Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 2

'How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?'

Me and Steven wanted to keep the same themes throughout the main documentary and the ancillary tasks because that way we would have the same styles and themes within our products that we have created. We wanted to keep with the colour scheme of black and white throughout the the main documentary and both of the ancillary tasks, we had both titles with the black and white style as well as the '8V' logo me and Steven created.

Channel '8V' Logo

Double Page Spread Title

Magazine Advert Title

As you can see from the images above, we have kept with the same colour scheme throughout the documentary and both of the ancillary tasks. Me and Steven decided to pick the colours of black and white because we believe they look the most professional and what you would see other other TV channels that make documentaries such as; BBC and Channel 4. This also gave our documentary and ancillary tasks a educational feel which we learned at looking at the advertisement for the 'educating series' (Channel 4).

The main documentary and the two ancillary tasks work together well even though some of the feedback when we exhibited our work to 50 students in their assembly did not believe that the magazine advert did. The double page spread shows off the documentary really well because it shows some of the shots that are within the documentary like the establishing shot of the school on the double page spread and lets the audience know from the first impression that it is going to be a educational documentary/ancillary tasks and could make them want to read on. This links to John Fiskes theory that genre is convenient for audiences and producers. Both ancillary tasks gives a lot of information about what the audience would expect to see from it and so people can learn a bit more about what the 'Bitterne Park Secondary School' is like. 

Me and Steven thought about using media convergence within the ancillary tasks and documentary that we have created. However, we had a lack of social media links because of the genre style that we decided to go with and we wanted to make all of our products professional and for a slightly more mature audience. We could of done this for our ancillary tasks and documentary to try and get more opinions from other people and so they can see what our documentary is about and what our ancillary tasks are like. Also we could make money through this because we are advertising our documentary for free through social media and this links to the two step flow theory, where someone could share their thoughts about our documentary on social media and others will be able to read this and may want them to look at the documentary as well. However, the two step flow theory is not always reliable because the opinion leader may believe that your product is bad then he would make the product be seen to the public in a negative light, as may well be the case is in something as political controversial as education particularly if that audience member had negative experiences in their own education. 

Social Media

Me and Steven did use YouTube to achieve media convergence because of the likes, shares and electronic word of mouth (EWOM) from the customers from telling their friends and family to gain more attention and gain more viewers from it as well. We could of gained more viewers on catch up as well, just like what 'Channel 4' have with '4 on Demand' and 'BBC' also have with the 'BBC IPlayer' where people can go on there whenever and watch some TV shows that they may have missed. 

'4 On Demand' Logo

These are mine and Steven's ancillary tasks

Magazine Advert

Double Page Spread

Me and Steven wanted to have some brand identity shown throughout both of the ancillary tasks. The use of the colour scheme 'Black and White' makes both of our ancillary tasks look very simplistic and mature which what we wanted our radio times double page spread and magazine advert both to look like. Me and Steven also believed that our colour scheme gives the educational and calm feel to the audience that looks at our ancillary tasks and gives them an idea on what it is about. Me and Steven decided on this colour scheme through our extensive research on other double page spreads, magazine adverts and audience feedback we have received.

Another way that me and Steven have shown brand identity within our ancillary tasks in the pictures of the school settings. For the spectators to see a school on a magazine advert or double page spread is an icon and makes them have a instant recognition of it being about education and would give them strong ideas about what kind of genre it is going to be which is a observational documentary. The spectators would also get an instant insight about the school surroundings by seeing what it looks like and may would encourage them to watch the documentary. Me and Steven would want them to have a preferred reading (Stuart Hall's Theory, 1975) and see the school in a positive light just from looking at the images on the ancillary tasks.   

Picture of the school within the magazine

The use of white spaces within our ancillary tasks also shows brand identity which me and Steven discussed about having. We both thought that it would be easier for the spectator to read everything within the double page spread and on the magazine advert and it is not overloading them with so much information that they do not want to read about it. Me and Steven also believed that it made both of our ancillary tasks look very professional with the clear writing and the relevant clear pictures on both of the ancillary tasks. This was a common feature that we have seen is educational TV adverts, and this may be to make it realistic and not over produced, therefore creating a reliable brand that is trust worthy to the public. 

On the magazine advert, Steven included the '8V' logo to show the spectator who the documentary was made by but I did not include this onto my double page spread. I wanted my double page spread to look professional and I thought that having a channel logo would not make it look as professional as it could. From the other radio times double page spreads that I have looked at, they did not have any channel logos on them as well and is not a part of the codes and conventions of a radio times double page spread. 

The Documentary

As you can see from our ancillary tasks and from the documentary that me and Steven have created you can see that the combination is really effective and portrays the same style and themes with the images of 'Bitterne Park School' and they are all different pictures on the Double Page Spread and the Magazine Advert.  

Throughout this process of making our documentary and ancillary tasks, we were looking mainly at 'Channel 4' to give us some inspiration to create and develop our documentary and ancillary tasks. Steven looked at a Channel 4 promotional magazine advert for the TV show 'Britain's Forgotten Children' to give him some inspiration when creating his advert. Whereas, I used a radio times magazine to give me some inspiration when creating the double page spread as, they are a very professional looking magazine. Me and Steven looked at a lot of 'Channel 4' documentaries about school like 'Educating Essex' to give us a better understanding of what we could aim to create.

Channel 4 'Britain's Forgotten Children Advert'

Overall, I believe that combination between mine and Steven's ancillary tasks and our main documentary are very effective because we had a structure that we stuck by throughout the production of our documentary and the making of ancillary tasks which does give our work brand identity. However, there was some things that we could of improved on in both the documentary and the ancillary tasks.