Media reportAim and goalsThe aim of my coursework was to produce 4 pieces of work of a high standard; a goal was set of completing a research folder, a pre-production piece which was the construction of a storyboard; which the task was to create an opening sequence of a new crime series or a trailer. Also to create a magazine and DVD front cover on my crime series based on other crime dramas. TitleThe title of my series was called ??? Under Pressure??? the name is paramount to the storyline because it??™s about police officers working against time in a variety of situations to save the people of New York City. Also the name is memorable as it links to a popular song which is featured in the crime series. ResearchI did research before completing my production and pre- production pieces; I began by researching what crime dramas consisted of and what a crime drama actually is. I focused my research on a number of crime dramas that already exist on television to get an idea of how they are produced. Also it would allow me to gain insight of what the narrative structure in crime drama consisted of and what sort of characters and actors feature in the series.
I specifically looked closely at 3 crime dramas ??? Prime Suspect ??? The Bill ??? Ashes to AshesBy producing case studies on each crime drama it allowed me to find information and ideas on how a crime drama should be directed and shaped. Several graphs and questionnaires were featured in the research folder; these were key elements on finding out who my target audience would be. This also allowed the thoughts and ideas of potential viewers of my crime drama to have an input and say on vital concepts of my television series and allowed me to gain insight into their minds to make my crime drama to be successful as possible. In the questionnaire, the answers showed me that people prefer to watch crime dramas in the night, and prefer UK crime dramas rather than US versions; this could be because people prefer more realistic and accurate portrayals of real life, so they can relate to the characters rather than the US crime dramas where it is unrealistic. Also UK dramas are easier accessed, as of US dramas being accessed through sky, virgin media etc, not everyone would have contact to such luxurious technology. Other research in my folder included- ??? A list of 2010 crime dramas on television ??? Merchandising, marketing and advertising for different crime dramas on television ??? Character profilesPre-productionStoryboardMy storyboard consisted of 14 slides with a key element of an alternating clock ticking down the time between each slide.
(Sixty seconds). This created a sense of urgency which demonstrated pressure as the clock was always in the forefront of the shot, hence the title under pressure. To create my storyboard the following items were used: A4 size card, various colours of pens and pencils, binders, glue and stencils. The strengths of the storyboard: A range of colours were used throughout the storyboard, which were of low key.
The colours consisted of blacks, whites and grey to create a mysterious, spooky and dark atmosphere. The only main bright colour used was red which represented danger and astonishment as this colour created an impact to shock the audience as red was used to display the ticking bomb. The key element that links to the title under pressure was that the ticking clock was always in the main frame making the characters and audience alert and aware of the strict time scale. The weaknesses of the storyboard: The storyboard could have been longer (e.
g. 20 slides), which would of been able to produce more information for the audience to interpret. The overall presentation of the storyboard could have been improved to look more professional as it was hand drawn, therefore actual photographs could have been used instead of free hand drawing. ProductionDVD CoverA lot of research was taken to construct the front cover of my DVD cover, by looking at features on other crime DVD covers. From previous research of crime DVD cover, numerous features were displayed. For example, star ratings, DVD logo, reviews, suitable audience, age certificate, spine writing, bar codes, length of film, sound track, subtitles, special features all of these features were displayed in the DVD under pressure. To construct my DVD cover the programme Microsoft publisher was used to create a professional outlook. Two distinct large images were used on the DVD cover of fire in the background and a male character to display the emergence and connection of the ticking bomb.
Red, black and white was used as contrasting colours to attract the audience??™s attention. The DVD ??? Under Pressure??? is effective as it shares similar features of other successful crime drama DVD??™s. Magazine Front CoverConventions of magazine front covers include plugs, barcodes, price and date, freebies and pictures of celebrities. These were created and published on a mock up magazine cover which was hand drawn to help us understand the concept of advertising on magazine front covers.
Once a basic idea was presented in hand drawn form, it allowed easy transfer for it to be done professionally on Microsoft publisher. The name of the magazine front cover is ??? EPIC??? the meaning behind this word is ??? out of this world???, ??? impressive??? and ??? classic???. I thought this was an appropriate name for the magazine as the audience will associate these words with the magazine with being of a high standard. The main colour scheme of the magazine cover was green, red and white. These colours were chosen as they stand out from each other and will catch the audience??™s attention.
The software used to make the magazine cover was Microsoft Publisher and the font was done by using the website ??? dafontz. com???. EPIC magazine in comparison to other magazines is of a high standard, as there are similarities with the conventions and layout of the magazine cover. ConclusionIn conclusion I think that the goal of my coursework was accomplished; which was to produce 4 pieces of work to a high standard. Although I believe it was of a high standard there still could be improvements to be made.
The software I used for my magazine front cover and DVD cover was Microsoft publisher, in hindsight I would have used different software to try and make my DVD and magazine cover more professional but overall I am very pleased of what i have achieved.
