Mind map - Pre Production Planning

1. Mind Map –
Pre Production Planning

2. Name of the show (Connotations)
The Dark Horse – Evil character who you wouldn’t expect.
Ivy
Anonymous
Sinner – There is going to be a serious crime
Burnt Oak
Boston Manor – Stereotypical name of Soap Opera meaning
we have ‘repeated’ (Steve Neale) conventions of popular
soaps in an attempt to get viewers as we know that the
name is popular.
Court Road
Protagonists & Antagonists
(Names, appeal to the
audience, Gender)
Danny
Chantelle
Darren
Social Issues represented
(Relevance to the Zeitgeist, why
they will be shown)
Pregnancy
Abortion
Religion
Murders
Locations
Pub – drama, alcohol, fight/argument
Woodlands – mystery/crime
Epsom Downs – open/vulnerable
House – place of comfort and well being, basis of
Soap
Mind Map – Pre Production Planning

3. Steve Neale – “Genre’s are instances of repetition and
difference” –
We have chosen to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) the theme of
crime because it is a definite cause of drama as there is
the mystery surrounding who the killer is and why he
had a motive to commit the murder and risk prison.
Channel (BBC Two) and Scheduling (8pm – Weekdays)
The programme is aired at 8pm in weekdays which
means it has to compete with hugely popular
programmes such as East Enders which is aired at 8pm
on BBC 1 on Mondays and Fridays as well as Emmerdale
and Coronation Street which are aired on weekdays on
ITV at 8 pm. Therefore there is high amounts of
competition meaning the trailer must be of high quality
to tempt people to watch it over established shows.
Competition in the Genre?
East Enders
Hollyoaks
Emmerdale
Coronation Street – Was first to fifth in terms of most viewed programme of the week week
ending 25th June 2017.
Target audience (Katz, Maslow,
Hartley) –
The main target audience for the
Soap Opera would be females
between the ages of 15 to 60 who
stereotypically enjoy drama such as
murder and crime and therefore
are able to ‘personally identify’ with
the protagonists and therefore can
build a rapport with the
protagonists and don’t want them
to be murdered. Furthermore, the
target audience for our Soap Opera
will be Maslow’s ‘caregivers’

4. Competition in the Genre?
East Enders – Top 3 most watched programme on BBC 1
Hollyoaks
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
Soaps had the highest percent of audience shares by 2% even more than documentary and
entertainment proving the immense popularity of soaps and indicating that the competition
is fierce and of a high quality as it is repeatedly watched, however if the trailer is of a high
quality, there are a huge number of people who would potentially watch the series.

5. Locations
In order to film in Surrey, me and my group had to contact Surrey County Council
to ask them for their permission. My group unanimously decided on the locations:
my house in Banstead, Ashtead woods, Giacomo’s house in Ashtead, and lastly,
the Leg of Mutton and Cauliflower Pub in Ashtead.
We are deciding upon my house in Banstead to film a majority of the opening
scenes in the trailer, compared to the woods in Ashtead where we will film the
scene where Will runs through the woods. Also, we will use Giacomo’s house in
Ashtead to film a scene of Will taking out the bins and then use of Leg of Mutton
and Cauliflower Pub to film an affair scene with Emily and Archie