This is the first evaluation question from my A2 media coursework. It covers the uses and challenges of codes and conventions of real media products.

1. Evaluation
Question 1
In what ways does your
media product use,
develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real
media products?

2. Codes and Conventions Featured in Main Task
- Voiceover
- Archive clips
- Interviews
- Lower thirds
- Sound
- Set-ups
- Mise-en-scene

3. Voiceover
Most documentaries feature some kind of voice over throughout. While there wasn’
t many times it appeared, my documentary did feature a voiceover that introduced
or explained the next section. I noticed that most documentary voiceovers sounded
authoritative, meaning that the audience would believe their specialist knowledge
and even accept any opinions stated as fact. This hightened state of attention in
the audience caused by the power of the voice means that the information
conveyed is better absorbed by the audience. The main presenter in the
documentary didn’t say anything particularly factual, but the lines were delivered
authoritatively.

4. Archive clips
Documentaries are very well known for including footage from real events. My
documentary wasn’t particularly about real events, but I was able to substitute real
events for archive clips of past game shows. This allowed the documentary to gain
some extra credibility when either the voiceover or an interviewee makes a point. It
also helps the audience to understand as it provides them with a visual
representation of what is being discussed. This helps to further the authenticity of
the piece as it allows the creator to show

5. Interviews
Almost all documentaries have interviews at some point. A specific way to shoot
interviews. In most cases, you don’t want the interviewer to feature in the
documentary, only the interviewee. This makes it look like the interviewee is just
recounting a story without any cues. This is achieved by asking them very open
questions which are worded in such a way that they open the answer with either a
recap of the question or some other kind of identifier for what they are about to
say. The camera is also set up in a very specific way in an interview. The camera is
positioned off to the side slightly so that the interviewee looks off camera, as this
looks better as an interview technique than having them just look directly at the
camera. My documentary followed all of this, as it helps it to look more natural and
the overall feel is more pleasing to the audience.

6. Lower thirds
Lower thirds are used in many different media production to introduce who
someone is . It is a little visual element at the bottom of the screen that contains
their name and often their role or title. I included lower thirds in the interviews in my
documentary to let you know the names of the interviewees and their relation to
game shows. For example, Lawrence had the lower third with his name and “Game
show applicant”, while Martin had his name and “Game show contestant”. This
helps the audience to understand their level of knowledge on the subject and adds
more credibility to what they say.

7. Sound
For most documentaries, all sound is diegetic, with the exception of background
music. This is because they usually focus on real world events and use clips from
what actually happened or reconstructions with live actors. Sometimes though, it is
necessary to add non-diegetic sounds. An example is the buzzer sound effect
towards the beginning. This was not possible to create diegetically, so a sound was
added in post-production. This allows full control over the sounds within the
documentary. The background music is also non-diegetic, as it is much easier to
include that way and, once again, gives us full control over the way it sounds.

8. Set ups
Many documentaries will set up a scenario or reconstruction. This will allow them to
show a realistic portrayal of an evens, but give them full control over how it looks
when considering camera angles and lighting. My documentary featured a set up of
a game show. This was to show the audience what we’re talking about and it
seemed like a good idea to create our own thing to have control over how it looked
at the end.

9. Mise-en-scene
The use of mise-en-scene was fairly minimal in my documentary, as there wasn’t
much need for props or control to be had over costumes. I chose to film in front of a
green screen to be able to add a background that suits the documentary. For this, I
went for a colourful background of colours around purple, as most real game
shows use blue, red and purple for most of the thematic colours. There was one
costume which I had control over which was mine. I don’t feature for long in my
documentary, but when I do, I’m in a purple waistcoat and tie with a white shirt. This
is because I’m in the set up of the game show and game show hosts often look
quite smart. I was able to make myself look smart while also using the same colours
as the theme.

10. Codes and Conventions Featured in Ancillary Task
- Mise-en-scene
- Sound
- Set ups
- Information

11. Mise-en-scene
The magazine advert ancillary task also contains examples of mise-en-scene. This
is mainly costume based. I wore the same purple waistcoat and tie with the white
shirt that I wore in the documentary. This was once again done because most game
show hosts dress smartly. The colours used, once again, were designed to to
emulate the feeling of a game show, using colours around blue, purple and red.
This is because most game shows use these colours in their visual identity, from
the logo to the set design.

12. Sound
In the radio advert, the sound was very important. I had to find sounds that would
suite the theme of the advert to help further emulate the feeling of a game show.
Most game shows have a live studio audience, so I found an applause track that
sounded natural and as if an actual audience was there. That helped to further
cement the idea that this was a ‘staged’ game show. It also added some interest for
the audience. The buzzer sound effect was used for the same reasons. The non-
diegetic music towards the end was used just for interest. I managed to find
something that fit well with the theme and used it almost as an outro track. You do
find that some game shows will actually have a piece of victory music when
someone wins anyway, so this also emulated that.

13. Set ups
The entire premise of the radio advert was that it was a set up game show
environment. This allowed me to create an advert that sounded like a game show
without having to organise or find a recording of an actual game show. It also
means that I keep full control over the final product. This allows a product that
sounds both professional and interesting, while making sure that it follows an exact
template and says everything that I need it to. Using this technique meant that I
ended up with an entertaining advert that gets its point across in a fun way and
demonstrates what’s being talked about.

14. Information - Magazine
The information in both of the ancillary tasks was presented in different ways. In the
magazine advert, the information was displayed as a block of text to the side of the
main image. It gives the time, date and channel of the broadcast. Quite cleverly,
there’s a visual cue for the information that can be understood without having to
read anything. One of the most obvious elements of the page is the Channel 4
logo. This immediately shows that this is something for television and that it’s on
Channel 4. That could help people make their decision quickly before fully reading
anything.

15. Information - Radio
The information in the radio advert was presented differently. The information was
spread throughout the advert in the answers given by Jazmine. This means that the
information is being given in chunks that are easy to quickly digest and remember,
making the advert more memorable and more likely to translate into an actual
growth in audience. The information was then reaffirmed at the end by a third voice
that gave all of the information without distractions. This meant that people can be
absolutely sure that what they heard and remember is correct. The use of a third
voice also signals to the listener that this is something important and that it’s
separate to the acting in the main advert.