As you were completing your storyboard you will identified key influences and inspirations (most likely other media products) that have helped shape your creative process and ideas.
Your task is now to research those influences and explain the impact they have on your creative decisions, what aspects and features have been particularly important and what have your learned from them.
Try to identify at least THREE influences, but feel free to mentioned as many as you deem appropriate.
Do not feel you have to namecheck influences from the same sub-genre. If Joss Whedon was doing this before he made Buffy the Vampire Slayer he would have mentioned Dracula, Scooby Doo and The Breakfast Club - Gothic Horror, Mystery Solving and Teen comedy.
Most of your ideas are hybrid - mixed in terms of origin - so be as open as you can with your influences.
How to Structure your response
Blog post: 'Research into Influences'
Introduction paragraph about what your key influences are
Then for each one:
Name of the product
Embed either a trailer/opening credits/key scene from the show.
Write a short synopsis about the show, identify what sub-genre to which you believe it belongs, what channel it is/was on.
Now explain why it has been an influence upon your work and back it up either with evidence: images, clips from the programme or analysis. Think about the reasons why it has an influence - it could be:
Similarity in content to your idea
Use of location
Representation of characters - are they similar to yours
Similar genre
Similar aesthetics (the way it looks) - use of colour, camera movement, use of transitions
Structure and treatment of the credits and opening
If you have any other influence from other sources - comics, literature, music, internet, nature, film - mention thoughs as well.
JUST BE SURE TO MAKE THE LINK BETWEEN YOUR INFLUENCES AND YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS CLEAR.
This is to be started after the completion of the mood board and is your homework for completion for next lesson (Thursday 8th March).
For homework you were ask to write up on the target audience for BBC3. Using this research and your own knowledge of brands, lifestyle and media consumption, your task is to create a visual representation of the target audience you have identified.
Using Photoshop create the 'ideal' of what your target audience would be in terms of dress and appearance - place them in the centre of your document (set it up landscape).
Then surround them with the brands and genres of the products they consume and the activities they do in their leisure time.
The categories you should consider are:
Films
TV
Hobbies
Food and Drink
Games
Fashion
Music
Technology
Below is an example of what we require - use it as a guide but don't copy it.
Most of you have started writing up the session James did with you last Thursday, but here's a few ideas of what you could include in your write.
Talk about James' influences, which effects he loved and why, what sort of effects he thinks are the most effective, which directors was he influenced by? (see below for the embedded clips)
Mention what type of materials he used to create the wound effects.
Try to outline step-by-step what you did to create the effect.
How did you feel about the final product? Did you feel it was effective? Were there any other effects created by other pairs that stood out for you?
Do you think you'd be able to repeat the process?
Use pictures and the videos to illustrate you points.
Here is the link to the flickr account for the photos
Here are the clips from the various films
Braindead (Peter Jackson, 1992)
Robocop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)
The Fly (David Kronenburg, 1986)
The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
htgvo.posterous.com
imprintteam.posterous.com
currentpublishing.posterous.com
Read the article above and complete the following three tasks for wednesday (29/2/2012);
- Highlight any words you are unsure of and look up their meaning in a dictionary. Write a definition in your own words that makes sense in the context of the article.
- In your own words how would you identify the target audience for the kinds of tv drama described in the article.
- Outline 3 tips for what makes a successful youth drama from the article.
Post your answers to your blog.
Annotate the second sheet comparing E4 and BBC3 summarising the differences/similarities between the two channels. Again, post your answers to your blog
The following work has to be done individually, however, you can collaborate and consult with your partner if appropriate.
1) Start a blog post and write down the brief.
The brief is to create a 2 minute opening and credit sequence to a new UK Sci-fi/Fantasy TV Drama.
2) Post a picture of the mind map of similar media and relevant products that you can research for codes and conventions. Write a caption explaining what the mind map is and identify the sub-genres noticed.
3) Design your own questionnaire about Sci/fi Fantasy TV Drama considering the following:
- What information would be useful to you when completing this task?
- What information do you need to identify your target audience?
- What sub-genres are most popular?
- What makes a good opening sequence?
- What type of data would be easier to analyse and present?
- How will you collect the data? Options to consider:
Face to face survey
Survey Monkey
Facebook
On your blog - post your final questionnaire - and explain why you have included the questions you have done? What you hope to get back? And assess a variety of ways you will collect the data and decide on the most appropriate?
