Do to list!

Here is a list of things I need to do before January:

• Finish filming
• Begin to edit the footage
• Take some more character pictures
• Finish and upload my magazine front cover
• Film the characters together, for a small behind the scenes piece of footage
• Find some music for my film
• Upload the first draft of the behind the scenes film of the karate filming to youtube and then my blog
• Upload the location filming and add a voice over

Dilemma!!

Looking back at my posters, I'm starting to wonder if I really need the director on it? Becuase directors of soaps aren't that famous really, but then again, I put it there to attract the target audience. However, maybe a slogan or line should be on the poster instead, of course it wont be well known as its a new soap but it could be relevant to the story or relate to a character or be something that is said or certainly becomes a well known line in the soap. I think it will be a rhetorical question or something that relates to the story. I'll have a think!

Poster!

These are my 5 posters that I designed. I really liked the portrait black and white photo of the group, but despite this I have chosen the 2nd poster down as my final one. This is because I think that for a modern day soap a poster will not be in black and white, it will be in colour and what the target audience will expect as well as being appealing to them. There is not too much information or too little, it tells the vital information, such as the name, channel and time which is what is needed to advertise a soap.

Locations!

Its taken me a while to upload these and sort through them and choose which ones were best as I took so many, but here they are! And again, the pictures have upload in a slightly funny order, they move around when I publish my post and I can't understand why!
These are my location pictures at which different scenes will be shot. For example, the ones just to the left and slightly above are of the shop that Laura will be seen in, stacking shelves. The pictures of the roads are where shots of the car driving will be filmed and the shots of the field are where shots of the characters walking will be taken. Other pictures are of the hall where the Karate scene will be and the other pictures of the road will be where Laura is filmed walking back from work.

Character Pictures!!

I have had alot of trouble trying to upload the pictures, what with different formats and the layout on the page so I am going to write about them here! I would like each picture to suggest different things about the character, but they will be interpreted differently by different people. For all of the photographs I have used a range of shots, close ups, mid shots, long shots and low angle shots.

The first two pictures are of Dan, a long shot from a low angle and then a mid shot. I would like the pictures to imply him as an individual who looks normal, relaxed and casual but suggest there may be another side to him. His costume is casual clothes, suggesting he is relaxed and level headed. His facial expressions are trouble-free and the lighting makes the photos look natural and warm, suggesting he is a warm and trusting character.

The next one down is of Kelly and Laura. The lighting is much darker due to shadows. I would like this to suggest that there may be something about these two characters, or their relationship that is hidden or secretive. Their costumes again are fairly normal and every day clothes, suggestng they are probably students and their casual stance suggests they are relaxed characters.

The next three pictures are of the whole group, implying that they all know one another. The way that they are standing, for example the couples standing together is suggesting their relationship with each other to the target audience. The last picture is a long shot of the characters, showing their costumes and general looks. The fact that their costumes are so different shows that they all have their own style and individuality even though they are part of a close group. Phil's stance makes him look rather protective of Kelly whereas Will looks far more relaxed alongside his 'girlfriend'. They all look relaxed in all the photographs suggesting they are comfortable around each other and there is no conflict within the group.

There are then pictures of Will and Dan and then of the 3 boys. There is a range of shots, long and mid shots. The pictures show their costumes and relaxed stances around one another.

There are pictures of Will and Laura and Phil and Kelly. These show their relationship to the target audience and suggest that both couples have a strong relationship with their partner because of they way that they are looking at one another as well as the way that they are standing closely together.

Soap clips

Coronation Street



This is a clip from Coronation Street. From watching this, I can see that soaps have many scenes in pubs, family homes and other settings relevant to the storyline, in the case of this clip from Corrie, a court. Similarly, the clip from Eastenders below also shows the pub, 'The Queen Vic', a place where many characters visit on a regular basis, making it one of the main settings and a name associated with the soap. There are many camera shots used in this clip from Corrie, to make the scenes more dramatic and to create atmosphere. For example, when tension is being created many close up shots are used to show facial expressions and emotions. As well as close ups mid and long shots are used to express body language and stance which make the scene more dramatic and tense. The scenes are filled with more emotion and the way in which the characters are presented make the audience either like them or not, and when something happens with the characters, e.g. a fight or someone gets hurt, the audience feel more emotionally involved with the characters if they like the character, thus creating a bigger overall effect on the audience.


Eastenders



This link is for the Eastenders Christmas special trailer. It doesn't advertise the soap as a new programme, but it advertises a storyline and the fact that it is a Christmas Special. I thought that it was a good clip for me to look at because it would give me ideas of what to put into my soap trailer and any things that I should look at differently on my storyboard. For example, there are a range of camera shots in this particular clip, such as close ups which show the characters emotions; as well as over the shoulder shots which allows the audience to see a close up of one characters face and also let the audience get a feel for the other characters body language and emotion without seeing their face. For example in this clip the male character is concerned and the female is very upset which is shown by the camera shots. The way his head and shoulder shakes slightly alongside his dialogue - "Who did this to you?".
Each edit, of fade to black, puts a sense of closure on each individual clip, suggesting that each character has something that they are going to do. The characters is each clip are doing something different and mysterious, for example, Peggy emerges out from behind a dark bush, and the blonde haired female turns her head quickly looking around her, implying she is scared as a male can be seen approaching her from the street behind. The lighting in some of the clips, for example the clip of Peggy, also creates an uneasy and eerie atmosphere. This is because only parts or half of the characters face are in the light, for example the eyes, and a lot can be seen from looking at someones eyes because they show plenty of feeling, i.e. anger or hurt. By only showing part of the characters face, different facial expressions can be interpreted in various ways by the audience which leaves the trailer open ended and on a cliffhanger to draw the audience in to watch it to find out what happens.

Name!

I am trying to think of a name for my soap and have come up with a few ideas. These are:
Chasing Hearts
By heart
Break Even
Breaking Even
Teenage Dreams
Teenage Kicks

I thought of naming the soap after the place it was set but I wanted to be different and create a different affect by the name to make it more dramatic and imply a different meaning. For example, if I was to call the soap Church Street, I think the name would imply something to do with a Church and even religion. I also thought it sounded to similar to current soaps, such as Coronation Street. However, a name such as Teenage Kicks connotes rebellious teenagers, drama, and stereotypical teenage behavior when the characters may be the opposite. I didn't like the idea so much of naming it after the place and wanted to be different, so it may appeal to the target audience more if it has many connotations.

To decide on a name I produced a questionnaire and asked the target audience which they preferred of the names listed above. This is my questionnaire:


Which of these names do you prefer for a soap? Please Circle.

Chasing Hearts
By Heart
Break Even
Breaking Even
Teenage Dreams
Teenage Kicks

(By heart – connoting that the characters know each other ‘By heart’)


The results showed that Breaking Even was the most popular name for a soap amoung the target audience so that is what I will be calling my soap.

Update!

On Sunday, I will be taking all of my character pictures so I can begin to design my poster and listings magazine front cover. As well as this I have photographs of most of my locations (I will get the last two on sunday also) as well as a film shot of panning around the area. I am going to upload the pictures for both locations and characters soon and then put bits of film that I made at the locations into a short video with a voice over explaing why I have chosen those locations and what will be happening there. For example, I will say something like "this is the hall where the karate scene will be. I have chosen this location because..." I have not filmed at every location, only the main ones that are significant in the trailer but I will have photographs of them all.

Also, as soon as my photographs are done, the poster and the magazine front cover I am going to start filming my trailer!