Welcome to my A Level media blog - I will be sharing my work throughout the course as well as my thoughts. I hope you enjoy looking through my work, thank you for visiting!
Regulations for TV advertising (particularly BCAP, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice) ensure the public is not taken advantage of or exposed to particularly distressing things. Clearcast, a non-governmental organisation that pre-approves or denies advertisements, will check TV adverts against the BCAP codes to determine what can be shown to the public. We see different series advertised to us everywhere we go, and certainly on TV. From the ASA website, the codes that relate particularly to TV series are listed under BCAP.
💫TV ADVERTISEMENT💫
Regulations for TV advertising (particularly BCAP, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice) ensure the public is not taken advantage of or exposed to particularly distressing things. Clearcast, a non-governmental organisation that pre-approves or denies advertisements, will check TV adverts against the BCAP codes to determine what can be shown to the public.
Ofcom are the regulations board for advertisement in the UK, enforcing codes for broadcast. Required under the 2003 Communications Act, they ensure nothing harmful is broadcast to the public.
💫TV SERIES💫
We see different series advertised to us everywhere we go, and certainly on TV. On the ASA website, the rules for TV advertisement still apply.
In media, codes and conventions tell us how products conform to or deviate from the standards we have using genre as a touchstone. Codes are the signs we see that create meaning, both technical (how equipment and technique is used to create meaning) and symbolic (implicit meanings, like interpreting a character's actions to work out how they feel). Conventions are what we get when certain codes are used again and again in different works - that's how we split things into genres.
MYSTERY GENRE CONVENTIONS 👻
MURDER
PUZZLES
RED HERRINGS
CLUES
A DETECTIVE
COMEDY GENRE CONVENTIONS 💀
RELATABLE CHARACTERS
STRANGE SITUATIONS
JOKES
SIMPLE PLOTLINES (NOT ALWAYS)
SYMBOLIC CODES
IMPLICIT MEANINGS
The trailer for 'Croak' utilises nature because the setting for the show is very green. I wanted to convey a place viewers would genuinely like to live, an idealised town in autumn. This is partially due to the secret about witches inhabiting the town, but also because of the cosy mystery feeling I was going for. Nature is often associated with witches and I thought that an overgrown town bursting with plant life would work well to that effect. Fen's apartment is also covered in plants, cementing her within the setting whilst also seeming different, because her plants are all perennials and can survive autumn without much attention. This also alludes to Fen's closed-off nature, able to live without anyone else because she's so obsessed with her stories. Cosy mystery is a subgenre within the umbrella of mystery, however I'm aware that mystery is often set in less comfortable areas. The cosy mystery feeling is set though, and I think that comes through in the juxtaposition (in the trailer) between nature and the dead body.
The trailer also presents our audience immediately with the theme of death. Whilst shocking, it suits the genre of mystery. I think it could also suit the genre of comedy - often comedy trailers will be punchy and flash potentially shocking imagery onscreen to garner attention. This isn't always the case, but it joins the two genres together.
These cosy mysteries also tend to use bright colour schemes, a far cry from the darker themes we might expect from the mystery genre. Cosy mystery often blends comedy into the mix, which is why I think Croak would fit in without seeming too similar - the non-episodic mystery is the difference.
TECHNICAL CODES
EQUIPMENT AND TECHNIQUE
I've used a lack of dialogue (somewhat reminiscent of silent films) and instead used music in my trailer. This subverts both of my genres - trailers without speaking are very rare nowadays because scripts are so essential to so many big-budget series and films. I think this subversion creates intrigue and sets up odd expectations for an odd show, meaning people will go into it not knowing what to expect. This is ideal for Croak and, I think, quite a good hook to get people interested in the show.
I've also slowed down some of the footage, just incrementally. It gives the trailer a slight discordant feeling that I think really fits the oddity of the show. More prominent slow motion is often used in television, but I think the subtlety in my clips is what subverts genres here.
My trailer uses a short montage of clips, something we see often in trailers for TV shows - the purpose of this is to show off as many things as possible that happen, teasing without giving anything away. It's a teaser, not introducing anything so much as suggesting characters and plotlines. However, teaser trailers tend to be longer and some include more dissolve transitions than quick cuts (see below).
My trailer follows a very simple sequence of events, starting wide and uninvolved and then (metaphorocally) zooming in on the action. The trailer above follows a simplified version of the show's plotline, highlighting lines of dialogue that are meant to clue the viewer in on the plot and character elements. In comparison, my trailer is quiet and strange - I think this works for the intrigue angle. People aren't used to trailers without a voiceover or dialogue.
The music I used fits the comedy element of Croak, giving it a fast and jaunty pace that juxtaposes with the subject matter nicely. Again, this creates intrigue and gets people interested in the strange concept. The lack of dialogue over the music is, again, strange and subverts the conventions of a trailer.
My trailer was 1920 x 1080 with 48kHz audio, ensuring the best picture and sound combination for the final export. This is industry standard for trailers and fits the conventions.
WRITTEN CODES
The language used to promote Croak is mostly in the visible text displayed onscreen. To fit with the branding, it's minimal and mostly used for promotion. The #croakshow is important because it allows discussion of this strange new thing and social media promotion can be uploaded to the tag.
