Evaluation Question 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Website

Newspaper Advert

Animated Ident Sequence

Evaluation Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Brand image and continuity is something I have discussed throughout the course of the project and is something that is vital to the success of the production.

Website – Newspaper Advert

When looking at the branding continuity between the poster and the website, the first and most obvious is the use of the website URL on the newspaper advert. At a base level, this is combining the two forms of media by literally directing one to the other, no thematic or imagery based links. Furthermore, the website actually has the newspaper advert embedded on the page for the show to expand its media. For the audience visiting the website from the print advert or people identifying the print advert from the website, this simple technique allows the two pieces of media to be associated with each other seamlessly.

On top of this is the use of the “Breaking Point” logo. Found on the website multiple times in the trailer, on the shows page, and on the main show page. The same logo is found on the print advert meaning people can then associate the logo with the show across all platforms. The font choice also is the same as the trailer on the website, giving the show its own identity spate from the font choice that the website and channel logo use. Keeping these consistent is an important part of the brand image. Allowing these things to be identifiable is crucial to the idea of synergy.

Website – Animated Ident Sequence

Although the animated ident sequence plays a small part in the website, it offers more than just the 2 second sequence to the idea of the brand image. Colours, fonts, and imagery are all consistent across the sequence and the website style choice meaning it does not appear out of place. The first consistency is the colour choice; with “Breaking Point” being advertised as a drama, the red was chosen in the ident as well as the word “Drama”. This helps the audience immediately understand the genre of the show. On top of that, that red remains throughout any mention of drama on the website.

The second similarity is the font choice, again, the same as the website and logo. Whenever the ident appears, even without the logo, the style choice and font can help it be identified as coming from Channel Root, an important feature. Additionally, the logo featured in the ident is the same as is used on the navigation logo. People can then begin to associate these 3 features with Channel Root, and not just an aimless ident sequence.

Animated Ident Sequence – Newspaper Advert

Here, the simple consistency in colour is enough to show the synergy between two completely different forms of media. The blacks and reds immediately trigger the feel of drama, and with the combination of the logo and font style, audience members immediately reacted with identifying it as Channel Root.

Evaluation Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Website

With websites, a lot of the conventions are consistent across all websites in general; things like header navigation, use of images and video, hyperlinks, and basic interaction. These are all things I have included in my final production. The top level navigation is something that you will find on most websites, I developed it from the majority though by allowing it to stick to the top of the page, remaining in view at all times, something the ITV website also does.

Use of images and video is something I have developed from other sites too, with no other sites I looked at having video on the homepage. My teaser trailer is available on the homepage without having to navigate to another page, a developed convention from other TV channel websites. I also use images consistently throughout the homepage and other pages, a standard in websites especially for TV channel websites.

Hyperlinks for navigation is another easy convention to employ, and is a must have for websites that users need to navigate around. I developed this convention on the shows page by having large images act as the links to the pages, as opposed to just text.

Interaction with elements is another developed convention. The homepage banner fades out to reveal the video when the user clicks on watch trailer. The link would usually link to another page, but having the video come preloaded onto the page means that the user does not have to wait for a new page to load. A lot of other websites simply link to another page, starting the loading of assets all over again. In some ways this actually challenges the convention of having no video on the homepage.

Animated Ident Sequence

For the animated ident sequence, I actually decided to have multiple version of the sequence depending on the genre of show, a developed convention of just having one for all the shows like HBO.

The sequence still features my logo, something all sequences conform to. The sequence is branding so not having the logo at the beginning would be unwise. For the drama intro, I had chosen deep red and just a soft fade in, keeping in with the serious nature of the sequence.

Newspaper Advert

Newspaper advertising is a very common form of advertising and there are a lot of developed codes and conventions to adhere to. For TV show adverts, it is all about the imagery created from the main subject of the image. Having looked over many, there were some key elements that had to be retained. It was important not to hide the show information, or have it appear cryptically. Clarity about what the show is called, and where you can get more information is an important convention and is one that should be kept.

The change to develop and challenge conventions comes from the use of the image. I opted to choose vector art as opposed to an actual photograph. Commonly, adverts would show the main roster of actors in their poster. I challenged this convention by choosing to not show characters of any kind, just simple but thought provoking image. Having this was a compromise in terms of being able to capture the image I wanted in real life, as well as in the end being a more effective image than an actual photo would have captured.

Audience Feedback: Newspaper Advert

Final Design: Website

Link to the Website

Final Design: Sport Animated Ident Sequence

Final Design: Comedy Animated Ident Sequence

Final Design: Drama Animated Ident Sequence

Final Design: Newspaper Advertisement

Animated Ident Sequence Design Process

Designing the animated ident sequence was had to illustrate, seeing as it was such a fast moving animation. The above picture shows what I had planned for the animation, the text being revealed from the centre of the page, and the logo leaking in. The previews illustrate better what the animation would do, but having it down on paper helped out.

The additional two frames show what I had planned for the sport and comedy. The sport one depicts a ball bouncing on top of the sport text off screen. The comedy one shows a rather comedic occurrence, where the "Y" at the end of comedy tips over and falls.

Website Design Process - Breaking Point Show Page

Here is the wireframe design of the page:

The page is actually quite simple, but is dominated by the media for the show. The large trailer and poster make up for most of the space. The page is there to advertise the show and the show alone, so the description and teaser video can all be made for the page. The logo at the top is there to serve as more branding for the show.

Interaction and visual stimulants are the primary focus for this page, with very little to read, it is about directing the user to the media for the show. Being able to identify the logo or the themes in adverts or online is the key to getting them interested in the show to the point where they would watch it.

Below is an example of what the banner at the top would look like with the show logo.

Website Design Process - Shows Page

This is the wireframe design for the shows page.

This page is to list all of the shows currently available on Channel Root. It is a very simple page but has to be interesting so I decided to show the logo for all the TV shows rather than just list them. On top of this, I decided to categorise them based on genre, making it easier to find the show you are looking for.

Here is a look at the logos that will be featured on the final page:

Each show has its own flavor and is distinct. 

Website Design Process - Home Page

Below is the hand drawn wireframe version of the website homepage.

The homepage has to encapsulate a lot of information but also must be clear and easy to navigate. The first element on the homepage and every page is the navigation bar or header. In this case, the header sticks to the top of the page even if scrolled down, meaning the user is never far from navigating to a different page.

The next element is the animated banner. This will show information about a featured program, and in my case will also house a trailer for that show. The schedule is also prominent at the top, visible for the user before even scrolling.

After the main banner we find more information about the channel. 3 boxes hold information about 3 different items, distinguished by the colour of the title. Having this information is good for the user as it still condenses the information for the front page, but without sacrificing it entirely.

Below these are a couple of news items. It is important to keep fresh content on the homepage in order to give the user something new to look at every visit. If the content remained the same, users would have no need to even look at the homepage. 

Below that is the final element, the footer. This is usually just for small links for the sitemap and the company logo. It also grounds the page and is a visual cue to the user that the page has finished loading.

Here is the page in mockup form:

For the audience, the design is clear and clean but still has plenty of information. The schedule is immediate and up to date, the banner is dynamic and interactive, and the information boxes offer plenty of rich text to read. The darkened header tops the page making it feel grounded. 

Poster Design Process

The basic idea for the poster is to be a teaser for the show "Breaking Point", a drama. A few elements are needed for the poster to be successful. The first is a primary image to look at. This image will get across visually what the show is about and will be used to interest the reader to look at the tagline and information about the show. For this image I have chosen an aerial shot of a cup of tea contrasted against the blood that appears to be oozing from it. Immediately the image feels interesting for the audience and grabs their attention. 

The tagline is then what most people will ump on to read. The tagline I have chosen to use is "Just killing some tea time". Again, taking something that people are familiar with, a phrase, and twisting it to make people think about what it might mean. Combining the tagline with the image will almost definitely make the audience think about what the show is about. They would understand the subject matter to be dramatic given the blood and dark tones used in the poster, but still be intrigued as to what the almost cryptic tagline and striking image mean for the synopsis.

Below all of that is the information about when the show is on, the name of the show and the channel it is on. This is vital to make sure the audience know where to go to look for more information, including the website.

Audio Diary No. 2