The document discusses how the creator designed promotional products for a new soap opera to effectively advertise the main product. Images, costumes, props, house style, typography, and layout were all designed with similarities across the products to clearly portray the same characters and narratives. Audience feedback confirmed the consistent portrayal was successful at conveying the same dominant readings of the characters. While some elements could be improved, the overall combination of products worked well to advertise the soap opera.

1. Since the overall purpose of these products is to advertise the
new soap opera, its vital that its clear the products are
advertising the same thing. Therefore, I have created these
products with similarities within the images, house style and
layout of the products to ensure their success as combination
products.

2. 
The images that I have used
throughout the ancillary tasks are
the same. I did this to make it clear
that the ancillary tasks were
advertising the same main product,
and to keep the mise-en-scene
consistent to ensure the images
encode the same messages, and
therefore represent the characters in
the same light. I believe that doing
this has made the combination of
my main product and ancillary
tasks more effective because the
characters are recognisable, and
their representations are consistent.
Images

3. 
Audience feedback showed that this was
successful, as they stated that “characters
portrayed the same through all three”. This shows
the audience were able to gain a dominant
reading (Audience Reception theory by Stuart
Hall) on the characters representations as using
the same images makes the portrayal clearer and
more concise.
Interviewing some members of my target
audience suggests that they gained a dominant
reading of the characters as they were able to
recognise their stereotypes, and stated that they
found the characters interesting. If the audience
saw many different images of the characters, each
time with different costume and props, they may
have been confused, resulting in a
negotiated/oppositional reading and would
therefore discourage them from wanting to watch
the full product.
Images – Audience Feedback

4. 
Another way that I have used images effectively in the combination products is by
featuring all of the main characters on both the magazine and poster. This helps to
communicate genre as it shows the many characters that soaps have. For example,
the poster includes all five of the main characters in a vanishing point layout,
whereas the magazine only refers to the main narrative within the main anchorage,
and therefore only features three of the main characters: Sian, Luke and David.
Characters such as Charlie are shown apart from the main feature article to
communicate the multi-strand narratives..
Images

5. For the ancillary tasks, I wanted the
actors to wear similar costumes to that
in the production. This was successful
with some of them, for example
Luke’s character is wearing the same
dark jeans and loose fitted hoodie that
he was wearing throughout the
production. Also, Charlie, although
she is not wearing the same costume,
it’s very similar; where in the
production she was wearing a dark
shirt and black jeans, she is wearing a
white fitted shirt and black jeans
within the images featured in my
ancillary tasks. This is very similar
and still creates the same
representation/conforms to the same
stereotype.
Costume

6. This continuity within the costumes makes
the audience more familiar with the
characters and their personalities and their
representations will also be consistent. It
makes the combination of products more
effective because it makes defining the
characters easy as they are “portrayed the
same through all three [products]”. However,
this is not consistent within all of the
characters as Sian is wearing a coat to conceal
her costume. I like that Sian’s character is
wearing a coat because it makes her appear
bigger, however this does not necessarily
represent her character correctly because she
may be quite vulnerable and scared due to
narrative relating to her pregnancy. In
reflection, I feel that I could have used
costume more effectively with Sian’s
character, making her costume similar to that
in my main product.
Costume

7. 
Within my images, I didn’t use any props and one response within my audience
feedback has identified this as a weakness within my ancillary tasks, “to improve, it
would be better to have pictures of props…seen in the magazine cover and the
poster”. I feel that including these could have been very effective as it would clearly
present similar themes within all of the products. For example, I could have
included and image of the pregnancy and drugs to show these themes which would
appeal to a slightly older audience, which fits within my target audience of males
and females aged 16 – 25. To reflect, I feel that I could have used prop more
effectively, and could add these to my combination products to improve.
Prop
Props I could have included:

8. The products are somewhat consistent in
their house style as the colours used in
the poster and magazine cover are quite
similar. For example, as the house style of
BBC 3 is black, white and pink; I have
featured this within both the magazine
cover and poster. This can be seen within
the masthead of the product as I have
used pink for both. This follows the BBC
Three house style as the masthead is
conventionally pink or white. I chose to
use pink instead of white because it
suited the magazine, which
conventionally uses bright colours, such
as pink, to look more eye catching. I also
introduced yellow to the house style in
order to produce a conventional
magazine cover by utilising bright
colours as my research found that
multiple bright colours are used to create
magazine.
House Style

9. 
Audience feedback showed that
this was recognised by the
audience, as they noticed the
theme of pink throughout the
products. As a result, this suggests
that a house style has been used
effectively to make the products
similar, and therefore make it clear
that the products are a
combination. One response states
“the colours are quite similar, as
they both feature pink and white
within them”, showing that the
colours used on the products has
been consistent enough to make it
clear that the products are
coinciding.
House Style – Audience Feedback

10. 
The typography is varied within the products; however audience feedback suggests
that this isn’t an issue as no response mentioned this. I didn’t use the same fonts for
the poster and the magazine’s cover because BBC 3 have their own house style and
change any fonts to their own (century gothic). This font is not well suited to a
magazine cover because there is nothing eye-catching about it. Where the fonts for
mastheads are usually bold and rounded, century gothic is very structured and
thin. Therefore, I wanted to change this by using a bolder font, and therefore follow
magazine codes and conventions. As a result, I used “impact” available on
InDesign. Although using this conforms to the conventions of magazine, it perhaps
makes the combination of the products less effective because the fonts are very
different, therefore making them less similar and less recognisable as a coinciding
product.
Typography
Impact
Century Gothic

11. 
However, audience feedback shows that I have used typography effectively
through the use of text and the tag lines within the products present the same
themes and narratives within the main product. One response states that “it is clear
from the narrative of the video that it represents the catch line on the
poster…therefore suggesting that the themes are the same”. The one member of the
audience also stated that the main cover line on the poster was very effective in
referring to the end of the trailer as it “foreshadows…when one of the characters is
killed showing they relate together”, therefore showing the drama within the
products. This shows that I have used typography successfully to some extent
because it shows connections between the product, making them similar and
therefore effective as a combination.
Typography – Audience Feedback

12. 
The layout within the products is also consistent as both ancillary tasks show Sian’s
character to be at the front and centred. This can be seen within the main anchorage
of the magazine and the poster. This shows that she is a main character, and the
main narrative revolves around her. This was acknowledged by the audience, as
responses stated “from the magazine and video it is clear that the girl featured
could be a main character and her story is vital to the programme”, and show that
“the story is about a girl choosing between the men”. Therefore, this shows that the
consistent layout within the combination of the main product and ancillary tasks
are clear in presenting the fact that Sian is part of the main narrative.
Layout

13. 
The layout is also effective in communicating the genre of the products as it enabled
me to present the multi-strand narratives. For example, on the poster, I presented
the main narrative on the centre and to the right, and Charlie’s narrative regarding
sexuality on the left of the poster. This is consistent within the magazine which
contains the main narrative in the centre (the main anchorage) and the other in a
strip as a thumbnail image. This shows the multi-strand narratives, and
communicates genre as this is a very conventional feature of soap opera. The
magazine’s conventional ,layout also shows non-fiction articles and stories from
different soaps. This provides the audience with a surveillance gratification (Uses
and Gratification theory by Bulmer and Kat) as they able to see what’s going on in
society and other soaps.
Layout

14. 
Audience feedback shows that my products were successful in showing the
multiple narratives as responses showed that “it is clear that the story is about a girl
choosing between the men”, and the “relationship between the lesbians” was also
evident, showing the different narratives. This shows that the narratives were
consistently presented within all three products, showing that the combination of
my product Parkfields and the ancillary tasks are effective.
Layout – Audience Feedback

15. In conclusion, I feel that the combination of my main product and
ancillary tasks are very effective as there are many similarities within
the colours, layout and themes of the products. My audience agree
with this, showing that I have been successful in making the
similarities between the products clear, and therefore I have
successful created coinciding products that clearly advertise the
same thing: Parkfields.