OCR G324 ADVANCED PRODUCTION Name: Ashley Mason Candidate Number: 4593 Aquinas College: 33435
OCR G324ADVANCED
PRODUCTION
Name: Ashley Mason
Candidate Number: 4593
Aquinas College: 33435
PlanningTo begin with myself and seven other students were put into our filming groups. Before we
began filming we had to research ideas and watch similar soap opera trailers such as Eastenders, Hollyoaks and 90210. Once we had conducted our background research we came together to discuss and put forward ideas for the trailer. From here we drafted up ideas, creating simple sketches and scripts.
Planning
Each partnership came up with different scripts and scenarios that we could base our trailer on. The ideas and material were viewed and put into discussion to decide which we thought worked best for the trailer.
Planning for AncillaryPlanning for final front cover
Planning for final poster
Planning for AncillaryFor my ancillaries I looked at a variety of different
TV guides/magazines to come up with ideas that I wanted to use in my own. For 1st draft of my magazine front cover I decided to go for the so called ‘tackier’ looking magazine, which included bright colours, etc.
I decided to change this when it came to my final front cover. I thought it worked better if I used a more serious magazine such as the TV and satellite weekly. I looked at many examples of this magazine online and used them to base my own on.
Planning - Characters
Jack and Charlotte are another couple in the soap, Jack a teenager who has it all going for him is about to get the shock of his life. Charlotte seems all innocent but in reality she secretly cheating behind Jack’s back.
James comes across as quite nerdy and the type of person who would stay out of trouble. But he seems to be getting involved with the wrong kind of people, this can only end badly.
Tyson is the bad guy of the soap, he is known for his previous criminal conviction and is now making his money through selling drugs. For the soap opera we had to dress this character in dark colours such as black to represent that he is bad.
Craig is a sly character who is knowingly cheating with his best friends girlfriend.
Max and Sophie are the main couple of the soap. The are dressed similar to indicate that they are interested in the same kinds of things making them seem a real couple.
All the characters are dressed in casual clothing so that the audience can relate to them and it makes the soap seem realistic.
Q1. In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge existing codes and conventions?
Conventions of a magazine cover
Big, bold title
MastheadRealistic characters
Clear picture
Bright colours to grab attention
Attention grabbing headlines
Buttons
Other storylines
My Final Magazine Cover
My Final Billboard
Conventions of an existing billboard
Channel logo
Large, clear picture
Main characters
Name of soap
Billboard – 1st draftMain characters
Soap opera name
E4 channel logo
E4 purple tape
I decided that I did not like the font type for the grove, the graffiti style worked well but I thought it was hard to read. Also the brick wall style of background is not common on E4, this was the reason why I decided to change my trailer to ITV2 and use a better background.
Front Cover – 1st DraftMasthead
Barcode
Price
Bright colours
Realistic Stars
There are numerous things that I did not like about my first draft ancillary. I believe the headliner does not make sense, the colours seem to clash and there is too much empty space. I decided to start my final ancillary from scratch and change the complete look.
Trailer A variety of shot types are used including over the shoulder, establishing and panning shots.
The soundtrack to the trailer creates drama and suspense with the tempo increasing when emotions are high.
The choice of clothing used by the characters gives a realistic feeling to the soap
The locations which the scenes are set in are places that the audience can relate to.
Close-ups allow the audience to see the facial expressions and emotions of the characters
Very little make-up and causal clothing to create realism
Camera as 4th wall
StorylinesSeveral storylines are used throughout the trailer to keep the viewer interested.
A scene included a drug deal, a cheating scene and a storyline between the couple who are expecting a child.
The music that I decided to use for my trailer links well with the story line, ‘I Gave You All’ is a dramatic song by Mumford and Sons which contains powerful lyrics that fit well with the events that unfold in my trailer. The part of the song that goes, ‘I gave you all’, can represent a variety of events. It links well with the unplanned pregnancy of one of the characters and the cheating scene. ‘And you rip it from my hands’ stands for the murder of one of the characters boyfriends as he has been taken from her life in the worst way possible. ‘Well now you’ve won’ fits well with the unknown murderers who killed the characters boyfriend as they have done what they wanted to do. The fast paced rhythm of the song gives a panicky feeling and lets the audience know that many things are happening. In my first draft lyrics could heard in the background, however when I came to making changes to my final trailer I opted to go for just the music, no words. I decided to make this change as my trailer included a speech made by the police officer, the words in the song clashed with this speech. I decided it would suit the trailer better to just have the instrumental.