Aims and Intentions

Aims and Intentions

I will use media language within my programme to create a television drama that follows the codes and conventions of the sub-genre, soap opera and will also appeal to the target audience, which are millennials, specifically those aged 16-25.

From researching different soap operas already showing on ITV such as Coronation Street and teen dramas which may not show on ITV but are beneficial because they appeal to millennials such as Gossip Girl and Skins, I have taken note of the visual codes, audio codes and technical codes used within the episodes. For visual codes, I plan on including a shot of a street sign stating the name of my show, “Drummer Street” within the opening sequence.  This will provide an intertextual reference to Coronation Street.

I plan on basing the show in Cambridge, using both indoor (someone’s house) and outdoor (city centre, near the stores) settings within the show to create a sense of place which is essential for creating a brand identity for a soap opera as they are normally based in particular cities or towns such as East Enders. While filming outside I would make sure it’s a relatively cloudy day to lend a pathetic fallacy and have it foreshadow the scene.

Within the episode the camera angles will mostly be medium close-ups that will typically act as reaction shots throughout the episode which is conventional for soap operas to focus attention on characters’ reaction to shocking news. There will also be cutaway shots regularly due to the three strand narratives within the show, this allows the audience to change perspective throughout the episodes. Flexi-narratives are standard within soap operas, in reference to Stuart Hall’s reception theory, producers would encode multiple narratives to the audience, so the audience may then decode the preferred reading of the plot as that’s what the different storylines may lead up to.

For audio codes, I will include diegetic and asynchronous sounds as this also adds a sense of realism to the show. Like Coronation Street, I will not use any sound effects.

For the show I want a diverse cast including ethnic minorities who will not be portrayed by their racial stereotypes. This is to focus on the portrayal of the teenagers and how some of their actions match the stereotypes associated with teens. For example, there are two teenage girls within a certain scene, one being a bully who is presented as a stereotypical mean girl, who gossips and speaks with a low register, while the girl confronting her will avoid stereotypes and will instead be fierce and courageous.

By having a cast with mainly teenagers and including sensitive topics such as bullying, relationships, drugs etc., the show will appeal to my target demographic and psychographic audience of strugglers and mainstreamers in the B,C1,C2 and E social class (E being for students).

The inclusion of other races would typically be unconventional for a soap opera. By having a wider range of cultural representation within the episode, it will become one of my unique selling points.

For my lifestyle magazine I will also mention my casting within the double page spread which will be an interview with the director and actress within the show. She will also be on the front cover, captured in a confident stance. This will connote power and control and the copy around her referencing the programme will also allude to her profession and the unique selling points of the show.