Planning the production (U4: M2, D1)

M2: Explain the legal and ethical issues relating to product ideas

Legal issues.

1. Copyright refers to legislation protecting intellectual property by ensuring the original creator is able to obtain the rights to their own work. This legal consideration relates to our interactive website as the content has been commissioned to be created by professionals who might own the rights, we must consider this before publishing the work. One way to avoid this legal obstacle would be to purchase the rights or sign an agreement with the artist/ creator to ensure we own all the work published on the site and therefore avoid the risk of lawsuits. Significantly, copyright issues can also impact the website from outsiders as competitors or individuals might attempt to steal work in order to profit from it. This issue is often deterred by the use of a clear copyright sign or statement within the website and therefore protects the content from inauthentic media producers. 

2. Cookies consent and data protection laws are extremely important legislations to consider when creating a new website for the release of film and print media content. In the UK you must gain consent from users to collect their cookies by providing an 'opt-in' option in which users can accept cookies if they wish- one way to do this is by persuading users that this will benefit them and improve their experience. Cookies allow a website to obtain personal data from users and use this information to advertise and better appeal to target audiences but not all users wish for this therefore cookie consent is vital to ensure no lawsuits are filed. Cookies might be used on our website to help improve customers' experience, for example when purchasing a copy of 'Flames vs frost' the user can save their card details securely on the website for future purchases. The website must keep this information highly confidential or else risk losing information or distributing it to the wrong people, putting users at risk and ruining the reputation of the business. Interestingly, the business can avoid the issue of unprotected data using cookies which will act as an authenticator for users to avoid the risk of fraud. Finally, if any of these legal issues did occur, then the website would need to issue a statement of regret and hire a new IT employee to boost the security of the website so users feel safe on the interactive media page.

Ethical issues.

1. Stereotypes and misrepresentation are two major ethical issues that could cause your website to gain a negative reputation from audiences. The primary target audience for this website is a younger demographic but secondary audiences can be any age, gender, or race, and if they have been stereotyped or misrepresented in any way this can cause major damage to the site's reputation. For instance, women are stereotyped to be solely mothers and carers of their families but many modern-day women object to this stereotype and wish to be seen for who they have chosen to be in any career they wish. This is offensive and could cause harm to the community if they feel discriminated against, likely leading to retaliation against the website and later resulting in boycotts. Within our website, a film trailer will be featured so we must ensure all cast members (characters) within the film are accurately and non-offensively represented to avoid triggering a negative response from any potential audiences. One way to avoid this issue is by conducting varied market research to remove any potentially offensive content that our market research groups identify during a meeting, therefore the issue will be eliminated before the initial launch.

2. Misleading information can be harmful to a young target audience as they are very impressionable and therefore could be greatly impacted by the content they consume online via our website. Misleading information could refer to anything within the website that is not fully factual, for instance, the existence of bionic powers. The powers portrayed throughout the media content on the new platform heavily feature throughout the interactive media product, the primary target audience is young and therefore it is important that we include a disclaimer for the fictional elements on the website. Moreover, this information can be taken seriously by the audience and cause them to partake in dangerous acts which they view in the comic or film so it is crucial to include a warning for parents and children that much of the content is fake and not to be repeated.

Accessibility is important for our audience, many younger audiences won't have access to an individual device to view the platform and read/ stream the content within the website. This highlights the importance of having a variety of display options for varying devices as some individuals within the audience might not have access to a particular device so you must ensure multiple devices are accessible to cater to the entire audience. The benefit of having a website accessible on a range of devices is the wider audience reach you will be able to receive, helping increase the success and awareness for the website overall.

D1: Justify the planned interactivity and range of media content to meet a client brief.

annotated designs: wireframes

page 1: The page above will serve as the home page for my interactive media website; it contains a number of eye-catching and interactive elements to entice the audience. The home page introduces this theme, which uses a green and black colour palette to reinforce sci-fi genre conventions and present a level of consistency for our target audience. The search bar tool, which can help audiences quickly find the information they want to view rather than scanning the entire website, is one interactive element featured on this page. Interestingly, this page design has been used as it can be easily accessed and adjusted to both a laptop and mobile phone layout to best appeal to the range of devices used by audiences. Finally, the text displayed titles on the various pages within the website for easy navigation through the interface for a primarily young audience.

page 2: The following page depicts the new MegaMovie release 'Bionic Attack,' which they hope to promote to a primarily teenage target audience via the website. The trailer video clip on the page will help outline the plot of the film and raise awareness and hype for its upcoming release. Furthermore, the video's adjustable settings will make it more accessible and user-friendly, as people will be able to change the sound, speed, and subtitle settings, which may appear more inclusive for users with hearing impairments. The comment section allows audiences to interact with one another and provide useful feedback to the team on how to improve for future projects, as well as identify common interests of the target audience. Lastly, the 'login' button allows the users of the website to create a personal account and therefore have a more personalised and overall positive experience using the interface. This can also help data analysts measure website traffic and customer loyalty.

page 3: By anticipating consumer needs, this page plan includes one interactive element for users, which we believe will benefit them and increase loyalty. The download button allows users to consume content offline at their leisure and at a time that is convenient for them, making them feel cared for and thus increasing loyalty to the site and overall organisation. Furthermore, the blurb is a summary of the story, allowing audiences to decide whether or not they want to continue reading the comic before purchasing the full product. The images near the bottom of the wireframe are small to better fit the various layouts the website will need to undertake when used and presented on various devices, increasing audience accessibility.

page 4: Colours used within this page have been kept consistent with the rest of the website to present a more professional overall look. The title of this page will use a consistent font and remind the audience of genre conventions, notifying them of the genre presented by the company. In addition, a hover image element has been added to this page to improve the user experience while also providing more information about projects. This interactive element will generate a buzz and help entice audiences to learn more about the projects by clicking the interactive control buttons presented below. Lastly, the 'what's new' text box will help inform users of upcoming events and projects being done within the company so it can generate awareness for the company and boost overall consumer following for future endeavours.

page 5: As a promotional tool for these media products, the merchandise page will only feature items related to upcoming MegaMovie releases. The item description and price will be displayed on the page to help attract audience attention by using low prices and appealing product images. Furthermore, banners will be displayed across items to help draw consumers in by labelling items as 'best seller' or 'new.' This will further encourage audiences to make a purchase because they believe the item is more popular and thus must obtain one before it sells out. Furthermore, the product images will be clickable for users to learn more about the product and easily add to cart/purchase an item. The layout presented for this page of the website appears user-friendly and will be easy to access on a range of devices, making the overall user experience more positive and thus improving the chances of returning customers. 

page 6: The final wireframe depicts the organisation's 'contact' page, which allows users to easily contact us with any questions or comments they may have about the overall graphic user interface. The social media and email information will be hyperlinked to make it easier for audiences to subscribe to our channels via other platforms or communicate more effectively with the team. Furthermore, I intend to include a newsletter sign-up page at the bottom of the screen to encourage audiences to stay in touch and receive updates about new MegaMovie projects. Interestingly, this element will remain within the colour scheme of the overall site to ensure consistency but it might use a different coloured background box to help it stand out and further entice audiences. 

Site map

The above-mentioned site map will be used to aid in the development of the interactive media website. The sitemap assisted in the overall design and layout of the website by making it clear to the designer what content must be included in the final product. For example, the diagram depicts the requirement for a trailer to be included within the "bionic attack" page, allowing the website creator to ensure they have access to the trailer and thus embed the video into the website in order to increase the film's exposure to audiences. Furthermore, the simplicity of the sitemap allows the designer to ensure that the final product is simple and easy to navigate for audiences. Because the target audience is fairly young, an overcomplicated website increases the risk of them becoming disinterested and thus not using the site. Finally, a client requirement was to include relevant information and ensure social media links were accessible to audiences, so the sitemap was able to clearly outline these elements and their importance for the final product.

Justify planned product suitability.

The planned interactive website will be well suited to the purpose and functionality required by the client. This website will feature interactive elements to ensure audiences are further engaged with the product. The client wishes for the target audience to have a positive experience on the website and therefore including interactive elements such as video trailers, ‘read more’ buttons, and clickable images will allow for a more enjoyable user experience. For instance, solely just reading about the movie’s premise would appear boring to a primarily young target audience, which is why the use of a video trailer that users can view, pause/ play, and, adjust sound settings/speed will help better connect viewers. In addition, the range of content featured on the website will require specific formats to allow for it to be correctly received. The planned product must consider layouts and interactivity when designing the website to enable a variety of interesting website elements that will best represent the company’s projects to users. One example might be the separate page designed to format the whole comic, making the website more professional and less cluttered for viewers.

However, the website could also face limitations once launched due to design flaws. There is a range of media content to be included within the website, this could impact the overall flow of the interactive media product as users could grow overwhelmed by the quantity of different mediums. Significantly, the audience are primarily young and therefore might not know where to start/ how to use some of the interactive elements. The variety of content presented on the site might require an advanced sense of technology for users, therefore we must consider this when creating- ensuring the site is kept simple and easy to use. Furthermore, the website will be limited to two devices (mobile and laptop) as a way to reach a wider target audience but this could still prove difficult for the younger end users who likely don’t have access to a personal device. Finally, the content displayed on the website might be limited due to legal reasons regarding the ownership of work. If the images used on the website have been copyrighted then this could limit their use on the website if not purchased, MegaMovie should purchase them to avoid legal action and freely use them throughout the platform.