Following on from the previous group meeting and conducting our primary research, we decided that our previous treatment would need to be improved in order to gain the best possible audience. We felt that a name change would be in our best interests as "Notice Us" lacks a sense of realism and community. I thought of a possible three other soap names before deciding the final one.
Idea 1. N18
Idea 2. Lopen Road
Idea 3. London vibe
The chosen name was "Lopen Road" this is because we feel that we can express this title better to the audience. For example the road in which we will shoot in is "Lopen Road". We feel we can show our characters working, living and socialising in this road. "Lopen Road" automatically allows audiences to realise this is a road which will be a main convention to the soap. Lopen Road enables the audience to know that the community is based on that specific Road. For example Eastenders, which is based in the east end.Although N18 also symbolises location, it can confuse audiences if the are unaware what area N18 relates to. London vibe was also a good title because it explains the soap is set in London, however it lacks to explain where in London which is unrealistic and audiences may find it hard to understand what area is being portrayed. "LOPEN ROAD" is the chosen name.
Tamika was put in charge of making improvements to the treatment. From our group discussion (meeting) we have decided that our treatment needs a touch up.
Characters:-
Ruth Smith 42 a mother of one, her first husband and father of her child passed away. She is currently going though a divorce with her 2nd husband. She is very protective over her only son and depends on him regularly. She is also employed as a cashier at the local newsagents.
Michael Smith 18 is Ruth's son, he is a vulnerable character, tries his best to stay out of trouble. He has a girlfriend Esther who he has been with since a very young age. He doesn't depend on any one. He had lost his father when he was 12, and mum divorced his step dad recently. Michael is killed tragically for no reason, leaving his girlfriend alone.
Esther Clarke 18 she is currently in university studying Accounting and Economics part-time. She falls pregnant and considers having an abortion. She is deeply in love with her boyfriend Michael. Tragedy hits her life when Michael is tragically killed. She lives with her sister Emily, mother Judy and father Jim.
Billy Gordon is 20. Currently a leader of a gang in North London . He is unemployed and loves to party with friends and gang mates. He has both parents who care about him dearly but he rebels and disobeys them.
Content:-
It contains a bunch of teens terrorizing the city. Gangs are also involved with both girls and boys in them. They will be different issues portrayed such as teenage pregnancy, drugs, family issues and moderate violence.
Location:-
The setting will be in North London . We could shoot some parts of the city such as bus stops, restaurants, pubs, local shops, streets and homes. We would also try to shoot the landmark that makes North London famous so the audience can relate and notice where it is.
Target Audience:-
The target audience for this soap will be mostly aimed at teens 16+, this is because the characters portrayed are mainly teenagers and their issues they go through on a day to day basis. However I feel parents could also find our soap interesting as there is also an adult cast which go through common issues with their children such as dishonestly and misbehaviour along with this they will also gain an insight to the lives of teenagers. I intend to attract male viewers by introducing a lead male character in this soap.
Channel, time of broadcast and frequency:-
The channel that this soap is suitable for is Channel 4 at 8:00pm and will be broadcast three times a week; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I feel with heavy advertising this soap can compete with Eastenders and Coronation Street as this is something fresh and will attract many teenagers. I choose this soap to be on three times a week on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because this will allow it to get maximum exposure. i will end each episode with a mini or large cliffhanger leaving the audience to wait a day for the new episode, this will create some suspense and interest in the soap opera however main cliffhangers will be on Thursdays to ensure the audience watches again the following week.
Episode 1:-
In the first episode a bunch of gang members witnesses a murder and are traumatize by what they see. They were considering of going into the police and telling them what they have seen. The death of the character changes the lives of many people in the community.
Future Episodes:-
One of the gang members loses their parents in a car crash. Esther is finding her course at university difficult and now has to make a decision if she wants to continue or leave to go work. Esther finds out she is pregnant but is unsure if she should keep the baby of have an abortion.
However we have also decided to elaborate on the bullet points below;
-Add more characters
We have decided to add more character's so our soap will become realistic.
Barbara~This is the shop keeper on Lopen Road. She works at the shop (Silver Street Supermarket) Monday to Friday. Barbara is 30 years of age and she is married with two children who are in primary school.
Tommy~Tommy is a 15 year old school boy. He is a spontaneous character, with lots of friends. He has three brother's and sister's and he is the youngest out of the three.
Lucy~ Lucy lives on Lopen Road also, she attends to a near by school with Tommy. She has no siblings and her mother is a single parent. She is 14 years of age and she enjoys hanging out with her friends.
We have not focused more on the location as we are aware what part of North London we will be shooting in.
-Locations (specific Edmonton - train station - landmark
We have decided to elaborate on the trade marks of our treatment (soap trailer). For example the train station, this can portray where people (characters') go to work or even leaving the soap, but we can worry about this issue later, because we are only concentrating on the trailer.
Content
-Content - The content of our soap is to portray common, everyday issues that teenagers and parents face. We want audiences to be able to relate to our trailer rather than soley watch it for entertainment purposes.
- Future episodes- In future episodes we will concentrate on issues relating to teens, because that's our target audience. So we will portray issues that young people can relate to, such as; drugs, teenage pregnancy, sex, obesity, relationships, suicide, depression and peer pressure.
The storyboard and scripts will now be made to follow on from the treatment that Tamika and Maria have made.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Friday, 14 January 2011
Minutes of Meeting - Questionnaire and Focus Group
Monday 10th January
08.45am-9.20am
Present - Maria Alexiou, Sinthuja Tacks and Tamika Smith
Abesent - None
1. Questionnaires and Focus Groups
We feel as a group that before we produce the new treatments, scripts and storyboards that we should send out questionnaires and hold a focus group meeting which will then influence the decisions made for our new soap. We will call on our focus group once we have produced the first draft of our trailer to gain there feedback before producing the final product.
2. Treatment - Tamika Smith will be adding additional work onto the treatment
-More characters will need to be added onto the treatment
-Locations will also need to be explained - Edminton Green, Train station which can be a landmark.
-Content of our soap will need to be explained more
-Episode 1 and future episodes should be explained in more detail.
- We decided to film in a house to show community along with a pub, bus station and train station to express the location and area of the soap opera.
08.45am-9.20am
Present - Maria Alexiou, Sinthuja Tacks and Tamika Smith
Abesent - None
1. Questionnaires and Focus Groups
We feel as a group that before we produce the new treatments, scripts and storyboards that we should send out questionnaires and hold a focus group meeting which will then influence the decisions made for our new soap. We will call on our focus group once we have produced the first draft of our trailer to gain there feedback before producing the final product.
2. Treatment - Tamika Smith will be adding additional work onto the treatment
-More characters will need to be added onto the treatment
-Locations will also need to be explained - Edminton Green, Train station which can be a landmark.
-Content of our soap will need to be explained more
-Episode 1 and future episodes should be explained in more detail.
3. Location (Myself - Maria)
It was important to decide what locations we will be filming which is why we held this meeting.- We decided to film in a house to show community along with a pub, bus station and train station to express the location and area of the soap opera.
4. Storyboard - Sinthuja Tacks will complete the storyboard and then post it onto the blog.
- We decided as a group the main points in the trailer to our soap opera to ensure Sinthuja was aware what must be included on the storyboard.
- We expressed that esablising shots, long shots, medium and close up shots must be included in the trailer.
- I will complete the script and post it onto the blog.
- The dialogue will be limited in our trailer as it is only going to be a maximum of 2 minuties long.
-I have a ruff draft of the script which I will need to improve before posting it on the blog.
End of meeting.
Questionnaire
My group and I thought it would be appropriate to make a questionnaire regarding current viewing habbits which will help us when attracting our target audience. We only gave out questionnaire to people over the age of 13 as we felt they would be more interested in watching soaps. The questionnaire was as followed:
Questionnaire
Circle the following:
1. How old are you?
13-18
19-25
26-36
36-46
46+
2. Are you male or female?
Male
Female
3. What ethnicity are you ?
Please state .......................................
4. Do you watch any soap operas?
Yes
Sometimes
No
5. If yes, how many different soap operas do you watch a week?
1-3
4-7
8-11
11+
6. What soap operas do you watch?
Eastenders
Coronation Street
Hollyoak's
Home and Away
Neighbours
Emmerdale
Others please state.........................
7. What time do you watch soap operas ? (circle more than one)
5.00pm
6.00pm
7.00pm
8.00pm
9.00pm
BBC iplayer
ITV player
4oD
5 on demand
8. What has been your favourite storyline over the last few years?
Please state......................................................................................................................
9. Would you be interested in watching a new soap opera?
Yes
No
10. What issues would like to see in a new soap opera?
Please state.........................................................................................................................
Results
Out of the 21 random people chosen only two of them were 46+ and the rest where aged between 13-18. When producing my soap opera we will ensure that target 13-18 year olds. This result also enabled us to decide that we will target our focus group of teenagers aged between 13-18.
I felt asking our audience if they watch soap operas will give me a good idea of how popular soap operas are at the moment. The results for this question were that out of the 21 asked 11 people said yes, 1 said no and 9 said sometimes. The person who said they do not watch soap operas was a male. This is something to take into account when targeting the audience. These results enabled us to understand that soap operas are popular which is both a negative and positive for us. This is because we have a large amount of competitors which means we have to ensure our new soap opera can interest them. Holding a focus group will give us a further insight as to what will interest a new audience. We also aim to interest people who sometimes watch soap operas, as they have not established one to watch frequently which gives us room to gain there interest.
When asked if you would watch a new soap 11 people said no and 10 said yes. These results state that the people asked were split between the interest in a new soap opera. This result has given us fuel into how successful our soap may be. We have to make sure that our trailer brings something new which means fixing up the treatment from the results from our focus groups will be very important as narrative is key within the success or failure of a soap.
When asked what issues would you like to see in a new soap opera the top 3 most stated issues were death, relationship and teenage issues. This means that we will attempt to convey all three of these issues within our trailer, however this decision may change after gaining the results from our focus group.
As a group we decided the next step needed would be to hold a focus group to ask for more specific answers regarding what they like and dislike about soap operas. We will now ask students aged between 16-18 to become our focus group.
Focus Group
The information collected from the questionnaires was very useful to gather who our main target audience are, however I have now conducted 5 different interviews to gather more specific information on what is successful and not successful in soap operas. The information from these focus groups will help me when producing my soap opera.
The questions asked to the focus groups were as followed:
1. Do you watch soap operas? Why? (we felt this was an important question as understanding why or why not somebody watches a soap opera can give us an insight as to what we need to do to keep audiences remaining interest or gain interest)
2. Do you consider yourself as a casual or religious viewer?Why? (we felt this was an important question as the viewing habbits of our focus group can determine how many viewers we can gain for our soap. Answering why you watch soaps frequently or not frequently will help us to decide what we can do to reach out to audiences to gain them as religious viewers.
3. What would like to see in a new soap out of the following?Why?
Death
Relationship issues
Teenage Issues
Any others?
(the 3 issues stated below were taken from the questionnaire result as they were the most popular. However we still have room for further ideas and imput before changing our treatment. This question is important as it will enable us to edit the current narratives running to suit a larger audience.
4. What channel do you watch the most? Why? (finding out what channels are most popular will help us decide what channel we will broadcast our soap on)
Results
Naomi - Girl - 16
1. No i don't watch them because they are unrealistic and pointless
2. Neither
3. I'd want to see real issues because then I can relate to them
4. Not many television channels, mainly on the internet
Naomi expressed she finds soap operas unrealistic and hard to relate to which aids to why she doesn't what them. In order to attract Naomi we will need to make our soap as realistic as possible. Naomi also insisted that she prefers to watch programs on the internet. It may be in my interest to stream my soap opera online as well as on the television.
Nathan - Boy - 16
1. Yes i watch them with my parents
2. Casual viewer because I don't find them all interesting
3. I would like to watch soaps with more of a twist
4. Channel 4 because its more realistic
Nathan expressed he watches soap operas with his parents, I found this interesting as I would like to attract many different audiences. He doesn't find all soap operas interesting and would like to see them with more of a twist. I will need to ensure my soap opera can keep audiences interested this will enable me to attract audience members who do not necessarily watch soap operas regularly. He also said that Channel 4 would be his prefered station to watch a soap which is something I will need to think about.
Ashely - Boy - 17
1. Yes, because I've watched them for a long time
2. Religious viewer, I enjoy watching them all
3. Relationship issues because that's what i am interested in
4. BBC1 and Channel 4 because the programs I watch are on them channels
After interviewing Ashley I was able to understand that he enjoys watching all soap operas, but in order for mine to stand out he insists I should aim to make it as realistic as possible as he finds some of the story lines very unrealistic. He also would like a narrative regarding relationships to be shown within our soap. This works well with our treatment and I will ensure that this is shown in our trailer to gain Ashleys interest. He also insisted his favourite channels are BBC1 along with Channel 4.
Ipek - Girl - 18
1. Yes i find them entertaining and interesting
2. Casual viewer, I am not obsessed
3. Teenage issues because I am a teenager, I can relate to them
4. BBC1 because I watch Eastenders
Ipek's answers to my interview were helpful as she explained that because she is a teenager she would find a soap more entertaining if it related around teenagers. This was a very important point as I already intend to make a soap around teenage lives. I will ensure that teenagers are shown in the trailer to identify the character base straight away. BBC1 is her favourite channel because the only soap she watches (Eastenders) is shown on that station.
Ibrahim - Boy - 19
1. No, I don't find them interesting.
2. Neither
3. Death because I find the aftermath interesting.
4. Channel 4 because they have interesting programs on.
Ibrahims interview differed from the rest as he explained he watches no soap operas at this present time simply because they do not interest him. I feel that in order to grab the attention of audiences like Ibrahim i need to make something new and exciting. Ibrahim said he would watch a new soap opera if it included death in it and how the characters lived resulting this death. We will include a death in the trailer as I feel many audiences will find the aftermath interesting as these are new characters. He insists that Channel 4 have the best programs on so this will work towards our final decision on the channel of broadcast
Overall I have learn't a lot from this focus group session. I now understand that many people have there current viewing habits due to force of habit rather than because they find the soap story lines highly entertaining. Four out of the five interviewed insisted they would be more than happy to watch a new soap opera if it included more realistic events and circulated around teenagers/ relationships and death rather than adults who they are unable to relate to. I also was able to identify that the most popular channels for these people where channel 4 and BBC1, I feel that broadcasting our soap on BBC1 would be an issue as Eastenders is a well established soap and we will be unable to attract audiences to watch two soaps on the same channel. We decided that channel 4 will be the best channel for our soap as there are no soaps on around the time of 8.00pm on this channel.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Chosen Treatment - "Notice Us"
After holding the group discussion it was clear that Tamika Smiths treatment was best suited to teenagers and we all felt we could include our own input into this soap in order to gain the best possible outcome. I felt it would be a good idea for me to try and relate characters who will appear in our soap "Notice Us" with key characters in "Eastenders". The treatment with my own ideas is explained below.
Characters:-
Ruth Smith 42 a mother of one, her first husband and father of her child passed away. She is currently going though a divorce with her 2nd husband. She is very protective over her only son and depends on him regularly. She is also employed as a cashier at the local newsagents.
Whilst watching soap operas, we got the inspiration from Carol Jackson (Eastenders). She is smilar to Ruth as they both would do anything for there children and are very protected of them. Carol's son Billy passed away in his sleep due to his friends who were seen as a bad influence.
Michael Smith 18 is Ruth's son, he is a vulnerable character, tries his best to stay out of trouble. He has a girlfriend Esther who he has been with since a very young age. He doesn't depend on any one. He had lost his father when he was 12, and mum divorced his step dad recently. Michael is killed tragically for no reason, leaving his girlfriend alone.
Esther Clarke 18 she is currently in university studying Accounting and Economics part-time. She falls pregnant and considers having an abortion. She is deeply in love with her boyfriend Michael. Tragedy hits her life when Michael is tragically killed. She lives with her sister Emily, mother Judy and father Jim.
Esthers current position in "Notice Us" is similar to "Stacey Slater" (Eastenders). Stacey had to make a decision whether she should have an abortion or keep her baby Lilly. Staceys world feel apart when her husband Bradly died, leaving her to bring up the child alone.
Billy Gordon is 20. Currently a leader of a gang in North London . He is unemployed and loves to party with friends and gang mates. He has both parents who care about him dearly but he rebels and disobeys them.
Connor (Eastenders) plays a similar role to Billy Gorden within the soap. For example Connor is the leader of a gang in East London. Billy is also a leader and is looked up to by other members. Connor insists he is going to change, however he always gets stuck in the middle of gang battles. We intend to express the consequences for being in a gang.
Content:-
It contains a bunch of teens terrorizing the city. Gangs are also involved with both girls and boys in them. They will be different issues portrayed such as teenage pregnancy, drugs, family issues and moderate violence.
Location:-
The setting will be in North London . We could shoot some parts of the city such as bus stops, restaurants, pubs, local shops, streets and homes. We would also try to shoot the landmark that makes North London famous so the audience can relate and notice where it is.
Target Audience:-
The target audience for this soap will be mostly aimed at teens 16+, this is because the characters portrayed are mainly teenagers and their issues they go through on a day to day basis. However I feel parents could also find our soap interesting as there is also an adult cast which go through common issues with their children such as dishonestly and misbehaviour along with this they will also gain an insight to the lives of teenagers. I intend to attract male viewers by introducing a lead male character in this soap.
Channel, time of broadcast and frequency:-
The channel that this soap is suitable for is Channel 4 at 8:00pm and will be broadcast three times a week; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I feel with heavy advertising this soap can compete with Eastenders and Coronation Street as this is something fresh and will attract many teenagers. I choose this soap to be on three times a week on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because this will allow it to get maximum exposure. i will end each episode with a mini r large cliffhanger leaving the audience to wait a day for the new episode, this will create some sspense and interest in the soap opera however main cliffhangers will be on Thursdays to Episode 1:-
In the first episode a bunch of gang members witnesses a murder and are traumatize by what they see. They were considering of going into the police and telling them what they have seen. The death of the character changes the lives of many people in the community.
Future Episodes:-
One of the gang members loses their parents in a car crash. Esther is finding her course at university difficult and now has to make a decision if she wants to continue or leave to go work. Esther finds out she is pregnant but is unsure if she should keep the baby of have an abortion.
The next step we need to make is to produce a script and storyboard for our soap "Lopen Road" I feel a group meeting is needed to now, to ensure that all members of the group are aware of the next steps needed.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Treatment "Winchmore Hills" - Target Audience
After coming up with 4 different pitch ideas, as a group we choose to my best pitch idea was "Winchmore Hills", I then made a treatment for this soap. We now have 3 treatments to anyalise before decided on the final treatment.
Content lives of spoilt , teenagers both male and female who some live a life of luxury. I changed the previous idea to only show teenage girls as I felt that would limit the success of this soap in a large way, I will have both male and female characters. Living the life of luxury is not always easy as this soap opera will explain. Terminal illness, Pregnancy, cheating partners, drug abuse and violent behaviour. I feel the target audience for this soap will be young teenagers between the age of 18-25. This soap is not only targeted at females as there are some male characters which further the narrative. It was important to add male characters as this will increase the amount of viewers and attract males to watch the soap.
Characters
Amanda, 19 , life a soul of the party, constant drinking. Fun, loud and outspoken and single. She comes from a high class background and her family are very well respected in their home town. Amanda's mother tries to keep her grounded however she struggles. I feel the audience will find this character interesting and entertaining which will keep them watching the soap.
Tony, 19 , womanizer, takes drugs , has a bad reputation, trouble maker, rude and in a relationship with Juila who is considerably younger than him. Tony comes from a middle class background and lives in a relatively small house. He lives with his mother as his father left him when he was very young. Tony has had a hard upbringing which leads to why he is so unstable. I feel many members of the audience will be interesting to see h0w this character progresses within the soap and if he can change into a better person.
Julia, 16, Quiet, spends all her time studying for her A-level exams, hard working and in a relationship with Tony. Julia comes from a high class background and lives with her mother Judith. Her father lives nearby but has a previous record of being violent towards her mother. Julia was always the quiet girl at school until she met Tony who changed her life. Julia feels she is being forced into bad habits with Tony but loves him too much to end their relationship. I feel the audience will be able to relate to this character the most and sympathise with her issues.
Judith, 40, mother of Juila, solicitor, strict parent who only wants the best for her children and divorced. After splitting up with her violent husband Judith wants the best for her daughter and wants her to succeed in life. This character will be relatable to both teenagers and parents as many parents want the best for their children but it isn't always communicated.
Location : North London - Winchmore Hill which is explained in the title of the soap opera. It is important to make the audience aware of the location and surroundings so they can relate to the area. To show the location i will use shots of road signs, buses, inside houses along with cafe's, bars and clubs.
Episode 1 : Amanda gets ready to go out clubbing at her massive house with her friends Emma and Sarah. Once reaching the club they find Tony. Tony and Amanda get on well with each other as they have met at college. They later share a kiss which leads to taking drugs together, the security catch wind of this and call the police to the club. Juila (Tonys girlfriend) is at home studying and keeps calling Tony but he rejects her calls. The first episode ends with a cliffhanger as Tony is arrested for drug possession. This will leave the viewers in suspense to see what will happen to Tony.
Future episodes: Tony pressurizes Juila into sex with him which leads to her falling pregnant at the age of 16. Judith finds out about her daughters pregnancy and demands an abortion. Julia leaves school and home with her violent father .
Tony's count sentence which leads to other criminal sentences. Amanda and her friends become drug users with Tony. There are many future story lines for "Winchmore Hills" i feel they will keep the audience interested, it is important to involve characters from different ages to ensure we aim to target different viewers.
Target audience : Both male and female teenagers starting from 18+, this soap can expresses issues from all cultures. I now aim to attract male viewers by introducing a lead male character in this soap. This soap is not targeted at only high class people as the issues faced are common with any social class. Although we mainly are aiming at Teenagers, I feel adults will be interested in watching this soap as they will gain an insight to the lives of some teenagers. There are also main male roles in this soap so males may also view this soap opera.
Channel, time of broadcast and frequency : Channel 4 at 9.00pm on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I feel with heavy advertising this soap can compete with Eastenders and Coronation Street as this is something fresh and will attract many teenagers. I choose this soap to be on three times a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday because this will allow it to get maximum exposure. Its not on everyday as i will end each episode with a mini or large cliffhanger leaving the audience to wait a day for the new episode, this will create some suspense and interest in the soap opera. The time of this soap has been changed from 8.00pm to 9.00pm as although no drug abuse will be shown it may be insinuated and is not suitable for viewers at 8.00pm.
I will now search for an example of a member of the public who I will aim to attract with this treatment. It is important I understand who I want to attract as I can improve my treatment to suit my target audience.
Although "Winchmore Hills" may not be the final treatment chosen, I found it was good research to find out the sorts of people who watch soaps and what other activities draw them into watching soaps.
Target Audience for "Winchmore Hills"
A prime example of my target audience is shown above. Anna Philona is 18 years old who lives in Palmers Green studying journalism at University . As Anna is studying she has no job at the moment which limits to her spending power. Her favourite television programmes include 'Eastenders' 'Gossip Girl', 'The Vampire Diaries' '90210' and 'The Hills' and she often tunes into the television channels 'ITV2', 'MTV' and 'E4'. Anna watches Eastenders religiously and has not missed in episode in years, she also watches the series every week which they are on. This shows that Anna watches television in a big way and is a perfect target audience member.
Anna enjoys listening to mainly Pop music along with some RnB, with her favourite artists including 'Taylor Swift', 'Katy Perry' and 'Chris Brown'. She shops at places such as 'Jane Norman', 'H&M' and 'Topshop'. She enjoys socialising with her friends, going for a drink at Starbucks and hanging out at the shopping centre. Anna also enjoys reading in her spear time and her favourite writers are Stephanie Meyer and Katie Price.
Although Anna is an example of the type of people i will be targeting my soap opera at, I realise that Soap Operas are generally watched and enjoyed by a huge variety of people at different ages and with different interests, appearances and personalities.
As a group we must now decide on the chosen treatment. It is important that we choose the treatment that we can improve and that will be easier to target many audiences.
Content lives of spoilt , teenagers both male and female who some live a life of luxury. I changed the previous idea to only show teenage girls as I felt that would limit the success of this soap in a large way, I will have both male and female characters. Living the life of luxury is not always easy as this soap opera will explain. Terminal illness, Pregnancy, cheating partners, drug abuse and violent behaviour. I feel the target audience for this soap will be young teenagers between the age of 18-25. This soap is not only targeted at females as there are some male characters which further the narrative. It was important to add male characters as this will increase the amount of viewers and attract males to watch the soap.
Characters
Amanda, 19 , life a soul of the party, constant drinking. Fun, loud and outspoken and single. She comes from a high class background and her family are very well respected in their home town. Amanda's mother tries to keep her grounded however she struggles. I feel the audience will find this character interesting and entertaining which will keep them watching the soap.
Tony, 19 , womanizer, takes drugs , has a bad reputation, trouble maker, rude and in a relationship with Juila who is considerably younger than him. Tony comes from a middle class background and lives in a relatively small house. He lives with his mother as his father left him when he was very young. Tony has had a hard upbringing which leads to why he is so unstable. I feel many members of the audience will be interesting to see h0w this character progresses within the soap and if he can change into a better person.
Julia, 16, Quiet, spends all her time studying for her A-level exams, hard working and in a relationship with Tony. Julia comes from a high class background and lives with her mother Judith. Her father lives nearby but has a previous record of being violent towards her mother. Julia was always the quiet girl at school until she met Tony who changed her life. Julia feels she is being forced into bad habits with Tony but loves him too much to end their relationship. I feel the audience will be able to relate to this character the most and sympathise with her issues.
Judith, 40, mother of Juila, solicitor, strict parent who only wants the best for her children and divorced. After splitting up with her violent husband Judith wants the best for her daughter and wants her to succeed in life. This character will be relatable to both teenagers and parents as many parents want the best for their children but it isn't always communicated.
Location : North London - Winchmore Hill which is explained in the title of the soap opera. It is important to make the audience aware of the location and surroundings so they can relate to the area. To show the location i will use shots of road signs, buses, inside houses along with cafe's, bars and clubs.
Episode 1 : Amanda gets ready to go out clubbing at her massive house with her friends Emma and Sarah. Once reaching the club they find Tony. Tony and Amanda get on well with each other as they have met at college. They later share a kiss which leads to taking drugs together, the security catch wind of this and call the police to the club. Juila (Tonys girlfriend) is at home studying and keeps calling Tony but he rejects her calls. The first episode ends with a cliffhanger as Tony is arrested for drug possession. This will leave the viewers in suspense to see what will happen to Tony.
Future episodes: Tony pressurizes Juila into sex with him which leads to her falling pregnant at the age of 16. Judith finds out about her daughters pregnancy and demands an abortion. Julia leaves school and home with her violent father .
Tony's count sentence which leads to other criminal sentences. Amanda and her friends become drug users with Tony. There are many future story lines for "Winchmore Hills" i feel they will keep the audience interested, it is important to involve characters from different ages to ensure we aim to target different viewers.
Target audience : Both male and female teenagers starting from 18+, this soap can expresses issues from all cultures. I now aim to attract male viewers by introducing a lead male character in this soap. This soap is not targeted at only high class people as the issues faced are common with any social class. Although we mainly are aiming at Teenagers, I feel adults will be interested in watching this soap as they will gain an insight to the lives of some teenagers. There are also main male roles in this soap so males may also view this soap opera.
Channel, time of broadcast and frequency : Channel 4 at 9.00pm on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I feel with heavy advertising this soap can compete with Eastenders and Coronation Street as this is something fresh and will attract many teenagers. I choose this soap to be on three times a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday because this will allow it to get maximum exposure. Its not on everyday as i will end each episode with a mini or large cliffhanger leaving the audience to wait a day for the new episode, this will create some suspense and interest in the soap opera. The time of this soap has been changed from 8.00pm to 9.00pm as although no drug abuse will be shown it may be insinuated and is not suitable for viewers at 8.00pm.
I will now search for an example of a member of the public who I will aim to attract with this treatment. It is important I understand who I want to attract as I can improve my treatment to suit my target audience.
Although "Winchmore Hills" may not be the final treatment chosen, I found it was good research to find out the sorts of people who watch soaps and what other activities draw them into watching soaps.
Target Audience for "Winchmore Hills"
A prime example of my target audience is shown above. Anna Philona is 18 years old who lives in Palmers Green studying journalism at University . As Anna is studying she has no job at the moment which limits to her spending power. Her favourite television programmes include 'Eastenders' 'Gossip Girl', 'The Vampire Diaries' '90210' and 'The Hills' and she often tunes into the television channels 'ITV2', 'MTV' and 'E4'. Anna watches Eastenders religiously and has not missed in episode in years, she also watches the series every week which they are on. This shows that Anna watches television in a big way and is a perfect target audience member.
Anna enjoys listening to mainly Pop music along with some RnB, with her favourite artists including 'Taylor Swift', 'Katy Perry' and 'Chris Brown'. She shops at places such as 'Jane Norman', 'H&M' and 'Topshop'. She enjoys socialising with her friends, going for a drink at Starbucks and hanging out at the shopping centre. Anna also enjoys reading in her spear time and her favourite writers are Stephanie Meyer and Katie Price.
Although Anna is an example of the type of people i will be targeting my soap opera at, I realise that Soap Operas are generally watched and enjoyed by a huge variety of people at different ages and with different interests, appearances and personalities.
As a group we must now decide on the chosen treatment. It is important that we choose the treatment that we can improve and that will be easier to target many audiences.
Trailer Analysis - Eastenders
Eastenders Trailer 2010 - Kat and Alfie's return.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p4xlLezos0 - the trailer is located on this link.
To introduce Kat and Alfie's return to Eastenders, producers choose to make a short trailer that would be played on BBC1, in order to attract audiences. The soap may have interested old viewers into watching the soap again who used to like the previous characters. However this trailer can be seen as disadvantage to producers as existing viewers may not have seen the soap when they were characters, which would confuse them as viewers and make the trailer a waste of money. Although that can be seen as a issue, many of the viewers of Eastenders are religious viewers and would be aware who these characters are. The return of these two characters has been much anticipated as the press had been writing stories in the papers insisting they were returning, along with many gossip magazines. Once the trailer appeared on TV it was then aware to all audiences that they would be returning.
The trailer as made to introduce these characters along with creating suspense and tension. For example the trailer begins with an establishing shot of the Queen Vic which is an iconic feature of the soap. Suspense is then creating as we see a close up shot of feet walking along the path way, this interests the audience as they want to find out who the mystery character is. A tilt shot upwards is then used to finally reveal who the character is. Along with this closeups of existing
characters are shown, these characters are hiding and looking very specious at Kat which will leave many questions unanswered by audiences as they will be wondering why all these characters are afraid of Kat's return, this feature also explains that Kat will have stories and scenes with these characters when she returns.
No dialogue is used in the beginning of these trailer to create suspense, Kat then speaks out " Where can I get a drink around here". An over the shoulder shot is then used to introduce the next character Alfie, her husband. He then insists "your going to need one". The characters are then placed opposite each other within the frame which explains a sort of conflict between the two characters. The theme for this trailer is Western which we are able to identify by the costumes and the soundtrack played throughout the soap. To end this trailer a quick shot reverse shot is used between these characters which expresses the tension between these characters. A voice over is then used to explain that "Its all kicking off in Eastenders this week". This then explains to the viewers that these characters are entering the soap this week which can be seen as a form of advertising.
After conducing all the different research into a soap episode, sequence and trailer I can now edit my treatment and show it to the group. I do understand that another pitch and treatment may be better suited, which is why communication is vital working in a group.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p4xlLezos0 - the trailer is located on this link.
To introduce Kat and Alfie's return to Eastenders, producers choose to make a short trailer that would be played on BBC1, in order to attract audiences. The soap may have interested old viewers into watching the soap again who used to like the previous characters. However this trailer can be seen as disadvantage to producers as existing viewers may not have seen the soap when they were characters, which would confuse them as viewers and make the trailer a waste of money. Although that can be seen as a issue, many of the viewers of Eastenders are religious viewers and would be aware who these characters are. The return of these two characters has been much anticipated as the press had been writing stories in the papers insisting they were returning, along with many gossip magazines. Once the trailer appeared on TV it was then aware to all audiences that they would be returning.The trailer as made to introduce these characters along with creating suspense and tension. For example the trailer begins with an establishing shot of the Queen Vic which is an iconic feature of the soap. Suspense is then creating as we see a close up shot of feet walking along the path way, this interests the audience as they want to find out who the mystery character is. A tilt shot upwards is then used to finally reveal who the character is. Along with this closeups of existing
characters are shown, these characters are hiding and looking very specious at Kat which will leave many questions unanswered by audiences as they will be wondering why all these characters are afraid of Kat's return, this feature also explains that Kat will have stories and scenes with these characters when she returns.
No dialogue is used in the beginning of these trailer to create suspense, Kat then speaks out " Where can I get a drink around here". An over the shoulder shot is then used to introduce the next character Alfie, her husband. He then insists "your going to need one". The characters are then placed opposite each other within the frame which explains a sort of conflict between the two characters. The theme for this trailer is Western which we are able to identify by the costumes and the soundtrack played throughout the soap. To end this trailer a quick shot reverse shot is used between these characters which expresses the tension between these characters. A voice over is then used to explain that "Its all kicking off in Eastenders this week". This then explains to the viewers that these characters are entering the soap this week which can be seen as a form of advertising.
After conducing all the different research into a soap episode, sequence and trailer I can now edit my treatment and show it to the group. I do understand that another pitch and treatment may be better suited, which is why communication is vital working in a group.
Monday, 25 October 2010
Analysis of Eastenders Episode
Eastenders
There are many elements that work together that lead to the overall success of this soap including Narrative, Representation, Realism and Audience. I see Eastenders as a community of people, consisting of friendships, friction and family. When Eastenders was created in 1985, unemployment was at a high and many of the characters chosen represented the area of East London, for example Den and Pauline had distinctive accents that audiences were able to relate with the East. I feel over the years Eastenders has become glamorised and less realistic than when it first become. The sets have changed dramatically for example the nightclub, not many streets have a night club at the end of them, this can make the soap opera seem very unrealistic.
As the episode begins the audience can see Ronnie jogging through Albert Square in the morning which is the iconic location of the soap. Time is reflected through this opening scene as Ronnie is going for a morning jog this explains it is the start of a new day. In the 2nd scene past storylines and characters are brought to the future this is represented by Mo looking for her nieces birth certificate, this narrative shows how time as progressed. An old character Kat Slater plans to return to the soap. Her return has been anticipated, it was aware to many viewers that she was returning as it was all over gossip magazines and in many newspapers. Short scenes are used in this episode to leave the narrative unclear, for example the situation with Kat (new character) is unexplained creating an interest in the narrative.
Jodie and Darren are facing some issues within their teenage romance which attracts many teenagers as they can relate to it, this expresses a form of realism. Many teenagers will continue to watch Eastenders to find out what happens between their relationship as they feel they can relate to the issues expressed. Heather is holding a christening for her son in this particular episode, regular viewers of Eastenders will have a preconceived image that something bad will happen at this event as nothing runs smoothly. Sam intends to ruin the christening as she hopes to leave Albert Square with Heathers boyfriend Minty, he is unsure of his feelings towards Heather and he feels it is becoming unrequited love . Unrequited love is represented as Minty explains to Sam " I will feel bad on Heather, but i do love you more". This narrative is also expressed in Coronation Street and Home and Away at this current time. This seems to be a very common narrative for soaps and gains many viewers as they want to find out what happens next. Sam's current story line leaves future unclear which expresses a sense of time. The audience is able to identify that a christening is taking place through narrative along with mise-en scene as a christening gown is visible in the frame along with decorations and food. The event will be held in the community centre which was expressed through the dialogue used, the location of this event insinuates that characters in this soap are from a working class background. Social class is also communicated to the audience by the characters jobs for example the café, and the laundrette. Audiences can also relate to these locations which show how realism is portrayed in this soap. The locations shown in this soap are realistic as it shows characters at work and running everyday errands. There is no artificial lighting in this soap which also creates a real persona.
There are 3 main storylines which are the christening, Kats return and Sam’s departure. As one character is leaving the soap (Sam) another one is joining (Kat). This keeps the audience incised and interested as the story is forever progressing. The christening and Sam’s departure connect with each other as many soap operas interconnect main storylines with each other to create maximum drama. A cliff-hanger is apposed at the end of this episode. This particular cliff-hanger will excite the audience because It involves the new character Kat, which the audience will be interested in and wanting to find out what happens next. Although Sam has left the soap there is no closed narrative and she is able to return to the soap at any time, death is the only closed narrative available and as time increases some soaps even come back from the dead.
As one iconic character leaves Sam (Left) a new characters is re-enters back into the soap (Right). As the producers believe that many Eastenders viewers have been the same for years they expect them to know who Kat Slater is and what she represents.
This research has now enabled me to make changes to my treatment before presenting it to my group. I feel that even if we chose a different group members treatment that I can still use the lessons iv learn't from my research, and make improvements and changes to what has been chosen with my own creative eye. I feel that I need to anaylse a soap trailer as this will express to me what common shot types, movements, locations, mise-en-scene and editing can be used and why it is successful with explaining a narrative and story.
There are many elements that work together that lead to the overall success of this soap including Narrative, Representation, Realism and Audience. I see Eastenders as a community of people, consisting of friendships, friction and family. When Eastenders was created in 1985, unemployment was at a high and many of the characters chosen represented the area of East London, for example Den and Pauline had distinctive accents that audiences were able to relate with the East. I feel over the years Eastenders has become glamorised and less realistic than when it first become. The sets have changed dramatically for example the nightclub, not many streets have a night club at the end of them, this can make the soap opera seem very unrealistic.
As the episode begins the audience can see Ronnie jogging through Albert Square in the morning which is the iconic location of the soap. Time is reflected through this opening scene as Ronnie is going for a morning jog this explains it is the start of a new day. In the 2nd scene past storylines and characters are brought to the future this is represented by Mo looking for her nieces birth certificate, this narrative shows how time as progressed. An old character Kat Slater plans to return to the soap. Her return has been anticipated, it was aware to many viewers that she was returning as it was all over gossip magazines and in many newspapers. Short scenes are used in this episode to leave the narrative unclear, for example the situation with Kat (new character) is unexplained creating an interest in the narrative.
Jodie and Darren are facing some issues within their teenage romance which attracts many teenagers as they can relate to it, this expresses a form of realism. Many teenagers will continue to watch Eastenders to find out what happens between their relationship as they feel they can relate to the issues expressed. Heather is holding a christening for her son in this particular episode, regular viewers of Eastenders will have a preconceived image that something bad will happen at this event as nothing runs smoothly. Sam intends to ruin the christening as she hopes to leave Albert Square with Heathers boyfriend Minty, he is unsure of his feelings towards Heather and he feels it is becoming unrequited love . Unrequited love is represented as Minty explains to Sam " I will feel bad on Heather, but i do love you more". This narrative is also expressed in Coronation Street and Home and Away at this current time. This seems to be a very common narrative for soaps and gains many viewers as they want to find out what happens next. Sam's current story line leaves future unclear which expresses a sense of time. The audience is able to identify that a christening is taking place through narrative along with mise-en scene as a christening gown is visible in the frame along with decorations and food. The event will be held in the community centre which was expressed through the dialogue used, the location of this event insinuates that characters in this soap are from a working class background. Social class is also communicated to the audience by the characters jobs for example the café, and the laundrette. Audiences can also relate to these locations which show how realism is portrayed in this soap. The locations shown in this soap are realistic as it shows characters at work and running everyday errands. There is no artificial lighting in this soap which also creates a real persona.
There are 3 main storylines which are the christening, Kats return and Sam’s departure. As one character is leaving the soap (Sam) another one is joining (Kat). This keeps the audience incised and interested as the story is forever progressing. The christening and Sam’s departure connect with each other as many soap operas interconnect main storylines with each other to create maximum drama. A cliff-hanger is apposed at the end of this episode. This particular cliff-hanger will excite the audience because It involves the new character Kat, which the audience will be interested in and wanting to find out what happens next. Although Sam has left the soap there is no closed narrative and she is able to return to the soap at any time, death is the only closed narrative available and as time increases some soaps even come back from the dead.
As one iconic character leaves Sam (Left) a new characters is re-enters back into the soap (Right). As the producers believe that many Eastenders viewers have been the same for years they expect them to know who Kat Slater is and what she represents.
This research has now enabled me to make changes to my treatment before presenting it to my group. I feel that even if we chose a different group members treatment that I can still use the lessons iv learn't from my research, and make improvements and changes to what has been chosen with my own creative eye. I feel that I need to anaylse a soap trailer as this will express to me what common shot types, movements, locations, mise-en-scene and editing can be used and why it is successful with explaining a narrative and story.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Research on Characters - Eastenders
Before deciding on what treatment was best out of the pitch ideas I produced I decided to take a further look into Eastenders and depict some different characters and there traits. This research will also help me when the final treatment as I can include some of the traits found in characters within our soap.
Lan Beale
Tanya Branning
Family is paramount to Tanya. Max was the love of her life, but his affair with
Jay Mitchell
After conducing research into four different characters within Eastenders I was able to understand common traits expressed in characters. For example we have the father/business man who often whats to clench deals in order to better his family. We also have the mother figure, who always has her childrens best interests at heart. Stacey is a teenager who is constantly causing trouble and getting herself into tricky situations. This character trait can be used in my trailer as I feel many audience members will find this interesting. Jay has faced heartbreak in his life which many people can relate to which is why he is a successful character in Eastenders. Heartbreak will be a narrative I will convey in my treatment as I feel this will create realism.
I will now watch this episode of Eastenders and anaylise it. I feel this will be important for me as I will be able to identify the common characters within soaps along with the shot types and movements that work best within the soap. It will also be good practice to see the kinds of narrative stories that are introduced in order for me to understand what audiences expect to see within a soap. I will also anaylise the realism and sense of community that is introduced in Eastenders.
Lan Beale
Lan's always wanted to be more than an East End barrow boy, but things haven't always gone to plan.
First appearance: 19.02.1985 
Marital Status: Married
Address: 45 Albert Square
Occupation: Caterer/Entrepreneur
Most likely to say
I've got to clinch this deal by 5pm.
Tanya Branning
Family is paramount to Tanya. Max was the love of her life, but his affair with 
Stacey destroyed their marriage, and nearly destroyed her.
First appearance: 27.06.2006
Marital Status: Engaged
Address: Outside of Walford
Occupation: Salon manager
Most likely to say
This really is the last time, Max.
Stacey Branning
Stacey's aim in life is to look after number one, and stuff everyone else! She's no angel, a
nd she's learned how to twist the truth to suit her.
First appearance: 02.11.2004
Marital Status: Widowed
Address: 23 Albert Square
Occupation: Stall holder
Most likely to say
Like that's gonna stop me!
Jay Mitchell
Street-smart Jay has been hit hard by the death of his mum, grandmother and dad, Jase.
First appearance: 14.12.2006
Marital Status: single
Address: 55 Victoria Road
Occupation: Student
Most likely to say
Got a problem?
After conducing research into four different characters within Eastenders I was able to understand common traits expressed in characters. For example we have the father/business man who often whats to clench deals in order to better his family. We also have the mother figure, who always has her childrens best interests at heart. Stacey is a teenager who is constantly causing trouble and getting herself into tricky situations. This character trait can be used in my trailer as I feel many audience members will find this interesting. Jay has faced heartbreak in his life which many people can relate to which is why he is a successful character in Eastenders. Heartbreak will be a narrative I will convey in my treatment as I feel this will create realism.
I will now watch this episode of Eastenders and anaylise it. I feel this will be important for me as I will be able to identify the common characters within soaps along with the shot types and movements that work best within the soap. It will also be good practice to see the kinds of narrative stories that are introduced in order for me to understand what audiences expect to see within a soap. I will also anaylise the realism and sense of community that is introduced in Eastenders.
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