Construction: Ancillary Product - TV Listings

Now I have completed my documentary, I have begun creating my ancillary products. After carrying out research on TV Listings and Newspaper Advertisements for documentaries I have begun creating my ancillary products using Photoshop.

Firstly I have used the rectangle tool to create the basic layout of the TV listings page. Following my research I decided that the featured documentary should stand out from the other listings therefore I have created a 'Pick of the Day' style 'Must Watch' section on the right page of the TV Listings.

I then created four boxes and titled them accordingly

In the image below you can see how I have added the date onto the page and continued to use a blue colour scheme.

Construction: Editing - December 10th

I have now nearly completed editing my documentary

During the editing process I have added clips which I wish to use as cutaway shots furthermore I needed to reduce the audio of these cutaways. To achieve this using iMovie, I selected 'Audio Adjustments' and this allowed me to reduce or increase the volume of my selected footage accordingly. The image below is a screenshot of the Audio Adjustments menu on iMovie. (Click to enlarge)

Below are two screen shots showing my editing process; you can see where I have inserted a song which I have edited using Garageband. You can also see where I have inserted titles and text narration:

Construction: Additional filming

During editing I had noticed where different shots could be useful and improve my documentary excerpt. So this week I have completed filming all of my footage, by carrying out another interview, filming a 'presenter' to introduce and narrate the programme, and filming a variety of footage which I will use as cutaways.

Construction: Choosing and Editing Footage - November 4th

In todays lesson I have continued with the editing of my existing footage and I am in the process of planning which footage I wish to add to my documentary. To do this I am viewing my footage and pinpointing which parts of my interview would be made more interesting with a relevant visual and listing these parts in a Microsoft Word document, which is shown in my screen shot. 

(Click image to enlarge)

Whilst editing my footage I have found a clip which I wish to re-film but only as a voice recording. I feel that what my interviewee has said would compliment a particular cutaway shot and so I will record her speech again, but using a dictaphone for clearer sound. A still image of the cutaway shot can be viewed above, click to enlarge.

This is the chosen speech I wish to record: 'Like most other jobs here at Havens Hospices my job isn't a nine to five role. I don't come in, do it and go out again, it's with us all the time.'

Construction: Editing - November 1st

I have now filmed my footage, however I do intend to film more next week. I am currently editing the footage I do have using iMovie, I have changed the brightness of this footage and inserted a cutaway shot. Here is a screen shot of the beginning of my editing process:

On iMovie I am currently trying out and using different tools to edit my footage. For example, to brighten my footage I have used clicked 'Video Adjustments', which then enables me to adjust the; exposure, contrast, saturation and brightness of my footage. The image below shows the 'Video Adjustments' toolbox.

Construction: Photographs

I visited the local 'Big Society' store to photograph some various images which I wish to use for my ancillary products. I edited these photos using an Apple iPhone application called 'Instagram'. I adjusted the aesthetic appearance, e.g. to highlight the sign. Click to enlarge the images.

Planning: Focus Group

I have chosen three people I know to be my 'Focus Group'
I will refer back to these people for some audience feedback after completing my three products.

Name: Ellie
Age: 18
Studying: Business, Textiles and Sociology
Interests: Music, Fashion and Socialising
Dislikes: Maths, Alcohol and Cats

Name: Scarlett
Age: 17
Studying: Media, Sociology and Politics
Interests: Music, friends and animals
Dislikes: Working, the radio and running

Name: Patrick
Age: 26
Works: for a large transport company
Interests: People, Music and Current Affairs
Dislikes: Arguments, Cats and Meat

Planning: Flat Plans

I have drawn two flatplans for my ancillary products shown below, click to enlarge.

Planning: Filming and Interviews

I have made a word document containing the questions I plan to ask at the interviews I am filming. I will be  interviewing a Volunteer Services Manager for a local charity, Havens Hospices as well as a volunteer for this organisation.

Planning: Mood Board

I have created a mood board on Photoshop, presenting different images associated with the Third Sector, Volunteering and Community. This will enable me to decide on which specific ideas I wish to focus in on for my documentary.

Planning: For Filming

For my documentary I wish to film a variety of footage so that when it comes to editing I have a wide range of choice. I am planning to compose 4 interviews; one with a Volunteers Manager and three with different volunteers. I also plan to film an introduction/narration as well as other footage to capture the working office of a charity. I am also planning to compose short interviews with members of the public to present different opinions and raise different questions in the piece, as this will help me with the creative process of deciding upon a final direction for my documentary.

I am planning to film at Havens Hospices, shown here:

Planning: '3-minute-wonder'

I recently researched into the Channel 4 '3 Minute Wonder' series' and I was really interested by the format and their purpose. I have decided that I wish for my documentary extract to be from the an episode of a series. Here is the link to the series;

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/3-minute-wonder/4od#series-1

As there are five priorities of 'The Big Society' and the second is about volunteerism (I am planning to focus on volunteering), my documentary extract will be from the second episode of a series.

Planning: 'The Big Society'

For my short documentary I plan to focus on volunteering in the community. I have carried out research into 'The Big Society' to help me clarify my ideas. 'The Big Society' was the flagship policy for the UK Conservative Party 2010 general election manifesto. The aim of 'The Big Society' is to 'create a climate that empowers local communities and building a big society that will take power away from politicians and give it to people'. For my documentary I wish to analyze how this concept is put into action in society and whether or not it has been successful.

Research: Questionnaire Results

Here are my questionnaire results:

Research: Audience Questionnaire

I have used an online tool called 'Survey Monkey' to create a questionnaire which I have shared on Twitter and Facebook to get a reliable result.

Click here to take survey

Research: Camera Angles

I have created a Prezi zoom presentation showing research I have carried out into different camera angles to help me plan which will be most suitable for my documentary extract.

Research & Planning: Camera Shots on Prezi

Research: Havens Hospices Article

As part of the research for my documentary and advanced portfolio I am thinking about local charities and their importance in society. I have read some articles and here is the link to one I have found particularly interesting. Havens Hospices are struggling to get planning permission due to some local residents who dislike the prospect.

Havens Hospices Article
Havens Hospices are petitioning in support of a new Havens in Leigh.
Among the signatories is Les Sawyer, Chairman of the West Leigh Residents Association.

“From my perspective having taken time out to study the detailed plans, I feel that Havens Hospices will be responsible custodians of this small piece of Leigh, enhancing it to benefit patients and families, as well as local residents and wildlife."

Research: Reviews

As part of my research and planning I have been watching different short films and documentaries to help me choose a subject area for my own documentary. For instance, here is the link to a promotional video for Volunteering. I have reviewed this video and although it is not a documentary I think it is still a very effective video.

'The Power of Volunteering'

'The Power of Volunteering' 

thevoluntercenter.net

•  A short promotional video promoting volunteering within the community. This video describes and promotes the benefits of volunteering for individuals and society as a whole. 

• The chosen narrative is effective for the purpose of the video as it shows a diverse section of society describing the variety of ways in which volunteering is possible and helpful.

'Beautiful Lives: Stories from a Children's Hospice'

I have also reviewed this documentary which was broadcast on the BBC. 

'Documentary series about the only Children's hospice in South Wales, featuring a brave teenager and a family touched by warmth and kindness in their darkest hour.'

This is one episode from a series, following the families and patients at the only children's hospice in Wales. The interviews in this documentary are very effective because they are successful in portraying the everyday struggles and feelings which the patients and their families face. Cutaway shots are often used along with voiceover throughout one interview with a teenage patient. This mise-en-scene used throughout this has the effect of representing the hospice to be a place of safety and warmth, validating how she feels about the hospice and those who work there.

Research: Codes and Conventions of Documentaries

I have created a Prezi zoom presentation to present my research into six different types of documentary and their individual codes and conventions, which can be viewed below.

Defining a Documentary on Prezi

Research: The History of Film

I have been carrying out more in depth research about the history of film to enable me to have a greater understanding of film for my advanced portfolio.The beginnings of film in the 1890s filming was done manually. The Lumiere Brothers were groundbreakers in film making, they created the earliest films. As the filming was done manually to create a film less than a minute in length it would take 17 metres of actual physical film.
The Lumiere Brothers made short films called actualities, everyday mini documentaries. They were pioneers in film making not only creatively because of their artistic and realism attributes but also they also contributed to the advance in technology.

Postmodernism

Postmodernism is very closely linked to intertextuality within media forms. Postmodernism is when one text references another text. Postmodernism is seen as evident in things such as pastiches. For example, 'Anuvahood' is a pastiche of 'Kidulthood' meaning it references to and takes influence from an existing media product.

Le Voyage Dans La Lune 1902 saw a change from everyday documentary style films to more fictional short films with more of an actual narrative and plot. Le Voyage Dans La Lune shows an actual stage set and costumes and so on. The Smashing Pumpkins music video for 'Tonight Tonight' shows that the director behind the video was heavily influenced by the film from 1902 and this is an example of postmodernism.

Research: 'About A Girl' Short Film

As part of my generic research I have watched and reviewed an award-winning short film.


Background 'About A Girl'

• Brian Percival, the director of 'About A Girl' had decided to choose a gritty and shocking script for his first short film as it it goes against 'the glossy commercialism' of adverts he had mostly worked on before.
• The piece was filmed in Manchester and the cinematographer Geoff Boyle described that filming was sometimes difficult because of lighting however he also said how he and the director needed to remind themselves that it was not a commercial and they were filming something different with a different purpose.
• Fourteen year old actress Ashley Thewlis played the main role and her performance was described by Ewan McGregor as 'very hard hitting and brilliant'.
• 'About A Girl' recieved several awards including 2001 Bafta - Best Short Film and the Edinburgh Film Festival Prize for Best Short Film.

My Response
I think the 'About A Girl' short film effectively sends a message to the audience. After watching it for a second time I could see the significance of the stream of conciousness, as although it was witty, certain lines became more important and poignant. The young actress portrayed the role really well and the everyday scenes created a more gritty and realistic tone to the film. The disturbing twist at the end evokes a response from the audience which overall makes the film succussful in being thoughtprovoking.