GS Worksheet 6

Worksheet 6: my TV Game Show

Aim: To explore the importance of the formats, questions and prizes

 

PITCH SUMMARY – OUTLINE THE MAIN FEATURES OF YOUR OWN TV GAME SHOW:

 

My game show is called: Beat the Pleb

 

The Target Audience is:

Age: 12+    Location: Studio in Norwich   Ethnicity: N/A    Gender: Both

 

Demographic: C1-A

 

Psychographics – Reformers and Aspirers

 

The contestants will be: A panel of celebrities and one regular person who has very good trivia knowledge.

 

Demographic: C1-A

 

Psychographics – Explorers and Succeeders

 

Host – who will I audition and why? 
Jack Whitehall, because we need a well-known celebrity that will react comically to the knowledge of the “Pleb”, and the ignorance of the celebrities.

 

Any other use of celebrities?

A panel of 4 B-list celebrities with one well known one as the team captain is set up.

 

What type of games / questions / rounds will you have?

There will be a selection of trivia questions which are catered towards the “Pleb” winning, and making the celebrities look ignorant. They are asked and the first to buzz in with the correct answer wins a point. If they get it wrong the answer passes to the other team. If they get it wrong, then no-one gets points and the next question is asked. This is round one. In round two there will be a team based game for the celebrities, where they have to compete as a team against the “Pleb” e.g. they have to dodge the “Pleb” firing eggs at them from an egg cannon for a minute. Whichever side wins gets 5 points. In the third round, the “Pleb” answers questions for points whilst the celebrities compete in a team based task for points. The final round has a random one of the celebrities go head to head with the “Pleb”. There is a random, completely pointless task that they have to complete to earn a massive 15 points. This gives the trailing team a chance to redeem themselves. It could be anything from who can drink a litre of undiluted orange squash the quickest, or scoop the most baked beans out of a tray into a bucket using their fingers. The team with the most points at the end of the show wins. The “Pleb” will win £5000, and the celebrity team gets a joke prize, like a pack of rice and some chopsticks.

USP

The USP of the show is that a normal person gets to compete against celebrities which makes the show unique because most game shows only put celebrities against celebrities or the public against the public.

Synergy

The show could work with other companies as the celebrity team could be made of actors in new TV shows or films to advertise both shows. If a celebrity released a new product they could also talk about it when being asked questions. Some of the questions being asked could also be about certain brands.

Reception Theory

Stuart Hall's reception theory is a theory which states that different audiences interpret media in their own way. How the audience interprets the media depends on their experience. The theory states that the more similar experiences the audience shares with the creator of the media the more likely the audience is to interpret the media in the intended way.

GS Worksheet 5

1. The application forms show that the producers of the game shows are looking for someone entertaining to be on their game show. Not necessarily smart or funny, but entertaining for the audience. If it's a game show based on physical accomplishment, such as Ninja Warrior, they look for fit, healthy people to take part. If it is a game show based on mental prowess, such as Countdown, they will tend to look for more intelligent people, so that the audience do not get frustrated with the contestants.
Specific Psychographics/Demographics:
The Cube: Mainstreamers/Succeeders, C1-B
Ninja Warrior: Aspirers/Explorers, D-C1
Countdown: Resigned/Succeeders, C1-A



2. 
Ninja Warrior
- Would you describe yourself as fit/healthy/sporty?
- State 3 interesting personal qualities.
- Do you have an interesting party trick that you could perform on the show?

The Cube
- What is your job?
- What makes you think that you could beat The Cube?
- Name 3 interesting personal qualities 

Countdown
- What qualifications do you have?
- What is your job?
- What are your hobbies?

3. When selecting contestants, producers have to make sure that they are capable of competing the tasks set in the game show. However, they can't choose anyone too capable, or the show would seem too easy, and wouldn't be entertaining for the audience to watch. As well as this, they need to make sure that the contestants won't change too much because of the pressure of the show.

4. What do you think the demographics of the target audience for each of the three shows are?
The Cube: All ages. 
Ninja Warrior: Anyone up to 40. Catered towards male audience.
Countdown: Anyone over 30.
All shows try to appeal to all demographics

5. What do you think the psychographics of the target audience for each of the three shows are?
The Cube: Mainstreamers/Succeeders
Ninja Warrior: Aspirers/Explorers/Mainstreamers

Countdown: Resigned/Mainstreamers

GS Worksheet 4

GS Worksheet 3

Lighting Key Definitions

Type of Lighting	Definition
High-Key Lighting	Lighting that results in predominantly middle-gray to white tones.
Low-Key Lighting	Lighting that results in predominantly gray to middle-black tones with few light areas.
Spotlighting	To adjust a focusing light toward maximum intensity and minimum beam angle.
Back Lighting / Silhouetting	Dark shapes and figures that are set against a light background. Silhouettes have both simplicity and impact, even on small screens.   Back Light separates subject from background, saints from sinners, and one pro from another.
Colour filters	A series of camera and printer filters available in gradual steps which can be used to correct color balance or to distort it for special effects. Range 1: red to blue; Range 2: magenta to green.
Floor Lights	Lights in the floor. Illuminate the host or contestants from below, to give them a sense of power to the viewer.
Neon strips	Neon lighting to give a soft glow to something
Changes in light	Dimming or brightening to shift the mood from tense to triumphant, or similar

Game Shows

Generic Convention	Game Show 1: All Star Family Fortunes	Game Show 2: The Weakest Link	Game Show 3: Pointless	Game Show 4: A League Of Their Own
Set in a television studio. Set design often includes a podium behind which the contestant stands.  Light is often an important element of the mise-en-scene with lights dimmed or spotlights used to heighten dramatic tension.	Podium for the host, podiums for the separate families. Illuminated blue and purple lighting. Warm lighting	Podium for the host. Podiums for the contestants surround the host in a semi-circle. Lighting is bright and harsh, colour scheme is dark colours, then light where the contestants are. Makes the contestants feel like they’re under pressure, causing them to make amusing mistakes	Each pair has a podium on one side. The assistant has a podium like a desk. The main host stands Slightly to one side between the assistant and contestants. Warm colours. Purple and orange.	Set in a tv studio with a big stage so the games can be played. Spotlights on the contestants and host. Warm lighting illuminating the stage
The host is sometimes a key element of the show and is often someone whose ‘A list days’ are over; a TV star from a different TV genre; a comedian.  The host often holds cards as an aide-memoire for introducing contestants. Traditionally the host is male, accompanied by a ‘glamorous assistant’.	Vernon Kay. Popular UK host. Conventionally handsome. Charismatic. Northern accent sounds friendly/warm.	Anne Robinson. Witty, sharp. Cold/cruel to the contestants. Harsh features, but not ugly. Well spoken, with harsh annunciations.	The main host is charismatic and ask the questions. He is there to make the show interesting. The assistant is clever and is there to make the facts seem reliable.	James Corden. A-list Celebrity. Comedian, male.
Contestants apply to join the show and vary in age and background.  They are selected because they have something about them, which will help make the show successful or are selected at random. Contestants are sometimes selected from the studio audience.	Contestants are celebrities and their families. Having family contestants suits prime time slot. Representation applies to most categories of people. Having celebrities appeals to more people, as we are in a celebrity focused age of media (celebrity sells)	Contestants are regular people from lower demographics and psychographics, so people with less general knowledge can relate to them, and people with more general knowledge feel cleverer.	Pairs with varying professions and personalities to relate to all audiences but usually more middle age and older people as more people of this age watch the show.	Three contestants on every show who bring along members more to their team. They tend to be famous sport heroes or comedians
The games can vary from physical tasks to practical or puzzle-solving tasks -	No games	No games	No games	The games tend to be physical games that don’t last long but make the audience laugh.
The questions (if it is a quiz/gameshow hybrid) can vary depending on the target audience.  They are usually set independently. Contestants usually know what type of questions they’ll be asked; often start easy and get harder. Technology has increased the way audiences and contestants can see & respond to questions.	Based on a survey given to a hundred people. Simple, relatable questions with multiple possible answers and mainstream appeal to give the audience a chance. Points are awarded based on the amount of people who gave a certain answer.	Starts with simple trivia questions that become increasingly more difficult as the prize pool increases and the rounds get higher.	Questions with multiple answers. All answers are allowed if they are correct. The more obscure answers get fewer points.	The questions don’t require much sport knowledge but they do involve sport heroes. They are questions which anyone can answer so they have a wide appeal.
The prizes can be large e.g. cars and holidays or small e.g. a glass bowl. Sometimes the prize is the title of being the champion. Usually even the losers go away with something even if it just the experience.	Money to charity (charity sells). Moral exhibitionism – people do charitable things just to look good. Money to charity because people might resent celebrities getting more.	In daytime episodes, the maximum possible winnings are £10,000; in primetime and special celebrity charity episodes, the maximum is £50,000.	You get a trophy and money. The amount depends on the episode.	The prizes are only titles for being a winner, it is competitive but for comedic reasons – the teams do not win anything.
Gimmicks or catchphrases are often used to make each show original and become part of the national consciousness.	“Our survey says…” Intertextuality – using phrases from other media. “Nice to see you…To see you nice!” – Bruce Forsyth (Strictly Come Dancing, The Price is Right)	“You are… The Weakest Link”	The group with the least points win.	There are no catchphrases
Music often used first as a catchy theme tune and then as mood music to increase tension or to signal different parts of the show.	Upbeat, catchy music	Dramatic intro music to build anticipation. Dramatic music when something important is about to happen.	Up beat music in the intro. Tense music increasing in pitch after an answer to build tension	They use the same theme tune when they introduce the show at the start or after breaks.

The Weakest Link

In The Weakest Link, a group of 9 people answer questions in sequence. As more questions are answered correctly, the prize money increases. A player may say bank before their question is completed, and the prize money will be stored. If a player answers incorrectly and does not bank the money, the money is lost and the chain is broken. If the contestant takes too long to answer, the chain is also broken. The contestants then vote for who they think was the weakest link (lost the most money). The contestant voted out leaves the show. The strongest link then starts the next round. If the strongest link was voted out, then the second strongest link starts. In the UK version, the final round has a 90-second triple stake round with no voting but money is still to be earned. After the final round, a head-to-head contest is played, with 5 questions asked to each player in turn. If there is a tie, the game continues to sudden death. The loser goes home with nothing.

The objective is to get to the final round, and win. The winner goes home with all of the money in the bank.

 The show typically has contestants from the C1/C2 demographic, and this is because they want the contestants to get enough questions right on the show to be entertaining for the audience, but they obviously don't want to give out the maximum prize money immediately.

The host is Anne Robinson. She maintains a hostile persona towards the contestants, which, despite its apparent reality, is very entertaining to the audience. She constantly insults the contestants, but in later episodes, especially on the American TV show, she became less hostile, perhaps to suit the humour of the American audiences more.

In the opening credits, all of the contestants are shown together on a couch. The opening graphics roll (a chain with the name of the show in it). Then the contestants are shown on their podiums with a bright spotlight shining behind them as they state their age, name and occupation.

BBC originally funded the show, and this was paid for by the national TV license. The highest winnings in the prime time version were £24,100. I couldn't find any viewing figures.

My Pitch:
Imagine Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, except based on teamwork, and the host hates everyone, and you can't actually be a millionaire.

Uses and Gratifications Theory

The Uses and Gratifications Theory is the idea that audiences seek out entertainment to fit their needs. This implies that media sources should compete for the attention of the audience. The idea is that the consumer will seek out the form of media based on these basic categories:
Identify - The audience should be able to identify with someone in the media.
Educate - To obtain knowledge
Entertainment - The media should entertain the audience
Social Interaction - The media should be a topic of conversation outside of being consumed
The Internet has led to instant gratification in the media, especially now that Google means the consumer can find whatever they want to.

Audience Survey

Audience Survey (please circle your answer)

Which genre of music do you prefer?

Rock         Alternative       Pop        Grime         Rap

 

What platform do you watch music videos on?

Youtube           Vimeo         MTV          Other

 

What format of music video do you prefer?

Performance              Narrative               Combination

 

What is your favourite song/music video?

 

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Equipment List

Technical Items

 

ITEM	TECHNICAL SPEC.	DAMAGE COST	GET FROM / RETURN TO
Camera	Nikon DS3200	£150	Sam’s Mum
Spare Cables	Micro-USB	£15	Sam’s Mum
Battery charger	12V mains-to-USB charger	£20	Sam’s Mum
SD Cards	32GB card	£10	Sam’s Mum
Umbrella	An umbrella	£5	Louis’ Mum

 

Props

ITEM	TECHNICAL SPEC.	DAMAGE COST	GET FROM / RETURN TO
Pocket Watch	ESS Pocket Watch WP101	£5	Sam

 

Costumes

ITEM	DESCRIPTION.	DAMAGE COST	GET FROM / RETURN TO
Sam’s Clothes	Casual Clothes	£20	Sam
Louis Clothes	Casual Clothes	£20	Louis
Alec’s Clothes	Casual Clothes	£20	Alec
Robert’s Clothes	Casual Clothes	£20	Robert

 

Make-up

ITEM	DESCRIPTION	DAMAGE COST	GET FROM / RETURN TO
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A