TV Crime Drama Conventions

Conventions are things you expect to see. For example, in TV Crime drama you expect to see the police (a bit obvious).

Think about TV Crime Drama (or even films) that you have seen and do the following:
list as many conventions as possible. 

• Give clear examples from a TV programme or film for each convention.
•  Add images to each one to illustrate. 
• Aim for at least 15 conventions.

You will be doing something similar after you have watched Cuffs and The Avengers.

Extension task

Cuffs research

Find out the following:

• Cast names
• Director
• Writer
• Producer
• Location
• Brief plot outline for episode 1

Add images - particularly of the cast.

Cuffs - Research

• What company produced it?
• How many episodes were made?
• Where was it filmed?
• What channel was it broadcast on?
• Find viewing figures for every episode?
• What was the critical response for the series? In particular, focus on episode 1 - find a number of reviews that express different opinions (if possible).
• What is the mission statement and/ or ethos of the BBC?
• What type of programmes are broadcast on BBC1? Why is this?

Magazine Glossary - Media Terms you need use when analysing magazines.

Masthead – The name and logo of the magazine.

The Lead – the introductory paragraph of an article. Usually written in bold or capitals.

Body copy - refers to the text of your written articles, which should be produced as a printed presentation to accepted industry standards, e.g. correct use of language, font size, word limits etc. Usually written in columns.

Serif font – fonts like Times New Roman, or Baskerville Old Face, which have little bars (serifs) on the end of the letters.

Sans serif font – fonts like Impact, or Agency FB, which do not have little bars (serifs) on the end of the letters.

Drop Capitals – Really big letter, which start off an article.

Cross Head – Small sub-heading used to split up a large block of text.

White Space – white parts of a page other than text or pictures.

Mode Of Address – How the magazine talks to the audience.

Sell Lines – Text on the cover that helps to sell the magazine to the audience. Kerrang!’s sell line is “life is loud”.

Banners – text, which stands out because its on a coloured background.

House Style – a magazines distinctive design that distinguishes it from its competitors.

Borders – the gaps at the edges of the page.

Gutters – the gaps between the columns of text.

Leading - the space between lines of text.

Kerning - the space between letters.

Strap Lines – a smaller headline, printed above the main headline.

By-lines - name of the person who wrote the article. Picture Credits - where did the photos come from, or who took them.

Anchorage – The way in which text helps to pin down the meaning of a picture and visa versa.

Evaluation: How good is my first draft Double Page Spread?

Evaluating your own work is an important part of media production work. You need to be able to work out whether your product will be successful enough to appeal to your target audience and therefore make any money.

Task:
1. Save your photoshop file as a JPEG image.
2. Paste it onto a landscape Word document.
3. Find a professional magazine to compare it with. Ideally, this will be the double page spread you originally found to inspire you to plan your flat plan layout.
4. Label the conventions used by both your double page spread and the professional one. Conventions are the things all double page spreads will use such as: title, main Image, graphics, text boxes, columns, page numbers, branding, a quote taken from the text and fonts.
5. Explain how both pages appeal to their target audience. Compare the two products in terms of appeal.
6. Evaluate the success of your product. What improvements do you think you need to make.

Need extra help with what to write in your evaluation in your exercise book today? Answer these questions in turn:
a) Describe the target audience of your magazine and the professional magazine. Refer to demographics (age, gender, occupation, lifestyle, income, social groups). 
b) Explain how both magazines use colour to attract their target audience. Who do bright, colourful pages appeal to?
c) Explain how both magazines use font to suggest the tone of their article. Comment on whether the font seems sophisticated or young and upbeat. For example, swirly traditional fonts may suggest tradition whereas bubble fonts suggest youthful fun.
d) Explain how both magazines use their key image effectively. Who appears in the magazine reflects the aspirations (ambitions) of the audience. People like to read about people who inspire them. Comment on who appears on both magazines and why they will appeal to the readers of that magazine.
e) Explain how both magazines have used language register to appeal to the target audience. What tone is created by their style of vocabulary and sentence structure?
f) Explain how both magazines have used white space, page furniture, sub headings and graphics (including logos, boxes, quotes in bold larger fonts and page numbers) to help the audience navigate the article easily.
g) Explain how both magazines have branded the magazine on the double page spread. What does the logo and font say about the style of magazine?
h) What changes do you think you need to make on your first draft to improve your final double page spread?