Coursework Research for Brief One

Silver Lining Productions -  new TV show for E4

This is the hardest brief this year (in my opinion!) because you can't make a trailer or write for an existing magazine.

If you choose to make print products, you have the option to produce materials for an advertising campaign to be published in the magazines your target audience read. There are some examples below:

The basic features to note are the tagline, the fact that main characters and their personalities are being established, and the background which introduces the 'geek' theme of the show. However, you would need to add the channel your show will be on and some links to your online advertising campaign.

This advert for 'The Valleys' makes the start time and genre of the show clear. The juxtaposition of the very dressed up characters with the rain clouds and sheep makes it clear that though 'the valleys' are in Wales, the show isn't going to stereotypically 'Welsh.'

This clever advert for 'True Blood' was part of their wider viral advertising campaign. It deliberately deceives the reader into thinking it's some kind of drink advert.

If you type 'TV Show print adverts' into Google, you will find lots of examples but it would also be worth your while finding the original advert. Have a look through magazines like 'More' and 'Heat'.

The second option is to produce the front cover for a specialist souvenir magazine to promote the show. You should still use the house style and layout of an existing magazine as a guide. Here's the front cover of X Factor magazine to give you an idea:

For broadcast, you can choose from creating opening scenes, viral adverts or a radio show appearance. It will be easy to find examples of the opening scenes of existing shows - make sure you look at the first episode. The first episode of Skins, for example, is on YouTube: Skins episode 1
The challenge here is to get everything into 2 minutes - you must establish location, character and narrative themes. If you include a titles sequence you might find you have more scope to do this. you're also going to need some decent actors.

The second option is viral advertising. This must not be a trailer. The key with viral adverts is to trick the viewer into believing they're not really watching an advert. They usually fit in with wider campaigns like fake websites and print advertising. Twitter is also used to promote virla campaigns and get the audience involved in them through Hashtags. This viral video was made to promote 'True Blood:'



Viral videos for TV shows are quite tricky to find, so if you're struggling, campaigns to promote films would do. Look at the viral marketing campaigns for The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and Super 8.

Finally there is the option to record part of a radio show. You would need a decent microphone to record with and you would also need to be creative - a simple recording of an interview isn't going to show off many technical skills.