About Me
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Monday, 11 May 2009
Coronation Street
The TV drama I am going to talk is about is Coronation Street, which is screened on ITV Monday to Friday.
Coronation Street is a English TV drama that reflects everyday situations such as love, conflicts, revenge and anything you may go through your life. Coronation Street belongs to soap opera sub-genre.
Multiple characters and narratives usually limited by specific geographical location. Lack complete narrative closure:
In this section I’m going to talk about one the typical characteristics to a soap opera. Soap operas tend to have multiple/recognizable characters. Doing that creators of Coronation Street give a felling of familiarity, and also this doesn’t make the drama too complicated. Soap operas are usually shot in the same locations e.g. pubs, hospitals and familiar estates. Again this doesn’t make the drama too complicated and the viewer is familiar with the settings.
Probably the most typical characteristic to a soap like this is lack of complete narrative closure. This means that the story or a certain situation won’t be resolved in a one particular episode. Directors use this technique very widely to keep the viewers on their toes. By doing this the creator creates a certain degree of anticipation, and if the effect is created properly the directors are almost guaranteed that people will return to this particular show.
Setting:
As I mentioned before the setting are the same on every episode. Sometimes for many years. It is good that it is kept the same so that the viewer does not get confused and its familiar with the set.
Corrie itself has few key locations such as the pub or the district itself. In the opening sequence you can see the whole “square”, this is a key location. Thanks to this shot viewers know straight away what they’re watching.
Iconography:
In TV soaps such as Coronation Street, everyday objects are used as props. This is showing us that this TV drama reflects everyday life. Again by doing this the director gives the viewer a normal tv drama, viewers do not feel like they watching something strange. Viewers see objects that they can find in their homes on daily bases. Even small things, such as half drunk bottle of orange juice. Everything makes a soap like this easier to watch. Using everyday household objects people have the feeling of normality.
Themes:
In soap operas themes vary between episodes. You will never see the same theme over and over again. For instance not every episode of the soap opera will be based on a hate theme. In each episode you will see something new. In some (or maybe most) the producer will place multiple themes in one episode so that the soap will be more interesting, because if the director will stick to one theme he/she would lose the audience as the drama would become boring and predictable.
Character Types:
In some cases there are multiple recognizable characters. In Coronation Street’s case it’s the same. The reason you will see multiple characters in a soap like that is the feeling of familiarity with the show, you can watch the show without being confused who’s who and where did they came from. I personally think that again this reflecting real life, the reason I think that is because in real life you will meet and ‘know’ loads of people. So if you see familiar faces on the show you will feel comfortable watching that show.
Sounds:
The first sound you will hear watching a soap opera such as Coronation Street will the theme tune. This is very important pieces of music when it comes to a soap opera because it distinguishes itself from other soaps.
There are also some ambient sounds, this sounds you will hear in everyday life e.g. a train, plane, cars driving by and many more familiar sounds. These kinds of sound give the soap opera a feeling of normality and normal life. People will be more likely to watch this kind of a show than a show where there too much unnecessary music.
In a soap opera you will also be able to hear some music coming from the background to underline certain moments. For instance if someone’s fighting, you won’t hear YMCA coming from the background. But something more dramatic, the reason that music is coming from the background and it’s not edited in the actual episode because you get the feeling of normality, and also it is kind of a key element to the soap opera that the music remains ambient and not edited into the scene.
Conclusion:
As you can see all of these elements are crucial to make a good quality soap opera. In order to achieve a perfect result all of these points have to be applied fully so that a bigger audience will be eager to watch the soap opera. Every single point is very important in making any show because if you miss out one thing the drama won’t be the same.
That’s why I think Coronation Street is perfect example of its sub-genre because it fulfills all the key elements that have to present in making a soap opera. Coronation Street has been on the air for many years now so I think that they are doing a pretty good job of keeping their audience, because some people have been watching Corrie for as long as they remember. And why they are still watching it? Because all the key points have been fulfilled.
So from everything I wrote above I can confidently say that Coronation Street is the example of a soap opera sub-genre.
Coronation Street is a English TV drama that reflects everyday situations such as love, conflicts, revenge and anything you may go through your life. Coronation Street belongs to soap opera sub-genre.
Multiple characters and narratives usually limited by specific geographical location. Lack complete narrative closure:
In this section I’m going to talk about one the typical characteristics to a soap opera. Soap operas tend to have multiple/recognizable characters. Doing that creators of Coronation Street give a felling of familiarity, and also this doesn’t make the drama too complicated. Soap operas are usually shot in the same locations e.g. pubs, hospitals and familiar estates. Again this doesn’t make the drama too complicated and the viewer is familiar with the settings.
Probably the most typical characteristic to a soap like this is lack of complete narrative closure. This means that the story or a certain situation won’t be resolved in a one particular episode. Directors use this technique very widely to keep the viewers on their toes. By doing this the creator creates a certain degree of anticipation, and if the effect is created properly the directors are almost guaranteed that people will return to this particular show.
Setting:
As I mentioned before the setting are the same on every episode. Sometimes for many years. It is good that it is kept the same so that the viewer does not get confused and its familiar with the set.
Corrie itself has few key locations such as the pub or the district itself. In the opening sequence you can see the whole “square”, this is a key location. Thanks to this shot viewers know straight away what they’re watching.
Iconography:
In TV soaps such as Coronation Street, everyday objects are used as props. This is showing us that this TV drama reflects everyday life. Again by doing this the director gives the viewer a normal tv drama, viewers do not feel like they watching something strange. Viewers see objects that they can find in their homes on daily bases. Even small things, such as half drunk bottle of orange juice. Everything makes a soap like this easier to watch. Using everyday household objects people have the feeling of normality.
Themes:
In soap operas themes vary between episodes. You will never see the same theme over and over again. For instance not every episode of the soap opera will be based on a hate theme. In each episode you will see something new. In some (or maybe most) the producer will place multiple themes in one episode so that the soap will be more interesting, because if the director will stick to one theme he/she would lose the audience as the drama would become boring and predictable.
Character Types:
In some cases there are multiple recognizable characters. In Coronation Street’s case it’s the same. The reason you will see multiple characters in a soap like that is the feeling of familiarity with the show, you can watch the show without being confused who’s who and where did they came from. I personally think that again this reflecting real life, the reason I think that is because in real life you will meet and ‘know’ loads of people. So if you see familiar faces on the show you will feel comfortable watching that show.
Sounds:
The first sound you will hear watching a soap opera such as Coronation Street will the theme tune. This is very important pieces of music when it comes to a soap opera because it distinguishes itself from other soaps.
There are also some ambient sounds, this sounds you will hear in everyday life e.g. a train, plane, cars driving by and many more familiar sounds. These kinds of sound give the soap opera a feeling of normality and normal life. People will be more likely to watch this kind of a show than a show where there too much unnecessary music.
In a soap opera you will also be able to hear some music coming from the background to underline certain moments. For instance if someone’s fighting, you won’t hear YMCA coming from the background. But something more dramatic, the reason that music is coming from the background and it’s not edited in the actual episode because you get the feeling of normality, and also it is kind of a key element to the soap opera that the music remains ambient and not edited into the scene.
Conclusion:
As you can see all of these elements are crucial to make a good quality soap opera. In order to achieve a perfect result all of these points have to be applied fully so that a bigger audience will be eager to watch the soap opera. Every single point is very important in making any show because if you miss out one thing the drama won’t be the same.
That’s why I think Coronation Street is perfect example of its sub-genre because it fulfills all the key elements that have to present in making a soap opera. Coronation Street has been on the air for many years now so I think that they are doing a pretty good job of keeping their audience, because some people have been watching Corrie for as long as they remember. And why they are still watching it? Because all the key points have been fulfilled.
So from everything I wrote above I can confidently say that Coronation Street is the example of a soap opera sub-genre.
Silent Witness Representation
In the Silent Witness extract, most of the young black males are represented in a negative way. They’re either involved in gang activity, they just starting or they just stopped. There is only a small number of characters that are trying to make a difference to their community. All of the gang activity is shown in a very stereotypical way, all of the gangs are based in a council estate, young people are sucked into a gang culture because they don’t have any another choice but to sell drugs for vicious and cruel gang leaders like Kennan.
The first sequence in an extract starts off with an aerial establishing shot (possibly a crane shot) of a girl and her paramedic partner in the boat. Medium close ups are used to show the happiness and freedom on their faces as they swim on the river. Cuts are slow and steady, there’s a sound bridge between this and next sequence to establish spatial and temporal continuity. This technique gives us an overview on contrast between surroundings, in first sequence there’s a natural colour palette, the environment that two of the characters are in is wide open to establish the feeling of freedom. Big houses in the background represent the level of wealth.
As I mentioned before a sound bridge is used between the sequences. In the second sequence right at the beginning there’s a tracking shot of Levi and Keenan’s right hand man. Medium close up was used to show Levi’s awareness, he knew that something was wrong and a medium close up explicitly shows his worries. Right after Levi enters Kennan’s “den” medium close ups are used to show Kennan’s angry and ruthless face, this represents a typical thug like mentality .Shot reverse shot showed us just how serious the situation was, it shows us that Kennan is in full control and that Levi has no choice but obey anything Kennan says. There’s a massive graphic contrast between first and second sequence. From peaceful and calm river side to graffiti covered walls in the poor estate area. The sound also represents a dramatic change in surroundings, in this sequence you could hear dogs barking aggressively in the background, there were also some ambient sounds present in this sequence. The way Kennan talks shows us that he’s the boss, from the tone of his voice we can clearly state that he doesn’t ask anyone to do something, he just tells them to do it. When it comes to mise-en-scene there’s also a dramatic change. In this sequence we are surrounded by council flats to represent the economical/social status. There are some flowers against the graffiti covered wall to honour memory of a girl that has been killed by a gang, this represent a clear gang presence and their brutal activities. Levi is wearing a school uniform, this represents that even kids as young as young as primary school age are forced to join a gang. Levi’s schools uniform also represents his vulnerability.
In the third sequence when a press conference takes place, there’s a high angle shot to show a mother which is clearly upset about her son’s murder. A master shot is used to show a whole group anticipating in the conference, this represents a typical press type of event. Simple cuts are used to maintain continuity. Throughout the sequence we can hear camera shots being taken and there’s dialogue throughout. The way that the lawyer speaks clearly states that he is looking for trouble and that he is very argumentative. This type of behaviour represents a very stereotypical view on lawyers. Lawyer’s costume is used to show his status as a solicitor.
In the fourth sequence a low angle shot is used to show a conversation between the mother, the solicitor and the officer. Action matches represent the conversation and the reactions of people engaged in the conversation. The reaction shot was used when the mother was asked if she drank alcohol during her pregnancy, this shot was used in a very smart way, it was used to give us an answer without the need of mother to say anything. There are frequent two shots used, especially when one of the officers is explaining something and the second person is carefully listening. Non diagetic music was used when the mother finds out that her son was only a victim, she also found out that her son was a gang member who’s responsible for murder of a young girl. Again lawyer’s suite is used to reinforce his status as a solicitor.
The first sequence in an extract starts off with an aerial establishing shot (possibly a crane shot) of a girl and her paramedic partner in the boat. Medium close ups are used to show the happiness and freedom on their faces as they swim on the river. Cuts are slow and steady, there’s a sound bridge between this and next sequence to establish spatial and temporal continuity. This technique gives us an overview on contrast between surroundings, in first sequence there’s a natural colour palette, the environment that two of the characters are in is wide open to establish the feeling of freedom. Big houses in the background represent the level of wealth.
As I mentioned before a sound bridge is used between the sequences. In the second sequence right at the beginning there’s a tracking shot of Levi and Keenan’s right hand man. Medium close up was used to show Levi’s awareness, he knew that something was wrong and a medium close up explicitly shows his worries. Right after Levi enters Kennan’s “den” medium close ups are used to show Kennan’s angry and ruthless face, this represents a typical thug like mentality .Shot reverse shot showed us just how serious the situation was, it shows us that Kennan is in full control and that Levi has no choice but obey anything Kennan says. There’s a massive graphic contrast between first and second sequence. From peaceful and calm river side to graffiti covered walls in the poor estate area. The sound also represents a dramatic change in surroundings, in this sequence you could hear dogs barking aggressively in the background, there were also some ambient sounds present in this sequence. The way Kennan talks shows us that he’s the boss, from the tone of his voice we can clearly state that he doesn’t ask anyone to do something, he just tells them to do it. When it comes to mise-en-scene there’s also a dramatic change. In this sequence we are surrounded by council flats to represent the economical/social status. There are some flowers against the graffiti covered wall to honour memory of a girl that has been killed by a gang, this represent a clear gang presence and their brutal activities. Levi is wearing a school uniform, this represents that even kids as young as young as primary school age are forced to join a gang. Levi’s schools uniform also represents his vulnerability.
In the third sequence when a press conference takes place, there’s a high angle shot to show a mother which is clearly upset about her son’s murder. A master shot is used to show a whole group anticipating in the conference, this represents a typical press type of event. Simple cuts are used to maintain continuity. Throughout the sequence we can hear camera shots being taken and there’s dialogue throughout. The way that the lawyer speaks clearly states that he is looking for trouble and that he is very argumentative. This type of behaviour represents a very stereotypical view on lawyers. Lawyer’s costume is used to show his status as a solicitor.
In the fourth sequence a low angle shot is used to show a conversation between the mother, the solicitor and the officer. Action matches represent the conversation and the reactions of people engaged in the conversation. The reaction shot was used when the mother was asked if she drank alcohol during her pregnancy, this shot was used in a very smart way, it was used to give us an answer without the need of mother to say anything. There are frequent two shots used, especially when one of the officers is explaining something and the second person is carefully listening. Non diagetic music was used when the mother finds out that her son was only a victim, she also found out that her son was a gang member who’s responsible for murder of a young girl. Again lawyer’s suite is used to reinforce his status as a solicitor.
Coronation Street Extract
After watching Coronation Street extract I was able to pick up various techniques that have been used in this extract.
Firstly I am going to talk about mise-en-scene. The director used objects and techniques typical to this type of TV drama.
First of all the clothes that actors have been wearing were a non brand clothes. This technique is used to avoid the advertising and to show a standard working class way off dressing. This also shows us that not all of the clothes you see on TV have to be well known branded ones.
Then in the pub scene there are fruit machines clearly visible in the background, this suppose to give us an image of what a pub or a bar should look like in real life. In one of the scenes I also noticed a pile of boxes, my first impression was that someone was either moving out or moving in. Also in the same scene the character opened a letter regarding his divorce this also shows us a situation that occurs in real life frequently. Throughout the extract there were objects recognizable, real life objects such as golf clubs, bottles and beer cans. I noticed the beer can in the scene when one of actors puts the beers in the fridge for someone else to have later. Coming back to the pub scene there were also some paintings/pictures visible on the wall, these props were used to catch viewers attention to how the pub in the show looks like so that they can see its not different from a real life one. One of the characters was wearing a hat since he started a scene, this reflects on normality.
As soon as the establishing shot starts you can hear the theme tune that is clearly recognizable, there is always some diagetic music is heard throughout the extract. Music in the background fades out slightly when the dialogue starts. There are also people talking in the background, cars driving nearby, this technique has been used to enhance realism of the scene. Most of the sounds in the background were ambient.
Simple editing rules were used in between scenes. The most frequent technique used in this extract was hard cuts. These were used to get from one shot straight to another without any fuss or confusion. Action match was also used in this extract when two of the blokes were playing mini golf on the street, this technique was used to avoid viewers missing out on the facial expressions and the dialogue. Fade in and out of sound was also used frequently to make the sound quieter or louder, this was most commonly used as soon as the characters started talking to each other. There was also a long take in the pub scene; this was used because the situation needed more explanation than in other scenes. When two of the guys were playing golf in the street a reaction shot was also used.
The establishing shot at the beginning was crucial to introduce the viewer to the show, in this like in any soap opera establishing shots are very important as they are recognizable and they help the viewer to “settle in”. The close-up was used very frequently especially in the pub scenes to show the characters reactions and facial expressions. This technique was used in the dialogues to show the character’s faces. There was a dolly shot used as two men were walking down the street, this technique was used to keep up with the characters as they were walking along the street. And also because the director wanted to get the dialogues. Over the shoulder shot was also used throughout the extract to point viewers attention on whatever the character is looking at.
Firstly I am going to talk about mise-en-scene. The director used objects and techniques typical to this type of TV drama.
First of all the clothes that actors have been wearing were a non brand clothes. This technique is used to avoid the advertising and to show a standard working class way off dressing. This also shows us that not all of the clothes you see on TV have to be well known branded ones.
Then in the pub scene there are fruit machines clearly visible in the background, this suppose to give us an image of what a pub or a bar should look like in real life. In one of the scenes I also noticed a pile of boxes, my first impression was that someone was either moving out or moving in. Also in the same scene the character opened a letter regarding his divorce this also shows us a situation that occurs in real life frequently. Throughout the extract there were objects recognizable, real life objects such as golf clubs, bottles and beer cans. I noticed the beer can in the scene when one of actors puts the beers in the fridge for someone else to have later. Coming back to the pub scene there were also some paintings/pictures visible on the wall, these props were used to catch viewers attention to how the pub in the show looks like so that they can see its not different from a real life one. One of the characters was wearing a hat since he started a scene, this reflects on normality.
As soon as the establishing shot starts you can hear the theme tune that is clearly recognizable, there is always some diagetic music is heard throughout the extract. Music in the background fades out slightly when the dialogue starts. There are also people talking in the background, cars driving nearby, this technique has been used to enhance realism of the scene. Most of the sounds in the background were ambient.
Simple editing rules were used in between scenes. The most frequent technique used in this extract was hard cuts. These were used to get from one shot straight to another without any fuss or confusion. Action match was also used in this extract when two of the blokes were playing mini golf on the street, this technique was used to avoid viewers missing out on the facial expressions and the dialogue. Fade in and out of sound was also used frequently to make the sound quieter or louder, this was most commonly used as soon as the characters started talking to each other. There was also a long take in the pub scene; this was used because the situation needed more explanation than in other scenes. When two of the guys were playing golf in the street a reaction shot was also used.
The establishing shot at the beginning was crucial to introduce the viewer to the show, in this like in any soap opera establishing shots are very important as they are recognizable and they help the viewer to “settle in”. The close-up was used very frequently especially in the pub scenes to show the characters reactions and facial expressions. This technique was used in the dialogues to show the character’s faces. There was a dolly shot used as two men were walking down the street, this technique was used to keep up with the characters as they were walking along the street. And also because the director wanted to get the dialogues. Over the shoulder shot was also used throughout the extract to point viewers attention on whatever the character is looking at.
Adulthood Target Audience
Adulthood is a follow-up to an early movie Kidulthood which was created by Noel Clark. The movie shows everyday life and struggle of London’s teenagers. The movie is aimed at mostly at males aged 15-20 and for both Caucasian and Afro-American group of people, that like to watch movies that reflect every day issues. Working class is more likely to watch this type of movie because it represents a “normal” life. The reason for that is I watched the movie and from what I observed the movie is aimed at these groups of people, because its more of an boyish movie that has some violence and a lot of strong language and some sex scenes. From the psychographic point of view I think that the movie is aimed a these groups: Mainstreamers-because it is a everyday movie and everyone could afford to go and see it and relate to it
Explorers-because this movie is different than any other films it offers more drama and more action than a standard British film.
Reformers-because these people are open minded, they like to explore new things.
Media consumption point of view is fairly simple this movie is mainly aimed at teenagers, and if you research the internet you will find that it was mostly teenagers that went to see the movie because of all the hype surrounding it. This movie was also certified as a 15 so it was possible for young people to go and see the movie by themselves.
Explorers-because this movie is different than any other films it offers more drama and more action than a standard British film.
Reformers-because these people are open minded, they like to explore new things.
Media consumption point of view is fairly simple this movie is mainly aimed at teenagers, and if you research the internet you will find that it was mostly teenagers that went to see the movie because of all the hype surrounding it. This movie was also certified as a 15 so it was possible for young people to go and see the movie by themselves.
Friday, 8 May 2009
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