1. EVALUATION QUESTIONS: Preparation for Interview
QUESTION 1: IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL
MEDIA PRODUCTS?
CAMERAWORK, EDITING, SOUND AND MISE-EN-SCENE:
WE USED TWO SHOTS, SHOT-REVERSE-SHOT’S AND CLOSE UPS TO ALLOW THE
AUDIENCE TO SEE THE REAL EMOTION ON THE ACTOR’S FACES. THROUGH
RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT MANY OF TODAY’S POPULAR SOAP PROGRAMS USE BCU’S
TO CAPTURE THE EMOTION, CREATING TENSION AND CLIMAXES. WE ALSO USED
FOOTAGE THT WAS SHOT THROUGH THE FENCE IN A PARK TO MAKE THE AUDENCE
FEEL AS THOUGHT THEY ARE SPYING ON THE CHARACTERS AS THEY LIVE THEIR
LIVES.
THE MUSIC I USED, I FELT, SUITED THE TRAILER AND THE SOAP GENRE BECAUSE IT’S
MODERN, HAS GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR ‘THOUGHT BEATS’ IN EDITING AND IT
SUITED THE STORIES THAT WERE TAKING PLACE IN THE SOAP ITSELF. AN EXAMPLE
WOULD BE THE HOLLYOAKS TRAILER FOR MERCEDES AND RILEY’S WEDDING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK8bt7M74lA
THE COMBINATION OF THE SOUND AND IMAGES SUITED BECAUSE THE MUSIC
INCREASED IN TEXTURE AND TEMPO DURING THE FIGHT SEQUENCES, AND
CRESCENDOED TOWARDS THE END CREATING A CLIMAX.
I LIKED THE IDEA OF A VERY FAST EDITED TRAILER, BUT NOT JUST TO CREATE A
CLIMAX, BUT TO SHOW THE AUDIENCE THAT THE CHARACTER’S LIVES ARE JUST AS
FAST-PACES AS THEIRS. I USED SLOW-MOTION HEAD TURNS DURING THE TRAILER
TO EMPHASISE JUST WHO THE SCENES WERE REFERRING TO AND TO EMPAHSISE
THE STORYLINES THEY WERE IN. I PURPOSELY PUT A SLOW MOTION IMAGE OF ALL
THE CHARACTERS AT THE END TO TELL THE AUDIENCE THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE
OF THEM IS INVOLOVED IN THE PLOT.
TO KEEP THE AUDIENCE INFORMED AND
GUESSING AS TO WHAT IS GOING THE HAPPEN IN
THE PROGRAM, I CREATED TITLE CARDS USING
‘OneNote’ TO PUT PERIODICALLY IN MY TRAILER.
ALL TOGETHER THEY SAY: “ENEMIES COLLIDE, IN A
BATTLE OF POWER. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, AND ALL
HOPE IS LOST, YOU FIGHT. BUT WHO WILL BE
THERE, TO SAVE YOU, WHEN YOU FALL?” THE
AUDIENCE KNOW THAT THE BOYS ARE GOING TO
FIGHT AND THAT ALL THREE OF THEM ARE
ENEMIES WITH EACH OTHER AT SOME POINT, BUT
THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS THAT IF YOU FIGHT
AND FALL, WHO WILL BE THERE TO PICK YOU UP
AFTERWARDS.

2. LOCATIONS, PROPS AND COSTUMES:
1. CHAPEL:THIS WAS NEEDED FOR THE WEDDING SCENE BECAUSE WE WANTED THE
SCENE TO LOOK LIKE IT WASN’T PREPARED FOR – IN OTHER WORDS, A SHOT-GUN
WEDDING.ELLIE WAS DRESSED IN A PINK DRESS, RATHER THAN WHITE TO SHOW
THAT THE WEDDING WAS A LAST MINUTE DECISION AND SHE DIDN’T HAVE THAT
MUCH TIME TO GET READY.SHE ALSO BOUGHT A BUNCH OF RED ROSES TO USE, BUT
IN THE END, WE DECIDED TO USE JUST ONE BECAUSE IT WAS MORE SIGNIFICANT.
2. BAMFORD ARMS: WE KNEW THAT THIS PUB NEEDED TO BE USED AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT WAS THE NAMESAKE OF THE PROGRAM.
THE INSIDE SCENES WERE DARK AND SHIFTY, AND FOR GOOD REASON BECAUSE
THAT WAS WHERE JOHNNY AND MASON WERE PLOTTING RAV’S DOWNFALL. THE
TWO BOYS WERE DRESSED CASUALLY BECAUSE THEY ARE ENJOYING A NIGHT IN THE
PUB. THE OUTSIDE SCENES BETWEEN RAV AND BREE NEEDED TO BE BRIGHTER, AS
THOUGH IT WAS A ‘BEACON OF HOPE’ FOR BREE, BECAUSE SHE FINDS A CONFIDENT
IN RAV. THE FIGHT WAS ALSO FILMED OUTSIDE, BUT IN THE CAR PARK. WE FELT THIS
WAS THE BEST POSSIBLE LOCATION FOR THAT SCENE, BECAUSE FIGHTS ALWAYS
TAKE PLACE IN THE CAR PARK.JOHNNY ALSO USES A PINT GLASS BEFORE THE FIGHT
STARTS, TO SHOW THAT HE WAS WAITING FOR RAV AND HE HAD BEEN DRINKING –
HENCE WHY THE TWO BOYS GOT INTO A FIGHT SO EASILY. THE BOYS WERE ALL IN
CASUAL DRESS TO EMPHASISE THAT THEY WERE AT THE PUB.
3. STREET: WE WANTED TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THESE CHARACTERS ARE ALL
WORKING CLASS AND FROM AN OVER-POPULATED TOWN, WHICH IS WHY THE
STREET WE CHOSE WAS FULL OF TERRACED HOUSES. THE SCENE BETWEEN MASON
AND KATE WAS FILMED HERE, AS THOUGH THEY JUST CASUALLY BUMPED INTO
EACH OTHER. THIS CORRESPONDS WITH THE SOAP DRAMA, BECAUSE IN THE
EPISODES WE SEE ON TV, THE CHARACTERS ALWAYS FOUND EACH OTHER
INSTANTLY.
4. PARK: AT FIRST WE WEREN’T SURE WHICH PARK TO USE, SHOULD IT HAVE A PLAY
AREA? DOES IT HAVE BENCHES? ETC. IN THE END, WE FOUND A PARK THAT HAD
BOTH, WHICH IS HOW WE GOT THE SHOTS THROUGH THE FENCE. THE FAMILIARITY
OF THE PARK WITH THE CHARACTERS WAS ESSENTIAL AS WE WANTED IT TO SEEM
AS THOUGH THEY KNEW THE PARK VERY WELL, AS THOUGH THEY THEMSELVES AS
KIDS USED TO PLAY IN IT.
5. ALLEY: WE CHOSE TO DO THE SCENE BETWEEN MASON AND JOHNNY (DOING
DRUGS) IN AN ALLEY WAY TO EMPHASISE THE DANGERS AND THE SUSPICIOUS
EVENTS THAT OCCUR IN ONE. WHILST THE CHARACTERS ARE TEENAGERS, THEY STILL
GET UP TO A LOT OF TROUBLE.WE USED A ZIPPER BAG FILLED WITH SALT TO
SUBSTITUTE AS DRUGS – WE FOUND THAT IT WAS THE MOST REALISTIC
SUBSTITUTE.
6. TOILETS: WE CHOSE TO USE THE COLLEGE TOILETS, TO SHOW THAT THE
CHARACTERS ARE STILL YOUNG AND YET MANY THINGS ARE GOING WRONG WITH
THEM, I.E. BREE IS PREGNANT.BREE IS HOLDING A PREGNANCY TEST; THIS WAS THE
SIMPLEST PROP BECAUSE THE ACTION SPOKE LOUDER THAN ANY OF THE DIALOGUE.
BREE IS DRESSED IN A DRESS AND CARDIGAN TO SHOW THAT SHE MAY BE GETTING
READY FOR A NIGHT OUT.
INITIALLY, WE WANTED THE AUDIENCE TO RELATE TO THE CHARACTERS – WE MADE THE
COSTUMES STEREOTYPICAL, BUT ALSO MODERN. AT TIMES, THE COSTUMES PROTRAYED

3. THE CHARACTERS’ ATTITUDES AND FEELINGS IN THE SITUATIONS: FOR EXAMPLE, SASHA
WEARS A LEATHER JACKET TO SHOW THAT SHE IS MORE SOPHISTICATED THAN THE
OTHERS, SHE IS ALSO THE ‘BITCH’ SO IT GIVES HER POWER.
WE RELIED HEAVILY ON NATURAL LIGHTING, WHICH ENDED UP BEING OUR DOWNFALL
WHEN SHOOTING THE OUTSIDE SCENES. HOWEVER, WE GOT PAST IT, EVEN THOUGH IT
MADE THE FIGHT SEEM UNREALISTIC BECAUSE IT TOOK PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.