Beacon Media OCR Nationals Blog.

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Radio show. - Inflammed

To make our radio show we shared out the responsibility. Amber did the poster and logo, Joe did the jingle. I was in charge of what went into the radio station and questionnaire following this Matt decided what music should be included from a range of different genres.

This is a capture of some of our files on my USB.
 In the folders are the songs for each radio show.

Media Group Work Evaluation - Soaps.

My Evaluation- Meaning.

There are lot of things that help create a meaning within a soap, for example: We used colour to show the reality of a soap as if it were real life. The language we used was a reasonable middle class English slang. This was to show the class status of the charaters. We didn't use much slang expect for the scene when the bully said 'Gimme your phone!' this connotes young teenagers and the decade were living in today. It helps the audience understand that they're young. We didn't use music in our soap extract because we wanted it to be realistic and so if we were to put non-digetic music in would make it look and sound fake. The costumes were thought about because we wanted the bully to be wearing a hoodie, the father to be wearing a smarter jacket and the boy to be casual smart. The actor playing the teacher (me) was wearing jeans and a jacket. This probably wasn't the best way to go about it as teachers tend to wear smart clothes. As this was the only thing we had that's what we had to work with. The set of our soap was of a school, the school doesn't look particularly clean or looked after, but i think this worked well along with the rest of the scene. We didn't use many props apart from a piece of paper that we called the 'statement'. One other prop we used was a fake phone that we used to help tell the story that Chris was in the girls toilets. This worked well as it looked like a real phone and helped us explain the situation better using close up shots to explain its importance to the story line. 

Chris Evaluation - Content.
For our Soap Scene, we tried to convey a common storyline in most everyday soaps, and that is school issues. Our storyline focuses mainly on a boy, played by Chris, who is getting bullied at school, the storyline begins in the corridor, the boy (Chris) is on his phone when he walks past the bully (Elliot), the bully asks him 'what are you looking at?', this helps to give the audience the effect that something is about to happen. The bully then takes the boy's phone and then throws it into the girl's toilets, causing the boy to run in and retrieve his phone, as he picks up his broken phone, a girl (Lily) see's him and then runs out screaming. We then edited the footage so that it fades into the next day, a scene between the boy and his father (Elliot), having been reported by the girl, they have been called in for a meeting about the incident, they start by discussing the incident with the father questioning the boy's reasons for being in there, the boy does not say much, this gives the audience the effect that the boy is quite a shy person that likes to keep his feelings and opinions to himself, we then used a bit of comedy to lighten up the scene, the father tells a joke which the boy disapproves of, causing the father to slap him to the ground, this leads us on to the final scene. The headteacher (Rianna) appears in the waiting room, then leads them into the interviewing room, the boy is asked numerous questions, and the father is shown a statement by the girl, the boy then reveals the real problem, he says that he is homosexual leading to the fathers horrified look, this corresponds with the text 'to be continued ...', to create a cliffhanger that leaves the audience wanting to see more.

Amber's Evaluation - Narrative.

In my group my theme is narrative, our soap is a open narrative because the story can keep on going, soaps on the TV such as Eastenders are an open strand because the use cliffhangers to keep us interested. Our soap deals with characters are in a single strand because it shows a storyline about other characters but our soap could also be a multistrand if we showed other story lines happening to other characters. Multistrand examples: farther splitting up with mother, teacher in money problems in debt. Our soap tries to achieve a sense of true to life as possible; soaps have dramatic highlights but also try to present reality to keep us interested.

The codes and conventions of Coronation Street between different centuries.

In 1961 Coronation Street was very different to how it is nowadays. The conventions have virtually stayed the same, but the way they've been perceived has changed. When watching an extract from an episode from 1961 I can find some of the conventions of a soap.
The beginning shows the titles in black and white. This was because in the 60's there was only black and white television. The start shows us a brick wall with the sign 'Coronation Street' on and on the left hand side we can start to see a street. The obvious divide is almost a metaphor for the divide in society. The theme tune is very dramatic and has has a range of pitches to change the dynamics, adding to the genre of what the television programe is, being a drama. This could be a good thing but it also shows us how much technology has imporved in the last 20 odd years.
When the episode is on we can visually see that the camera technology wasn't as well developed because the panning movements on the camera are not very smooth like they are today.

When viewing the shots of the people they're all talking over one another within the scenes and they are all shot together in one camera shot. This makes them shown as equals and connotes collective identity. When showing collective identity it creates us into feeling like they're all equal and are all as important as each other. This is very useful when shooting arguments as it shows that both sides have valid points however in modern days we wouldn't necessarily use it for everyday use, instead we would change camera angles and shot distances to perhaps make one side of the argument seem more correct than another.

In one scene,  some of the characters are having an argument in the street, and the camera pans to the small lady in the middle of the disagreement looking up at her from a low camera angle. This tells the audience that even though shes shorter than the other woman that she can still be intimidating.

As the confliction between the two woman proceeds we see an establishing shot of the whole street. With lots of people on one side and only the single woman on the other. This as a code tells us that lots of people are on her side and no-one else is on the other side. It also persuades the audience to want to be on the side with lots of people, and single that character out from the rest.

Carrying on into 1979 the technology begins to develop. We start to see establishing shots in the title sequence opening credits, this sets the scene and tells the audience where its set. It also shows a little bit more about the town/village its set in and the envirnment, such as a middle class working street set in the north of England. In the title sequence we see a shot of lots of houses all the same. This tells the audience that everyone in that village are equal and no-one is better off than others. There is no individuality between characters but also the street looks like its never ending. The set doesn't look particularly nice so this shows that the town could be in slight poverty or working class. The similarity of all the small houses expresses just how many people are living in the working class at that time in the north of England.
The high angle of the cat connotes loneliness and not having much. There's a grey sky which could convey no hope, or escape for those living and working there. In one shot we see one lonely bush this shows us that not much grows here, and they are in an area of factories. It can also be used as a metaphor to show us that not many people come out of living in poverty.

Coronation Street are starting to realise the importance of camera shots and movements, you can see that they have used film conventions as an influence to film the soap. In the opening scene there isn't much noise which helps build tension and makes us feel as if the man isn't supposed to be there. The man is creeping around, the way an actor moves can have a big influence on the audience. For example the man picks up a book and flicks through it which shows us he is interested in what he has picked up, also showing that it could possibly not be his. When the scared old man in his pajamas enters we feel his fear as he is in a venerable place. The most venerable place for an old citizen would be in their house when they least expect it. The man hasn't said or done anything vicious although by him lighting a cigarette we understand he can be quite rebellious, and thier to cause trouble or harm to the man he has startled.

As the years go on and technology improves we start to see massive improvements in the quality of image and the drama of a scene has become more dramatic and audience engaging to watch. All the conventions have stayed resonably equal but they use alot more camera and editing conventions in modern days soaps. What producers get away with nowadays with story lines and all the possibilities of special effects has certianly made the soaps and dramas more engaging to watch.

Codes and Conventions for soaps in the media.

For this piece of Media work i was asked to look at 3 different soaps and talk about the conventions of each and then explain the codes. I looked at Hollyoaks, Eastenders and  Coronation Street. I took videos of each off youtube watch and anaylsed them. I wanted to focus on the first 5 mintues of each and this is what i thought...


OR click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnSC2LGV5BQ&feature=sh_e_se&list=SL for the full episode. Embedded video has been flipped over in order to avoid copyright. Video uploaded by tvmogel08.

Hollyoaks 4th November 2011
In this episode of Hollyoaks the story line is that Mercedes (in the wedding dress) has been locked in a cellar for weeks following the wedding disaster. The man who has kept her there is the grandfather of the man she was about to marry. In the other story lines people are being put to blame for the situation, teenage love and more drama. The first ever episode of Hollyoaks aired 23rd Oct 1995.

Conventions of hollyoaks;

Storyline conventions.

• Drama
• Pregnancy's/ New life
• Murders
• Lies/Secrets
• Cliffhangers
• Dilemmas

Technological conventions.

• Village (mis-en-scene)
• Theme tune (sound)
• Sirens (sound)
• Dramatic music (sound)
• 2 person Dialogue (sound)
• 180 degree camera shot (camera)
• Panning (camera)
• Medium shots (camera)
• Cross cutting (editing)

The conventions help us understand the codes of Hollyoaks because the way its perceived helps understand the characters, setting and story. A lot is happening in this particular episode of Hollyoaks pregnancy's, giving birth, lies, secrets, dilemmas and much more. I believe the effect of doing this is to build a lot of tension right before the truth comes out for something. I watch hollyoaks so i know that this story line has been building up for a very long time so they've made it a very big explosion. When doing my research on Hollyoaks i found out that Tim Burton was the creator of the advert for this weeks episode. I personally like this advert and found it a very interesting way of presenting the show. Other codes of the episode was of background music such as the sirens which creates the feeling of panic and emergency. On the original show there is a very long introduction of the shows titles and theme tune. Just before this they introduce the show by showing main points from previous episodes, this helps to set the scene, let people catch up and create an atmosphere. The convention of Village would come under the subtitle of mis-en-scene as it is setting. Using the setting of the village creates a very small and cute feeling throughout the show. As all soaps 2 person dialogue is used to help the audience engage with the stuff going on around them, characters and the story. Medium shots are used to help establish who's speaking and who to. Some shots are sometimes closer to show importance. We dont even realise this but if done wrong looks out of place and doesnt fit at all.


Eastenders 3rd November 2011
In this episode of Eastenders there is a lot of conflict between characters. There are arguments between the masood family about a perternity test that was tampered with. On other sides of the street Phil is back causing trouble, the start of teenage love and Roxy is fed up with money problems. The first ever episode of Eastenders was shown on the 18th February 1985.

Conventions in Eastenders;

Storyline conventions.

• Arguments/Shouting
• Lieing
• Problems
• Stereotypes

Technologicial conventions.

• Theme tune (sound)
• Dialogue (sound)
• Different cultures (mis-en-scene)
• Establishing shot (camera)
• POV shot (camera)
• Medium/Long shots (camera)
• Cross cutting (editing)

All these conventions are turned into codes by the effect they create. Arguments, problems and lieing has always been a strong convention of soap operas. In eastenders they use these in their story lines to help capture the audiences attention and to make them want to watch the next episode. Technological conventions include things such as different cultures. This is leads into a code because the audience is boarder and the show isn't seen as racist and applies to everyone. The theme tune is used so that everyone can relate it back with the show, they know what they re watching and it grabs attention. The establishing shot in the theme tune is a very good way of setting the scene so us as the audience understand the background, lifestyle and helps us to engage with the story lines more. The loud beats in the theme tune grab attention but also creates an atmosphere so that its dramatic.



Coronation street 3rd November 2011
In this episode of Coronation street there is conflict between workers and their employers, family issues and many more. Coronation street has been running for over 50 years. The first episode of coronation street aired 9th December 1960.

Conventions of coronation street;

Storyline conventions.

• Bisexual love not being accepted
• Arguments
• Engagments
• Secrets
• Different views and opinions
• Prison

Technologicial conventions.

• Theme tune (sound)
• Dialogue (sound)
• Non-diegetic music (sound)
• Medium shots (camera)
• Over the shoulder shot (camera)
• Close up shots in theme tune (camera)
• Shot reverse shot (editing)

The conventions help us understand the codes of Coronation Street because the way its perceieved helps understand the characters, setting and story. For example the 2 person dialogue would show 2 people talking to one another, the way its shot using a 180 degree angle shot would help us link the two people together. It would help the audience understand that they are speaking to one another. In this clip of Coronation Street there is alot of over the shoulder filming i believe this is easy to show the eye to eye contact between the two characters and is slightly easier to film and get correct. In the theme tune we are given lots of marstershots including close up shots. I think this is effective as it helps us work out the setting of a small street but also makes it interesting. Also the close up shots make us think about all of the street being realistic and not just the street as a boring street. It also shows us parts of the 'city' we havnt seen before which shows us its a small part of a big place.

Chart Shows.

A chart show is a radio show of all the latest and most popular music at that time.
In recent years chart shows being played on radio stations have changed dramatically. This is mainly due to the fact that technology has become so much more advanced. Lots of other things have changed the voice, music, and sound levels due to new technology break throughs.

After listening to a radio show from 1982, I noticed that the sound of the voice has changed, as I compared it to one done three years later in 1885, and there is a very distinctive change in class of the man speaking throughout the show. I believe this is because things started to become more casual and accepting around this time to make it and less reportive but more entertaining. In doing this the man in the later years also speaks alot clearer and slower which is much better as it doesn't sound so rushed and dramatic, so it has become more easy litening and audience engaging and understanding.

As everything had to be done in a certain way in the 1982 show they didn't have enough time to do the whole 40 top hits in 2 hours so they had to start at 32 and tell everyone what should be in its place. This was faulse advertising as they were meant to show the 40 top hits but they only let people listen to 32 of them.

People can relax more whilst listening to it in 1985 as it was a lot slower and flowed easier. In the 1980's alot of 'pop' music was used to introduce the DJ whereas in modern days we don't use that as much. Furthermore we now tend to blend the music into our speech which means the whole show runs smoother and is alot more soothing to listen too. We only managed to do that now because the extent that technology has improved in on live editing and fast editing of music and sound.

The audience of these types of shows have always been mainstream and still are to this day. In the 2000's and onwards we started to use more celebrity figures in the shows, this is to appeal more listeners, make it more interesting and to advertise them as artists. The main reason singers and dance groups weren't used in olden day shows is mainly because there weren't many celebrity figures as no-one saw the attraction in having celebrity role models. Nowadays everyone aspires to be like famous people like singer artists, dancers, film stars and many more whereas before people used to look up to family members.

 Not only have radio stations introduced celebrity endorsement but they have recently started to use visual media too, they upload it to the Internet because then it starts to hit a wider audience as there is so much more competition out there now like television shows. Radio shows in modern day have a much broader audiences as they are broadcasted through, television, radio, mobile phone apps, car radios and much more.

Media group work evaluation.

In my group i worked with Shafique, Amber B, Amber G, Jay and Alex to make a quick 3 mintue extract in which we used the 180 degree axis rule. This is where when filming two people in a conversation the camera is positioned in the right place with the right angle on it. When doing this we also have to make sure the camera angles are symmetrical to compliment each other.I added this diagram to my blog to help show how it works. The two people conversation happens in the middle and the camera is in a semi circle around the 180 degree line. This is also achieved by filming over the shoulder as it can be quick and easier.

Overall i found my part of the task reasonably easy as i was assigned the mastershot at the very beginning. Amber B was asked to do the medium shot which was to come after mine and then Alex and Amber were then assigned the close up shots. Shaf and Jay where our models. I think this worked well as an arrangement but at the same time i didnt feel everyone worked as a team to get it exactly right. Ambers medium shot worked well with my mastershot and complimented it well. When it came to the close up shots i feel as if Amber and Alex didnt get the framing quite right and it wasnt close up and more towards a medium shot. To improve this next time i could try to have more input and try to advise my team more. One other thing that we could have improved on is the length of the extract and made it a little longer. Other than these points i think we worked well but there was definatly room for improvement from all the team memebers.

Codes and Conventions of different genres.

Code- Why we would expect something in a certain genre, what it means and how it makes us feel. (camera, mis-en-scene and sound)
Convention- Something you would expect in a certain genre.

Horror:

Conventions...

• Tension (mis-en-scene)
• Blood (mis-en-scene)
• Screaming (sound)
• Silence (sound)
• Jumps (mis-en-scene)
• Point of view shot (camera)
• Over the shoulder (camera)

Codes...

These are all codes because its the things we expect. We would expect to be scared and grossed out becuase that is what they target the auidence at. The screaming connotes someone being scared and building the tension and by doing this is makes us scared aswell. The blood shows that someone is being harmed which inflicks pain on not only them in the movie but the audience also. The jumps in a horror movie is to keep the audience watching and intrested but we expect it becuase it is something most people are scared of and it is an effective way of building tension. Another code for a horror is a point of view shot camera movement this is because it creates the feeling that you're trapped inside their body and you're actually there which makes someone feel scared and frightened.

Scifi movie:

Conventions...

• 
• Aliens (mis-en-scene)
• Spaceship (mis-en-scene)
• lasers (mis-en-scene)
• Futureistic settings (mis-en-scene)
• War (mis-en-scene)
• Planets (mis-en-scene)
• Dutch shot (camera)
• Tracking shot (camera)
• Swords clashing (sound)
• Different langauges (sound)

Codes...
The codes of these would be that the futuristic settings, spaceships and aliens because it shows a sign of difference and being unrealistic. Making something look unrealistic creates the feeling of being in a different world. The dutch shot is an angled shot this would help create am illusion of difference because its at a strange angle. The over exagrated sound effects makes everything feel alot more dramatic and strange. Other things such as different/strange languages connotes being somewhere we havnt been before where everything is new.

Action adventure:
Conventions...

• 
• Damsell in distress (mis-en-scene)
• Hero & Villian (mis-en-scene)
• Treasure (mis-en-scene)
• Exotic location (mis-en-scene)
• Well built characters, usually male (mis-en-scene)
• Sound motif (sound)
• Sound tracks (sound)
• Tracking shots (camera)
• Worms eye view (camera)
• Fast movements (camera)

Codes...
The codes of an action adventure would be how the hero and villian scene show the different opinions in a scene. The damsell in distress will intreeg us in the film and make us want to watch more. The exotic locations show us that it is desserted and no-one is around. The different sounds connotes us into watching more,  this is like sound motifs as we know that the hero or villian is approaching and we can then breath a sigh of relief. Fast camera shots and movements connotes alot of movement within the characters to show alot of action and excitement to keep us interested.

The different terms for media and notes.

Modern media is a type of media that is modern at a certain place in time. For example in the 1900's newspapers would be considered as a modern media however now its considered out of date and an old way of broadcasting as we have so much more up to date technology now.
Mediated media is a representation of reality or someones interpretation of a media source. For example a football game as the editior gets to chose which parts we watch and how we see it.
Mass media is a type of media that can be broadcast or shown to a large audience. For example the internet or telly as its a mainstream audience. Alot of people have access to a TV or computer.
A niche audience is a concidered very small audience such as local shop advert.
When looking at mis-en-scene i can found out that it means something that is put into the scene for example setting,costumes ect..
The main factors of a piece of media such as a film are camera,sound,mis-en-scene and editing.
Digetic sound is something within the world of the movie whereas a non-digetic is something that has been editied in such as background music.