Documentary Project
Premise of a Documentary
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Non-fiction
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Informative
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Can vary in how long it lasts 1episode-a whole season
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Specific topics (an overall topic)
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Un staged
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Small budget (unless your David Attenborough)
Children of the stars (documentary trailer)
From the trailer I would expect the whole film to be based around the children and their parents from their struggles to how the school has helped them to believe that their children may have a future of some independency.
There is truth to the story as it is based around real people’s lives, and their struggles.
The story is following a family that thought they were at their lowest with no way out, having a child
with additional needs and no help. However, they found that with the help of the children of the stars
there are others in just the same situation enabling them to get the help they needed and finding hope
once again.
The directors were able to capture the good days and the bad days the family’s may encounter with their children.
Although it’s not entertaining It was very informative/educational, showing to people how much better off they are then others and how much help and support we really do have in England compared with a lot of other countries.
I think the aims of the documentary was to educate people on how little support there is out there for families who struggle in this case with kids with autism, with little education many of the family’s saw no hope for their kids’ future.
The director wanted the audience to firstly realise the struggles families have and to be educated on this fact.
(PekingCity, 2008)
Trailers
Capitalism: A Love Story
In the trailer the location is set in Washington D.C and New York primarily Wall Street which is fitting to the theme of the documentary. The movement of the handheld cameras in certain shots emphasise how they were not accepted into the buildings by being rushed out/ the mess Michael Moore was trying to exploit, the camera’s follow the action of Michael. Natural lighting is used as all the scenes take place outside or near a window however is not used to represent/outline anything which proves it’s not staged as the lighting is not perfect and the camera movements are rushed/wonky. The overlapping of the sound recording has been used to create a comedy aspect when the recording is irrelevant to the actual shot shown on screen, the voice over narration is to the point expressing the seriousness of the documentary although comedic to draw in the audience further as they want answer; for example in the very beginning Michael Moore is making a ‘’citizen’s arrest’’ on the board of the company AIG this immediately grabs the attention of the viewer as this man is not here to ask a couple of questions he is exploiting those in power who have wronged the public. The documentary trailer almost mocks the interviewers showing their blatant answers to a serious matter not revelling the whole story just yet. Funny clips from movies are used to symbolise the actions/answers being shown/spoke mocking the situation further for example we see a shot of a man in a sinking boat attempting to get the water out which is used to symbolise the government fleeing. And archive footage of poignant moments relevant to the topic. There are people within the business/witness to certain situations are shown to be answering his questions.
(overturefilm, 2009)
(overturefilm, 2009)
Project Nim
The location of shooting is a mixture of indoors and outdoors, with both the training of the chimp Nim and then the testimonials from the interviewees. This intertwines with the natural lighting and unsteady camera work of the outdoor/indoor training with Nim to further prove how its un staged and the scientific proof is viable when presenting it as evidence of the chimp’s growth; This can all be seen in the home videos provided by the chimp Nim’s ‘’family’’ and the project founder Herbert Terrace. The witnesses are small all relevant to the development of Nims journey; those being her teachers and the founder, the beginning of the trailer has them all saying a couple of words about the beginning of the experiment how they were shocked to be teaching a chimp sign language, then we move onto rapid development showing home videos of her communicating and finally how the experiment may not of lasted this being the growth of Nim taking over, becoming violent in some ways and more chimp like, with this lots of photos and videos (evidence) as well as the interviewees talking. The documentary is well supported with lots of evidence and first-hand witnesses of the experiment, therefor the audience will have a clear indication that all facts will be true and hopefully all questions answered as to how effective the experiment was.
(Icon films Austrailia and New Zeland , 2012)
The Tillman Story
The location is primarily Inside as this is where the interviews take place however the archive footage is majority videos taken outside; of army soldiers and football players/matches along with news story’s/headlines. All the videos of the army are very shaky with a lot of action as they are real which is similar to the football footage with lots of movement and action compared; with additional editing they have been made to seem almost sinister to emphasise the lead up to a travesty. As for the narration it is primarily made up of news reports with lots of news stories reporting on the death at the time very quick one after the other to further emphasise the size of this event to have an even bigger impact on when secrets are revealed about the truth and the lies being spread; following on with more footage in a court room providing evidence of them challenging the ‘’truth’’. The witnesses are very shortly shown in the trailer with no note as to who they are and where they stand in the situation, relying primarily on the archive footage to build the profile on what the documentary is uncovering, which creates a weaker argument with lack of witnesses.
(Luc Senal, 2010)
Comparing Documentaries
Fahrenheit 11/9 and The Suge Knight Killings (Biggie & Pac)
From the documentaries I watched I could outline both similarities and differences between the two, the similarities being they are both about rivalry between enemies, competitors in two vastly different fields; two competing to be elected president the other two competing in the field of music specifically rapping. Both
(Stevie Chick, 2019)
( Madman Films , 2018)
the Fahrenheit 11/9 and The Suge Knight Killings documentaries used a majority of archived footage to support the points being made, for example in the Biggie & Pac documentary lots of ‘’home videos’’ are used to show the early days of the two rappers including Tupac at his acting school with friends and Biggies first appearance on the street’s rapping to support the idea that both boys where just normal guys at the end of the day having big impacts on others lives. Both the documentaries are seen to primarily use news stories; headlines of the key events being told by the journalist as well with voiceover as shown very thoroughly throughout the Fahrenheit 11/9 documentary showing trump making headlines. Another similarity of the two documentaries is the structure, both journalists knew the outcome/the answer prior to the making of the documentary; Trump was voted President Biggie and Tupac were murdered however, they both had a goal to gather more information on the situations. Although one documentary was to exploit people that being trump and others in power the other was to gain information to further inform people of the travesty to get all sides of the story/let everyone be heard whilst also exploiting those that contributed to the violence for their own personal gain. Further into the structure of the two documentaries they both begin where they end but also where the questions grew, we open with trumps win in the 11/9 film. Biggie and Tupac’s deaths in The Suge Knight Killings to guid the audience as to what the point’s being made are relevant to, so they know what all the answers contribute to in this case the winning and the deaths caused by the actions of others.
There are however differences, there Is a clear divide of power and class of the two documentaries the Fahrenheit 11/9 is between two people of very high class with lots of power and money suffering no discriminatory compared with Biggie and Tupac in The Suge Knight Killings documentary being two people from a lower-class background and therefore with less opportunities facing a lot of discriminatory especially considering the time differences between the two documentaries. The biggie & Pac documentary topic took place in the early stages of the two rappers lives leading up to the death of the two stars in 1996-1997 compared with the Fahrenheit 11/9 documentary being about the presidential election of 2016, both years facing very different problems at the time; for example, in the older documentary the journalist can be seen in the beginning being questioned by some police for just standing on the street talking to people; which we learn is a common thing for the people in that area. You can also hear throughout police sirens and witness the discrimination at the time for less fortunate areas with little to no help. However, in the more recent documentary problems of money for the rich is the issues expressed with the want for more of it and power. I also found that the journalist in the Biggie and Tupac documentary was more hands on than the Michael Moore documentary, he managed to walk around and speak to first hand witnesses who had known the two rappers which could be seen as quite dangerous as it was such a big controversy at the time, which is seen when he speaks with Mopreme when he slightly angers him by just asking a few too many questions one being about the ‘’humility’’ of death row and how it strained his relationship with Tupac. The shakiness of the handheld camera and quick motions puts the audience on edge as we get this sense of uneasiness and not belonging as though the journalist is ready to leave at any second. Nothing like this can be seen in the more recent documentary as Michael Moore is not seen anywhere in the first 30minutes that is, to be interviewing anyone relevant to the situation, instead all that is relied on as sources to support the points made is news reports and pictures.
The 6 modes of Documentary
Poetic mode
- Provoke emotions
- Subjective view- personal to how the audience perceives it.
- Non-typical narrative structure
- Music- to enhance mood/tone
- Message
- Avant-garde- innovative, experimental, pushes the boundaries
Participatory mode
- Investigative filmmaking
- Question asked/controversy explored
- Will no influence but engage with the subject- prompt questions
- Follow the filmmaker- Seen or heard, we experience it from their point of view.
Expository mode
- Research
- Specific subject/argument
- Narrator ''voice of god'' - speaks directly to the audience
- Supporting footage- stock/archival, b-roll, re-enactments.
- Inform/persuade the audience with a goal to convince them on a certain point of view.
Performative mode
- Filmmaker + crew are/interact with the subject
- Commenting on the process
- Investigation/search narrative- sometimes without a conclusion
- Audience addressed in an emotionally direct way
- Personal>factual
- Reenactments, diaries, direct accounts of the event
Observational mode
- ''Fly-on-a-wall''
- Purest form of documentary telling
- No influence on the subject, observational
- Hand-held equipment- natural, non scripted/staged
- Raw, shaky, jumpy, long takes
- But how natural can one be with a camera present?
Reflexive mode
- Focus on the relationship between the filmmaker and the audience.
-''Behind-the-scenes'' style footage
- Subject matter- process of filming
- Provoke ''question the authenticity''
Discovering the mode
Dust Bowl Ken Burns 2005
Upon watching the first 5 minutes I have concluded that this documentary has an expository mode my reasoning for this is as followed; it includes a mixture of archive footage including photos and newspaper headlines all typical of this mode as it is used to back up/support the points being made/spoken through narration in this case the witnesses and professionals. For example, there is a lady who was a farm girl at the time of the event speaking about ‘’the dirty thirty’s’’ as she put it and what the people initially thought was happening in Kansas and that it was just some rain; we also see professionals speaking and one lady a historian showing us on a map where the winds would have blown in from. As for this documentary there is no argument appeared to be made instead, they are just informing the audience on the event that occurred thus being the depression occurring from the dust storms, prompted by one of the titles ‘’Dirt, Depression & Drought’’. Other supporting factors as to why it has an expository mode is the amount of research that would have had to of gone into this subject, finding the supporting footage/news headlines the witnesses to the actual endeavour -farmers gaining access to the professionals who have worked on the topic -soil scientist, state climatologist, historian this can all be seen in the documentary with a variety of the different views on the matter; informing the audience to ‘’convince’’ them on the events that took place with all of the evidence.
(SmokyHillsPBS , 2019)
By watching the short documentary Etre et Avoir I believe it is a mixture of both the modes poetic and observational. My interpretation for this is for several reasons; my argument for it being a poetic mode is because of the calmness element the documentary has although having a handheld camera; that a character of the observational mode, the movement is kept to a minimum very gentle in fact with the long takes there is no sudden movement’s captured in fact the actions appearing on screen are very calm themselves. We as the audience are simply watching a classroom of kids draw, play and bake therefor the audience can perceive this documentary however they like whether it be informing them of the day to day of school kids or an artform with the creative camera angles captured by the film makers one being the long shot of the class walking in the snow along with very beautiful music overall there is no structure to the narrative all pointing towards the poetic mode of documentary. However, I do believe this documentary has the majority mode of observation my reasoning being that there are people involved throughout, poetic mode documentaries tend to focus more on surrounding and scenic moments with no talking; this documentary is very raw with lots of background chatter seen throughout with the kids baking and playing together. There is no narration, the filmmaker's do not intervene with any of the subjects they are strictly observational, specifically shown when one of the kids start to cry outside the filmmaker is not shown to interfere, neither does the kid run over to the camera. This documentary also sparks the question of how authentic is the footage, does the teacher really do this with the kids all the time, are the kids usually this hyper, does the camera change the way a person acts even when in a familiar environment.
Etre et Avoir by Nicolas Philibert
(Wikipedia, 2002)
Vox-Pop
The objective of this week’s practical task was to create an example to show y understanding of a vox-pop interview documentary style. Firstly, we learned what a vox-pop Is, a style of interview in which the interviewer asks random people their opinions on a specific topic/question to give the audience a range of answers. To show a clear understanding of a vox-pop video we had to ensure all the key factors of one were shown, clear audio/footage, camera at eye level to the interviewees and have them talk off to the side of the camera and the interviewer. For my vox-pop video as a group we choose to do the questions about film. Working as a group I was able to further my communication and listening skills, gaining ideas from everyone to ensure we all had our ideas involved; this also meant I was able to see how other
people’s styles were expressed in their edits gaining ideas to help further my own work and feedback. Through this tasked I was able to develop my confidence, talking to strangers and filming in a public space, when editing I developed a new skill how to sync audio recording to the footage making editing quicker/simple. We did at first run into the issue of capturing both the interviewer and interviewee’s voiced on the audio recording but managed to overcome it by moving the recorder between both people, leaving enough time between questions for the recorder to be moved. When planning where to film we were struggling to know where would be best for audio quality, by practicing with the equipment we were able to gain a better understanding for location and settings allowing for a speedy filming process.
From this task I was able to outline improvements for next time when creating a vox-pop; as this was the first time I had interviewed someone let alone strangers I did miss out some instructions, I need to ensure next time I ask the interviewees to look at me instead of the camera and leave the explanation out as there is a separate question for that. As a group we also forgot to get an even amount on recordings of people on both sides of the screen (left/right) to confide by the vox-pop style, next time we must ensure to write down and keep track of how many interviews have been filmed on what side for editing. Upon getting my peers to watch my final edit I was able to gain feedback, I was told it was very calm with the music in the background, it was less repetitive by using a mixture of the interviewer asking the questions and the interviewees stating the question in their answers. They did state that the girl was slightly harder to hear so possibly include subtitles and mix up the sides people were on as they all tended to be on the right hand side of the screen.
Piece to camera exercise
My Scientology Movie clip - Intensity - YouTube My Scientology Movie clip - Documentary Crew - YouTube My Scientology Movie CLIP - Casting Miscavige (2017) - Documentary - Bing video My Scientology Movie clip - Brainwashed - Bing video My Scientology Movie Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Documentary - Bing video
(21) Scientology "Squirrel Busters" harassing Marty Rathbun - YouTube 21) My Scientology Movie clip - Trespassing - YouTube
The objective of this weeks task was to create a video in which you discuss a documentary you like entailing strong points supported by footage with good audio/film quality and a professional set up. I believe my creative decisions were very effective in this task, I choose soft lighting (fairy lights) to create a calming/warm background balancing from the footage in the documentary that is especially busy/loud. However, my planning was not very strong I had not sourced the footage before filming myself which made editing very difficult, a big problem was not all the scenes were available I had to the overcome this issue by using still images instead which made for an adequate alternative. Filming on my own was difficult and took a couple of tries; getting the right focus and knowing what to say, so I just took my time and made sure to practice before deciding I had captured all I had needed to say.
Upon discussing my final project with my tutor i was able to adjust points longing out the sourced footage that were supporting the points being made to have a stronger effect on the viewers and that the audio quality was good both the sourced footage and myself can be heard when overlapping they also enjoyed the lighting i used stating it was very pretty made it enjoyable to watch. Then when showing the edit to my peers I noted that everything was understandable and clear, the footage went well with what points were made, they thought it was a good video. I believe that next time I need to ensure the whole documentary is available to source footage from to make my video stronger to then have more footage showing from the documentary. However, I was able to become more comfortable being in front of the camera which is something I can carry through to other tasks, Ive also become more aware from this task as to how important planning is to make post-production run smoothly but not everything can be helped developing my problem solving skills.
Interview analysis
Medium close-up
People walking through the shot, chill environment
Props to give people elsewhere to focus their attention, unprofessional
(W Magazine, 2018)
Medium close-up
Very comfortable with each other, bounce off of one another's comments and jokes.
(W Magazine, 2018)
Makes you feel more comfortable watching.
Bestfreinds
Mid-shot
Blank background
Playful, random
(W Magazine, 2018)
In this Interview Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone are answering an assortment of questions discovering they have more in common then they think. They are sat in a studio with a black backdrop; the whole interview is in black and white so both actors are wearing bright colours to stand out from the background along with front lighting, following mise-en-scene to emphasise their importance on screen being the focus of the interview. Their clothes are very casual insinuating this is a very relaxed environment for both actors for them to be their true selves. The setting is very bare, no props shown in the shot nothing going on the background a very quiet set this being the typical style W Magazine goes for in interviews solely focusing on the interviewees. The camera is in a fixed position the whole time further adding to the casual theme, with a mid-close up of Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence as they are both making animals out of paper whilst answering the questions enabling the camera to still capture their reactions whilst their attention is elsewhere. The camera does move back to a mid-shot to capture the two opening a bottle of champagne whilst still in a fixed position. Both actors can be heard clearly with mics nearby however, everyone off screen can still be heard but are clearly not miked, following the casual tone of this interview and being a big trend in modern times with more social media-based interviews. There is the occasional cut from when the two actors are finished talking to the next question however overall, the camera is left rolling as both Emma’s and Jennifer’s reaction/answers unfold in real time almost like a conversation rather then an interview making it more of an enjoyable watch.
The interview questions are all open-ended using the 5 w’s with both actors making a conversation out of each with one with a story to tell. The questions are very general for example ‘’What was the first album you bought?’’ Followed by ‘’what was your favourite TLC song’’ going off their answers from the previous question therefor not the most formal; fitting perfectly to the interview as it is not a formal set up with the two actors acting as though it’s a regular conversation with on another, making for a more funny and enjoyable watch. Emma’s and Jennifer’s have very laid-back loose body language, they are close together leaning against one another making for a comfortable atmosphere/tone for the interview. The interviewer also laughs along with both actors, seeming they all get along well making the interview run smoothly with a range of answers and stories. This interview is set up perfectly for the target audience of girls around the ages of 16-30 my reason for this is because, there are two very likable actors’ best friends who bounce off each other’s humour and stories making the interview very laid back not very professional and very random. What is personally like about this interview is that it does not feel like one, I feel as though I’m watching two best friends interact which makes me happy, their answers/stories are rather funny making me laugh. I hope to in the future use black and white in my own projects to make the interviewees stand out but also contrast from the usual style of an interview.
At home- How to project
Interview 3-point Camera exercise
Questions-
What did you want to achieve from this course?
When did you first take an interest in film?
Why did you choose canterbury college?
How did you find creating your final project?
What area of the course have you gravitated towards the most?
Where are you hoping to be in the future?
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Job Roles-
Camera- Luke + Sophie
Lighting- Callum
Audio- Tilly
Interviewee- Callum
Interviewer- Freya
Location-
Library
Sound room
Topic: College + Future
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Library
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Audio recorder, camera, script, headphones, props.
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Too much background noise, no permission to film.
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Ensure the audio recorder setting is correct with practise and try to film in a quite space, ask for permission to film beforehand.
Recce sheet-
Location Equipment Issues Resolution
Radio Room Audio recorder, Camera, Lighting, Camera could run out of battery, Take extra batteries, have a practice Script, Headphones, Props. Or be out of focus, recorder pick's test with both the camera and audio
up too much noise. recorder to get the right focus and
levels.
​
The objective of this week's task was to film an interview with three different points of views using only one camera, after watching an example on how to do so as a group we then decided our roles and begin writing the questions for the interview. By planning the task as a group, we were all able to have an input as well as be prepared on what to say/the set up being a very effective plan. A big problem we faced during filming was reaching between -12 and -6 on the audio recorder, after moving around the mic and talking louder we still did not reach the goal but decided to instead in post-production turn up the audio volume slightly. After showing and discussing my final video with peers I gained some valuable feedback, one student said that they enjoyed the music, that I also used a good amount of L-cuts to bounce between me and the interviewer whilst they are still answering. However, they said to instead in
the beginning cut to me asking the question rather than the interviewee answering to ensure there are no continuity errors. Another student suggested that I show the poster of Ponyo to give an example to the audience as to what the interviewee is talking about. When further discussing with my tutor they liked the shot-reverse shot and nod shots but both me and the interviewee could of been a bit closer by bringing the camera back a bit or zooming out. When doing this task again I would ensure the camera is in focus at all times by reviewing the footage to see whether anything needs to be re-shot, I would also add in examples of the students work when discussing the final project to be more informative. Overall, from this project I was able to improve my confidence when Infront of the camera and gain new editing skills when using different software, I also gained a new transferable skill in how to film from three different points of views using only one camera this being useful in any future interview projects.
The News on TV
The BBC BBC correspondent reports on her expulsion from Russia - BBC News - YouTube
From watching this clip from a news segment in the BBC I can outline the codes and conventions of this News program. To start everyone shown on camera is formally dressed to give off a professional persona, this also helps viewers at home to take them more seriously and the news they are delivering which tends to be of sensitive content majority of the time which is very similar to the ITV news clip. Both the field reporter and news anchor use a direct mode of address to the audience accept when discussing the subject with a witness.
Green Screen
Draft
Before staring our task, we were able to in groups go down to the TV studio to learn how to set up a green screen. We then recorded some footage to edit on avid to practice with, creating a draft.
Exampled of the set-up/process of filming with a green screen.
This week's task was to create a ''news'' story through green screen, the objective of this task was to show our understanding on how to set-up and then edit with a green screen. Working as a group we were able to come up with the story headline and assign everyone their roles, before filming wrote a script and made the props, then learnt how to use a new audio recorder. When in the TV studio we realised that the audio quality was not very good; due to the high ceilings it caused an echo, we then tried moving the mike closer and adjusting the settings however, the audio did not improve; we then decided in post-production would be our best option for improving the audio, but even this was no use. Next time we would instead try a different location with the green screen with lower ceilings for better quality. Overall, the filming went well, we manged to get some good takes to then use in post-production.
When editing I did face some more problems in finding a fitting background that did not have sales written on it to stay true to the story, instead I had to edit an image in paint to write new figures on the posters before placing it over the green screen. When editing I learnt a new skill; how to make a title crawl this then improved my edit making a more authentic news story although the titles do go faster than each other I would need to next time find a way to have them link over at the same speed by asking peers for some help. I also felt as though the background noises drowned out the echos from Molly's audio but added a nice touch which is also how my peers felt from their feedback, they also stated that the intro and outro music made them feel as though it was a real news channel; one thing to improve however would be the use of images to example the subjects being spoken for instance when Luke talks about the Lion. Once my tutor then watched my final edit, he stated the structure of my story is true to a real news story; by placing Luke in the Tv studio with formal attire with a fitting background it all tied in. Some improvements however would be to clean up the green screen around Lukes's head but to also stick to rule of thirds when placing Molly Infront of the background to have her use more of the space around her, but the addition of sound was very fitting for her scene. In order to improve my work next time, I would film in a different location to improve the audio and spend more time practicing with green screen to ensure the images are clear, cleaning up any edges. Overall, this task has given me new skills those being how to set-up and then edit a green screen, how to create a crawling title, improving my script writing skills and working as a group imputing ideas to ensure the best possible outcome.
Short Documentary Project
Documentary Project
Why cats?:
- Professional's
- Cat owners
- Cat's protection
(The Fairy Tale Fair, 2015)
Why cats?:
By talking with professionals and cat owners I hope to win your heart's with why cats are such amazing pets.
Ideas
Skateboarding:
- Cousin/Friend
- B-roll/ in life footage
- skate park/street skate
- Passtion/journey
Skateboarding:
We follow the journey of the beginning to now of my cousin's passion for skate boarding, with a mixture of re-created and b-roll footage.
A cats Life:
- Through the perspective of a cat
- following their day
- Light hearted
A cats Life:
Through the perspective of a cat, I hope to document the ''life'' of a cat from the beginning of the day to the end. With the encounter of a dog, birds, food, attention.
(skateparks , 2015)
Strength
- I have access to professionals and resources.
Weakness
- Trying to keep it interesting may be a challenge without repeating points.
Opportunities
- Get to explore a subject I enjoy and know about.
Threats
- Permission to film
​
(Fanpop, 2017)
Strength
- Following a journey, meaningful
Weakness
- having enough footage to film
Opportunities
- explore a story from a specific POV
Threats
-access to filming
Strength
- Access to resources/filming space
Weakness
- Finding the right moments, cats cannot be directed
Opportunities
- film from the perspective of an animal
Threats
- Having enough to talk about
Idea 1
Idea 2
Idea 3
Questionnaire
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
6 People voted a cat's life
2 people voted skate
3 people voted why cats?
3 People voted idea 1
6 people voted idea 2
2 people voted idea 3
From this feedback, many people licked both the cat ideas as many of them shared a great love for cats, one did say it would be interesting to see if cats are better than dogs; but most stated it would be a really interesting concept seeing the world through a ''cats eyes'' . The people who voted for the skateboarding story idea said they would love to see all the different shot-types I would be able to capture but also how I could inspire people to try the sport for themselves.
For the skateboarding Idea I was told to use footage the person we are following has already, as for the cat ideas one person suggested talking about the history of cats another said to stick to a certain topic to keep the attention of the audience, and someone also suggested to incorporate the view of a person for the cats perspective idea to know what the cat looks like, for the other cat idea someone said to show footage when someone is discussing a specific subject to show examples.
Both style points are fitting for all the ideas. Using old footage for the skater, but also my won old footage of my cats, I can also capture new footage on all ideas and would like to keep my project video upbeat/light-hearted.
Analysing Results
From my results I can outline that the majority like idea 2, entailing life through the perspective of a cat; with the favourite title 'A cat's life'. Upon further discussion I got lots of pointers as to how to go about this idea, but also idea 1; exploring the question of why cats are the best pets? I have therefore decided to combine both ideas as I have so much access to professionals and the cat centre itself, I feel I can then talk about serious issues cats face but also discuss with volunteers why they give up their free time to help hoping to inspire my audience and leave them learning something new. All whilst incorporating footage of cats but from their perspective whether that be getting fed but also interacting with people. My final idea will be titled 'A cat's life' a documentary exploring why cats are such amazing pets talking with volunteers in how they affect their lives, professionals discussing any current problems cats also face and the correct ways in treating you furry friends.
Research
Research plan
Topic/Question
What do I need to research?
Primary/secondary
Methods
Relevance
How to film from a POV?
- Access to the internet/computer
- Camera
- Editing software
​
​
- secondary; A tutorial video
- primary; Practicing creating it myself.
- secondary; Example from an existing video.
​
​
- qualitative; Write down notes on the steps needed to create the POV shot.
- qualitative; Analyse an example.
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It will supply me with the steps on how to create this shot, practicing it to ensure its perfected and then comparing my own to already existing examples.
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Target audience
- Access to the internet/computer
- People of different ages
​
- secondary; Online statistics for specific genre
- primary; Creating a questionnaire
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​
- qualitative; Research statistics to typical age groups for my specific genre and topic.
- quantitative; Get people of different ages to fill out my questionnaire discussing my documentary.
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A broader range of statistics will provide my with the genres target audience. My own questionnaire will be specific to my Documentary idea.
How to structure a short documentary?
- Access to the internet/computer
- Stationary
​
- secondary; Short documentary video
- secondary; Tutorial
- primary; Creating a storyboard
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​
- qualitative; Analyse short documentary(s)
- Write notes from a tutorial, key points.
- qualitative; Outlining key shots for my documentary.
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Examples and tutorials will supply me with the key frames and talking points I should use, drawing them will help me to vision what I need to plan for.
About cats
- Access to the internet/computer
- People
​
- secondary; Informative videos
- secondary; Books/webpages
- primary; Discussing with cat owners/professionals
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- qualitative; Write notes from informative cat videos/webpages/books.
- qualitative; Discuss with people what they know from owning cats.
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Finding out key information will enable me to create questions for interviews, by talking with cat owners I will get an inside view to the reality of being a cat owner.
Volunteers
- Access to the internet/computer
- People
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- secondary; Informative videos
- secondary; Webpages
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- qualitative; Research into how many people volunteer for this charity/volunteering as a whole.
- qualitative; The importance of volunteering/cats welfare.
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Discovering the reasoning/need for volunteers, their importance to charity's/the specific charity I will be discussing. Creating questions.
Presentation Pitch
POV shot
''A point of view shot (also known as POV shot, first-person shot or a subjective camera) is a short film scene that shows what a character (the subject) is looking at (represented through the camera). It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction (see shot reverse shot). The technique of POV is one of the foundations of film editing.'' (Wikepedia, 2022)
(YouTube, 2021)
This video discussed the different intentions behind the POV shot for the different genres of film, for example in a romance movie a POV shot can be used to make you as the viewer fall ''in love'' with the person we are watching from the others POV; usually accompanied by warm lighting and uplifting music. A POV shot is always accompanied by a shot reverse shot when showing the point of view you are looking from. You would first show the POV shot followed by a shot of the person whose perspective you were in prior.
(Wikepedia, 2022)
From most of the video tutorials I have watched on YouTube explaining how to make a POV shot it has all been using a go-pro and attaching it to a helmet to film a motorcycle POV, or even howling the camera in your mouth using a mount. I do not have the recourses to do this and would therefor hold the camera from the POV of the volunteer rather than attaching it to myself. Practicing this with a camera will further help to understand how I would go about filming the POV of the cat.
(YouTube, 2019)
Target audience
The target audience for a documentary film depends on what it is about. For my project it is based around cats and the charity Cats protection.
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My project is targeted towards anyone over the age of 16, as this is the age you can volunteer at the charity; anyone looking to work with animals this is a great place to start.
The demographic would then vary:
- young family
- elderly couple
- people who live alone
This is because every cat is differently suited to their owners, a kitten would be more suited to a family of older kids, an elderly cat would suit perfectly to an older couple.
''Netflix said that 73% of its subscribers watched at least one documentary in 2016. That means over 68 million people watched a Netflix documentary in 2016, according to The Times.'' (Insider , 2017)
''It’s estimated that 500 million people watched the series worldwide. One of the most memorable moments of television history, Attenborough encounters rare mountain gorillas.'' (Life on Earth, 1979)
''BBC has announced that more young people are watching David Attenborough's new series Planet Earth II than The X Factor.'' (Science alert, 2016)
As you can see by these quotes documentaries are a big part of the industry with such diverse content there is a documentary for everyone. However, animal documentaries have become very popular due to David Attenborough, who has made the subject entertaining.
My target audience is therefore anyone 16+ who is interested in working with animals looking for the right place to start, or families/couples/people who have their own homes looking to adopt. But overall, anyone who likes animal documentaries.
Structure
Intro
- Impactful, hook the audience
- In the first 45seconds/1minute
- Reveal some of the story
- Cats being fed/the centre/my own cats
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Middle
- Bulk of the story
- History of the subject/character
- Main message
- Conflict
- Interviews/introduce a cat
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End
- Reinforce the message
- Resolve conflict
- Final message from manager/run through of adopted cats.
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- Connect your character with their environment
- Wide shot + detail shots
- Ask the right questions - engaging
- Keep rolling past the takes, candid videos
Lighting
- Key lighting
- Balance with the ambient lights
- Separate the subject from the background
- Colour grade in post
- Create a cinematic shot
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Sound
- Don't overlap audio
- Must be clear - Or it can ruin the documentary
- Use a Lav mic, connect to a zoom
- Nondialogue sound - postproduction, or you can go back and capture the sounds after the interview.
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YouTube videos:
How to Shoot a Documentary - Tips & Tricks for Emotional Storytelling - YouTube
Documentary Filmmaking Tips // How to Hook Your Audience - YouTube
(Julia Mendoza Friedman, 2022)
(Julia Mendoza Friedman, 2022)
(Julia Mendoza Friedman, 2022)
In this participatory and poetic mode styled documentary, I feel immersed into the character's lives. Julia has captured so many emotions through an artistic approach, we open to a woman (Julia) lying face down on the ground in various places, we have been given no context; there are also drawings that pop up over the screen. Immediately your attention is captured as you begin to question why this woman is lying on the floor and what relevance does children's drawings have to a death. And then suddenly we are introduced to both the setting and the main subject's, a woman and her grandmother. As we move into the middle of the documentary other characters are seen but no one is ever talking to the camera, it is as though we as the audience are watching in on these intimate moments which gives the documentary a raw candid look the camera is always rolling. The documentary has a variety of detailed shots showing the trinkets of the apartment whilst people are talking giving more detail to the type of environment, we are set in. This ''cluttered'' environment all of a sudden feel's very homely as we never leave the apartment, we start to relate to the memories that are being discussed seeing an object connected to it. At the end of the documentary everything is all pieced together, the grandmother kept so much ''stuff'' because she did not want to forget as did the granddaughter with filming everything creating memories. We also discover the drawings are of the old lady's daughter who had sadly passed just 3 weeks prior in which she did not know. We as the audience have emotionally connected to this story making this all so much more powerful.
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(Julia Mendoza Friedman, 2022)
(Julia Mendoza Friedman, 2022)
(Julia Mendoza Friedman, 2022)
(Julia Mendoza Friedman, 2022)
Cats
There are many different things you need to research before owning a cat/kitten, when looking at the cats protection help page there was lots of useful information how to care for your cat. On the cat behaviour page there are all sorts of informative videos on cat body language, dealing with aggressive or shy cats, introducing cats to each other and so much more to help owners understand their new furry friend.
(Cats protection, n.d.)
Relinquishing a cat:
- To relinquish a cat is to give it up.
- Relinquishing Your Cat FIRST: If you adopted your cat from a rescue or no-kill shelter, please contact the rescue or shelter first. Most rescues will take their animals back (and many, in fact, have a return clause in their adoption contract obligating the adopter to return the pet to the rescue) Relinquishing Your Cat | The Cat Network
- There are many reasons as to why people do this, especially when they haven't done enough research to undertsand how to overcome some issues they may face with their cats.
- There is a help page on the cats protection website that can help you when thinking of giving up your cat. Thinking about giving up a cat | Cats Protection
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(Cats protection, n.d.)
Volunteers
Volunteering is an important part of all charities, they are what helps to keep it running; giving up their free time to help those in need.
At the cats protection there are many ways you can volunteer whether that be in the centres themselves, feeding and socializing with the cats, helping with the fairs to raise money, or even fostering to give a cat a home before they are adopted.
- Volunteers don't have to give up a specific amount of time just whatever they can.
- volunteering is also a great way to amp up your skills for your CV especially if your looking to work with animals, some volunteers have even gone on to become employees so would be a great pace to start in the business.
- It is an opportunity to meet lots of new people and build your confidence in a working environment.
- Be trained in your new roles gaining new skills
- Cats welfare
(Cats protection, n.d.)
(Cats protection, n.d.)
(Cats protection, n.d.)
Volunteering roles:
- Fosterer
- Fundraiser
- Shop volunteer
- cat care volunteer
- Trap, Neuter return volunteer
Volunteering webpage on the Cats protection website
(Cats protection, n.d.)
(Cats protection, n.d.)
Interview 1 (manager)
- How does your role help the cats at your centre?
- What research should people be doing before owning a cat?
- How many cats have you homed, and have you seen a change in this since covid and the cost of living increase?
- Why do people relinquish their cats, and how does this affect the cats behaviours?
- How can we improve cats lives?
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Questions/script
Interview 2 (Volunteer manager)
​- What is the role of a volunteer?
- Why do people want to volunteer, to help your charity specifically?
- What is the biggest impact the volunteers have on the cats?
- How would someone begin to become a volunteer?
- Has covid and the cost of living increase affected volunteering? Has this then impacted the cat care in the centre?
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Interview 3 (Volunteer)
- Why do you give up your time to volunteer?
- What has volunteering changed or brung to your life?
- What advice would you give to someone unsure about volunteering?
- What is the best part for you personally about volunteering?
Pre-Production Planning
Synopsis
My documentary project is about how to properly care for your cat, why cats are such amazing pets and the importance of volunteers to the charity 'Cat's protection'/ any problems the charity/cats may face as a whole. I hope that my project will inspire people to either adopt, foster or even lend a helping hand and become a volunteer for a charity. Through the perspectives of people who work within the business, the manager, and volunteers who can explain why they give up their time to help out. As for my target audience, they should relate if they already have pets, or are looking to adopt a cat but are not too sure how to start the process, and even people who are looking to work with animals this could be the starting point they were looking for. Overall, my documentary should be informative and a fun watch with different meanings to different audiences.
Treatment
I want my documentary to open with the main subject of cats, setting the light hearted tone for the whole documentary there will be calming music and natural lighting to depict the cuteness of these animals. Following into the interviews I will include close-ups of the surrounding setting and possibly footage of the interviewee before we start the questions. I hope to include three interviews in the middle of my documentary to get as many perspectives of the charity as I can, all in the style of a VOX pop with the interviewee talking off to the side of the camera and b-roll footage played over topics to give examples. Following after each interviewee I will record the interviewee's in there day to day tasks for example the volunteer socialising with the cats. Then the end of my documentary will close with a message from each interviewee and finally a roll through of all the cats adopted (pictures) with a suited song.
Project timetable
Date
Activity
Person in charge
Needs
capturing b-roll footage
Freya Emmett
Camera, audio recorder, access to film
Interviews
Freya Emmett
Camera, audio recorder, access to film, interviewee
Pre-production planning, questions/script
Freya Emmett
Computer, access to internet and reaserch
Editing and analysis
Freya Emmett
Computer, access to internet, Avid, Cap-cut, card reader
15/12/22 - 22/12/22
04/01/23 - 06/01/23
02/02/23 - 05/01/23
03/01/23
Key Personnel
Name
Task
Freya Emmett
Director, Producer, Editor, Interviewer
Alex Emmett
Camera-man, audio recorder
RECCE Sheet
Activity at each location
What is required?
Problems
Solution
Interview's
Interviewee's, Camera, Location, Audio recorder, Questions, Access to film.
Camera battery could die, incorrect recording settings, Interviewee unavailable.
Bring an extra battery, before recording adjust the settings whilst talking with the interviewee, also check with the interviewee their availability to select the best time/date.
B-roll footage
Camera, audio recorder, access to film.
Not allowed to film, camera could die.
Ensure I have permission to film and the availability of the location of filming, bring an extra battery for the camera.
Health and Safety
Activity
Hazard
Action/Controls
Who is at risk
Level of risk
Filming
Covering fire exits, people tripping over the the legs.
Ensure everyone knows where the camera is placed, ask where would be the safest to film.
Everyone who comes in and out of the room.
10/10
Filming
Disrupting the workplace
Getting the right availability for filming in specific locations.
Workers
5/10
Shooting script For a cats life
Starters
Opening. Main subject cats, filming an assortment just doing their own thing.
Interview 1. Manager, close-ups of objects on the desk, Mid-shot Interviewee will then walk into frame and sit down and then begin interview.
Interview 2. Volunteer manager, Close-ups, Mid-shot sitting at a desk start recording when they are just chatting then go into the introduction and start the interview.
Interview 3. Volunteer, Mid-shot begin with introduction standing in front of the centre
B-roll. Volunteer's with cats, Cats being fed, playing, socialising, Interviewees working.
Visual outline of script
Contingency plan
Equipment faulty
If my camera dies I have brung an extra battery but also the charger and in the meantime talk with the interviewee get them familiar with the questions I will be asking to get them to start thinking about a response and even anything they might want to talk about that I could include. If the zoom recorder did not work I would instead use my phone to record the sound although not as good it will be better then using the camera audio.
Location/people unavailable
I hope to match both the locations of filming and people scheaduals to ensure that everything runs smoothly on the days of filming however, if the a location needed to be used I would either wait for a bit discuss with the interviewee what will be discussed, or I would film in a different location that is available. If the interviewee was not able to film that day I would firstly find a different date that would suit them and film everything that I can without them needing to be there for example shots of the centre and the cats. However if my volunteer were unwell and not able to film at all I would hoepfully be able to find a different volunteer willing to participate.
Bad weather conditions
If weather was too poor to film in I would simply move the outdoor interview to indoors, this would be the volunteer interview and would either film in their staff room if it was available or the feeding room.
Post-Production
Final project
Evaluation
Looking over my pre-production planning, I can outline that my final project video does not match up exactly to the original idea. The area that did not make it into the documentary was the POV shot, this is because I found it did not fit with the direction the documentary was heading which was more interview based rather then voice over b-roll. Other than this everything ran smoothly on the days of filming and was included into the final edit. My documentary mode is expository as I follow a specific subject, ask prompts (questions) and can be heard throughout; with a similar style to a Vox-pop interview including a variety of interviewee's with different perspectives on the subject. All the b-roll footage in my documentary have be filmed by me when walking around the centre and interacting with the cats, as I felt this kept the continuity of the footage to make everything flow when moving from one interview to the next; showing a change in location. Examples of this can be seen below:
The B-roll enabled the audience to gain an understanding of the surrounding location, I also used this time to ask the first question so when the camera is back on the interviewee we are immediately introduced to them.
Cutting to B-roll enabled me to show a change in location when switching to a different interview.
When comparing my documentary project with the professional short documentary 'Why are humans obsessed with cats'' by The New Yorker there are both similarities and differences throughout. Both documentary's include an interviewee with knowledge of the subject; In The New Yorker doc the interviewee is used to narrate over the sourced archival footage when discussing points however, in my doc I have decided to focus the camera on the interviewee's with significantly less supporting footage and instead b-roll I have filmed myself to show a change in location/breaks between the three interviews. Both documentary's have used a professional set-up but kept the music up-beat and fun to pair with the light subject being discussed. Over-all I believe my documentary has the typical conventions of a professional documentary when compared to one, With a professional but light hearted theme, an interviewee and supporting b-roll I have created an informative Documentary.
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(The New Yorker , 2019)
(The New Yorker , 2019)
Both documentary's include an interviewee with knowledge of the subject, they also include b-roll/archival video's relating to the subjects. With the same expository mode the professional doc using the interviewee as the narrator.
'Why are humans obsessed with cats'
'A cats Life'
'A cats Life'
'Why are humans obsessed with cats'
During the process of this project I have been able to improve a numerous amount of skills; the most important being my organisational/planning. From past projects I now know how important it is to plan ahead the shot's I want to be included in the final edit and ensure that I have enough b-roll to fill up gaps, this would then benefit me when It came to editing the footage. For this project specifically I was in charge of everything, this meant I got to develop my confidence with the equipment adjusting the settings on both the zoom to capture the audio and the camera for the right focus. Directing the interview's also helped me to understand the process of them and how to deal with nervous interviewee's, building on my problem solving and communication skills. By deciding to edit the project at home I used cap-cut, as the task was a lot bigger then previous exercises I'd edited from home; I was able to widen my skill's set becoming quicker/assured at editing the project to the best it could be. There are points of this assignment that I would change/add to benefit the outcome if I could; for example, I would of included archive footage if the documentary was longer and a discussion on the evolution of the charity and centre itself, how its evolved to be better for the cats. I also believe adding another interview In the perspective of a cat owner would benefit the documentary, someone who has gone through the process of adopting from the charity to relate back to the target audience even more. I have two target audiences for this documentary one being 16+looking to work with animals and in need of a starting point, that being volunteering and the second people who are looking to adopt and unsure on where to start. From one student's feedback they stated that my documentary looked professional, was easy to understand and flowed throughout however, they felt that the audio faded too quickly when the interviewee's were still talking. When discussing my final piece with my tutor they supported many of the same points, the audio was clear during each interview, the questions were relevant to the subject and that the music felt appropriate throughout. They did however, have some points of improvement; they felt it was too interview heavy and that instead I should of included more B-roll of cats and the centre especially when specific points were being made. For example, when discussing the students volunteering I could of had footage of the students working in the centre or had the volunteer interacting with the cats. All points that I would include if I were to improve this project further.