A2 Media Advanced Portfolio

Friday, February 11, 2011

Evaluation

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the codes and conventions of real media products?
For my media production I chose to compose a documentary typical of what audiences would expect to see on network television. This would involve using and developing the codes and conventions of real media products in order to comply with the documentary genre. Through the use of research and planning I was able to this as this required research into existing media products in order to know what to include in my own. Through technical analyses of a variety of documentaries (included on my blog) I looked for key features that were often incorporated throughout, these included for example: voiceovers, archive footage, etc. A convention I often became aware of was a voiceover spoken by a sole narrator. A question I included in my audience research of what kind of voiceover or narrator they expected to see. However what became noticeably unusual to me was the fact that the narrator was most likely to be female and this was also what the audience expected to see within documentary. In existing real media products the narrator sometimes appeared male depending on the topic of the documentary, given the nature of the tone or mood that the director of the documentary was trying to convey. I included this feature in my own product, with a singular female narrator featured throughout the documentary, I in my own right conformed to the codes and conventions of a documentation product or order to make my production more authentic. My prospective audience also helped me to compose codes and conventions typical for this genre. This was done through the use of my questionnaire for audience research. The audience research initially helped to determine my potential audiences from questions such as: What kind if components do you expect to see in a documentary; the use of opened and closed questions of this type gave me a broad insight in what to include for my production. Some of the answers given were components such as: a voiceover, interviews, narrator, etc. These components went without saying as I previously knew they had to be included. However music appeared as a component, this didn't neccessarily upheld the codes and conventions of a documentary but to give my own production a contemporary twist I decided to include it throughout the documentary. Music often appears in the background of my product along with a variety of camera shots. This helped the audience to understand the topic of the documentary and thus related to the subject matter at hand. This was done by the genre of music I decided to include. As my documentary focused on the contemporary issue of Gang Activity in Birmingham I intentionally used a genre of music that is heavily associated with inner cities in the UK, such as grime. The particular song chosen also incuded the title "Birmingham" within the lyrics. Here the audience were able to understand the subject matter of the documentary. Music included in the opening sequence, (where establishing shots of Birmingham were included) was an instrumental purposely chosen as for the lyrics of the song itself didn't distract from the voiceover or interrupt the narration's course or the camera shots themselves. Aside from the music I also included real life sound effects of city life such as busy streets, people conversing, etc. This added to the ambience in camera shots wherever relevant and made the documentary more realistic. This in a sense developed the codes and conventions of this genre as it is not a feature often used in documentaries per se but more for films and shorts films. Camera shots are a main feature for use in media products whether existing or not and are always featured throughout. However the type of camera shots become significant as different camera shots are used differently depending on the type of genre. Documentaries tend to feature a range of establishing shots throughout the whole production to help the audience identify the topic matter. These type of shots are usually only included in the opening of films to set the scene and are scarcely used in music videos. my documentary uphelds these codes by using a wide range of establishing shots to define the topic. I understood that information about the subject matter was significant and so during the research and planning stages I gathered statistics, facts about gang activity and any other useful information that was needed in order to get the topic across successfully. All these components combined as well as vox pop (to the public) and expert interviews were also significant in upholding the codes and conventions of a real media product for a documentary. 2) How effective is the combination of your main artefact and your anciliary products combined?
For my print artefacts I composed a double page magazine spread giving audiences an insight as to what the main documentary entailed, as well as a review of my documentary, with both artefacts convincing potential audiences to view. The combination of both artefacts coincide as both products highlight the subject matter effectively through the common use of colour scheme that is bold, eye-catching and a font layout used which makes both clearly visible and easy to read. This was essential as the inclusion of the title, date and time of the broadcast is shown in a creative yet apparent fashion. The use of imagery in both products convey the subject matter and audiences immediately understand what the documentary's main themes are. The imagery featured on both was accessible from search engines and easily recognisable to help tie in the main themes. This required the use of media technologies in the construction of the research and planning stages. The imagery used can also be seen in various camera shots in my main production which helps tie in all three products together successfully as there is a common theme that runs throughout. Taking into consideration my audience feedback, the main production and both artefacts are convincing enough as a complete enclosure, I have thus managed to achieve what I was aiming for. 3) What did you learn from the audience feedback regarding your product?
My main products upheld the codes and conventions of real media products and therefore as a whole received adequate feedback. My print artefacts didn't previously highlight the subject matter as well as they could have and suggestions prompting me to change the colour scheme were made. Once I had adopted this change my products immediately became a lot more bolder and more vivid and my audience were happier for the change. The level of skill required to make changes wasn't a lot and thus I was happy to consider this critique and take it on board. A criticism that also became quite apparent was that the voiceover for the documentary was unclear and quiet in contrast to the music used. As it would have been impractical and time consuming to record my voiceover again or amend my music, instead I adjusted the sound levels of my voiceover and my music and by increasing the volume of my voiceover the problem had been amended. In doing so I gained knowledge about the Final Cut pro program, this required using media technology and developing a skill that I didn't previously have in the foundation stages of the project but now I do possess. My project received very minimal criticism as a whole and this thus confirmed my own previous convictions that I was happy with the work I had completed and very willing to submit it as my final project. By adopting the changes my documentary and print artefacts look a lot more authentic and professional and ultimately give it a better appeal to the audience. I feel I took all the suggestions for improvement very well and saw them as an opportunity to amend and make changes to components of my productions that were not working as well as I thought they were. 4) How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Media technologies immediatetly become crucial in the construction stages of the project. This included a variety of different methods in order attain the what was needed for the project. At the beginning of the project during the planning stages we were required to purchase a mini DV tape that would be used to capture all our footage for our productions and that also was compatible for a mini DV camera.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Print Artefact - Advertisement for Documentary

Print Artefact - Newspaper Review for Documentary

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Print Artefact - Newspaper Review for Documentary

I have a preview shot of my double-page spread magazine review for my documentary. It features the title of the magazine its featured in that normally writes reviews for typical television programmes. The audience can familiarise themselves with this well known magazine making it instantly recognisable. Quotes featured in the documentary have been included on the review thus also allowing the audience to understand the main themes in the documentary. Overall I feel I have successfully composed a review that would feature in TV magazines across the UK.

Print Artefact - Advertisement for Documentary

I have a preview shot of my advertisement for my documentary. It features relevant pictures of gang activity, Birmingham city centre and police patrolling local areas around Birmingham itself. These pictures were crucial in trying to get the main theme of my documentary across of society on gangs. My documentary ties in all the main themes by giving the audience a brief overview of what the documentary will entail whilst not giving away too much detail to ensure that the audience view my documentary. The colour scheme featured is also relevant to the theme at hand whilst also being eye catching, unmissable and easy to understand to ensure the most views possible.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Actual Final Proposal

This is my final idea for my documentary that I decided to film as my main project.

Working Title: Society on Gangs: Birmingham

I chose this title for my documentary as it refers to the theme of gangs which was my main idea to focus on for my project. The title is forward and gets straight to the point. It immediately lets the audience know what the documentary is about, and gives whereabouts of the location of where filming took place. As Birmingham is a very urban and metropolitan city it is recognised as a place where gang and criminal activity take place quite frequently whilst also being the second most populous area outside of London, this would thus give me my main theme for my documentary and a practical location to focus on.

Channel for Broadcast: Channel 4

As Channel 4 is a popular broadcasting channel due to its diversity and commercially wide appeal. It's universal coverage makes it immediately regcognisable across the UK. It is also often known to host both more edgy documentaries than the BBC and Five.
I thought my documentary would be best suited on this channel and it would get popular

views due to this. Channel 4 is known for broadcasting various genres of television programmes and in particular controversial and hard-hitting documentaries that generate vast amounts of audience feedback and make a huge impact on the audience themselves. For example documentaries such as: The Family, Mum; Heroin & Me, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, are a prime example of a list of many documentaries that involve reality and drama. I thought my documentary could be classed in this category as it involves both of these elements plus much more.

Target Audience/ Age Group: Adults, Adolescents, Teenagers, 14 - 34

I chose these age groups as my target audience as I felt that they were the most likely to watch a program that looked into the problems of crime and gangs in society particularly because this is the age group most likely to be affected by this issue. It is also relevant to the lives of young people in today's society and by the element of reality this thus makes my documentary as relatable to today's youths as possible. Being amongst this age group myself I also found myself drawing upon personal experiences to be able to film my documentary and put it across to my age group/ target audience.

Genre: Investigative Documentary
It is not often you generally find young people particularly watching documentaries in today's society. From the results concluded from my questionnaire I found that there were a number of reasons for this. For example some of the comments made were that: they didn't find doc's interesting, they didn't engage the audience's interests or concerns, etc. This influenced my decision to film an investigative documentary where the audience found out issues along the way that they didn't know, were concerned about, related to them and found particularly interesting.

Style: Narrative, Archive Pictures, Voice overs, Interviews to Experts, Interviews to Vox Pops.

I felt that this was a typical style for documentaries and tried to follow the codes and conventions of this. A narrative is included through a main feature reporter that can be seen throughout the documentary, this familiarises the audience with this reporter. I purposely used a reporter with a similar age to myself and target audience.

Final Proposal - First Idea

As I had composed more than one idea for my documentary I decided to make a draft for the final proposal of this particular documentary. This was originally my first idea which included reference to crime in relation to alcohol.

Working Title: Made of the Hard Stuff

I chose this title for my documentary as it refers to the contrasting themes of alcohol and crime whilst combining them. It gave me a main idea to focus on. As hard stuff is a slang term for alcohol this automatically reinforces and lets the audience know of the theme. However although this seemed a good idea at the time of mind mapping, I had drew on my past experiences of filming last year and decided for a final to just focus solely on crime. This was a lot easier then trying to combine two huge concepts. There were also problems with audiences not understanding the title of the documentary and therefore not being able to know what the documentary was about. Although the title is a play on words composed quite cleverly, it didn't seem practical to stick with it as there is no clear indication of crime or alcohol at first glance.

Channel for Broadcast: Channel 4

I chose channel 4 as the broadcasting channel because of its wide appeal and diversity. I thought our documentary would be best suited on this channel and it would get popular views due to this. Channel 4 is also a popular broadcasting channel that would do my documentary justice.

Target Audience: Adults, Adolescents, Teenagers, etc

I chose these age groups as my target audience as I felt that they were the most likely to watch a program that looked into the problems of crime and alcohol. It is also relevant to the lives of young people in today's society. I also focused on underage drinking briefly in my documentary which also makes reference to age. This is issue would be particularly important to my target audience with many of them having experienced it themselves.

Genre: Investigative Documentary
I documentary about alcohol would immediately catch the attention of any audience member and refer away from the typical "boring documentary". The factor of investigation also gives the audience insight into issues they may previously not have known.

Style: Narrative, Archive Pictures, Voiceovers, Interviews to Experts, Interviews to Vox Pops.
I felt that this was a typical style for documentaries and tried to follow the codes and conventions of this.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Examples of Music Videos

Different genres/types of music have certain styles that they consist of, although some conventions cross over into different genres.

Hip/Hop and R'n'B Music Videos - Certain conventions like girls, cars, big houses, money, clubs, alcohol and expensive jewellery (bling) normally run throughout this type of genre. They are normally performance and narrative based vi

deos. For example hip hop artists such as 50 Cent. The Game, etc normally go for this type of style in videos. This can be seen in the song for the video "This is how we do" performed by The Game ft 50 Cent. However not all hip hop artists opt for these type of conventions, Eminem another example of a hip hop artist often goes against these conventions. This can be seen in the video "Like toy soldiers" By Eminem.

Indie Band Music Videos - Indie music videos are normally shot as a live performance with bands performing on a stage. The structure is purely based on the performance. Indie bands often contain all male members with a male lead singer, however they

sometimes have a female singing lead such as The Ting Tings. An example of a typical indie band would be the Kaiser Chiefs.

Pop Music Videos - Typical conventions associated with pop music videos often differ, this is normally due to the pop artist themselves. For example pop boy bands will always differ from pop girl bands. Boy bands often have screaming girl fans in videos and close up shots of th

e singers performing a dancing routine whilst singing. This is to create the idea that the video is all about them. This can be seen in the performance video ''Everybody in Love'' by JLS.

Heavy Metal Music Videos - Heavy metal music normally consists of amplicated high pitch sounds, guitar solo's and loudness, which is often reflected in the music videos. Dark clothing, dim/dark lighting, fans jumping around doing crazy movements are just a few conventions often conveyed in this genre of videos. A classic example of this is metal group ''Black Sabbath''. Metal music videos often include outrageous and over the top performing.

Codes and Conventions of a Film Trailer

The aim of a film trailer is to advertise a feature film soon to hit mainstream cinemas in the near future and persuade the intended audience to see the film. Scenes from the film are shown in just under 2 and a half minutes, carefully edited to show the genre and plot of the film without giving too much away. Music and voice overs are also a main component. As film trailers often consist of vast amounts of action this is crucial for the film.

In order to convey this, quick paced editing is used showing all the best parts in vast quantities of the film without revealing too much of the plot at once.

Trailers usually begin with 1 or more company logo's giving the audience an idea about the budget of the film that is to follow may also reveal what country the film originates from. Certain company logo's are renounced and an audience can usually identify the genre of the film that is being advertised. For example; Walt Disney and Pixar are associated with animation or children's films and have been responsible for the production of films such as: The Lion King, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, etc. Productions names such as Warner Bros and Paramount are known for big budget and high profiles films. For example Harry Potter, Beverly Hills Cop, etc.

The Certification alert for the film will be included in the trailer signifying the film's target audience. Several techniques to persuade the audience to watch the film will consist of including recognisable names of the cast such as actors, directors, producers, or other famous household names that contributed to the production of the film. The names are boasted purposely to draw the audience in or remind fans of previous work. Trailers are also an opportunity to showcase new talent, such as new actors that have just emerged. Trailers may also include the mentions of nominations or awards that the film received, e.g: Bafta's, Oscars, etc.

The inclusion of a narrator (usually deep voiced) often heightens the appeal of the trailer and therefore the film. Narrators give mystery, excitement and tension, and are often used to enhance the trailer. Other techniques such as including lines from the film are also featured. The lines are often short and snappy perhaps with a comedic reference. They are easily remembered and can be repeated by the audience watching the trailer. This common technique is often used as helps to promote the film.

A film trailer may also include lines by the narrator such as: From the maker's of... to help identify the audience member with what they may already be familiar with. A release date is included at the end of the trailer which lets the audience members and fans of the film know when the production is able to be viewed. This is done purposely at the end so it is fresh in the audience's mind.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Codes and Conventions of a Short Film

Short films are often put in the same category as film trailers due to their similarities in their structure. However short films tend to be more low key due to the small budget used to create them. They are usually starter or first time films for directors and therefore come across as amateur. The lengths of short films vary, however they tend to last between 3 - 10 minutes long, enhance the name.

The general rule is that one or two protagonists will feature throughout the film or at least remain central to the plot. A twist in the storyline is a key feature in short films, due to the length of them. This is significant as without them the film has little or no direction. The style in which short films are created are usually from a first person perspective, this is enforced by using a lot of point of view shots and close up's of the protagonist. As short films mainly feature around the main character's life it seems the best way to portray this is to show the film through their eyes or how the character would see it. Ideas for short films usually stem from everyday events in normal life, therefore the audience find it easier to relate to the on-screen characters.

The type of sound used in short films tends to be a combination of diegetic and non - diegetic, however more so diegetic, this is also due to the low budget of short films.

Short films could be anything from animations, live actions or a combination of both. The director normally prides themselves on their work and so consistency in short films varies widely.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Codes and Conventions of a Music Video

A music video is a short film that will accompany a piece of music or song. Codes and conventions of a music video may vary according to the genre of music, but most common conventions are upheld for example like a performance by the artist, this is known as illustration. The term 'music video' came about in the 1980's, prior to this time terms such as 'promotional (promo) film' and 'film insert' were used.

Music Video Styles

The three main video styles include: performance, narrative and abstract. Performance includes the artist performing the words of the song, maybe for a video purpose or in fr

ont of an audience which is then recorded. It can sometimes take place in a concert hall or a more exotic location but this tends to be for big budget artists. They all differ in some way as artists like to bring their own personalities to the music video setting. This can be conveyed through props, costume, hair, etc. However one thing that remains consistent is there is always an emphasis on the performance. Narrative videos include a story normally relating to the song or perhaps a separate narrative altogether.
Abstract/Image is where the video has no reference to the song what so ever. However these styles are often cross and can be broken down and explained further.

Illustration - The music video can often be a performance throughout or combined with a narrative that demonstrates the lyrics. E.g Michael Jackson's single 'Thriller' (1984) produced by John Landis. Another example of this music video style is Pulp's 'Babies' (1992) that featured on their His n' Hers album.

Amplification - As well as being a performance and narrative, music videos can incorporate a creative or auteur style that is demonstrated through the conventions of amplification. Creative interpretation is used and unusual ideas, however the beat or the sound will usually still link to the video. E.g: Fat Boy Slim 'Praise you' (1999)

Disjuncture - This particular type of music video focuses mainly on abstract techniques. They tend not to have any direct or obvious link to the music itself and are what is known as a point of 'disjuncture'. E.g: Daft Punk 'Da Funk' (1998)

Analysis of a Music Video 1

Johnny Cash - Hurt

The video begins with an establishing shot of Cash sitting in a chair. The camera angles are used to represent his life by representing his age. A still shot of the American flag is shown revealing Cash as an iconic legend as if he lived the 'American Dream'

There is a sign saying 'musemn closed' done purposely to show abandonment or represent the fact that Cash is no longer remembered and times have now changed. Cash can be seen wearing black sat in a throne. This is relevant as throughout his career he was known as the 'man in black'. The song itself represents memories good and bad of Cash's music career.

Establishing shots of Cash's house are shown constantly included clutter of antiques, artefacts and his music career memorabilia. It is as if all his life is in one room or that is all he has to show for decades of a career.

There is a sepia tint used on particular shots which represents old, history or ancient usually. The picture of his mother is shown in this way as if to suggest that she is no longer here. Broken gold record discs are left on the floor also used to represent his past career. Snippets of Cash's film appear throughout the music video showing his previous days where Cash was at his happiest. This represents the roller coaster lifestyle Cash lived full of good and bad moments in his life. The film also shows Cash visiting his old neighborhood. There is a contrast here as Cash relives his past in the film by showing the house where he grew up with a sense of pride and happiness on his face, only to be shown in the music video where he relives his old memories again but seems disappointed.

Money and wealth is represented through a banquet of food on a long table that appears on touched, there is a religious connotation here as it almost represents the 'last supper' or last meal. Although Cash is sat on his own, without any friends or 'disciples'. Disciples could represent fans or followers and so as his career has ended so has his followings and popularity.

There is a Christian ideology as Cash pours the red wine on the table of food, his wife is shown standing behind him as if to represent his only fan left. This goes with the saying ' behind every great man is a great woman'.
A fast montage of shots is included as the song speeds up until there is a last picture shot of his performance in the younger days.
The music video ends as Cash closes and strokes the piano representing the end of his career and the end of what he loved and lost.

Analysis of Song Lyrics Johnny Cash - Hurt

Johnny Cash - Hurt

I analysed the music video for Johnny Cash's Hurt but listened to the song and lyrics before hand. The song appears quite somber and melancholy from the acoustic guitar and blues harmony. As a listener you experience a great deal of emotion and understand his story through the pain in his voice.

[Verse 1:]

I hurt myself today

To see if I still feel - numb

I focus on the pain -

The only thing that's real

The needle tears a hole - perhaps represents self harming or drug addiction

The old familiar sting

Try to kill it all away - bad memories/ suicide..?

But i remember everything - still remembers pain in the past

[Chorus:]

What have I become

My sweetest friend

Everyone I know goes away

In the end

And you could have it all

My empire of dirt - has nothing/worthless fame and fortune

I will let you down

I will make you hurt

[Verse 2:]

I wear this crown of thorns - religious connotation = Jesus

Upon my liar's chair - carrying a burden

Full of broken thoughts

I cannot repair - can not change past

Beneath the stains of time

The feelings disappear

You are someone else - change/ moved on

I am still right here

[Chorus repeats:]

If I could start again- wants 2 start over again/ feelings of regret

A million miles away

I would keep myself - would still remain the same

I would find a way

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Examples of Documentary Films

In the Land of the Head Hunters - Edward S. Curtis (1914) = Embraced primitivism and was presented as truthful reenactments of Native Americans.
Nanook of the North - Robert J. Flaherty (1922) = A silent romanticised documentary that captures the struggles of Inuk Nanook.
Night Mail - John Gierson, Basil Wright & Harry Watt (1936) = Rail documentary on the line from London to Portsmouth.
Of Time, Tombs and Treasures - James R. Messenger (1977) = A short historical documentary film on Egypt.
The Police - Roger Graef (1982) = An observational documentary on the Thames Valley police.
Bowling for Columbine - Michael Moore (2002) = An American political documnetary exploring the causes of the Columbine massacre.
The Selling of a Serial Killer - Nick Broomfield (2003) = Documentary film about Aileen Wournos an American serial killer.
The Office - Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant (2001-03) = The original version of a UK fictional documentary based on comedy set in a workplace.
The Office - Greg Daniels U.S (2005 - Present) = An American mockumentary TV series depicts everyday life of office employees. Adaptation of UK original.
Panorama - BBC Television (1953 - Present) = Current affairs documentary series focusing on investigative journalism.

Analysis of a Documentary 5

A unique d

ocumentary about one of Britain's most dangerous crime families, the Noonans. Made in 2007 by Irish director Donal McIntyre this documentary gives an overview of Manchester life including Dominic Noonan's (Lattlay Fottfoy) everyday activities. The documentary takes a reality style structure.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Analysis of a Documentary 3

An observational documentary following comedian Stephen K Amos as he explores homosexual men using his own experience as a black gay man himself to find out why homophobia still exists especially in his own London community. The title chosen purposely as it is a derogatory term for homosexuals. Amos speaks to young people of London and audiences of the comedy circuit to find out their opinions on the subject. He travels to Jamaica where he tries to discover why prejudice, intimidation and violence against gay men remain so prevalent.

Analysis of a Documentary 2

The family is a new reality programme that takes a unique observational documentary approach. It tells of the universal themes of family life. Similar to the 1974 experiment on the Wilkins family which then changed the face of British TV, the Hughes family agreed to take part in the experiment showing a typical family and modern outlook on life. The family consist of a dad, a mum and four children three of which are teenagers and the eldest not living at home. Their lives were filmed over the course of 4 months for 100 days and nights which included 21 cameras situated around their home in Canterbury Kent. The documentary began in September and ran for eight episodes it featured on Channel 4. The fly on the wall type doc gave all six family members the opportunity to voice their opinions on their family and intrintroduce themselves in their own words. The show features Simon (dad), Jane (mum), Jessica 22, Emily 19, Charlotte 17, and Tom 14. All family members each had their own particular role and described themselves in different ways. The show very much highlights the struggles that families face daily but are reassured by love.

Episode 1 - Life Begins at 40
The series begins with Jane's 40th birthday approaching and the tension built up in the Hughes household. The main theme of the episode is age and is revealed through the relationships in the fa

mily. The shot begins with a variety of establishing shots showing the type of houses in the area they live in. A solemn instrumental can be heard throughout the opening. As the purpose of the documentary is to introduce the family and how they live this gives a sense of identity for the audience as their situation is relatable. The next shot cuts to the family sitting around the table eating a meal as the voice over begins. We are introduced to the family and various clips showing each member and their personality is included. This portrays the Hughes family as approachable and normal. The next shot is faded in and shows Jane entering the home from a day at work, this may reflect a typical day in the household where the parents get home later than the children. However in the portrayal of a typical family roles maybe reversed showing the father as the breadwinner or provider. The camera shows Jane engaging in a conversation with Tom in which she appears quite angry. This is enforced by Tom's voice over of suggesting that she is in a "funny mood". As the episode continues we find out the reason for her feeling this way as the reoccurring situation of Emily going out begins to emerge, this soon becomes a main problem throughout the series. Tom's voice over continues and he states "Emily's going out isn't helping". Tom's voice over continues again and he suggests that his mother is also feeling down about turning 40. This shows a typical problem that women generally face about getting old and also suggests that this will occur in a normal family. The camera cuts to a close up of Jane sitting on the bed looking down, this is reinforced through her body language. The camera then cuts to Emily in her own bedroom and what appears as her getting ready to go out. The editing of the shots suggest that this is indeed the reason for Jane feeling upset as their is a contrast in age between them both. The shots continue and the title appears on the screen (life begins at 40). We are for the first time shown Simon as him and Jane are in their bedroom. They have a heated discussion on Emily and her hygiene which she eventually joins in to. The camera cuts to Jane in bed and her facial expression suggests she is in no mood for the argument that follows and she often tells Simon to just "leave it". The episode continues as the family begin to get ready for school and work. Emily can be seen entering the house suggesting that she has stayed out all night. This is a feature of most teenagers at that age. Throughout the series Jane and Simon often argue with Emily about her constant going out at night and sleeping all day. As the episode continues the next shot shows Emily on the phone to her boss, she explains to her boss that she hasn't been feeling very well and cannot attend work. This also reveals a regular occurrence of Emily not facing her responsibility which reflects something that teenagers also do. There are prominent contrasts of age between the type of music that the parents and Emily listen to, this reveals a difference in times and age.

Analysis of a Documentary 1

I decided to analyse a less conventional documentary that chooses to break the visual codes and conventions of a typical documenatry in order to explore various examples of shows that document reality whilst combining a comic twist. The Office manages to take the format of a real documentary but take doc's to a level that has never been seen before.

An award winning sitcom conveys the lives of office workers at a Slough paper merchant called Wernham Hogg Paper Company. Set in the satellite town of Slough, Berkshire in London, it was created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. It first aired in the UK and has continued success in other countries with various adaptations worldwide. Its original run was from 9th July 2001 til 27th December 2003. Although fictional and scripted, it takes the form of a documentary or mockumentary sometimes with the presence of the camera acknowledged. When first shown on BBC 2, low ratings nearly caused the show to be axed, but since then the show has gone on to being one of the most successful British comedy exports of all time. The situation comedy highlights the many issues office workers face from: incompetent co-workers, petty and pompous managers and their overall drab lifestyle.

The Office UK - Season 1 Episode 1

The show begins with an establishing shot of office buildings with a slow pan to the left. The camera cuts and various establishing shots of t

he city are conveyed. The shots appear quite dull and grey and could be said to represent a typical city in Britain through Pathetic Fallacy. This is where the weather reflects the mood of people and the city, which could link to the office workers included in the show. A sign appears as the shots continue which features the words: "Slough Trading Estate" which indicates the city it is set in. A drum and piano intro begins at the start which continues as a short instrumental piece which could also be used to reflect the mood of the city. The music used is quite sombre and subtle. As the shots continue the title "The Office" appears and the music ends. The next shot cuts to a long shot of a man (Ricky Gervais) sitting in a chair, this highlights his position in the work place as he appears quite high up due to his appearance and body language. We as audience later find out that he is the mangaer of the company, character name David Brent. The shot appears as if the manager is talking to the audience but the continued shot reveals a man opposite. Here the camera reverse zooms to an over the shoulder shot of the manager and the man. The manager exerts his position on to the lower down workers which gives them reason to find him obnoxious and pompous. We can see this by the words and phrases he uses when communicating with the other workers. It reveals his character and the reactions of the characters to him. The camera then cuts to low angle establishing shot of the workplace. This is used to convey the normality of the surroundings and make it appear as realistic as possible. The nature of the camera is quite shaky done on purpose to indicate that it is filmed in a documentary format this is hand held. The manager takes the position of a narrator and introduces the rest of the characters, this also lets the audience know what the other characters think of him. The character Dawn Tinsley is introduced by David and can be seen sitting at a desk. This shot highlights gender and the typical role of women in an office as a "receptionist" or "secretary" Here the camera is quite fluid and still very shaky which continues through the rest of the shots. A conversation between Dawn and David appears to become hostile once the subject of drinking alcohol is mentioned. This is reinforced through the camera zooming in on both their reactions to gain an understanding of their emotions through facial expressions. This is also an indication that Dawn isn't fond of David. Throughout the show the camera often draws upon clashes between David and the other characters.

The appearance of the office workers are quite smart and sophisticated however this doesn't reflect their personalities, this also shows that working in an office is quite a "common" job and may reflect the working class background as very little intelligence is needed for that particular job. Piece to cameras are included from the workers who introduce themselves and their position in the work place. This may be used in a real documentary to gain an insight into what their really like and to inform the audience. This is also used for comic effect as the characters lack the appeal for the job they do. Between some shots a photo copier is shown to indicate that work is getting done and to reinforce the surroundings. Voice overs of David are used on some shots to give the audience his point of view on the workplace and the people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhM7stkm2PE

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Codes and Conventions of a Documentary

This refers to the types of codes that can be seen within a media text and the types of codes that can be broken down and analysed. They can be separated into three dissimilar groups - technical codes which refers to camera techniques and shots used, symbolic codes that are used for signified or conventional effect and written/audio codes that also add to the media text.

A Documentary film is a category of visual expressions from the characters included that are based on the attempt to "document" reality. The scenes of this may be edited carefully to be arranged in a particular way but are mainly based on the truth. It is not scripted and the people included in the films are usually not actors. Documentaries are always themed or have one main subject base. The characteristics of a documentary are how it has been constructed. it may include facts and statistics that are used to grab the audience's interests. Voice overs and pieces to camera may also be included. Interviews are included to give a person's opinion or point of view. These are usually given from an "expert in the field's " point of view" or "vox pops" where the voices of the regular people are included. Archive footage are clips for the documentary that are specific for that theme. Reconstructed clips may also be used if real footage is not available or if the identities of people need to be protected. This types are clips are usually used in such crime documentaries. Before 1926 the term documentary had not been coined and said films were known as "actuality" films.

Main Documentary Styles
There are various main styles or genres of documentary films, these may vary according to director or how he/she may want their documentary to be presented. The classic type of documentary often called "expository" documentary is purely aimed to inform the audience. John Gierson's "Night Mail" did just that in 1936 which was the main style at the time. The 70's and 80's brought forth the "fly on the wall" documentary style where cameras had been brought into people's homes and workplaces. The events of this type of doc are seen candidly with no hidden aspects. This type of style can be seen in Roger Graef's "The Police" (1982). Some directors may choose to be a main feature or star in their documentary, especially if they feel their subject base is important to them. This type of style came around in the 80's and 90's and is known as performance or the directors as performers. Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield used this style in their own documentaries, recently Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" (2002) and Broomfield's "The Selling of a Serial Killer" (2003).
Documentaries have been known to increase television ratings where the first hybrids came along. Directors often crossed over current genres of documentaries and formed new ones. For example soap operas and documentaries have been crossed creating what is known as a "mock documentary" or "mockumentary". This creates a comedy genre of doc commonly used for parody and satire. Some are presented in a documentary type form that is actually fictional. "The Office" (2005) is a classic example of this. There is also a current phase of hybrids within docs where soap meets game show and even talk show; this has led to a definite increase in ratings. Some documentaries are predominately known for their serious investigating, similar to expository type docs although investigative docs tend to be associated with TV with aims to investigate issues that relate to the public. The generally convey a particular point of view about the issues they investigate. For example: politics, crime, etc. "Panorama" current affairs documentary adopts this style. Documentaries often vary amongst themes from: Biographical to Reality TV which makes them the very diverse.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Example of a Documentary Script

I decided to include an example of a documentary script that was composed as a previous idea last year when filming a documentary of a similar theme. It highlights the severity of underage and teenage drinking whilst also highlighting the effect it has on crime rates. I used this as a basis to compose my final idea for my documentary.

Music: Dizzie Rascal – Sirens (runs throughout pic sequence for intro)

Crimes committed by youngsters today are not unheard of; in fact many as young as 11 committed up to 8% of youth related crime in 2008. Here we are in 2009 and yet figures of youth crime are on the increase.
There are many reasons for this increase in crime, however in this documentary we will be focusing on crime from a different angle in relation to alcohol with alcohol being the main reason. Drinking can cause numerous health problems such as: liver disease, throat cancer and mental health problems. It can also lead to a young person becoming more violent, aggressive, less inhibited and no longer in control… these are just a few mild examples of how alcohol can alter your body. So if it can do this (show pic of a damaged liver) than surely it can make you commit crimes too.

Title: “Made of the HARD Stuff”
In today’s society fewer and fewer young people nowadays wait until they’re 18 to drink.
So by the time the average teenager has reached 15, more than eight out of 10 have already tried alcohol. Here are a few more statistics to put things into perspective.

Music: The Streets – Blinded by the lights. (Runs through stats, ,writing appears over use footage of people in Sutton)

o 16 – 25 year olds are six times more likely to commit an offence and become victims of one more than any other age group.

o Official figures show that there has been a 37 per cent increase in the number of children being admitted to hospital because of alcohol since 2001.

o Pinnacle age for men committing the most crimes over the course of their lives = 18 Also the pinnacle age for the most intake of alcohol.

o Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes.

The Pitch

Ideas for Project:

I chose to produce a documentary for my coursework and had to consider the codes and conventions of a documentary in order for this to happen. I originally planned to work on my own for the project and had already mind mapped ideas on what the theme was going to be. As the previous year I had also filmed a documentary, beforehand I had already planned the format, the style and knew exactly what my documentary was going to include. Having worked with a partner last year we both combined our ideas for our documentary together and decided to focus on crime in relation to alcohol. However this year I decided to just have a main focus of gangs which thus related to crime anyway.

Role Allocation

When composing my project last year I worked in a group as opposed to my current project where I decided to work alone. As last year there was two of us in my group we decided to share the roles equally. We both had the skills to be able to work the camera effectively in order to produce our documentary. Therefore we both acted as camera person. However since we chose to produce a documentary one of the required elements was a piece to camera or an interview including the interviewer on screen. My partner acted in this role to speak to experts and vox pops. When completing our final production we both worked together to agree on how we wanted to edit our documentary. We worked effectively together and composed a final draft that we were both happy with.

However this year it was a lot harder to work the roles as cameraperson whilst including myself on screen and be able to compose a successful documentary. In doing so I decided to enlist the help of a reporter to narrate, present, interview and act as a voiceover where it was needed. This meant that I handled the camera equipment, shot arrangements, location and interviews to ensure it all came together on screen.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Documentary Poster

This is my draft for my advertising poster that I previously made for a documentary on underage drinking and other effects of alcohol and the rates of crime affected by this. My new idea focuses heavily on gangs and the effects they have on society, however I will still be able to use this as a basis for my new auxilliary project for my poster.

News article

This is a draft copy for a news article advertising a documenatry film about crime in relation to alcohol. This was my original idea.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Target Audience Questionnaire

We were asked to conduct a questionnaire determine our target audience for our documentary. This would therefore give us an insight into our potential audience or the type of viewers that were likely to watch our documentary.