AS Media Studies - Zac Bowen

Header image for the website

I consider our product to be very successful; our intentions were to create a website that was easy to navigate yourself around, it would be simple for a casual internet browser to find out information about the show, such as the synopsis and character bios. We intended to create a webpage that will be attractive to an internet browser and would contain enough information to interest them into viewing our product. In producing our product we intended to use time efficiently by researching into using the equipment beforehand, making sure we used the equipment to our full potential. We intended to stick the conventions of our genre, which we did by making sure our image was darker to create a more ‘gritty’ tone, however making it an original idea which will be entertaining for all audiences. We intend to create the content of our product to appeal to the C2 grade social class by including elements of real life issues into the post-apocalyptic fantasy world. We did this be incorporating into the script dialogue between two characters about the disappearance of one’s father; we choose this as it can be a relatable subject for the target audience.

Editing Screen Grab

On the channel4sales.com/platforms/E4 website, it explains the E4 is a company that “is the entertainment destination for a cutting edge young audience” and that it has an “eccentric and witty persona and strong branding make it a massive talking point”. It also explains that nearly every one of their shows has a Facebook appreciation group, this show that they target their audience though popular social networking sites such as these because they know it will be a proven success in reaching the target audience of adult 16-35. We followed the same path in creating a Facebook page and Twitter page, because we felt it is a much more efficient way of reaching out to your target audiences. E4 did research into what audiences watch their shows, they found out that a lot of their audiences were young, fashion conscious, sociable, connected, heavy internet users and love going out. As we are targeting towards the same demographic as E4 do, we decided to release our programme clip onto the second biggest search engines of the internet: YouTube. We found that YouTube was a great way to connect with our audience in getting feedback of what they liked and didn’t like. It also creates a place for discussion about the clip they have just watched. E4 do the similar thing of releasing all their programme episodes onto YouTube on their 4OD channel.

The genre that we worked in was science-fiction/drama. In our website we made a synopsis of the programme explaining what has happened, describing the events of the aliens coming down and attacking earth. We looked at other science-fiction programme websites and had a look at how they make the genre apparent; we realised that the colour blue was used often and lens flares within the images were used to connote the fact it was science-fiction. So in our header for our website and one of the thumbnails for the videos we added in some lens flares and made the image bluer to display that our programme was science-fiction. With the programme we tried to make the show quite gritty, connoting the struggle of life that the characters within the show go through. To do this we turned down the aperture of the camera, to create a darker image, therefore making the footage seem grittier. When creating a plot line for our programme we wanted to use prop guns, to so the extent of what has happened to earth, and what is needed for protection, creating the drama within the show. We conducted research into guns before the water-shed and found that a lot of shows do use them, such as Torchwood and The Bill, but they are used in a very non-violent way. So bearing this in mind we used prop guns but never fired them on camera, they were more to show the audience the danger of everyday living.

Background image for website

Website Home Page for Snowshill

When constructing research into what programmes are target audience enjoy, we made a focus group of around 15 students, aged 16-18, and asked them questions about what they enjoy about watching a drama. An answer that frequently occurred was they enjoy and programme with a griping storyline, something that can keep them on the edge of their seat. Another popular answer was comedic elements to the programme, they enjoyed something that made them laugh every now and then, to keep them interested in what is happening. Taking in these results into consideration, we added lines into the script that we thought would make audiences smile and find funny, appealing them more. A secondary target audience for our production was the male gender; we targeted them by using the guns and having more male actors than female. The one female actor can be used as a sex appeal to interest the male audiences more. In targeting our audience though the website, we tried to make content that would appeal to them, such as making a page that they can play a game on. We also made a video of an interview with the cast members, talking about the show and explaining what has happened. We chose to do this because, bearing our target audience in mind, they would rather watch something and be informed via that, than be informed by reading the synopsis on the website, therefore making them more likely to watch the video, then having a higher understanding of the programme to enjoy it more. One result we got back from the audience feedback survey was that they would like to see a page were you can have a group discussion about the show, like a forum, so we decided to create a forum, so our audience can share their views and opinions about the show. One other result we got back described how they liked how interactive it was to the audience, “Wide variety of options and very interactive i.e Twitter”. Another said, “The way the actors presented dialogue between each other and the chemistry they show”, which is what we set out to do when begging to write the script.

Being the opening sequence to the show we chose a storyline that crosses over from the equilibrium (the two characters hunting for food, a daily routine for them) to the disruption of the equilibrium of the bang at the gate and everyone turning pointing their guns towards the direction of danger, this follows the narrative structure of Todorov’s theories. This 2 minute clip would take part at the very beginning of the show, before the title sequence commenced. To have the disruption so early on in the programme creates more space for action to take place within the main section of the programme. Who banged at the door at the beginning of the programme is not revealed until later on in the programme, this creates an enigma code for the audience. The question ‘who was at the door’ throughout the programme, creating a more dramatic atmosphere, this follows the narrative structure of Levi- Strauss’ theories. Levi-Strauss studied the theory of binary opposites; the binary opposites we used in our programme was the survival gang of ‘Snowshill’ and the alien followers ‘the disciples’, these two groups are contrasted as the heroes and the villains, the sane and the insane. Another binary opposite within our programme is clearly the divide between the humans and the extra-terrestrials.

When creating our programme we wanted to make the audience feel tense, like something big was about to

happen, the only way we could achieve this was by creating a soundtrack. We went onto Garage Band, an app that allows you to create music; we made a soft bass sound, repeating it over and over. We edited the sound into our production to create this tense atmosphere. Toward the end of our clip we want the audience to feel exited and wanting to see more, as we left it on a cliff-hanger. When filming the bang at the gate we didn’t want the thing that banged the door to be in the shot. We felt it didn’t matter if the audience felt it could have being a dog at the gate or a giant alien, the fact was, we showed the reaction of the group to show the audience how ‘on edge’ the character are in the time of this crisis. When writing in the character we tried to make every character a stereotype of somebody that you know, somebody in your own friendship group; we created ‘The Couple’ because then we can have audience who are in a relationship relate to how these characters feel when their partner is in danger. We created an obnoxious/cocky type character which can be annoying but loveable at the same time and we created ‘the father figure’, a character that everyone can love and enjoy watching. In our audience feedback we received praise on how they thought the characters were likable and easy to attach to, we were also told that the characters and the setting they were in seemed believable, which was really important to us when making the programme, as this makes the programme easier to relate to.

When creating our programme we didn’t think about any values or ideologies that we could attack or promote. However, when reflecting back on our programme we realised a hidden message when coming to religious beliefs. Our programme’s synopsis include aliens coming down to earth, attacking everything they can, but people stand by what they are doing because they believe they are gods. However, some people disagree which sparks a rivalry from what the storyline is based on. Our programme brings light to the situations that are happening all over the world in an over exaggerated way so it becomes more apparent into what is actually happening. So we could say that our programme attacks racist ideologies and promotes there being an equilibrium in what people believe in.

When we were creating the programme we thought about how we could make our show be easy to relate to from our target audience, through the places the characters and the idea. Seen as though our programme is a science-fiction fantasy adventure type drama is was hard to make the situation able to relate to. So we gave the characters backgrounds that can be related to, such as one of the young characters: Harry, whose father had disappeared in an un-talked about event that happened months before the episode is set. The history of this character can be related to and can make this character a loved character due to sympathy from audiences. In trying to make our programme appeal to a C2 grade social class we made our character clearly working class, by putting them in casual warm clothing, nothing too fancy and making them clever, skilled and knowing what they are doing. The setting would make the C2 social class appreciate what they have more, as the characters in the programme are just living in a garage in the middle of nowhere.

If I was to apply my idea to a third media platform, I would begin by creating a teaser poster, only giving brief details into the programme, such as “coming soon”, and in smaller letters the web address of our show with the title “to find out more, visit…”. I would have the main image of the poster of all the characters in the show with their backs turned, running away from some sort of bright blue light, with the tagline “Survival of the Fittest” and then the title of the show underneath. It would also have underneath the title the phase “#survival”, this relates back to the twitter page; it will create a trending discussion between fans to talk about past episodes and up and coming episodes. Another teaser advert I would create would be a few, short 30 second clips of the main characters talking as a child and then gradually aging while telling the story of how they grew up, living with these alien attacks. The visual element would be short, dramatic slow-motion montages of the characters who are talking, when they are midway through action scenes. They would be about 4 of these trailers for 4 of the main characters in the show, explaining their backgrounds. Each commentary would end with the same line: “At the end of the day…It’s the survival of the fittest”. It will also end with the visual text of the title of the programme and the phrase “#survival”.