Task 2 - The Vampire Diaries Extract Analysis

The Vampire Diaries - Series 1, Episode 1

In the opening of the extract, the first scene shown is a dark wood. The wood is very foggy and the camera pans very slowly through the scenery while a voice over introduces a currently unknown character. The scenery reflects the character’s words “for over a century, I have lived in secret, hiding in the shadows, alone in the world. Until now. I am a vampire”. This instantly builds audience interest within the first 15 seconds of the episode by introducing the overall genre of the series.  The use of a voice over introduces a vampire character without revealing their identity which increases the audience’s curiosity.

While the shot pan and the voice over plays, subtle, eerie background music plays, which gradually builds in volume and suspense until the words “I am a vampire” at which point the music ends with a thud and the screen turns black. The music helps to create an emotive response from the audience by creating fear and suspense. The speed at which the character speaks also increases, in time with the music, as it builds, which shows anticipation. The quick build-up of tension and then sudden darkness could signify the deaths of a vampire’s victims, their lives ending instantly. Once the screen turns black, the words “and this is my story” show what the episode or series will address, instantly engaging the audience. 

Following this, a guitar heavy song begins to play and the visual cuts from black to a high angle shot of a car driving down a dark road. The music suggests the scene will be happy, however the use of a high angle shot, which is partially obscured by a tree, could suggest the shot is from the point of view of the vampire who later attacks and kills the car’s occupants.

When the man and woman are driving back from a gig, the music playing initially has been added in post-production, while a mid-tracking shot shows the car driving down the road. The music slowly fades to become diegetic and appears to play from the radio as the camera cuts to the couple within the car. This triggers a personal response from the audience because there is a familiarity to a radio playing in the background. The radio cuts out after the couple hit a man with their car and changes back to eerie music, similar to that in the opening scene.

Just before the man who had been hit with the car attacks the driver of the vehicle, there is a close up shot of the man’s teeth. This clearly establishes the man as a vampire. Immediately the audience associates this with the character providing the voice over in the opening scene. 

This high angle zoom on the woman running from her boyfriend's attacker shows the vampire's dominance and strength over the woman. The shot is also from the point of view of the vampire, which shows the vampire quickly gaining speed and catching the woman.

Following the vampire scene, the final shot of the deceased couple's car parked hazardously on the road slowly dissolves into the title credits of the series. This creates a smooth transition between the two scenes. The fade to black once again draws the scene to a close as well as that section of the episode's plot.

An over the shoulder shot is used to show the unknown vampire character, later known as Stefan Salvatore's change in emotion as he speaks in the voice over. The change in focus shows this. It also shows that Stefan is the character the voice over has been coming from, therefore slowly revealing the identity of the unknown character to the audience.

The camera pans around Elena in a circle while she writes in her diary. Although she says nothing throughout the shot, there is a voice over which introduces her and provides character history instantly. The use of the voice over shows her inner thoughts and allows the audience to immediately understand her situation. The voice over explains that Elena's parents passed away, which causes the audience to question how they died.



Elena's bedroom is shown to be very light and airy, which contrasts what she is writing in her diary.

The voice over establish that Elena's parents have passes away very recently. The use of photographs reinforces this and the idea that Elena is not yet over her parents' death as she shows sentimentality towards the photographs, for example, having them stuck around her mirror.

The use of an over the shoulder shot shows Elena's link to the disappearance/murder of the couple from previously in the extract. The shot loses focus on Elena so as to focus on the television screen. It also establishes that Elena may come into contact with vampires, or that she may already have contact with them, or as to whether she is even aware of vampires, therefore increasing interest.

Elena's house is a stereotypical American home, which is relatable to an audience which at the time of the episode airing, would have been primarily American. 

The use of a shot of the street sign clearly introduces the setting of the series, Mystic Falls. This establishes to the audience the characters' whereabouts immediately. The crow sitting on the sign is a connotation of evil and death, which is a theme present within the series. It suggests a link towards the previous events, eg. Elena's parents' death and the murder of the couple. 

An establishing shot is used to show Mystic Falls High School. This shows the age of the characters such as Elena. The lack of leaves on the trees in the shot and the colour of the students uniform suggest that it is autumn, as a connotation of dark red is leaves and autumn. School is relatable to any audience as everyone goes to school. The high school, appearance wise, is a regular American high school, therefore relatable to an American audience.

Task 1 - Promotional

Promotional - John Lewis Christmas Advert 2014

The John Lewis advert, in recent years, has become the most anticipated British Christmas advert. As the advert is one of the most frequently viewed during the Christmas period, the advert must appeal to a mass audience of virtually everyone, from young children, to adults, to the elderly. The advert is designed to provoke an emotional response, which effectively gains the attention of the audience. 

The advert does not directly feature any one product, but is more of an overall advertisement for John Lewis, which also makes it appropriate to all audiences because it is not specific. 

The advert identify with many as it creates a personal response because it features a child receiving the gift, however simple, they so badly desire, which is a feeling everyone has experienced at some time in their lives. This is shown with the slogan "Give someone the Christmas they've been dreaming of", featured in the image above, which directly addresses the viewer.

Computer generated images are used throughout the text to create the character Monty, the penguin. The advert depicts the friendship of a little boy and his penguin that becomes somewhat melancholy when he sees couples in the street, however this is resolved when the little boy receives a companion for his penguin

Task 1 - Fictional

Fictional - The Vampire Diaries

The Vampire Diaries is a supernatural drama television series. The series is set in Mystic Falls, Virginia, a fictional small town haunted and surrounded by supernatural beings. The series narrative follows the protagonist Elena Gilbert as she falls in love with vampire Stefan Salvatore and becomes part of the supernatural world as a result. 

The main ongoing storyline sees Elena finds herself drawn to Stefan's brother Damon Salvatore resulting in a love triangle. This love triangle is carried through each season of the show, sometimes as a subplot to the main story, however often flaring up. This is entertaining to an audience and captures the viewer's attention and interest, which is the purpose of the series.

Both Nina Dobrev, who plays Elena, and Ian Somerhalder, who plays Damon, were already well established actors prior to the series, which builds audience interest if they are already familiar with a starring actor.

The main theme followed by the text is romance, which is key in attracting a young audience. The text's target audience is around the 13-35 female age bracket, because the themes expressed, such as romance, are appropriate and relevant and are of interest to the mainstream, female stereotype. The male cast that star in the series tend to attract more female audiences.

The demographic of the Vampire Diaries is C1 to E as the programme is aimed at a younger audience, many of which are students and young people. Also the target audience category reaches women aged 35 and women this age are most likely to be working and earning money in some way or another.

Task 1 - Factual

Factual - Educating Essex

The target audience for Educating Essex is a younger, teenage audience, as the series follows teenagers in a modern secondary school. The series appeals to both a male and female audience as it doesn't follow a specific gender. In spite of this, Educating Essex appeals only to a niche audience, as the age range is approximately 13 to 17 years old. However, the show could appeal to a wider audience because at some in their lives, everyone has been to school, therefore interest may be gained by an older audience who are curious as to what schools are like nowadays.

The purpose of the text is to inform, as it is a factual text. The text provides insight into what education in a modern secondary school is like in a certain area, in this case Essex. Educating Essex is one of a group of television shows, each of which follows students in secondary schools in different areas of the country, for example, Educating the East End and Educating Yorkshire.

Most camera shots used in Educating Essex are static, as the series is filmed with the idea that the students do not know they are being filmed, to give a true idea of secondary school, rather than an over dramatised exaggerated version. There are many high angle shots, where the students are filmed from CCTV style cameras. There are also mid shots used to interview students to give their opinions on things. We are also given the teachers' points of view as part of an interview style set up, which gives a different opinion to that of the students. 

The overall style of camera  work used is very formal and regular.

The text uses a voice over at the beginning to introduce the episode, as well as to explain any shifts in time or setting. During interviews, the audience can hear the interviewer interacting with the interviewee and asking them questions and providing prompts.