Primary Audience Research Summary

http://ellejeffrey.blogspot.co.uk/#!/2013/02/blog-post.html
http://ellejeffrey.blogspot.co.uk/#!/2012/11/audience-primary-research.html
http://aschloelaightmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/primary-research-online-chat-rooms.html

Questions For Focus Group

Why do watch programs like towie or made in chelsea?

Do you prefer particular settings or locations?

Out of all the programs who would you say your favourite character is and why?

If you could design a new program what types of things would you like to included?

Do you prefer male or female characters?

Do you use the programmes websites? what do you like/dislike?

Secondary Audience Research Summary

From this research it shows how the target audience are mainly females, aged 16-35 in social classes of B/C1.

http://jodiecareymedia.blogspot.co.uk/#!/2012/11/audience-secondary-research.html
http://ellejeffrey.blogspot.co.uk/#!/2012/11/structured-reality-audience-interaction.html
http://aschloelaightmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/secondary-audience-reviews.html

Audience Ratings for Structured Reality Programs

The Only Way Is Essex

These graphs shows how towie is one of the most popular shows on ITV2 and also how there main audience is females and one of there highest ratings is 10/10 .

Desperate Scousewives

These graphs show how it tends to be older females who are the main audience but also one of there highest scores was 10/10.

Made In Chelsea

These graphs show how once again the main audience are females of a variety of ages and that it has popular ratings with 10/10 again being a prominent score.



Geordie Shore

This furthermore shows how females are the main audience however this show ahs quite a large male audience aswell, it also the highest rating of 10/10.

The Valleys

(References to; BARB.com and IMDb.com)
 

Secondary Product Research Summary

From this research its shows how the audience also like to know more about the cast members personal life as well as showing who particular magazines target and how they target audiences through there websites on line within news articles therefore when making our website we could try to include more of the characters live outside of what you see on the show and keep the audience fully up to date.

Also from the practical production video it shows how the title sequence needs to be visually eye catching as well as slightly summarising main themes within the following episodes but not to long otherwise the audience may become bored.

http://ellejeffrey.blogspot.co.uk/#!/2012/11/previous-product-secondary-research.html
http://aschloelaightmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/secondary-research-how-to-make-website.html

Secondary Product Research: Online Magazine Articles

Primary Pruduct Research Summary

From this research it shows how location is an important part within the programmes and that the fewer settings there are within the shows the easier it is to follow. The narrative within the show is also important as too many story lines within one episode could be confusing, Propp could be applied easily within many of the shows due to the stereotypes within the characters, also Todorov would be easy to apply because you would want action to keep viewers interested however Barthes may be more difficult to apply. Within the websites colour schemes are important as to keep all the layout flowing and similar and easy on the eye for the those who audience members who like to interact further on line with the show.

Website Analysis

This is a brief overview of the show, containing snapshots of some of the main story lines  The use of diamonds as a sign within the top header portrays the image of glamour as and this is continuous with the title sequence, therefore there is continuity within the both. Also diamonds stereotypically are known as 'a girls best friend' this may then be helping to target the audience of females as they can relate to the glamour. Paradigms of champagne glasses small dogs and the rich deep colour of purple help to furthermore suggest the style within the show 

The Only Way Is Essex' Twitter page is shown on the main home screen of the web page, showing the most recent tweets from audience members, as well as tweeting about the show in general. Shown here the most recent tweets are from females therefore promoting the target audience of females and also they are both tweeting about catching up so this shows that itv player could be an important feature of towie remaining popular.

This page is called 'quizzes' therefore welcomes audience participation there general knowledge of the show. 

Narrative Structures Within TOWIE

Vladimir Propp

Dispatcher: Diags; He tells Tom of how Arg is feeling and this makes Tom want to protect/look after his princess Lydia.

Princess' Father: Debbie; however this reversing the gender roles as lydia's father is not featured in the show, by Tom being hero is gains acceptance from Debbie and his reward is her daughter Lydia.

False Hero: Diags; He tries to help by telling both the Villain and the Hero of whats happening however he makes he whole situation a lot worse.

Villain: Arg; He cheated on Lydia the princess however sill wants her back whilst she wants to move on with Tom.

Helper: Joey; tries to help resolve the situation by trying to make the Villain and the Hero talk.

Princess: Lydia; is the girl both the boys want therefore is the reward for Tom however Arg the villain still wants her.

Hero: Tom Kilby; he is seen as the hero as both him and arg are fighting over Lydia however Arg treated Lydia badly and cheated on her therefore Tom is the hero as he is taking Lydia away from Arg so she is hopefully treated better.

Tzevetan Todorov

Equilibrium:  All the girls are sat around talking happily and everyone is still friends there is no hint of tension at the moment

Disruption:Arg finds out about his friend Tom Kilby texting his ex-girlfriend Lydia and confronts him to find out if its true

Recognition of Disruption:Lydia gets upset as she is worried how it might affect her and Tom and also it means all the past of her old relationship with Arg is brought up which she is still pretty sensitive about as she's recently found out about Arg being unfaithful during their relationship.

Attempt to Repair: Arg speaks to Tom about everything however Arg feels Tom has gone behind his back even though they weren't that close of friends and Tom is persistent on wanting to continue to talk to Lydia

New Equilibrium: Arg and tom are no longer friends and are unlikely to talk again but Lydia is fine again and her and Tom continue to return back to normal.

Roland Barthes

Action: The start of the events are that om is texting Lydia and the events to follow afterwards would be arguments between ex's and friends.

Enigma: As an audience we want to know what will happen between Arg and Tom and also if Tom and Lydia end up getting together

Symbolic: There are oppositions between the males as boh want to seem higher up in hierarchy and whoever has Lydia in the end will be the superior.

Cultural: There are stereotypes of the more attractive male winning the female over the less attractive male.

Textual Analysis; The Only Way Is Essex

The Only Way Is Essex is a structured reality program, broadcast on ITV2 after the watershed; therefore its target audience is mainly for those aged 16-30 and generally targets females (according to ITV’s website). This program is about of group of people from Essex and follows what happens in their lives on a day to day basis.During the first minute of the opening there is a general recap on what’s happened so far, this meaning that the audience can catch up on what’s happened if they've missed an episode as well as being able to be reminded of what’s happened previously.
The opening sequence for the show is very much representative of glamour, with images of diamonds and champagne bottles, this use of semiotics overall portraying the concept of sophisticated style and slightly more expensive taste. This may be why younger females tend to be the target audience as they imagine there life to one day be like that and try to relate to what it could be like. During the title sequence there also shadows of males and females which could have some sexual references therefore the audience can presume there may be some scenes of a sexual nature which is why it may be inappropriate for younger viewers and is therefore shown after 9 pm.
Non-diegetic sound of music playing is used during the opening scene which is faded out once the dialogue from the cast begins. This use of non-diegetic music is used throughout transitions in the episode during a few of the scene changes, this helps to crossover from scene to scene as the audience are made aware of the change of location as well as crew as the music helps to split the scenes apart even though they are linked further on in the episode.

The main setting tends to be either in a house, the salon, or a bar/cafe (general socializing areas) these are used as settings due to the nature of structured reality programming being set in a natural environment with some scenes being set up for entertainment purposes.
Different camera shots are used throughout depending on the atmosphere/mood of the scene. For example during a more comedic scene between two of the cast (Gemma and Bobby) there aren't as many close ups of them in the salon, they tend to be mid-shots to slightly longer shots, whereas in a conversation between two of the girls (Lydia and Danni) having a catch up on there love lives close ups are used more often to help portray their emotions of happiness.

The lighting used within the scenes is all fairly natural, bright white lights as no special effects are needed in structured reality programming as they do not want to take attention away from the drama within the scene and keep the scene looking crisp and clean.

During the very start of the show a voice over is used describing the nature of the program in a comedic way as well as introducing some of the scenes a bit to come. This enticing the audience and pre-warning again about the scenes of sexual nature.
The order throughout the program is pretty much linear as the audience may sense a slight bit of tension or pre-warning  of the argument/'row' about to happen between Gemma and Charlie further on in the show. There is also a lot of continuity in the program as the episode tends to focus on set group of characters throughout with the whole cast just being used during busier party scenes.

Research Plan

Individual Research Plan

Audience Research
                              Primary: Focus Groups
                              Secondary: Audience Ratings

Existing Products Research:
                                        Primary: Watch and analyze Location within program
                                        Secondary: Practical production of program

Deadlines:
               Primary: Friday 2nd November
               Secondary: Monday 29th October

Assignment Brief

TOWIE as an institution

TOWIE is produced by lime pictures, lime pictures have also produced other shows such as Hollyoaks, Geordie Shore and Mark Wrights Hollywood Nights. Lime pictures have three distinct genres; children's youth drama, reality drama and daytime drama. They produce for ITV, MTV, Nickelodeon, CBBC and more. Conker media are a wholly owned subsidiary of lime pictures and are part of the All3Media group.

 

ITV is a public service broadcaster and some of its platform are ITV1, ITV2, CiTV, ITV.com, ITV Player and more. ITV is owned by Granada who are a conglomerate that merged with Carlton, some of its subsidiaries are Granada Television, Granada Productions, Granada Ventures. Some of ITV's consumer products would be books, calenders, DVDs and Blu-rays.

Assignment Brief Scenario

You work for Silver Lining Productions, a multimedia company that has had recent television success with fly on the wall documentaries, structured reality programming and fiction productions. They have also developed supporting media for their broadcast productions in print, audio and e-media. The company is well known for its work in pushing the boundaries of existing formats.

You have been given the opportunity to prepare a pitch for development funding and so will need to present sample production work. The program will have a target audience similar to E4's demographic (15-35) and will be suitable for pre-watershed broadcasting. You are free to work in any format you wish. Working in groups of no more than four, you will produce the opening few scenes of a TV program establishing narrative themes, characters and location.

Questions To Consider

Who are my target audience?

What content would be appropriate before the watershed?

What locations will i use as my main sets?

What types of shots to use when wanting to convey different atmospheres?

How will i create my title sequence to convey what the program is about?

What will i call it?

How will i attract the audience within the first few scenes?

Who will be in the cast?

How will i represent location and characters within my show?

Will i need to create some tension to keep the audience interested?

What particular situations will i create for the cast?
What lighting will i need to keep it looking natural?

Summary Of Narrative Theories

Todorov focus' on the order within the narrative, he looks into the equilibrium, the disruption and then the new/return to equilibrium. It starts off with the equilibrium which is the normal state at the beginning and everything being in balance, this is then affected by the disruption which may be an action or conflict introduced following this is the new/return equilibrium which is when the conflict is resolved. Sometimes this can be looked at in more detail; Equilibrium-Disruption-Recognition of Disruption-Attempt to Repair-New/Return Equilibrium.

Propp focus' mainly on the 8 character roles: 

The Villain

The Hero

The Donor

The Helper

The Princess

The Princess's Father

The Dispatcher

The False Hero

However one problem with this theory is that it cannot always be applied to all narratives as some narratives can defy the traditional folk story conventions.

Barthes focus' on the narrative codes codes which could be split into two sub-categories, the narrative flow which includes the action and enigma, and the narrative detail which includes the semic, symbolic and cultural.