MEST2 Task List. (Task One)

Task 1 - Read through the documents and write at least one thing you learned or found useful from each one.

(Below I have picked out useful information from each one, which would help me prepare the final product)

1)The Coursework Brief 

• Target audience has to be similar to E4's demographics (15-35)
• Has to be suitable for pre-watershed broadcasting. 
• Produce the opening few scenes of your TV Programme establishing narrative themes, characters and location. (Can include title sequences) must be two minutes long. 

2)MEST2 General Advice & Guidance

• Media Language & Form: Make specific media language/choices and should be to able to show how these choices influence meaning/reception of the products being created. Students, need to consider genre and demonstrate their knowledge in selecting appropriate media language. 
• Audience: Should consider how best to identify their target audience and the creation of products that attract them, appeal to them and address them appropriately.

 Research & Planning

• Good AS work is judged by good research and planning. 
• Each Brief and tasks provide 'clues' to the type of research that would be helpful.

Brief One (we are producing)

• Research successful viral campaigns to look at what may encourage an audience to 'pass the message one'
• Look at websites to see what can be used to encourage audience interactivity.

Evidence of Research & Planning in Productions

• Form & genre codes should be recognised
• Provide work that has been influenced by the existing products that have evaluated
• Target audience must be clear.
• Work should show the needs/expectations of the TA.
• 5-6 pages only.

3)The Specific Guidance for 2013 Briefs 

Helpful research questions:

• Could a narrower audience group be identified within the 15-35 age group?
• How should the audience be addressed? What do they respond to?
• What type of texts does E4 typically broadcast before the watershed (what rules 
• must they work within)?
• Is there a gap in the market?
• Is there a format/genre that could be developed further for this broadcast slot?

BRIEF ONE

The research could include:  How themes, characters and locations are identified early in a broadcast.

• Production should carefully consider mis-en-scene, lighting, costume and location as part of the planning process.
• Use a variety of camera shot in the production makes it more interesting
• In the evaluation we should talk about the reasoning behind the media language choices.
• Should show codes and conventions therefore the form and genre will be easy to recognise.

Print - Teaser Campaign

• Research what is meant by a teaser campaign and the existing campaigns that have proved to be successful.
• Any good campaign has a clear focus on appealing to the TA and creating products that will attract/engage them.
• Consider a range of options: posters, display ads, flyers, leaflets.
• Might be good to state where or how the adverts would be published or placed.

Print - Souvenir Magazine

1. General research analysing magazine front pages - help to identify codes which would appeal to the TA
2. Should choose the content of the two inner pages and this may be influenced by the format of the programme itself and/or the target audience.
3. Should look to real magazines to identify design and layout codes and conventions.
4. Higher level work tends to be accurate in the use of fonts and columns and shows visual awareness and creativity in the use of images
5. Photography in print work is a good way for students to demonstrate their creativity.