Evaluation Task

Evaluation Task:  In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

-Title

City High title challenges a real opera stereotypical name by misleading the audience to make believe that it is some sort of an American Drama series, however it is based in England and based on real life events that teenagers live within their everyday life. City High compared to a typical soap opera name such as Hollyoaks or Eastenders does not giveaway the area which it is set in or the type of characters it might have. This is effective because it misleads the audience therefore it may keep the audiences interest interacted to the soap.

-Setting

The setting used in City High challenges a real soap opera such as Eastenders because it is not a set. The settings used for City High are natural settings such as the house, the school, field and grave yard. These setting were chosen because they are typical settings of an everyday lifestyle of a student, therefore the conventions used for the setting is not challenged but used due to each lifestyle and situation has different settings linked to them. This was effective for City High because it makes it different compared to other soaps therefore the audience of a young audience is able to relate to the settings.

-Costume/props

In City High the basic costumes and props are used to make the soap look as real as possible, due to the realism which is expected in the soap of real life situations and the realism of characters, therefore as seen in this picture, the characters are wearing simple normal realistic costumes, and the people who are walking in the back ground as casual students are real students. Compared to a real soap opera City High is not a set which also challenges the concept of a real soap opera. This is effective because the costumes and props make the soap more realistic, therefore the audience is able to relate to the soap as normal people, without exaggeration.

-Camerawork/editing

The Camerawork used in City High does challenge the kind of camera work used in a stereo typical camera conventions of soap opera because some of the camera shots used are from a handheld camera which makes the shots look as if the audience is placed directly in the soap. The City High trailer is editing to be both fast and slow so that is it able to give the audience a sense of storyline but also to mislead them. This challenges the conventions of a soap opera trailer because it isn't as quick and it shows backgrounds to more than one character or storyline. This is effective because the camera techniques and editing techniques are either able to mislead the audience or keep them questioned.

-Title/font/Style

The slides used in between the clips of the trailer are very simple with a black background and the writing is in white to stand out. The font used is straight forward font (Calibri) so that the audience can read it clearly, this does not challenge the conventions of a soap opera because title/font/style are all developed in a specific way so that the audience can read it. This is effective because it does not cause any difficulties for the audience to read it, therefore the audience does not have to struggle with the pace and the clear view of reading it.

-Narrative/ storylines and how they are set up

There are many storylines and narratives in City High. The storylines all can relate to todorovs theory with having an disruption, equilibrium and a resolution, because just like reality there are ups and downs. All characters have their own storylines however they are all connected. This conveys the conventions of a soap opera because in a soap opera all characters have their own story and events however they are still linked.  This is effective because the audience is able to relate to the characters.

-Genre and how the sequence suggests it

The trailer sequence suggests that the soap operas genre is partly a chick flip, however this is a Drama and a social realism soap opera. This sequence suggests this by show that all four girls have different back stories and regrets. The  trailer suggests that City High is mainly based around girls, however the trailer only shows parts of the cause and reaction of situations. This is effective because the audience is mislead therefore they only believe what they see from the trailer but when they watch it, they will see other vital characters.

-Soundtrack

The soundtrack is slow and smooth to cause a slow effect that sounds like a Bob Marly soundtrack, however the soundtrack was chosen not only because it is slow but the lyrics also because it is able to indirect to situations in the trailer. The soundtrack is able to cause emotion and even more tension for the audience, also the way that the trailer has been edited with a sum of slow motions and a sum of fast motions that soundtrack works well. This makes it very effective the trailer sequence is able to convey more emotion with this soundtrack, therefore the audience is able to sit down and watch the trailer,