Newspaper advertisement:

For the other two pieces in the project, Eleanor and I have to create a double page spread with details of the channel launch and a newspaper advertisement. We decided to do a piece each and I am going to create the advertisement. I think this will be a challenge from work that I have done both last year and so far this year in my media coursework and I am pleased that I have the option to create something new. I feel like the techniques that I have picked up so far will compliment my creation of the newspaper advertisement. 

My initial idea for the newspaper advertisement is to include:

• The 21TV logo
• The use of some rhetorical questions to engage the audience
• A slogan that will catch the audiences attention
• Perhaps an image of a 21TV celebrity

As these are just initial ideas, I am going to start by looking at existing advertisements and the way that they are constructed, I began by searching on Google for newspaper advertisements however this search did not show up with any advertisements that I am able to analyse. This print screen shows the results of the Google search:

As these images are not really suitable for the advertisements that I need to look at, I am going to look in newspapers for the adverts that they have. 

Video criteria:

As mentioned in the post below, the criteria of the project states that it is essential to include video, as Eleanor has already created a video, there is no need for another one but after receiving feedback, the idea of celebrity endorsement was mentioned multiple times. 

The idea that an actor or actress from 21TV would star in a video supporting the channel for the launch night. They would endorse working on 21TV and engage the audience in what the channel has to offer, as many celebrities do today. The idea that I am going to try and develop is to have the actress of Lauren appear in a video supporting the channel and how she enjoys what is in store on the launch night and after, etc. 

However, if this is not possible by video, I will look at other ways of celebrity endorsement as I think it is a very good promotional technique. 

Video made by Eleanor:

As it is essential to include a video on the 21TV website as part of the criteria, Eleanor decided that she would create the video. This can be found on Eleanor's blog. The video mentions other characters of the 21TV channel, which I think works very well. The only thing that Eleanor and I think will need editing is the end of the video, to stop the abrupt ending, we are going to try and include a sequence with the 21TV logo and some form of voice over of Eleanor or I to reinforce to launch of the channel. We are hoping to get some help with this from one of Eleanor's friends as we are not very confident editing videos or including voice overs on a video. 

Update 9/4/2013- As the coursework needs to be completed as soon as possible and the video is currently not edited or uploaded on the 21TV website, I have decided that I am going to try and upload it to the website as Eleanor shot it so that there is at least the specifics of the criteria on the website. 

Ideas about channel schedule:

After discussing the website with my teacher, we came to the agreement that the website needed another aspect to show the audience what the channel will entail, we decided that this should be some form of television schedule. The schedule will show all of the shows that Eleanor and I have already created, showing times of airing and the length of the programme.

I have decided to start the schedule by creating a list of all of the programmes that will be included:

• Fashionista
• Lauren
• The Dark Side of Drugs (Documentary series)
• Ayre You Ready?

To fill in other gaps on the schedule, I have decided to create little one-off shows of different genres, such as comedy. This is to primarily complete the schedule with no gaps but also include other genres of television programmes to interest a wider audience. 

(As I do not have the correct programs on my laptop to create the schedule, I am looking on Wix to see if there is something to help me with this. If not, I will have to use another laptop.) 

Explanation of text:

To save confusion when the audience look at the 21TV website, I am going to explain the use of the 21TV logo throughout the website and the use of the wording 'Twenty-one TV' in the top right hand corner. The explanation for the creation of the logo can be found here on my blog and as well as on Eleanor's blog too. It can also be found on the 21TV website. 

As the logo is used throughout the website and a lot on my blog, when looking over the website, I realized that the audience may get confused as to why the wording (shown in the print screen to the right), is used on the website. There is a simple explanation for this: When Eleanor and I chose the template, we were at the same time designing the logo, we had finished the logo and were happy with it before finalizing our template. When we had finally chosen our template, there was no place for the logo on each page, but there was a black box with the template logo in and as the 21TV logo would not fit in the box shown above, I thought that rather than deleting the box, I would just insert the wording of the logo so that the audience would still be aware they were on the 21TV website. Although, I am unsure as to whether I should have written the text as 21TV to keep the text the same as the logo. This will be something that I consider when receiving feedback on the project. 

Change in text:

After discussing some of the website with my teacher, I received feedback on some of the work that I had already done. I was advised to change some of the wording on the website to ensure that the text was the same throughout.

This print screen shows the text that I had earlier completed, when receiving feedback, I was advised to change the text from 'shows' to 'programmes' as I have used the word programmes more throughout the production of this project. I am pleased that I received some positive verbal feedback as well as having some slight changes to make. 

I have decided that as I am changing this text, I am going to try a different font. I chose to use the Times New Roman CE font as I have used it throughout the project, it has become on of my favourites. As you can see from the image on the left, I have changed the colour of the text from a subtle purple to a rather hot pink, I feel as though the pink text will stand out a lot more and I hope that it goes well with the rest of the 21TV website. I am pleased that I was able to keep the 21TV logo in the piece of text. However, I do not think that the logo looks as good as it could have, the logo would not go down in size anymore than shown above and the 1 will go no thinner than it is and I am aware that it looks rather bold when placed with the rest of the text. 

This print screen shows the new text on the page, I am pleased with how it has turned out and I like it a lot more than the original text: 

Text for Lauren:

I have started constructing some text for the promotional poster of the drama series Lauren. I am continuing to use Photofiltre for the creation of the text as I am pleased with how well it has worked so far. I have decided to use the font Times New Roman CE which I have used a lot throughout this project, I really like this font as it is bold and clear and it varies depending on the colour that is used. 

This image shows how I have placed the text on my chosen image. When first looking at the image, I stated that I was not sure whether any of them were suitable due to the lighting and facial expressions caused by the light but after getting some feedback from my teacher, I am confident that the image that I have chosen reflects the positive aspects of the programme and as a promotional poster, that is what I am aiming to encapsulate. 

I chose to place the text this way as it is original and unique, I chose black as I felt it would stand out on the background. I think that the placement of the text does not ruin the image too much but also gives it a different twist rather than just plain text. As much as I like this image and the placement of the text, if Eleanor does not think that this particular image works well then I have no problem in trying new designs out. As you can also tell, I have cropped the image from its original size, this is because the text looked better when the image was cropped to this size. Leaving the image at its original size, there was a large gap either between the model and the text or the text and the edge of the image and I did not feel as though it looked right. 

About:

The next page that Eleanor and I are going to create is the About page, we are using this image to talk about the channel as well as us, the producers. I have decided to write a paragraph on the creation of the channel, the launch evening and why we chose to create the channel. 

I have included a brief paragraph with a small explanation of the channel as well as a quote from myself (Ruth Watson). I am now hoping that Eleanor can insert a similar quote with her own views on the channel and these could be used in other aspects of the project that need to be created, such as the double page spread. The print screen on the left shows the descriptive paragraph as well as my quote. 

As you can see by the colour of the Douglas, Isle of Man text I have created a link to the Wikipedia page about the Isle of Man. I felt that this would be useful for the audience to see and learn about the Isle of Man if there is anything they were unsure of. 


I now need to add a picture of Eleanor and I so that the audience are familiar with the producers of 21TV.

Music Box:

Along the right hand side of the home page, there is a long box titled 'Music' as you can see on the left. 

Instead of changing this I have decided to use this section for music that is found on 21TV, in shows, adverts etc. To complete this box, I am going to insert images that I have taken at various concerts and briefly talk about where it is used on 21TV. 

I think that this is a good use of the space that Eleanor and I have left on the home page.

The first image that I added was of a member of All Time Low as I attended their concert in 2012, I managed to take some images that turned out well, which can be difficult at concerts. 

I like this image as it shows the lighting strobes, which I feel captures the moment. I also like how in action the musician looks. This action shot turned out very well and I am pleased that it can be used on the 21TV website.

The next image that I have is not as good quality as the image above and I am unsure as to whether it should be used. 

Although I think that this image shows the style of the band very well, I do not think that the image is clear enough to be used on the home page of our website. 

I am going to add the image to the page to see if it looks suitable or out of place when placed with the rest of the images. 

The third and final image that I have chosen is an image of the Jonas Brothers taken in 2009. The image was taken with a camera of not very good quality, as the image above. For this reason, I am unsure as to whether this image is usable as it's quality is not as good as the first image. 

I chose this image in particular because I like the lighting of it, and how it shows the band close and together. 

I do not think that the quality of this image is as bad as the image above.

I am going to place all of the images in the box on the home page before deciding if they look suitable. These print screens show the images from above placed in the box on the home page:

Here are the first two images placed on the home page, they include the song title and artist that the picture is of. 

The first medium close up image of Zack Merrick, member of All Time Low looks very professional and I am pleased to include it on the page. 

The second medium close up image shows Derek Sanders, the front man of Mayday Parade, although I mentioned above about the quality of the image, I do not think it looks too unprofessional to use and I am also please to be able to use this image. 

The third and final image shows a long shot of the Jonas Brothers; after taking a look at this image on the page, I think that the style of the image makes it seem as though it already has an effect on it. I am again pleased that this image is being used on the 21TV website. 

I think that the images look good together and it is something useful for the audience to be able to see. Throughout the production of the 21TV website, Eleanor and I have steered away from anything music related. This changed when researching FAQ's, we saw that a lot of audiences for existing music channels had asked about songs used on individual channels and as this 'music' section was already available on the home page, rather than remove it, we decided to link it to an FAQ that we have included about music that can be found on the 21TV FAQ webpage. I am pleased with the decision that Eleanor and I have made to include a small music section on our website. We do not plan on making music a big part of the website or the TV channel. We are going to receive feedback on the entire website upon its completion and if we find that the target audience are not happy with the inclusion of a musical section, we will be more than happy to remove it in order to make our target audience happier with our channel and website. 

Continuing...FAQ page:

Continuing with the construction of the FAQ page, I have now constructed a title using Photofiltre. I chose the same text as with the majority of the work on the website, Times New Roman CE for the 'FAQ' text. However, when constructing the subheading of 'frequently asked questions' I wanted a text that would look more like hand written words and for that I chose Lucinda Handwriting, I have used this text already on the 21TV website when constructing the text for Fashionista. I really like the way that it looks handwritten and for this specific title, it is exactly what I was aiming to achieve. 

Here is a print screen of the text placed on the page: 

As you can see, this print screen shows the title inserted on the page, I am pleased with how it has turned out in terms of font, style and placement. However, the only concern I have at the moment is with the colour, from looking at this print screen the colour of the title does not seem bold enough to stand out. I do think that the contrast of the two colours is a positive feature and this will attract the audience when they first glance at the page. 

UPDATE 15/03/2013: I am now continuing to add the final questions on the FAQ page. I am placing five questions on the page as I think this is enough. There is also an option for the audience to ask more questions on the contact page. 

As I currently have questions concerning:

• Where the channel name originated from
• Who founded the channel
• How to find the music used on the channel
• How to become a part of any programme on the channel

I am trying to think of a fifth question that fits in well with the other four but also applies to a different aspect of the channel. 

Contact Us:

Linking in with the production of the FAQ page, I have constructed a 'Contact Us' page:

The FAQ page will have a link to the contact page in case the audience have any other questions for 21TV, as you can see I have written a small paragraph about the Contact Us page and why I have linked in from the FAQ page. The Contact Us page will not be a visible page from the 21TV website menu, as Home, Shows, About, and FAQ are but there will be more than one link to it on the appropriate pages. Therefore, the audience will not find it hard to get to the page. I chose to hide the page as I wanted the links to work some purpose rather than a simple short cut and I felt a perfect example of this would be for the Contact page. 

I constructed each title; Contact Us, Write To Us, and E-mail Us using Photofiltre as I felt they had the best facilities available for the text I was aiming to create. I simply chose to stick with a black text in the Times New Roman CE font as this has become a favourite of mine throughout the project. I like its simplicity and I think it goes well with the colours and style of the website. 

The Contact Us page very fairly simple and quick to make. The template for the e-mail facility came from Wix which is a wonderful feature to have available on the website. I especially like that this page gives the audience a chance to get involved with 21TV and give the channel feedback, which as mentioned on the page, is very important. It allows the channel to keep up to date with the requests of the audience and to quickly solve any issues they may have. 

Images for Lauren:

I took some images for the drama series Lauren. I decided to take the pictures at the beach as I thought it would encapsulate the Isle of Man in a photo, I also wanted a change of scenery from the other images I have already taken for 21TV. 

I took the images on March 5 2013, the setting for the images was wonderful as it was a bright and sunny day (as seen in the images). However, this did cause some issues as the sun was extremely bright and my model had difficulty seeing through the brightness. 

Although these images did not turn out as well as I had hoped, I am still going to upload them to my blog and look through to see if there are any usable images:

             

        

These are the images that I took of the landscape, I used the Pin Hole setting on my camera as with some of the other images taken for 21TV using my camera. I took images of the landscape to show the surroundings of the photo shoot on the day but also in case any of the photos were useful for any aspect of the 21TV website. For example, if Eleanor and I choose to produce the drama series further and write more than the current paragraph on it, these images could be used. I am pleased with the effect used, I think that it captures the images better than when taken without any effect. 

This is one of the first images I took on the day. As you can tell by the image, the light is effecting the models eyes. Although she is almost squinting, I do like the image. I think the smile makes the image warm and welcoming. The shadow in the bottom left hand corner is also a slight issue but if I do choose the use this image anywhere on the 21TV website, I can easily crop to before the shadow starts; shadows however are another disadvantage of working when the sun is shining. 

 This medium close up is one of my favourites of the day. I like it as it shows the model with a soft facial expression, which I think again is welcoming. The image shows that there was some wind when taking the shot, this is another issue with photographing outside. I do not think that the weather has impacted on this photo as much as some of the others. But as in many of the other images taken on this particular day, my model is again slightly squinting due to the sun. I do not think that the sun has effected this image too much although the light is creating a shadow and it is difficult to see the model's eyes.

I do not think that it is suitable for the promotional image for the drama; there is not enough space on the image to include a title, which is the first issue, and although I like the facial expression, I do not think that it is inviting enough to be a promotional image.

I wanted to capture an action shot of the model walking to represent the journey that the character will be embarking on in the show. I also wanted to capture the landscape of the Isle of Man, as it is where the show will be set. I think that this image encapsulates both of the aims but I do not think that this image could be a promotion for the show as there a few slight issues with it. Although there is no problem with lighting in this image, I do not think that the sea weed is very welcoming nor is it a pretty sight. I do not think that these issues are resolvable in this particular image but I definitely want to take an image exactly like it, ensuring that none of these problems are present in it.  

These are just a selection of the images taken on the day of the photo shoot, I do not think that any of them are suitable for the promotional image for the drama Lauren. I intend on taking some more images in the next week, ensuring that I get a suitable image that can be used to promote the drama. 

Eleanor's work:

Eleanor has taken some images for the documentary series that is currently being constructed for 21TV. The images that Eleanor has taken can be found here. As Eleanor states, she has edited the images using the app Instagram. I am pleased with these images and I think that they will work very well as promotion for the documentary and as highlighting drug abuse. 

Eleanor has also carried out some research similar to the research that I conducted on America's Next Top Model. Eleanor chose to look closer at Geordie Shore as she states in her post here, the ideas for another show for 21TV.

Construction of FAQ page:

Wix have a template specifically for the construstion of an FAQ page, I selected this template for use as you can see:

The layout of this page is unique as far as FAQ pages are concerned. I am usure as to whether having the questions and answers on the same page will look professional or whether the answers would be better placed similar to the Channel 4 website. I like the way that the numbers are placed on the page, it makes the questions really stand out and shows that they are important.

As mentioned in previous posts, the text that Wix provides are not always appealing and there are examples in this in some of the work that I have already produced on Wix. I am unsure as to whether the text provided for the question will look suitable or well placed.

I began by adding the first question that I have noticed has come up a lot purely in the production of the TV channel and website; "Where does the name 21TV originate from?" I thought a lot about the wording of the question and therefore I am open to changes of wording if either the question or answer can be made to sound more professional or easier to understand. This first print screen shows what the question and answer look like in the font provided by Wix (and although the answer is not completed), what the question and answers will look like on a whole.

I chose to refer to Eleanor and I as producers of 21TV as essentially, we have produced the TV channel. As you can see, I also mentioned the target audience of the channel as it contributes to the reason behind the TV channel.

So far, I have constructed three questions for the FAQ page; I am unsure as to whether these questions are suitable but Eleanor and I are open to feedback, especially from our target audience and when we have completed the website, we will be asking members of our audience if they think they is anything they think will need changing about the website. 

(As for the title of the page, originally Wix insert a title included in the template but I have decided to construct the text using Photofiltre.)



Changes to Website:

I have decided to make some changes to the links at the top of the 21TV website as I think that changing the title of the page from 'About' to 'FAQ' would be more appropriate. When I started to create the 'About' page, I thought that looking on other websites for a guidline as to what their page entailed, I noticed that the majority of them had 'FAQ' pages rather than pages about the television channel.

I looked into FAQ pages of some of the websites that Eleanor and I researched to begin with including Channel 4, which is the first channel that I am looking at:

This is Channel 4's FAQ page; it gives each question its own linked page with a detailed answer, which is extremely useful.

I think that creating a page full of questions that the audience may need an answer to or may find very helpful and it may cause the website to be more assessible.

 

When creating an FAQ page for 21TV, I think that it will good to interact with our audience, especially our target audience I think that it would be helpful to allow them to ask some questions that will be included in the Frequently Asked Questions page to show engagement between the channel and the audience.

 

I would like to include questions about the channels name and the shows that are on 21TV, as I think these are some of the key things that people will be intruiged to know.  To get more of an insight into the types of questions included in current FAQ pages, I am going to look closer at those on the Channel 4 website.

When clicking on a link for a question, the Channel 4 website takes you to a page with a fairly detailed answer that should enlighten and answer the question, as in the example to the left. There is also an option to 'Contact Us' if you do not get the answer that you are looking for which helps a lot in recieving exactly what the individual would like as far as the question is concerned.

After scrolling through answers to multiple questions on the Channel 4 FAQ page, it is clear to see that there is always a way to find a thorough answer to the question asked.

Although I have not looked into too much detail as initially planned, I feel as though I now know enough about FAQ pages to begin creating and constructing questions for the 21TV FAQ page.

21TV Shows:

Due to the layout of the 'Shows' page that Eleanor and I chose, we have decided to write in detail about three shows as there are three slots available. We have chosen to include programmes of different genres as this may keep the audience more interested as there is a possibility to read about more than one genre of programme.

We have included a reality TV show, a drama and a documentary that all focus on different themes and/or highlight different issues in society which Eleanor and I think are very important. These include an interest in fashion and ways to dress better and have more confidence, struggles of teenage life, choices and consequences and the use of drugs, legal and illegal. These themes are all very different, some fairly intense and others are light hearted but Eleanor and I wanted to make sure that we included a mixture of each to interest a wider audience.

The final show that will be written about on the shows page will be a documentary highlighting the use of drugs in the UK. As Eleanor has a job in a pharmacy, she has permission to take some images of the drugs on sale over the counter on the Isle of Man. As Eleanor has more of an insight into this she will be constructing the text that will be inserted into the small text box just as the other two on the 'Shows' page.

Text for "Lauren":

I have inserted some text onto the 'Shows' page that has information on the text about the drama mentioned in the post below. This print screen shows the information that I inserted:

 

I think that this text gives a good description of the drama, which is what I aimed to encapsulate in the small box. I have also included a 'click here' option that I have not yet made into link but I am hoping that this is possible before completing the website. Although I am pleased with the small, detailed paragraph, I do think as with anything that there is room for improvement and if Eleanor or I are able to look into descriptions and amend these before completing the webpage, then I will certainly look into that.

 

 

I completed the text as I do not yet have images that I am definitely going to use for Lauren and I thought that it would be best to include some text rather than leave it completely blank.

Second show Idea:

I have decided on some initial plans for the second show that will feature on the 21TV website. The initial plans that I have are for a drama that is set on the Isle of Man: as I wanted to take some scenic pictures for this programme, I thought it would be best to be set in the place in which the pictures will be taken. I thought that the drama could follow a young adult through her journey of life as she moved to the island for her partner, the struggles of their relationship and starting a new life.

Although this is just a rough plan and will need discussing with Eleanor, I am hoping that something along these lines can be agreed. I think 21TV should definitely air a drama as we already have Fashionista, a reality TV show and have plans (to be devleoped) for a documentary.

In our research, Eleanor and I looked at the different genres of television programmes and which ones we may want to include on 21TV which can be found here. Referring to this and looking closely at the current television shows that air on the channels that Eleanor and I have looked at, I chose the genres and basic storylines of each television show very carefully.

I am aware that in our research into genres and current television programmes, Eleanor and I did not look too closely at dramas but after studying them at AS, we have at minimum a basic knowledge as to which ones are current and what exactly constructs a drama. In our research, we included shows such as 90210 and Gossip Girl, although the themes in these shows are not exactly along the same lines that a 21TV drama will be aiming to create, they have a thread of the same themes as they both interest a female audience.

Another drama that Eleanor and I are going to look at for inspiration is Skins which was insanely popular with teenagers when it aired 6 series (with plans for a 7th) from 2007-present. However, Skins does explore some themes that Elanor and I are not going to look into in our drama including, substance abuse, mental illness and death. We think that these themes are too intense for the type of drama programme that we are aiming to create. We do however want to look into the natural behaviour of young adults, which we think that Skins presents very well through their range of characters.

21TV initial idea for drama:
Even though I have already mentioned in this post, the initial ideas for the drama that will be aired on 21TV, I thought that making it crystal clear would be very helpful. Therefore this is a brief description of the storyline we are hoping to portray in our drama:

Lauren, (a young woman) moves from a city in England to the Isle of Man as she becomes romantically involved with a resident of the island. The drama follows the journey of her new life on the Isle of Man, the struggles of her relationship and her first summer away from home.

I chose to name the drama after the protagonist as I think this will help the audience connect with the show and the main character on a much more personal level and I think that is an important thing to consider when trying to draw an audience in.