began well. Firstly we gathered props in the local store ASDA as shown in the images below. These props included a pumpkin, a spider’s web with spiders and a black rose. Next we started filming in Liscard and captured eight vox pop interviews. These interviews were successful as we got a good response and detailed answers.

The next step in this process was the filming of the carving of the pumpkin. This took a long time as we had to prepare the area taking into consideration health and safety. We paused the camera several times in order to neaten up the pumpkin. This was done in a blue peter ‘this was what I made earlier’ fashion.

The following filming session included the presenter figure. This was difficult because he hadn’t learnt his lines. This proved to be unsuccessful due to the wind and the fact that he was obviously reading. It was also made difficult by the weather as the rain was on and off. The presenter has later been scraped and only the voice over used.

Interviewing the vicar Ian Smith was successful as the mise en scene was correct and his answers were what we wanted. The only constraints with this interview was that his children made noise in the other room but we re-filmed were necessary.

The second interview was with the sociologist from weatherhead. Originally it had been planned to film a professor from Edge Hill University however he was unavailable when we needed him. The interview with Mr Quinn was decent because he gave interesting responses however je had a slight stammer. We hope to edit this to make it less obvious. There was also background noise from the school but it was the only available time in which to film him. Unfortunately we discovered this interview had been taped over the original vox pops. This was annoying but meant that we had to re-film them later that week.

These newer vox pops were awful due to the lack of willing participants. The people who did do this gave very little in their answers. Later on we decided to change the location for filming this in order to get a variety of participants of all different ages and areas. We also managed to find people in fancy dress which we liked. While in Liverpool we also filmed the cut aways of shop headings.

On Halloween night itself I filmed two children with the permission of their parents, trick or treating. The children where very good and did exactly what was asking of them.

The next session of filming was at Earlston cemetery. There we got shots of the church and of the angels and gravestones. These will be used as cut aways from the vicar when he talks about the churches view and the saints being anyone who has died and that is a believer.

My contribution towards the filming I feel was large having attended every session organised. I also took an active role in setting up scenes and even planning the content of each setting. Mainly during the actual filming I set up and used to camera. To conclude the filming was successful bar the incident of filming over the original vox pops.

Edit Decision List

Login Sheets

These are the log in sheets for are documentary with what footage we will and will not use.

Brainstormed Content

For the Documentary



Interviews-
Professor Sociology
Vicar
Public buying Halloween things
Smiffys manager sales
A pagan priest
People who don't like trick or treating
A child and parent
Another manager of a shop like ASDA
Someone who believes they are a witch
Teenagers
An elder person

Archive Material-
Hocus Pocus
Clip from radio opening
Scream
Build up to scary bits on the following:
Halloween, Casper, The shinning, The Simpson's Halloween special, Psycho, Scoobydoo, Night of the living dead, Sean/dawn of the dead.

Cut aways-
Bats
Owls
People dressed up
People trying on costumes
Swing in the wind
People playing Halloween games
Carving pumpkin
Costumes
Decorations in shops
Magazines with Halloween decoration
Religious symbols
People at party
Lanterns
Black cats/spiders
Broken mirror
Ladders
Black dog
Pets dressed up
Candles
Moon
Church bell
Graveyard
Chocolate apples
People decorating

Reconstruction of people dressed up performing a pagan ritual

Music-
Halloween theme
Thriller
Organ music
Exorcist
Lantern swinging
Chimes
Choirs
Monster mash
Ghost busters

Style of Voice over-
Serious
Male

For the Print Add

Body with a pumpkin head - from presenter
In a suit
Scarecrow hands
Black background
Halloween images in background faint
Black cat main image
Tune in if u dare (hook line)
Beware of the dark (hook line)
College of lots of people in background dressed in Halloween costumes
On stands out
Spider web background
Channel four logo
Spiders web around the edge
Riped around the edge
Witch as main image
Pumpkins
Haunted house
Full moon background with wolf
Row of men in black suits with pumpkin heads
Graveyard
Gravestone
Big spiders web



The spiders web shows traditional Halloween symbols.
The channel 4 logo is very symbolic and also shows what channel the program will be on.
'Dare to tune in' is adaptable for radio and print which shows the link between the adverts. It also adds mystery to the program.
The suit shows how every 'suit' has an inner child that is fascinated by Halloween and sweets. It will appeal to the middle age of the target audience.
The pumpkin head is also a tradition symbol of Halloween and also introduces a fun side to the documentary which is also shown by the hands and feet being made of sweets.


For Radio add

Clips from show
Soundebed of Halloween theme
Voice over from Documentary
Spooky voice
Halloween SFX
Wolf noises
Extracts from Vox pops
Chatty personality
Questions audience
Evil laugh
Haunted house creek
Bubbling
Zombies moaning
Things that go bump in the night theme tune
Different voice over for scheduling - female

Storyboard and Mise en Scene for interviews

This is the Mise End Scene for the sociologist. He will be in an office showing him as being professional and also there will be books conveniently placed in order to present him and his opinions.



This is the Mise En Scene for the minister. it will be very simple and not include lots of religious symbols so not to be too over the top. He will still be dressed as he would for work.