https://13gerlacks.wixsite.com/unilife1 - Home Page
https://13gerlacks.wixsite.com/unilife1/bonus-content - Linked Page
There is audio-visual content on both the home page and the linked page.
Wednesday, 30 October 2019
08 Planning Website
I went through several stages of my websites. I knew I wanted a predominantly blue theme to the website folllowing the house style of the majority of BBC Radio websites. Front pages of radio websites normally have the audio clip prominently shown within the page. I incorporated this by creating a video with a slideshow of pictures I had taken from the main photoshoot.
I wanted to create a logo which was bold and simple for the audience to connect with. The final logo choice saw me using a navy blue colour which has connotations of importance, power and self-worth, which are themes that do get explored in the 3 minute opening sequence of the radio show. The informality of the phrase 'Uni Life' is an intertextual idea that is familiar with my niche audience. The font is very bold which reinforces power. I wanted to have a phrase below the logo to summarise the show quickly to audiences viewing this as a secondary medium. I had a choice of three phrases.
-BBC Radio 4's brand-spanking new comedy show
-The best and worst three years of our lives
- BBC Radio 4's Brand New Comedy Sketch Show
I decided to go with the third decision as it summed up the show perfectly and made it distinctive as a product whilst being factual and informative and not bias or humorous.
The majority of the BBC Radio websites include the cast's names, I decided to incorporate brief biographies about the actors playing them. I took pictures on the photoshoot which I planned to use to show the character off as best as possible. For example, for the picture of the protagonist Michelle, I used a medium close up shot whilst making the actor playing Michelle have an angry facial expressions with high key lighting with a contrast between pink and yellow to signify the battle within her life with wanting to be a free independent adult but also struggling to make ends meet. The photo also uses direct mode of address which reinforces the relationship between the audience and the product once again.
I wanted to create a logo which was bold and simple for the audience to connect with. The final logo choice saw me using a navy blue colour which has connotations of importance, power and self-worth, which are themes that do get explored in the 3 minute opening sequence of the radio show. The informality of the phrase 'Uni Life' is an intertextual idea that is familiar with my niche audience. The font is very bold which reinforces power. I wanted to have a phrase below the logo to summarise the show quickly to audiences viewing this as a secondary medium. I had a choice of three phrases.
-BBC Radio 4's brand-spanking new comedy show
-The best and worst three years of our lives
- BBC Radio 4's Brand New Comedy Sketch Show
I decided to go with the third decision as it summed up the show perfectly and made it distinctive as a product whilst being factual and informative and not bias or humorous.
The majority of the BBC Radio websites include the cast's names, I decided to incorporate brief biographies about the actors playing them. I took pictures on the photoshoot which I planned to use to show the character off as best as possible. For example, for the picture of the protagonist Michelle, I used a medium close up shot whilst making the actor playing Michelle have an angry facial expressions with high key lighting with a contrast between pink and yellow to signify the battle within her life with wanting to be a free independent adult but also struggling to make ends meet. The photo also uses direct mode of address which reinforces the relationship between the audience and the product once again.
07 Planning Production
In the pre-production stage of producing my media text, I had to write a pilot script for a comedy show. I went through various stages of script writing but here is my final edit
https://www.celtx.com/a/ux/scripteditor?id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.celtx.com%2Ffeeds%2Fdefault%2Fprivate%2Ffull%2F12a94dd24919c0cccc6451a926ea58ff9fae56eh#noreload
I then thought about the representations I wanted to construct within the radio comedy programme. I then wrote fact files for all the characters.
Michelle - presenting the stereotype about young adults particularly of a working/lower class. This is presented through the type of language she uses and the accent of the voice. She seems to be a character who has a complex life and struggles to look after herself. I wanted to then challenge the stereotype by making the character intellectual and knowledgeable of a wide range of topics. For example, she finds out very quickly that her Uncle had lied about her going to University.
Sebastian - I wanted to create conflict to enhance the comedy in the programme by creating a binary opposite of class, poor:rich. Sebastian is a very snobby character which is again a stereotypical characteristic within the middle class. I wanted to present this character to seem superior to Michelle, the protagonist of the text, by the mode of address he uses within the show. Sebastian is a representation of the hatred that Michelle has through the harsh jokes he uses to her.
David - I wanted Michelle's uncle to come across as manipulative by ensuring she would start a job. I wanted to make sure that again David had a higher status as it gives the character of Michelle a chance to use comedy to challenge the status.
Narrative Equilibrium - Michelle is getting ready to move to University
Narrative Disruption - Michelle receives an application for a job at the University.
Recognition - Michelle rings David to state that she had an application for a job rather than being a student.
Although, this doesn't follow the five steps of the Narratology cycle, I intended for the attempt to repair the disequilibrium to not follow so it was engaging for the listener.
https://www.celtx.com/a/ux/scripteditor?id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.celtx.com%2Ffeeds%2Fdefault%2Fprivate%2Ffull%2F12a94dd24919c0cccc6451a926ea58ff9fae56eh#noreload
I then thought about the representations I wanted to construct within the radio comedy programme. I then wrote fact files for all the characters.
Michelle - presenting the stereotype about young adults particularly of a working/lower class. This is presented through the type of language she uses and the accent of the voice. She seems to be a character who has a complex life and struggles to look after herself. I wanted to then challenge the stereotype by making the character intellectual and knowledgeable of a wide range of topics. For example, she finds out very quickly that her Uncle had lied about her going to University.
Sebastian - I wanted to create conflict to enhance the comedy in the programme by creating a binary opposite of class, poor:rich. Sebastian is a very snobby character which is again a stereotypical characteristic within the middle class. I wanted to present this character to seem superior to Michelle, the protagonist of the text, by the mode of address he uses within the show. Sebastian is a representation of the hatred that Michelle has through the harsh jokes he uses to her.
David - I wanted Michelle's uncle to come across as manipulative by ensuring she would start a job. I wanted to make sure that again David had a higher status as it gives the character of Michelle a chance to use comedy to challenge the status.
Narrative Equilibrium - Michelle is getting ready to move to University
Narrative Disruption - Michelle receives an application for a job at the University.
Recognition - Michelle rings David to state that she had an application for a job rather than being a student.
Although, this doesn't follow the five steps of the Narratology cycle, I intended for the attempt to repair the disequilibrium to not follow so it was engaging for the listener.
06 Audience Website
As I was bearing in mind my 'fun-loving' audience of 16-25 year olds, I decided to gather a focus group to see what they would like on a radio website. The majority were attracted to Q&As and short videos that established the characters well. I then decided to shoot small videos which had both of my actors in characters delivering some actions on camera such as reading a book or magazine or calling someone on their phone as well as performing direct lines from the show to create a clear convergence between the product and the website. I also filmed a 30 second Q&A, which is a viral trend on social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat, which sees the actors being themselves as the audience got to know them better through personal questions which creates a immediate connection between the audience and the product. This style of video is also reminiscent of many social influencers on YouTube which was something my focus group had an interest in. This created the idea that the actors acted as aspirational figures for the 16-26 year old fun loving audience should aspire to be like and simply 'have fun'.This was the use of my audio-visual aspect of my website.
I also created fact files for each character which had deliberate humour to gain a comedic relief from my audience. The use of hyperbolic, informal language was utilised for the audience to receive as humorous.
I also created fact files for each character which had deliberate humour to gain a comedic relief from my audience. The use of hyperbolic, informal language was utilised for the audience to receive as humorous.
05 Audience Production
Audience Production
- Language was essential to appeal to a young audience of fun-loving 16-25 years old. In a focus group I organised, I found that swearing would enhance the comedy but is not essential to cause a reaction from them. This meant I ensured that I had a balanced and suitable ratio between dialogue: swearing.
- I wanted to make sure the main idea for the radio show was something that was relatable for the audience so that they could feel a connection with the characters. In the focus group, the concept of University would be interesting as around 80% of the group said it was their 'best time of their adult time yet'.
- Due to the restrictions of an audio-only media product, I ensured that I used music to appeal to the audience. In the focus group, I asked about several artists they would like to hear throughout the pilot episode. I had a huge variety but decided that the genre of recent pop music was popular, thus I used Lizzo's Juice in the background for the dialogue between the character's Michelle and Sebastian. Furthermore, I wanted the audience to feel a sense of nostalgia to enhance the fun loving nature of the audience. I chose Earth, Wind and Fire's 'September', a popular 70's song which around 90% of my focus group had heard before, when I asked.
- Language was essential to appeal to a young audience of fun-loving 16-25 years old. In a focus group I organised, I found that swearing would enhance the comedy but is not essential to cause a reaction from them. This meant I ensured that I had a balanced and suitable ratio between dialogue: swearing.
- I wanted to make sure the main idea for the radio show was something that was relatable for the audience so that they could feel a connection with the characters. In the focus group, the concept of University would be interesting as around 80% of the group said it was their 'best time of their adult time yet'.
- Due to the restrictions of an audio-only media product, I ensured that I used music to appeal to the audience. In the focus group, I asked about several artists they would like to hear throughout the pilot episode. I had a huge variety but decided that the genre of recent pop music was popular, thus I used Lizzo's Juice in the background for the dialogue between the character's Michelle and Sebastian. Furthermore, I wanted the audience to feel a sense of nostalgia to enhance the fun loving nature of the audience. I chose Earth, Wind and Fire's 'September', a popular 70's song which around 90% of my focus group had heard before, when I asked.
04 C&C Website
Codes and Conventions of Radio Websites
Logo Placement - Logo is often placed in the upper left corner
Masthead- The logo and/or name of the product that the website is advertising
Main Navigation - There is a navigation bar where it takes you to the other linked pages
Home Page - The main page of the website
Text - Used to inform, educate or entertain the audience about the product
Main Image - Used on the home page and the choice of image tells the immediately about the tone of the website.
Multimedia elements - Using other forms of media to shape the audience's meaning/purpose
Social media links - Links that take you to a different social media links that promote the website/product
Fonts - Using unique fonts can appeal to a suitable audience
Colour - Used to make the website appealing and engaging. Could perhaps reflect a mood/atmosphere.
I looked at a range of BBC Radio 4 websites to get a sense of the house style of the channel. Through my research, I discovered the backgrounds are predominately navy blue with a white gradient which matches the colour scheme of the logo, which is placed within the top left hand corner. Image was also vitally important which took up about 1/3 of the page. The picture usually uses direct mode of address to engage the reader.
Logo Placement - Logo is often placed in the upper left corner
Masthead- The logo and/or name of the product that the website is advertising
Main Navigation - There is a navigation bar where it takes you to the other linked pages
Home Page - The main page of the website
Text - Used to inform, educate or entertain the audience about the product
Main Image - Used on the home page and the choice of image tells the immediately about the tone of the website.
Multimedia elements - Using other forms of media to shape the audience's meaning/purpose
Social media links - Links that take you to a different social media links that promote the website/product
Fonts - Using unique fonts can appeal to a suitable audience
Colour - Used to make the website appealing and engaging. Could perhaps reflect a mood/atmosphere.
I looked at a range of BBC Radio 4 websites to get a sense of the house style of the channel. Through my research, I discovered the backgrounds are predominately navy blue with a white gradient which matches the colour scheme of the logo, which is placed within the top left hand corner. Image was also vitally important which took up about 1/3 of the page. The picture usually uses direct mode of address to engage the reader.
01 Coursework Brief
Brief 2 - Radio and Online
You work for an independent media production company. You have been given the task of producing a three minute opening sequence of a pilot comedy programme to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in an attempt to attract a broader audience to the channel and the working website for the pilot show. The opening sequence must introduce the concept of the show and provide an audience hook. The web pages must promote the new comedy programme to its target audience and enable fans to interact with the show.
Summary of brief requirements:
• Statement of Intent (approx. 500 words)
• Opening sequence for pilot of a radio comedy: One three minute opening sequence.
• Broadcast channel and time: Content must be suitable for Radio 4 in the late evening comedy slot (weekdays 11pm–11.30pm).
• Number of web pages: One homepage and one linked page.
• Cross-media production target audience: a funloving 16–25 year old mass market demographic.
There must be a clear sense of branding across the two elements of the cross-media production.
You work for an independent media production company. You have been given the task of producing a three minute opening sequence of a pilot comedy programme to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in an attempt to attract a broader audience to the channel and the working website for the pilot show. The opening sequence must introduce the concept of the show and provide an audience hook. The web pages must promote the new comedy programme to its target audience and enable fans to interact with the show.
Summary of brief requirements:
• Statement of Intent (approx. 500 words)
• Opening sequence for pilot of a radio comedy: One three minute opening sequence.
• Broadcast channel and time: Content must be suitable for Radio 4 in the late evening comedy slot (weekdays 11pm–11.30pm).
• Number of web pages: One homepage and one linked page.
• Cross-media production target audience: a funloving 16–25 year old mass market demographic.
There must be a clear sense of branding across the two elements of the cross-media production.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)