Completed Poster

I have finally complete my poster for a newspaper and I have decided it will be an A4 pullout.

I have followed the similar conventions of a typical channel 4 poster;

- The channel 4 logo is clearly visible in the bottom left of the poster, although kept black instead of white so it can be seen due to the light background

- There is a white background on the text to highlight it and make it stand out and easier to read

- The text I used was called 'Franklin Gothic Heavy' and out of the many options of text font I had I felt this most represented the text that is used on channel 4 posters

- Instead of using just one picture of Chris I decided to use 2 and blend them both together, after doing some research I found this website http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/photo-blend/ I thought it would help me in the process as this was the first time I had ever used photoshop. I am very pleased with the results and how seamless the blend is.

Adding the credits- nearly done!

Just adding some credits at the end so that the right people are recognised, then a little more tweaking and we're done!

Feedback- poster

When I first uploaded my poster I made 3 deliberate spelling mistakes to see if the public would pick up on it and were giving me actual feedback and not just being kind to me.

This is the feedback I got from posting it on Facebook:

 person picked up on the spelling mistake of 'boundries' and although I do agree with the comments about the pictures not really showing how Chris has/had a disorder. I have to make the comment that it is about 'individuals breaking barriers' so therefore the pictures imply that this is what Chris has done and there for i will now correct the spelling mistakes but I will not be changing the pictures and personally I think I have made the right choice in doing so.

After careful consideration I have decided to make both pictures bigger so the poster has more of in impact and the make the title bigger and clearer.

Video Feedback

What would you rate as strengths of the production?
- Good camera work and editing
- Music over the clips in the ending
- Good atmosphere


what do you think are the areas for improvement?
- The sound in the intro suddenly stops


what do you think the group should change?
- Maybe some of the pictures over the video
- Add some music to the first section of the video


what has the group still got to do?
- Just complete it, it’s good so far


I have taken these comments on board and I am currently in the process of looking at the areas for improvement and things that were suggested needed changing. I will look into the music and the pictures. However, I think a lot of the pictures used are relevant to Chris’ story, but I won’t ignore the feedback given.

Editing the radio advert

Today I have begun editing my radio advert together

 

 

Editing the video

Today the editing of my documentary begins

Filming

This weekend I started to begin to film the various parts I needed for my documentary.

Song permission

I recieved an email back telling me I had to fill out a student film request form to gain granted permission to use the intro the the song for my documentary montage at the beginning.

Below is a copy of the email i sent to the correct person with the student film request form attached and filled out.

Song use permission

I have now emailed all of the appropriate people to ask permission to use their music within my documentary. An example would be for the use of Always by Blink 182.

The label the song was produced by is called Geffen Records, therefore I will email these for permission.

Planning : Locations

Chris’ room is part of his normal home environment and probably where he spends quite a lot of his time. By filming him here the audience will see other aspects of his home life and it adds to the sense that he is just another everyday life- like in the title for the documentary.

By filming in a doctor’s office it adds to the reliability and authenticity of the statistics and realities given by them.

As I couldn't do what I originally planned- to use a credible doctor in a doctor's surgery. Joyce was our second option and due to her being an ex-member of the nhs we decided to do it in the comfort of her own living room.

The kitchen offers a more concealed, family style situation/ environment as the parents will be sat around the table which is where the family would sit down every night to eat together and talk about how their day has been.

The park is a more exposed, light, casual and carefree space. This will be used to help represent the fact that the documentary is coming to a content ending and the circumstance that Chris can be a normal kid and he can do all the things he never thought he would be able to.

Planning: Background Music

Blink 182- Always intro for the opening sequence to the documentary as it add a little of Chris' personality to it seeing as he is in a band.

Mad world acoustic guitar cover for when Chris is talking about him having the disorder and how he coped with it as the song will add emphasis to the sadness of what he is saying and the audience will feel more sympathetic for him.

Jack Johnson- Better Together I would like to start playing this at the beginning of Chris and Rebecca talking about there relationship seeing as they are still together after all this time and this is a typical love song. It will then carry on into the ending montage but will be louder.

Closer to the time when I need the music I will email to appropriate people to ask for their permission to use their work for my short documentary.

Planning: Cast

Chris is the main focus point for the documentary. He is friendly,  pleasant to talk to and passionate about his fitness (running/ squash), this will help the audience warm to him throughout the documentary.

Rebecca is Chris’ girlfriend and they have been together for just over a year and a half now. She will be featured towards the end of the documentary so that it ends light-hearted. It will show that the disorder and scaring hasn’t affected his relationship and that he can still lead a ‘normal’ life.

Chris’ Parents were a key part in his upbringing and helping him recover from his surgery,  pushing him to do all he can do and be the best he can be. One of the factors we will focus on is what it was like looking after him when he was a young boy and how difficult it may have been.

The doctor will offer a more medical approach and will give information and facts regarding talipes. A doctor’s information and advice is highly thought of when it comes to a disorder such as this and therefore it will make the documentary more credible.  

However, I had a lot of trouble trying to get hold of a doctor that was able to take some time out of their busy day for me which although slightly disappointing, all was not lost. Chris knew a woman near where he lived who was an ex- nhs senior nurse at whiston and so knew enough information about the disorder to be able to help. Due to being an ex-member we decided it would be better and more comfortable to record it in the comfort of her won living room.

Radio advert plan

Program Name

I have decided to call the documentary Everyday Lives: No boundaries Held The idea behind this is due to Chris even though being born with a disorder and being told that eh would never be able to run and play sport he has grow as a person and broken the boundaries he thought he had. The other part is because he is just an everyday person with a condition that most people don't really think about or know much about because it's not exactly a life threatening disorder like anorexia.

Research: Radio Adverts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqo933WfZCs

This is a video from youtube which consists of several adverts althought not all aimed at the same audience they share several conventions that are the same.

• They all have some form of back ground music some only at the beginning to grab the listners attention and some play the background music all the way through.
• The advert need to be entising as there are no visual aids for radio adverts just audio.
• The subject matter of the adverts does not need to be obvious throughout the advert but it does have to at least be at the end.
• The opening is the most important part of the advert as it has to grab the listeners attention.

Poster plan

Above is a simple plan for my poster with the conventions of a channel 4 advert; The channel 4 logo to the right-hand side in the middle and the rest of the information in the bottom left-hand corner of the advert and for the back ground I will merge together 2 pictures of Chris running and playing squash as this represents his life now and how he's not let anything get in his way.

Comic book storyboard

As well as creating a simple presentation of my planned storyboard I also wanted to create a more creative and visual storyboard so i chose to do a comic strip.

Documentary plan

Documentary Plan on Prezi

 

 

I made my documentary plan on Prezi as I thought it would be like having a PowerPoint except its more attention-grabbing and resourceful.

Advert ideas and conventions

Above are 4 different posters from previous Channel 4 documentaries that have been broadcasted. I decided to to look only at Channel 4 adverts as it would seem silly and pointless to look at adverts for other channels as I want my documentary to air on Channel 4 because it seems most suiting and i would like to follow the normal conventions of a channel 4 advert.

 

 

Listed below are the conventions I noticed of a channel 4 poster:

•  The picture covert the whole advert and are very eyecatching and ineteresting.
•  Most of the pictures seem to be distorted in some way.
•  The logo for the channel is always present to the right-hand side of the advert.
•  The tag line, name of the documentary as well as time and date are presently simply in the left hand corner of every poster and the colours are always consistand with the channel 4 logo- black and white.
  

Music

When it comes to films, documentaries, TV dramas and reality TV music can have a really big influence on the viewers mood, the music can reflect the mood of the program and can often strengthen the story.

Below I have selected a few tracks that could potentially be featured in my doctumentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ru2glqXAg&feature=relmfu Ellie Goulding- the writer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9AFMVMl9qE Ellie Goulding- your song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrd14h7HkTs&list=PLrNfOMKsQNXhsXytXOwXD4TCAAA_ZTZ34&index=2&feature=plpp_video Blink 182- always

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfoqELZWcp8&list=PLrNfOMKsQNXhsXytXOwXD4TCAAA_ZTZ34&index=3&feature=plpp_video Jack Johnson- better together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLVNmvEqcUs&list=PLrNfOMKsQNXhsXytXOwXD4TCAAA_ZTZ34&index=6&feature=plpp_video The Afters- beautiful love

Potential Broadcast Channels

Youtube: This would be the easiest option to broadcast my documentary on as it is more accessible to people by just simply uploading it to the internet. Thousands of videos are uploaded every day and can gain hundreds and thousands of views and comments can even be left, just like the short documentaries below of which I have researched into. The only downfall to this idea is the fact that documentaries on youtube don’t really get advertised, so competing for advertisement space with channels like ITV and BBC would be difficult.

BBC One: It was one of the first regular TV channels in Britain and is frequently watched by millions of viewers every day. It is a very reliable channel and programs are always produced to a high value excellence.  However, the BBC is probably considered too formal for the type of documentary I am aiming for.

E4: Doing some research I found that it is aimed at the 15–35 age groups and is a companion channel of Channel 4. I also found out that the ‘E’ stands for entertainment which suggests that documentaries probably wouldn’t be shown on this channel as documentaries aren’t always ‘entertaining’.  The channel also shows a lot of U.S shows such as Glee, Smallville, Rules Of Engagement and friends- programs that entertain all the family.

ITV 1: This channel stands for Independent Television and is generally more accessible than the BBC due to its variety of programs and lack of formality. Although it does seem to be a channel more for TV dramas and reality programs such as Jeremy Kyle, I’m a celebrity and Emerdale.
 
Channel 4: It was created to provide a fourth TV to British viewers and was funded by the BBC. I think it would have the same age demographic as E4, 15-35 and unlike E4 provide not only pure entertainment but news and informing documentaries as well to help attract a broader audience.  I have watched previous documentaries on this channel about the Nazis and the queen’s mother-in-law, although it may not seem interesting to someone of a younger generation I found it quite fascinating.

Mind Map Continued

My first idea for my documentary was originally going to be about a band. I know a few people that are in bands and one of my very close friends is currently in a band that is trying the make it big. I thought that this would make good links between the next big thing (as if they made it they could be), making it big (they could give tips and pointers of what works and doesn't work) and a concert (I could film them live for documentary footage). However, I came across a problem when none of the bands were sadly able to help, they apologised but said they do not have time to work with me because of band practises and gigs.

 

 

 

Although my friend’s band could not help out he said he would be willing to help as when looking at my mind map he said i could link a medical documentary to a sports documentary. We came up with this idea because he was born with talipes and could have ended up in a wheelchair. Luckily, this did not happen and despite doctors telling him he would never be able to play sports or run he has come a long way as he runs regularly and plays squash every Saturday morning. He has severe scaring on the back of his legs from various operations to correct his condition. He says he has never let the scars hold him back and he has never been self-conscious.

 

Planning: Mind Map

To begin my planning I wanted to see exactly what my options for my documentary were and so to help I created a mind map of various different styles so i could see then more clearly and decided which one was most appropriate for me.

 

Below is my mind map with 6 different main styles of documantaries which have their own variations to the styles branching off which could be potential ideas for my main focus point.

 

 

 

Music:  If doing a band documentary it would have to be a small band- maybe a band just starting off as it would be hard to get a band such as You Me At Six or Nirvana. A pro to this is it doesn't have to all look professional as it can include many video diaries by the band themselves.

 

History/ Geographical/ Sports: Personally for me as I am working on my own this would be more difficult to do as a documentary as I feel you need to maybe know more indepth information which requires more research which i feel i do not have time for if i wish to complete my courseowkr to thebest of my ability.

 

Events: This can sometimes be hard. Doing a documentary about a concert probably wouldn't be the best of ideas as it would require filming it all in one night without damaging the equipment. Local, National and Global events would be a good topic, it could be aired after the 6pm news and requires only a little more research. The drama documentary only requires the writing of scripts and gtetting the right props and actors because it's only a recreation on a certain event.

 

Medical: Doing a medical one would seem plausable if i knew someone who had suffered with something and over come it who was willing to take part and help me. However i do not and i feel it is a breach of privacy if I just randomly go and try to find someone. A medical documentary ,ay not be the best way to go.

 

Reaearch- Mish Kids

This is a short section from a documentary that aired on Channel 4 in 2005. This is Hannah’s story about being a missionary kid moving abroad because of God and being sent back to finish her education in Britain. She fails to see where she belongs and feels where ever she goes she doesn’t fit in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnXcD-XG4dA&noredirect=1

Above is Hannah’s story about how she feels about being a Mish Kid. Below are aspects or conventions of I feel are of interest and should be highlighted.

• There are various transitions used between the video footage and the pictures used within the documentary. The transitions are smooth and effective.
• I find it interesting how the voices of the people talking still carry on over other video footage and pictures which makes the piece more interesting for the audience as they’re not just looking at the same person while they’re talking.
• Video effects have been used well to put emphasis of certain things e.g. the use of over cranking and zoom in on pictures to direct your attention to certain parts of the photo
• There is a slight use of animation at 0:20 when there is a small opening sequence to the programme.
• .Overall the documentary is coherent in chronological order and runs fluently throughout with transitions between different parts being seamless.

At 3:06 this documentary is just a little under my minimum time limit but is a valuable piece of research.

Reasearch- Human Body: Things You Need To Know

This is the first section to a documentary presented by James May which was aired on BBC 2 in 2011. The full documentary is an hour and a half long but is split into 3 half hour episodes. It is about the human body- how it works and just exactly how 'amazing' and 'complex' it truly is.

 

 

 

The above video is a scientific documentary about the human body. Below are various aspects or conventions of the video that i would like to highlight.

• The production of the video has been carefully thought out and planned. The video itself is of a high quality standard and flows well- although it needs to be if it's being aired on TV unless it's self recorded footage of some sort.
• For some learning about the human body can be boring, but it's something we all should do. This documentary keeps the audiences attention with the variety of animation to tell stories such as just exactly how we are all made, still carrying over James Mays voice.
• The background music that is quietly played behind James May's voice also helps to keep the audience interested as they then listen to more than just someone 'going on and on'.
• Sound effects are used well when needed e.g. when looking at the 'dodgy' sperm through the microscope.

 

Research- Narragansett Park: The History of a Great Racetrack

This is a short homemade documentary about the history of one of New England's grandest horse racetracks. From what it was in the 1930s to what remains of it in present day times.

 

 

Above is a video about New England's own Narragansett Park. Below are various aspects and conventions I wanted to highlight.

 

• You can tell that the video is homemade and not made 'proffesionaly' because of the lack of video footage throughout and only the use of pictures. 
• Although many of the pictures are blurry the transitions between are used well.
• The voice over that tells the story of the racetrack can be heard clearly and is recorded to a fairly good quality. However you can hear the little 'jumps' in between the changes and when played, the background music is a little too loud and you cannot hear the woman as clearly.
• There is some writing with some pictures to help you understand but the writing is white and so cannot be seen very well due to many of the pictures being old fashion- black and white.
•  Overall you can tell that this was deffinately not aired on any TV network and there is minimal editing within the actual video, it's mainly just picture transitions and background music.

Although not the most inetesrting and well produced documnetary it does have some good points such as the voice recordings, despite not joining them very well and at 7:56 it is a good length for what I'm looking at.

 

For my media coursework I have decided to produce a documentary as well as a print advertisement for a newspaper and a radio advert to advertise the programme. I have also opted to work alone, although a challenging task, it's not an impossible one.

My first thoughts will turn to researching by looking into previous documentaries and the conventions they share. Looking into different broadcasters will also help as picking the right one for my documentary is key, I have to pick the right audience. Planning will help me keep track of where I am up to with production. Story boards will be my main source of help when it comes to filming different parts of the documentary and piecing them together.