Introduction of main, important themes and archetypes
Sets the scene of the narrative
Introduces dilemmas and narrative story arch
Negatives of this idea:
Use of CGI may not be able to be used
Range of characters is complex
Simple opening, may not completely interest certain audiences
Filming settings may be difficult to film
Large list of characters and background characters/props
Need to use animals to create this part of the episode
Developed Ideas Mind-map 1:
Developed Idea's Mind-map 2:
Developed Idea's Mind-map 2:
Positives of this idea:
Development of characters
Climax of narrative
Use of CGI 'magic' and supernatural elements that may interest the audience
Development of hero's/heroines and villains
Negatives of this idea:
CGI elements will be high on budget
Numerous actors will need to be involved
Script is complex and may not be understood fully by the audience from a small snippet
Chosen Idea:
My chosen idea is my first developed idea's mind-map, this being the ending scenes of the first episode of the series. I feel this is the best possible way to introduce the audience to the narrative as it introduces all characters, themes, relationships and climatic events in the first episode. The Brief we have been given, seen below, implied that a Leeds based company has secured funding that will allow me to create a short sequence for the show I pitched previously (Unit 21). This trailer has to be between 10-15 minutes in total, it has asked me to write a screenplay around my chosen sequence for the trailer.
I feel this is the strongest idea as again, it introduces clearly the key characters of the show as well as important events and themes that will drive the show's narrative arc. This is the strongest idea as the audience will get a sense of the elements involved that is directed to their specific target audience wants, such as the stereotypical teenage girl drama, supernatural themes/events in a narrative, friendships and romance. This will peak the interest of the audience as it sets up the narrative for what is to come, the use of the 'supernatural', a theme specific for my target audience, will engross them as well as the likability of the chosen characters. As the target audience is a group of female and male teens, (16-18), the stereotypical genre they are most interested in is drama romance, as the show incorporates romance and drama itself, therefore, they will be drawn to watch it. To add to this, there is a strong sense of a 'supernatural' element within the series, as my target audience is deeply interested in this and have previously watched shows/movies with this element, it will appeal to them. Although it is not the strongest part of the narrative, this being the climax ending, I feel it is a great setup of the show and the characters that will appeal to the audience without giving too much away. It subtly showcases the themes incorporated into the show and allows the audience an idea of it's concepts. As the first episode ends on a cliff hanger, this being to draw the audiences intention to the next episode, the ending of the 15 minute snippet will end on a cliff hanger as well; this being done to draw the audience in further and ponder what will happen next.
The brief states that a Leeds based production company has secured the funding to produce a 'short dramatised sequence' that can be used to promote my television drama that I produced in Unit 21. The brief inquires me to decide which scenes would work best to gain interest in my series among it's target audience, but the total screen duration however, has to fit in between 10-15 minutes. The brief then asks me that within this unit I will need to generate idea's for this said possible sequence and then develop as well as write a screenplay a chosen sequence.
Initial Idea's:
Characters:
Luna: Luna is a young teenage girl, she is very upbeat and friendly, however, as she is starting a new school she feels extremely isolated and scared of meeting new people. We find in the first episode of the series she has magical witch like powers.
Three Female Characters: The three min female characters first have the convention of the 'mean girl' stereotype, however, later become friends with the character 'Luna'.
Male love interest: The male love interest is a side character that we meet in the first episode, we find that Luna starts to begin a relationship with him.
Extract One: opening scene of first episode - introduction and resolution of main character - we find out of about Luna's (main character) magical powers. We are also introduced to the three other female characters and the male love interest. Extract ends on cliff hanger on Luna's moral decision of saving the animal or not. We are introduced to Luna, the three female friends, Luna's parents as well as the love interest. We learn about Luna's magical powers/abilities, this then sets up the tone and themes for the show.
Positives of this idea:
Introduction of characters and main central character
Start of storyline and initial narrative
Negatives of this idea:
Strong use of CGI
Numerous actors/actresses
Extract Two: Episode 2: Relationships/friendships between characters - At the start of this episode Luna finds the other three female characters also have magical powers, through this they form a friendship; throughout this episode we watch this friendship flourish. The extract ends with the now four girls rebelling/messing around with their magical powers. We again meet, Luna and the three female character's in this episode - we learn about their powers and their moral views/opinions of having them.
Positives of this idea:
Development of the character arc
Introducing new characters/narrative features that may be interesting to the audience
Negatives of this idea:
Strong use of CGI
Numerous actors/actresses
Extract Three: Episode Three: Party + Revenge on male villain - Episode starts at a high school party, in which Luna, the three female characters and the male love interest attend as well as other side characters/background characters. At the end of the episode we find a teenage boy sexually harassing a girl, the three female characters use their powers to make the male teenage villain fall into a pool, however, they find he cannot swim. Throughout this extract we are again introduced to Luna, the three girls, the male love interest and the male villain. We learn about the three other female characters true intentions of what they wish to do with their magical powers.
Positives of this idea:
More action takes place that may interest the audience
CGI elements will interest audience
Negatives of this idea:
Strong use of CGI
Numerous actors/actresses
Setting may be difficult to locate
Extract Four: Episode Four: Introduction of evil powers - At the start of the episode Luna starts to use her powers to take revenge on power, sense of evil/tyrannic behaviour - archetype/demeanour of character completely changed. By the end of the episode, Luna is then convinced by the three other female characters to use her powers to take revenge on people. Within this episode we watch, Luna and the three other female characters - we learn about their manipulation and their ability to convince Luna.
Positives of this idea:
Development of character arc (Luna)
Use of CGI will interest audience
Negatives of this idea:
Strong use of CGI (not cost effective)
Numerous actors/actresses
Time in which character conventions change, audience may perceive the character differently
Extract Five: Episode Five: Reveal of powers - At the start of the episode, while the three female characters and Luna use their powers against a male villain, the male love interest of Luna catches her doing this, in fear he runs away. At the end of the episode the three female characters and Luna run after him. Within this extract we again watch Luna, the three female characters, the male love interest and a male villain - we learn about the extent of Luna's magical powers and what she is willing to do with them for revenge.
Positives of this idea:
Near to the climax of narrative
More involvement of all characters
Negatives of this idea:
Strong use of CGI
Numerous actors/actresses
Extract Six: Episode Six: Luna's loss of control - At the start of the episode the three female characters kill the male love interest in fear he will tell people about their powers. At the end of the episode, Luna's eyes, in a fit of distress and rage, turn black. Within this episode there is Luna, the three female characters and the male love interest - we learn about the three female characters will go to extreme extents to protect their identity of Witches as well as the vast power Luna really has.
Positives of this idea:
Climax of narrative
Climax of the main character
Cliff hanging ending
Negatives of this idea:
Strong use of CGI
Numerous actors/actresses
'Death' is a theme that may be difficult to portray on screen - higher rated audience age rating
The locations I used for the music video include a conventional street within the town of Ilkley, this includes mine en scene of vehicles and other houses, as well as this I used locations such as a graveyard, a home setting, kitchen, living room, front door and bathroom. These all being locations I used throughout the music video.
Camera Settings:
The camera settings I used were 24fps, with the shutter speed being 1/48 (rounded up on the DSLR to 1/50), as I used a DSR Camera these are the average settings for this camera type. I made sure the white balance was at a limited range and was between 3000/4000 K and 7000 K. To add to this, the setting of many of the scenes were at night time so I filmed the sevens at day so I could then later edit the scenes to be at a darker value as if it were night time.
Job Roles:
As I worked on my own during this production I was given all production roles, this being the story-boarder, director, editor, cinematographer, lighting man and actress. All creative roles were done by myself to complete the production of the music video.
Pictures from Location:
Although the filming was completed and there is evidence of footage, no photo's were taken at the time when in the process of filming. However, the footage I have exemplified throughout I feel helps justify my work.
Safety Considerations:
I have detailed in other components of my work that I have taken extensive safety precautions to avoid accidents, this being completing tasks such as taping down wires when filming, not filming when its wet to avoid inhere and not filming in dangerous places, etc. These all being aspect oft he music video that I ensured took place to make sure the filming process was safe.
Logging Rushes
Table of all footage:
This is a table of all footage used throughout filming, this showcases all footage that either was used or not used for the music video.
Description of footage:
The footage I used again were all placed either at the graveyard, home setting or in the street; all of this footage being filmed in a safe place. The footage I feel is a high standard and follows rules she as the use of thirds and typical character angels sued int he industry.
Evaluation:
I feel the footage I used was valuable and well done, each part of the narrative was shown clearly within each piece of footage like I had planned out in my storyboard and script. However, there was some mistakes at times when the camera was wobbly or out of focus, despite this I produced work that reflected my hard working attitude and showcased footage that was clear, professional and cinematic.
Unusable shots:
Above is all footage that was unusable due to either a shaky camera, bad lighting, over exposure, result of bad acting, etc. These were then stored in this folder to show as evidence later in the course.
Your drama is 2-5-30 minutes long - the brief asked 45 to an hour long so does it not meet the conventions of the brief? There is a vast amount of detail within the 25-30 minutes, the narrative is short and I feel to make a connection with the characters the episodes need to be snappy and short
How do you plan to fit the cost of CGI into your budget? 9k per episode while each episode is 100k - I will keep the budget low for other essentials such as set locations, actors, etc and so I have the availability to use this
How do I plan to bring in a male target audience: The male characters within the show fits the typical male demographic and this character is written to like these stereotypical likes and dislikes of a male audience.
How will your show be diverse? Other characters within the show are not typically white, the friends surrounding the character being different ethnicities - the show also follows themes of the after math of sexual assault, rape culture and the importance of the LGBTQ+ community
How would you market this? I will market my show through the use of social media - Instagram, YouTube, Instagram, etc.
How I should have answered the Questions:
Your drama is 25-30 minutes long - the brief asked 45 to an hour long so does it not meet the conventions of the brief?
Admittedly, this does not meet the conventions of the drama brief we were given, I feel this is something I will have to change when editing the pitch and show; this being that the show will have a longer duration to meet the brief better, therefore it will meet the conventions of the brief. I can incorporate these changes by lengthening the show to a full hour per episode, this uses the shows whole 100k per episode budget to its advantage.
How do you plan to fit the cost of CGI into your budget?
I plan to fit the cost of CGI into my budget as my budget already is low, budgeting the cost of necessities such as settings, locations, food on set, actors and actresses, etc. I will do this by making sure the cost for other necessities is as low as possible, thus I can use my resources to showcase quality CGI.
How do I plan to bring in a male target audience:
I plan to bring in a male audience by having more male characters within the show, this being though giving the main character more male friends around them; this then demonstrates inclusiveness and relatability within the show. I will do this by hiring more male actors for the show by holding auditions.
How will your show be diverse?
The show will have a strong sense of diversity as I will be changing main protagonist instead from a white women instead to a hispanic teen; I feel my lack of diversity within my first pitch did not reflect well on the show as a whole and therefore by changing it will fit my show better and to have a larger target audience.
How would you market this?
I plan to market the show through social media, this being by using Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube and Facebook for older target audiences. As well as this, I will distribute previews of the show via YouTube, this I feel will add more excitement and anticipation for the show as a whole. However, I would like to use more physical marketing such as posters, billboards, and bus signs. I can incorporate this by using my budget to pay for more physical marketing to then distribute.
Practise Pitch Evaluation:
When perfuming the pitch I feel I had a calm and controlled manner, speaking confidently and clearly to my audience, this then easily conveyed I was excited and ambitious abut the drama series; this I feel is a key part of presenting, thus helped me convey my points and pitch to the audience. I feel when I was asked questions I could answer them clearly and directly, not only this but quickly was able to answer them with accurate and interesting responses; this allowed me audience insight onto my own thoughts and feelings of the show. I feel I could answer each question given to me without hesitation and answered them accurately to the needs and knowledge of the show. Additionally, I feel I understand the series in depth in which I can explain each episode accurately and with much attention. To add to this, I feel I cam explain and analyse each character within their purpose of the show and what specific demographic this character is aimed at, this then demonstrates I am invested and passionate about the narrative, therefore showing I have great interest and knowledge of the show. However, on the other hand, I feel there were some components I was missing from the pitch, this being a more inclusive characterisation of some protagonists, as I have said in the paragraph below I wish to change some of the characteristics of the protagonists to be more fitting to my target audience to be more relatable and interesting to a wider audience. As well as this, I need to change some of the aspects of the show to fit better with a male audience as the drama is mainly based towards female audience members, thus giving me a smaller audience range, therefore to change this I feel incorporate more male characters. Lastly, I will need to change and better my budget listing, a part of the feedback entailing on the use of CGI and how I will afford this, to actually afford this I will cut into different necessities of the show and use this to benefit the quality of the CGI as this is an important and main part of the show.
Planned Improvements:
The feedback I received was mostly positive, the construct and bases of the show being to the clients likening, with many of its aspects hitting the brief that I was initially asked of. However, the feedback I received was based on diversity within the show as well as financial questions raised, this being feedback I will act on by changing characters to fit the demographic target audience as well as looking into what I can change from my budget to make the show more affordable. Another aspect of the feedback was the amount each episode will come to, this being that it is 50k for 30mins and 100k for 45mins to an hour, my show at first was going to be 25-30 minutes, however to better the show with the feedback I was given to make the show more fitting to a drama I would need to lengthen the show, this will then add into my budget as the episodes will now be 1 hour long, thus it will be 100k per episode. This is something I will later change about the shoe to fit within the feedback I was given. Moreover, I will need to create character profiles to make the understanding of each character more clear as within my pitch I only gave a brief description of each character due to the limited time I had. Overall, any unidentified or unfilled gaps will be filled and improved on to better the shows quality to heighten its chance of becoming aired on BBC3. I feel the overall feedback was positive and highlighted my achievements and what I was in need of working on.
Above is the trailer for 'Stranger Things' season 1 on Netflix. This was distributed on the internet platform of YouTube when it aired as well as was advertised on conventional TV in adverts as well as audio/radio on Spotify adverts. This was also seen to be advertised by the Director, company and actors/actress's via social media: instagram, facebook, twitter, snapchat, etc.
Posters:
Moreover, when the show was being branded and distributed, there was a selection of posters featured on social media via instagram, facebook, twitter, snapchat, etc. As well as this, there were various billboards featuring the poster, sides of buses, bus stops, buildings, outside of the cinema and more all advertising the poster. Another form of advertising they used was snippets of the trailer and or parts of the series in a short video, this was featured at the cinema before a film was shown in the trailers, video clips on line and active digital posters.
Website:
To add to this, Netflix features their new shows on their web page and app, the most popular or new movies or shows being placed front and centre for the audience to see, this is a direct approach of advertising as every time you open the app or site you are faced with new films and shows, at the time the trailer for season 1 of Stranger Things was the most popular advertisement they showed.
Social Media:
Above are examples of social media platforms that Netflix advertised the Stranger Things show on, not only by advertising it on their website and app they used social media platforms such as: instagram, facebook, twitter, snap chat and now TikTok. These are a accurate way to advertise to a modern audience as it is the main way our society now communicates, to advertise this via these platforms allows a sufficient and affordable way to advertise a product.
Video Games & Apps:
'Stranger Things' after its burst of popularity when it came out then quickly created a video game that could be played via Xbox and PS4, this game is somewhat average and was largely used for income rather than quality of the game.
Merchandise:
Alongside digital advertisement and apps, their was also an abundance of merchandise produced for the show, this including: clothing (hoodies, shirts, dresses, hats, shoes, etc), action figures, dolls, games, boardgames, bags, keychains, lego sets, props, wigs & outfits, blankets, decorative posters, etc. As the show is based for a young audience will also maturer audiences also viewing the show, this was something that was easy to advertise.
Tie-ins:
The show then also made a 'tie-in', creating a physical fair that showcased nearly all scenes and settings from the show that people could go to. These kinds of subtle, immersive campaigns can be very effective because they feel less like advertising and more like an extension of the narrative, they feel organic and authentic and become very shareable to the audience. This then generated more income through paying to get in, food and drink sold, merchandise sold as well as rides.
Promotional Tours & Interviews:
Lastly,the cast also went on a promotional tour that then furthered the likening for the show through meet and greets, talks and conventions that sold out world wide. As well as this, through social media there is an abundance of interviews with various companies and talk shows such as: Jimmy Falon, Buzzfeed, The Cut, Insider, The Tonight Show, etc.
