TASK 10: Yr 12- Location/Actor/Model Shots

Location/Actor/Model Shots

Location Shots:

PRINT

You must use a range of original images on your product. So a crucial part of the process is to find appropriate locations for your photo shoot. These should not only be aesthetically impressive locations (i.e. 'look good') but also ones that will meet the conventions of your genre.

In order to prove to the examiner that you have sufficiently considered different locations during pre-production, you will need to take a few photos of some (if not all) of the various places that you think would work well for your Posters/DVD Cover/Website/Front page and double page feature article, ideally with additional pictures of any significant features of the design (e.g. a brick wall where you'd like your feature artist to stand ect). 

AUDIO VISUAL

With almost any Film/TV Programme/Music Video, a crucial part of the process is to find appropriate locations (the person who does this is called a 'Location Scout') for your filming. These should not only be aesthetically impressive locations that suit your chosen genre but also ones that will be practical to filming (e.g. where you will not be disrupted).

Step 1 - In order to prove to the examiner that you have sufficiently considered different locations during pre-production, you will need to take photos of some (if not all) of the various places that you plan to film, ideally with additional pictures of any significant features of the design (e.g. a creaky door, somewhere where you plan to put a prop etc.).  Aim to include a wide range of photos to show the extent of your planning and be sure to check if it suits your storyboard and script.

Step 2 - You should also write a couple of detailed sentences to discuss the reason for choosing your locations. These reasons are likely to be predominantly aesthetic but practical reasons should also be briefly mentioned. Link to your previous research and planning, and why each location is suited to your genre and plot.

Actor/Model Shots:

For this post, you will  explain and justify your reasons for selecting the actors/models you have cast.You will need to explain:

• Why you have chosen them to feature in your product.  

• Can you make links with anything from your research that might have helped you to come to this decision?

To show developed thought, you should evaluate how they represent particular groups.  

• What messages do you hope they will convey to your audiences? 

• How do they do this? 

• Why do you want them to do this? 

• Links with codes and conventions of your genre? Perhaps you are subverting codes and conventions for shock value?

Include the following:

• Name, age, gender, ethnicity ect. of model/actor

• Character summary if relevant

• Why you have chosen a particular actor/actress for a particular role including representation of stereotypes

Use head shots of your cast:

• Professional images taken for the specific purpose of your planning – not a FB, Instagram pic, image where others have been cropped out

• Chest up with good lighting on their face, no strong dramatic shadows, the focus should be on the centre of their eyes

TASK 9: Yr 12 PRINT Writing Your Feature Article/Website

Writing your feature Article/Website

You need to think carefully about how you put together your double page spread, feature article/ website. 

Consider:

• The format; will you write it like an interview/ from a 3rd or 1st person perspective?
• How are you going to interrelate your products? 
• What is the focus of you article/website? 
• What do you want your readers to learn? 
• Is this something your target audience will WANT to read/look at?
• Your language choices; ensure your language meets the conventions of your genre.

Use your research into codes and conventions to help you write convincingly.

Plan what you will write carefully and be prepared to edit and make changes.

TASK 9: Yr 12- AUDIO VISUAL Script Writing

Script Writing 

For this task you need to begin write the script for your products (TV/chat show/radio)

Step 1-  Before you begin writing you need to analyse examples of real media scripts and research what the conventions are for a script for your chosen products .

You should then explain what you have found from your research and how you will use this when you come to write your own.

Step 2- Writing your script. This should be detailed.

This should act as step-by-step guide for what you ideally want to show in your product. You should include:

• A description of the setting of each scene

• Any dialogue which might be used

• The script of your voiceover (if you are going to use one)

• Where names of actors/directors will appear

• All types of sound - diegetic and non diegetic/ soundtracks/ voiceovers/ dialogue

• Stage directions -where will your characters stand? How will the speak? What emotions should the convey through facial expressions?

• Stretch- Theory: How might you apply theory to your script? (E.g. ‘Todorov’s Narrative structure’)

REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR TIMINGS

You should set this out in the style of a script 

Also feel free to upload your draft versions of your script to show how your ideas develop.

Here is an example of a TRAILER script from ‘Zero Hour’-

TASK 8: Yr 12- Drafting your products

Drafting Your Products

Hopefully by now you have a good idea of the genre and type of products you would like to make. Now is the time to develop your ideas via a storyboard, draft designs, mock ups etc.

To begin with, sketch out your initial product ideas onto a storyboard, draft, mock template. Make sure to think about (and make notes of) the shot types/camera movements, shot length, use of sound, language, layout, colours, size, images etc. that you hope to use in each product. Then, present it.


Here is a link to a good example from a previous year in which the group used a time-lapse sequence to explain their trailer storyboard: Exemplar Storyboard


...And here is a great way to present your storyboard... You can only create 3 boxes at a time so perhaps print screen them to add to your blog before making the rest of your sequence:

http://www.storyboardthat.com/

Here are some draft templates for a magazine, website and DVD cover.

REMEMBER YOUR PRODUCTS MUST LOOK REAL SO MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE ALL THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS YOU RESEARCHED.

TASK 7: Yr 12- Pitching your products.

Pitching your products

You should also plan your production work carefully to ensure that you apply your  understanding of the theoretical framework to the media production. For this task you need to write A pitch or treatment for the cross-media production, considering the convergence of the products in two forms and how they will be interrelated, but also distinct, to engage the intended audience in different ways. 

Writing a Treatment by A. Badham on Scribd

TASK 6: Yr 12- Target Audience Research for my product

Target Audience Research for my product

Follow the guidance very carefully

• Step 1- Making Predictions
• Step 2- Target Audience Research
• Step 3- Analysing your findings

Success criteria for this task:

• References to theorists in media who have examined target audiences and the importance of the audience's response. 
• Consider: Albert Bandura's thoughts on media effects; Stuart Hall's reception theory; George Gerber's cultivation theory, Jordan Cruikshank's uses and gratification theory and more.
• You must mention theorists to show a full understanding of audiences decoding of messages and how it may impact a film's reception and also how audience target research is crucial to the success of a media product.

STEP 1- MAKING PREDICTIONS ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE

This stage of the research is all about making predictions about your audience BEFORE you carry out any actual research. You should use your findings from your research into real media texts to help you answer these questions.

1. Which of the four quadrant(s) would your film appeal to?

Audience research companies' main method for breaking down audiences is as follows:

• Older males (>25) 
• Older females (>25) 
• Younger males (<25) 
• Younger females (<25)

Some products (James Bond, Harry Potter, some Pixar films) attempt to be 4 quadrant products- products that appeal to all 4 of these different groups. Most other products will attempt to specifically target 1 or 2 of these quadrants.

• Your starting point should be to identify which of the quadrants your product would appeal to and why, exploring things such as your genre and theme.

• Other things you may wish to consider is whether your product would appeal to a large, mainstream audience or more of a specialised, niche audience.

• While the four-quadrants are a good reference point, to gain full marks you should explore areas beyond these as they are not completely comprehensive enough to assess if your audience will engage with your media product.

2. Are there any other audience groups that your film may appeal to?

While it is good to identify your main target audience in terms of age and gender, your film may also have a more specific appeal. For example, Tyler Perry's Madea film franchise is not particularly well known here, but in America the films make tens of millions of dollars, drawing out a huge crowd of African-American audience members but very few white Americans. You could research similar products within your genre and you could also consider foreign language products within your genre.

3. What other 'niche' factors could be considered about how you might appeal to an audience?

Consider factors such as location, content, models/actors, narrative, style etc.

4. What different 'tribes' of youth and psychographic profile may be especially interested in your product?

The website uktribes.com provides a fantastic service in exploring the different types of youth audiences. This can especially useful in terms of judging the kind of 'attitude' that your audience may have.

5. Would your product be limited to a UK audience or might it have a global appeal?

Even though it was Oscar nominated and starred Brad Pitt, 'Moneyball' was only released in select cinemas in the UK. The reason was fairly simple: it revolved around baseball.

The reverse is also true: while having some success in the UK, Anuvahood went straight to DVD in America. It was felt that an urban story quite specific to the UK that parodied other British 'urban themed' dramas that were released straight to DVD in America was never going to have a big appeal.

You need to think about your own production and realistically assess whether the content would be 'universal' or something specific to British audiences?

6. What limitations are there on your production?

It would be interesting to consider aspects like the fact that your product is British, that your product will have no stars and to explore how these kinds of factors are going to effect the difficulties in getting people to see it and how you are looking to 'combat' against this.

7. How will your product elicit an audience response?

To make your product effective, you must make your audience have a reaction or response to it. Within your own chosen genre, consider the conventions associated with it and also examine how these conventions may have been challenged but focus on the audience's perspective. 

STEP 2- CARRYING OUT YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH

You know what your chosen form and genre is, you know how real media texts target and engage audience, and you have some idea of who your target audience may be. You now need to carry out your own target audience research.

You should create a range of questions to ask potential target audiences. These questions should be focused on your chosen genre and brief to gauge accurately who your target audience will be. Consider aspects that are specific to your chosen brief (e.g. types of films/music etc).

You must collect data from a wide range of people (more than 20) to ensure your data is accurate.

You could do this via:

• https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk

• Video interviews

• Social Media polls.

• Focus Groups

STEP 3- ANALYSING YOUR FINDINGS

Once you have collected your Target Audience responses you can analyse the data you have collected and begin making conclusions about your potential audience and HOW you will attract them.

You should relate your findings back to the questions you initially answered in STEP 1 and consider whether your initial predictions were correct.

Use you knowledge of how similar real media products targeted and engaged their audiences and how you might emulate this.

You should present your findings in graphs.