Documentary project
Week 1:
Documentary Conventions:
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Non-fiction
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About the Real World - Historical, political, cultural events
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Unscripted
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Based on observation rather than intervention
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Informative and Educational
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Asks and answers a question
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Limited Budget
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No restricted running time
Three Documentary Trailer Analysis:
Capitalism – A Love Story: CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY - TRAILER - YouTube
This documentary trailer is based on Michael Moore’s exploration on the causes of the global economic meltdown. This is non-fiction as it is about the real economic crisis in the world that people are still struggling with today, making it un staged. It educates people within and outside of America of the struggles and the robbery of citizens committed by the political and corporate world.
The documentary is set in America, mainly shooting on the streets where they use hand-held camera work which follows Michael Moore around on his journey. They use natural lighting due to the number of unexpected interviews and there is use of synchronous sound recording which is heard when Moore is interviewing people involved within the Wall Street Crash as well as the people suffering from it. Within the trailer, they show multiple types of voiceover narration whether it’s with Moore on the screen or off screen and while these narrations happen, there is use of archive material such as news footage, stills of the important places and people. There are also examples of expert testimony as he interviews democrats who represent different states who explain their side of the collapse as well as congressional oversight officers who were amid it all.
The program uses interviews and material to shape a story on how the global economic meltdown began and why it happened in the first place.
(IMDB, 2009)
(IMDB, 2009)
The Interrupters: The Interrupters (2011) - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube
This documentary trailer is based on the stories from three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their communities in Chicago from the violence they once created. This is non-fiction as it is about real events within Chicago towns which educate people on the persistent violence in our cities, therefore making it un staged and based on observation.
This documentary is set in America, more specifically in Chicago. There is use of hand-held camera work which follows the people who are suffering from the violence as well as the people who are trying to stop it. There is use of natural lighting due to the unexpected murders – some happen in day as well as night – therefore, due to it being not scripted, natural lighting is their best choice of quick and efficient lighting. There is a camera following the action as they must sit in interviews, group meetings and the three Violence Interrupters around their lives, making sure to capture important clips of information to help educate people around the world on what is occurring. From what the trailer shows, there is very little use of voiceover narration as the documentary is mainly lead by the camera and what the interviewees are saying. There is use of archive materials such as news footage and videos of victims discussing action plans to try and minimise the violence and to back up the purpose of the sources, there are interviews specifically with the three Violence Interrupters as well as people involved around them such as gang leaders and victim’s families.
The program uses people who have been affected by the disease of violence to explain their stories and what they do to help prevent it to help shape a narrative for the viewer as the main reason this film has been made is to help stop violence.
(IMDB, 2011)
(IMDB, 2011)
Blackfish: Blackfish Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Documentary Movie HD - YouTube
This documentary trailer is based on the death of a SeaWorld trainer committed by an Orca, a type of whale, which was completely unexpected due to the harmless nature of an Orca. It’s about a real-life event, making it non-fiction, and it uses observations of people involved or who had some sort of relationship to the tragedy – making it unscripted and educational.
The location of this documentary is Orlando, Florida – more specifically at a SeaWorld branch. The documentary uses a mix of hand-held camerawork and tripod work depending on whether it is an interview or if it’s following the action. Due to the unexpectedness of the event, most of the clips use natural lighting as it is quick and efficient to provide. There is use of synchronous sound recording when they capture the whales as well as when the actual whale shows happen. There are multiple interviews with witnesses who were either there when it happened or were related to the event in someway to testify their thoughts and feelings about the tragedy, which makes the documentary more educational yet thrilling. For what I have seen in the trailer, there is not much use of voiceover narration if at all yet there is use of archive material such as news footage and previous videos of the victim with whales acting happy, as well as videos of whales being captured. There are interviews with experts from SeaWorld and animal protection companies which testify their expert opinions, making the documentary more accurate.
The program is structured in a way that they show the Orca’s story from the very beginning which is being captured all the way to the end which is the tragedy. They use a chronological form to inform people on what animal abuse does to animals and why zoos and aquariums can be harmful.
(IMDB, 2013)
(IMDB, 2013)
References:
IMDB, 2009. Capitalism: A Love Story (2009). [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232207/mediaviewer/rm1153009920?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_5
[Accessed 15 September 2022].
IMDB, 2009. Capitalism: A Love Story (2009). [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232207/mediaviewer/rm3331295488/?ref_=tt_ov_i
[Accessed 15 September 2022].
IMDB, 2011. The Interrupters (2011). [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319744/mediaviewer/rm1200996096/?ref_=tt_ov_i
[Accessed 15 September 2022].
IMDB, 2011. The Interrupters (2011). [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319744/mediaviewer/rm2539488512?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_3
[Accessed 15 September 2022].
IMDB, 2013. Blackfish (2013). [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2545118/mediaviewer/rm4277380096/?ref_=tt_ov_i
[Accessed 15 September 2022].
IMDB, 2013. Blackfish (2013). [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2545118/mediaviewer/rm3272654593?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_19
[Accessed 15 September 2022].
Two Documentary Analysis:
(IMDB, 2003)
(IMDB, 2002)
Like films, documentaries have their own genres and conventions which makes everyone unique. My task today is to analyse 30 mins of two different documentaries and compare them on how they are similar and how they contrast.
The first documentary I looked at is called Touching the Void. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, the documentary is based on a “true story of two climbers who decided to climb the Siula Grande, a mountain in the Peruvian Andes, in 1985” (IMDB, 2003). The story consists of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates climbing up and down the mountain and describing the horrible ascent down the mountain as Joe gets critically injured, putting Simon in the position to either die with him, or cut the rope. The second documentary I looked at is called Biggie & Tupac. Directed by Nick Broomfield, the documentary describes the story of the rivalry and the murders of musicians Tupac and Biggie that occurred in the 90s (IMDB, 2002). The story shows where both of them grew up, the people around them and his suspicions on who is behind their murders.
Both documentaries are similar in a sense that they both take a formal approach to telling their story. For example, there’s very minimal irony and comedy like you would find in a Michael Moore documentary such as Fahrenheit 9/11 or Capitalism: A Love Story who purposely use humour to attract viewers who are searching for something light-hearted. Furthermore, they both open the documentary setting the people, setting and the case. This makes it easy for the viewer to understand what the story is without revealing the end, to entice them into watching further; it also gives the viewer context. Both documentaries also use friends, relatives or people who were involved in pivotal events as interviewees to gain more accuracy to their documentary as well as emotion to pull the viewer in.
However, they contrast in the fact that Touching the Void uses dramatic reconstructions and interviews with the people involved to tell the story and help visualise it for the viewer while the documentary Biggie & Pac mainly uses archived footage of news reports and videos of both the musicians with narration over the top; It occasionally uses footage of the documentarian, Nick Broomfield, following the action with hand-held camera work. There is also a difference in the genre between the two of them: Touching the Void being an adventure, drama documentary and Biggie & Pac being a crime, drama documentary. I would say the final difference is that the Biggie & Pac documentary lacks the chronological structure that Touching the Void has due to the documentarian telling a story on people who are no longer here as well as a case which isn’t completely solved, which creates limitations to the structure.
I find that the way both documentaries approach the way to tell the story is very similar to some documentaries I have watched myself. For example, the documentary Woodstock ’99, a documentary showing the events of the failure of a music festival as it tries to recreate the iconic Woodstock ’69, takes the same formal and serious style to tell the disastrous story. I find that this one is more similar to Biggie & Pac due to the use of archived footage and interviews with people involved. However, the way they conduct the interviews is very similar to Touching the Void as it’s studio-based interviews with high production with footage combined.
I believe the main message of Touching the Void is the confliction between the value of a person’s life and your own. I think on a lighter level, it educates people on the thrills yet dangers of climbing to allow people to not put themselves in the position they were in as they were extremely lucky to both come out alive. For Biggie & Pac, I believe the main message is to inform people on the internal corruption of police forces and how you can’t trust the people in power. I also think it’s to teach people the rough lives of the iconic musicians and the rivalry that ultimately lead to their murders.
References:
IMDB, 2002. Biggie & Pac. [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303356/mediaviewer/rm3513169920/?ref_=tt_ov_i
[Accessed 21 September 2022].
IMDB, 2002. Biggie & Tupac. [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303356/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
[Accessed 21 September 2022].
IMDB, 2003. Touching The Void. [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379557/mediaviewer/rm3569851648/?ref_=tt_ov_i
[Accessed 21 September 2022].
IMDB, 2003. Touching the Void (2003). [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379557/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
[Accessed 21 September 2022].
Week 2:
Modes of Documentary:
Bill Nichols is an American Film Critic who discovered the main six modes of documentary. The six modes are in the following: poetic, expository, observational, participating, reflexive, and performative.
Poetic Documentary:
Poetic documentaries are a type of documentary mode that doesn’t fit a typical narrative structure. For example, they use music to enhance the mood and tone and they edit unrelated shots together. It’s typically described as Avant-Garde, meaning the mode is quite innovative and experimental. When it comes to these documentaries, the filmmaker gives a subjective view on the subject, leaving it open to interpretation. They are often designed to persuade and leave situations unsolved.
Expository Documentary:
Expository documentaries are the most known documentaries even if people don’t know the proper term for them. These types of documentaries tend to need heavy amounts of research to help set up a point of view or argument to convince the audience to believe that change is needed. The narrator tends to speak directly to the viewer to create a strong relationship and they include graphics and footage to support their claims.
Observational Documentary:
Observational documentaries are the purest form of documentaries. Born from a movement in 1960s by “real filmmakers” due to the advance in technology, this original mode of documentary can be described as a “fly on the wall” from the viewers point of view. Nothing is scripted in these documentaries and the footage tends to be raw, shaky and jumpy with long takes. The filmmaker is normally not seen or heard, and they need to be as unobtrusive as possible.
Participating Documentary:
Pioneered by leading documentarians Louis Theroux, Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield, this mode of documentary uses investigative filmmaking where a question is asked, or a controversial topic is explored. The filmmaker tends to have a large part in this mode of documentary as they are always seen and heard conducting interviews and following the subject around to gain needed information. The filmmaker does not influence but instead subjectively engages with their subject to get the rawest possible answer for their question. The interviewer’s questions are typically left in the edit, making the audience experience the film through the filmmaker’s point of view.
Reflexive Documentary:
Reflexive documentaries are documentaries about the process of making a documentary. It could be described as behind the scenes, making the viewer question the authenticity. This mode of documentary makes the viewer aware of the problematic relationship between reality and documentary film and it relies more on suggestion rather than fact. Closely related to the genre “Mockumentary”, this mode borrows techniques from fiction film and emphasises film (creating re-enactments, using expressive music and dramatic lighting) for a more emotional, subjective response. If there is a voiceover, it tends to be more questioning than authoritative.
Performative Documentary:
When it comes to performative documentaries, the documentary maker and the crew both involve themselves and interact with the subject while commenting on the process as they proceed with their subject. They tend to be shaped into an investigative narrative, which possibly could end without a conclusion and the audience is addressed in a direct way. Due to the subject leaning to more of a personal than a factual topic, there will be use of diaries, re-enactments and direct accounts of events to help describe the story.
Defining the Documentaries Mode:
This task is to watch the documentaries given to ask and define as well as justify what each documentary is.
Expository:
Dust Bowl, Ken Burns. Stories from the Dust Bowl (2005) - YouTube
“Dust Bowl” is a documentary bringing the stories of the people who experienced and lived through this critical time in history to light as many of them will soon be gone (SmokyHillsPBS, 2019). I defined the mode of this documentary to be expository. This is due to the use of graphics, which state the names of the interviewees, stills, which show the devastating pictures of the storm, and archived news articles, to show that this is a real-world event, to help support the story they are trying to tell. Furthermore, there is the use of voice-overs between interviews which is paired with images to help give context to the viewer. However, there is no sight of the interviewer, and you can’t hear their questions. There are clear signs of heavy research as it describes the events thoroughly and instead of asking a question which needs to be solved, “Dust Bowl” influences the viewer to start creating a change, which would be to promote sustainable farming.
Nanook of the North, Robert J. Flaherty Nanook of the North | Full Restored Classic Movie in HD | Retro TV - YouTube
Another example of the expository documentary mode is “Nanook of the North”. This documentary is based on the indigenous Inuit people of Canada’s Quebec region (TV, 2022). “Nanook of the North” doesn’t have a narrator you can hear as there was a lack of technology due to the time it was created: 1922. Instead, the “Voice of God” is provided with title cards. This gives the viewer context on the footage and the importance of them. The documentary includes footage which supports the narrative and supplies the viewer perspective, whether that would be videos of the Inuit people or what they do on a day-to-day basis. An expository documentary is set up to show a point of view or an argument, which in this case, it’s the point of view of the Inuit people and how they survive in their harsh conditions.
Overall, they both are expository modes of documentary which follow the conventions of the mode. While having their original quirks, like the silent documentary “Nanook of the North”, they are very similar in the way they explain their story with the “Voice of God” leading the narrative for both documentaries.
Observational:
Etre et Avoir, Nicolas Philibert ETRE ET AVOIR chapter 4 - YouTube
“Etre et Avoir” is a documentary about a small rural school in France (Wikipedia, 2022). I consider this documentary to be an observational documentary. The main reason being that it feels like I have been inserted into the scene, or that I am a “fly on the wall”. For example, in the scene where the teacher is discussing when to complete their work, it feels like I am sitting in the classroom with them, listening in on their conversation. There is no view of the film maker, nor voiceovers or graphics which suggests that it is an observational documentary as there is only the people in the school to lead the story. The narrative is lead by the school students and teachers as the hand-held camera follows them around, capturing their actions like doing schoolwork and playing in the snow. These are all conventions of the observational documentary mode which concludes my reasoning of my choice.
Grey Gardens, Albert and David Maysles Grey Gardens (HD documentary, 1975) - YouTube
A similar example of the observational documentary mode is “Grey Gardens”, directed by Albert and David Maysles. Like “Etre et Avoir”, there is constant signs of pure and raw footage, due to the shaking and slow zooms caused by hand-held camerawork, as well as long takes. Additionally, the camera follows the everyday life of the Bouvier Family, whether it would be showing off their fashion choices or discussing the whole in the wall. Again, with this documentary it feels like I am listening in on conversations while in the room with the family which suggests that it is an observational documentary.
In conclusion, they both have the major principles of an observational documentary as they don’t have any narrators or voiceovers, there’s no graphics or archived footage used, and there is no true narrative to follow other than what the people do. They are similar in a sense they both follow people around their everyday lives to capture what it’s like living as them, and the way they complete that task is alike too.
Poetic:
Baraka, Ron Fricke Baraka 1992 (HD) by Ron Fricke - YouTube
“Baraka” is a non-narrative documentary which explores different beautiful locations and people around the world (Wikipedia, 2022). The film consists of long takes, mainly of scenery and large groups of people, and music which enhances the mood. For example, the music they use in this certain part of the documentary is quite relaxing, which relates to the translation of the title, blessing. This abstract documentary only has sounds of music, nature, and chanting rather than dialogue and there is no voiceover or view of the filmmaker. This all leads me to believe that it is a poetic documentary due to the Avant-Garde style and the multiple symbols of poetic documentary conventions.
Rain, Joris Ivens Rain 'regen' (1929) - Directed by Joris Ivens - YouTube
“Rain” is a beautiful documentary on the stunning city of Amsterdam (Kolbaia, 2021). The documentary doesn’t have a story to it due to no graphics on the screen to tell us what we should be following on to, and it is rather led by the calming background music. Unrelated, long shots are edited together, creating an abstract feel and there isn’t any voiceover or narrator, which limits down the types of mode to two: poetic or observational. Nothing of this documentary is staged as it’s mainly all pictures of scenery and architecture, which is very hard to script. The footage is raw, which can be told by the shakiness and the jumpiness of the camera as they are shooting different things. Therefore, I believe like “Baraka”, this documentary is a poetic documentary.
Overall, both documentaries carry conventions of a poetic documentary like having no “Voice of God”, and editing unrelated scenes together to background music however, the thing that sets the two documentaries apart is their subject. “Baraka” focuses on people and 24 different countries around the world, “Rain” only focuses on Amsterdam.
Participatory/Performative:
Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley STORIES WE TELL CLIP 3 - YouTube
“Stories We Tell” is about exploring Sarah Polley’s, the director, family secrets (Wikipedia, 2022). I believe this documentary is a participatory documentary however, it has signs of a performative documentary too. It has conventions of a participatory documentary mode such as the use of archived footage to give the viewer context, the videos of the mother or old films of the dad, and how the filmmaker is heard asking the questions in the edit. However, it also seems that it is performative since it’s a personal subject to the filmmaker and that it is shaped into an investigative narrative, which concludes my point that it has signs of both performative and participatory modes.
Chronicle of a Summer, Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin 어떤 여름의 기록 - 쟝 루슈, 에드가 모린 (Chronicle of a Summer) - YouTube
“Chronicle of a Summer” is a film about the level of reality that can be achieved while knowing there is a camera on you (Wikipedia, 2022). This documentary also has signs of participatory and performative modes. This is because the directors, Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, engross themselves into their subject and purposely engages with interviewees to get answers to their proposed question about reality and cameras. The filmmakers are seen and heard on the screen asking questions, yet it can be seen as performative as they are posing the question and it’s what they would like to know, deeming it as personal rather than “factual”.
Overall, both films are very similar in their approach to answer their proposed questions and they both have signs of participatory and performative modes alike due to the filmmaker’s own personal experiences being incorporated into the film’s overall message. This is due to both documentaries posing personal questions and the filmmakers pandering in their subject.
Performative:
Catfish, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman Catfish: Meeting the Girl in the Pictures - YouTube
“Catfish” is a documentary by young filmmakers which shows a colleague of theirs experience with building a friendship online, and the unexpected series of events that follows with it (IMDB, 2010). The filmmaker and the crew interact with the subject to find out the truth of the Catfish, making it a personal topic that they want to indulge in. It uses hand-held camera work, which we can tell by the quick, shaky movement, and they constantly make updates on the process. The filmmakers are often seen on screen with or without the subject and it ended without a proper conclusion on who the catfish was. This leads me to believe that it’s a performative documentary.
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, Nick Broomfield Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of A Serial Killer | True Crime Story | Real Stories - YouTube
This documentary is about Nick Broomfield, the director, trying to prove that Aileen Wuornos, a convicted serial killer, is not the villain she was portrayed to be (MasterClass, 2021). The filmmaker appears in the film and interacts with the subject, constantly asking questions and gaining her side of the story, which shapes it into an investigative narrative. Furthermore, “The Selling of a Serial Killer” uses raw accounts such as diaries and direct accounts of the events that occurred.
In conclusion, both documentaries give signs of a performative documentary and even are so similar in the way they approach their subject. “Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer” is very similar to “Catfish” as the directors in that documentary do the same to gain the answers they need. Furthermore, they both use raw accounts of diaries and videos to further back up their evidence and gives the viewer context.
Participatory:
Louis Theroux Meets the Boer Leader, Louis Theroux (BBC) Louis Theroux Meets the Boer Leader | BBC - YouTube
As Louis Theroux is considered a pioneer of performative documentaries, I already had an idea of what this documentary could be. To back up my point, Theroux is seen on the screen with the interviewee, the Boer Leader, and subjectively engages with him to get the answer he needs such as asking him “Can a non-white person be a Boer?” which gives the answers to Theroux and the audience, making the audience experience the film in the filmmaker’s point of view. With hand-held camera work, the audience experiences the film in the filmmaker’s point of view as all his questions are in the edit. Therefore, I believe this is a participatory documentary.
Life of Michael Jackson, Martin Bashir Michael Jackson's Personal Life [Part 1] - YouTube
The “Life of Michael Jackson” is a documentary about Michael Jackson and how he got to the place where he is now. In the beginning, Michael is seen with the filmmaker, which shows that the filmmaker is on the screen and engaging with his subject. The title and the fact he says “How had this singing and dancing genius arrived in the surreal place that is his life today” suggests that they are creating an investigative narrative, a convention of participatory documentary. Bashir follows Michael Jackson, his subject, around as he completes day to day actions, asking him questions which are left in the edit. Therefore, I am using this example to compare with the Louis Theroux documentary.
Overall, both documentaries are similar in the fact they both follow the conventions of a participatory documentary mode and that they both subjectively engage with their subject instead of influence so they can drag out the answers they need to create an entertaining and factual documentary.
References
IMDB, 2010. Catfish. [Online]
Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1584016/
[Accessed 23 September 2022].
Kolbaia, G., 2021. Rain 'regen' (1929) - Directed by Joris Ivens. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWFapEKuVOo
[Accessed 23 September 2022].
MasterClass, 2021. Film 101: Understanding Performative Documentary Mode. [Online]
Available at: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-performative-documentary-mode
[Accessed 23 September 2022].
SmokyHillsPBS, 2019. Stories from the Dust Bowl (2005). [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tlWqZHbsOA
[Accessed 23 Septmeber 2022].
TV, R., 2022. Nanook of the North | Full Restored Classic Movie in HD | Retro TV. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WFT65hVfU8
[Accessed 23 September 2022].
Wikipedia, 2022. Baraka (film). [Online]
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baraka_(film)
[Accessed 23 September 2022].
Wikipedia, 2022. Chronicle of a Summer. [Online]
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicle_of_a_Summer
[Accessed 23 September 2022].
Wikipedia, 2022. Stories We Tell. [Online]
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stories_We_Tell
[Accessed 23 September 2022].
Wikipedia, 2022. To Be and to Have. [Online]
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Be_and_to_Have
[Accessed 23 September 2022].
Week 3:
This week we had to focus on experimenting and creating Vox Pop Interviews. They are short videos which show interviews discussing questions typically with the public. We had to work in groups to discuss what we are going to ask, what locations we are going to use, what equipment we need, and how we are going to capture the interviews.
Vox Pop Interview Video:
Evaluation:
The objective of the task was to practice making Vox Pop interview videos – “a short video made up of clips taken from interviews with members of the public” (Vox Pops International, n.d.). We had to discuss what the questions were going to be, what locations we were going to use, what equipment we needed, and how we were going to capture the interviews.
We decided on questions related to film, which lead to us asking what their favourite film was, when they watched it, why they like it, and what is their least favourite film. Due to a short time frame, we had to go down a practical route for the locations and we used different spots around our college. For equipment, we used a camera, microphone, and headphones to monitor the audio captured on the microphone and to capture the interviews, we asked people if they would be comfortable answering a few questions, and continued with our interview, making sure no one else was in the background.
As a group, we helped each other out in the filming and editing process, giving each other ideas and critics that could improve our work. I believe without having that group, the process wouldn’t have been as effective and therefore would’ve taken more time and been of a lesser quality.
The main skill I have acquired during this task is learning how to edit an interview, so the audience doesn’t get lost with all the questions and people. I had to come up with an idea on how to include everyone’s answers in an ordered manner, while also making sure the audience doesn’t become confused with what has been asked and what the interviewee is answering to. I also learnt how to sync up footage with audio using the avid tool, auto-sync. It required having a sound clip, which we clapped at the start of the recording, which tells avid to line up the audio with the footage from that point, which ultimately lines up the clips perfectly, so you don’t have to do it on the timeline. This made my life easier when it came to editing the final interview and made the process quicker.
There were two main problems that I faced: audio issues and the best method to let the audience know what films they were talking about. First, I fixed the audio issues by turning up the interviewee’s volume and lowering the background music’s volume to create an even audio, making it not distracting for the viewer. I then decided, after experimenting with images and different titles, that just writing the movie name in the corner of the screen would be the best way, aesthetically and practically, to show the audience what film is being spoken about.
From what my peers have said, the use of background music adds ambience to the interview, making it more interesting and entertaining to watch. Furthermore, there are nice camera shots, and they like that the subject is in the corner to inform the viewer on what is being spoken about. They also appreciated some of the backgrounds that we used. However, they think that some backgrounds are noisy both visually, too much is going on, and audibly, too much background noise.
I think in the future we would have to think if some locations are louder than others and if it was going to be too distracting. For example, the first interview that is shown in the video has very loud background noise which could’ve easily been avoided if a different location was used. This is also the case for the second interview.
References:
Vox Pops International, n.d. What is a vox pop?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.voxpops.com/what-is-a-vox-pop/
[Accessed 6 October 2022].
Week 4 & 5
This week we had to focus on creating a piece to screen video stating a documentary we enjoyed, why we enjoyed it, and how it tells the story. To help us structure the piece to camera video, we watched an example of Louis Theroux explaining what documentaries have inspired him with his work. This gave us an insight on what camera angles to use, how to present ourselves, what lighting and background is needed and what needs to be said.
Before filming my piece to script, I decided to plan everything beforehand. For example, I made a script that was created from small notes that I made about the documentary of my choice, and I also made an audio-visual script. The script helps the final video be more organised and professional and the benefit of creating an audio-visual script is that it allows me to visualise my final edit before even starting it and it gives it chances of being more high quality due to that planning.
Script:
I recently watched a documentary series which intrigued me as I am a huge music fan. It was an interesting Netflix documentary called Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99.
The documentary begins explaining the success of Woodstock ’69, a peaceful, calm music festival which brought communities together, and then leads on their plan to recreate the festival but 30 years later, which is ultimately what the documentary is all about.
The reason why I chose this documentary is because it’s interesting how different people in different places of power push the blame on to different factors. For all the assaults, damages and injuries, the people who organised the event blamed the media that was releasing at that current time, for example, they used the movie fight club to justify the violent and abnormal behaviour of the young attendees. However, they fail to realise that this was going to happen because of their greed and obsession with control. The attendees blamed the organisers for taking away their water, making them pau extortionate prices for necessities and holding the festival on an airbase instead of a field, which caused heatstroke to many attendees due to the heatwave.
The way they tell the story is interesting as it is set over 3 episodes. It is structured in a way that each episode gradually declines into savagery, almost like how the festival did over the 3 days. I also like how the documentary doesn’t bias either side of the organisers or the attendees. It allows the viewer to make their own judgement for who was at fault and what both parties could’ve done to limit the damages and casualties. To keep the story going, they include interviews with attendees, music artists who performed and reporters. This gives the narrative more structure and allows the viewers to gain more information from a first-person perspective.
Overall, this emotional documentary takes a disastrous event and explains all the tragic accidents that wouldn’t had happened if proper planning had been put in place. I believe this documentary was made to make people aware of not only the event, but to warn future music festival organisers and attendees on what can happen if the right precautions aren’t followed.
Audio-visual Script:
Piece to Screen Video:
Evaluation:
The objective of the task was to select a documentary we really enjoyed, pick out our favourite moments and explain why we like the documentary and how the story is told. To help us structure the piece to camera video, we watched an example of Louis Theroux explaining what documentaries have inspired him with his work. This gave us an insight on what camera angles to use, how to present ourselves, what lighting and background is needed and what needs to be said.
When it came to planning, I initially made notes on the documentary I was going to speak about – which is Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 – which stated my favourite moments and what I enjoy about the production of the documentary. I then from them notes created a script which I would use in the filming process, so it is organised and analytical. However, before filming, I also made an audio-visual script which helped me in the post-production process as it told me where to put visual media with the audio. The benefit of creating an audio-visual script is that it allows me to visualise my final edit before even starting it and it gives it chances of being more high quality due to that planning.
One problem I faced was in the editing process; I realised when I inputted my footage onto the timeline, the lighting was quite bright. To fix that, I colour corrected all the footage that I used that had me in it and toned down the gamma (brightness) of the footage to make it seem more natural. Another problem I faced was that I spoke a lot and quickly which could make it hard for the viewer to understand. I couldn’t fix this problem completely however to help it not be so outstanding, I split up my talking with clips of the documentary or other films which related to what I was talking about to give the viewer a rest of information.
I asked my peers and tutors for feedback, and they said that they all really enjoyed it. It’s informative, flows well with the clips, and it had good analysis points. They also liked how it is structured and the balance between footage of the me and the clips I used. However, they also agree with me that I speak too fast and too much and that sometimes it can be hard to understand.
I think in the future I would need to improve my camera presence to seem more natural when talking about things on camera. I found myself being nervous and awkward talking while being filmed by a camera which affected my presentation of my script. I would also need to work on when speaking to a camera, not speaking too fast and making sure I’m taking breaks when needed to make it easier to edit and it makes it easier for the viewer to understand.
The skills I have improved on are my editing skills and performing skills. Without this task, I wouldn’t have put myself in front of a camera and said a script and even though it made me nervous, I still gave it a go – even though I probably wouldn’t do it again unless required to. I also wouldn’t have figured out how to effectively fade audios and videos into one another smoothly with avid.
Week 6
2 Interview Analysis:
For this week, the task is to analyse two interviews and comparing them to one another. To make them differentiate, I have chosen a primetime TV interview and also a late night or podcast interview. I will be assessing the setting, camerawork, sound, editing, questions, language, tone, and target audience of each interview to conclude on how different interviews can be made according to their topic and the time of day the interview airs.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Tom Holland dish on 'Avengers: Infinity War' - YouTube
For the first interview, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch are on Good Morning America, an American news and talk show, discussing their new upcoming film “Avengers: Infinity War”. When it comes to the mise-en-scene, the interview is set in 2 studios, the main one with the reporters in America, and a London based one with the guests. The American studio, is famous for the Good Morning America show as it is their usual room to shoot in. Paired with the host’s formal attire, it is easy to make out that this is a prime-time television show. However, the London based studio is much more unique as it is a one-off studio room. It has the United Kingdom flag in the background to notify the viewer where the interview is being held and the interviewees are dressed much more casually.
Technical Elements:
When it comes to the camera work, the angle of the camera changes in the main studio multiple times. It has a side camera (shooting a wide angle) that glides across the set, which shows the hosts, audience, and the screen they are looking at, and it has a front camera (shooting a mid-shot) which shows the hosts faces and reactions. Personally, having the movement makes the interview seem smoother visually and it also allows the viewers to see more reactions. When it comes to the London based studio, they have a main camera which is face on the interviewees, capturing their answers and actions. They then have another camera shooting close-ups of each of the interviewees which is needed when questions are directed to one person as it focuses the attention on them rather than the others, making the interview much more personal. The other video content they use is a short clip from the new movie trailer which shows the viewer what movie they are talking about, and it also popularises it to people who wouldn’t seek an interest in it before to gain attention. The quality of the sound is great – which is expected from a popular talk show – and the interview mainly uses diegetic sound. The only non-diegetic sound added was when the trailer was inputted into the interview, making the interview seem rawer and more unscripted. There is one transition effect at the start of the interview which is almost like a spy tracking application. It is a smooth and on theme transition which introduces the special guests and where they are: as they cannot attend in person. The pace of the interview was quite quick, as it is only 5 minutes long and they got through multiple questions and still managed to gather detailed answers.
Front facing camera (mid shot) - Main Studio
Side camera (wide angle) - Main Studio
Transition into the London Studio
Front facing camera (mid shot) - London Studio
Close-up - London Studio
Transition into the London Studio
Clip of the Movie Trailer they used
Interview Techniques:
The interview never used closed questions. That is because with open ended questions, you truly get detailed answers instead of just a “yes” or “no”. I can use this in my own project as I now know that if you used closed questions, it’ll be a very short and boring interview for everyone involved as well as the viewer. The target audience for the show is Marvel fans and GMA fans. This could mean the age range could go from a young child to what could be considered elderly. This means the type of language they use is non-profanity and the interview is more formal than informal. This suits the show as it is a morning talk show, if they were to use certain slang or swear words, it would seem irregular and they would get in trouble as the federal law prohibits obscene, indecent, and profane language from being broadcasted on radio or TV (Federal Communications Comission, 2021). However, sometimes they language can seem more chilled due to them being comfortable. I believe both interviewers and the interviewees are comfortable throughout the interview however, I think Tom Holland could be seen as stressed and uncomfortable due to the fact it is live and his track record of accidentally spoiling things. I like this specific interview because despite it being 5 minutes long, they answer multiple detailed questions while also showing off their own personality. I think it’s a great interview to promote their movie. From the interview, I have learnt that using open-ended questions will make my interview more entertaining and informative and using casual language could make it hard to understand or uncomfortable.
References:
Federal Communications Comission, 2021. Obscene, Indecent and Profane Broadcasts. [Online]
Available at: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/obscene-indecent-and-profane-broadcasts#:~:text=Federal%20law%20prohibits%20obscene%2C%20indecent,on%20who%20you%20talk%20to.
[Accessed 26 October 2022].
For this interview, Youtuber, best known for his appearance on Smosh and his “I spent a day with” podcast interview series, Anthony Padilla interviews people in the 911 Emergency Dispatcher career. This interview’s purpose is to inform viewers the traumatising side of what the dispatchers have to go through as it is often overshadowed by the jobs of police officers. When it comes to the setting (or mise-en-scene), the interviewer and interviewees are dressed quite casually – such as wearing trainers and ripped jeans – and the décor in the studio is very fun and homely: due to the bright colours, odd paintings, and giant sloth head. The lighting is high quality, and it even has some accent lighting around the painting to make the backdrop less plain and boring. This particular interview is apart of his interview series “I spent a day with” which is a series where he brings different people on from different backgrounds and asks them questions based on what they do, or what they’ve been involved in. The setting suggests that the interviews that Anthony does can be quite light-hearted and fun despite them being distressing topics which I think is a good idea as it doesn’t drain the viewer.
Technical Elements:
This interview uses multiple types of angles and shots which creates a more intimate feel than what a normal interview on primetime television would. They have a wide shot of both the interviewer and the interviewee which shows their actions and body expressions, as well as close up shots of both the actors. The close-ups are a mix of both still camerawork and hand-held camerawork. This brings attention to who is talking and personally brings me more focus to the interview. The interview also uses clips and images throughout the interview to help viewers visualise the stories they are trying to tell such as the rooms they use and clips from police shows which have dispatcher calls in them. The quality of sound is high quality and professional; you can hear both of the interviewee’s and the interviewer clearly without any other background sound that would distract the viewer away from what they are speaking about. Furthermore, the interview uses non-diegetic sound such as background music, sound from clips and sound effects which makes the interview more unique and sets a tone to what they are speaking about: the background music is eery and dark suggesting it’s quite an ominous topic and the sound effects help the transitions flow more smoothly. There are clear transitions that help move the interview on from sections which normally is a glitch of a screen however, it’s hard to tell if any answers were cut short due to the high-quality level of editing. The pace of interview is quick to match the playful and entertaining edit, so it doesn’t seem out of place or unusual. I think this is because YouTube viewers have a specific attention span compared to professional television interviews and need quick, fun editing and quick pacing to seem entertaining.
Front Camera (Wide Shot)
Interviewer Camera (Medium Close-up)
Clip used to help the viewer visualise the job
Interviewee Camera (Medium Close-up)
Image edited onto the screen in post-production
Image edited onto the screen in post-production
Image edited onto the screen in post-production with glitch effect transition
Interview Techniques:
The questions that were asked were always open ended. That is because with open ended questions, you truly get detailed answers instead of just a “yes” or “no”. I can use this in my own project as I now know that if you used closed questions, it’ll be a very short and boring interview for everyone involved as well as the viewer. The target audience for this video is Anthony Padilla viewers, people wanting to be informed about 911 emergency dispatchers and YouTube viewers that might come across this on their trending or suggested page. I think it is suitable for the target audience because it fits the unique style of Anthony Padilla’s videos as well as it being informative and entertaining despite the dark topic. The language they use is mainly formal, however can be informal due to the personality of the interviewer. For example, when they were talking the most memorable yet bizarre phone call they have received, it goes into a questionable topic which could be considered too mature and inappropriate for professional environments yet, it fits with the target audience as I believe YouTube videos now are expected to have mature jokes. Both the interviewer and interviewee look comfortable, and you can tell because of the relaxed stances as they are sitting and also, they’re laughing and cracking jokes with one another. It makes the interview more comfortable and entertaining to watch. I enjoy this interview in particular because it is so informative about what 911 emergency dispatcher’s do behind the scenes and their lack of recognition despite having such a mentally draining and traumatic job while also being entertaining and comedic at times where it is appropriate. I could use this in my own project and take inspiration from the unique, quick, and snappy editing that Anthony Padilla takes advantage of to make that final edit a little bit more of a high-quality.
Comparison:
Both interviews are very similar yet different in their own way. Both of the interviews were filmed with high-quality cameras and audio, and they have no faults in their production. They are both filmed in studios and used open ended questions. Furthermore, both interviewers were sure to keep their interviewee’s happy and comfortable during the interview, which is clear during the videos due to their body language. Both the interviews are careful to match their content to their target audience as well as not go off topic to what they are trying to promote. In addition, both interviews are formally spoken for the most part and have quick pacing with their question and answers.
However, they are different in their topic and how they present their topic. The first interview was on primetime television, so it was live, so the post-production editing and effects were minimal except for a couple pre-made transitions however, the second interview was a podcast/YouTube interview which was majorly edited in the post-production stage to make it more entertaining and structured with the use of sound effects, quick fun transitions, background music and images/videos on screen. I found Anthony Padilla’s interview was less professional than the Good Morning America interview due to the language changes and comedic entertainment he provided however that doesn’t minimise the quality of the interview.
I can take both of these interviews as inspiration as how I should act on camera with an interviewee, how the questions should be asked, and what style I can go with to give me the final result that I want.
Half-Term Project: Video Tutorial
For this task, we had to film and edit a short video tutorial in a subject/activity of our choice. This is to demonstrate our understanding of the conventions of filming and editing a video tutorial.
As I wanted to do it on a budget and I had limited time, I decided to make a parody video tutorial on "How to make cereal". This consisted of using a tripod, camera, microphone and editing software.
Video Tutorial:
Evaluation:
Overall, despite my time and budget limit, I think I done a decent video tutorial. I like the quality of the audio and the pacing of the tutorial. However, I think the subject could be more interesting as well as the camera work. A lot of the shots were unfocused and shaky which I could've re-filmed if I had more time. Next time I will make sure to give myself more time and planning when it comes to these projects so I can create a video that is to the standard that I am proud of and expect it to be at.
Week 7:
For this task, we are continuing from the week before where we analysed interviews however, this week we are creating them. We worked in groups to plan and film and then we individually edited our own versions of the interview. For a successful interview, we need to consider all the technical elements that we discussed in our analysis in the last week and to keep our questions open – yet within the subject matter.
Before filming the interview, we had to get into groups and plan what we are going to interview someone on. We decided that asking someone about their favourite director, and what they like about their work and their techniques would be an interesting topic that won't take too much time to plan as we had to be efficient. As we had to have a room that doesn’t echo (for high-quality sound) and that had a nice background where we wouldn’t be interrupted, we decided to film in the sound recording studio. I decided to take care of the camera and help with the audio. We made sure to use a clapper board so it’s easier to link up the sound with the footage and I also made sure to keep a note on what takes were successful to make our editing more efficient.
Interview, 2 people, 1 camera:
Evaluation:
The objective of the task was to understand how interviews can be filmed on a budget (and we used one camera for representation) and to plan and film an interview between two people and one camera. We watched a video explaining how to film an interview with one camera to help us understand what the task required us to do and also how to structure our filming and interview in the most efficient way.
Working in groups made the workload efficiently faster owing to the fact that we were able to work together to think of a topic and questions, and we were also able to spread the work around, so we had one person on camera, one person on audio and two people on screen. Without being in groups, this would've taken longer as one person would've had to monitor all the technical side (filming and recording audio) as well as be on screen with someone. We were also all able to pitch in our opinions to each other to increase the quality of our work.
One problem we faced was that it was awkward to hold the microphone close the interviewer and interviewee without being in the frame. We fixed this problem by asking to borrow a boom pole so we could attach the shotgun microphone on the end and effectively record the audio close to where they were speaking without being obstructing to anyone on screen and without being in the shot.
I asked my peers and tutors what they thought about this piece of content we created and what they said is in the following:
They said that the overall quality of the video is good, and the camera is focused which makes it look better visually. There is a constant use of media to provide the viewer context and there are multiple times where it cuts to the interviewer's reaction - which is called "noddies" - and it works well in this video because it splits up the interviewee's long answers, making them easier to absorb. I was also complimented on how well the camera meets the eyeline of the people on the screen, which makes it more visually pleasing to watch.
However, I was criticised on how the two people on the screen seem too far apart, making it seem awkward as well as the shots where a singular person is on the screen, it's too centralised. I was also told the audio seems echoey and airy which ruins the quality of it. Furthermore, I was also told that there is harsh lighting which makes it visible they we used artificial lighting for this interview, which not only creates a distraction from the interview from the viewer, but also makes the interview less natural.
Next time, I will make sure to plan out the layout properly before filming as I just glazed over it due to time limits. I will check that it doesn't look awkward on camera and change it if it does. In addition, I will make the people sit off centre to the camera to make it seem more natural and that the viewer is involved in the conversation. I will do this by lining it up with the "Rule of Thirds" grid on the camera to get an accurate shot. I will also use softer lighting.
The skills I have acquired in this task are in the following: I have learnt how to use a tascam microphone, which is a larger zoom microphone that allows attachable microphones for better audio quality, and I have also learnt how to effectively record an interview with two people and one camera, and I am sure I am able to do it at a higher quality if I get the chance to film one again.
Week 8:
For this week, we looked at the Codes of News. This included learning about studio news readers, field reporters, links to studios, mode of addresses to the viewer, interviews, experts and witnesses, report structure, actuality footage and fake news. For this week, we had two tasks to complete. One task was an analysis task and the other task was a practical task.
Analysis:
For the analysis task, we had to select 3 news sources - otherwise known as 3 news channels - and analyse them based on how their content is structured and what is included, whether we trust the source and why, and how do they differ? I decided for my 3 news sources to go for BBC News, ITV News, and Good Morning Britain.
The first news source I am looking at is by the BBC News. They’re covering a story about how the prince's godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, resigned from her royal role after repeatedly asking a black British charity boss where she was "really" from. This type of story is a mix of feature and soft news as it won’t make headline news due to the person stepping down just working for the royal family, but I also think because it’s the royal family, it is more likely to be taken interest of by the nation.
The news clip begins with a studio news reader, dressed formally, briefing the story to the viewer, which gives context for the next segment of the news show. The mode of address to the viewer is very formal and straight-forward throughout the whole segment. After the studio news reader finishes their opening statement to the segment, it cuts to actuality footage of the event that the racist comments were made at. While the video of the event plays, it cuts to a field reporter who voiceovers over the clips, giving context to the viewer on who made the comments, who was inflicted by it, where the event was, etc. It also shows her conducting an interview with Ngozi Fulani, a founder of Sister Space (which is a charity that helps woman and families affected by domestic abuse), which provides information on what happened during the conversation with Lady Susan Hussey and her emotions and thoughts at the time.
It then goes into how it has affected William and Kate in Boston, America, where another field reporter is introduced, who is in Boston, who goes on to explain how this embarrassing event for the royal family has affected William and Kate’s trip in America, as well as their response. This section of the news show includes a link to the studio, where the studio news reader questions the field reporter in Boston, rather than just directing and introducing the next segment like she did with the previous field reporter. This shows that this current segment is live whereas the interview and voiceover was pre-recorded.
I do trust the news source because not only does BBC News have a track record for being very reliable news source for United Kingdom, but they use footage that gives context to the event, to field reporters who specialise in the Royal Family, and an interview with the person claiming their abuse of racist comments.
The second news source I am looking into is by ITV News. They’re covering a story about how it has now been revealed that house prices drop significantly last month, greater than expected. This type of story is feature news as the immediacy is not so important however, it still affects a great amount of people. Yet, it’s not enough to be considered hard news.
The news clip begins with a studio news reader, dressed formally, briefing the story to the viewer, which gives context for the next segment of the news show. The mode of address to the viewer is very formal and straight-forward throughout the whole segment. After the studio news reader has introduced the context for the next segment, it cuts to a pre-recorded section, voice-covered by a field reporter. It includes actuality footage and interviews in this section to help provide more context. For example, they use footage of the person they are interviewing looking round a house, which it then cuts to an interview with him explaining how he is struggling to buy his first home due to the increasing interest rates. They then use graphics to show statistics on how the interest rates have changed since the past year, to truly show the effect on households and real estate agents.
They then go into another interview with an expert, the director of the NIESR (National Institute of Economic and Social Research) and he explains how it needs to happen and how it’s not going to affect people too badly. This was extremely important to have in this news segment as it provided new information which may not have been attainable any other way.
I do trust this news source because they directly stated their sources of statistics as well as included interviews with people struggling with the interest rates and experts within this field. Furthermore, ITV News is known to be a reliable news source for Great Britain’s news.
The third and final news source that I am analysing is from Good Morning Britain, a morning ITV show that provides news and competitions. The story that they are covering in this specific clip is the rate of train cancellations increasing and how it’s affecting the UK. This type of news is again, a mix of feature/soft news as it’s not too majorly important that it needs to interrupt other shows, but it does affect people a worryingly amount that it won’t be considered as “gossip”.
The news clip begins with two studio news readers, who are dressed formally, who introduce the next story. The mode of address is relaxed, while also being formal enough to pass as a news show. After introducing the topic, the studio news readers state statistics about the cancellations of trains across multiple train companies with graphics. This makes it accessible for the view to read, but also makes it easier for them to understand.
They then do a link to studio to conduct an interview with West Yorkshire’s Mayor, Tracy Brabin, who attended a meeting with the transport secretary to discuss how to fix the issues with the cancellations however, her train was cancelled trying to get to the meeting. This news clip from Good Morning Britain doesn’t include any field reporters or experts directly however, they use actuality footage, which is unfortunately blurred out for the YouTube version, to provide context of the meeting.
I do trust this source because they claim where they got their statistics from with sources, and they also included actuality footage of the meetings, as well as an interview with the Mayor of West Yorkshire who stated her experiences with the trains on that day, as well as what was stated within the meeting.
All the news sources have similarities yet differences with one another. The similarities are that all the reporters, studio news readers, and guests are dressed in a formal manner, and all have some sort of extra information coming from an outside resource other than their studio news readers. This can be from interviews, graphics with statistics, experts and field reporters. They are also all trustworthy sources who use multiple news conventions to back up their story with context and information.
However, they are different in the fact that ITV and BBC choice of mode of address for the viewer is very formal, straightforward and professional where as Good Morning Britain’s choice of mode of address for the viewer is quite relaxed and compared to the first two sources, informal.
Practical:
This week's practical task was to separate into groups and plan a news story. The news story could be on a topic of our choice which would hen be written and recorded in the TV Studio with a green screen. Within the news story we had to have a studio news reader and a field reporter, which would be cut to in between the story.
The first thing we done was plan our story. Due to the time this project was set, we decided to base it on Remembrance Sunday. We then learnt how to set up the green screen and the final product is shown in the pictures below:
Green Screen Task:
Evaluation:
The objective of the task was to understand how to edit green screens in avid, and how to plan a news story following the conventions of a news show. Due to the time this project was set, we decided to base it on Remembrance Sunday.
Working in groups made the workload efficiently faster owing to the fact that we were able to work together to think of a topic to base our news story on. Another benefit to working within a group was that when it came to filming, it was so much easier as everyone was given a different job. We had one person on camera, one person on audio, one person on the clapper board, and two people in front of the camera acting. This made it easier when it came to filming as we could take our time with our own jobs without worrying if we're forgetting anything.
One problem we faced was the table reflected the green screen during filming which we noticed during production. To help it being affected in the edit, we turned the lighting up so it wouldn't reflect as much. I think it came out okay.
I asked my peers and tutors what they thought about this piece of content we created and what they said is in the following:
It's a good topic to report on and the editing is good with the green screen. However, In the first and last clip, you can kind of see where the green screen cuts and the audio is echoey in the second clip.
Next time, I will make sure that the room isn't as echoey, so the audio isn't affected as much.
The skills I have acquired in this task are in the following: I have learnt how to set up green screens effectively and properly and I have learnt how to edit green screens within Avid.
Week 9:
For this week, we began our short documentary project. This meant that this week's task was to generate multiple ideas for the documentary, writ e strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the best ideas, and then choose an idea to go with after consulting with peers and tutors.
The first task we had to do was to create a mind map. This helped us separate our ideas into genres and topics to explore.
Mind-map:
For my mind-map, I put them into genres/topics that I wanted to explore. I then put two ideas for each topic which interested me and then put an advantage and a disadvantage to that idea. This helped me pick 3 ideas to explore on and write up in detail.
Documentary Ideas with SWOT:
For this part, I chose 3 ideas from my mind-map and wrote them more in detail stating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that come with each idea. I then asked my peers and lecturers their opinions and wrote a paragraph at the end on why i chose the idea I did.
Idea 1: Cost of living crisis
This documentary would be highlighting the struggles that UK families are facing with the cost-of-living crisis hitting hard during the winter, making them choose between food and heating.
Strengths – One strength would be that it’s a topic that people can relate to as most people within the UK are suffering from the crisis. It would be easier to gather answers and information due to it being a major topic in the nation right now. Another strength would be is that it’s a personal topic to the people around me and myself and therefore I feel like I would be more involved and connected to the project, hopefully making it more emotional and high quality.
Weakness – Due to it being such a personal topic, some people may refrain from sharing their struggles and it may be hard to find viewpoints and interviews. Due to it still going on, there may not be a proper ending which explains what happened afterwards – for example, an overcoming.
Opportunities – An opportunity with this idea is that I would be able to promote the things people are struggling with which may cause change such as them receiving more help or it may cause awareness to other people who may not know this is happening.
Threats – If I am unable to gather interviews, viewpoints and information from people majorly experiencing this crisis effectively, the idea could fail.
Idea 2: The rise in eastern culture and media
This documentary would be about the sudden interest in eastern culture such as kpop and anime and how it’s taken the interest of multiple people in the western side of the world.
Strengths – Light-hearted idea with a lot of available information to work with. Passionate about the idea as I am also interested in the media such as anime and music. I know a lot of people who have the same interest.
Weaknesses – Will be hard to gather viewpoints unless I find an event that I can attend that will allow me to film or interview people at as interviewing people on the streets about it will be unsuccessful as some people do not care for the topic.
Opportunities – With this idea, I can delve into my interests and passionately create media about it.
Threats – Would have to research a lot to make sure I’m not going to be offensive towards the culture and I would have to make sure that I can get the viewpoints of other people otherwise the documentary may seem very surface level.
Idea 3: Sab’s story
This documentary would be about how a close friend of mine had her life changed her around when her mum suddenly passed away and she was left homeless with her two younger siblings.
Strengths – Emotional topic which my friend experienced first-hand. I know the person who went through this so it would be easy to gather accounts and footage
Weaknesses – Would have to travel to Doncaster and Sab may not want to share her story. Not really a question to ask but more to show what she went through so it may make it harder to structure.
Opportunities – Able to show what people can do if they’re in a similar situation and it also allows me to show what my friend had to go through.
Threats – Unless I go to Doncaster, this idea would not be possible.
Peer and lecturer feedback:
Lecturer:
The cost-of-living idea would be the best idea to go for as you can use your family as an example of people who are struggling from it and gather accounts from them without having to travel. It’s also a good idea as it’s happening in the current moment so there is a lot of available information.
The third one seems unrealistic due to the personal story and the length you would have to travel. You would have to make sure you would get the representation while also not delving too far into a personal story pass their boundaries. The second one is a great idea with a lot to work with however due to the broadness of the subject, it may be hard to fit in the time limit without the documentary being very surface level. The first one is a great idea as it is happening at the current moment, and it would resonate with a lot of people.
Peer:
Hallum:
The third idea would be the hardest to do as it relies on permission and their willingness to speak on their trauma. It would also require travelling to Doncaster which is costly and timely. The first and second ideas would be the easiest and are both interesting ideas. I would personally choose the second one as it is more light-hearted and something I am passionate about.
Ben:
Idea 1 is very emotionally resonated with what is happening in the UK and it is a relevant topic to cover, and I assume most of the idea is around interviewing families and family members who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
Idea 2 is an interesting idea however I think the documentary maybe too overburdened with too much research about the topic, however if it's an overview of the topic then it could work.
Idea 3 is very fascinating and could work with heavy emotion surrounding the subject, however I think it is overly ambitious to set out to create and film. I would personally choose idea 1.
My personal choice:
Personally, I am going to choose idea 1 because it allows me to explore a current issue while also being passionate about it as it not only affects me, but my family too. It’s also cost effective as I know people who are being affected and wouldn’t have to travel too much. However, for the second idea, I’m going to keep it and maybe use it as an idea for my final major project at the end of the year as I will have a larger time frame to prepare.
Week 10:
For this week, we continued our documentary project. This week I made my research plan and my documentary pitch presentation.
Research Plan:
Documentary Pitch:
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Research:
For my documentary, I am choosing to explore how young people are being affected during the cost-of-living crisis in the UK, this winter. As the inflation rates rapidly rise and the wage growth stagnates, the UK faces the biggest cost-of-living crisis in 30 years. With energy bills and food prices intensifying, how has this affected families and what have they had to do just to survive this dreadful time?
For my research, I decided to break it into 7 questions or areas that I want to explore. I made sure that I am conducting both primary and secondary research as well as different methods – such as quantitative and qualitative. By creating a research plan not only will my research be detailed and full of informative information I can take advantage of in my documentary, but it will allow me to have more time producing my documentary rather than planning it.
Here are the questions/topics I am exploring:
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What is the cost-of-living crisis?
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Examples of similar documentaries of styles.
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What locations can I use?
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Who can I interview?
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How can I colour-grade it to give it a dark, murky effect?
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Target Audience
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Statistics
What is the cost-of-living crisis?
For my documentary, it will help to develop my knowledge into this topic further so the documentary is based on truth and that I can also let the viewer know what the crisis is and how it started.
The cost-of-living crisis is the term referring to the significant fall in household disposable incomes. This is majorly caused by the high inflation rates despite the fact the wage growth has stagnated (Hourston, 2022). With no certainty that this crisis will end, the increase in price of necessities such as gas, electricity, and food rises, continuously pushing more people into poverty (Thompson, 2022).
However, inflation isn’t the only problem making this crisis worse. It has been intensified by factors such as the Ukraine War, “low productivity growth and increased market power of firms.” (Pettinger, 2022). In addition to that, the pandemic has had a substantial impact on our economy. Due to people not being able to work during the pandemic and therefore, the countries economy slowly dropping, the government had to introduce measures such as creating funds to relieve a substantial drop in consumer spending. This inflated the market to keep the economy running as normally as it can. Of course, however, inflating the market in a time of crisis causes inflation later. So, when the restrictions lifted, consumer spending rose rapidly, so prices rose quickly in response (Depledge SWM, 2022).
This crisis has affected people majorly. Especially with the £20 cut in Universal Credit, those on the poverty line will be likely made homeless if they must pay an unexpected expense. Yet, young people are the most vulnerable group during this crisis. While facing the same inflation as the rest of the population of the UK, they are entitled to less Universal Credit benefits and have higher chances of being given a zero-hour contract, making their incomes extremely unpredictable and low (1625 Independent People, 2022).
Examples of similar documentaries or styles.
When it comes to my documentary, it will be important to analyse distinct types of documentaries that are like the one I am planning to produce. This will help me gain inspiration and an idea on how to structure my documentary and what to make it look like.
BBC Panorama - Surviving the Cost of Living Crisis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ulALQapl44
The first documentary I am looking at is by BBC Panorama, who follow three families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. This is remarkably similar to my topic that I am trying to explore however, I am hoping to ask more young people their opinions and experiences rather than mothers, as that is the target for a lot of news sources to gather statements from already, so the viewpoint has been explored.
What I like about this documentary is that it includes a lot of emotional scenes such as video diaries and normal family moments in between interviews which makes the viewer relate, but also feel a personal connection to the interviewees as the emotions within the documentary makes it feel rawer. I also like how they use short videos of locations around where the families live. It makes the documentary more cinematic, however it’s also a fantastic way to split up the information which makes it easier for the viewers to take in. Another thing that is great about this documentary is the voiceover. It supplies information to the viewer about the families such as where they live, their occupation, how much they get a month, and what their disposable income is after necessities such as rent or mortgage, bills, and food. This information is vital to the viewer as it shows how much these people work despite still being financially unstable.
From this documentary, I am inspired on how to structure and produce my own. I like the way they use video diaries as it creates a sense of authenticity, something that I am aiming for with my own documentary so therefore, I am hoping to take inspiration and include some video diaries of the families I am looking into. I also like how they include all 3 stories at the same time, rather than focusing on 1 family, then the next. I will also investigate editing my documentary in a way where every family is spoke about in sections to help break up information and slow down the pace – which I know I struggle with sometimes.
Broke: Britain's Debt Emergency | Dispatches | Channel 4 Documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9UlLGAywqU
The second documentary I am looking into is by Channel 4 about how people in Britain are struggling with debt and poverty during the cost-of-living crisis by following the point of view of Britain’s crisis advice team as well as the people struggling. Again, it is like the topic I am exploring as it is about the cost-of-living crisis however, it’s exploring a different story.
What I like about this documentary is that it not only shows the people who are struggling talking, but their slight movements such as rubbing their hands together or anxiously flipping through papers brings a directness to the documentary, like the first one I analysed. I also like the fact they include statistics as titles in between clips. Not only does this provide the latest information to the viewer, but it also stands as a slight break, which splits the clips up from families, making it easier for the viewer to understand what’s going on, and who’s being spoken about. Another thing I enjoy is that they use interviews from professionals such as debt supervisors and crisis advice team members which explain their jobs, and the problems that come with it. This can include the crisis advice team struggling to find solutions for people battling this crisis and debt supervisors not being able to help people deep in their debt payments due to illegal loan sharks.
From this documentary, I have gathered inspiration from how they shoot the people they are interviewing, and how I can also shoot them; this could be not only filming their face talking, but the actions with their hands and legs which could show their stressed emotions. Another thing I would like to take inspiration from is how they use titles between interviews and clips of families to provide statistics. This will help slow down the pace of the documentary which I have struggled with in the past.
What locations can I use?
In my documentary, I am hoping to film within my house, family, and friend’s houses as well as public areas near where I live such as parks and nature walks. I will not need permission to film at the houses of friends and family however, I might need permission for filming in public spaces. It will help that I know where I have permission to film, so I do not have to change my location last minute.
House Locations:
I would be filming the actions of my interviewees and interviews within the house. This makes it easier for both me and the interviewee as it will not pick up sound outside and it will be easier to light. There will be power sources within the houses I am using.
Access Issues:
There are no access issues.
Lighting Issues:
Due to being inside, the natural light is not distributed evenly and therefore might cause issues with filming as it may seem unnatural. For interviews, I may use slight lighting to highlight the interviewee’s face using a small key light.
Sound Issues:
When filming in a house, due to it being private property, there will be a lack of interruptions from the public – other than if there are sirens from the road outside, construction work or neighbours being loud.
Nature walk:
With it being a public footpath, it might be used while filming. If it does, I will refilm, making sure that no one is in my film who did not agree to be. I do not need permission from the council. There will be no power sources.
Access Issues:
There is one slight access issue to get to the location as there is a skinny path with pointing out stinging nettles. To avoid this, I will just have to step around them.
Lighting Issues:
Due to it being outside, the lighting may be unpredictable, especially during winter with clouds. I will try and film for a prolonged period, so the lighting matches up when I cut. This way my documentary will be less jumpy and more continuous.
Sound Issues:
I will not be capturing sound outside in these areas, so there will be no sound issues.
Park:
With it being a public area, I will do the same as the nature walk. I will refilm, making sure that no one is in my film who did not agree to be. Where it is a park, there is a chance children might be using it. If so, I will stop filming immediately and wait for them to leave. However, I will try to plan to go during a time where children will not be using the park: for example, a weekday during school time. I do not need permission from the council. There will be no power sources.
Access Issues:
There are no access issues as it is a 5-minute walk from my house with a clear, distinct path.
Lighting issues:
Like the nature walk, due to it being outside, the lighting may be unpredictable, especially during winter with clouds. I will try and film for an extended period, so the lighting matches up when I cut. This way my documentary will be less jumpy and more continuous.
Sound Issues:
I will not be capturing sound outside in these areas, so there will be no sound issues.
Who can I interview?
As my documentary is about how families are coping with the current monetary crisis, it would make sense to gather statements and conduct interviews with these people to show the viewer what these people are going through, but it also makes the documentary more personal and relatable, which is the effect I am trying to produce. Researching who is willing to be interviewed for my documentary will help me plan the structure of the documentary as well as what to ask.
When it comes to figuring out who I want to interview, I decided to investigate family and friends around me. I also wanted to gather different people who have different situations.
The first person I have asked is my brother, this was conducted over a phone call, so I was unable to receive evidence. The second person is my friend Ell, which is shown in the screenshot below.
What is good is that despite the fact they are going through similar situations financially, they both have different lives and different priorities, so it is good that I am accounting for two diverse types of young people. This makes it more relatable for the target audience.
How can I colour-grade it to give it a dark, murky effect?
Due to my documentary being set in the UK as well as being quite a solemn topic, I think a darker colour grade will suit the documentary if it doesn’t seem unnatural. I also believe that the colour will then create a metaphor, as it might represent the darker times these families are going through, setting the ambience for the documentary. Doing this research will teach me how to colour grade my documentary to how I visualised it.
Online Learning — Media Composer: Manual Color Grade - YouTube
As I am using Avid to edit, I am deciding to watch an Avid tutorial on manual colour grading to help me learn how to achieve the effect I want. This video takes you through the several types of colour options for each type of Avid which might be used – which is either standard or symphony – to make sure everyone is included in the video tutorial.
What I like about this tutorial is that she explains what she is using and why she is using it, then references examples from where she used it. This is good as a listener as it makes me understand what the control does and what I can use it for when it comes to my documentary.
To practice, I am going to use a piece of old footage to help me get used to the technique.
When it came to practicing, I used a piece of old footage from my final major project last year. I began by watching the video, and intaking the information she said such as, using the waveform graph to help with exposure, and using the RGB graph to help what colours are in my footage as eyes adjust quickly, sometimes making the colour grading inaccurate.
I made sure to work on my colour graphs first using the Y waveform graph, I knew my footage was slightly overexposed. Therefore, I darkened my footage slightly with the graph, but not too much so it was underexposed. I then added some more colour to make the footage less flat. I put a before and after in the video to show what I did.
I think for my first attempt it wasn’t too bad, I know it will come with time and practice however, it was good to do this research so I can understand what I need to do when it comes to my documentary and other future projects.
Target Audience
I need to make sure my documentary appeals to my target audience so it’s important to research who I should direct it to. This is because if your documentary doesn’t have a target audience, it will be hard to promote as you don’t have a market to aim it towards.
Every documentary has a different target audience due to the difference of topic and the intended purpose of the film (AmplifyXL, 2022). To find out about my target audience I will ask myself 4 questions which are in the following:
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Who will be most interested in watching my documentary?
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Who do I want to watch my documentary?
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Who will be most affected by my documentary?
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How can I reach my target audience?
Who will be most interested in watching my documentary?
Personally, I believe that the main people who will be most interested in watching my documentary are people living within the UK who don’t know what the cost-of-living crisis is and would like to inform themselves on it and people who are living within the UK who are being affected by this crisis. I also think people who are interested in watching documentaries about different topics might be interested, as well as people who have interests in social and political issues.
Who do I want to watch my documentary?
I have two target audiences in which I am trying to appeal to. The first audience is people who are living within the UK who don’t know what the cost-of-living crisis is and would like to inform themselves on it and the second audience is people who are being affected by the crisis. I think this documentary will make them feel less alone as they will realise it’s not only them being affected. This is because both the audiences are located within the UK, which is easy to market. I would also appreciate if young people were to watch my documentary. This is because I am going to get the views of some young people who are also affected by the crisis to show different viewpoints, as a lot of the statements on the news come from adults, specifically parents, but you never hear the side of young people – despite them being the most vulnerable group to be affected.
Who will be most affected by my documentary?
The audience that will be most affected by my documentary are people within the UK who don’t know what the crisis is. I think it will educate them on the crisis which is taking place around them, opening their eyes to new perspectives, and it might even inspire them to call for change. I also think if someone was being affected by this crisis was to watch the documentary, they would be affected in the way that it would make them feel less alone.
How can I reach my target audience?
I can release my documentary online on platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok and promote it on other social medias such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Statistics
As this is a documentary, it will need to be based on facts. Using statistics will not only back up my points that I am making, but also raise awareness to the viewer on how terrible this crisis is, and how many people it is affecting; this will either make them feel less alone, want to create change, or both.
In my project I am hoping to include titles in between clips or on clips of scenery which include statistics of the cost-of-living crisis. I am also hoping to use short clips of news sources within my documentary as well.
Some statistics that I can use are in the following:
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The money needed each week for a single adult to reach the minimum standard of living increased by 26.8% since 2021. This is excluding rent and childcare. (Fleck, 2022)
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The annual rate of inflation reached 11.1% in October 2022 – which is the highest in 41 years. (House of Commons Library, 2022)
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In Summer 2022, bills averaged £1971 annually per household. Now in Winter 2022, they have projected to soar to £3000 annually per household. (Long, 2022)
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Among all adults, 43% reported that they would be unable to save money in the next 12 months, in March 2022 (16 to 27 March 2022). This is the highest percentage that this answer has been since the question was first asked in March 2020. (Chapman, et al., 2022)
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91% of UK households reported that their cost of living had increased in July 2022. This answer has risen from the 62% in November 2021. (Clark, 2022)
What have the government done to help? (Clark, 2022)
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All UK households to receive £400 in energy grant bill in Autumn.
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Eight million low-income households will receive £650 cost of living payment, which is paid in two instalments.
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Extra winter fuel payment of £350
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Additional disability benefit payment of £150
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£150 council tax rebate
What was the public’s response? (Clark, 2022)
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49% of people in the UK are highly dissatisfied with the government’s response to the cost-of-living crisis.
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32% were somewhat dissatisfied.
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This leaves 20% satisfied, or somewhat satisfied with their response.
References:
1625 Independent People, 2022. The Impact of the Cost of Living Crisis. [Online]
Available at: https://www.1625ip.co.uk/ps/the-cost-of-living-crisis/#:~:text=The%20Cost%20of%20Living%20crisis%20has%20pushed%20many,all%2C%20young%20people%20are%20the%20most%20vulnerable%20group.
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
AmplifyXL, 2022. Understanding the Target Audience for Documentaries. [Online]
Available at: https://amplifyxl.com/target-audience-for-documentaries/
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Chapman, N., Appiah, M., Beha, O. & Hendry, C., 2022. The rising cost of living and its impact on individuals in Great Britain: November 2021 to March 2022. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/articles/therisingcostoflivinganditsimpactonindividualsingreatbritain/november2021tomarch2022
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Clark, D., 2022. Are you satisfied with the government's response to the cost of living crisis?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1311131/uk-cost-living-government-response/
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Clark, D., 2022. Cost of living crisis in the UK - Statistics & Facts. [Online]
Available at: https://www.statista.com/topics/9121/cost-of-living-crisis-uk/#topicOverview
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Depledge SWM, 2022. How did the cost of living crisis happen? 3 key factors at play. [Online]
Available at: https://www.depledgeswm.com/depledge/how-did-the-cost-of-living-crisis-happen-3-key-factors-at-play/
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Fleck, A., 2022. How much has the UK's cost of living risen this year? This chart shows all you need to know. [Online]
Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/breakdown-of-the-rising-cost-of-living-uk/
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Hourston, P., 2022. Cost of living crisis. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/cost-living-crisis#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%98cost%20of%20living%20crisis%E2%80%99%20refers%20to%20the,has%20been%20further%20exacerbated%20by%20recent%20tax%20increases.
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
House of Commons Library, 2022. Rising cost of living in the UK. [Online]
Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9428/#:~:text=The%20cost%20of%20living%20has,goods%20and%20services%20for%20households.
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Long, M., 2022. 3 charts that explain the UK's cost of living crisis. [Online]
Available at: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/3-charts-that-explain-the-u-ks-cost-of-living-crisis-073016430.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMAbJ3VwSoIfzSeebgnqFiN8JLwj4z-ofj1wzHyc7Z2RFKZL0BEp-xlHD-x8_P_OmZ-t64MqUDmb_LcJ
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Pettinger, T., 2022. Causes of the cost of living crisis explained. [Online]
Available at: https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/170481/economics/causes-of-the-cost-of-living-crisis-explained/#:~:text=The%20cost%20of%20living%20crisis%20is%20fundamentally%20caused,productivity%20growth%20and%20increased%20market%20power%20of%20firms.
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Thompson, K., 2022. What is the Cost of Living Crisis?. [Online]
Available at: https://revisesociology.com/2022/10/06/what-is-the-cost-of-living-crisis/
[Accessed 1 December 2022].
Pre-Production:
Synopsis:
As the inflation rates rapidly rise and the wage growth stagnates, the UK faces the biggest cost-of-living crisis in 30 years. With energy bills and food prices intensifying, how has this affected young people and what have they had to do just to survive this dreadful time?
Treatment:
In the documentary will be people who have experienced the cost-of-living crisis first-hand and they will be interviewed giving their personal accounts. Luckily, as it’s a nationwide affecting issue, I know people personally who have been affected so they will be easy to contact. I will film my documentary around the place where I live. This is due to the limited time limit however, I don’t need to travel too far as the people who I am interviewing all live nearby and if they don’t, I can use technology such as zoom or teams to video call them to gather a statement. Due to it being a solemn topic, it will be a more serious documentary than a light-hearted and playful one. There will be a lack of comedy unless irony is used.
I am aiming for the documentary to answer the following questions: why has this crisis started, and what is being done to help the people in need? With these questions, I will use statistics to help give context to the viewer, but as well show how bad the crisis is to people who live in the UK and have the privilege of not needing to know what it is, or people outside the UK. I am also going to include interviews with people from different backgrounds to supply the viewer with first person accounts.
Project Timetable:
Key Personnel:
Location Recce:
Health and Safety:
Contingence:
Shooting Script:
Final Documentary:
Evaluation:
My documentary was produced to show the struggles of young people, particularly young people who have moved out of their family homes and rely on their own finances, during the cost of living crisis. The final video matches my idea in what I wanted to tell and the shots I wanted to gather however, the documentary slightly deviates from the original plans due to time limits.
For this documentary, I used scenic shots, voiceovers, use of archived footage, interviews, statistics and graphics. This was all to help tell the narrative. The scenic shots were to break up the interviews and also give the documentary an isolated feel, like how young people are feeling during this time.
Scenic Shots:
I decided to use voiceovers in my documentary. This helped to flow the narrative, provide statistics and give more context to the viewer. I decided to use voiceovers because I have the necessary equipment to provide high quality audio from home and I find myself to have a lack of confidence when shown on camera. This method helped that insecurity while also benefitting my documentary. To record, I used Audacity and the Noise Reduction effect to receive the quality I needed.
The use of archived footage was to build up a short introduction of what the cost of living crisis is and how it is affecting people daily. It also helped set the tone of the documentary by including serious news clips discussing the topic.
Archived News Footage:
I knew for my documentary I needed more voices to state their opinions. Therefore I asked two people who I knew are more young people who don't live under finances from their parents to be in my documentary and answer some questions on their experiences with the crisis. Unfortunately, Ell couldn't have her camera on during the interview so I had to improvise and decided a typewriter effect with a picture of Ell would be the best alternative as it flows the documentary while also keeping the audience focused and engaged.
Interviews:
When it came to statistics, I knew they would be essential for my documentary for context reasons. It helps informing the viewer the facts of the crisis and what people have had to be dealing with. When it came to present these facts, I used graphics. These were made by using a picture in picture effect and the title tool on DaVinci Resolve
Statistics and Graphics
When it came to statistics, I knew they would be essential for my documentary for context reasons. It helps informing the viewer the facts of the crisis and what people have had to be dealing with. When it came to present these facts, I used graphics. These were made by using a picture in picture effect and the title tool on DaVinci Resolve
For my evaluation, I am going to compare it to professionally made documentary which has a similar topic to the one I created. The one I am comparing with my own is called Surviving the Cost of Living Crisis by BBC Panorama - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ulALQapl44 . I used this documentary in my research because I liked how it includes a lot of emotional scenes such as video diaries and normal family moments in between interviews which makes the viewer relate, but also feel a personal connection to the interviewees as the emotions within the documentary makes it feel rawer. I also like how they use short videos of locations around where the families live. It makes the documentary more cinematic, however it’s also a fantastic way to split up the information which makes it easier for the viewers to take in.
This documentary gave me a ton of inspiration and techniques for my own which I could use. Comparing mine to this documentary, I have followed the major conventions of a documentary. I have included voiceovers, interviews, facts, and good quality audio. I feel like I could've included more b-roll footage - video of my interviewee's going about their days - as then it would help split my documentary up more, and make it more relatable for the viewer.
The technical skills I have developed during this project are quite broad. This is because this is the first project I have worked on alone (when it comes to the production) since my first ever film. I have learnt how to deal with short time limits, and how to deal with things going wrong more than once due to issues out of my control (for example, being ill, people not having access to cameras that particular day, having to change dates and minimizing my time limit of filming things that needed to be taken again and editing, as well as experiencing how to fix those issues with multiple contingences and continuing to make my project despite not having the full motivation to. I also have learnt how to stabilize images on Da Vinci Resolve, as well as create a typewriter effect for an interview which was a quick solution as my interviewee, Ell, was unable to use her camera that day.
I would like to improve a lot of this project. Admittedly, due to complications with my own health and travel strikes, I couldn't help a lot of it but for future reference, I know what I need to do better. First of all, the beginning clips of the archived news footage is too quiet. I didn't realise until handing it in and next time I will make sure to check in the future. I will also make sure if I have to take scenic shots, include a variety. That way it helps move the story along and doesn't just seem useless. Especially for this project, including shots of the park and the nature walk was nice, but including one of people on a high street may help it be more effective due to it being a people-driven story that I am exploring. I could also include better graphics. When explaining the statistics, I put text on the screen with a logo which isn't engaging to the viewer. If I was to include graphics which had colour and graphs, I'm sure the viewer would be more interested, and understand more on the statistics.
I had two target audiences in which I am trying to appeal to. The first audience is people who are living within the UK who don’t know what the cost-of-living crisis is and would like to inform themselves on it and the second audience is people who are being affected by the crisis, especially young people. This is because both the audiences are located within the UK, which is easy to market. I would also appreciate if young people were to watch my documentary.
I asked my target audience what they thought of my documentary, here is what they said:
Hallum, 19:
It's very well edited and shot, you can feel like your with the interviewee with a painfully true response to the really important questions that young people have, the worries and concerns, it also factually and emotionally shows the lack of government support people our age get and it has allowed it to both feel and show how desperate times are and how people are coping.
Jacob, 26:
I like the use of stock footage in the beginning, would have liked to have seen some more included again later on in the film, maybe clip of PMQ's or something discussing the topic? The audio all sounded pretty crystal which was good. The editing was soft and smoothly done between shots. I liked that you found a neat workaround for your friend who couldn't make it for a camera appearance with the typed text. The music was a gentle way as well to switch from the interview to the narration which was nice. The only piece I would nitpick on is that Aiden's graphic displayed for the entire project.
Overall, I think my target audience liked my documentary and believed it portrayed what young people are going through. I also think they liked the production of the documentary.
I asked my tutor what he thinks:
"I like the inclusion of archived media and the scenic shots as it is establishing the ambience and the environment. The voiceover is well done and the voice fits well with the topic of the documentary. There was inclusion of cutaways which help broke up the interview and the documentary, which helped the viewer intake more information. There is also a good use of citing which is good as it feels like the information is coming from a reliable source. However, when it comes to the scenic shots, including variation and shots of the community would've been more effective due to the people being affected and the beginning section with the news clips is too quiet."
Overall, I think I done well on my project despite my setbacks. I know what I need to include and fix for next time and hopefully I will be able to do so.