1) Type up your teacher's feedback in full plus a summary of the comments you received from other students in the class.
(teacher) WWW - - Good opening - Camera movement - Extreme close-ups - Tracking shots - Post production; slow-mo - Effective music - Performance - Edits; dissolves (teacher) EBI - - No dialogue - Follow the brief - match on action? (student) WWW- - Good use of shots and soundtrack - Editing and lighting was good - Great acting - Sound creates tension - Good camerawork and editing - Slow-motion is very good - Good use of reversing the camera & close-ups - Made me feel uncomfortable in a good way (student) EBI - - More clearler shots - Include dialogue - Didn't understand the scene
2) Using a combination of your own reflection on the preliminary exercise and the feedback you were given, write three WWW bullet points and three EBI bullet points for your TV drama scene.
WWW - - Used different shots e.g. extreme close-up and reverse shot - Non-diegetic sound suited the scene; was effective - The editing was good EBI - - Include dialogue - Include match on action - Make the scene a bit clearer?
3) How effectively did you complete the objective you laid out in your mini preliminary exercise statement of intent?
I managed to get the main shots I wanted however, failed to include dialogue which would've made it more effective for audience to understand the narrative.
4) What have you learned from the preliminary exercise that will help you in the actual coursework project?
I have understood what more I need to include in order to perfect my video and how important planning is before starting my production. It's important to have a clear plan with shot lists and a statement of intent so that you know what your main plan is and what you're trying to get by the end of the production; the purpose of it.
5) Now you have completed the preliminary exercise, will you change anything in your actual TV drama trailer? This could include narrative, character and script or technical elements such as mise-en-scene, camerawork and sound.
I will add in different music at the end to build up tension in my actual trailer, include dialogue, dress some of my characters differently to suit the stereotype; put them more into character and create realism.
1) Type up your feedback in full including the ratings out of five for each of the six categories.
WWW:
- Good intro
- Hybrid genre
- Good representation (Asian Family/ethnic) - Good concept; clear - Good research - Clear presentation & good flow - Good slides; visually appealing and simple ending - Some theory e.g. Bell Hooks - Good on industries/audience (pre-watershed regulations)
EBI: - Some full sentences on slides - More detail e.g. narrative structure - Structure of presentation; put camerawork at the beginning rather than end.
2) Use this feedback, comments from peers and your own reflection on your presentation to self-assess and write a detailed WWW and EBI for your own coursework concept and presentation as a whole.
WWW - - good concept - focus on ethnic minority - using family and crime as a hybrid genre - clear research EBI - - talk through presentation faster; get through slides - use more media language
3) Write a paragraph discussing how your presentation will lead into your actual coursework production. Do you need to update your statement of intent? Does your narrative offer enough clarity? Is it appropriate for the audience specified in the brief? Does it fit the genre you are aiming for? Can you add media terminology or theory to your statement of intent now you have reflected on your presentation and seen others?
Following my presentation and seeing my peers presentations, I've made a few changes to my initial idea such as the way I'm going to film certain shots, carry out my characters, dialogue and so on... Seeing other peoples presentations gave me more ideas and helped me develop my narrative more as a whole improving my story line and what my drama is going to be focused around. It fits the genre I'm aiming for as it really focuses on ethnic minorities, teen life and potential problems kids could be facing at home. I could also add more theory to my statement of intent which I'll be working on as I did this more in my presentation rather than talking about it in my statement of intent. Seeing other peoples TV drama ideas also encouraged me to include crime in my drama and gave me the idea that it'll make it a lot more interesting and would be more likely to grab audience attention.
1) State the genre you have chosen for your TV drama - family or crime drama.
The genre I have chosen for my TV drama is family with crime as a hybrid genre.
2) Choose at least three TV dramas similar to your concept and watch the trailer and one scene from each. Make bullet-point notes on everything you watch, commenting on camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.
Topboy:
- Fast-paced editing; building up tension - Constant change of shots to show different scenes happening within the series - Voice over and dialogue; makes understanding easier for audience - Mysterious music lifting the mood and tension up. - Camerawork; long-shots and panning shots - Mise-en-scene; costume used to connote what type of people they are; age, job, social class, personality... lighting sets the mood in different scenes; cloudy to show danger, low-key lighting to create a sad and dull mood
Raising Dion:
- Editing; starts off slow to set the mood then starts to get faster
- Sound is mainly dialogue with very slow and quiet music in the background which then builds up and gets more powerful and connotes tension and builds up audience attention.
- Camerawork consists of medium shots and close-ups to put the focus on individuals and their facial expressions as that would convey messages to audience.
Ackley Bridge:
- Starts off happy with bright and colourful lights, dialogue and happy music to set a positive mood and connote this is going to be an enjoyable, fun filled TV drama.
- Has a range of different shots to make audience want to watch different episodes to find out what happens in each one.
- Mise-en-scene;
costume is mainly school uniform and formal wear to connote where they are and create the feel of being in a school.
they also use Asian attire to show cultural differences and that they're including non-British culture in this series as well.
- Close-ups to focus on characters facial expressions and show the different moods that will be in the series.
3) Write a script for your TV drama scene. You'll find guidance for writing a script in the BBC Writers' Room (click on the Script Library to read real examples of professional TV scripts).
Daughter: *crying* sits by herself in her room in dark lighting. Moarning noises in the background with the sound of parents arguing. *camera goes around the family house; parents argument in the background* Son: *gets frustrated from the things happening at home* gets ready to leave the house. Grabs his things and leaves. *slams door* Both parents: signing the divorce paper *in tears* *Shot of London* (to show where they live/the area it's set in) voiceover saying ''and welcome to London'' Daughter: *leaving for school* not being herself with dull expressions Daughter: *leaving school* not being herself *takes deep breath* and continues walking Daughter: gets approached by a new person to the story during her way home (shot transition) *blank screen* quiet/no sound Daughter and son: camera going around them, focusing on their facial expressions. *bright lighting and change of mood* music building up to raise tension (non-diegetic sound) Daughter: shot of her out with her new boyfriend (introducing new character) conversation between them with soft non-diegetic music over it. (high-key lighting to connote happier scenes) Changes of scenes as it starts to get darker and more serious Son: shot of him doing drugs (his friends chatter in the background) Shot showing son with his friends *chatter amongst them* (scenes get more intense and we see the son getting more and more influenced and a bit of violence). Sound in pain and punches being thrown, violent sounds and intense non-diegetic sound in the background. Son: Left with bruises sound of him crying in pain. flat and intense non-diegetic sound over the sound effects done in the scene. Both parents: Come to realise the impact their problems are having on the kids *sigh in stress and pain* Whole family: talking together amongst each other *laughter and chatter*
4) Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word to set out your shot list - you can find an example here.
Shot
No.
Shot
Filmed?
1
Starts
off with daughter crying. Going from low angle shot to high angle
(alternative; close-up)
2
Panning
shot going through across the wall of the house with the sound of parents
fighting in the background.
3
Transition
to the son. Medium shot or close up
4
Long
shot of the son grabbing his bags and leaving the house; parents are still
fighting in the background.
5
Shot
of the divorce paper being chucked on the table; close-up
6
Tear
drop falls on divorce paper as it gets signed; extreme close-up.
7
Wide
shot of London; the area they live in with the boy standing alone.
8
The
girl putting her uniform on and going to school with eye bags and dull face;
medium to close up, tracing shot.
9
A
shot of the girl walking after school not being herself.
10
Fast
change of shot as she gets approached by someone; over the shoulder shot.
11
Blank
screen for 0.1 seconds; tensions start to build up music starts to get more
tense.
12
A
shot going around the daughter as she’s stressing out and feeling lonely.
13
A
shot going around the son seeing his facial expressions and showing
isolation.
14
The
mood changes with a shot of flowers and high-key lighting.
15
Medium
shot of the daughter with her new boyfriend
16
Mood
changes and more happy shots as she begins to feel better about the situation
at home.
17
Then
changes straight away as the son is doing drugs.
18
Long
shot going around the son and his new friends as he’s being influenced to do
the wrong thing.
19
Intense
scene with the son getting beaten up (without showing the violence).
20
Close-up
of the sons face with bruises and marks; not a lot of blood to stay under
restrictions.
21
Parents
coming to realise their kids are starting to fall under different
distractions; the impact their having on kids. Close-up of mothers face
22
Close-up
of fathers face and mothers face.
23
Whole
family sitting together; long-shot
24
Come
together as a family; long shot.
25
Happier
faces; close-ups or medium shots. Happy music in the background
26
Blank
screen to show the end
27
Picture
of family with the name of drama, date and time it’s going to be aired, director’s
name and institution’s name.
5) Plan your mise-en-scene: what iconography are you including to ensure your audience understands the genre? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. For this preliminary task, use just one location to keep it simple.
Cast- - The mother - The father - The daughter - The son - The boyfriend - The group of friends Costume - - School uniform or ID card to represent school kid - Fashionable/branded clothing to represent their age and era set in - Puffer jackets, hoods, tracksuits, balaclava's to represent gang members. - Formal wear to represent going to work, older generation; more mature - Asian clothing to represent culture and diversity - Dark clothes to show sadness and set dull mood. Makeup - - Simple natural makeup for the mother - Normal 'going out' makeup for the girl (when with her boyfriend) - Use makeup to create a sad and dull face/look e.g. dark circles - Use makeup to show bruises and scars (potentially a bit of blood) Props - - Fake drugs used around the gang - Divorce papers - Phone for the girl to talk to her boyfriend - School bag/books to represent they're school kids Lighting - - Low-key lighting to set a dull mood and show sorrow; light only to focus on characters facial expressions - High-key lighting to make the scene bright and connote happiness. - Backlight when introducing the son - Short light to focus on daughters tears Settings - - In school - At home - The streets around the area they live in
6) Plan a shooting schedule that will ensure everything is filmed by the deadline. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location.
1.
- Setting: at my house
- Character: Abisha (me)
- Crying scene (first scene)
dark clothing (black hoodie), messy hair
2.
- Setting: outside my house
- Character: Abisha
- Walking to school character not being herself
(and the shot walking back once it gets a bit darker)
wearing school uniform or school lanyard.
3.
- Setting: at my house
- Characters: my parents (acting as the parents)
- Having constant arguments
4.
- Setting: at my house
- Character: the son
- Grabbing his things and leaving the house, frustrated expressions
5. - Setting: Wembley - No characters - Wide shot of the area they live in for representation and focus on setting 6. - Setting: inside the house - Characters: the parents - in the living room, signing the divorce papers with tears 7. - Setting: out in the local streets - Character: the son and his group of friends - Out in their local streets messing around and 'doing drugs'
Family matters are a family drama with a sub-genre of comedy
which shows family values and the different things that happen in a family in a
comical manner. Both the genres put together turns real life family issues into
something that can be seen in a comical way. The narrative shows a ‘troublesome’ teenager
with strict and stressed out parents and how his grandmother is a lot more
relaxed and nice towards him which a stereotype is for grandparents towards
their grandchildren. In the trailer,
according to Todorov’s theory the disequilibrium is the kid not being able to
go out and the parents expecting him to stay home and help his grandma but in
reality the grandma was very kind and didn’t want any help and let the grandson
go out like he wanted which wad the new equilibrium although that set a bit of
controversy between the parents. This would make audience want to watch it in
order to find out what really happened, whether the kid was allowed to go, for
more comedy and entertainment and so on as even though some of the narrative has
been given away through the trailer, audience would watch it to have a laugh
even if they don’t watch it for the thrill of finding out what happens next.
TV drama trailer 2:Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene used in Luther creates
loads of representations and uses media conventions to get messages through to
the audience. Starting off with his costume, the way Luther’s dressed gives
audience an idea of what sort of person he is and what his job role could
potentially be. He’s dressed formal and is wearing a long jacket which is what
is typically thought to be worn by spy agents. The setting and props used in the
scene being shown in the trailer don’t give away much information and keeps
what’s happening a mystery especially because only one location is being shown.
The setting also shows that the protagonist is in quite an intellectual job
which he puts a lot of work into mentally and seems quite well-paid because he
has his own office. The props used around the room give away some of
information about his job e.g. all the files and mug shots of different people
connotes that he is something along the lines of a detective or someone looking
into mysteries. There’s also a use of low-key lighting to represent the dull
side and mystery to the drama showing that the drama isn’t all about happiness
and a bright life but rather mystery and they also highlighted the protagonists
face at the end using the low-key lighting from a higher angle to show who the
drama is based on and who the most important person is throughout the series
also because he’s the only one being shown.
TV drama trailer 3:Camerawork
The camerawork in ‘The Perfect Date’
consists of differentshots such as long shots, medium shots, tracking shots
and even some drone shots when they’re showing the car drive by. They have used
close ups to emphasize certain aspects such as props the protagonist is using/ holding.
They have also used pan shots when the
main character is driving to show movement and also shows realism and make the
audience feel a closer connection with the characters as if they’re in the
scene as well. The medium and long shots are used to show
the setting and give more detail to audience using media conventions without
having to directly address certain things.
TV drama trailer 4:Editing
There is a lot of fast-paced editing in this series with scenes being continuously changed to create tension and make audience wonder what's happening in each scene so that they're tempted to watch the episodes in order to find out what's happening. This connotes that something dramatic is about to happen or the narrative is about to face a plot twist, change of scenes or so on... It creates so many questions within the audience as the change from shot to shot makes them curious and wonder what's going to happen next which is what attracts them to go ahead and watch the whole series. The trailer uses narrative hook to get the audience hooked in from just the trailer using fast-paced and intense editing. Rather than showing one scene and leaving it at a cliff-hanger, they have shown several different scenes which leaves most audience curious and what to find out more and even if one scene doesn't attract them, another would this way.
TV drama trailer 5: Sound
Black-ish is a family and comedy TV drama
with loads and fun filled scenes which is being presented to audience through
the music in the trailer. The non-diegetic sound added into the background
creates a jolly and happy feel for audience which connotes how the audience
would feel throughout watching the series as it is filled with a lot of comedy
and surreal things that could happen within a family. There is also use of
dialogue in the trailer which is diegetic sound which adds the comical element
into the trailer and the drama itself and gives audience a real taste of what’s
happening and what the drama is going to be like if they were to watch the
drama. On top of dialogue and non-diegetic sound being played in the
background, there are also other noises in the background which people wouldn’t
pay much attention to but creates a lot of realism such as the noises props
make e.g. closing the fridge.
TV drama trailer 6: Trailer conventions, graphics, text-on-screen etc.
Game of Thrones is a very popular TV drama
that has been running successfully since April 2011 due to their professional
use of trailer conventions, graphics, text-on-screen etc. In the season 8
trailer, they have used trailer conventions such as fast-paced editing;
including jump cuts, dramatic music in the background to build up tension. They
have also included text on the screen in the beginning to start off by putting
the production company’s name. They then slowly introduce the name of the drama
at the end of the trailer, in this trailer they’ve also put ‘THE FINAL SEASON’
right below the title which make audience feel like they need to watch it as if
they’ve got a final chance to do so and they’d also want to watch it to find
out the answer to the questions they’d have from cliff hangers. Putting the release date at the end gives audience more information and a date for them to look forward to. The setting
is quite out of the norm in today’s age and straight away tells us that it’s
not set in the same time-frame or in the ideal world creating surrealism and
increases interest in audience. On top of that, they’ve also used different
types of lighting to create a mood and carry out a message to audience. For
example, the use of low-key lighting to create suspense and not reveal certain
things such as the actors face or what they’re doing. Planning: TV drama concept
Title: SAVE YOURSELF
Tagline: IT’S A COLD WORLD
Genre (and sub-genre/hybrid genre if applicable): family
with crime as a sub-genre
Setting (note brief – at least two locations): the family
home and the area they live in/the streets and local park and shops etc.
Number of episodes: 1 series with 14 episodes
Channel and time/day of broadcast (note brief – prime-time,
pre-watershed, family audience): It will be broadcasted on ITV at 7:30pm every
Tuesday as this a time families tend to come together to watch TV during dinner
or after dinner. Mid-week is when they’re less likely to be doing anything else
and stay at home meaning it’s likely to be prime-time and being aired at 7:30pm
also shows that it’s pre-watershed.
Logline – one sentence that sums up the whole TV drama series
and hooks people in (25 words or fewer): an Asian family living in London with
the parents going through a divorce and the hard time at home makes the kids
fall into other distractions.
Other successful TV dramas that are similar to yours: Top boy;
based on multi-cultural (mainly the black community) and how kids are being
influenced and fall into traps in the streets. Shows a real part of London that
isn’t usual shown in films and TV.
Narrative arc – what happens in the overall series and in
what order: The series as a whole sees family drama with the parents going
through their own issue whilst the kids get diverted by other things and begin
to fall into doing things that distracts their school life to help them get
through what’s happening. The parents also face a lot of hate and go through a
difficult time during their divorce as a lot of people in their community can’t
accept the fact that they’re getting a divorce. The children's distractions is the main disequilibrium in the story. They then also come to realise
that their children are falling into other things and finally realise the
impact it’s having on their children and not just themselves. They then decide
to sort things out with their children and do what makes their kids happy
whilst also going through with their divorce which is the new equilibrium. The series then finishes off with
the parents going into court but the audience don’t see whether they end up
going through with the divorce or not; cliff-hanger.
Episodic narratives – what will happen in each episode? What
happens in the overall series and in what order: the first two episodes are
based around the parent’s arguments and constant tension in the house and how
it psychologically has an impact on the children. The third episode’s on both
the kids in school and focusing on how down they feel and the impact it has on
their education. The fourth and fifth episode is on the children opening to
people that are going to play a big part later on in the series;the boy ends
up getting closer with older boys in his school and in the area he lives who
persuade him to join them and the girl finds the love and comfort from a guy in
school and opens up to him and talks about all her problems to him. The
following episodes talk about how it affects them academically, different
methods they choose to deal with their parents’ divorce situation, the type of
criticism the parents get from society as divorce isn’t a popular thing in the
Asian community. The 8TH and 9TH episode get more tensed as the
parents start to notice the changes in their children and realise that their
family problems are having an impact on them and try to handle issues in
different ways. Episode 10 is when everything starts to fall back into place
again slowly as the protagonists attempt to resolve the problems. Episode 11 is
the lead to a happy ending as the parents meet their daughter’s new boyfriend
and the son agrees to go back into education and focus on what he was doing
before. Episode 12 sees he finale of this series where the children are happy
and able to take in what’s happening and processing it easier and the parents
go to court but the drama finishes their on a cliff hanger to suggest a
potential second series.
Main protagonist – their motivation, conflicts etc.: the
parents and their two children are the protagonists. The story starts off
because of the parents going through a divorce. The two kids then reinforce
teenage stereotypes by being easily influenced and falling into things
teenagers typically do around their age.
Other characters, their narrative role and their audience appeal:
the side roles are played by the boy’s friends who are a massive influence on
him and lead him into taking part in gang related activities. Another side role
is played by the girl’s boyfriend who comes into the story a few episodes later
and plays a massive part in their daughter getting through her parents’ divorce
situation.
Target audience for your TV drama (note brief – family
audience, pre-watershed broadcast etc.): age, gender, social class, interests,
psychographic groups etc. Our main target audience are families and teenagers
as those are the people our whole narrative revolves around. We’re aiming this
drama at a working class, British audience hence why it’s being aired on a public
service broadcaster (ITV). We’re also aiming this at people with an British Asian background as there aren’t much shows on TV that they can relate to and
a lot of them that are available are very stereotypical.
Statement of intent
The genre for my TV drama is going to be
family. There are also going to be other sub-genre with it such as romance.
Just like most trailers, there’s going to be use of diegetic and non-diegetic
sound in order to create realism and give audience an idea of how the series is
going to be but to also have a theme music running in the background to match
the shot changes and fast-paced editing to create anticipation and excitement.
The camerawork is mainly going to be medium and long shots so that audience can
get as much information as possible through the settings and atmosphere; media
conventions without having to be directly told some things. We will also use
close-ups to focus on specific things such as the characters facial expression or
a prop they’re holding and so on… Our
characters will have London accents to represent where they’re from/show what
city it’s set in. Other characters will have an accent from another Country to
show the diversity and they aren’t natively English.
The protagonists in this drama will be the
parents and their two children so it isn’t just focused on one person but
rather the whole family which suits the genre and the target audience. There
won’t be an antagonist in particular but it’s the decisions that they take in
life that makes them meeting certain turnings and slip up in their life.The main characters will be from a diverse;
Asian background to show diversity in London and emphasize the importance of
accepting and respecting different cultures and people from other cultures. The
reason we’ve chose London as the location is because this is a British drama
and London has a very diverse population with people from different countries
so it’d make it more realistic to set this drama here.
We are using our characters to challenge
some of the stereotypes of Asians in society and to also prove that where you
come from or who you were doesn’t determine who you are now or going to be in
the future.However we will also be
using some stereotypes that aren’t negative to add a bit of humour and to create
realism.
Our target audience is going to be British
viewers all over the UK but mainly in London as it is set in London and they’d
more likely be able to relate to and understand some of the things being shown
in the drama. We are also aiming this at the Asian community and other diverse
backgrounds as there isn’t much specifically for them or about them in the
British TV industry so it’ll be something new for them.
Our trailer would be broadcasted on ITV as
that is where it’ll be aired weekly for 14 weeks. We will also promote it on
YouTube as that is a platform all different groups of people use and also on
social media mainly to reach the younger audience and people are more likely to
share it around this way.
