checklist of duties

Audience:
primary-analyses
secondary-read online reviews

Production:
primary- phone up e4 producers
secondary- research into production companies

summary of assessment brief

I work for Silver Lining Productions, a multimedia company that has had recent television success with fly on the wall documentaries, structured reality programming and fiction productions. We have also developed supporting media for their broadcast productions in print, audio and e-media. company is well known for its work in pushing the boundaries of existing formats.

I have been given the opportunity to prepare a pitch for development funding and so will need to present sample production work. The programme will have a target audience similar to E4’s demographic (15-35) and will be suitable for pre-watershed broadcasting. We are free to work in any format you wish. Working in groups of no more than four, we will produce the opening few scenes of a drama TV programme establishing narrative themes, characters and location. we are able to include a title sequence and our finished product should be approximately two minutes long. Our programme will be supported by a three page fan site. We will use the website to try and encourage as much audience interactivity and communication as possible. Our production materials should will be produced to a professional standard.

Todorov,Propp and Barthes

Todorov,Propp and Barthes

Todorov's theory is concerned predominantly with the story within the narrative. It is presented in 5 steps. Firstly, equilibrium, where a state of normality is established within the diegisis of the film. Secondly, the disruption, where some kind of conflict is introduced into the narrative. Thirdly, the recognition, where  the protagonist acknowledges the disruption-  this may be brought about by an effect the disruption has upon the protagonist or others. Next, the attempt to repair, which sees the protagonists trying to restore the balance and be rid of the disruption. Finally, the new/return to equilibrium, where things return to as they were, or situation dependent, a new state of equilibrium has been established in order to grant a sense of closure, whilst still taking into account the events of the narrative. This change in equilibrium (or indeed the whole narrative), often sees a change in the characters, environment, or multiple other aspects. Propp’s theory majorly gravitates around the character types within a narrative. According to Propp, there are 8 character types. These include; the hero- the protagonist within the narrative, the villain- the antagonist within the narrative, the Donor- someone who gives the hero some kind of item that will assist them, the helper- someone who assists the hero, the princess-the hero’s reward ( note that the princess is not always a person, but can be an object etc.), the princess’ father- this character is the one who rewards the hero, the dispatcher- the one who sends the hero on their quest and the false hero- someone whom we are led to believe is a hero. Propps' theory is somewhat flawed, as it's predominantly based upon folklore tales which commonly present the struggle between good and evil. As this struggle is not apparent within all narratives, this makes this not applicable to all narratives. Finally, Barthes theory is based on 5 codes that readers use to decode the text. The first is action- events which have logical consequences e.g. when food is presented, there is a probability that characters will eat it. Next is the enigma- the mystery that audiences are left to decode, and questions raised by the narrative. Thirdly is Semics- signs used to express stereotype, objects and sets etc. e.g. spaceships connote sci fi. Fourthly symbolic code which is meaning expressed through juxtapositions and conflict within the narrative. Finally, cultural code is anything from stereotype to pop culture references or even knowledge we know and share together. This is an element very typical of spoof movies.

narrative theories in the inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners, Thorpe park (Todorov)

Equilibrium: the equilibrium is put forth to the audience, by the boys being at school, within a  normal school day environment.

Disruption: disruption presented with the promise of a trip to Thorpe park, that at present is not necessarily definite due to the character of Simons lack of a drivers licence.

Recognition of disruption: the disruption is recognized with Simons character  both passing his driving test and acquiring a car. 

Attempt to repair: the repair is attempted by the journey that commences with the start of the journey to Thorpe park, which result in multiple mishaps and wrong doings.

New/return to equilibrium:  after eventually getting to Thorpe park and having the car ruined. The characters achieve the goal they set out to do, resolving the conflict, but achieve a new sense of equilibrium, as by the end of the episode Simons car is ruined, but equilibrium has been restored

Propp

Hero: Will 

Villain: Mark

Donor: Simon's dad

Helper: Simon

Princess: 

(Simon): the ability to drive/a car

(Will): Roller-coasters at Thorpe park

(Jay): the promise of girl at Thorpe park

Princesses Father: (applicable to only Simon): Simon's dad

False Hero: Neil

Dispatcher: Jay


Barthes:

 Action: the characters are both heard discussing going to a theme park, and seen going to the a fore mentioned theme park.From this it can be assumed by the audience that upon arriving at the park they will ride on the roller coasters etc. there.

Enigma: The enigma presented within the show is the question whether or not the characters will arrive at the theme park, due to the constant mishaps that befall them.

Semic- Clothing is the sign in question is used to express the generation,
age group and class of the characters  they are all in what would be considered fashionable of this era, indicating that they are part of this generations working/middle class youth. The behavior of the characters also expresses their age group. Throughout the majority of the episode, they discuss or actively take part in pursuing girls, a trait commonly associated with their age group of young adult males.

Symbolic- The symbol used to express the stereotype that the characters befall (Young adult males who are somewhat social misfits) is the car used by the characters. The car in question is a bright yellow car, which normally would be associated with females, however it juxtaposes not only the gender of the characters, but the actions, due to their masculine behavior.

Cultural- The cultural element that is portrayed in the episode is the location that the characters desire to go (a theme park). As an audience we know that this is an exciting and fun place to go to, so as such the audience can relate to this, and understand why the characters have such a  strong desire to go their.

                                                   

production company write up

Bwark productions/ Young films
                                                                                                                                                                                         

Bwark productions was founded in 2004 by Iain Moris and Damon Beesley. Moris had recently left channel 4 at the time,  where he had worked as the commissioning editor for comedy for 4 years. Bwark productions seems to produce multiple comedy shows and DVDs  including many Jimmy Carr stand up shows on DVD, the show 'free agents' and 'the persuasionist'. This gives them an overall image as a producer of comedy, which ties into the chosen show ('the inbetweeners'). In July 2011,  Bwark productions became a subsidiary of the Zodiak media group.The Zodiak media group demonstrates examples of horizontal integration as it owns multiple other companies which produce TV shows. These include RDF television, the foundation and IWC media. Bwar uses synergy in the form of apps and DVDs to promote 'the inbetweeners.' These appeal more to their target audience of young people, aged roughly 15-25 (for 'the inbetweeners'), as these forms of media are those that have proved popular with that audience, so in carefully selecting how to promote the show, they have successfully promoted it to its fullest extent. Young films was founded in 1986 by 'inbetweeners' producer, Chris Young. Its past credits include a number of various short films including; 'believe' and'seachd': the inaccessible pinnacle. Bwark/Young make use of convergence in making 'the  inbetweeners' available to view on the online '4OD' service, which can be viewed on both computer and smart phone. However this is predominantly controlled by the broadcaster (E4),which is of benefit to E4 as a broadcaster, as it is able to use different methods to promote the show. Bwark relates to E4 firstly,  because E4 broadcasts shows that are produced by companies who are owned by the same conglomerate (Zodiak media group). These include 'Shipwrecked the island' and 'wife swap'. It further relates to E4 due to its programmes (the' inbetweeners' in this case) content and target audience. The show itself is a 'sitcom'. E4 shows a number of other sitcoms and comedy shows in general, such as skins,. misfits, phone shop, Noel Fielding's luxury comedy, to name but a few. This establishes the programme with a broadcaster that already has a reputation for showing comedy programmes. This provides both anchorage within the shows genre and helps to gather in a wider audience from the broadcasters other shows, whom this show may appeal to. Thus in short, Bwark productions ties into E4 as its show that is broadcast on E4 appeals to E4s target audience as a whole.

References:

http://theinbetweeners.blogspot.co.uk/2008/05/production-team.html

http://www.zodiakmedia.com/our-companies/uk-belgium-netherlands/companies/bwark.php

http://www.e4.com/

http://www.imdb.com/company/co0186328/

http://www.imdb.com/company/co0185138/

http://youngfilms.typepad.com/about.html

Legislation of the internet

What legislation covers the internet

multiple different legislations and laws cover the internet. these are for different purposes, to achieve different things, and create a safe environment on the internet overall a safe environment. A law that covers the interenet is the Data protection act 1998. "The Data Protection Act 1998 covers personal data that finds itself on the Internet, and any web site that collects personal information will need to comply with the Act." personal information may include email addresses credit card details, telephone numbers, even addresses  this act protects information from being used in a way that has not been agreed by the person themselves when giving this information to a website. as such under the data protection act 1998 websites are obliged to:

•  state what they do with the data (and stick to it)
•  register with the Information Commissioner, a government official that Related Documents
•  not export the data outside the EC without the subject's permission
•  keep the data secure, reveal it and delete it if requested by the subjects.

copyright laws also cover the internet. the effect the content of the website in the same way that they effect content of other media, such as magazine, tv shows, films and music. copyright and piracy online is still a source of much debate, with new acts like SOPA (stop online piracy act) and PIPA (protect ip act) trying to push more restrictive bounds on sharing content on the internet, in order to reduce the amount of piracy and copyright infringement online.

the UK eCommerce regulations are in effect to regulate and monitor the buying and selling of goods within the UK. websites who trade products within the uk should:

•  display the name of their business
• display their company registration number or proprietor's name 
• show their geographic address (street number etc)
• show thier contact information such as phone number and email address
• show their VAT number
• Refer to trade or professional recognition schemes, with registration number, if applicable
• Provide clear information on price, tax and delivery.
• Show clear Terms and Conditions and acknowledge order

children are protected from content that is considered innapropiate. the company websense provides filtering software within the uk for this.

"in the UK, Websense is accredited with approved Internet Filtering Product certification by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta). As an approved supplier, Websense is certified to provide schools with Web security and Web filtering solutions in line with national strategies and regulations on safe Internet use in education."

sources:
-http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Internet-law-Essential-Guide
-http://www.clickdocs.co.uk/ecommerce-information.htm
-http://www.websense.com/content/childrens-internet-protection-act.aspx

The inbetweeners website analysis

The home screen of the 'inbetweener's' website is the referent in question.  It uses signifiers to portray meaning across to the audience. Firstly. its use of a school chalk board, with childish drawings and scribblings on it. This connotes childishness and immaturity which  partially assists in anchoring the programme with an immature (and thus presumably comedy) theme. This remains in context with the genre and setting of the programme. The genre is anchored further by the central image on the homepage which depicts the main characters with various different comical and immature expressions .This anchors the meaning,  as from this image it can be assumed by the audience that the characters are not going to behave sensibly, but rather they will behave immaturely, thus anchoring the show within the comedy genre. This  anchoring technique also ties into the representation of young adult males. The immature expression of the two characters on the right,  connotes that these two are both immature, fitting into the stereotype of 'yobbish' persona that is attributed to most young adult males of this generation. Another stereotype is explored within the page, that of the 'nerdy' or 'geeky' teenage male. The character of Will (central image second from right),  is shown as being smartly dressed,  with a disapproving expression,  whilst his peers are dressed in a  far more relaxed manner and have far more humorous expressions.  This stereotype is further represented by the image below the central image  depicting the same character (Will) standing with a young girl, looking uncomfortable. This enforces the stereotype of the 'geeky' teenager,  by showing the typical traits of formality and social ineptness. This connotes to the audience that this show is not just for the 'yobbish' of its target audience, but is also aimed at those, who perhaps posses similar traits as Will.  The use of including this stereotype in with the other stereotype within the show,  offers a more realistic show as it allows the show to cover a more broad social range, that is seen within everyday society. The use of the colour purple in the page layout is non-gender specific. This connotes to the audience that the humour and elements in this show are catering for everyone, whilst also been  representative of  the channel it is shown on (E4). Whilst the layout remains non gender specific in terms of colour usage, the images lean more towards a male target audience,  as they predominantly depict men within them.

This is a page that branches off from the homepage of the 'inbetweener's'  home page.This remains the same in target audience, but differs in purpose.The background of a school chalkboard,  is kept a constant, which  helps to maintain the tone of the genre of the programme in question. Furthermore,  the thumbnail images shown are in keeping with the homepages central images theme of comical situations, to continue the anchoring of the show.  Additionally, the use of the colours purple and white, are continued to make the show seem more non gender specific. However,  the 'videos' section of the website differs in its purpose. The page has videos titled 'behind the scenes' and 'trailers and prequels.' This connotes to fans of the show that they are getting a sense of exclusivity, whilst for people who are new to the show,  this seems like an enticing offer, after which they may consider to view the show. The page, also somewhat diminishes the stereotypes portrayed by the central image of the homepage. The signifier in question in this instance is the yellow car (in which the characters are depicted to be sat). This, used in the context of the TV show (which depicts young adult males)  diminishes the stereotype set forth by the previous image. Instead of reinforcing it, depicting them within a car that is say red or black (commonly masculine associated colours) the characters have been depicted in a yellow car, which is typically attributed to females and femininity. This is used for comedic effect,  to play into the programmes genre of comedy.

questions to consider

from my analysis i have raised the following questions to consider when making my own content.

-Who is my target audience?
my target audience is that of my broadcaster (E4) (, young people aged 15-35
-How will i appeal to the target audience?
I will follow the conventions of the genre selected, whilst tweaking it to add issues and content that the target audience can relate to
-What kind of setting will I use to make my content more immersive?
A realistic working class setting will make my content more immerisive, again due to the majority of the target audience's ability to relate to it
 -How will i cast the characters to make them more appealing to the target audience and make the target audience relate to the characters?
I will cast most of my main characters within the age bracket of my target audience, in order to make the issues raised in the programme (that will be designed to be typical of that age group) seem more believable and ultimately make my programme have a greater degree of escapism
- What kind of editing will I use to convey desired meaning to my target audience?
I will use a variety of editing. in dramatic moments i will use fast paced editing in order to convey an exciting tone to the audience, where as in slower moments with a heavy ammount of dialogue i will use a lot of shot reverse shot editing in order to put emphasis on the importance of the conversations
 -What kind of lighting will I use to maintain my desired mood and atmosphere?
In light hearted situations i will use a lot of high key lighting mainly. However in darker situations, i may use low key lighting, and perhaps even some chiaroscuro lighting in order to convey a sense of mystery to the audience
- What signifiers will i use to convey desired meanings?
I will use signifiers that can be appropriately structured and presented within the scene i am producing
- how will i make sure the signified aspects of my show are in context?
I will make sure the signifiers within my show are in context, bby implanting them within scene that fit the mood and tone of what is being signified
 -How will i anchor the meaning of the signs in my show?
I will anchor meaning by using conventions of the sleected genre (drama) that i am producing

The Inbetweeners Analysis

The Inbetweeners analysis 7;00-11:40       

The 'inbetweeners' uses different aspects to appeal to its target audience. Its target audience is young people aged 15-25. This can be seen from its use of young characters and its implementation of the characters within a modern social and school environment. It appeals to its target audience through its' mise en scene' in a variety of ways. Firstly,  the use of costumes on the main characters in the segment,  help appeal to the target audience. The referent of the main characters costumes,  are what would normally be considered ‘trendy’ or 'in fashion 'clothing. This signifies that as these characters are ‘trendy’ in appearance  this show must also be ‘trendy.’ This is a marketing technique used to engage the target audience more so as it makes the characters seem more appealing, and more people can relate to them.  The suburban setting of the show also remains appealing for many,  as this again enables more people to relate to it. This setting also signifies a more realistic element to the show, which in turn makes it more immersive.  The performance within the show is appealing as the comedic value of it offers a sense of escapism. Furthermore,  the crude humour used in the show  appeals to the target audience far more than other comedy shows. The fact that this humour is also used in the context of situations,  (like having an embarrassing first car) further assists in enabling more people to relate to it and it is overall more appealing for the target audience.

The use of no' non diegetic' music whilst the characters are in direct conversation, makes the dialogue and conversations so more realistic and as much more immersive. This ultimately offers a greater sense of escapism,  which makes the show more appealing to the viewer,  as it  means they can forget about everyday life more easily. Furthermore,  the use of 'non-diegetic' and 'diegetic' music when the characters are traveling in a car,  makes the traveling seem more instant, thus creating a greater sense of excitement and interest for what would otherwise be seen as a boring, pointless scene. In addition to this, the use of narration or “voice of God” in these sequences, not only helps to continue the narrative through these scenes, but allows the viewer to establish a more personal relationship with characters. This appeals to the target audience more,   because the characters are put into situations which the target audience can easily relate to -  the more personal link with them,  causes the viewer to feel as if they too are experiencing the characters experiences with them.

The shots are predominantly 'medium close ups'. This fits in  with the fact that most of the scenes are predominantly dialogue. This connotes a more personal aspect to the conversations,  and makes the audience feel more immersed -  almost as if they themselves are part of the conversation. Additionally,  this element is developed further by the large use of' shot reverse shot' editing to keep the conversations fast paced and to again keep the viewer’s concentration and attention. This also helps the dialogue seem quicker and more realistic. Other camera angles are used for comedic effect, like long shots focusing on the yellow car (a figure of fun, and main joke point of the segment).  This helps contribute to the comedic aspect of the show and ultimately helps the show fit into its purpose of making the audience laugh and entertaining them. However the yellow car is only successful as a comedic device,  in the context that it has been given to a young adult male, whereas stereotypically,  the colour yellow is associated with females. The editing (as previously mentioned) is mostly 'shot reverse shot' as the programme revolves around and relies upon its dialogue for comedy. When not using 'shot reverse shot', mainly regular cuts are used. This is because the genre (sitcom) does not typically try to convey messages through editing, rather the main aim is to just try to entertain the audience.

Finally,  the lighting is kept fairly high key. This is to fit in with the genre and humour of the programme,  to appeal to and entertain the target audience. The high key lighting,  promotes general light heartedness, which links to the crude humour in the show,  as it connotes that it is not something to be taken too seriously and is generally there to be laughed at. This light hearted atmosphere achieved from the lighting,  also helps to anchor the shows in the comedy genre. This appeals to the target audience as they find that with this they can simply watch this show, be entertained and laugh at it, without taking it too seriously. This appeals to THIS shows target audience as they, (young people aged 15-25), are people who are stereotypically thought to enjoy comedy shows more than drama. The syntagmatic order of the show is basic and linear with standard continuity. This helps to anchor the show also as it fits the conventions of syntagm’s of sitcoms.

In conclusion, this show uses multiple aspects to appeal to its target audience, entertain audience, and to overall immerse the target audience in the programme more. This is achieved successfully as the show occurs in a realistic suburban environment. Given the regularity of this setting,  this creates another easily forged link that the audience can form between themselves and the show, making the events and occurrences more relative and ultimately making the show more immersive and entertaining.