I have also done a blog post previously explaining more about the codes and conventions of scripted reality.
Click on the link below to view more about scripted reality.
http://stephaniegreena2mediacw.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/melodramas.html
The best way for me to answer this question is to show my soap and existing soap operas and annotate the simularities, differences and subversions.
Trailer
Below is my final trailer for The Mancunian Way alongside an existing trailer of Made in Chelsea.
The real made in chelsea trailer is very extravaggant and high budget made. Our trailer could not be like this due to a a number of reasons; location, time, budget and number of actors and camera crew. The trailer above for made in chelsea is more for a whole series trailer whereas, my trailer would be more of a trailer of just one episode. Therefore I am going to compare my trailer to the video below, which is a trailer for one episode of made in chelsea.
The presentation below shows a series of screenshots and notes on how my trailer uses, develops and challenges the conventions of a real, existing trailer.
USED
From The Made in Chelsea trailer, I have used most of the conventions. For example my trailer is the same time length as the existing version, we both have used buttons/stickers on the end slide to highlight and put across to the audience the show and how to watch it.
DEVELOPED
I have developed some conventitions of a trailer as I wanted to include title cards in my trailer to make it look more proffesional. On the exsisting version this is not always a key concept so I decided to include them on my trailer so that viewers can have a quick summary of what is to come.
CHALLENGED
The challenges that I made in my trailer, were challenges from a Made in Chelsea trailer and not general trailers. The non diagetic sound usually begins in a Made in Chelsea trailer after a seperate scene to introduce the trailer and highlight different parts of the drama. I choose to play the music throuhgout the whole of my trailer so that all the scenes flow together and link more suffiently.
Ancillary Front Cover
Below is my version of a front cover for a soap/tv magazine. I followed the conventions of Fabulous magazine, as my soap has simular codes and conventions to the ones that appear on a Fabulous magazine front cover.
The features, layout, star and masthead are all simular and follow the conventions of the fabulous magazine seen below.
The powerpoint below explains in detail with screenshots of how I used, developed and challenged the conventions of an existing product.
USED
As you can see by looking at the two front covers above, I have replicated most of the conventions of a tv magazine. For example I have copied the font style, features layout, quotes, image and the main feature which is anchored onto the star. By replicating a design it is clear that Ifully understand the conventions needed on a sucessful front cover. The main feature or the 'hook' is anchored onto the star to immediatly illustrate to the auidence that it is about him.
DEVELOPED
The only main convention that I have developed from an exsiting front cover, is the background colour. Mine is alot brighter and therefore stands out to the reader as it will catch there eyes more than the existing version - which has a fairly dull background.
CHALLENGED
I have challenged one convention on my magzine front cover, that is the stars choice of clothing. I choose to dress him in more downgraded clothes than a suit which it was a star normally wears on a front cover. This was a change that I made for a reason. It was done because my soap - The Mancunian Way follows conventions from Made in Chelsea but only the basic conventions. As my soap was based in Manchester and not a rich area like Chelsea, it was nesaccary for me to down grade the characters, even though they all have posh names, the names seem a little less exclusive to the names that usually appear in an episode of Made in Chelsea.
Another way in which I could of challenged conventions would be to mix two different magazine front covers and create mine. I followed the conventions of a classy magazine so I could of followed conventions from a trashy magazine aswell. Here is a seperate blog post which illustrates and annotates the two different sub-genres of magazines...
Ancillary Poster/Billboard
Below is my final billboard poster. I have choice to compare it to The Only Way is Essex billboard instead of a Made in Chelsea poster as the M.I.C version is very boring and plain.
The poster that I have compared it to, is a version from T.O.W.I.E which like Made in Chelsea and The Mancuinan Way is a scripted reality tv show.
Below I have put together a powerpoint show, stating how I have used, developed and challenged conventions of a poster in my own version.
USED
From looking at my poster and the T.O.W.I.E version it is clear that I followed most of the conventions of a billboard poster. By replicating the poster it made it easy for me to create a design that would appeal to an auidence and not be rejected. For example I have made each character a seperate colour so that they are all unique and stand out from one another. Using bright coloured backgrounds would make my poster stand out in the quick seconds that it would be viewed in.
DEVELOPED
I have developed conventions of a poster as on the existing version all of the stars are looking at the camera/auidence and guving out direct address to the viewer. I decided to develop this so that my stars are all looking at Tarquin - who appears on my magazine front cover and most of all in my trailer. If the viewer had not seen my trailer then they would wonder why they are all looking at him an it would hook them into watching the soap.
CHALLENGED
The main way in which I challenged the conventitions of an existing product was by including text onto my poster. The existing T.O.W.I.E psoter doesn't include any text so the audience can not relate to it. For mine I wanted the viewer to instantly know how to find the programme and once they had seen the poster, each time they see it again, they will instantly remember which soap it is. However this conventition is only a challenge from the T.O.W.I.E version I have looked at because most soap trailers do include text and the channel logo.
OVERALL
On the whole, I used convention ofexisting products in all off my work; trailer and two ancillaries. The main conventions I followed were the use of camera shots in my trailer and the charcaters personalities. On my ancillaries, I followed conventions by mimiking the layouts and codes of a front cover or billboard.
I have challenged conventions by sometimes breaking the barrier in my trailer with different shots and giving away more of the drama than a normal soap trailer would. I have also broke conventions of a Made in Chelsea poster by re creating my own in a new style as the previous, existing version was plain and didn't stand out.
I have also developed conventions by adding in title cards at the end of the trailer, ratehr than in the middle - this reminds the reader what is to come and does not tell them the hole plot like typical Made in Chelsea trailers do.
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