M3 - Meeting Codes and Conventions

 BBC 3 TV Trailer -

Codes and conventions of a media product is what makes up the media product and how the audience perceives it. The codes in a media product are the signs or indicators within a media product that when the audience views them, creates meaning. There are three different types of code within a media product:

• Symbolic codes, these point the audience towards meanings that may not be at first obvious.
• Technical codes, these are created through how media product is created.
• Written codes, these are the formal language used in a media product which may convey different meanings.

The conventions refer to a commonly accepted way of doing things which means as an audience the conventions are what we expect to see within a media product, the conventions are what create genre with the media product. To summarise, the codes are signs that may have different meanings from consumer to consumer but the conventions are arrangements that have become accepted and therefore expected.

My TV series which I created a TV trailer for is in the genre of a drama screenplay which is then is the sub-genre of a drama mockumentary. Therefore when creating my TV trailer I followed the codes and conventions of a documentary as I wanted to put my audience into the illusion that my TV series appeared to be a real documentary. This is because mockumentary's work due to the viewers interpretation of there codes and conventions that what they are viewing is fictional.

Conventions of TV Drama Documentary Trailer -

 - Often have a single strand narrative structure

 - Use fade ins and fade outs 

 - Handheld cameras used to convey more reality 

 - Often have voice overs to help convey the narrative 

 - Editing of clip must not distract from the subject matter 

 - Titles and graphics are unique to the programme

 - Simple typography

 - A bed of music may be used 

 - Title and release date are shown last on screen

How I have Met the Conventions - 

TV drama documentaries often have a single strand narrative structure which means that the action and narrative revolves around one subject, I have met this convention as my TV trailer narrative is focused completely on one subject which is Leo Thomas and Harry Williams having a conversation.

This is also seen in BBC 3's "This Country" Tv series where the narrative is single stranded based a conversation between the two main characters:

The next convention I met was in the editing of my TV trailer where I used fade in to introduce my TV trailer onto screen and then a fade to black at the end of my trailer, also throughout the trailer I did not have any harsh editing techniques that would distract the audiences attention from the subject matter:

          

As seen sun the clip above I also met the conventions of using a handheld camera in order to convey a greater sense of reality to the audience as you can see some slight unstableness in the camera movement due to filming without a tripod, this type of camera instability can also be seen in other TV drama mockumentary trailers such as The Office US where you can noticeably see that the camera is hand held:

            

The convention I did not conform to was having a bed of music throughout my TV Trailer as I wanted the audiences main focus to be on the character dialogue in order to intrigue them into the series rather than being distracted by any music as my TV series aims to satisfy the audience need of personal relationship so it was important I expose them to the characters personalities. 

The convention to have a partially conformed to was having a voice over within my TV series trailer in order to help convey the narrative however the narrative arc within my TV series Trailer is very short as its based around a single conversation between Harry Williams and Leo Thomas. The VoiceOver I have is at the end of the TV Trailer and communicates to the audience the release date and where they can watch my TV series, in a similar format to BBC 3's :"This Country"

My TV series Trailer Sticks and Stones:

            

BBC 3's "This Country" Trailer:

                                

The convention for TV drama documentaries to all have tittles and graphics unique to the programme and simple typography is another convention I conformed to as for my TV series I created a unique ident for my TV trailer which includes simple typography. 

This helps with creating a bran identity for my TV series and keeping a professional look to my series in order to complement the illusion that it may be a real documentary, this can also been seen in the BBC 3's "This Country" clip above. The unique graphics I made for my TV series trailer and the trademark BBC iPlayer logo shown within my TV series are both at the end of the trailer, conforming to the convention that title and release date are shown last on screen similar to the TV mockumentary Parks and Recreation:

            

Symbolic Codes Typically Found in Drama Mockumentary's -

Symbolic codes within a media product refer to the elements within the mise-en-scene that create meaning which is then conveyed to the audience. 

 - The background of the shot should be representative of the person or subject

 - The presence of the camera is acknowledged by characters

 - Often props are not present unless to aid an explanation 

The background of my TV trailer was an empty classroom which at first appears organised, but as you look closer into the background it is noticeable that there is an element of disorganisation within the classroom such as unorganised wires, piles of books and loose stationary. This code is representative of the current situation the characters are in, which is the build up to there final A-level exams, where the organisation at first glance is representative of the fixed structure of school yet as you look closer as see that the background is more disorganised than first thought; this is representative of the students working within the fixed school structure. The target audience of people between the ages of 15-21 may relate to this as they could directly identify with the feeling of being out of control whilst stuck within a confining structure.

The symbolic code of the actors directly interacting with the camera would also fit in to the category of written code and a technical code however I thought to put it as a symbolic code because of the direct relationship it creates with the viewer. This direct relationship between what the viewer will be interpreting as the characters looking and talking directly to them creates more meaning behind the dialogue as it brings the viewer closer into the action, metaphorically removing the screen between fiction and reality. This is a suitable technique for the target audience of viewers between the ages of 15-21 as this generation typically has a short attention span so the characters interacting directly with he camera means they are directly interacting with the viewer which will keep their attention for a greater period of time.

I didn't use props within my TV series trailer as I didn't feel like it was necessary to have props in order to aid the conversation however I did out thought into the characters costumes in order to act as a device for showing their different personalities. Leo Thomas is dressed in a jumper, tie and a shirt with the top button undone whereas Harry Williams is dressed in just an untucked shirt and a loose tie, this is representative of the structure that Leo Thomas prefers where what he wears is neat and ordered in comparison to Harry Williams who's costume is following the rules he needs to abide by but only by the bare minimum. Another code I used was to have Leo Thomas standing up talking down to Harry Williams who was sat down, this is representative again of the characters personalities. Leo Thomas standing up shows his more formal approach and etiquette to being filmed and interacting with the crew however Harry Williams sitting down is more representative of his personality that he doesn't care to be filmed which is further backed by his nonchalant response to Leo Thomas's question "Do you want to be in a TV series trailer".

The actors performance is symbolic as the audience may interpret the acting to the believability of the TV trailer and as my trailer is for a mockumentary it is imperative that the acting does not appear scripted as this would be detrimental to the illusion that it is real. To overcome this issue I did not give my actors the full script, instead I chose to give them the key talking points and how to start the scene then let them improvise the rest. I believe this helped aid the illusion that my trailer was not scripted as you can see the characters thinking about what to say in response to one another which created a natural flow to the conversation. This believability will appeal to the target audience as they will be more immersed into the TV series if the believe it is real and will enjoy it more.

Written Codes of a Drama Mockumentary - 

Written codes refer to the codes in a media product that are words that may help communicate information and meaning to the audience, from character dialogue, on screen text and voiceovers. 

 - Natural tone between characters

 - Dialogue appears unscripted 

 - On screen text appears at the end of the trailer

 - Language tends to be formal and direct

As explained above I took extra steps to ensure that the dialogue appears unscripted, only giving the actors the key talking points and how to begin the scene then getting them improvise from there, allowing for freedom of dialogue which would give the impression that the dialogue is unscripted. Allowing my actors to do this created a natural flow off conversational dialogue which also complemented conforming to the code of having a natural tone between characters which would appeal to the target audience of consumers between the ages of 15-21 as it would help them identify more with the characters if they could view themselves talking as the characters do.

The onscreen text I have is at the end on my TV trailer, conforming to this code and the onscreen text is reinforced by a voice over which gives the essential information about my TV series. ( Where, when and how to watch ) The on-screen text at the end of my trailer is the BBC iPlayer ident and my own Sticks and Stones ident which both fade into screen at the same time, this makes it feel more natural instead of having both indents simply appearing on screen at the same time. The idents appearing and leaving the screen at the same time also help create a sense of unity, aiding the consumer to link both idents together so they can know where to watch my TV series once it airs. The voiceover in my TV series also begins playing when both idents fade onto screen as this creates a small synergy where both audio and visual components, complement each other to advertise my TV series. The language used in the voiceover is direct which makes it stand out to the conversational dialogue which was playing before it, this will catch the audiences attention as the change in tone will make them focus on the details, such as where to watch my TV series and when its released, within this dialogue. As the target audience is viewers between he ages of 15-21 who typically have a short attention span this change in tone will help engage any audiences who may have been distracted by this point.

           

Technical Codes of a Drama Mockumentary -

The technical codes within a media product refer to what technical techniques, such as the camera work, lighting, sound within a media product that creates meaning which the audience relates the genre, such as dark lighting for horror movies. Common codes found within mockumentary's are:

 - Sound tends to be exclusively diegetic

 - Flat / natural lighting is used

 - Typically medium shots to show characters facial expressions

 - Minimal graphics are used

 - Continuity editing to aid the narrative

The sound in my TV series trailer is also exclusively diegetic sound as only the audio from actions and movement on screen can be heard, this helps aid the illusion that my mockumentary may be real as if non-diegetic sound was present this would give the impression of production which would be detrimental to this illusion. 

I used natural lighting in my TV series where I was stood with my back against four large windows holding the camera, this helped create a sense of reality to the scenes composition as there was some depth to the lighting which helped make the actors stand out however not to much that the composition felt artificial; this again helped aid the illusion that my TV series could be a real documentary which would help draw the audiences attention. Another code I conformed to was using shots which detailed the characters facial expressions starting with a medium close up of Leo Thomas then panning out to medium shot showing both Leo Thomas and Harry Williams as they engage in conversation. This composition helped to fill the screen, keeping Leo Thomas in the centre before panning out to have both actors positioned on each vertical line within the rule of thirds to create a visually appealing composition for the viewers which would increase there enjoyment of the trailer, increasing the chances of responding to the call to action and watching my TV series.

Within my TV series trailer I did use minimal graphics as the only assets I incorporated into the visuals of my trailer were the BBC 3 ident, BBC iPlayer ident and my own Sticks and Stones ident which created a more professional look to my TV trailer as it didn't seem to heavily branded or claustrophobic on screen. The only other graphics I used were the Final Cut Pro's built in 'fade to colour' graphic at the beginning and the end of my TV trailer to make the action come onto screen smother which would increase the audiences enjoyment when watching my TV trailer. The technical code I did not follow was to have continuity editing throughout my TV trailer as my trailer only contains one clip which did not require editing, however this was due to technical choice as I thought that having one continuous clip would again add to the illusion that it was a real documentary.

Meeting Industry Standards -

As my TV trailer is going to be broadcasted on different mediums I needed to make sure it met broadcasting standards, this meant it had to be at a quality of 1920 x 1080 with 48kHz stereo sound which means it can be broadcasted from any type of streaming service, however for my TV trailer this will primarily be on BBC iPlayer and Youtube. Another factor I had to consider ignorer to meet industry standards was to ensure that the sound balance in my production did not exceed -6db as this would mean it couldn't be broadcasted. To meet these broadcast standards I exported my TV trailer to the right specifications in Final Cut Pro: