How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

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

What ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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Completed double page spread

Edited photograph

From my previous post, I have darkened the desk to make the text in front of it easier to read and lightened my model's face.

Photographs: before and after editing

Before

After

  

Completed website (ancillary task)

Please click here to see the web page I have created that promotes my radio play (it will open in a separate window).

Main task (radio play): 'The Prime Morrister'

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Double-page spread - article text

Double-page spread article - planning

Click on the image to enlarge.

Research/inspiration from Radio Times

This is not a double-page spread like mine will be but I like the content of the article, including the question as the 'kicker'.

Left hand side of a double-page spread. I like the variation of the font between 'Fame?' and 'I'd rather have a cuppa...' which makes it stand out.

The right hand side of the double-page spread from above. Notice how the article is only on 1 side of the two pages to give prominence to the photograph.

Language and register

Not only is the style of language important to make my article an interesting read but the language and register must also be suitable for my target audience. The target audience for my double-page spread will be the same audience for my radio play which I set out in a previous blog post because the aim of the article is to advertise the play.

The most important thing to avoid will be 'modern' words and phrases that a young person would read and understand but a member of my middle-aged target audience would not.

As I mentioned in my blog post about the target audience, they will enjoy culture and so references to culture and in-jokes around this will be okay.

The register, as with any magazine, should be personal and speak to the reader directly i.e. using 'you' and 'I'.

List of magazine article conventions

• Pull quotes - Quotes from the article separate from the main article text, usually in different and larger font
• Headline - Usually large, eye-catching and in a different font to the rest of the article
• By-line - Name of the reporter
• Kicker - The introductory paragraph to the article, usually in bold, designed to attract the reader's attention
• Page number, magazine logo and date of publishing are usually included on every page
• A dominant image
• Anchorage - Text to explain the photograph
• The "pyramid structure" (pictured right)
• A large capital letter at the beginning of the first paragraph

Photography Planning

Click to enlarge.

Video diary 6

Use of fonts on my webpage

These are the fonts I have planned to use for my webpage:

Headings: Palatino

Main text: Verdana

I have chosen these two fonts because they are very different from each other to clearly distinguish between headings and main text. Palatino is a serif front and Verdana is Sans-serif. Using serif fonts for headings and sans-serif for main text is a suggestion that I have seen in doing research for creating my webpage.

Website layouts: Columns

In creating a page from a station's website promoting my radio play, one of the things I have to show is how the web page communicates with the reader. One aspect of this is the layout. There are three main types of layout which I shall discuss as well as why I have chosen a two-column layout

One-column layout

As the name suggests, this is a simple layout designed like a page of A4 paper. This is best for a block of several paragraphs of text because it uses a wide proportion of the screen. It also helps the reader to not become distracted from the text by other pieces of content. However, it is not good for when lots of bits of content need to be included because the page automatically becomes longer, resulting in more scrolling for the user.

Two-column layout

A two-column layout can be achieved in two main ways:

1. A 'main' section of content (usually containing text) with a 'sidebar' (either containing navigation or additional content)
2. Two equal width columns, both containing the main content (as shown above)

The advantage of a two-column layout is that it can be used for a more 'multimedia' approach; it is good for where a page needs to contain videos, sound files and widgets. However, the text needs to be kept to a minimum - ideally only 1 paragraph in each box. A potential problem in my view of a two-column layout is that the user can get distracted with no focal point for their eyes to focus on.

Three-column layout

Much the same as a two-column layout, there are two main ways that a three-column layout can be achieved:

1. Three equal columns

2. One main column with two sidebars

My choice

I have chosen to use a two-column layout because:

• The page will not contain much text. It will mainly consist of videos, sound etc. (there is a full list of the planned contents here). The main text on the page will be the character profiles and the short description of my radio play.
• It helps to 'break up' the page as opposed to a one-column layout. A whole web page of text can be very dull for the reader; a two-column layout makes it more interactive.
• Two-columns gives each item more space than the three-column layout. I think that a three-column layout would feel more squeezed.

Website layouts: Considering different screen resolutions

One of the challenges of designing a web page is that different computers/devices have different screen resolutions (i.e. the size of the screen, measured in pixels). A website that does not properly consider this could force the user to scroll horizontally, making the website unattractive and difficult to use.

There are a two main types of layouts:

"Fixed-width" - As the name suggests, the width of the page is fixed by the designer, regardless of the resolution of the device it is being viewed on.

"Liquid layout" - A liquid layout is where the content moves automatically to fit the screen resolution. I shall be using a liquid layout for this reason to prevent the user having difficulty using the website (some users in my target audience may not have much experience using computers).

Screen resolutions of computer monitors

Wireframe

Colour schemes for web page

Using a great website called Kuler, I have created a few possible colour schemes for my website:

Research into radio station websites

BBC Radio 4

This is BBC Radio 4's home page. I like the colour scheme, it suggests a 'serious' radio station.

This is the mini-site for The Archers. I like the use of the 'on air' feature in the top right corner. Further down the page, there are blogs and polls - both good ways of gaining audience involvement.

Absolute Radio

Absolute Radio is not a speech and radio drama station like Radio 4 but I like the way they have used a scrolling carousel' on their home page.

Planning for web page

I am continuing to put together my radio play (main task) which will be completed shortly. I am now starting work on my 1st ancillary task - the web page on a radio station's website promoting the play.

I have decided I will include the following elements on my web page:

• A description of the play - this should be short, just enough to persuade people to listen
• A 'listen again' player for the play
• A video of the director about how the play was made
• Character profiles - these will include the actor's name and the character's background and personality
• Links to social media
• Galleries
• Polls to involve the audience
• A blog
• Navigation to other pages
• 'On air now'
• A header including a station logo

Schedule for January and February

Final script

Radio play checklist

'Twists and turns' in the plot	Needs some work
Character development
Comedic moments
Tension
Plot
Subplot	Needs some work
Natural dialogue	Needs some work
Suitable for the target audience
Characterisation
Good beginning	Needs some work

Script evaluation: Subplots

I am currently working on improving my script line-by-line (My second draft can be viewed here).

One thing I feel my script is currently lacking in is a 'subplot'. A subplot is an additional storyline that goes alongside the main plot.

I think a subplot could be included where the Prime Minister's assistant's phone keeps going off, receiving updates about what members of the cabinet are doing by text. This would also make my radio play more realistic because the Prime Minister would still have to deal with problems back at Westminster whilst on tour.

Creating the theme tune

Thoughts on 2nd draft script

The 2nd draft of my script can be read here. Here are some thoughts on how it could be improved:

• Look at how lines 14 and 16 can be improved to make them more natural
• Correct where Nurse Collins says 'It's a standard procedure' to 'It's standard procedure'
• Perhaps cut Celia (instead could only referred to by Nurse Collins) and the viewer?
• Stronger beginning
• More unexpected moments
• Show Morris Lloyd-Jones being egged in the news report
• Change or remove where Hugh Roberts says 'I wonder if the egg was hard boiled or not'
• Line 14: '...is 20 points ahead', 'What are we going to do?', 'I have a plan', 'What is it?
• Delete: 'I’d suggest the Australian jungle but that’s already been done'
• Where Nurse Collins says 'The PM wins!', change to 'The Prime Minister wins!'
• Line 43: Change to 'What are you looking at?'.
• Re-write lines 44, 45 and 46
• Add Daniel Young stuttering into the dialogue
• Add direction to line 53
• Daniel Young should have a briefcase rather than a backpack
• Line 57: Move 'I'm the grime minister' to when crowd is applauding
• Re-write beginning of scene 6
• Line 64: 'Back to you in the studio' - too cheesy?
• Line 65: Work 'Prime Morrister' into the script better
• Line 67: Change to 'That's it. I’m calling an election. Someone Get Her Majesty on the phone.'