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Hi. My name is Jack, I'm 17 years old, and I'm taking Media Studies at Hills Road. This is my coursework blog. I've been tasked with producing a cross-media piece, consisting of a 2.5-3 minute audio-visual sequence, and a double page magazine spread and front cover. The video piece must be from an ITV or Channel 5 show of my creation, either factual or fictional, with a target audience aged 18-35, and containing either 'a key turning point, a point of significant conflict, or a resolution', while the print elements will contain interviews and promotional materials relating to the show. I haven't yet decided which channel, genre, or direction my piece is going to take, but I'm excited at what lies ahead. I'll be keeping my blog up-to-date with all my progress, so feel free to stick around and have a look!

Initial response to brief

I'm happy with the brief we've been given - it's broad enough that we have free reign over what sort of direction to take our piece in, but also provides some specifics to keep in mind. I'm leaning towards a drama at the moment, likely a crime drama, as it strikes me as the most interesting genre to tackle from a creative perspective. As such, my show will probably be for ITV, as they seem to have a better reputation for such shows - the name 'Channel 5' brings to mind a combination of Neighbours and overly-dramatic American dashcam police chases, neither of which are exactly my cup of tea. Stylistically, I also like the cinematic feel of certain ITV shows such as Broadchurch and Marcella, almost Nordic noir-esque in the way that shots are constructed and colours are graded, and this is likely the sort of style I will aim to replicate. These shows are popular with the 18-35 demographic, in particular the latter half, and so I feel like a piece along those sorts of lines will be a good fit for the brief.

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