What is media?

Media is a form of communication and a way for companies to make communication with its audience. It is also a form of entertainment.

What is a soap opera? A soap opera is a fictional programme that is shown most days on TV with a continuous story line. It focus' on a specific location and is a dramasation.

Codes and conventions- realism, settings, characters, narrative themes, structure and format.

History- the term “soap opera” was first used by members of the American press to describe some of the first radio shows being produced and sponsored by companies of cleaning products. The first soap opera was in 1930.

Examples- Eastenders, Coronation street, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, Doctors, Neighbours

Viewing figures- Coronations highest viewing figures this year is 8,240,000 and their lowest is 5,170,000.

Prominent actors- Craig Charles, Anne Kirkbade (coronation street).

Cost- coronation street costs £50,000 per episode on average but for special episodes with special effects it can cost up to £1 million.

What is a doccumentury? A documentary is non fictional and is fact based. The facts are usually based on a certain subject. It portrays real life and is informative.

Codes and conventions- voice over, real footage, technicality, interviews with experts, sounds, setups, visual coding.

History- documentaries began when the first films were made by the Lumiere brothers in 1895.

Examples-  Steve jobs, Amy, Meru, Finders keepers, blackfish.

Viewing figures-  Educating Yorkshire got an audience of 2.62 million in one night.

Prominent actors- major documentary presenters include David Attenborough and Louis Thoruex.

Costs- Five years in the making, Planet Earth cost $25 million to produce and involved 71 camera people filming in 62 countries across the globe. The crew used cutting-edge filming techniques and technologies to capture all sorts of wild creatures doing what they do.

What is an advert? An advert is a short video clip or sound clip which promotes a product or service. It is shown in a lot of ways such as on websites, radio stations and TV.

Codes and conventions-  shot types, music, special effects, computer graphics, camera angles, editing, lighting.

History- commercial messages have been found in the ruins of Pompeii and ancient Arabia dating all the way back to even the Egyptians.

Examples- Coke, Cadburys, Andrex, Evian, Sky, EE.

Prominent actors- David Tennent, Cheryl Cole, Johnny Vegas.

Costs- the Cadburys gorilla advert cost an average of £700,000