Evaluation of AS Media Studies Coursework
We chose brief one and
chose the first broadcasting task and the first print task. We produced the
first two minutes of the opening scene including a title sequence to the new TV
show “Shutter Speed”, a pre watershed comedy travel reality TV series by silver
linings productions. It is about a teenage boy trying to make his way around
England without any money and he also takes pictures along the way. It is aimed
at young adults aged around 15-35, mostly males. The audience is around that
because it keeps to the brief and it is to air on E4. Also I have produced a
teaser ad campaign to promote the new TV show. The print features the main
objects in the show the moped and the camera. That will make people want to
discuss the programme further to get a better idea of what it is going to be
about.
Research has shown that
comedy travel shows such as An Idiot Abroad is very popular. Also reality TV
shows are popular with the young target audience we have targeted. Made in
Chelsea, that is on E4 has won awards and is one of the most popular shows on E4.
We decide to make it a more male orientated show because most of the reality TV
shows on E4 is mostly watched by women. That showed a gap in the market for a
more male orientated reality TV show. We included elements of motoring because
that is mostly for a male audience. I looked at the popular motoring show Top
Gear. I looked at the way they shot the cars and used the same techniques on
our scenes with the moped. There shots gave it a more dynamic and fast paced
feel when we shot the moped on the road.
The mise-en-scene in the print work
relates strongly to what the programme is about and the channel it will be
broadcast on. It clearly shows the purple E4 logo on all the advert campaigns. The
institution is clearly visible in all the print work. It is a very distinctive logo
that can attract certain audiences. The audience will know that the TV show is
going to be on E4, a popular channel with teenagers and young adults. That
instantly narrows down the amount of people that will be interested in shows
like E4’s. E4 creates shows for young people in the age range of 15-35. Research
has shown that it is mostly comedy shows dramas sitcoms and reality TV that are
all aimed at the young audience demographic. It also has the time, when the
programme starts, on the print work so audiences know when to watch the
programme. Some of the audience may have a moped or might be doing art or
photography as a subject. They could easily relate to the main character
because of what he is doing. The programme will start at 10:00pm which is the
time a lot of teenagers will be watching TV. Research has shown that E4 puts
its best programmes around this time, about eight o’clock in the afternoon to
ten o’clock at night so there could be a very big audience on at this time. The
print does not reveal too much about the show so it can generate discussion
amongst the target audience as stated in the brief for the print task. I used
iconography associated with the title, “Shutter Speed” and the reality TV show,
the moped and the camera. The title shutter speed relates to the shutter in the
camera and the speed of the moped. In one of the print images it shows a camera
taking a picture of the moped. That establishes the main objects in the
programme. It establishes a strong idea about what is defiantly going to be
expected in the programme for the audience. The simplistic design would be more
memorable because there is not much to take in only the important parts of what
the audience needs to know, such as the channel it is being broadcast on, what time
it is on and what the programme could be about.
It could have been improved by adding
a website link to E4 or to a social media site such as Facebook or Twitter.
That could attract a larger audience because many people will have access to
the internet these days. Most of the people using the internet are the young
audience that E4 have. The print could also be
improved by having the main character in it so the audience can have more of an
idea about the show. Not having the main character leaves them in the dark but
it creates a talking point about who it could be. People will not recognise the
actor so it could be better not having him in the campaign to leave mystery. He
could be added at a later date when the show is a bit more established with the
E4 viewers so he will be more recognisable. Better image software could be used
to make the images clearer.
The
opening scenes of the show get across what the main points of the show are. It
clearly shows Henry, the main character taking pictures, riding his moped around
England and earning money. Students can relate to this because they will be
finding ways of earning money. It targets the issues of the main audience well.
They target audience may also have a method of personal transport such as a
moped. There is also an explanation of what the show is about by the main
character. That makes the audience get to know the main character and at the
same time know what the show is about. The audience can get comfortable with
the main character and get used to him. There is also a map showing where the
main character is and where he is travelling to. The spectators will get to
know there locations around England with the help of the map so they do not get
confused or lost about where the main character is. To show that it was England
we filmed parts of the opening scenes after it had rained. England gets a lot
of rain so it helps the audience connect to the face the location is defiantly somewhere
in England. It was also cloudy weather in some parts of the opening scenes. The
puddles and clouds connoted that it was England, many TV shows show England as
dark gloomy and has lots of rain.
The
opening scenes could be improved by adding more detail into what the show is
about and what goes on in it. That would help audiences get a clear idea about
what it is about. It only gives a brief introduction about what the programme
is about. That is also used to make audiences talk about it because it is only
a teaser trailer.
When
I was looking ideas for the third platform which is e media TV shows such as
Made in Chelsea had social media pages on Facebook and Twitter. It also had
trailers on YouTube to further promote the programme. Most of the information
it had was on the Channel 4 website which also has E4 on it. There are also fan
sites as well that have information about the programme. There are not many
adverts promoting E4 shows online. They are mostly on Channel 4 channels and
promotions of its shows on YouTube and the Channel 4 website. It would be best
to create a fan page site. That would have links to social media and E4 to help
increase the variety of promotional tools and help to attract a wide audience
from the different websites.
