Present and Distant Realism in Documentaries

Using information from the British Film Industry, I have looked into various techniques of realism used in documentaries. This presentation displays how producers create a sense of realism, using camera shots, editing, language and more techniques. This will therefore help me when I come to producing my documentary, allowing me to explore this technique with as much verisimilitude as possible.

Questionnaire Results

Panorama - Shot Types and Conventions

I have created a storyboard in "Pages", which is specifically designed for tasks such as this. I particularly like this program as it is an easy and effective way to display a storyline. I have print screened typical shots and conventions shown in the beginning of a "Panorama" episode. These codes and conventions such as, the title of the documentary, text and images describing the voiceover and expert opinions with text stating name and job title. To view a bigger version of this image, please click on the picture below.

Logos

Using PhotoShop I have designed two logos which will be shown to my focus group, and if there is a positive outcome, they may be used within the ancillary texts or as inspiration for creating another design. The key to producing these logos were creating a "clipping mask".

As part of the generic research into documentaries, I wanted to understand different genres of documentaries, the days in which they are aired and what channels feature them. This will help me interpret the types of audiences that are expected to watch them in order to show my documentary on a particular channel which would appeal to the target demographic.

Saturday

Firstly, I looked at TV listings and focused on a Saturday, it became evident to me that there are more series, films and stand-up comedy shows shown in the evening, such as 'Casualty' on BBC 1 and 'The X Factor' on ITV 1.

However, I did find one series in the form of a documentary of someone's life, 'Culture Show Special: Hilary Mantel' on BBC 2 at 8pm.This would appeal to regular viewers of the Culture Show, particularly as it is a "special" edition, it could also appeal to a wider audience if they are interested in Hilary Mantel. From looking at the programmes and films shown on BBC 2, it suggests that this channel has an older target demographic, showing films such as "The Other Boleyn Girl" and series such as "Dad's Army". These types of shows would appeal to an audience who can relate to storylines and characters, such as World War 2.

Each day of the week there is a five minute short film/documentary called 4thought.tv, which I shall research this.

Monday

Next, I started looking at weekdays to see if this trend changed. It seems on a Monday evening there are more documentaries shown. On BBC 1, 'Drinking Our Rivers Dry? - Panorama' at 8.30pm, although this is a series, the topic of documentary changes each week depending on the current affairs. I often watch Panorama myself, and I have seen episodes such as, the Phone hacking (insight into Rupert Murdoch's empire) and another based around the London riots.

Here is an example of the 'PANORAMA: TABLOID HACKS EXPOSED (Phone Hacking Special)' 

Another documentary series shown on a Monday evening is Dispatches on Channel 4 at 8pm, this time suggests it is suitable for both adults and youths as it is not past the 9pm watershed. 

In addition, Channel 5's 'Soho Blues' is a hard-hitting documentary series providing an insight into a night's patrol with a London ambulance crew dealing exclusively with alcohol-related incidents.

Thursday

A new series of a documentary is starting called 'Educating Essex' on Channel 4, following pupils and staff at a local school as they battle through their GCSEs. This is shown at 9pm as it would appeal to both parents and students in Year 11 as it affects the journey that they will embark on. It could also appeal to students a bit younger in Year 10 as it will give them an insight into the journey they will face in the fourthcoming year. It will also interest the residents of Essex as they may recognise locations, people, etc. As this documentary is shown past the 9pm watershed, it implies that it may not be suitable for young children.

Also, on Channel 5, at 7:30pm 'How do they do it?' is shown which demonsrates how electricity is generated. In addition, at 8pm 'Nature Shock: When Killer Whales Attack', appealling to nature lovers. As these documentaries are shown at early times, it suggests they are suitable for younger children viewing with their parents.

Evidently, these findings show that documentaries are suited to evenings in the week, on channels such as BBC1, Channel 4 and 5. This is purely due to the viewers, as they are likely to find these types of topics interesting when choosing a programme to watch. When deciding which type of target demographic is suitable for my documentary, it is necessary that I take both the channel and time of day into account.

Questionnaire

These questionnaires have been given to my focus group in order to gain background information about their interests regarding documentaries.

Here is an online questionnaire that I have created, I would be grateful if you could please complete and submit your answers, in order to help with the generic research of producing a documentary.




After creating my questionnaire, I posted it on Twitter as I wanted as many responses as possible with various ages to complete the questionnaire. 

Focus Group for Target Audience

There are five individuals of different ages and genders who have agreed to be in my focus group, the individuals will be shown my work each step of the way and their feedback will be crucial to the development of my blog. The opinions will be reflected in the final product in an attempt to suit the target audience as best as possible.

As my documentary will be targeted at teenagers who may use the drug quite regularly, I will include young people in my focus group to gain their opinions of a successful documentary. By aiming this documentary at young people, it will hopefully raise awareness about the dangers of cannabis, and how it can affect society as a whole.

Although I have not included adults in the focus group, I shall be showing my work to parents, aunts and uncles to get various adult perspectives as the type of channel that this documentary is likely to be aired on would have an older demographic audience. I imagine that this type of documentary would appeal to parents, therefore it is necessary to demonstrate the dangers of the drug with not simply just colloquial language. Also, an older audience would expect a documentary of this genre to be informative, therefore I feel I must accommodate for this requirement when making the documentary. As a consequence, my target audience will consist of both teenagers and parents.


However, unlike my AS project, I do not have a clearly defined target audience, consisting of a particular age, gender and having particular interests. Therefore, it it essential for my A2 project to simply pitch at anyone of any age who is interested in drug-related documentaries and keen to gain a deeper insight into this social issue.

Purposes of Ancillary Texts

Théophraste Renaudot created a very early version of the supermarket noticeboard, a 'bureau des addresses et des rencontres'. Renaudot created La Gazette in 1631, the first French newspaper, which was when the first personal adverts were founded. Old media platforms such as, billboards and wall posters are the oldest form of advertising, which date back to the Egyptian times. Advertising is a form of communication often used to encourage, persuade and inform a wide audience. Commercial advertisers often seek to generate increased consumption of products through branding. This is similar to documentary advertisements as the aim is to increase viewership. Purpose, audience and context are closely interlinked. This is because the purpose of a text involves communicating with a particular target audience. The purpose of visual text is to inform the audience about a product, TV show, etc. which often explains why there is minimal text in newspaper advertisements. A newspaper advertisement for a documentary has an aim to entice a wide audience into watching the programme with a large dominant image, slogans and scheduling details. All of these aspects used in newspaper advertising aim to encourage a wider audience to view the documentary or buy the product being promoted in an aesthetically appealling way.

Purpose of Featured Articles in Double Page Listings Guides

Background Research on Cannabis

As I am particularly interested in Crime and deviance in society, I have chosen a topic that relates to Sociology for my documentary, which is Cannabis, the effects the drug has on society and views on the issue. I shall be documenting professional opinions from people such as, doctors, politicians and policemen. I am also undertaking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) which is on the topic of cannabis, this will therefore supply me with most of the background information I will require and provide me with a deeper insight into the drug. Hopefully, by completing both projects this will allow me to have sufficient information to ensure the documentary is effective, consequently raising awareness about the drug.