1. Evaluation Question 2 - how
effective is the combination of your
main product and ancillary texts?
Roisin Quinn
2. Target audience
The primary target audience for my documentary is teenagers. The product probably appeals to
members of the LGBT community more but our target audience is wide as we wanted to make other
teenagers aware of the problem in a way that would suit them. My secondary audience would be
adults, who from my expert interviews I discovered generally believe that the problem of LGBT
under/mis-representation is disappearing, these people are my secondary audience as this
documentary sets out to show that this is not the case.
My documentary is set to be shown after the watershed as it is quite a serious topic and is the
prime time for teenagers to be watching TV, however to make it more lighthearted viewing for my
audience I used funny clips from shows like Glee and Boy Meets Girl, shows they will recognise
with, to maintain their interest. To keep the audience interested in the magazine I used a
bright, exciting colour scheme and as for the radio advert I used upbeat music.
My documentary and ancillary products effectively link to my target audience as they attempt to
portray my serious topic in an exciting way that a younger audience will be able to relate with
and identify with.
3. Channel link
I chose BBC 3 as the television channel that would host my
documentary, BBC Radio 1 as the radio channel that would play
my radio advert and Radio Times as the TV Listings magazine
that would feature my double page spread. I chose these
channels as they are all created and owned by the BBC. BBC 3
and BBC Radio 1 both have quite young target audiences so
this means that they will draw in our primary audience.
However, the general target audience of Radio Times is older
people, meaning that this is a way for us to reach or
secondary audience. The
4. music
The same background music is used across my documentary and
radio product. This creates synergy, linking my two products
together and makes the audience more likely to recognise them
as linked. The music effectively links my products as it
shows my radio advert carrying out the intended purpose, to
promote and sell my documentary to a wide audience.
5. presenter
My magazine and documentary both use the same presenter, and
the magazine introduces Josh as the filmmaker and presenter.
This effectively links my product as it makes the audience
know what to expect when they view the documentary. Also, if
readers enjoyed the magazine they will already have a
positive outlook on whether they will enjoy the documentary
as well or not.
6. images
In the magazine, images from parts of my documentary have
been used, such as screenshots from the expert interview with
Sonia, and a screenshot from and archival clip from ‘Boy
Meets Girl’. This makes reading the article more interesting
for the reader and effectively links my product as it
contains some of the content from the documentary, showing
the audience what to expect.
7. Date and time
The date and time is mentioned in the radio advert and on the
magazine so that the audience will remember when to watch the
show. The magazine also mentions that the show can also be
viewed on iPlayer after it has been screened, meaning the
documentary can attract a wider audience of people who may
not be able to catch it when it is being aired. The date and
time effectively link my two products as they both promote
the documentary in the same way, and take the audience into
account by providing the memorable information more than
once.
8. Radio clips
Clips from my documentary from places such as the vox pops
and expert interviews are used in my radio advert to promote
my documentary. These clips are used as the end of the voice
over asks a question, and the documentary clips are meant to
be seen as people answering these questions. This effectively
links my products as it shows one of my ancillary products
promoting my main, and the content from the documentary means
that my target audience will be able to decide whether the
documentary appeals to them before even watching it.
9. name
All of the three different products include the title of the
documentary : ‘LGBT Representation in the Media : What is the
Truth’. This effectively links all three of my products as it
shows the ancillary products promoting and selling my
documentary by giving the listeners a memorable name for them
to remember. Also, the title of my magazine article ‘Being
Queer in the Media’ will draw in a wider audience as it tells
the audience what the programme is about without revealing
the problem or investigation that goes on within the
documentary.
