My documentary, Binge Britain, is about how alcohol can have a negative effect on society as a whole and not just the consumer. My documentary fits into the expository and investigative genre because it looks at a topical issue and tries to educate and inform the audience about that issue. I used archive footage and relevant facts and figures to try to make my audience understand about the issue raised first hand. My documentary has incorporated a variety of typical documentary conventions such as narration, voice over, archive footage and reconstructions.
In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
To ensure I had developed forms and conventions of real media products I viewed different documentaries to identify the conventions needed and gain an understanding for the types of shots, framing and techniques that were used, and that would be required in my documentary. Once I had decided on the topic of my documentary, I decided to watch documentaries of a similar nature to give myself a greater understanding of the demands of this topic, and also give me ideas of what to include in my own documentary. A few examples of the documentaries I watched were:
· Brighton Beach Patrol
· Cherry Goes Drinking
· Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents
All of these documentaries used similar techniques such as; interviews, voiceovers, narration and archive footage to establish the point they were making. After watching these documentaries I decided I wanted to follow the same structure but develop them further with the use of music and reconstructions. By using additional conventions, it showed I was not afraid of breaking away from the mould of traditional documentaries, as I thought this would increase the appeal of my documentary to my target audience.
Whilst filming I had to take into account the position of myself, the interviewer, and the interviewee. I opted to use an over the shoulder shot for all of the interviews as it allowed to audience to focus on what was being said, rather than who was asking the question.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?
For my ancillary tasks I was asked to produce an advertising poster for my documentary and a double page spread in a T.V. listings magazine. It was essential for me to think about my target audience whilst designing my ancillary tasks because if they didn’t appeal, it could cause them to become disinterested in my documentary. The target audience for my documentary is mainly teenagers and young adults so my ancillary tasks needed to be modern and fresh in order to appeal to them.
I have noticed from researching existing media such as; advertising posters and magazine articles that it is important for the reader to know when the documentary is airing but also to have a visual clue as to what the documentary is about. When planning my designs for my ancillary tasks I needed to think what would appeal to my target audience.
I would say that both my ancillary tasks were effective to the documentary.
My poster denotes a girl drinking vodka and with smeared make-up, which emphasises the title of the documentary ‘Binge Britain’. The title of the documentary also instantly enables the audience to understand the subject in my documentary. Having the ‘Binge’ part of the title in red also connotes danger, which shows the audience my documentary is of a serious nature. Using an image of a girl drinking with smeared make-up reinforces the stereotype of binge drinking and will give the audience to incentive to learn more about the topic. Using a dark background also adds a sense of mystery which is often associated with night time.
The title of the documentary reads ‘BINGE BRITIAN: BRIGHTON’. The capital letters connotes brashness and rebellion, which is something my target audience should be able to relate to.
To create this poster I used Photoshop. I prepared my image and text separately and then used layering to combine them to create the final product. I used features such as cropping and editing brightness and contrast.
For my second ancillary task, I was asked to create a double page spread for a listings magazine. I again decided to use a dark background as binge drinking is associated with night time and it again adds a sense of mystery. Using the same girl for each ancillary task gives my target audience some familiarity, which will enable them to make connections between the poster and the double page spread. Using a young model for each of my ancillary tasks will enable my target audience to relate to my documentary but should also highlight the fact that binge drinking can affect all ages.
The text on my double page spread is white and size 14, which makes it easy for the audience to read, as it stands out from the dark background. The language used is suitable for my target audience and should entice them to watch my documentary. I have stated what the documentary is about without revealing the outcome.
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
To gain audience feedback for my documentary, I set up private viewings for students at a couple of local colleges. This was a suitable audience to test my documentary on as teenagers were one of target audience groups. This meant that their feedback would be vital in finding out whether my documentary was going to be popular.
After the viewing I asked for feedback and here are some of the responses I received:
‘There was a good combination of camera shots which meant it kept me interested throughout. Also the use of a reconstruction was a really clever idea.’
‘There was at times too much dialogue and so sometimes seemed to drag on a bit. The use of music at some points may prevent this.’
‘It was interesting to watch a documentary that actually focused on the social side of drinking and how it effects public services etc, normally it’s only from the drinker’s point of view’
After receiving this feedback I decided to incorporate music where possible. I chose chart songs such as ‘Shot Yourself In The Foot Again- Example’ and ‘Price Tag- Jessie J’ as they are likely to appeal to my target audience. By using audience feedback, it enabled me to make changes to my documentary quickly and efficiently.
I also showed my movie to a group of media studies students who were also making documentaries. They were able to offer me a more precise opinion on camera angles and editing techniques and a more refined overall judgement. The feedback was mainly positive although one student commented on the length of an interview. After receiving this feedback I decided to add an extra scene whilst continuing the audio from the interview. This made the information being given seem less repetitive. Adding that definitely improved my documentary and also my skills on the editing software.
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
To produce my documentary to the highest possible I used a variety of new media technologies.
For the planning stage of my documentary, I mainly used the internet. I used search engine ‘Google’ to research about typical documentary modes and conventions. I also used ‘Google’ to gain a greater understanding of the problem binge drinking is causing in the UK. I then used BBC IPLAYER and 4OD to watch existing documentaries of a similar genre to mine to gain an understanding of what to include in my documentary.
I also had to use a scanner during the planning stage of my documentary, to upload items such as storyboards, scripts and shot lists. Scanning these items provided an easy way of getting them onto my blog whilst maintaining a profession look.
To create my ancillary tasks, I used Photoshop. This is a programme I have used before but am not comfortable with using. To enable me to produce my ancillary tasks to a high standard I read the instruction manual and asked an IT student for some pointers on using Photoshop. Eventually I felt comfortable using it and produced my ancillary tasks to a high standard.
I was confident when using the camera for the filming of my documentary as I had previous experience of using it. It was very easy to adapt to different settings and had good sound and light quality.
The editing process is where I learnt the majority of my new media skills during this project. I used iMovie on the Apple Mac computers to edit and create my final product. This is a programme I had used before and so I knew it was of a high quality and would give my documentary a professional look.
For the evaluation I used Microsoft Word. I chose to use word because it formally presents an account of my project. Word also provides spelling and grammar checks, which ensure my evaluation is of the highest possible standard. I decided to copy and paste my evaluation from word straight onto my blog, and then add pictures around it.
