Evaluation Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

The effectiveness of the combination between my documentary and my ancillary tasks are suited and work hand in hand as I have created a brand identity for the products. This brand identity that I have created is the heart and soul of my media products; reason being the fact that brand identity is what enables audiences to make their own connections and engage. It is essentially how the platform wants to be perceived by consumers and it’s demographic, there are various components that formulate a brand identity for a specific product. These components can consist of: similar images used similar colours, wording, style, tone etc. It is all about denoting and reflecting the values of the product in order to appeal to its target audience. I strongly believe that I have indeed created a sense of brand identity for my media products as it is a crucial part of promoting the products. I have done this through utilising particular words, images, audio and dramatic techniques. The three key words that I have used include ‘tribal’, ‘rivalry’, and ‘football’ that are all featured in all of my media products – providing my main product and ancillary tasks with consistency and therefore a sense of brand identity. These three crucial words connote everything you need to know about my documentary from the sense of belonging relating to tribes, to football rivalry that encapsulates us as a society and morphs this demographic into something greater than one’s self. Thus why brand identity has been created through the use of well – written wording.

In addition, the visual aspects are just as important and images are paramount when it comes creating a brand identity for various products. I have executed this well by incorporating an extreme close-up of a tight frame with faces bearing tribal and football face paint within the mis-en-scene in order to connote these aspects. These shots were executed within the documentary itself and were featured in the middle of my print advertisement – when considering the Rule of Thirds. Once again, this is just another way I have formulated the concept of brand identity by connecting visual similarities to the documentary and the ancillary task.

Furthermore, when focusing on the target audience that listen more and pay attention to audio factors, this auditory audience requires the element of consistency when it comes to brand identity as well so that they can relate each product with ease. I have achieved this by implementing a dramatic sounding backing track in my radio advertisement and the dramatic sound track accompanying the documentary.

The rhythm and tone of the backing tracks and incredibly up-beat and fast moving with pace, doesn’t only capture your engagement but is a memorable experience as well. Therefore the audio aspect of creating a brand identity behind my media products can be considered a job well done!

I think that the design of my print ad will help promote and potentially sell the documentary to the audience as it provides the target audience with a sense of realisation as the demographic may not have made this link before. This moment of realisation that audiences will feel will entice them to think and urge their natural curiosity to find out more! The print ad demonstrates the connection between tribesmen and hooligan and will almost dare the audience to watch it as it features a ‘male gaze’ whereby the character in the mis-en-scene is staring directly at you. Also, in terms of the design, the two faces in the ad that are cut together connote and represent a split personality – which is exactly how my demographic are at football matches! As a result, the print ad itself is relatable to the target audience; consequently the documentary will sell itself. Moreover, the text used (Football Rivalry, A Tribal Culture) helps convey the message of the instinctive tribal element and the veracious football fan. Therefore, it is in my belief that my print advertisement will help ‘sell’ the documentary to the audience.

The radio ad created to help promote my documentary will indeed enhance its selling position to the audience as it clear, concise and clean cut. There are various influential factors consisting within the radio ad as of why it may help the promotion of the documentary. These include, the backing track, the description, the extract and the information provided at the end. The backing track is incredibly powerful and packs a punch at the end, ending on an impactful effect. It echoes the drama of the documentary and this conveyed message is reflected through the voice over the radio ad (the description element). The extract is particularly helpful in aiding the impact of the radio ad due to its tribal feeling; it really connects with the demographic. Furthermore, the radio ad tells the consumer exactly where to find it and what time, allowing the audience the convenience of just simply thinking about the documentary. Therefore, I believe that this radio ad will help ‘sell’ the documentary to the audience.

There are various elements within the ancillary tasks that do indeed communicate the genre of the documentary. The purpose behind this is to intrigue the demographic and encourage them to view the documentary for themselves. One aspect of the print ad that conveys the message of genre is the fact that the two sides of the face are attached with face paint. As part of the genre it is a hybrid genre (anthropology and sport), the football face paint on one side of the face is a clear genre signifier that the sub genre of sport is football. This genre indicator, which is classified under costume, communicates the genre immediately to the target audience that it will contain elements of football. In addition, the wording in which I use for the print ad states: ‘Football rivalry”. This piece of text for this particular ancillary task denotes the fact that football is involved. Also, within the radio ad another genre signifier for the sub genre ‘football’ is connoted through the use of dialogue covered by a voice over. The tone of voice in which I say: “Experience the rise and fall of the football hooligan” connotes that football is going to play a big part within my documentary; thus why it is considered a genre signifier. In terms of how the anthropology aspect of the hybrid genre is communicated to the audience, it is represented through the use of visuals. The fact that the face is split into two - connoting duel personality - signifies the element of human behaviour based on the very fact that personalities are all about human behaviour. The link here as of how anthropology is concerned comes down to the meaning of anthropology, it does indeed mean the study of human behaviour. Therefore, the connotation of split personalities allows the genre to be communicated to the audience.

In every piece of work you will find strengths and weaknesses of it because after all, we’re only human. In regards to my print advertisement, one weakness may be the fact that it could potentially be lacking consistency in the sense that the models featured within the advertisement don’t quite match the same character in the documentary.


via GIPHY

Thus the effectiveness of the combination of both my documentary and my print ad may be questioned. However, it could also be perceived as a strength as I believe it connotes that there is more than one of us who can relate. The fact that the characters are different signifies the fact that this type of demographic is found in groups instead of individuals. It could also represent that we are all equal in the sense that we share common goal, aspirations and beliefs. Although, if my print ad were to have a weakness, it would purely be the case that it lacks consistency. Another weakness of one of my media products could be that my documentary includes minimal exposure to various locations. The main locations were simply a football stadium, a studio and a police station. However, I think the narrative structure and the quality of the shots on hand compensate for the lack of locations. The technical codes of the shot types and movement do indeed recover the weakness mentioned above and fully embrace the good aspects of my documentary. Finally, the other ancillary task, the radio ad is strong in the sense that it wields the power to have an impact on the demographic. This is achieved through the use of a dramatic sounding backing track and the tone of voice used in the description of the documentary. The only weakness I would say the radio ad possesses is the length of it; it is a full 50 seconds and does drag on a little bit. Overall though, I am extremely pleased with the execution and outcome of all three of my media products.