Analysis of Britney Spears Music Video

The video can be found on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKo4fFVymqk&nofeather=True

This video is a Pop Promo video. The video matches the beat of the song through the use of dance routines and lip syncs in time with the tune.
The narrative of the video is that Britney is in class at school, and slips into a daydream, performs the song and then comes out of the dream. We know this through the use of diegetic sounds when out of a fantasy, and non diegetic sounds in the fantasy. There is also a point where britney is sat in the hall, that the lyrics and narrative link. The video uses the stereotypes of boring teachers and promiscuous school girls as it's representation.
Close up shots of the main star are used, and the star is also centre of attention. Wide shots are also used to capture dance action and soft focus signals daydreams. The shots are also very energetic, and editing is used to match the beat.
Mise En Scene is used as the costume of the main star is slightly different to the dancers, to make her stand out.

Andrew Godwins Music Video Theory is used in this video. The star is the centre of attention, and repetition is also used to continuously show the star. Lip sync and dancing is also linked to the beat and song.

Uses and Gratifications Powerpoint

Uses and gratifications theory

Acting for group B

Today was a day that our group had set not to do any filming, and instead Emily and I agreed to act in group B's production. We had to look depressed in four different places, as Emily fades out of the shot. We filmed in the middle of the College garden, The Loaf, the sixth form computer room and college sixth form common room.
Group B are going to make Emily fade out of the shot during the editing process. In all four of these places, group B filmed a shot wih Emily an view, and an identical shot, but with Emily out of view. These will be edited together with a fade transition in the middle.

Production: Shooting the vomit scene

Today we shot a scene of one of our characters vomiting into the toilet, for our second public service broadcast. We shot the scene through a close-up point of view shot which was faced down into the toilet as the character vomited. We also used the diegetic sound of vomiting noises to make the scene more realistic. All of us stuck to our roles (example: Megan as director, and I was filming). As listed in the props section of our pre-production booklet, we used a can of soup as the vomit. 

The shot went very well after struggling to get the camera in a position of not having the can of soup in shot. We also struggled to get the actors hair in shot, as suggested we would in the storyboard, so we may have differed slightly to the origional idea explained on the storyboard. We are all very happy with the lessons work.

Next we hope to work on shooting an actor infront of a green screen for the first PSB idea we had (mine). We also plan to start shooting the hospital and letter background. All of these will be shot at John Mason School's drama studio.

Emily's PSB Idea

Here is a copy of Emily's PSB idea. Mine can be found on this link.

"The public service announcement begins in a darkened room. There will be a medium shot of which you can see a chair in the middle of the room. The chair will be spotlighted with a harsh white light to emphasize the dark features underneath the girl’s eyes. The chair will be facing away from the camera and you will be able to see the back of the girl’s hair. The girl will then speak. “At the time… It was fun”. The shot will then change to a flashback. The camera will be blurry and handheld, creating a drunken, out of control atmosphere. In the background you will hear the sound of laughter and booming music. However this sound will be distant and muffled. The girl will then raise her glass to her mouth (the camera) and down a beer. The shot will then switch back once again to the scene of the girl in the chair. There will be a gradual zoom into the spotlighted chair, becoming closer and closer. She will then speak again “at the time... I didn’t care”. Once again it will switch to the flashback of her in a toilet full of girls and the camera will be leaning over the toilet. The camera will be handheld and shaking and you will be able to see glimpses of girls in the bathroom looking concerned at the camera. It will then switch back to the girl in the chair. “At the time… I didn’t think”. The next shot will be then of the girl walking down an alley way, from her point of view, and you will see out of the corner of her eye (at the side of the camera shot) a boy next to her. It will then switch back to the girl in the chair. By this time the camera will have zoomed quite close into the girl. We will then begin to hear her cry. She will say “at the time… at the time I didn’t realise the consequences”. It will then suddenly switch back to the alley way. You will see quick shots of the boy pulling down the girl’s trousers, and pushing her to the floor. The shot will be getting very wobbly and blurry by this time as its still through the girls eyes. It will then switch back to the girl in the chair. She will slowly turn around and you will be able to see her face. The camera will now be much zoomed into her. She will look scruffy and makeup will be smudged down her face. She will be in tears. “At the time… I didn’t think it could make me feel this cheap.” The camera will then zoom out once again to a position above her, making her seem venerable. Another voice will then begin to talk. “Remember… the consequences don’t just appear on the outside. Drinking causes vulnerability. Don’t put yourself in that position. Think. By this time the camera will have fully zoomed out and it will be pointing down on the girl to emphasize how small and vulnerable she is. She will have buried her head in her hands."

Some useful tips...

Visit the website http://www.essortment.com/all/tiphowtowrite_rjbk.htm for information on PSB tips. A small extract is quoted below. I think this'll be very helpful to me.

"What do you want the world to know? That’s the central question when you prepare to send out a public service announcement or news release. What can you compose that will give you an advantage in getting your PSA announcement on the radio or your local TV station? As a radio news director for 10 years, I’ve seen some of the worst, and a few of the better PSA’s and news releases.


The essential information for a Public Service Announcement (PSA) or a News Release you want to include are the details about “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, and “how”. Simply, the answers to those questions should be included. But that seems to be where many organizations trip themselves up. They leave out some portion of the essential information. Since many local media people are usually pressed for time, releases that don’t include some of the vital information will likely be tossed in the trash because they don’t have time to follow up to try to get a correction." More continued...

This site can help me when writing my review to compare my PSB against the information on this site.

Public Service Broadcast Research (Secondary)

For my Media coursework, I am creating two public service broadcasts with a group of three other students, one of which, I have thought of and planned myself. Our broadcasts are going to be based on binge drinking, and mine, the way binge drinking can prevent you from

Public Service Broadcasts are an effective way to provide a message to the public. According to Wikipedia: "A typical PSA is part of a public awareness campaign to inform or educate the public about an issue such as obesity or compulsive gambling. The range of possible topics has expanded over time." One of these more recent topics is alcohol and binge drinking.

PSBs are also used by religious groups to give a message: "Some religious organizations produce PSAs on non-religious themes such as family values. Examples include the long-running homefront campaign from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and campaigns by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the United Methodist Church."

-- Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_service_announcement

Poster

Below is an image of my poster:

I have chosen this picture of a baby as it is bright and contrasts well with my black background. The ideology behind it is to show the contrast between family and drinking. The picture is also deliberately placed inside the text to create the effect of the family being blocked away, as if behind bars.

I have chosen the words "Stop Drinking Daddy" as these are the words I imagine the baby would say.

I have also used a logo to make the poster look professional and reliable. A website has also been given for more information.

I have chosen to use the colour yellow for the text at the bottom of the poster to represent alcohol.

Large amounts of black space has been used to represent lonliness.

I have used a picture off of the internet, though I have edited it to suit the poster. I have handed in the poster and the image before being edited into my teacher.

Primary Research: Yahoo! Answers Question

As part of my primary research, I have decided to post a question to Yahoo! Answers, as I can easily get the opinion of somebody elsewhere in the world. 

I kept the question simple, to try and provoke a response:

 

Response:

 

This response suggests to me  that the narrative of the advert has a huge role in creating a meaning to a target audience. Of course, however, the target audience for the adverts in my question may not have been aimed at the person who responded. This still shows that, however, the circumstances used in the advert play a huge role in who listens.

PSB: My Idea

I shall use this blog post to explain one of the idea's I've had for an anti alcohol PSB.

The advert starts off with a long shot of a male stood in a busy Oxford street, holding a bottle in his right hand. As soon as he takes a drink from the bottle, the background wipes away to the left, leaving the man, his bottle and a black screen. The camera will also start to dolly towards the main actor, and do so throughout the whole advert. After stumbling about a bit, looking confused and drunk, the screen then wipes again to a blurred background with spontaneous colours dotting around, as if in hospital but too drunk to see properly. Hospital sounds such as the 'beep...beep...beep' will sound in the background. The background will then wipe to a close up of a baby, making the main actor look small in front of it. Note that the hospital beeps are still here, even though the scene isn't. The baby will say "Daddy" in an echoed voice. The background will then wipe to a "Your Fired" letter, which then gets thumped by a fist. The shouting sound "Your Fired" will be echoed in the background. These three background will then be repeated twice more as the camera dollies closer to the main actor and the sounds begin to double and triple up, becoming confusing.All sound will then stop, and the words "Alcohol will wreck your life ...and your families. Visit giveupalcohol.co.uk".

Second PSB Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZFBjoTYD5E&NR=1&feature=fvwp

This is the second analysis I have carried out on an anti drinking PSB on my Media blog.

I have chosen this particular advert as it fits my future PSB's target audience: Young males aged 20 upwards (explained in another post).

Analysis

This Public Service Broadcast consists of six shots. The first shot shows a young man sat on a chair talking to the camera. He is telling the audience directly what happened on his night out, but through his eyes (the eyes of a drunk person). He then leads to explain how he got into a fight, and the shot changes to a close up of his hands, and back to him. This time he now has a bleeding nose. He then explains how is didn't think he could have been hit by a car, and the shot changes to one of his feet, then back to the side of his face. This time his face is covered in blood as if he's been hit by a car. He then turns and faces the camera one last time, to connect with the audience, and the shot changes to a piece of text reading "Don't turn a night out into a nightmare".

Now, in more detail, the first shot is a medium face and shoulder shot, as if the man is stood in front of his audience as he looks at them and talks. Editing techniques are used in this shot to repeatedly alternate between blurring the background and blurring his face. This creates the effect of a drunken person's vision. The non-diegetic use of sound throughout the entire PSB also create this effect, as the sound is distorted and un-recognisable, yet also uncomfortable. 

Cinematography is also used throughout the PSB for the same purpose. The shaking camera movements create the sense of a drunken person staggering home with no balance, which the sober audience would hopefully recognise and realise how uncomfortable that also is. 

Editing is also used throughout the PSB to de-saturate the colour in the ad. This gives the ad a bleak and very unwelcoming atmosphere.

So far, the techniques I've analysed work well to make the audience imagine binge drinking as something that they wouldn't want to experience again. The use of the character talking directly to the camera is also a well used technique to gain control of the audience and provoke the intended response. The audience may be able to relate to the night this man has had and therefore might want to change, as the ideology behind this PSB is that binge drinking is harmful and not nice.

Lighting is natural room lighting which works well with the de-saturated editing, and provides the audience with something relate to (as it looks like a normal room).

The ending text is white, contrasting well on a black background. No bright colours have been used as this would wreck the effect of the PSB. A voice over has also not been used, as the text makes the reader become involved and read the text itself, taking in the message.

Primary Research: Questionnaire

This questionnaire was given to seven people who drink alcohol regularly. I have used males to answer the questionnaires, as this will be my target audience for my PSB idea.

Here is a copy of the questions I gave my candidates to answer:

1.     When going for a night out, do you often drink more alcohol than you can handle?

[] Yes            [] No

2.     If yes, do you think public service advertisements on TV could change your drinking habits, if they were effective?
[] Yes, greatly  [] Yes, but not much  [] Not really…

3.     With (1) being most effective, and (3) least, please rate how effective the following narratives would be to you in an anti drinking campaign:
[] The effects your drinking has on your friends
[] The effects your drinking has on your family

[] The effects drinking has on yourself

4.     Tick all of the following factors an anti-drinking broadcast could show in order for it to have an effect on your drinking habits for the better:
[] Gross graphics (such as sick, etc)
[] Violence
[] Health Issues
[] Emotional Trauma / Instability

[] Others

5.     Do you think you would remember an effective anti-drinking campaign on a night out?
[] Not sure  [] Maybe  [] Definitely  [] Sometimes [] No

6.     Lastly, please mark all of the following factors in real life that would influence you to stop drinking:
[] Loneliness
[] Bad Health
[] Abuse and / or violence caused to you
[] Abuse and  / or violence caused by you
[] Hangovers
[] Emotional problems

Thank you.

The results are shown below in graphs and tables. They are ordered in the order in which they were asked.

 

 

 

 

This questionnaire has helped me gain an insight as to what sort of things trigger the attention of an audience in a Public service Broadcast. I have got the opinion from my target audience, which has helped me plan my PSB.

Primary Research: Interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caU5dLDHKaQ

I have interviewed my twenty five year old cousin about what he thinks of the advert above. I have chosen to interview this particular person as the advert is aimed at people from his age group, and below.

Firstly, what do you think of the advert?

- It’s gross! Especially the sound…

When you’re out drinking, do you think you’d remember this advert?

- Yeah, definitely. It’s discusting.

Would remembering this advert affect your drinking habits?

- Well I would make sure I don’t drink enough to get in this state… and I would definately remember the advert

Do you think the advert would have a different affect if the shots weren’t close up?

- Yes, it wouldn’t be so bad if the shots weren’t made close up, but it just makes everything even worse. The writing on the screen is good as well because it tells you what sort of stuff their drinking to get into that mess in the first place…

Would the advert have as much affect without the writing?

- No because we wouldn’t know what’s happening.

Thank you.


--

This interview shows me that something distressing or graphically abnormal will stick in the mind of the audience. They're more likely to remember what they've seen on TV if they react to what they see when they are watching it on TV.

PSB Secondary Research

I have found some small extracts of helpful PSB information:

"Effective PSA’s
A well made PSA will motivate people to take action to improve their communities, families and their own lives. Make sure to consider whether the ad will attract attention, whether the audience will recall important ideas, whether the message is personally relevant, believable and interesting to the target audience.
Effective Psa content should:
build awareness,
reinforce positive beliefs
change negative behavior
initiate dialogue
If you want your PSA to be successful, it must do three things for your audience:
Grab their attention!
Hit them with your message!
Get them to act!"

-- Source: http://chs.smuhsd.org/bigue/art_of_video/index/psa_proj.html

This information will be useful to me when i'm writing my report, as I can compare the PSBs made by my group with the information given here.

Attached Primary Research

As quoted from above:
"If you want your PSA to be successful, it must do three things for your audience:
Grab their attention!
Hit them with your message!
Get them to act!"

I have carried out an interview to see what peoples reaction to this message is:

Male, aged 27

"Do you agree that public service broadcasts need to grab the attention of the audience?
- Yes, anything does that's trying to convince the audience to believe something.
Do you not feel that short, frequent messages written on screen will start to stick in people's minds?
- They probably will at first, but people will start to get used to them as they become part of everyday life, and they'll start to ignore them
Do you feel that hitting the audience with a message is important?
- Well, again, if the audience isn't shocked or in someway affected by what they're seeing, why would they act?"


 

Group Pitch Information

In Media Studies today we discussed our groups ideas with the class. We have chosen to use my idea and Emily's pitch ideas.

Feedback
We recieved feedback from the class asking us about whether we would use non-diegetic music in Emily's PSB, which is something we'd definately take into account.
We also recieved feedback about my idea, because, as it is so technical (using the green screen and actor in sync) we would need to make sure we definetely know what we're doing. This is something we also need to consider when filming.

Binge Drinking: Girl's Night Out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAmI1MJECZ4

Evaluation

This is an evaluation of the YouTube video shown above. It is an example of a PSB against drinking alcohol.

The target audience for this advert appears to be young females. This audience is targeted through the use of a young girl actor, and the non-diegetic music playing throughout the advert that may appeal to this audience. Doing this helps the advert capture the attention of the audience to make them watch and take notice of what's being said. 

The main narrative of the broadcast is of a girl who is getting ready for a night out who rips her clothes, messes her hair and breaks her shoes before she leaves her home. Obviously this is representing what people would do normally when they are drunk, but the advert is emphasizing how stupid people act when they are drunk. Most young girls would hate going out the house like this one has done, so it makes them think. A rhetorical question is also used in the ad, which also encourages the audience to think about their actions. No voices are heard throughout the ad. Instead, the viewer has to become involved in the advert and read the on screen words.

Lighting and music also create the idea, at first, that this is a normal commercial for something such as clothes. It creates the sense of shock when the character start tearing up her outfit and messing herself up.

People don't want to be like this, so it deters them from getting drunk.

The Home Office logo and the "Alcohol, Know Your Limits" logo is used to make the advert look official and reliable to the person watching , which may make them take more notice. 

Website Homepage Project

The screenshot below shows the homepage of my news website. More is explained underneath.

Genre Codes and Conventions

My intended product (as shown above) is a news website focused mainly on Politics, Business and Finance. It also provides it's users with localized weather, bus timetables, train timetables and travel information (such as congestion on the roads). It also provides market information. Similar websites to this one are the Financial Times, The New York Times and (slightly similar) Bloomberg. Although these are all news websites, they don't offer exactly the same features as mine, such as the weather, bus and train times, etc. I shall explain why I have provided these later.

Some key codes and conventions used by all of these sites are:

- Showcased articles.
All of the top articles on the site are showcased on the homepage, with most recent articles towards the top of the page. These articles are normally accompanied by a relevant photo, however, not always.
Other, less important listed articles with no thumbnail.
- Column design.
The website homepage is separated into columns.
- Simple colour scheme.
The colours used on the homepage are not bright, keeping text easy to read.
- Advertising.
Advertising is used on the sites in the form of banners.


Target Audience
My target audience are business people, aged 20 - 40. The website is designed to cater for people who have busy everyday lives, people who are rushing from one place to another regularly and need relevant information quick to find.

Visual Codes

The website homepage is designed with very simple, light colours that help the contrasting black text stand out. It makes the site simple to look at and clean. The main navigation bar at the top of the page, however, has been coloured using different colours for each link. This helps it stand out amongst the vast array of text surrounding it. Relevant images have been used to accompany major articles, all quite bright and informative. The most recent article has a large image to make it stand out at first glance. I have also used a relevant advert at the top of the page, to target people such as professional people.

Layout and Design

I have tried to keep the layout as simple to use as possible. The body of the page is mainly seperated into columns, with a large section for the latest article. Travel information is easy to access quickly in the sidebar, all you have to do is enter your postcode. I have used a large logo with information about the site underneath it, away from the news articles. If the site were real, the text underneath the advert banner would change every few seconds (without the user having to refresh the page), listing all of the top articles. I have placed the advert at the top of the page so that the user sees it straight away, and so that I have enough space in the main body to present the websites features.

I have included a weather report on the site, but not as a huge feature, so it's presented as text near the header. Colour indicators (icons) have been used in the travel news section to indicate how bad the situation is.

Language

Some of the language on the headlines of articles is slightly over the top, such as 'mass flight chaos', to pull the reader in. The travel news section is missing minor words such as 'the' in it's sentences, to make it fast and informative to read. I've named the website UKN, standing for UK News. I feel this name is informative and simple, giving a clear view of what the website is about.

The overall website is designed to inform the user the best it can, however articles may leave the reader with a slight biased viewpoint, so that they come back and read more articles in the future.

A list of Codes and Conventions

Sci Fi

• Space Ships,
• Time Travel,
• Dark Mise-en-Scene
• Space
• Everything's Futuristic
• Monsters
• Tension
• Aliens
• Metal
• Laser Guns
• Abnormal Situations
• Dystopian World
  And many more...

Thriller and Crime

• Timed Situations
• Murders
• Clues
• Car Chases
• Good v Bad
• Good Overcomes Bad
• Expolsions
• Police
• Sinister Characters
• Multiple Suspects
  And more...

Radio: Mode of Address

Radio is presented to the listener in a variety of different ways, depending on the type of radio station it is.

In class we listened to Heart FM, which is a local, commercial radio station which has a large block of adverts, all presented one after another. We came to the conclusion that Heart has to depend on an informal mode of address, because if the mode of address was directed straight at the audience (formal), they would get sick of the constant adverts.

Formal Mode of Address - When the radio is directly talking to the audience and involving them in the broadcast. Maybe asking them to get in touch and send in their thoughts.*

Informal Mode of Address - When the radio broadcast is not directly talking to the audience. This allows the audience to casually listen and not become directly involved.*

*Most radio stations will use both of these modes of address, depending on what the show is. However, most also use one much more than the other. As I pointed out before, radio stations with advertising will use indirect modes so that te advertising doesn't seem to last half as long.

Radio stations also use formal and informal modes of address. If colloqualism is used in the show (the use of accents, etc) then the mode of address is informal.

Jaws: Still Image Analysis

This is analysis of the above poster.

Genre

- Obviously a horror / thriller. We can see this by the shark directed straight up at the swimmer.

- The swimmer is portrayed as being helpless and unaware as the sea looks deep and there is nothing to hold on to.

Audience

- The audience would be for people who like the horror / action / thriller genre.

Mise-en-scene

Lighting - The dark black contrasts with the light sea and white above it. We don't think the poster would have so much effect if the entire poster was white.

Location - The sea is a threatening place for humans as they can easily drown, and can't see what's underneath the water. This location is used for these reasons. It makes it seem more scary.

Performers - The shark is faced directly up at the swimmer. If it was coming from the sides, the swimmer may have more chance of swimming away. The person is swimming directly above the sharks mouth, to create a more horrific effect.

Costumes - The swimmer isn't wearing much. This makes her more vulnerable and helpless.

Colour

- The title, 'JAWS' is written in red, which is normally associated with danger.

- The white and black text and picture contract with eachother, making each feature stand out as if it's bold on the picture.

- The shark's mouth is black, which makes it threatening, as if the swimmer is going to dissapear into the darkness.

Visual Codes

Composition: The entire poster is very central, making the shark the focus point as it is inline with the swimmer and all of the text. The word 'JAWS' is obviously associated with the shark as the image portrays the shark as having huge teeth. The text at the bottom of the page has barely any character spacing, which makes it less eye catching and turns the readers attention to the image in the middle. The text throughout the poster is bold, which makes the shark look more powerful.

Framing: The seperate image in the middle of the page with the large text is what the reader will see first.  

Denotations

- Obvious ideology from the image is that the helpless, unaware swimmer is about to get eaten by the shark.

Connotations

- The sea is extremely deep, making it more threatening.

- The swimmer has nothing to hold on to for safety or anywhere to swim to.

- Thick red code makes teh shark look powerful and threatening. Capitalised text in the image is used in all the areas of danger, however, up in the sky where everything is safe from the shark, the text is less bold and threatening.

Semiotics

- The sharks teeth are huge. This shows how dangerous the shark is.

- The sea is also very deep, which creates a sense of danger.

Update on News Website Project

I am likely to focus my news website on business news. This is because it can be aimed more easily at my target audience: professional, well educated people.

A website of this sort would be best to include features such as:
- Politics,
- Economy and Stocks,
- Reader Comments,
- Personal Finance.

To have this site globally friendly, I shall offer three or four language translation buttons on the top of the site. These will translate both articles and the navigation structure of the site.

Features of my News Website Homepage

As already explained in an earlier post, for my Media project, I plan to create a global news website homepage. Some of the features on this website are the following:


It shall have a top navigation bar so make it simple for the user of the site to navigate. This bar shall be above the news stories on the page, and below the main header.

The website shall have white and light gray background colours, with black text. Mainly because the website will be designed to hold alot of written information for the user to see. This text must be easily visible, and plain colours such as black and white are best for this.

The site shall have a sidebar on the right, vertically down the page to advertise different aspects of the site, which helps the site to show off all it has to offer, and makes things easy to find for somebody who's in a rush.

Lastly, news articles shall be presented on the homepage, seperated out into table cells (with no borders), to help keep the site organised and tidy.

AS Media Website Project

My Design Plans

Today, in our media class I was set a project to design a website home page. I shall use this blog to keep a project log, providing pictures along the way.


Initial Plan

Website Type: News Website

Publication Software: Adobe InDesign

Genre Codes and Conventions:The news website shall provide easy access to all of the latest news articles. The website shall have a large title and will make the use of headlines and columns. There will also be separate information, such as the stock exchange.

The site shall include political and business news, technology, sports, science, health, opinion and arts.

Target Audience:
The website shall be aimed at professional / business people. It shall provide up to date, informal information with one picture per story.
Visual Codes:The website will only use bright, non-busy images that are relevant to the news article.

Layout and Design:
It shall have a minimalistic look with a white background. The colour scheme of white, red and light grey shall be implemented. Serif fonts shall be used for headings, and sans-serif fonts shall be used for block text and other smaller text. The homepage will be laid out into columns, listing news articles, with two or three photographs.

Language:Formal. No use of clever headline puns. Headlines must be kept short. Headlines maybe slightly biased, to make the reader agree with the websites views.

TV Drama: Soaps

All TV Drama Soaps share similar codes and conventions. 

There's the character types... 

'Tart with a Heart'
such as... Jacqui McQueen, Kat Moon and Becky McDonald

'The Bitch'
such as... Janine Malloy, Mercedes Fisher and Tracy Barlow

'The Cheeky Chap'
such as... Alfie Moon, Graham and Lee  (?)


'The Male Villian'
such as... Cain Dingle, Phil Mitchell and Warren Fox

'The Matriarch'
such as... Peggy Mitchell, Liz McDonald, Lisa Dingle and Myra McQueen

All of the character types in TV Soaps are based on stereotypes, so that the viewer can instantly recognise each type of person.

Most TV Soaps are shown in the late afternoon / evening, when people get home from work and want to relax. They are viewed mainly by woman, hence the vast amount of male characters with their tops off.

Characters in a TV Soap don't have leading rolls. Characters have specific episodes aimed at them, in turns. TV Soap Drama also has no one storyline. There are always many stories happening at the same time, to keep it interesting and real, as many stories happening at once creates a sense of realism. This is a key code and convention of any TV Soap Drama.

Oh, and there's also the cliffhanger. Especially noticeable on Eastenders, with the sudden theme tune.

Popular Plots

If you watch Soap Opera, you're most likely to notice at least some of the most popular plots below:

• The love triangle,
• Murders,
• Illness,
• Pregnancy,
• Cheating,
• Fights,
• Money.

Everything in a soap opera is obviously far more likely to happen, than it is in real life.

Glossary of Media Terms

Here is a large list of terms often used in Media Studies.

Advertising - Any paid form of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor.

Advertorials- (info-mercials) - paid announcements in print or screen media designed as an entertainment or educational presentation.

Air time - the time at which a radio program is broadcast.

Anchor- a word or image can ‘fix’ or ‘anchor’’ the preferred reading of a text

Bias - a preference that interferes with objective judgements.

Broadcasting - the transmission of radio or TV signals on frequencies available to anyone with basic receivers.

Broadsheet newspaper- Large format newspaper that report news in serious, in-depth manner. Such as The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent.

Camera angle - the position of the camera relative to the horizontal plane of the subject. In a high-angle shot, the camera is above the subject; in an eye-level or flat shot, the camera is on the same plane as the subject; in a low-angle shot, the camera is below the subject. Camera angles should make sense within the context of the shot.

Camera distance - the apparent distance of the camera from the subject (extreme close (XCU), close-up (CU), medium shot (MS), long shot (LS)).

Camera movement - an actual or simulated movement relative to the subject:

Pan - slow, steady movement across a scene from a fixed point

Follow - like the pan, but the camera is directed at an individual or object as it moves through a scene

Tilt - a vertical pan or follow

Zoom in and zoom out - use of the zoom lens to approach or back away from the subject

Dolly or track - use of a wheeled vehicle to move the camera alongside, toward, or away from the action.

Camera-subject distance - the distance between the camera and a subject.

Casting - the selection of individuals who will appear in a film or program.

Cinematographer - the person responsible for photographing the film.

Close up (CU) - shot in which an important detail, object, or facial expression fills the screen.

Code - a system of signs--verbal, aural or visual--used to convey meaning.

Communication - the exchange of messages between a sender and a receiver in which the message is understood by the receiver; the process by which messages are formulated, exchanged, and interpreted.

Composition (visual media) - the placement and use of all the various elements in the frame of a movie, television show, or photograph in order to achieve maximum impact.

Connotation- ideas we associate with a word/image.

Continuity - the scripted part of a documentary program which introduces the topic, connects the various components (usually recorded interviews), and concludes the program; provides coherence to the disparate components of these programs.

Convention - a generally accepted custom or an established rule.

Cross-cutting - intermingling shots of different events, used to suggest parallels or to create suspense.

Cut - the immediate change from one shot to the next.

Cyberspace - the electronic environment created by the links among computers and other electronic equipment such as satellites.

Dead air - the period of time when no programming is being broadcast, even though radio station is "on the air".

Deconstruct - to take apart, analyze, or break down a media text into its component parts in order to understand how it is created.

Delivery - an oral presentation on radio; effective voice qualities (e.g., pitch, tone, diction, and pace) that enhance the verbal message.

Denotation- what we actually see, or the proper definition of a word

Director - the person responsible for the creative interpretation of the script, story, or issue and the supervision of its filming and editing.

Disinformation- giving false information

Dissolve - the superimposition of one shot which is fading out, on the next shot which is fading in.

Docudrama - a semi-fictionalized film or program that mixes documentary footage with dramatic scenes or re-enactments.

Documentary - a factual film about a particular subject or a radio program which treats an event or issue in depth.

Dominant Culture - a societal group with power or authority.

Editing (print media) - a process of selecting and arranging items and of revising writing in newspapers, magazines, and other print media.

Editing (sound) - a process of arranging and bringing together all the individual soundtracks (e.g., dialogue, sound effects, music) and combining them onto one master track.

Editing (visual) - a process of selecting, arranging, and combining shots.

Establishing shot (ES) - generally a long shot or extreme long shot used to show the setting.

Extreme close up (ECU) - a close up in which a small detail fills the entire screen.

Extreme long shot (ELS) - a very wide shot, often a panoramic view.

Fade-in - a shot that begins totally over or under exposed (white or black) and gradually becomes properly exposed.

Fade-out - a shot that ends by changing from the proper exposure to an extreme under or over exposure.

Fast motion - the opposite of slow motion (i.e., filmed at fewer than 24 frames per second).

Form - the way a text is put together.

Format - the overall concept of a radio station’s sound (includes factors like music, news, personalities, with number and placement of "spots" and "jingles"; may be a broad overall idea or highly detailed rigid set of slogans and top songs that are endlessly repeated).

Frame - a single, still image from a film or video.

Freeze frame - an effect in which a single frame is held on screen for an indefinite time.

Gatekeepers - the people who determine what will be printed, broadcast, produced, or consumed in the mass media.

Genre - a way to classify prose, poetry, drama, and other media.

High angle shot - a shot in which the camera looks down upon the subject from a higher vantage point.

Ideology - a system of beliefs that is characteristic of a particular class or group.

Interactive - able to be affected or changed by something the user does

Internet - the interconnection of computers around the world so that they are capable of communicating with one another.

Jingle - recorded singing, usually of station call letters or slogan.

Jump cut - an abrupt and jarring change from shot to shot or scene to scene.

Juxtaposition - the positioning of items side by side or close together.

Kicker - a humorous or light-hearted story sometimes used at the end of a newscast.

Logo - a distinctive identifying symbol for communication, publication, or screen presentation.

Long shot (LS) - a wide shot or a scene, which relates the subject to the background or setting.

Low angle shot - a shot in which the camera looks up at the subject from a lower vantage point.

Mainstream media - media created for and favoured by large numbers of people in society (related to popular culture).

Market - a potential listening audience in the area the radio station broadcasts; potential buyers of the products and services advertised by the radio station.

Marketing - the process of promoting and selling a product or service based on decisions about what the product image should be and who is most likely to buy it.

Mass media - media such as television, radio, and newspapers that can reach a large group of people.

Masthead- the top section of a newspaper which gives the paper’s title, price and date

Media - the plural of medium.

Media effects - a general term that refers to the consequences or impacts of media use on individuals, society, and culture.

Media event - a reported event that appears to be news, but is actually staged by an individual, group, or government.

Media literacy - an understanding of media methods and messages.

Medium - a format for communicating messages.

Medium shot (MS) - a medium close shot in which the head, shoulders, and chest are normally included in the frame.

Montage - a sequence of shots cut together often in a stylized way, to suggest a theme or idea rather than a continuous event.

Multimedia - format that combines such elements as sound, text, photographs, and moving video images.

Narration - a scripted voice-over commentary, read by a narrator or participant in a film.

Network - a system of many computers connected together; a company that distributes programs for broadcast.

Nonverbal - communication that relies on visual messages.

Output - sound from a tape recorder, amplifier, mixer, or other piece of equipment; may be in the form of electrical energy or sound.

Out takes - footage or shots not used in the finished film or program.

Pan - short for "panoramic" shot; a horizontal movement in which the camera is turned from the left to right or right to left to follow a moving subject or give a sweeping view across a scene.

Point of view (POV) - a subjective shot that shows the point of view of a particular character.

Popular culture - widespread, prevalent, and current trends or fads; arts, customs, beliefs, and all other products of human thought made by and favoured by large numbers of people in a society.

Press Association- take info sources and send them out to news media. They are often the single source for a news story but their role is to quote accurately the info sent to them rather than investigate its validity.

Press release- Info sheet sent out by companies and organisations to newspapers and other media.

Prime time - the most popular time to watch television.

Print codes - the codes which help the reader understand the newspaper or magazine and which have an impact on the reader’s response.

layout and design - include colour, typeface, arrangement of stories, photographs, advertisements, bulletins, and size of items on the page; often have a significant influence on reader response

caption - includes one or two lines of print under a photograph or other illustration

inverted pyramid pattern - the hypothetical structure of newspaper stories.

Print media - any presentation that uses paper.

Producer - the person who plans, co-ordinates, and supervises the overall production of a film, including personnel and budget.

Production manager - the person responsible for the shooting schedule and for solving problems on location during filming.

Programming (television) - the types of programs shown and their placement in the schedule.

Propaganda - the information and opinions that are intended to convince people to accept or reject a certain idea.

Ratings - the periodic measurement of a radio or television station’s audience size.

Rough cut - the first assembly of a film or program in which selected shots are edited together.

Rushes (or dailies) - film that is processed as soon as possible after shooting so it can be viewed by director and crew.

Scene - a clearly identifiable part of an event, usually in a single location and in a single time span; it generally consists of several shots.

Screen media - motion picture, television, and computer messages presented on a flat panel.

Screenplay - a dramatic script for a film or television program that includes both dialogue and action descriptions.

Sequence - a series of scenes shown together (related by theme, plot, or location) that make up an organic whole and that has a clearly identifiable beginning and end; usually several sequences are put together to make even a short film.

Shooting script - a detailed script for a dramatic film or program in which the action is broken down shot by shot.

Shot or take - a single photographic image or a continuous take in motion pictures.

Slow motion - action which appears to happen at slower than normal speed.

Sound editing - stage in which sound effects and music are added to program.

Sound effects (SFX, FX) - sound from any source other than voice-over narration, lip-sync, or music.

Speaker - a device which converts electrical energy to sound.

Spin-off - a television show or video game based on the ideas or characters from another source.

Split screen - an effect in which two or more shots occupy different portions of the scene at the same time.

Spot - a radio term for a commercial or public service announcement.

Stereotype – Assumption of someone based on the group they belong to. A highly opinionated, predictable, biased, and simplistic view. Useful in advertising.

Storyboard - a "short shot" script which includes drawings of each shot for a movie or for some television shows.

Three main elements: a description of the shot (e.g., medium shot, low angle, camera movement); a drawing of the shot; a description of the sound (dialogue, music, effects)

Formats differ and are dependent on the needs of the creator and the type of media text being produced.

Subject (visual medium) - what the image in the frame of a movie, television show, or photograph represents.

Superimposition - an effect similar to a double exposure.

Synchronized sound - the matching of sound to action on the screen.

Tabloid - technically, a publication usually half the size of a standard newspaper page; commonly used to refer to a splashy, heavily illustrated newspaper; a "supermarket" newspaper stressing dramatic stories, often about sensational subjects. Such as The Sun, The Mirror and to an extent The Daily Mail and The Daily Express

Tag - a scripted closing to a tape story, usually identifying the speaker/reporter and location; may also be used by the in-studio announcer at the end of a "remote" report; may be a commercial or public service announcement for a particular market.

Take - a version of a shot, unedited, as it was originally recorded by the camera.

Target audience - specific groups of people that media producers or advertisers want to reach. The primary, rather than secondary audience

Text - anything that is read, listened to, or viewed.

Theme- The issues a plot deals with in a text

Tilt - the vertical equivalent of a pan, in which the camera is titled up or down.

Topic sentence- first sentence in a news story which gives the reader a brief potted version of the whole story.

Tracking shot (dolly shot) - a shot in which the camera is mounted on a wheeled platform or dolly to create smooth, steady movements.

Travelling shot - a shot taken from a moving vehicle.

Video - the picture portion of a program; an original production produced on videotape.

Voice over (VO) - a voice or commentary recorded for use on the film’s soundtrack.

Wire copy - news material written by wire services (e.g., Canadian Press, United Press International); news gathered from around the world and transmitted to subscribing newspapers, radio, and television stations via telephone lines.

World Wide Web - a large directory of information on the Internet.

Zoom shot - camera shot that creates the illusion of moving toward or away from a subject simply by changing the focal length of the lens. A Zoom In magnifies objects to make them appear close; a Zoom Out widens the angle view, making objects appear to move farther away.