Secondary research 2 shows

Secondary Research

For this, i will be looking at two shows and analysing the format, codes and conventions and also the reasons for their multi camera use. The two shows i will be analysing are Celebrity Juice and Take me Out.

Codes and Conventions 

Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre – it is not enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work, without saying how it is conventionally used in a genre.

For example, the technical code of lighting is used in some way in all film genres. It is a convention of the horror genre that side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense – an integral part of any horror movie.

Below, this table narrows down the codes and conventions of both of these shows.

Take me out does not have any voice overs as there is no need. There is a host and a panel of guests (ladies), so a voice over is not required. There are interviews conducted by the show that are pre-recorded using a single camera. This is used for the second round when the panel of ladies find out about the personality of the man who came out of the mystery lift. There is no realistic expert analysis. There is footage, again from a single camera yet is used in the multi-camera production. Take me out shows significantly the research that is put into it, so that again is another convention of the genre.

Celebrity juice is almost identical in terms of its codes and conventions. It does not have any voice overs as there is a host and panel. Occasional interviews are conducted via single camera by the host Keith Lemon. There is no expert analysis as there is no analysis to be given from any perspective from the show. The footage surrounds weekly news, such as a new 'JLS' song, and the panel will receive a clue as to what the news story is via footage. There is a lot of research put into the show as it is needed to make topics to talk about for the week. 

Format

Take me out - Begins with introducing the host. The ladies (panel) and all 30 of them all walk onto the stage with very cheesy music on. Then the host reveals the gentlemen one by one after the ladies have had their pick per person. There are three rounds to this show. Firstly, the ladies get to see the gentleman. Whether or not they like him, they either buzz (do not like him) or leave their lights on ("No likey, no lighty"). The second round, there is footage of the gentleman talking about himself and his personality, and the same rule applies. The final round is when an associated person to the gentleman reveals something about the gentleman in an interview, then whoever leaves their light on, the gentleman gets to chose who he would like to take to the 'Isle of fernando'. The show ends with a highlight reel of the previous weeks dates. 

The format of celebrity juice contrasts against the format of take me out. Celebrity juice starts with the host introducing the guests on panel and making jokes about them. Then there are three rounds, with each round being something unique. For example, one round is a challenge etc. The team with the most points wins. Just before the credits, the guests and host all dance to very unimaginably random music. 

Multi-Camera Use

Above is a picture of the set of Celebrity Juice. Being quite a standard quiz show set, its only advantage over other sets is the fact it doesn't cost a fortune. There are three desks, two larger than the hosts. The set is actually a lot bigger than it looks simply due to the fact that the audience are drawn close. This allows more of a variety of shots to be taken, such as the high angle one taken above. The main reason for multi camera use in this show is for the cuts. The vision mixing is unique, as the host likes to look in each camera and make funny gestures. This is very clever as it stands out from other quiz shows. One camera is usually handheld too for the challenge part of the show, as it adds more room for different shots and different types of allowance. 

Take me out and its multi camera use isn't as impactful as Celebrity Juice, yet the shots are a lot different. The set is rather unique, and doesn't lack an audience or the initial scale of the show. Above is what the set looks like from a birds eye view (to the right). As you can see, there are two sections of the audience that are split by a set of stairs. There is a camera at the top of the stairs, a camera just outside the elevator, a camera each side of the panel so that they can get both wide and close up shots. The variety and expanded amount of shots they can do is great for production. The lighting is located on the set, with the centre spot being very bright along with all of the buzzers.

The difference between the two shows in terms of multi camera use is that take me out uses more shots in comparison to celebrity juice as the set is a lot bigger, yet celebrity juice offers more diversity and impact within its shots, rather than take me out just doing medium close up's and high angled shots of the set. Both shows wouldn't be able to function as well without multi-camera's yet i believe both productions are different in their own way. 

TV Studio

                                                   TV Studio

Primary Research 

Show: 'CHALLENGE'

Group: Brenan, Zoe, Olivia. 

For this show, we had used three camera's, one of which was handheld. This genre of a multi camera production (game show) is one that needs to be a multi camera production, as there are several cuts throughout the show that wouldn't be possible if it were just a single camera production. The editing is fast, simply due to the fact there is vision mixing. We had used just three clip on microphones, for the host and the two members of cast. We had used a standing Rode mic for the 'Chubby Bunny Challenge'. The lighting we had used was just two direct lights on mid-power, with one light directed onto the background. 

The show began with a shot of the host, a conventional start to a game/quiz show. Throughout, the show cut from host to competitors, with the show having three challenges. We had used a handheld camera to capture the physical challenge, as we felt we needed to follow the competitors a bit more. The handheld camera is conventional within this genre as it allows more variety in terms of different shots and is something unique, rather than just a standard shot that allows no room for improvement. 

What went well

I believe the set design was unique and was really interesting to see. The show itself was really engaging. Also the mic placement and camera shots were really good.

Improvements 

I feel there was much to improve, especially the lighting placement. This is because it shone directly on the cast, creating a visible shadow. Again, the mic's were disappointing. 

Show: 'SOCIAL SWAP'

Group: Josh, Ant, Harry F, Kane

For this show, we had used three camera's, with one being put on a dolly, enabling us the ability to use the pan shot. This isn't conventional of a game/quiz show, yet is used in certain circumstances to improve shot list. We used a Rode stand up mic as i felt the host needed a sense of authority to him over the contestants, whom which had clip on mic's. We had arranged the set so that we were able to use the blue for certain effects, such as a real news studio in the background. This allowed us to use our expertise in vision mixing to create a real-looking news desk background. 

The format of this show was very unique. Our set design was something a lot different to the others, as we decided to have a stand in the middle of the set rather than a desk. The stand had the Social Swap logo on it, with a transparent bowl full of paper, as this was part of the idea to have the show revolve around this bowl. Contestants would answer questions and whoever lost got to pick a piece of paper out and read it out, this would happen through three rounds and at the end whoever lost would have to tweet out the sentence that was made throughout the rounds. 

The show needed to be a multi camera show purely because of the layout and design of the set. It was unique, and needed something unique (the dolly) to lay it outside the conventional game show yet stand out within that genre. 

What went well

Firstly, i believe the soundcheck went really well. For this show we really needed to improve our ability in terms of handling and setting up mic structures etc and i feel we done that well

The lighting went well too, considering we went out of our comfort zone and used coloured lighting. This added the extra bit of spice needed to make the show stand out from the others. 

Finally, i think we made a good job in terms of camera use for this show, as we decided to use the dolly. This introduced the pan shot to our show and furthermore, setting the dolly up allowed us to take in how to set it up for future reference. 

Improvements

The only major improvement for this show could of been the mic's used for the cast. The sound quality wasn't as good as the quality of the camera set up, or the lighting. 

My Job Roles

Director:

For this role, i had to be confident and use my imagination to command and create a show (overall outcome) that looked good enough to a near professional standard. I directed 'Social Swap' and i believe the production went well with my guidance. I had to ensure the shots were what i wanted and what looked best, along with ensuring that the lighting made no bad affect on the vision mixers ability to use the blue screen.

I faced some challenges, including lack of props and also a couple of camera's had low battery, and we had no production runner for this production so i had to sort the issue out, which was resolved instantly.  

I feel i had done well in my role. The production went well and everyone was comfortable in their job roles, with very little faults being made on the initial production itself. 

Camera Operator:

For this role, i had operate one of the three camera's we used on set. The camera that i had used was to be a handheld one, as the director wanted a diverse and unique shot. I had the gain on low as the lighting was rather bright, with me being directed to zoom on the cast's faces every now and then to create emotion within the scene. I had to ensure

There were some challenges i had to face when operating the camera, such as ensuring the white balance was equal and correct, the shot was in focus and also listening and applying the directors instructions to my work.

Lighting Technician:

Within this role, i had to follow the directors instructions to light the set accordingly. I had to configure the panel so that the lights were in the correct place and also on the correct amount of power.

I found it rather difficult to get to grips with lighting as its different to any role i have undertaken before but with the help of my classmates, i learnt and took aboard advise. I learnt how to set the lights up, turn the system on and create colour lighting using see-through coloured plastic sheets.

Vision Mixer:

For this role i had to mix and edit the live tv show. This consisted of switching from one shot to another under the command of the director, using the blue screen to create a realistic studio and recording the show.

I found this role rather simple yet such an important part of the creation process.

Most Confident:

I was most confident with being director as i feel i have the confidence and desire to create a good quality show. I was also confident with working on camera as i have experience with shooting and was able to put that to use.

Least Confident:

I was least confident with being the lighting technician, as i didn't really know what was needed or wanted. Although this can be seen as a fault of the director, i feel that i could of applied myself more to work out what i needed to do so. I also wasn't confident with the role of vision mixer, as i found it didn't really improve my skill set.

Here is some footage from behind the scenes of our productions.

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Celebrities are socially exploited on Social Swap!

Channel 4 plays host to the latest, most exciting show on Television, Social Swap! The show will be aired one weeknight per week and begins early December, and from what we know from social media, it has had a major impact upon the shows guests (not in a negative way!). The show involves a panel of celebrity guests, social sites and embarrassingly unusual questioning. It is a huge ball of fun and will not only take TV by storm, but the internet too.

This show consists of three rounds, and goes by a per-point win situation. The loser of each round, picks a part of a sentence out of the Social Swap bowl, then will apply it to the final whole sentence. Now this sentence will be rather embarrassing to put on your social media site for a week!

Host Keith Lemon believes it completely out-shadow's his former hit show 'Celebrity Juice'; "Yeah this show really does have potential to steal the nations hearts, in terms of comedy and entertainment".

Be the first to know about upcoming news for Social Swap by following us on twitter

@SOCIALSWAP

Make sure you tune in early december and watch the celebrity twitter meltdown begin!

Facebook - THESOCIALSWAP
Instagram - @SOCIALSWAPIMAGES

target audience

Target Audience For my Ident

For my ident, i have decided to go along the route of an urban theme. There is quite a wide audience and film genre openings for this, such as action movies, thrillers etc. I have targeted the audience for my ident to be for roughly the age of late teens and above, as there is no theoretical aspect to it at all. I believe it will appeal as its very street-wise, for movies that are within the demographic of age 15+. This ident would be preferable for the gender of male as its not very female-related, and stereotypically they like pink, pop music and trendy stuff. This ident will be more direct, urban and flashy, so not necessarily for a female audience.















AGE: 

• Roughly mid to late teens
• Has a youthful and very unique feel to it, as the music creates a different type of ambience. 
• I feel this target audience was my best route as what i had planned to create was something that i can relate to, and that was within the age range of teens. 
• The ident can be applied to films such as; The Hunger Games, The Twilight series, The American Pie series.

GENRE: 

• Would be for a modern film
• Can be any genre from thrillers to actions to comedies, as long as the film has urban aspects to it.
• I feel it has a modern theme, not just the image but the music creates that sort of idea thats its in a city and very 'hip'. 

GENDER:

• I feel that the gender that is more appropriate for this ident would be boys, due to the lack of generically 'girly' aspects to it. I feel it is more stereotypically designed for boys.
• This ident would not be used for any films that suggest the target audience of girls, as it is not suitable for that audience. 

HOBBIES: 

• A significant amount of my target audience would be into going out etc. This includes people who enjoy the little things in life, such as skate-boarding and driving around.
• Also, i feel that people who have an interest in music would be able to enjoy this ident. The tune is a very catchy, very standout tune that sounds very generically suiting to the urban theme. 

Uses of motion graphics

Uses of motion Graphics

Title sequences: The opening animation helps set the tone for what is upcoming. An example of this is the film SE7EN which uses motion graphics to excite the audience and foreshadow what’s going to happen.

Logos: Motion graphics make a logo a lot more eye catching. For example, the universal logo. This is one of the most famous logos in the world, due to its stand out globe, and incredible attention to detail. 

Idents- These feature different types of text to hype the film up, another example is Kingsman: The Secret Service, which uses a unique and powerful animation for the opening scene.

3D elements- This gives the filmmaker a sense of creative freedom, also it gives younger viewers something to enjoy, as for them it looks as if the animations are coming to life.

Animated designs- Animated designs can be used to create illusions. They are essential within the film industry, so much that companies have built themselves from scratch just using animation.

Credits- These lead the film off. In modern films, there are usually after credit sequences that leave the film on a cliff-hanger. 

On screen effects- More creative to use and makes scenes more interesting 

Scheduling - This is where idents are made to promote a show, for example BBC always do a doctor who logo.

 

 

Companies such as Dreamworks and Universal nowadays use the title sequence as part of the film, as this can allow viewers to understand the story a bit before the film initially begins. As you can see in this picture from the film SKYFALL, there is an opening sequence before this title sequence, which is unique within the industry. The James Bond film series always has a very complex story so by introducing this, it widens their audience. 

Introduction to factual programming

Definition of Factual Programming 

1. Factual programme is a genre of non-fiction television programming that documents actual events and people. These types of programs are also described as documentary, Sporting events, The News and Reality shows. 
   
   

Creative opportunities for media practitioners

Creative Opportunities for Media Practitioners 

When working with larger companies, such as Disney, everything is going to be on a larger scale. This means the ideas which can be done be be made possible, as larger companies have the equipment and resources to make larger scale projects, such as idents. Inevitably when working with these huge companies your work will be seen and this can gain even more opportunities to become more successful in the industry. Contacts and links can create a whole world of opportunity. 

Limitations

There are usually boundaries to everything, and unfortunately for media practitioners, this is the same case. Companies such as Disney and Warner Bros will want specific things for their idents, as they have their own visions and the design expansion is limited. Furthermore, the time you have to make an ident when working with a big corporation is usually really limited as they want it done within a short schedule. This tight schedule can cause budget problems if it isn't done in time as more money will be needed to sort the problem out.

Budget: 

The creator of the ident is given a budget to create the ident. The budget tends to be for the amount of time spent on it, so thats why companies love to squeeze in the creation into the shortest amount of time possible. 

Software:

The software used for idents can vary. The combination of After Effects and Photoshop (both adobe programmes) are most likely to be used as they offer ease of creation and allow you to create something really professional at the same time. 

Workforce:

Usually, very few people, if not just one person are entitled or given the task of creating an ident. If the project is on a larger scale, then maybe two, three or four will be able to do so. Saying that, this would mean the budget would need to be expanded. The company would want it done with less people to save money for other things.