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SCENARIO

 

Struggling to compete against other streaming services, Netflix have put out a call for a new 8-part series aimed primarily, though not necessarily exclusively, at a mid-teen audience. Having had huge success with Stranger Things, they are very open to hybrid genre pieces to replace that show since it is losing audience share. However, since more recent shows like Ginny and Georgia and Euphoria are trending strongly, they are also keen to see ideas for school/ family-based dramas.

 

Netflix would like you to research, develop and propose and idea for a new show, as well as some marketing materials. You will pitch your idea and show the marketing poster and the trailer for your show.

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Activity 1

You need to do some research. That means you will need to:

  • construct a research plan 

  • conduct the research

  • present the results

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Your teacher might teach you a bit about how research is conducted at this point.

To make this easier, here is a research plan you can use. You can add to it if you want. Note how it gathers qualitative and quantitative data, researches texts, audiences and markets, uses the proper vocabulary and is propery referenced at the end (use citethisforme or similar bibliography generator.)

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So your job is to conduct the research and gather the results. You will present them as part of your pitch.

Activity 2

You need to start generating ideas. You will need to be able to show how you are incorporating the results from your research into your thinking.

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You might begin with a mindmap. Remember, though, that you are actually going to be assessed on the appearance and content of this mindmap. Use something like mindmeister to keep it presentable if necessary.  

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Mindmapping and ideation in general work much better in groups. Get a group together; discuss your own ideas or collaborate on one mindmap (this will depend on whether your teacher has you working in groups or individually at this stage.) RECORD THE MEETING! Evidence is important in BTEC courses; if you make the effort to do something, make sure you gather evidence so you get credit for it.

Another way to generate and refine ideas is to produce moodboards for some of your ideas or generally to express what you think you want to achieve.

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As with your mindmap, you are going to have to explain what the purpose of the moodboard is and how it relates to your initial research and your ideas; so try not to create a series of random or repetitive images from the internet!

Activity 3

The next task is to decide which ideas to proceed with. You should have generated A LOT of possible ideas for Netflix shows and posters so far (if you haven't got a minimum of ten, you are not ready to move on yet!)

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One way to do this is by conducting a SWOT analysis for any idea which you think might be good enough to proceed with. It would be reasonable to do this for your top three ideas.

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You can use this template, or make your own.

Activity 4

The last thing to do for this section is to present your findings. This is your PITCH - when you actually go to the client (so it would be Netflix in this case) and show them:

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  • What research you have done

  • What your results suggest

  • What ideas you have come up with, using your mindmaps, moodboards and SWOT analyses to explain your thinking

  • Your final idea.

NOTE -we are not presenting the pitches yet; we will do that at the very end of the whole process. But you can start bringing your ideas together as a presentation.

Unit 1 Assessment

A minor interlude - the work you have done so far is practice for Unit 1. Here are the assessment criteria - how do you think you are doing?

Is your research effective?

Is it well presented?

Have you shown how you generated and selected ideas? Does your idea satisfy the brief?

Is your pitch (so far) detailed, clear, and engaging? 

Activity 5

Now, we need to plan the DELIVERABLES - the trailer and the promotional poster. We need to start with the pre-production. 

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This is going to demand that you low a bit about photographic composition so your class might start here.

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You can learn some vocabulary and concepts about print production here.

 

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Your teacher might suggest that you have a trial run at producing a magazine cover using the resources at the bottom of this page.

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Preproduction templates and checklists are here for your video work.

Activity 6

You need to shoot and edit your trailer. You can shoot in groups, but you edit individually. Your teacher will support you through this process.

Unit 4 Assessment

We skipped this bit! Next time!

Is your pre-pro 'basic', 'competent' or 'effective'? Could someone else make your trailer using your planning? If not, it isn't effective!

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