Oli Flitton A2 Media Coursework: November 2011

Friday, 25 November 2011

Focus Group

i showed group of 6-13 year olds of mixed gender the opening sequences that i analysed and asked them a series of questions about what they enjoyed about the sequences and what they thought could be improved.

Lizzie McGuire

nobody said that they read the credits and all said they wouldn't care if they came up or not. also over half said they didnt even realise the credits were there.
75% of the group said that they liked the fact that the characters names appeared with the corresponding characters in the sequence.
60% said that the colour scheme made the characters and what they were doing stand out and more memorable.
however a further 55% said they would rather have a more busy colour scheme.

Zack and cody, suite life.

60% of people said they would prefer if there wasn't any lyrics in the theme tune.
80% said they preferred to be introduced to the characters separately
75% said they enjoyed learning something about the characters when being introduced.
50% said the opening sequence was a little bit too long

saved by the bell

65% said they liked the transitions between the introduction of each character
90% said they like being introduced to all the main characters not just the main one
50% said they would like to se every character
70% said they like the bright colour scheme

after this i told them the main plan for my opening sequence and asked them to give me feedback on the compnents that they think will improve my scene and on the aspects that will not be very good.

they liked the idea of the backing track being up beat, catchy and without lyrics.
they liked the idea each character have their own main characteristic
they didnt like the idea of having credits at the end
they like the idea of how long i was planing for it to be
they liked the idea of there being an even amount of males and females.

Analysis of questionnaire

The results that i gathered from the responses from my questionnaire are as follows:
The majority of people that watch childrens TV dramas:

Are between the ages of 6 and 14
Are more or less evenly spread through geders
prefer to see males as the main characters
prefer to see the whole group of main characters rather than just one or every character.
prefer a tune playing over the opening sequence rather that lyrics.
prefer an opening sequence to be just over half a minute long.
like to see the main group of people on the DVD cover.
like to see a consistent colour scheme rather than just random colours
like to see a list of the main characters on the back of the DVD
also like to see a episode list nearby
dont care to see the credits anywhere on the DVD.

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Friday, 18 November 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA1A9xhEf80

the title sequence introduces all of the main characters in most of the series, excluding special guests. The sequence is made up of extracted clips from different episodes, when you see the characters the actors names are beside them. as well as clips there are also clips that are soley for introductory purposes, from these in particular you can learn certain things about each character, for example sat in a lesson zack is playing with a basket ball instead of listening and his brother, cody is at the front of the class teaching, this illustrates that eventhough the two boys are identicle twins they have opposing attitudes to different things. however all the characters are smiling through out which will connote carefree happiness, this would appeal to the target audience as they will want to know what the characters get up to, regardless of who is there favourite. initially there is a master shot of the while cruise ship that they are on which reinforces the laid back nature of the programme as cruise ships are associated with holidays. from this you are firstly introduced to the two main characters, the twins and then characters in order of importance to the show as a whole. there are clips of each character individually as well as them as the group so it shows they are individuals but also all part of the freindship group.

the lyrics of the theme song are effectivley talking to the target audience asking them to go with the singer, this will make them feel involved with the programme which makes it easier for the target audience to relate to the characters. the title sequence is closed with all of the main characters in a huddle which shows the friendly nature of the programme, at the same time as this the songs lyrics are 'we're living the sweet life' which will appeal to the target audience as it will ake them feel part of the huddle, after this the camera zooms out to see the whole cruise ship once again and then the title of the show appears so you know once and for all what you are watching.

Friday, 11 November 2011

Click here to take Target Audience Survey

Click here to take DVD Research

the programme zack and cody on deck is aimed at a target audience of both genders aged around 8-15, however the two main characters are boys so this may appel to boys more. the music that the sequence is to is catchy and sounds like a mix between rock music and pop music therefore appealing to a wide range of target audience.
the title sequence introduces all of the main characters in most of the series, excluding special guests. The sequence is made up of extracted clips from different episodes, when you see the characters the actors names are beside them. as well as clips there are also clips that are soley for introductory purposes, from these in particular you can learn certain things about each character, for example sat in a lesson zack is playing with a basket ball instead of listening and his brother, cody is at the front of the class teaching, this illustrates that eventhough the two boys are identicle twins they have opposing attitudes to different things. however all the characters are smiling through out which will connote carefree happiness, this would appeal to the target audience as they will want to know what the characters get up to, regardless of who is there favourite. initially there is a master shot of the while cruise ship that they are on which reinforces the laid back nature of the programme as cruise ships are associated with holidays. from this you are firstly introduced to the two main characters, the twins and then characters in order of importance to the show as a whole. there are clips of each character individually as well as them as the group so it shows they are individuals but also all part of the freindship group.
the lyrics of the theme song are effectivley talking to the target audience asking them to go with the singer, this will make them feel involved with the programme which makes it easier for the target audience to relate to the characters. the title sequence is closed with all of the main characters in a huddle which shows the friendly nature of the programme, at the same time as this the songs lyrics are 'we're living the sweet life' which will appeal to the target audience as it will ake them feel part of the huddle, after this the camera zooms out to see the whole cruise ship once again and then the title of the show appears so you know once and for all what you are watching.
Cmera work is used in the sequence to enable the audience to learn about the whole show quickly, a good example of this is the initial arieal shot which pans over the whole cruise ship which gives the audience an idea of where the show is set. most shots are mid shots to show facial expresions and also so you have a good idea of what the characters are wearing. This shows that the characters are 'cool' and also gives the audience an idea of what sort of character the character is.

the target audience for lizzie mcguire is mainly girls aged 11-15 this is around the same age/ slightly younger than the main characters in the programme this means they can relate to and aspire to be like them, personal identity, to act and dress similar to them.
the theme songs lyrics give us an idea of the main characters life and shows us and the target audience than the episodes are going to be mainly be about the main characters, lizzie's, life and how she deals with problems that can crop up in teenage life. the whole sequence is long enough to introduce the characters but not too long as to bore the target audience, the theme tune is also catchy enough to keep the audience interested.
the characters, like in most opening sequences are introduced in order of importance to the series along with there actors real names. you also learn about some of the characters characteristics from the activities and the way in which they react to eachother although for the opening sequence they are allsmiling and happy with eachother which gives the connotation that the programme contains light, carefree antics. because the title sequence is quite short there cant be a lot going on in the back grounds for you to be introduced effectively this is why the simplistic background works as all you concentrate on is the character in particular. the fonts used are simple and do not stand out a great deal as the target audience will probably not be so interested in this aspect however if you did want to know it is easy enough to do so.
the camera work through out the scene suggests that the teenagers have both attitude, which is illustrated in particular when lizzies mum is bouncing a ball around her, when there is a long shot of both characters, the way in which lizzie is standing shows her attitude and the fashion her mother is moving shows the fun also involved. however, midshots are also used to better show facial expressions, most of which are smiling and laughing which will appeal to the target audience as it is fun and energetic.
the sound also gives you the connotation of fun and energetic which will entice the audience to watch more, the song is up beat and the lyrics are catchy which means the audience will remember the tune and talk about the show with their friends.
the mise en scene of this scene shows the audience or anyone watching what sort of show it is. the setting is very simple with the back ground being plain white, this allows the audience to concentrate completely on the characters and what they are doing rather than what is in the background, this technique is further exercised by the only prop used being a single red ball. each character is seen playing with the ball and interacting with each other, in all scenes everyone gets on and there is a sense of togetherness which will make the audience feel good and want to watch.