Logo
One major aspect that combines my print-based media together, including DVD cover and magazine cover in order to create an effective final piece is my logo.
I used this logo in order to allow my audience to recognise my variety of products to create a larger consumer base as they will be able to identify a consistent house-style and will also create a brand identity, making them find the products more appealing. This is also an effective way of demonstrating synergy in my products as both products promote each other.
I took my photographs, for my ancillary tasks, with a digital video camera that i used for filming. I got a variety of shots and different angles to ensure that i had a range of photos to choose from for both my DVD and magazine covers. I had to choose the most suitable photos which would appeal most to my specific target audience of children, therefore the selected photos had to be eye catching and appealing. I took all the photos at school, trying to make them look as professional as possible, as this would make my products more appealing and the school setting would link in with my audio visual media. The pictures used for my covers needed to be minimalistic in order to ensure they were not too busy, therefore i chose pictures with a black background, enabling me to add more cover lines later on in my construction. This would make my products look more appealing.
In order to make my photos look even more appealing and professional, i needed to edit them. In order to do this I used an online editing programme called 'pixlr'. This programme is similar to 'Photoshop' and therefore easy to operate which allowed me to effectively edit and create my photos. The programme enabled me to get much more suitable photos which would be more effective and clear to the audience. During my editing, I airbrushed the photos to make my characters look more appealing, making my magazine look much more professional. I also enhanced the lighting to make my photos more vibrant and bright, again appealing to my target audience. Below is a picture of the software in use whilst editing a picture of Izzie that i would use for the magazine cover:
Below is the original and finished versions of this photo, displaying the difference that 'pixlr' had made.
I think it is important to use a range of technologies as it allows me to expand my knowledge and help me in the future. The main technology I have come across within this project which i did not at first recognise was the Macbook Pro and iMovie. As i was unfamiliar with both of these at first, i found it bewildering knowing I had to use them to create my product and that they were important aspects of my coursework. However, they became simple and easy to use and i could see why using these would be more beneficial than use a PC because of the range of softwares and programmes that the Mac already had installed. However, though i found the programmes good, I myself feel that windows live movie maker, which i used for my evaluation, was a lot easier to use, allowing me to add text and voiceovers efficiently.
To get feedback from my target audience on my ancillary tasks, including magazine cover and DVD cover, i created a survey. I chose to used survey monkey as it is anonymous, therefore i could expect more honest and fitting answers.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Results show:
100% of target audience thought my fonts were good.
100% of target audience thought my colour scheme was good
100% of target audience thought my layouts were suitable
100% of target audience thought my images worked well
100% of target audience thought my ancillary tasks were appropriate for children
An example of a positive comment on my ancillary tasks was the use of bright vibrant colours and the logo used.
An example of a negative comment on my ancillary tasks was that the DVD cover looks bare
100% of target audience said 'maybe' to buying the magazine/DVD
Below is my target audience feedback survey on the main task alone. From doing this survey, i have got opinions and views of my products from the audience.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Results show:
100% of my respondents thought the show was 'very good'
100% of my respondents thought the theme tune worked well
100% of my respondents thought that the stereotypes worked well
100% of my respondents thought it was suitable for children
One example of positive feedback for my main task is the use of stereotypes
One example of negative feedback for my main task is that the logo is not used
100% of respondents said 'maybe' to watching the show.
There surveys helped me gain feedback from my audience as to which aspects they thought were positive and negative about all my products. Overall i received positive feedback on my products as all respondents thought my products worked well as well as also saying they were suitable for children.
I also used social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter) to share my work as another method of gaining audience feedback. I thought this was a good way of gaining feedback as you can collect information from a variety of different people. Also, as there are no closed questions, people are free to comment on what they like. As shown below, i asked people to say what they liked and disliked about my products.
Feedback i received from using social network sites were much more detailed than what i recieved from the surveys, for example:
- "Great use of editing. Makes it clear to people who the characters are and what they represent"
- "The Transitions are good and the music works well with the genre"
- "The products work well together and the vibrant colours make it seem more fun and show that the programme is aimed towards children."
- "All the characters are shown as happy and active, something that is very appealing for the audience as it makes the show more entertaining and shows that the characters are young"
- "The happy cast represent the show as lighthearted"
- "The DVD and magazine work well together because of the logo, the opening would have been better if it also had the logo but other than that it works well at appealing to the audience".
I also received some comments from other websites such as Youtube and Blogger:
From these responses i can conclude that the majority of my feedback was positive, however there were also some improvements that could be made. The responses tell me that the products work well together at appealing to my target audience, however that this would have been even stronger if i had used the logo in my visual audio media as well as my print based media. They believe that the vibrant colours and stereotypes will be able to effectively appeal to my target audience and that I have used a range of shot types and editing transitions within my main task. Improvements that I think could be made are Dean's character who could have been made slightly more clear in terms of what his stereotype was.
I also did a focus group in the early stages of my research where i asked my target audience about their thoughts on existing openings that were similar to mine, asking them to tell me what was good and bad about each opening. Using this feedback, i feel it made my product more successful as i could take their opinions into account in the making of my products, therefore making it more appealing to a wider audience.
I asked a group of 5 people aged between 10-16 two relevant questions after showing them my video, DVD cover and magazine cover. The questions i asked were:
1) What stands out in my products?
2) What could be improved?
Below is an example of 2 people from my focus group:
I found that what stood out in my opening was the way the characters were portrayed with different stereotypes as this helped the audience relate to each characters. Also the fact they were all smiling made the show seem more lighthearted and fun. However some improvements that could have been made were there should have been more shots around the school to make it seem more recognisable for the audience, and as well as this the shot where all the characters jump together does not work effectively as there are items in the way of the characters. I also found that the sequence could have lasted longer in order to engage the audience with the characters more.
In order to follow conventions of a children's TV drama, i have used stereotypical and recognizable characters so that my target audience find the show easier to watch and understand. This is demonstrated through the use of mise-en-scene on the characters, for example the sporty boy's personality is represented through his sporty clothes and basketball to show that that is what he enjoys and therefore portraying him as sporty. This is done in other childrens programmes such as Ned's Declassified, Seth Powers always wears sporty clothes and is always holding a basketball as he was portrayed as the 'jock' of the school.
The other stereotypical character I used within my opening are a bully, a popular girl and a geek, which are characters that could be found at most schools, this therefore means that the characters are easier for the audience to relate to and aspire to. Aside from costume, props are also important within demonstrating stereotypes because they reinforce the type of character. For example, giving the geek a whiteboard pen and science textbook reflects her as an intelligent being which ultimately help the audience signify her character as a geek. The setting is also important in maintaining usual conventions and creating verisimilitude because this is a place that the majority of the audience will be most familiar with; using the school setting leads the audience to believe that the characters are a similar age to them which suggests that may think the characters are their friends or they may aspire to be more like them. This follows conventions as most children's TV programme's are often set within a school setting such as Saved By The Bell, Neds Declassified and Zoey 101.
I tried to follow as many conventions as possible in the making of my products in order to make my product fit into the correct genre, however i felt it was appropriate to break conventions in some places, for example in my audiovisual product, i used a theme tune without lyrics as i thought an upbeat tune alone would suit my product and connote happiness and fun. I chose not to have lyrics because i felt it would not appeal to my particular target audience. I also broke conventions within my DVD cover as i did not give it a central focus, the reason for this being that i wanted to fit individual pictures of each character in rather than a main image as this would reinforce their different personalities and would differ from the magazine cover, therefore my DVD cover was similar to the iCarly DVD cover i previously analysed, as pictured to the right. I also developed conventions in my audiovisual media with the use of mise-en-scene by having each character perform an action, for example Molly was solving an equation on a whiteboard whilst holding a textbook. I feel this created more of a direct relationship between the audience and each character as the audience would get to know each character better, making them feel more involved. Another way i developed conventions of my product was using non-uniform. Though common in American children's TV shows, it is rare to see British shows where the students are not wearing uniform. I thought non-uniform would create a sense of individuality in each character as well as showing their stereotypes and personalities clearly.
With regards to camerawork, i found in my analysis of other audio visual products that it was conventional to have a mid-shot of each character as well as minimal camera movement throughout the opening. As well as this there are a variety of other shots such as wide-shots and establishing shots of the setting. I tried to apply this knowledge to my own product as i felt this would suit my opening most, making it the product i want it to be. Below are some examples of how i followed conventions using a variety of shots within my filming.
Establishing Shot
Mid-Shot
Wide-Shot
In my analysis, i found that a range of editing techniques were used within children's openings, some more challenging than others (for example, Sabrina the Teenage Witch with the sky as the background). I found that it was conventional to use simple techniques such as fading in, cuts and wipes, fast-paced editing and fading to a black or white screen at the end. I found that a range of different editing techniques made the video more fun and interactive for my target audience, it also helps to split up different sections of the video to introduce each character separately. Below are some examples of some of the effects i used within my audio-visual media:
Text Wiping across page with glitter effect
Still shot/flash
Swipe
At the end of my opening, instead of fading to a black or white background i decided to use a tilt-shot which established the setting, and the name of the show appeared across the screen as i thought this would interest my audience more and the sky would be a more uplifting and lighthearted ending.
Tuesday 3 April 2012
'Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide' is a childrens television drama aired on the 'Nickelodeon' channel which is aimed at an audience of young children.
The Uses and Gratifications model, suggested by Blumler and Katz says that the audience make active use of what the media offer. The audience has a set of needs which the media must meet, for example, Diversion. This is shown throughout the opening as it is is portrayed as more entertaining that the audiences actual school, allowing the audience to feel as though they are more involved in this school whilst showing relatable elements/stereotypes such as bullies. Another need is personal relationships which is demonstrated as the audience will feel empathy for the main character when something bad happens to him, for example when his items fall out of his locker. The fact the characters are always laughing and smiling portrays them as fun too, allowing you to create a relationship with the cast, making the audience want to become the characters friend. Another need is surveillance as it is in a school setting so gives us tips on what to expect from that environment and how you should behave. The final need is personal identity, the opening shows three main characters which easily allows the audience to identify each characters individual personality such as 'Moze', who is demonstrated as a dominant character as she has 'Ned' in a headlock.
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