A2 Media Studies | Demographic Questionnaire

Whilst me and Tom are planning our documentary, we have created a questionnaire which includes 10 different questions. We have made the questionnaire in order to identify the target audience and get information from other people about what their views on documentaries are and what they would want to see in them.

We used SurveyMonkey to create the questionnaire and we also embedded two media theories into the questionnaire which included the Uses and Gratifications theory by Blumler and Katz and Rick Altman's audience pleasure theory. We also embedded the LifeMatrix segmentation into the questionnaire though only used around 5 of the segments. Along with this we will have 10 individual people to take the survey over the next week or two if possible, initially there were 13 questions on the survey though however membership was needed for surveys in excess of 10 questions so we decided to keep the survey at 10 questions maximum.

SurveyMonkey Questionnaire: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QGJNDWB

Summary

From all of this I have learned to engage with the target audience of the documentary that me and Tom are going to be making and we've also considered what kind of elements are needed when addressing to our target audience.

A2 Media Studies | Audience Research

I will be researching audiences of media texts such as the demographic and social classes of people who view media texts and I will also be looking at what kind of audience would want to watch the kind of documentary me and Tom are going to make, which is loosely based on education documentaries promoted and aired by Channel 4.

Demographic profiling

Demographic profiling can be defined by age, gender, class, geographical areas, religion and economic status. There are different social classes which can group types of audiences too, these social classes consist of different grades which are A, B, C1, C2, D and E, they range from upper middle classed people who are very high in the working industry to people who are unemployed (e.g. pensioners, teenagers) and can be defined as the lowest graded workers.

Lifematrix segmentation

The lifematrix segmentation defines a range of audience groups which links to different types of demographics too, some of the lifematrix segments consist of the following:

• Tribe Wired - Digital, free-spirited and creative young singles.
• Fun/Atics - Aspirational, fun-seeking and active young people (kids, teenagers and young adults).
• Struggled Singles - People with high aspirations and a low economic status.
• Settled elders - Older people, sedentary lifestyles (meaning that they're not too active and can be quite settled down)

Audience research - Channel 4

Linking towards the target audience of Channel 4's education documentaries (e.g. Educating Essex, Educating Cardiff, Educating Yorkshire etc.), I believe that the demographic of such documentaries fall along the classes of C1, C2 and D. These social classes range from semi-skilled workers to intermediate or professional workers in the working industry and they are more likely view the said media text because they've had working experience either currently or previously, can relate to the documentary (e.g. other teachers, parents and students - who would have had little work experience around their age) and are more likely to be viewing these documentaries and aren't too high up in the working industry either. For people in the A and E social classes, the A social class are more likely to be watching something which is more professional whilst the E social class is less likely to have access to television unless they are living with other people paying taxes.

Summary

Based on what I have found out about audiences, I have been able to consider what kind of demographic profile/social class is more likely to view the documentary that me and Tom are going to make, I believe that the audience for the documentary would be in range of C1, C2 and D, it's not likely that any higher social classed worker would view the documentary nor would a lower social classed worker as they either may not be able to due to a lack of income or they would want to view something that is more educational and likely more professional.

A2 Media Studies | Planning a mock up scene from a Documentary

Me and Tom have agreed that we are going to make a scene based off a scene shown in the Channel 4 documentary 'Educating Yorkshire'. This is in place so we can see how close we can get to the professionalism of Channel 4's documentary and see what kind of skills we currently have in terms of making a documentary, prior to the main documentary which we plan to make.

Currently our planning consists of a filming schedule to ensure that we know what to do and when we want to do it. So far this is what we have for our film schedule:

• Filming to begin on Tuesday 3rd November during our media lesson (2:05 - 2:55) and we will likely attend a session after college if the time is needed to get the work finished.
• If needed, filming will also be done on Wednesday 4th November which will go from 9:05 to 12:25, the time can be used for filming and editing the scenes, depending on what we've gotten done.
• We have considered three teachers and their classes to see if we can use one of the classes for the project.
• The camera will be booked on Tuesday 3rd November and Wednesday 4th November in the times mentioned before.
• Permission needs to be asked for from the teachers we have considered for the project and see if they will allow us to film their class during a time where we can film.

From the planning of the mock up scene me and Tom will be able to know what to do when we are going to film the project as well as edit it and it will also give us an insight on what we would have to do when we begin to make the actual documentary, meaning it will be easier for me and Tom to make the documentary in future.

Regarding the planning of the mock up scene, these are the shots from the video we are basing our project on that we have added to our own storyboard:

Establishing shot of the school

(Soundtrack begins)

Establishing shot of the classroom

(Volume of the soundtrack goes down)

Dialogue: Who feels that paper can be their friend? - Teacher

Direction: Teacher looks toward the class.

Establishing shot of students putting their hands up

Direction: Students put their hands up.

Mid shot of the teacher in the classroom

Dialogue: Today you've just been getting to know her alright. By June you'll be taking her out to dinner. - Teacher

Direction: Teacher smiles and continues to address the class.

A2 Media Studies | Codes and Conventions of a Magazine Advert

I will be looking at the codes and conventions of a magazine double page spread which links to the 007 series of films. I will also provide further comments than I have on the analysis that I have done on the double page spread if I feel that any areas need further commenting on or any other elements that I have not identified in the image. The double page spread was related to the use of props in films linking to a series of James Bond films that have been made in the following years. In the picture below I have mentioned about what areas I have found which will target the reader when they are viewing the page:

Uses of bold text and different text colours

The bold text and different coloured text (black and white) provide attraction to the reader as the bold text and coloured text will be one of the first things they will notice about the article before they begin reading it and it also highlights what the article offers.

Presentational features (e.g. shapes, colours etc.)

The presentational features on the double page spread also contribute to the reader's attraction to the magazine because if there were no colours or shapes (e.g. red outlines and rounded shapes acting as a box for the descriptions), the magazine wouldn't attract the reader and it would likely make the reader want to move on without paying much attention to the page at all. Whereas with colours, shapes, outlines and other presentational features, it will make the reader notice the page a little more and eventually it may be that they'll start reading it because there are several features on the page which capture to the reader's eye which include not only the shapes, colours and outlines though however the differently coloured/styled text (bold, white subheadings) and images, which provide more evidence to the topic being discussed.

A2 Media Studies | Codes and Conventions of a Newspaper Advert

In this I will be looking at the codes and conventions of a magazine advert regarding a documentary which has been aired by Channel 4. I will also be explaining on why I have summed up the comments I have made on the elements (must I think that they require any further comments) that I have identified within the advert. The magazine advert I looked at was for a documentary titled 'A Very British Storm Junkie' and I have summed up what I have thought about from the use of elements and why the elements have been used, pictured below:

Codes and conventions highlighted in a documentary magazine advert.

Headline

I explained that the headline provides USP to the audience and that it fits with the image because I believe that the caption 'high on the blow' is suitable for the central image which depicts someone witnessing what seems to be a breathtaking event in the change of weather in a foreign area and it also contributes to establishing to the audience on what the documentary is about and somewhere along the lines on what they will be expecting in the documentary.

Documentary title

I mentioned that the documentary title provides information about the documentary and that it's also a fitting element to the central image because it will help establish towards the audience member what the documentary is about and it also helps to provide information about the documentary towards the audience member.

Central image

The central image is vital for providing USP to the audience and also for allowing the audience member to establish what is going on in the picture, and also has a link to what the documentary is about. This is because if the central image was not there, the audience member could become quite confused on what the other elements in the picture are there for and it could also damage the reputation of Channel 4 if the central image wasn't evident. Viewers of the documentary would complain that there is no picture for the advert and it would also make viewers think of Channel 4 as a company which lacks professionalism.

Use of font

The use of font on the advertisement can be further commented on as the use of white text boxes or highlighters on the text is not only attractive to the viewer though however makes the most important information within the advertisement stand out to the viewer when they are looking at the image.

Headline/Title

The headline can be further commented on as the headline is a play of words which could show how the person in the image is feeling whilst witnessing the storms, the word "high" for instance could suggest excitement and exhilaration and could act as a drug as the person in the picture gets excisted and becomes addicted to storms, which could also contribute to the title being "A Very British Storm Junkie" - The words "storm junkie" suggest that the person witnessing the storm in the picture has not witnessed these events for the very first time prior to the shooting of the picture and that likewise with the headline's play on words, the person in the picture is addicted to spotting storms whenever the opportunity is given to him.

Company branding

The company branding allows for further comments as the company which is distributing the documentary always uses a specific font, the use of font can vary depending on what documentary is or what the picture of the documentary is like. For example, here are a few advertisements by Channel 4 where the font has been modified, likely in terms of its colour and positioning, they cleverly achieve the aim of making the logo fit with the documentary image/layout with these adverts including the advertisement I have been looking at.

Channel 4 advertisement on the documentary Britain's Forgotten Children

Channel 4's advertisement on the documentary The Mind Detectives

You can see that Channel 4 have cleverly manipulated their logo on the advertisements/posters as the logo in both of the advertisements shown above clearly fit to the topic the title brings up and mentions as well as the setting in the advertisement. In the Britain's Forgotten Children advertisement, it could be that the use of white text boxes and the white Channel 4 logo could have been used to make the title stand out as a big issue in Britain's society, that children are being forgotten about and that the topic needs more awareness to the public. Whilst with the Mind Detectives advertisement, the use of the colour green rather more fits to the setting of the poster instead of what the title is trying to bring up to the viewer of the advertisement.

A2 Media Studies | Genre Research

In this article I will be researching the chosen genre of text that I am doing for my practical, which is a documentary. I will also be looking into the elements and history of the documentary.

History of the Documentary

According to this presentation on SlideShare, documentaries dated back to the late 1800s where two people known as The Lumiére Brothers created the first 'non fictional piece of film' though however were not classed as documentaries and were actuality films showing short clips of real life events. The first documentary became evident in the mid 1920s when John Grierson coined the term 'documentary' whilst reviewing a film called 'Nanook of the North' - officially making it the first documentary.

The documentary genre then developed throughout the 1900s with the release of 'Triumph of the Will' in 1935 which was the first documentary to use 'political propaganda' whilst the second world war would be approaching (without much notice at the time), it was then in 1936 that Grierson had a strong belief that documentaries should be used to educate and entertain people. 

In the 1950s and 60s, something known as the Cinéma Vérite became evident as a french cinema movement and it would heavily use handheld camerawork, diegetic sound and natural lighting, which constructed simplicity and convinced audiences that they were directly viewing the film without the pretense that it was conventionally employed in documentaries.

Documentaries had further evolved over the 20th century as in the 1980s, 'mockumentary' became a term for a documentary and it was a modern type of documentary which would comedic-ally mirror the conventions of a normal documentary and revealed how easy it was to fall under the facade that they created. The mockumentary would, in its simple form, mock a documentary.

Defining features of a Documentary

John Carner mentions on this SlideShare presentation that there are 5 central elements of documentary and these come under the terms observation (fly on the wall), interview, dramatisation, mise-en-scene and exposition.

Observation (fly on the wall)

This feature puts the audience in the role of an eyewitness where the camera appears to be unseen and there's an indirect address to audience e.g. speech overheard being a common factor of an en-scene observation.

Interview

Documentaries on television use interviews which create contrast between observation scenes and are structured in two different ways, either inter cut fragments of an observation or in a completely uninterrupted scene.

Dramatisation

This is specifically used to portray people and events that the filmmaker cannot get access to in real life and the sequences are known to be based on facts.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is what the directors and producers of a documentary put into the frame, an example of this would be an establishing shot in a crowded area showing people walking around and scenery in the setting.

Exposition

Exposition simply means the line of argument in a documentary which is what the documentary is saying. Sequences which lead the audience to make their own conclusions about the text.

Documentary - Any hybridity or cross genre elements?

The only cross genre elements I had managed to gather were that in contrast to actual films which people would watch in movies are sound effects as many can be used in a film and are also used in documentaries (as most documentaries nowadays are mostly based on CGI animation which recreate real life things or events). The other cross genre elements that I had gathered was the use of voice overs and music, these are not only used in documentaries but also in films and television shows.

Documentary - How does the text compare to historical texts in the genre?

In comparison to the more historical texts in the documentary genre of film/media, documentaries nowadays mostly have CGI which allows for the filmmaker to recreate events or objects involved in events. A good example of this would be the use of CGI in the National Geographic documentary Air Crash Investigation, it is often in the documentary's episodes that the planes involved in incidents are recreated in CGI to simulate what would have happened or what happened to the plane prior to the incident, and the documentary also features recreations of air crashes where people would act in the situation that their plane has crashed which is another feature of documentaries used nowadays, and there are also interviews with eyewitnesses involved in the incidents within the documentary too. 

Dating back to when the first documentaries were being made, CGI became more evident in the 21st century so there weren't many documentaries which could accurately recreate an event in detail compared to documentaries nowadays (e.g. Seconds From Disaster, Air Crash Investigation etc.) and documentaries in the 20th century were more likely based on the footage they captured instead of the CGI animation involved in present day documentaries as it wasn't a thing during the 20th century, there may have also been recreations of scenes in 20th century documentaries as well as interviews with eyewitnesses.

Documentary - How do texts compare culturally?

Signs of the British culture in documentaries are normally depicted in texts which depict the major events of Britain's history such as World War II, which can normally be found on history channels nowadays, they would depict people wearing costume which links to the time the documentary was set in which would include clothing from the military in the UK that soldiers would have had to wear during the world war and it would contribute to the recreation of events in documentaries nowadays too.

Documentary - Ideologies established?

Ideologies which are established in the documentary genre may consist of a message being sent to people which may summarise the cause of something such as a disaster to which people viewing the documentary would believe and would discuss with other people about and it could also summarise something such as why or how something has an effect on you, an example of this would be if a documentary was solely based on the use of drugs, the ideologies generated from that would be either that the drugs being depicted don't pose a lot of harm or that the drugs depicted are bad for people and it could convince people not to take the drug in general or to stop using the drug.

Documentary - Technological factors which have affected development and progression

One of the technological factors which have affected this would be the creation and use of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) - CGI has not only widely influenced the film industry but it has as well influenced documentaries in terms of what they show. CGI allows for a documentary to go in depth into an event and will also allow a documentary to depict a concept of something that has been involved in an event or how an event has occurred and without CGI, a few documentaries may have never been created and it helps garner views from the audience meaning that the documentary genre is still alive in the present day since its official term being coined in the 1920s.

Whilst CGI is not entirely the reason that the documentary genre is still alive, another technological factor which has affected its development and progression would be higher quality cameras and introduction of colour, this would have likely started developing when cameras were created and throughout the 20th century the quality of films and colour in films has improved significantly. 20th century documentaries filmed in the earlier years may have been grainy and would lack colour and nowadays documentaries will air in high definition (resolutions of 720p and 1080p) and it has shown to be one of the biggest technological influences for documentaries alongside with CGI.

Documentary - How are audience expectations being established or maintained?

Audience expectations are established within a documentary dependent on what the documentary is about. If a documentary is to depict something like a long lasting event such as a war which occurred in some area of the world, the audience will expect something such as footage or pictures from the event and that is what the filmmaker will aim to provide in their documentary. Audience expectations for documentaries will allow for filmmakers to approve of them and create content which will satisfy their expectations and it's what keeps documentaries alive, people expect content, suggest it and maybe the filmmaker goes and establishes those expectations in order to satisfy them.

Expectations from the audience are not only established within the documentary genre but also maintained, they are being maintained by the amount of content that filmmakers are providing in their documentaries. Good examples of documentaries which are constantly maintaining audience expectations and have been mentioned before are Air Crash Investigation and Seconds From Disaster. Both of these documentaries meet audience expectations and maintain them by releasing separate episodes based on disasters and they all go in-depth into the events that occurred both leading to the disaster and establishing the disaster.

Previews of episodes of Air Crash Investigation on the National Geographic website.

Previews of episodes of Seconds From Disaster on the National Geographic website.