Research into Openings of Childrens TV Drama

Camerawork:
At the start of the opening sequence the camera zooms through the window to show us an image of a globe. This has been done to represent that by watching the programme, we are looking into the characters’ world. Throughout the opening the camera uses long shots to show us the main character in her range of outfits. The reason for using a long shot is so the audience can see the whole of the character. These shots are also slightly over the shoulder shots of the character looking into the mirror. This shows that we are seeing Sabrina from her own point of view as well as our own. There is no camera movement after the first few seconds of the opening, editing is used to move the title sequence along.

Editing:
Right at the being of the opening sequence, special effects have been used on the logo of the programme. The logo spins and is surrounded by twinkling sparkles. This makes it look magical and girly. To move the opening along, special effects have been added between each time Sabrina changes costume. There is a twinkling effect of sparkles which has been used to represent the magical powers of the main character. Throughout the title sequence, the actors names are constantly being shown along the bottom, as one fades out: another one fades in. At the end of the opening sequence, the screen fades to black. This shows that the sequence is over and the programme is beginning.

Mise-en Scene:
There is a black cat at the start of this opening sequence. This connatively makes the audience think of mystery and magic and is a prop which is often associated with witches. There are many costume changes in this opening sequence. Each costume represents aspects of the main characters personality. The styles of costume include girly (a party dress), casual (top and trousers), posh (a black dress and dark glasses) and funny (a fancy dress costume). The opening for this TV programme doesn’t have a specific setting. Sabrina is not in a room or a place - the effects have been made to look as though she is floating through the sky. This may be to represent her magical powers. The lighting in this opening is high-key. This shows people that this is happy and fun programme.

Sound:
There is a “twinkling” sound at the beginning of this opening sequence. This immediately gives the audience ideas of mystery and magic. This sound then goes straight into the theme tune of the programme. This theme tune has no words - it is a pop/rock tune with the sound of guitars. It is quite an upbeat and girly song. When we see the shot of Sabrina in the fancy dress fruit outfit, she says “its my hat and my lunch!”. This dialogue shows the funny, jokey side of Sabrina’s character. We then here the “twinkling” sound from the beginning of the clip before the screen fades to black. This reinforces the thoughts of magic and mystery.

Representation:
In this short opening to the TV series “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” we can see how the character of Sabrina has been represented. Through the sounds we have heard and the editing used in the clip, the idea of her being magical has been strongly reinforced. Through the mise-en scene and the narrative of the clip we have also seen the funny and friendly side of Sabrina’s character. She has been represented as a happy young girl who has special powers - not the stereotypical evil, old witch.

Camerawork:
The first shot that the audience see in this opening a mid-shot of the girls hugging. This immediately shows the audience that the programme is about a happy, friendly group of girls. The following shot is another mid-shot of a group of boys. This puts across a huge message that in these teenagers’ lives - girls come before boys. As each character is introduced, we see a long shot of that character. This introduces their costume and shows us their body language - allowing the audience to immediately identify with these characters. We then see a close of each of the characters faces - again showing the audience who the character is.



Editing:
Special effects have been used throughout the opening of this TV programme. All of the camera shots are shown as if they are in big, coloured, fluid bubbles. This adds a cool and original touch to the opening. Throughout the opening there are various cuts and fades to different shots from the programme. The reason for this is to introduce the characters and narratives of the programme through short clips and shots. At the end of the clip, the screen fades to black. This shows the audience that the opening sequence has ended and the programme is about to begin.

Mise-en Scene:

In this opening sequence, costume has been used to represent the characters individual personalities. For example Kenny is shown as wearing quite baggy, sporty clothes. Also, the colours of the bubbles for each character have been personalised. Fliss has been represented with the colour pink which is stereotypically girly and pretty. Kenny has been given a red background to symbolise her sporty and energetic attitude. Each character has a colour which matches their personality. Lighting within the opening is high key - showing the programme is happy and exciting. The setting of the opening is in many different places, for example a school, outdoors and at home. These are places that young people spend most of their time, this creates verisimilitude.


Sound:
There is a continuous theme tune throughout the opening of this TV programme. The pop/rock style song is very upbeat and catchy, with the lyrics relating to the programme. Some of the lyrics include “hanging around is just no fun when your alone”. This may be something that young viewers can instantly relate to. “no matter what your going through” is another lyric which teenage girls may feel comforted by. It allows a connection to be between the programme and the viewer, knowing that the programme is about sharing the struggles of being a teenager. The audience directly connect with the narrative and the characters through the theme tune as they are being invited to “come and sleepover”. There is no other sound in the opening.

Representation:
In the opening of this TV programme, the characters are introduced as individual people with their own identities and personalities - very much like in real life. This has been done through the mise-en scene of the opening. They are all seen to be friendly and happy people, a great group of friends. The opening shows the audience that even though they all have their own problems, everything is fine in the end. The sound in the opening has a big part in showing this through the lyrics of the theme tune.

Audience Theory:
Stuart Hal's theory of encoding and decoding can be applied to this opening sequence. His theory says that there is a preferred reading to every text created by the producers. This preferred reading is encoded to the media text by the use of technical codes and conventions. He also says that there are three audience types, which are determined upon how they interpret the preferred reading. These audience types are dominant, negotiated and oppositional. In this video, the preferred reading is that young children have strong friendship groups and are always happy. This is encoded by the upbeat theme tune and bright, playful colours. Another way that producers encode the preferred reading is through the content of the video, like when the girls are standing in a group laughing. This connotes the idea of happiness and friendliness. The dominant reading of this media text would agree with the preferred reading; that children have strong friendship groups and are always happy. The negotiated audience would agree with parts of the preferred reading and reject others. For example, they may say that children have strong friendship groups but are not always happy. The oppositional audience would reject the preferred reading and make up their own interpretation of the text. For example, if they were bullied as a child they would say that children's friendship groups can be hurtful and damaging. 
Morley's reception theory can also be applied to this media text. He says that cultural background effects how people interpret texts. This includes things like age, gender, social class and education. A young person may interpret this text in a way that makes them feel happy and excited to have friends. An older person may interpret this text as a way of entertaining children and teaching them the ideals of the world. Each media text means a different thing to each person. 
Adorno's idea of the hyperdermic needle model is also applied to this media text. This theory says that media "injects" ideas to the audiences. The idea conveyed in this media text is that children are fun and have strong friendship groups. This is injected into the audience by the technical codes in the video. The girls are always shown to be smiling,with specific close ups of their faces to show this. The ideas are clearly presented to the audience

Camerawork:
The first shot that we see at the beginning of this opening sequence is a mid-shot of the two main characters giving each other a friendly high five. This immediately shows the audience that these characters have a very strong bond and are friendly and funny. During the opening sequence there is a close up of a skateboard. The reason for this is to reinforce the point that this programme is related to skateboarding - as the two main characters are skateboard fanatics. The title sequence uses a variety of close-ups, mid-shots and long shots to introduce the characters to the audience. The reason for this is so we can see the characters in different ways, doing different things in order to get to know them. It is editing rather than camerawork that moves this title sequence along.

Editing:
This title sequence contains a lot of fast paced editing. This makes the opening seem fun and exciting, especially for young people. Fast paced editing can also be used to represent how active and energetic the main characters are. Cuts and fades have been used throughout the title sequence. They have been used to show sections of narrative from the programme in small, quick snapshots. This is to get the audience interested in some of the fun things that happen in the programme. The actors names are constantly being shown at the bottom of the screen. They slide on, accompanied with a chequered style special effect. The reason for this is to make something boring, like names, look fun and exciting.

Mise-en Scene:
Props are used throughout the opening of this TV programme. The actors are accompanied by skateboards, helmets and protective body wear. These are all typical things that we would associate with a skater, so it creates verisimilitude. There are also some random props shown within the opening, for example a fishing rod and a doctor’s mask. The reason for this is because they are specific to the fun storylines of the programme and have been used as part of a story. The costumes seen in this opening are quite casual and stylish. This makes the characters look like regular teenage boys. The settings used in this opening are realistic places such as a café, a skate park and at home. These are places that these characters and people like them in real life would spend most of their time - creating verisimilitude. The casting has been sensibly thought about for this opening. Young, cool actors have been chosen to play young, cool characters.

Sound:
Throughout this opening there is a cool and upbeat pop song as the theme tune. The lyrics to the theme tune are related to the programme. “Dude” and “lets get a pizza” are some of the lyrics in the song. These are cool, modern phrases that young people are likely to say. During the middle of the opening we hear the lyrics “act like nothings ever happened”. This is a typical phrase that teenagers may be able to relate to. It also says something about the plot of the story - that the boys get into mischief or trouble and pretend to be fine. At the end of the clip we hear the lyrics “by tomorrow we’ll have everything just fine. This is great closing sentence as it invites people into the programme to see what they have to fix. It also reinforces the point to the audience that they boys are likely to get in trouble or mischief.

Representation:
In this opening of Disney’s “Zeke and Luther”, the main characters are represented in a cool and positive way. They have a keen interest in skateboarding and look to have lots of friends. Although the theme tune and some of the camera shots make us think that they are likely to get into trouble, this seems to be harmless. The mise-en scene of the opening presents the characters as young and cool, and the editing of the clip emphasises their energy and excitement.