How effective is the

combination of your main

product and ancillary texts?
Rebekah Heath

My Products

Through my A2 year of coursework I creating three different productions the main

production, a documentary, and then doing two ancillary texts, the double page
spread and a radio advert. The main theme/genre of these is gaming, and how
video games and boards game are different and which one is better, but letting
the audience to decide on that one. Ensuring the products were high standards
we ensured that we followed the codes and conventions of each piece, this helps
to engage our target audience and helps to keep them interested within the
documentary. Doing these three different productions help to bring everything
together and make it into one whole package, making each part as more
important as the next.

I will be looking at how effective my three products have done working together;
how they will effect my target audience; and how have I created a clear brand
identity.

Within the documentary I have

used Vox pops of different
individuals to get their view and
opinion on gaming. However I have
not used these within my
magazine article or my radio
advert. This was because we had
other images that we were going
to use within the magazine article
or we were going to put it in the
radio advert but it was too long so
had to cut it out. This does not
help to make our three different
texts to combine, this actual
separates them as the target
audience would not be able to
relate the three products together.
Having these across the three
products would help production but
it also would help with showing
that we used binary oppositions
within the documentary.

Vox Pops

As we could of used the two shot image

of the Vox pops which would help use
show Males and Females. Were normally
it would only be males that are related
to gaming and not females. But also
showing the own views on what females
and males think. However we did not
include this so therefore we would have
no combination of our three texts.

We used experts throughout our three texts

that we produced. All of them we had the
same expert so that our audience would be
able to link them together, Tom Krawec. We
used him in the documentary with
explaining what gaming could do, we had a
picture in the magazine article in the same
format and then had him on the radio avert
saying the same things in the documentary.
There is a clearly relationship between all
three as the expert is in all of them. This
helps to make the three products more
effective for each other. By having this
similarity through all three products help to
show and make the audience understand
that these magazines, documentary and
radio advert are linked together. Our
Audience might have a preferred reading
towards the experts as they would feel that
they know what they are talking about and
would take their word on what they are
saying about gaming.

Experts

Making them relate and find out more, and

could also change their views and opinions and
change their lifestyle of gaming. Also it makes
them relate them together without having to
read anything as they would be able too look
and listen and know that these products are
related together and are talking about gaming.

Mise-en-scene that we used through our

documentary were different gaming
platforms, icons from games that
everybody would know, the colours within
it and the games that we should and the
people that we used. We did not use the
same Mise-en-scene through all three
products. We used the iPad with the car
game on the documentary and magazine
article which helps to show the relation,
and we used Pacman and Mario on the
documentary and the radio advert. This
doesn't help to relate all three together
but does show the relationship to the
documentary for both products. I would

not say this was completely effective but

it would be effective that our audience
would be able to notice the relationship of
the Mise-en-scene and the products that
we created. But to make it completely
effective we should of used the same
Mise-en-scene through all three products.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene helps to show representation of

gaming through different was and forms that
audience would pick up and understand. This
ensure the audience that they are reading,
watching and listening to are about the
documentary through the identities that they have
used. Therefore this ensures and helps makes the
audience see that these three products are related
to each other.

This would only be related to the

documentary and the radio advert. Music
is a sound that would help make what the
audience is listening too more interesting,
and it is sort of their own signature (the
documentary/radio advert). Through both
of these they had music, both were
calming and game related like, but they
were not the same. So I would say that
they had music but it would not be
effective because they were not the same
music so could not be related. Meaning as
they could not be related the audience
would not be able to pick it up as being the
promotion of the documentary which
would then have a nock on affect, because
as less individuals know the link, less
individuals would watch the documentary.
Therefore we should of have a relationship
with the music between our two products,
documentary and radio advert, to show
the texts combine.

Music

Background could only be related to

the magazine article and the
documentary. The backgrounds that
have been used are green and blue
which are soft colours, and are
related to games as they use these
colours to make it look as realistic as
possible. The backgrounds help to
promote gaming as a whole so as
you look at it you can relate it to
games as this would be the sort of
colours that would be used. Trough
the products that we have used
these backgrounds we have been
representing gaming as this is
something that gamers and
designers would do. We have used
these throughout and this means
that we have an effective
combination between the the two
products, however for all three of
them this has not happened.

Background

We have used quotes from the

documentary through the magazine article
and the radio advert. These are set things
that our audience would remember and
recognize when they read or hear it. The
set quotes that we have used are the ones
from the experts, as these are clear and
they could be shocking to individuals it
would make them remember them easier.
Such quotes include Not all kids want to
come home and do homework. individuals
would belief these and feel positive towards
the documentary, so having these would
make them remember and every time its
been said can relate it to the documentary
so know that the radio advert and
magazine are also related together as well.
They are all bold and stand out so that
audience will see them. Therefore we have
used them through our three different
media texts and that they can be clearly
identified means that they are effectively
combined to each other.

Quotations

Titles

This is key and import and should be on all of the products that we created. Our Title/masthead is
Gaming Vs. Reality. This is true within our work as this is the title on the documentary, the first thing
that you see, its the masthead for the magazine article, and its been said with the time and date
within the radio advert. Having this on all three of our texts/products helps to make a clear link
between them, so when our audience look, listen and watch the texts/products they would know that
these are all connected and the information that you get from the magazine and radio advert would be
encouraging our target audience to go and watch the documentary. The title is quick and snappy and
our audience would remember it as something that ether you dont hear it as much or you hear it a lot
which would then get them interested. Within this we have used theory such theory includes; The Uses
and Gratification, were the title informs and gives the audience information and is also comparing with
the use of VS within the title. As informing our audience about the difference between games and
reality without giving any set points, they would start to think of reasons before reading the result of
the article. The comparing as we are comparing Gaming and Reality together, two completely different
topics that would not be talked about often, which would be interesting and bring our audience in.
Therefore as the title is across all of the three products that we created we have effectively combined
our three products together.

The presenter in the documentary was a female

so were using binary opposites within the
documentary with males and females as
making sure their was a mixture of both, it is
also goes against representation as normally
games are related to males and putting family's
in challenges this and also were are challenging
the stereotypical of the gaming world. Within
the presenter we have used her in the
documentary, we have a picture of her from the
documentary in the magazine giving a direct
addresses to the target audience and used her
voice within the radio advert. Showing that we
have clearly had an effective combination of the
three products and that our audience would be
able to recognized this and relate these
products together. However we have used other
voices within the radio advert which might
confuse the audience, which then they might
find it harder to make a link with the three
products that we have produced, therefore it
might not be completely effective, if the voices
on the radio advert have been changed , or if its
in a different style of their voice e.g. calm,
higher pitch etc. they might not recognizes it.

Presenter

For the documentary we are going to

present it on BBC3, the radio would
be on BBC radio 3 and the magazine
would be in the Radio Times. These
three production company's are all
linked within the BBC meaning this
makes the three products link
together as a whole and can be
related. As they are the same three
productions they would get our
target audience and would know
what they are reading, watching or
listening to are related together as
its the same platform across the
different company's. Having the
same production company helps to
ensure that it is presented correctly
and the right style for our audience.
Therefore our three products have
effectively combined together by the
used of the production company.

Production company

My target audience

My target audience was 13-21 year olds, and my secondary audience was
parents who a young children. With the three products that we made they
all had the same audience, 13-21, this is important to carry through as it
ensures that the right audience is being related to the documentary, and
that the audience can relate to advert the magazine and the documentary
together as a whole. Throughout these three productions I feel that all of
them are correctly designed and layout for the right audience. They all have
the same feeling and design to them that would hit our audience, and
having the relations within each of them helps the audience to know that
these are of the same package. The speaking and written language has
been done in the same way, so that it stays with that audience because if it
was more technique the target audience would be going up in age. Also the
sound effects and the technology used throughout helps the audience as
they would be able to know what these things are, which means this would
help them to feel interested in what is going on. Therefore the target
audience goes on throughout the three productions that our group have
created, this is key/important to happen and is clearly shown that we have
done this from watching, looking and listening to the products.

Have I created a clear brand

identity?

A Brand identity is were consistent use of particular visual elements to create

distinction e.g. fonts, colors, and graphic elements. Within the three
productions that we created I feel that this has happened but not the way it
should be, their should have been more brand identity like a main logo or
image or set things that would help to relate them more. The areas that I feel
this has happened, brand identity, is with the use of experts, quotes,
background, production company and the presenter, as throughout the three
products these have all been used, so can be related to each other and
counted as a brand identity. Also the relation of the title and the same fonts
being used with the documentary and the magazine article, which would relate
to the brand identity. Therefore their have been the use of the a small amount
that would be related and could then be connected as a brand identity.
However I feel that we should of done more to ensure there is a clear brand
identity throughout the three products that we made. This would then mean
that we would be 100% sure that our audience would be able to relate it to
each other as there are main things that are in common for a brand identity.

My radio advert and magazine article

promote my documentary

Both my radio advert and my magazine article promote the documentary that we
produced. The radio advert had the experts from the documentary within the radio
advert, this helps as the audience would be able to relate this to the documentary but
also it helps to give an insight to what's going to be in the documentary. Also the
presenter/narrator of the documentary also talks on the radio advert which also helps
to promote the documentary. Also including the name of the documentary Gaming
Vs Reality and when the documentary is going to be on, which clearly helps to
promote the documentary as it tells important information that the target audience
would need to know to watch it. Therefore the radio advert promotes the
documentary of Gaming Vs Reality.

Within the magazine this helps promote the documentary as it has the masthead
which is the same title as the documentary Gaming Vs Reality. It also has the
images of the presenter and an expert, this could also help relate to the radio advert
to when they are talking. Within it there are quotes that the Experts have said which
are also on the radio advert so helps the audience to relate the radio advert and the
magazine which then promotes the documentary this is also the same with the date,
time and channel it is going to be on. Overall I feel that the magazine has promoted
the documentary of Gaming Vs Reality.

Title of the documentary which is also

on the magazine as the masthead,
and is also said within the radio
advert.

Technolog
y used
within the
document
ary and is
on the
magazine.
Also helps
with
promoting
that it is
going to
talk about
gaming.

All of these
things help to
relate to each
other and also
helps the
magazine and
radio advert to
promote the
documentary.
Presenter of
documentary,
image on the
magazine and
voice is on
the radio
advert.

Experts from the

documentary, also images
on the magazine and
specks within the radio

Quotes used from

the documentary,
included in the
magazine and said
in radio advert.

Reflection

Overall through the combination of our main product and ancillary texts they
has been a positive outcome as most of the key areas, such as presenter,
expert, background are all effectively combined together. So that our target
audience knows that these three productions are talking about the same
thing, meaning they would get interested and would want to watch the
documentary.

The disadvantages I would say that we did not do to the best of its ability is
the brand identity, this needed to be much more clear and should be
continuous throughout the products that we made. Also not all of the areas
effectively combined together such as Vox pops and Mise-en-scene, that are
not used through all three of the products.

Therefore I feel that we have achieved the combination within our three
products and that our target audience would be able to see the relation
between them and get interested and watch the program. Also I feel that the
products have been done to a high standard as it has the key codes and
conventions that helps to relate them all together.