1. St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number:
64770
Candidate Number:
5884
Candidate Name: Nathan Cordero
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/23rd October 2013
Edited Trailer – Complete: 14th February 2014
Promotional Poster – Complete: 14th February 2014
Promotional Magazine Cover – Complete: 14th February 2014
Evaluation – Complete: 14th February 2014
Due Date: 14th February 2013
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?
Relationships
Family
Conflict
Romance
Tragedy
Community
Multi-stranded Narrative
2) Codes & Conventions of the Soap Opera Genre
The Soap Opera genre can be categorized by the ‘repeated’
(Steve Neale ) elements of:
1.
Multi-stranded Narrative
2.
Romance
3.
Family Relationships/Conflicts
4.
Working Class
5.
Community
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5. Eastenders(1985 – Present)
Key information regarding this text:
Exhibited on BBC1 and repeated on BBC3
One of the UK’s highest rated programmes
Set in the “Kitchen Sink” setting of fiction – 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.
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
Young Adults +
Gender
Female
Nationality
British
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6. Trailer 1)
What is the Focus of this trailer?
Relationships/Romance. Family turmoil.Adultery
Code
&
Convention
Romance
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
Focus on
working class
communities
“Multi-Stranded
Narrative”
Evidence
Impact on the Audience
(Verbal, Non-Verbal,
Technical)
(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)
“I Love you”
“Boyfriend?”
“Likes father?”
“Likes son?”
Suits
Different character
perspectives
‘Disequilibrium’ “Does she know…?”
(Todorov)
Spite towards Stacey, allows the audience to
personally identify (Katz) with either
Brandon or Stacey.
Frown upon the relationships of a broken
family, which challenges Hartley’s sense of a
happy family unit.
Working class dress code
Mixed feelings for each character
Cliffhanger. Wonder. Awe.
Trailer 2)
What is the Focus of this trailer?
Judgement. Family image.
Code
&
Convention
Romance
Evidence
Impact on the Audience
(Verbal, Non-Verbal,
Technical)
(Katz, Maslow, Hartley)
Focus on
working class
communities
Signify/Represent the temptress of
relationship.
Represents a sense of disagreement between
the two.
Gripping tray
Maid
Signifies anger towards Max for adultery.
“Dangerous” class worker, could portray
Stacy to be some sort of threat to the
equilibrium.
Security Guard
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
Stacey appearing
seductive
Frowning
Could signify a blockade that Max has to deal
with.
Shows the different situations he’s in
between the members of his family.
Signifies that he will be caught at some point
“Multi-Stranded Tracking Max’s
Narrative”
expressions
‘Disequilibrium’ “Sooner or later they’re
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7. (Todorov)
gonna cut you down”
and he’ll be punished for his actions.
Multi-stranded narrative
A Multi-stranded narrativecan be defined as…..
Telling a story from more than one persons point of view.
Telling multiple stories about multiple characters in an open narrative.
You MUST deconstruct the 10-minute extract from Eastendersand 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
relationships
and/or conflict
Focus on working
class communities
Evidence
Max
Kat
Sharon
Kirsty + Max
Custody of Lauren
Café worker
Pub worker
Disequilibrium’ (Todorov) “Jump off the roof”
Romance
Max + Tanya
Alice + Michael
Impact on the audience
Dystopian views on all
relationships within the
extract.
Sympathy/Pity
Personal relationship for
those who are in the same
situation.
Personal identification
with job types.
Personal relationship
with characters.
Scorn or sympathy
depending on the
situation.
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8. 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 tribulations and the strong woman and as such, it
has long been said to appeal to the female viewer”
1) – Do you agree?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_ApPT6isY(First 5 minutes)
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.
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9. Code & Convention
Evidence
Impact on the audience
Rebecca Feasey (2007) Ideology:
1. Home: Opening scene focuses on houses of the characters, making it clear that the
setting of the scenes will most likely be inside or around someone’s home.
2.Family; Parents and Child, in a family activity; the dropping off of the son to
school, and giving his lunch when they have forgotten it.
3. Domestic tribulations: Issue of going to work when a loved one is ill, but knowing
that a living has to be made.
4.Strong women; Red coat - Resilient and strong/independent, also the mother who
gives her so the forgotten lunch is almost seen as the provider or the dominant one,
in opposition (Levi Strauss) to the alpha male figure the father is meant to be,
considering she is the only one who seems to be remembering the important things.
Multi-stranded
narrative
Story of the family.
Family
relationships
and/or conflict
Conflict between father
and family and someone
that knows more than the
wife that isn’t part of the
family.
Shops and accents
Focus on working
class communities
“Ghost whisperer”
Disequilibrium’ (Todorov) Girl is asked to spy on
someone
Romance
Parents of family
Hartley’s – Families and
those who can
‘Personally identify’
(Katz) as some family
viewers may be able to
relate to them.
A lot of problems happen
in the soap opera, which
can divert the audience’s
attention from their real
life situations – Diversion.
Utopian, everyone has the
same accent which shows
a motion of unity and
similarity in the society
working towards a
common goal.
A sense of immorality, as
its something different
from the norm.
‘Personally identify’ with
the relationship between
father and mother.
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10. Soap Opera Codes & Conventions continued – Lesson 4
Textual Analysis
1) What is the purpose of a trailer?
To attract the target audience intended while not giving away too many features of
the sequence.
2) What are the benefits of Multi-Platform promotion of a media text?
Wider application of promotion
Different forms of advertising
Ultimately, some form of convergence is important when promoting a text to the
target audience.
3)
Textual Analysis –
You MUSTmake notes on the following areas when deconstructing this sequence
from Coronation Street:
Multi-stranded narrative
Character dilemmas
‘Personal Identification’ (Katz)
Views on different characters.
Guy looking up then walking away.
Marriage – commitments
Cross cutting between characters to show multi-stranded narrative.
“Friday 13th, perfect date for a wedding”
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11. Foreshadows negative events as Friday the 13th is stereotypically an unlucky day.
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)?
Sexual interactions between young members of society as well as indifference
between them.
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
“Nice day for a white wedding”
Betrayal of family
Unwanted/unwelcome child.
Ostricised from family and friends due to the pregnancy.
Broken doll – spite for conceiving the child and getting married.
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12. Production Work
1) What is the role of a Producer?
Oversee ALL aspects of the production across the 3 stages of production: Preproduction, production and post production.
Manage everyone and ensure everything is in place and 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.
3) Institution research –
You MUSTresearch the institution that your trailer will be exhibited on.
Tips:
Target Audience – 16-34
Audience figures – 1.4%
Launched 9th Feb 2003
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