Trailer Soundtrack research

Today as group leaders myself and Anna Philona researched music that we could use for our trailer. We visited a number of websites that offered free music, particularly researching music under the genre of; action and drama.
The music that we will use will have an important role to play as it will reflect how our soap is portrayed. We want the trailer to have a real impact on the viewers attracting them to want to watch our soap. As well as taking into account the nature of our target audience.
We viewed a number of websites in order to have the option of many tracks to be able to choose from. The websites are written below as well as the name of the tracks and our opinions on them.

http://www.shockwave-sound.com/Royalty_Free_Background_Music/

'innovation' we specifically liked this track as although it begins calm it sets a comfortable atmosphere for the audience drawing them in as they await for the climax. It could work well in reflecting the calmer scenes where the story is being established, though as the suspense of the storylines build up so does the music. The sound of the music will help to set the mood, if it does not fit in with the type of storyline we are portraying the wrong message will be passed onto the viewers. Although the track does work well during these calmer scenes it may not be suitable once the action begins.

'hi robot' this track was a little to over dramatised for us and wouldn't really work that well for our piece. Though the sense of the fast build up pace was effective in building up tension which we need to try and do. Almost automatically so soon as the track begins there are heavy drum sounds portraying something bad is about to come. An option could be that we could cut parts of some tracks and mix and match. Though this may be a little complicated and could withdraw the flow we need.

We then choose to view a different website:

http://audiojungle.net/searches?term=action&type=files
'Action Core' this was one of our favourites. The beginning immediately introduces a sense of action, just listening to the track makes you question what is going to happen next. It is almost like a clock, the beat is patterned building up the suspense. This would definitely grasp the audiences attention.

'Pop electro house' this reminded us of the type of music Hollyoaks uses at the start of their soap, which are the kind of audiences we aim to attract. It is a combination of pop and electro, appealing to the modern generation. It would definitely work well in the party scenes of our trailer though I find it difficult to imagine it fitting well with the calmer scenes just before we need the suspense to build in. It is a sort of dance track which then towards the middle changes climax.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/?m=player&url=album%2F31187

'brad sucks- dropping out of school' this was another of our favourites. It is a combination of indie and rock - appealing to our direct target audience. The beat it is exciting yet still includes the right sense of mood. The start is a fast yet calm beat which could show the storylines being established then as the drama begins the track becomes more exciting reflecting back on these characters lives and what is happening to them. The beat begins faster, singing begins which we werent too keen on though it still works well. Imagining the shots that we have currently filmed I can easily picture them working well although we first need to edit the shots then choose which track will work well.

These tracks are just some of many, thousands to choose from. There is not yet one specific trakc to have really stood out for us therefore we will be carrying on and furthering our soundtrack music trailer research to find the right track for our trailer.

TV Magazine / Posters created

As well as our trailer and website I have also made a TV magazine front cover and two posters. These products were created in order to advertise and MARKET our soap. Having researched into former TV magazines I have chosen to make mine similar to those of "Whats on" and "TV mag". These are very commercialized though they do the job of advertising the most current storylines on today's soaps.
In order to create these I used photoshop processed on a Mac computer. At first I found it tricky to use as the software was very detailed.

Firstly I produced a logo which would be symbolic to the viewers as when seen, this can be related back to the soap. This logo could also possibly be used in one of my posters or for other future purposes. I created the logo by using a template of all the famous London attractions to enhance the city lifestyle of the characters, also keeping the logo modern looking. I decided to keep the colours simple as black and white work well together and I didn't want to attract the wrong type of audience. Our target viewers aim to be young adults though the soap aspires to be of sophistication too. The font is kept in house style which will be recognisable throughout all the products produced. Overall I think the logo positively represents the soap in a modern way.

Above is the TV magazine front cover I created. I decided to use bright contrasting colours similar to those of other television guides as these tend to grab the attention of walkers-by. The photograph includes all cast members as the soap is new therefore all the characters should be introduced to the viewers. In the top right hand corner "exclusive" shows pictures of behind the scenes of the soap attempting to appeal to the viewers. The font name of the soap LIBERTY again is in bold white house style in order to be noticeable. Slightly below this in smaller text written is "new soap to hit the screen" communicating with the audience telling them what is going on. I have also included a bar code and a small picture of characters from another soap in order to enhance the realism though the main attraction here are the new characters of this new soap. I am pleased with the outcome of this, although the colours are somewhat too bright I think they work well to stand out. The front cover includes all that the viewers need to know; there is a new soap, these are the characters and this is what it is going to be about. Therefore working to attract them.

This is the first poster I produced. I wasn't very pleased with the outcome as I think that it looks quite animated which isn't the message I aim to communicate to the viewers. I have used the logo in the background to symbolise the soaps trade mark though changed the colours to blue and white. Again quite plain. I cut a previous photograph of the cast (also used above in the TV magazine) and placed it here adding shadows and enhancements. The photograph represents the characters and who they are. The couple Maria and Dervish are sat very close together, with Maria's hand placed on his knee showing their affection for one another. Likewise this can be seen between Moji and Shiffa however Shiffa is almost pulling away representing she feels uncomfortable. The odd character out of place is Joanna this signifies her outside life to the others and how she longs to be apart of it. I placed the soap name on the left hand corner where it will be easy to view in house style font in a bold blue colour to match the theme of the poster.

This is my favourite poster compared to the above. I think that it represents our soap clearer as to what it is about. I have used a floral modern design in order to attract teenagers and used just two main colours. The photograph again represents who the characters are and their own individual roles. The couple Maria and Dervish are sat very close together showing their devotion. As Moji is sat quite awkwardly beside Shiffa representing her hidden feelings for her secret lover Joanna who is sat away and beneath the group. LIBERTY is centered to the right of the page matching the theme and floral design as the y drapes down. Underneath is written "Coming soon..." informing the viewers to be prepared. I think the design works well to attract our specific target audience.

The outcome wasn't really how I imagined the designs to be like. However I am still very pleased with the results.

Filming Day 2 Cancelled

Unfortunately due to personal inevitable issues we were unable to continue our arranged filming day yesterday. The two main characters Shadei and Moji were unable to attend therefore we had no choice other than to cancel the filming day.

This has held our filming process back as we had originally aimed to have finished the filming process by yesterday and we planned to take part in the editing process during the forthcoming Christmas break.

We are yet to have rescheduled a new date as we will need to talk to the whole group and find out when all the cast is available this may be a little tricky finding a day that we will all be able to attend. This will need to be arranged fairly soon in order to get the filming process finished.

Soap Website Production

Today we re-visited the Clc, as earlier this week as we attempted to access our site and edit it we faced a few troubles concerning the software of "iweb"and were unable to carry on our work. Therefore we arranged another session at the Clc where we were offered additional help to solve these problems.

In the visit we were able to get the software problems sorted and the majority of our website constructed and almost finished. As group leaders myself and Anna Philona, we assembled and updated the current pages. We were constantly flicking back and fourth from our own website to the websites of well known soaps. This gave us ideas of extra elements we could add and how they layed out their features.

Consequently this trip was highly beneficial as we have nearly completed the whole website, our next steps include changing a few fonts and the layout as well as adding more images, our trailer clip and the "Sneak Peek" video clip (showing a short 30secs-1min clip of next weeks episode). Also the remaining group members: Shadei and Anna Constantinou will be researching different soundtracks to find one that will suit the theme of our soap, this will be added onto our website.

The Filming Process - Improved Script

written by Elena Antoniades and Anna Philona

As we were filming the scenes of our first storyline we were basing them using our draft script, which was written by Anna Philona and can be viewed via our group blog. Though we immediately felt this needed to be changed as the performance of realism was not being portrayed and these lines seemed unnatural. We wanted to achieve a scene that would reflect real life and a continuous flow, therefore we changed the script.

SCRIPT

Characters: Maria and Dervish,

played by Anna and Dervish are sitting on the sofa, Dervish leans in to kiss Anna he senses that something is wrong though still leans in to kiss her. Anna is hesitant and pushes him away.

Dervish; (reacts)

Anna; I need to tell you something

Dervish; Why, whats up?

Anna; You Know... (pause)

Dervish; reacts (looks on floor)

Anna; You know what I mean (pause), I don't think I'm ready for it yet.

(pause)

Dervish; I'm not going to false you to do something you don't want to. (pause) Whenever your ready. (trails off)

(Both look around followed by an awkward silence)

Anna; I bought the perfect dress for Joanna's party tonight, I cant wait.

Dervish; I'm sorry I cant make it

Anna; Don't worry

(Scene ends)

The Filming Process: Day 1 Gallery

These are a series of photographs from our first filming day, they vary from the characters in action to shots being filmed.

Me filming the scene of *Maria collapsed on the bed, this had to be re-shot a couple of times due to lighting and shadows ruining it. We tried filing from long shot, tracking the rapist walking towards Maria and also zooms close-up to her face.





The couple practising their lines and body language before recording live footage in order to allow them to become comfortable with each other and represent realism.






Fellow group member Shadei filming the shots of the rapist entering the bedroom. She filmed close-ups of the hand turning the key to create suspense.


Shadei creating the party atmosphere using a variety of different props ranging from disco balls to fairy lights.






These photographs show me filming the couple conversation scene, I used a tripod in order to produce a clear steady shot. The filmed the scene in three different ways. Firstly from front ways of the couple showing both their bodies, secondly close-ups from Dervish's point if view and lastly close-ups from Maria's point of view. The reason I done this was due to the fact that when editing we ill have a variety of different shots to choose from.



Here shows Shadei having a second go at filming the rapist scenes.

This photograph shows myself setting up the camera on the tripod to find the right position.

Lastly this photograph shows Maria and Dervish rehearsing their lines just before shooting the scene this was essential in order for the filming to run smoothly and prevent any time being wasted.

The Filming Process: Day 1

Today was our first filming day, all group members were present and fulfilled a role. Anna Philona played the main character of the teen *Maria, Anna.C carried out the job of assistant director whilst myself and Shadei swapped roles of Director and filming throughout the day.

We choose to shoot all the scenes of the celibate teen getting raped on one day while next weekend we will be shooting the whole storyline of the religious cultural clash. Although we will be producing a short clip trailer we still decided that it would be more effective if we filmed many different shots to achieve the best possible overall outcome.

We began the first scene of the couple *Maria and *Dervish talking on the sofa. Though we had a draft script this was immediately improvised and changed as we realised it seemed too unnatural and it didn't seem to flow. Once the script was changed the acting improved dramatically establishing realism. For this scene we took both close up front shots of the two characters and also over the shoulder shots to emphasis the tension and awkward feelings the two were feeling - which could be discovered from the looks and actions of them. This scene took the longest and was the only one which involved dialogue.

The next part of the storyline was the party scene. We improvised greatly on mise en scene here - we darkened my room, used; bottles, glasses of drinks, spot lights, disco ball, fairy lights all as props to create a realistic effect. This worked out better than imagined though it was hard to produce the illusion that this party was overcrowded in a small confined area, using only 4-5 people and close up shots. Here we shot the mystery hand placing a drug into *Maria's drink, we see the tablet dissolving then Maria picking it up to drink.

The third scene showed *Maria being led up the shadowy stairs by a strange anonymous male character. It is obvious that she is not in the right frame of mind as the viewers will have established in the first scene she wants to remain a virgin and the previous scene of the drink being tampered with. We follow the two up the stairs were we are led into a bedroom, showing *Maria lying on the bed , we see a hand locking the door (we shot both long shots and close ups) then the figure of the male approaching the vulnerable girl on the bed, we also tracked *Dervish and will decide which looks better when we begin editing. Our last few shots were of *Maria holding a pregnancy test looking shocked these were all close-ups to view her expression.

Overall the day went well, though we will find out how well when we transfer the footage onto the computer and begin editing. This will start once we have finished all the filming process. Our next filming date will be held on the 6th December.

The start of our website production

Today we began the first few steps of producing our soap website. We visited the CLC centre, where we were taught how to use a specific software using Mac computers called "iWeb", in order to produce our website. We made sure that we used this time sufficiently and managed to complete the basis of our website.

Our result was quite similar to that of our website draft. We choose a simple yet effective template. At the top of our home page the name of our soap "LIBERTY" is featured in big bold black font. Next to this is a group image of the main characters. Our home page contains a lot of activities - to the left are the times and dates of when our soap begins and will be shown on TV, below will include our trailer (which is yet to be made) and below will be a short insight video clip of next weeks episode. To the right we have two images that are in collaboration with the two most current storylines and below there will be written a short summary about this. The homepage also includes a "weekly vote" which is a poll that allows the viewers to vote on their opinions of the storylines. Also there will be a "WIN!" box where the viewers can enter a competition with the chance to win signed products. We wanted to add a number of different media products such as video clips, images and information in order to keep the audience interested.

To the top of the home page, just below the soap name are our different hyperlinked pages, these include:

"About Liberty" - this page will include a short description of the history of the soap and how it came about being produced.

"Character profile" - this page will include an account of information and pictures about the three main characters "Maria", "Shiffa" and "Dervish", this is done to introduce the viewers to these characters and giving them a sneak insight to their roles and personalities.

"Games" - this page will include four mini games which have already been made today: match the pairs, two puzzles and a "catch" game. this was done as an extra element of the website.

"Fan Forum" - this page will include a wall of posts by the viewers and the producers, questions relating to the current storylines asked such as "Will Maria keep the baby?", likewise to a social chat room though it will be a discussion about the soap.

"Contact Us" - this will be a page that will include contact information where the viewers will be able to get in touch.

Overall our group is pleased with the progress we have achieved today and we are all on task. We have most of the website basis done - all that is needed to be done is rearrangements of the layout of each page, improvements and possible changes.

Minutes of group meeting - Soap Website

All Present: EA, AP, SR, AC.

In today's meeting our group will be discussing plans for our website, essentially how it will be designed and its layout and format.

Website design/analysis

As each group member was assigned to different roles last week each has researched into these specific areas, resulting with our group having collected lots of relevant detailed information which will have helped us to provide what we will need when producing our website. Today as a group we drew up a rough draft template of what we aspire our website to look like. From the research we gathered we cut down the list of elements that will be included on our website, leaving all the important relevant information.

As our soap will be a new one to be shown on TV our website has the primary purpose to market our product. We want the website to reflect as much as possible on what our soap is about therefore we will need to be especially trying to attract our target audience of 16-25 year olds. The website will need to communicate that our soap is a mixture of both a traditional community soap as well as featuring modern aspects and appealing to the younger generation. This will be achieved through ways of methods contained on the website such as "sneak peaks" of the next episode, games, character profiles and so on.

Rough draft template of soap website: The homepage of our website will contain the name of our soap "Liberty" in large bold font at the top, so that it jumps out at the viewers. We will have a thin strip of all the hyperlinks to our features that will be contained on our site. This will be a drop down menu which will include features such as: "cast", "extras", "fan forum", "win" and "history of the soap". On the homepage there will be a photograph of the characters in action this will be the story of the week and it will feature a small passage of information of the storyline. On the top right hand corner will consist of a small box which will contain all of the TV scheduling times as well as "Contact us" information. Towards the right side of the homepage there will be a video clip of our trailer, this will be used to draw in potential new viewers. Below this will include a link to "sneak peek" of next weeks episodes, these will include both still images and short video clips of the forthcoming storylines. An additional aspect will be a "webcam" of the characters houses allowing the audience an insight into the set. This is just a rough outline of what our website will be like and improvements and changes will be made.

Next week we will all be meeting together to begin producing our website. Each group member will bring with them their information that they have researched, which they will be contributing to the site. On this day we aim to produce the basis of the site - being able to view what it will look like and with most of the aspects included and finished. Though improvements and changes will be able to be altered at a further date.

Filming Arrangements

We can now confirm that our filming dates of 29th November and 6th December will be going ahead. Each group member has been given a role on these days, whether it be directing, acting or arranging the set everyone will have a job to be doing. We discussed further mise-en-scene elements and how we will be arranging the set to represent realism. We have both the storyboard and script printed out in order for us to know what we are doing during the filming process, this will act as a guide line and improvisations will be made on the day. We may decide to use different shots or even come up with new ones that we think will be effective. Each group member has been given a list of what they will need to be bringing on the day- including props and costumes. We hope that on our first day of filming we produce enough high standard footage that then can be used for editing. This will be the next process we will need to plan.

Additional Soap Website Research/Analysis

For additional further research I have analysed the two soap websites: Eastenders and Gossip Girl in order to view a sneak insight into how these soaps use the websites to attract both current and potential new viewers.

Gossip Girl - Gossip Girl is a mixture between a TV soap and a drama. It is an American series originally based on the book "Gossip Girl". The soap/drama revolves around gossip, hence the title. It is based on the lives of six main characters who attend a private school in New york City. The mystery blogger gossip girl follows the lives of these six characters and posts gossip about them on the net.

Immediately the first thing that you see on the homepage of the site is a picture of a celebrity, on top featuring a passage of gossip, this is following the same type of theme as the soap - appealing to the audience of gossip girl. The site is very much about appearance, there are many images, colours and words drawing you in. At the top of the homepage are advertisements for shops such as "Macy's" which can be associated with wealth representing the stereotypical rich characters living in New York City in the drama. The soap target audience is a majority of young teenage girls therefore the website then attempts to attract these viewers using different methods. At the top of the homepage featured is a large heading that says "Hey people" where next to it contains an icon of lips, this is showing the flirtatious side of gossip girl catching the eyes of young teenage girls.

The site includes direct links to extra features such as "the cast", "downloads" and "shop" using marketing methods to appeal to the viewers. Photographs of the cast allow you to be introduced to them. The characters are viewed as almost idols for the audiences watching. All of the cast come across as very attractive and young, as well as this being presented in the photos of them which look perfectionised.

The direct link to the Gossip girl website: http://www.gossipgirl.net/

Eastenders - Eastenders is very much a traditional community based soap. The sight is very different from the site of "Gossip Girl". As this soap aims to target a variety of audiences from different age groups the website is much more plain in order to attempt to appeal to all viewers. The first thing that is seen again is a photograph though this is of the "Albert Square" street sign establishing the setting and location. Below this a strip of features that are contained on the website, some of these include: Weekly quiz, Gallery, Wallpaper, Webcam and many more entertainment aspects.

The soap website is appealing to all ages; it includes games for the younger audiences as well as quizzes for the older more dedicated viewers. Keeping people involved are vote poles (concerning present storylines) that you are able to take part in, this makes the viewers feel as if their opinions also count. There is also the option of watching previous episodes of the soap, this allows the viewers to keep updated on what is currently happening.

The direct link to the Eastenders website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/index.shtml

Soap Website - Image Research

As part of my image research I have looked at two specific websites Eastenders and Gossip Girls, these being two that have been previously looked at by other group members and felt these have much relevance in portraying our type of soap to the viewers.

Firstly I looked at Gossip Girl and analysed how images were being used. As soon as you click on the web page there is immediately in the centre of the homepage a large photo of one of the characters, this was effective as it stood out drastically and is the first thing you see instantly making you familiar with the character faces. As you scroll further down the page lots more imagery is used. There are smaller photographs with captions and links beside them, the images here help to attract and draw the viewers to click and view these. The photographs used on the site come across as very flirtatious reflecting all of what the soap/drama is about: appearance, gossip and status. The images on the website are not just of the characters, as the soap is based all around gossip, there are uploaded photographs of celebrity gossip specifically targeting the audience in a different way - if they watch our soap which revolves around gossip they will definately also be interested in real life celebrity gossip. Additional features on the site include photographs of the cast - though this only included the main seven. The photos are small head shots nevertheless still very appealing. Whilst all of these characters come across as fresh faced and attractive this is done to attract the teenage targeted age group where appearance is an important factor. We too could include some of these elements, for example Character profiles will be effective as our group have already taken these head shots of the main five characters. These profiles will help to introduce the new characters to the viewers in giving them a sneak insight to their roles and personalities.

The Eastenders website uses slightly different approaches. again the first thing you see as the home page is uploaded is a photograph, though this is of the "Albert Square" street sign used as a sort of establishing shot to locate the setting of exactly where you are. Towards the bottom of the page there are strips of photographs of the different characters with added captions and links. These extra added features include: family tree and a gallery of the cast. Likewise to the character profiles the gallery shows photographs of the characters although these are recent pictures whilst the characters are acting in action packed moments and could give away the forthcoming storylines to be featured in this week working to draw in the audience to watch the soap. Below these photographs captions include the date of when these will appear on TV and catchy give away lines, I thought that this was a good method of attracting more viewers to watch the show and this could be a potential idea for our own soap especially as ours will be a brand new soap this will help to attract the audience further. The gallery does not only feature the recent week photographs but also photographs from dramatic occasions "Gary and Dawn's Wedding exit" as well as "Family" photographs.

The main difference of the Eastenders website from the Gossip Girl one in terms of imagery was that you could immediately tell that both are attempting to attract different target audiences. Gossip Girls site felt much more airbrushed and seemed like it strived for perfection. As the soap is targeted towards teenage girls appearance was a very important element and this could be observed. All the pictures were very presentable and the characters were all very youthful and attractive. As in contrast the Eastenders website was much more family oriented including images of the family tree and gallery photographs where all the characters were included. Eastenders target audience is much more varied which makes it harder as you are not just specifying to target one particular age group, you need to suit the needs of everyone. These two sites were very useful to look at as our soap will need to fit in the middle of both these categories which needs to be reflected on our website to market our new soap. Therefore we will be mixing and matching different yet successful elements.

Soap Website

As another feature of production, as well as producing a trailer for our new soap we will be making a website. Although all of our group will participate in the production of the website each group member has been given individual roles. I have been given the role of taking charge of all the images that are going to be published onto the site, Anna Philona will be in charge of writing up the information, Anna C will be handling the layout and the design and Shadeie will be in control of the extra features/prizes/music our site will contain. Therefore this week our tasks have been assigned to research our individual elements that we will be contributing towards the production of the website.

Having visited a number of soap websites I noticed that all of them contain many photographs and imagery throughout the pages, this is done to attract the viewer, as if these sites were just full of writing they would not appeal to people. Websites are visited in peoples spare time, mostly for entertainment purposes, other times to find out information therefore they need to attract the consumers.

As well as our cast production photographs we have also taken behind the scenes photos and profile photos. Below are a few extra photos of the characters playing their roles, these will be included on our website.

These pictures are showing one of the main characters Maria in distress in conjunction with her dramatic storyline.

These photos (below) are of the secret homosexual couple Shiffa and Joanna.
The first photograph shows them embracing hands loving. The second shows the two attempting to keep their relationship behind close doors.

BOOKING FORMS

Before we begin filming we will need to book out the equipment that we will need during this process. As written below our confirmed dates now go as follow: Sunday 22nd November and Sunday 29th November. Below is a template of our first booking form :

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BOOKING FORM

DATE: From Thursday 19th – Thursday 26th November

TYPE OF EQUIPMENT: Camera

SIGNATURES:

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For our first filming date we will book out only the camera from Thursday 19th - Thursday 26th November. This form has been printed off and will be signed by both our teacher who will be distributing the equipment out to us and by one of the group members who will be in charge of the camera. The same will be done for the dates of Thursday 26th - Thursday 3rd December.

Unconfirmed filming dates

As all of our pre-production, planning and researching is coming to an end we are edging closer to the filming process. In lesson today we had a group meeting and brought up the topic of arranging a date for the filming process.

As a group we feel that if we are to be successful we should begin the filming by around two weeks time. We need to ensure all the cast, production team are able to be present. Therefore we will need to plan and organise a date of which of all us can attend. Originally we were hoping to begin our first few scenes "Celibate teen gets raped" by next week but due to a few of the cast not being able to attend, our plan now is to begin by two weeks time. This time will give us enough preparation to film a number of different shots and time to edit, leaving us with a successful end product.

Soap Website Analysis

As well as producing a trailer and a TV magazine front cover, our group will be producing a website for our new soap. Web pages are successful methods for promoting the soap. They are easy accessible, include vital information - images/videos and have the advantage of being obtained at any time of the day or night.

Therefore before making our website we will be researching and analysing websites from current soaps. As our new soap will be aimed at the more younger modern generation of 16-25 year olds I decided to analysis the website of the soap "Hollyoaks", whereas other group members will be analysing different soap websites in order to achieve a variety of research from different sources.
As soon as I logged onto the website many images and bright colours jump towards me, the page looks as if it is action packed. Down the left hand side are a list of headings including: Home, news, episodes, pictures, music and cast - the list goes on. The home page uses bright colours of which are in association of the Hollyoaks logo, pink and blue - emphasising the engagement of both sexes. At the top on the centre features a photo of two main characters with serious expressions on their faces, with Hollyoaks written just on top. The font is in block, bold capitals of which the logo is always in. Below this picture there is a heading that explains this is in connection to the next episode and there is a link to view a "spoiler" this in itself works to attract the audiences.

Towards the top right hand side there is a clear box that contains all the days and times of when Hollyoaks appears on TV this comes in use to the viewers encouraging them to watch the soap. There are a number of different activities for the audiences to take part in: quiz's on how well they know the characters, chances to win prizes and a gallery of pictures from the current weeks episodes.

(Above is a print screened image of the website)

The website works well in targeting the modern generation, as in the use of bright colours and more visual concepts which would attract mostly teens. There are many pictures accessible to view from behind the scenes, cast photos as well as on every page video clips. The website allows you to watch any episodes you have missed over the last week or two and also "special" videos which are special one-off video clips. I think that the website works well in establishing the soap and obtaining any information the viewers want to find out - appealing to the targeted audience.

These factors will be taken into consideration when our own group will be producing our own website for our soap.

http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/H/hollyoaks/

Focus group - 19+

Following the first focus group we took part in - ages 16-19 year olds each group member took part in now a second focus group including people from ages 19 years old and above in order to receive as much feedback as possible for our production process. We based the focus groups on these age boundaries because our target audience will be from the ages between 16-25 year olds as well as our secondary target audience. Therefore taking into consideration the needs of people from a variety of different age groups.

Again I asked the same informational questions to the group showing them the: treatment - the two storylines, TV schedules, cast photos and future promotional advertisement methods.

The group were a mixture of six 20-25 year olds. I explained all of the above and asked for their feedback, mostly importantly would this appeal to them?

They felt that the two main storylines worked well mutually in attracting their attention - mentioning that if they saw this being advertised in the TV guide it would draw them in, into actually watching our new soap. They liked the fact that the storylines weren't holey about the young teens and are based also on the cultural and family side too which would overall interest them more.

All the cast photographs were shown to the focus group, unlike the 16-19year olds this age group preferred a number of the shots explaining that they appealed to the more modern soap - as well as coming across as sophisticated.

I also told the focus group the name of our new soap "Liberty", they made clear that this name would draw them in, further expressing that it symbolises what the soap will entail. In terms of TV scheduling times they felt that these times would be most suitable and would not interfere with their daily routine.

The promotion methods especially the TV magazines and the website was the most popular method of advertisement and the group stated that they would use these regularly either if they wanted to find out any information on the soap or just out of leisure purposes.

Focus Group - Target audience of 16-19

In realtion to our own individual focus groups of 19+ as a whole production group we took part in the 16-19 year old focus group together.

We firstly rounded up a number of 16 - 19 year old students and supplied them with the treatment - including our two main storylines, how our soap will be promoted and advertised through different media convergences, TV schedule details and our cast production photographs. As well as suppling them with a few questions that would provide us with much needed current feedback.

The Storylines - We orally explained the two main storylines our new soap will include, breifly explaining the characters roles and personalities not wanting to give too much away. With this we asked our groups what they felt about these storylines? - Could they relate back to them and if they felt they were realistic enough to attract them as a potential future viewer. To our contentment, they loved both of the storylines. They mentioned how these storylines would definately attract them and even asked what happens to the celibate young teen, does she keep the baby? They felt that in today's society these storylines would be seen as realistic and also very relevant. In terms of our storyline " cultural clash" they were immediately drawn in stating as a new TV soap this storyline would make them want to tune in as it both reflects cultural backgrounds and family life in the juxaposition of the teens strict upbringing.

TV Scheduling - As previously in our pilot focus group our feedback resulted us into changing the times of when our soap would be shown on TV. Therefore this area was of most importance to us - we especially wanted to find out if this target audeince of 16-19 years of age would be happy with these new times. We stated our new soap would be shown on the weeknights at 8pm, on: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. The immediate reaction of the focus group was, were these times going to clash with current popular soaps such as Eastenders, we explained that this would not be an issue as our times did not clash with these soaps. Having resovled these queries the group agreed that these times and days would be suitable for them, as this is usually the time they use to relax and wine down in front of the TV. Also pointing out that they felt particular in order to attract their age group these days were wise - revealing that esepcially fridays they would not be at home to watch the soap.

Cast production Photographs - Though mainly this focus group task was done to ensure we were on the right track in terms of our filming process we took advantage in also asking the focus group which of the five photographs of the cast they prefered which would be displayed on either TV magazine front covers or/and our soap website. Overall the most amount of people choose this photo ->

The focus group supposed that this would work the most in attracting their age group - therefore we could use this photograph specificallys specifially targeting 16-19 year olds.

Promotion - This is the most important element in distributing our new soap to potential future viewers, without the viewers there would be no soap. This element needs to be carfully endorsed. Our group has come uo with some methods we would be using in order to promote our new soap, - through: specific magazines, trailers (adverts) and internet access - by making our own soap website. The groups verdict was that if these methods were used it would attract them and they also suggessted that posters would also attract them.

Overall all round we had positive feedback our focus group responed that our new soap "Liberty" would appeal to them in all different ways. This is a huge bonus for us knowning that this target audience would be interested in watching our soap and was therefore a successful form of research.

Below is a mini video clip of just two of the many teens from our focus group. The clip only focuses on minor elements though we did ask much more.

Further Trailer Analysis

To benefit us in widening our knowledge and potentially expanding on our new TV soap trailer ideas, we took part in further trailer research. We watched two trailers of two very popular successful TV soap operas - Eastenders and Coronation Street.

Eastenders

This trailer is based around the festive season of Christmas day. The audience are shown all of the different characters in short quick shots accompanied by Christmas theme "cheerful" music to set the mood and atmosphere. It is ironic how the trailer begins on a high showing all these characters sitting round the table with their family, smiling and laughing of ordinary shots in juxtaposition along side the end shots of drama and misery where the cheerful music disappears into dramatic drum beats and the audience are left with an answered question.

In these shots almost suddenly the warm, cosy, bright colours turn to darkness emphasising the grief of what is about to happen in the soap. Throughout the trailer there are close-up shots of the characters showing their facial expressions. The narrator voice also leaves the audience on edge, it comes from no-where and sounds like a slow mysterious voice stating "the truth is out" drawing the viewers in even more. This trailer is representing family and community base life intending to target a wider range of audience. Narrative enigmas are used consistently as a sense of illusions in the audiences mind. It contains drama, secrets, gossip and lies all of which are essences of a good soap.

Coronation Street

The second trailer we analysed was Coronation Street. Similarities could be seen between both of these trailers using traditional forms and conventions. Likewise to Eastenders the trailer was made to attract a wide popular audience. Immediately from the first few shots we gather what the occasion is that is happening on the street - a wedding. However although weddings are usually associated with lots of happiness the viewers can sense tension. There is emphasis on "luck" which is juxapostioned with the happiness of the wedding day. There are varieties of different shots of leading up to the preparation of the wedding - the cake being iced, flowers being arranged and so on.

Though it is odd there are many superstitious signs, for example "Good Luck" is represented and shown in different forms - sprayed on the car, placed on the cake and even a character crosses her fingers. Whereas on any other wedding day you are usually told "congratulations" rather than "Good Luck" which is as if they are expecting and waiting for something to go wrong. Where usually it is the characters that are left unaware of what is coming ahead this time it is us the viewers that are asking questions, why do they all look so anxious? As the trailer comes to an end the voice of an a narrator "Friday 13th, perfect for a Coronation Street wedding" both emphasizing the superstitious side as Friday 13th is often related as a bad luck day with a twist of humour.

Script Draft Copy

SCRIPT 1

CELIBATE GIRL GETS RAPED

Before we take part in filming our scenes we will need to write up a script that will provide us with a guide line when filming. This script is my own draft copy of the script.

The two young teen characters Maria and Dervish are sitting comfortably on the bed talking. At first it seems like a normal occurrence. They lean in to kiss each other, Dervish places his hands onto Maria's face the other on her thigh. However Maria is hesitant and prompts him to stop.

Dervish; What is it babe....(pause) whats wrong? (confused expression)

Maria; Just STOP... STOP it ok...

Dervish; (worried expression)

Maria; Ive been thinking long and hard (bites lip) and I need you to respect this... (pauses)
Or this could be the end or us.. (pauses) Ive chosen... (anxious expression)
(pause) I just don't think I'm ready for it yet....

(long awkward pause)
Dervish; I respect you, I'm not with you just for that.
If that's your decision - I'm right here by your side... I'm happy to wait

The couple embrace each other, Maria places her head onto Dervish's shoulder with a relived facial expression and the scene ends here.

The party scene doesn't contain any dialogue therefore we will be improvising out the actions - though we do have a storyboard which we will be referring to.


SCRIPT 2
GAY TEEN FROM RELIGIOUS FAMILY
Shiffa is preparing for her morning prayers, sighs as she places her headscarf on and walks out bumping into her mother.

Shiffa's mother (SM); Shiffa hurry up, its going to begin


Shiffa; I'm coming... CANT u see!

The family prayer scene, Shadei looks bored and sighs as she leaves dramatically.
The family are sat down around the table preparing for the dinner. Shiffa' s potential partner Moji is sitting round the table with his mother.
The atmosphere is tense as Moji and his mother whisper amongst each other.

Shiffa's mother enters along with Shiffa close behind.

SM; Shadei this is Moji, currently studying to become a lawyer - he is very successful (winks)

Shiffa; (looks hesitant)

SM; Come on get to know each other.

Scene ends.

*scene Shiffa and Joanna (Shiffa's secret lover) lean in to kiss each other

These scripts above were just draft copy's, as a group we discussed these and choose the one we thought would work best. The scripts work well to challenge the conventions of current real media soaps. They include dramatic dialogue as well as body language playing a huge part in the continuous flow. Though this copy was rejected and the one we will be using is able to be viewed via the group blog.

Group Cast Production Photo Day

Today we arranged to meet at my house were we took a number of different shots of our cast production team. These pictures will be used for our individual TV magazine front covers as well as for our group website. All the members involved are of who will be acting however we chose to only include the younger actors/actresses as we want our soap to appeal to the modern generation rather like a picture from Eastenders cast crew we based ours similar to Hollyoaks. We chose to take the pictures in my bedroom basing them being shot on one particular decorated wall. This wall theme emphasises the modern audience we aim to appeal to.

The foundation of our shots were taken from ideas of current British and American soaps/TV dramas such as Hollyoaks, Gossip Girl and One tree Hill. We done our best to model similar shots like these. In order to achieve a number of photos that would be able to be used in the end we took roughly two or more shots of the modelled eight photos we had analysed. The photos included Anna Philona, Anna C, Shadei and our two male extras. I, myself took the role of photographer. All of the cast were dressed in smart formal clothing although with hints of their characters roles, for example Anna C will be playing the role of a teen homosexual therefore her outfit had more colour involved then the others. When taking the shots I tried to positioned the characters more or less next to others which will be included in their storylines. Although in some of the shots this was not the case it wasn't a big issue.

Overall we were pretty pleased with the end results of our photos and we plan to edit them slightly on photoshop during the next following week where everyone will be able to choose which photo will be most suitable for their individual TV magazine front cover. Below are a few of the most success photos.

Group Production Schedule

The time for filming is heading closer therefore the last tweeks and adjustements are being made.
We have constructed both the shooting schedule written by Anna Philona and the group production schedule by myself. These are needed before we begin filming to make sure everything goes to plan and we know exactly what needs to be done. Orginally these files were processed on word documents in tables, however due to a few technological problems these are unable to be uploaded on the blog therefore instead we have typed them out. Although the factors are less clearly defined it has been the only way to put them on this.

The Group Production Schedule:
NAME: Elena and Shadei
FILMING/EDITING:
Filming:
1. First shots of celibate young couple.

2. Shots of their faces showing expressions.

3. Cutting to party scene of celibate teen in bedroom.

4. Close ups of objects that are of relevance.

LOCATION: House num. 1

PEOPLE/ROLES:
Anna P – acting as celibate girl

Elena – Director

Shadei - Filming

Anna. C – Assistant Director

EQUIPMENT:
- Camera

- Tripod

NAME: Whole group

FILMING/EDITING:

Editing:
Check that the shots are good enough to use and make sure there are not any errors in these scene shots.

EQUIPMENT:

• Editing equipment in software form.
• Computers

NAME: Anna. P and Elena

FILMING/EDITING:

Filming:
1. Starting shots of second storyline – cultural clash in front room and kitchen.

LOCATION: House num. 2

PEOPLE/ROLES:

Anna. P – Director

Elena – Filming

Shadei – Actress

Anna. C - Actress

EQUIPMENT:
•Camera
•Tripod

NAME: Anna. P and Elena

FILMING/EDITING:

Filming:
1. Carrying on with the shots of the front room and kitchen.
2. Finishing all the shots off from this scene. Anna. P – Filming

Elena – Director

Shadei – Actress

Anna. C – Assistant Director and actress

EQUIPMENT:

• Camera
• Tripod

NAME: Whole group

FILMING/EDITING:

Editing :
Putting together and edit final last pieces. Also checking for any errors that can be changed or re-done.

EQUIPMENT:

• Editing equipment in software form.
• Computers

NAME: Whole Group

FILMING/EDITING:

Filming:
If have picked up any errors of shots that need to be done today being the last day for them to be done and finalized.

Editing:
Last check that everything is perfect.

EQUIPMENT:

• Camera
• Tripod
• Editing equipment in software form
• Computer.

Pilot Focus group research

Although our production team have already analysed and finalized research we have decided to take part in one more extra element of research - this being a focus group.
This involves a small group of our target audience with the aim to produce cooperative data on the specific topic of our new TV soap being discussed. They will be asked to express their opinions of elements of the soap which could affect them in some way. It allows the viewers to express what they feel needs to be improved and is a way for our group to decide whether these judgements are strong enough to be changed.

Therefore we will be asking around 5-8 people aged 16-25 years of age to be part of the focus group and we will provide them with an outline of our pitch and treatment. As well as asking them the below questions:

- Looking at our two main storylines (Cultural clash and Celibate teen) our aim is to represent realism. Do you feel that these are types that are appealing and could be reflected back to your own life?

- On any element if any, what improvements do you feel our plans need in order to attract you?

- In terms of TV scheduling, do you think that these times are suitable for a modern yet traditional soap like ours?

- State both factors, negative and positive of what you think will make our new TV soap appealing or not so appealing?

The RESPONSE :

Before putting forward our questions to the public, in lesson we took part in a pilot focus group - which meant we asked students from our own class the questions which we will be asking to our actual focus group. This was done in order for us receive feedback, to be ready for the real thing and whether we should change any of the questions. Although taking into consideration that the publics answers will not be as of much technical knowledge as our pilot focus peers, the questions are quite broad.

We asked five students asked 17 to 18 years of age the following above questions. Overall we received mostly positive feedback from our peers. They felt optimistic about our target audience being aged 16-25yrs old as we are mixing the two elements of traditional and more modern soap conventions. Though they supposed we need not forget about our secondary audiences who we would also want to be attracting. Bearing this in mind we may need to extend our focus group to asking people outside of the 16-25 age band to achieve more opinions and responses.

Another important element was brought up focusing on the TV scheduling times. Originally our production group had agreed that if aired we were going to be competing against well known popular soap operas such as Eastenders and Coronation Street therefore we wanted our soap to be on at a later time of 9pm therefore we would not be intertwining and overlapping onto these programmes hoping the audience will choose our soap. Though our pilot focus group felt that this time was too late and my not attract high numbers of viewers. They suggested that to repair this risk it may be more wise to change our original TV schedule times. Therefore we have now chosen that our new soap will be aired only three times a week including: Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays at a more reasonable time of 8pm.

This pilot focus group included only the students from our class therefore we will soon be taking part in a real focus group where we will be asking members of the public.

Soap Name ideas

In todays session our group discussed potential soap name ideas. We all came up with two individual ideas each resulting in a number of different ideas which we have combined together and of which all have meaning to our new TV soap.
Black Pearl: This is one of our strongest name ideas. As a white pearl represents and is associated with innocence using the name "Black Pearl" will imply the contraction between the two symbolising the opposite of this meaning. The name emphasises what our soap will entitle within the storylines.

Orange: Although this may seem an odd name at first glance it does have a meaning behind it. An orange has different segments just the way our soap will include different pieces which in the end all fit together. The way that an orange is peeled in an unraveling method symbolises the unraveled intertwined storylines.

Leopard : Signifying the changing of spots - and the link between the changing of characters. As well as a leopard typically being associated with fast moving reflecting our soap to be action packed.

Laburnum Grove: This would mean our soap would be based in a specific area - a grove. The grove meaning a road that ends- one way. Similar to traditional soaps, the sense of community on this road. All the characters will live here and all be intertwined within each others lives in some way or another.

Liberty: I thought of this idea as I felt that one worded titles work well and are very effective. Liberty is a strong word that would emphases the freedom of our teenage characters.

Kohl: This a brand of cosmetics - specifically black eyeliner. It signifies "darkness" and hidden secrets. Cosmetices are used as a cover up, to enhance their appearance reflecting our characters identity

Research Evaluation

The research development in our pre-production process is now finished. It was essential that we took part in this as the results have been vital in the preparation of our new TV soap opera. The results have allowed us to learn, change and develop our own ideas - helping us to achieve to our highest potential.
Listed below are all the types of research we took part in and the outcomes we found out:
- QUESTIONNAIRES: we distributed questionnaires to our target audience in order to find out what they preferred in the daily soaps they view.
- Looking into TV SCHEDULING: to ensure we target the correct audience we wish to.
- TV GUIDE ARTICLES/MAGAZINES: we looked at many different formatted TV guide magazines which included current soap storylines.
- OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE ANALYSIS: we observed the opening of two title sequences.
- VIEWINGS OF TV SOAP OPERAS: we watched a mixture of traditional/modern soap operas to compare and construct finding out what worked well and how this could be used in our own.
- TV SOAP OPERA TRAILERS: This I would say was the most difficult. it was hard to find a genuine TV soap trailer, many where just short clips of storylines that were due to happen soon. Although we did manage to find some of the old trailers of Hollyoaks and Eastenders just before the soap actually appeared on TV.

Risk Assesment Forms

LOCATION: House 1 – Living Room/Staircase/Bedroom

HAZARDS:
- Props may cause hazards

- People falling down

- Props may cause hazard

PROCEDURES:
- Cases such as people falling over, hands caught in doors etc will be taken to notice and again people will be warned to be careful and informed that care is needed whilst filming.
- When filming on the staircase both actors/directors/assistants will need to be aware of the risk of tripping and falling down the stairs.
- As we will be using liquids for our party scene in a small confined space with a number of actors in the same room there is the risk that these could be spilt and someone could slip and injury themselves as well as the number of people in one room. We will have to inform people of this to avoid any injuries. If any injuries are to occur First Aid kits will be at hand.


LOCATION: House 2 – Living room/Dining room/ Garden
HAZARDS:
- Props may cause hazard

- Bad weather

- People passing by whilst filming

- Other hazards

PROCEDURES:
- Heavy props will be used therefore if any fall this could cause a minor injury as a result people will need to be informed of this beforehand. As well as the risk of any liquids or foods being spilt. Again on the day if any of these injuries were to occur First Aid kits will be at hand.

- In case of bad weather occurring our group may have to cease filming as a clear day/evening is needed to film this scene, also filming may be stopped to protect the equipment from damage and keep the costumes up to standard, so filming may have to be rescheduled for another time.

- Passers-by could by accident break something or get in the way during a scene. If this occurs we will have to re shoot this scene.

- Other hazards include people falling over; slipping these will have to be considered. People will be warned to be careful and informed that care is needed whilst filming.

Other pre-production forms such as the Recce forms by Anna Philona, can be viewed via our group blog.

Storyboard draft & Locations

After our research and many discussions we have finalised our storylines and produced a storyboard. We have started by looking at the two storylines separately and later on we will intertwined them into our final product which will be the trailer.

The first storyline - Celibate girl at a party gets raped and becomes pregnant. We have chosen to use my house for this storyline. For the party scene my room will be used as this location has suitable sustainable lighting. The area is also of good space for enough room for people to fit in. We have discussed mise-en-scene elements such as props and costumes.
- The scene will begin with the girl having a conversation with her boyfriend about her promise to stay celibate. These scenes will include many close up and behind the shoulder shots.
- The scene will then be cut into the party scene. the audiences will see people dancing/ drinking. - Shot of a mystery hand throwing a pill into a glass. Close-ups will be shown of this.
- Then shots of the girl being led up the stairs into a bedroom. These will be of blurred vision. The rapist will be anonymous and shots from behind will only be shown.
- Both the girl and the boy are on the bed. It is made clear of what is happening.
- It is now the morning after the girl wakes up alone and confused.
- A duration of time passes, shots of the girl taking a pregnancy test that is shown to be positive.

The Second storyline - Cultural Clash teen from religious family begins a same sex relationship. We have chosen to shoot this at one of my family members house where real life props can easily be used.
- The establishing shot will be of the teen praying with the family emphasizing her religious background.
- The next scene will be at a dinner table where the mother of the girl is trying to arrange a potential new husband for her daughter. Many closes-ups shots will be used here to show the tense expressions of the teen.
- Then it will cut to a shot of the girl about to kiss another girl.

All these shots are just rough drafts - these may be altered. The final clear typed up storyboard can be viewed via the group blog (asesagroupblog.blogspot.com)

Below shows our rough sketch of how we would like the shots to look (drawn by Anna Constantinou)

Storyline one - Celibate teen

Storyline two - Cultural clash

Soap Analysis

Following the many episodes/trailers/title sequences of soaps (Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and Eastenders) our group has watched it is now easy to see that many of these soap operas contain similar form and conventions. The most obvious elements that we noticed were: Community based, cliffhangers, gossip, realism of characters both young and old, narrative enigmas, concurrent storylines, shown at peak times, TV scheduling and shown several times a week. All of these forms and conventions help to attract the audiences therefore producing a successful soap opera that is watched by many.

As we noticed all these aspects it made us go back and reflect on the production of our own new TV soap. Our two storylines that will feature in the trailer are:
Celibate girl - at party gets raped and pregnant
Cultural clash - religious teen in same sex relationship
Just by looking and reading these it may seem that we are over - dramatising our storylines however all soaps do this. They all aim to achieve and represent realism in their episodes, at times you feel that some of these storylines wouldn't happen to you at all the same time although this is what draws in the viewers. The soap operas role are to entertain. Yet only are they successful when the use of realistic storylines and entertaining are combined in the correct balance, otherwise it will no longer seem appealing and viewings will drop drastically. We feel that our two storylines portray the right balance. They are realistic storylines which could happen to anyone. This is important as it will represent a sense of realism to our audiences making it easy for them to relate themselves into these situations.

The soaps continuously use concurrent storylines. The episodes need to make sense to the viewers - what happens one day cannot just be forgotten the next. The storylines need to be flowing from one episode to another. As well as the many cliffhangers that are used. Huge storylines mainly occur at national holidays - most frequently at Christmas where it is guaranteed everyone will not miss out due to work. It is a time where all the family are together and gather to watch the ultimate episode "is he going to die?". This really emphasizes what the soap is about. Family life.
Our new TV soap trailer will aim to be dramatic, action packed and appealing. With the current storylines we have I feel that this can be achieved. Although our soap opera intends to be a mixture of both worlds containing the elements of a traditonal soap also including a modern twist targeting audiences from ages 16-25 years old.