Storyboard

Today I have done a storyboard of shots I am going to get when shooting my Documentary. I'm not very good at drawing and I wanted to ensure that my storyboard looked clear so that when filming I would be able to tell what I meant. I therefore printed out pictures from the internet and put them on my storyboard and wrote descriptions of each shot underneath. I included the shot distance I would use for each scene, i.e. extreme close up, close up, cut in, long distance, how long each scene would be approximately, who's in the scene, props (if any) and other relevant information.

Here's a video of me creating my Storyboard;

Poster Examples

As my Short Film is in a Documentary Genre I have been researching some posters which advertise Documentary Films.

Here are some below;

Michel Jackson 'This Is It'
This Film poster is really simple the background is very plain. The text itself is also very simple, a ordinary font is used which is clear to read and in a black colour. The main thing we look at when we see the poster is Michael jackson. He is standing in the centre and is a large image. This is obviously because the film is fundamentally based around him. We're also drawn to him immediately by the colour he is. He stands out because the rest of the poster is very simplistic whereas he is in lots of different colours. The poster enables us to discover what the film will be show casing by the position Michael Jackson is standing in, as well as what is pictured on his clothing. We can tell that the film will be about Michael Jackson and essentially, him performing. The colour the background is the colour we picture when someone is referring to heaven, or equally, it could be seen as the colour of a grave stone. This tells us the film is documenting Michael Jackson's life performing prior to his death. I think this poster is really successful in what it does. It uses very little text as people do not want to see lots of text on a poster, neither will they have the time to read the information on it as often people just give them a quick glance. The text tells us the essential information, what the film is called and when it is realised, but the imaginary and colours used tell us about what the film is about.

From looking at this poster I have learn't there are other ways of expressing to an audience what a film is about without having to use massive amounts of text. Visual imagery is all that is needed sometimes.

Justin Bieber 'Never Say Never'
This film poster is quite similar to Michael Jacksons. As the film documents Justin Bieber's life he is the main image that you can see. Aside from that all you can see is the name of the film as well as the date which is its out. This was all that could be seen by Michael Jackson's poster too. The difference is that Michael Jackson's conveyed a hidden meaning, whereas Justin Bieber'd doesn't. It is very much just advertising the fact he has brought a film out and it is up to the audience to come and see it in order to discover what it is actually about. This could be a good technique to use as Justin Bieber has millions of fans around the world, therefore he probably has a strong enough fan base in order to advertise in this way - his name is enough to make them want to watch it.

From looking at this poster I have learn't you should have a big imagine for fronting the poster showing who/what it is about, however for mine it should not be as prominent as Justin Biebers and it would not be enough for me to just have the time and date situated on it. This is a good technique for someone as famous as Justin to use but as no one I have used in my documentary is famous around the world, this wouldn't work for my film poster.

'No Impact Man'
I particularly liked this Film poster because it seemes really life like and genuine. Again it didn't include a lot of text, but unlike the advertisement for Michael Jacksons film and Justin Biebers it contains more than just one image. On the forefront is an image of a presu

Filming #1

Today I went to film Thirla (My Nana) and here is a picture of her below on the day of filming;

To start with I briefed her on what my Documentary is about, told her the questions I wished to ask her and asked if she had any photos of what she looked like when she was younger. This is because I felt it would be affective to show viewers how people from her generation used to dress.
We had a couple of run throughs before we did the final interview. I deliberately didn't want to have too many pratice runs because I feel in an interview it is best to get an individuals inital response, this prevents them over thinking their answer.
When I edit my documentary together I actually think she is going to be the last character to be seen, but as she was the first charcter to become available I have shooted her first.
I ensured I took the relevant equipment with me, including;

Video camera


This is obviously so I could record the footage

Digital camera

So I could take any relevant photo's of props/actors and to perhaps record some footage on this camera too in order to film shots at various angles

Tripod

In Documentaries shots aren't always very steady so I didn't want to use a tripod all the time, however during the interview I felt a tripod was essential

Realease form

This was so I could get My Nan to sign to say she agreed to be used in my Short Film and that she gave permission for her house to be filmed as well

Script

This I took so I could remember all the questions I wanted to ask her

Storyboard

So I could remember all the shots I wanted to get at different angles, in order to make the Documentary more interesting and varied

Below is the footage I took of the day of filming. It has not yet been edited at all, I will do this once I have intereview the remaining 4 people.

Audience Profile

I have decided to start thinking about the type of audience to aim my Documentary at.

From my audience research, people recommended I aim my Short Film girls who were teenagers to young adults.

I have therefore decided to aim my Short Film at females between the ages of 16-25. 

Here is a video profile of a typical audience member;

Filming Dates

Now that I have got my characters, locations and script sorted I decided it was about time I started filming.

From previous experience, I decided this year I would arrange dates when I am going to film characters quite a while in advance. This is because last year I found arranging to meet people was very difficult and people seemed to always have something going on. I have managed to contact all my characters over this past week and asked them when they will be available, I have arranged to meet the following people on the below dates;

Beth:
Alice:
Thirla (Nana): Sunday 27th November
Victoria: Saturday 3rd December
Dr Clibbon: Saturday 10th December

Script

Now I have thought of all my characters and they have agreed to be featured in my Documentary and completed my Location Research, I have written a drafted script. As I am interviewing people I have not included their reponses as I cannot predict what they're going to say. I have however, written questions that I am going to ask them which is useful as I have prepared them well in advance.
My script is not set in stone and it may change depending on the circumstances on the day of filming. I most likely will not edit my film in the exact order the characters appear in the script either. Nevertheless, when I film my interviewees I can take a copy of the script with me each time so I know what I want to ask them.

Nowadays  we’re bombarded with thousands of images of perfectly  airbrushed models. Within the UK a massive(x) magazines are issued monthly, with majority picturing people who are conventionally good looking, who not appear to have any flaws with their appearance. The truth is, this is completely untrue, everybody has issues with the way they look. Nobody has perfectly smooth skin, a totally symmetrical face, or a body shape that is 100% defined and toned. The media has started to create an unrealistic ideal for the average person to attempt to conform to. This means, plastic surgery is on the increase, people are becoming increasingly worried about the way they look and eating disorders such as anorexia are becoming more common, particularly in young girls.

My aim in this documentary is to discover whether the media really are to blame for people doubting the way they look, why surgery is becoming more popular and if it really is necessary for us to be critical of our own appearances well as others.

EXTERIOR SHOT: OUTSIDE ALICES HOUSE

First of all, I’m off to meet Alice. Alice is 18 and has suffered from anorexia. I was first introduced to Alice last year when she was suffering from the disease. I noticed she was incredibly thin but because I’d never know her any differently, assumed that was her natural build. After she was diagnosed and began increasing in weight I realised just how thin she was and now she is at a healthy weight I can see just what a dangerous weight she got to. Now she looks really healthy and definitely seems a lot happier with in herself. I hope to find out whether seeing images of extremely slender models contributed to Alice feeling as though she needed to lose weight.

RINGS DOORBELL

ALICE OPENS DOOR

ALICE: Hello

JENNA: Hello

DOOR CLOSES SHUT

JENNA AND ALICE SEATED IN ROOM WHERE INTERVIEW WILL COMMENSE

JENNA: First of all you’re looking really well and healthy, so congratulations for getting as far as you have.

ALICE:

JENNA: Obviously you’ve been on a long journey to get to where you are today, how old were you when you started feeling as though you needed to lose weight?

ALICE:

JENNA: Do you remember what triggered you into thinking that you need to be thinner?

ALICE:

JENNA: In your opinion do you think the media are to blame in any way for sudden decrease in weight?

ALICE:

JENNA: Do you feel the media have a certain amount of responsibility not to use models that are too thin and to use people that are a healthy weight?

ALICE:

JENNA: Do you think using models that are a healthy weight will prevent people from being diagnosed with eating disorders?

ALICE:

JENNA: Do you feel society in general is becoming more obsessed with people’s appearances?

ALICE:

JENNA: Well thank you for telling us your story Alice and we’re really glad that you’re back to being healthy and much happier.

EXTERIOR SHOT: OUTSIDE ALICES HOME

JENNA: It was really intriguing to hear Alice’s story, from what she said it seems….

NEW DAY#

EXTERIOR SHOT: OUTSIDE CLINIC

JENNA: Having met Alice and learnt about her story, I want to meet someone whose profession is to improve people’s body image and self-esteem. So I’ve arrived here at (x) clinic which specialises in lazar treatment for those that want to remove any excess hair on their bodies. My mum has had treatment here for a couple of years now so I’m hoping to talk to the lady that is responsible for her treatment, Victoria. The clinic also has a plastic surgeon consultant Mr(x). He is the same consultant who I spoke to before I had my ears pinned back and I want to discuss with him today the possibility of me having my nose done when I turn 18 next year, but I also want to find out why he thinks plastic surgery figures are higher than ever.

INTERIOR SHOT: INSIDE CLINIC

SHAKES HANDS WITH VICTORIA

ENTERS TREATMENT ROOM 1

FOOTAGE SHOWN OF MY MUM HAVING TREATMENT

JENNA: How long have you been conducting lazar treatment on patients?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: Do you see a difference in patients once they’ve started having treatment?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: What do you think makes patients come to the clinic?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: Do you think cosmetic procedures are necessary?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: Would you ever have any treatments done yourself?

VICTORIA:

JENNA: Do you think the media and advertisement influence how people feel about their appearance?

ENTERS TREATMENT ROOM 2

CONSULTANT: Hi Jenna, come in and take a seat.

SITS DOWN

CONSTUTANT: What can I do for you today?

JENNA: I have always hated my nose and wanted to change it so I would like to discuss with you the options of what I could have done

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA: Could you give me an idea roughly of how much the operation is likely to cost?

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA: Do you find plastic surgery is on the increase?

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA: What do you think contributes to people wanting to have plastic surgery, do you think the media are partially to blame?

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA: What age would you say is most popular for people having cosmetic procedures?

CONSTULTANT:

JENNA:

CONSTULTANT:

SHAKES HAND WITH THE CONSTULTANT AND EXISTS THE ROOM

JENNA:

NEW DAY#

IN THE KITCHEN MAKING A CUP OF TEA

JENNA: Today I am going to drive over to my nans. She’s now 74 and I really want to find out what people’s opinions were on appearance when she was growing up. Our society was really different when she was younger and magazines weren’t readily available for people to buy. This might help indicate whether or not the media play a contribution in to how we feel about ourselves.

IN THE CAR

JENNA: I’m quite excited to speak to my nan about this today. Obviously she knows I’ve had plastic surgery in the past and she’s always supported my decision to change the way I look, but I’m not sure whether this is because I’m her granddaughter and she’ll support me in whatever I decide to do, or if she actually feels that plastic surgery is acceptable.

RINGS DOOR BELL

DOOR OPENS

GREETS NANA

SEATED IN THE CONVERSATORY

JENNA: Were people worried about what they looked like when you were younger?

NANA: 

JENNA: As you didn’t always have a television do you think the introduction of tv has influenced the way people feel about how they look?

NANA:

JENNA: What sort of clothes did people wear when you were growing up?

NANA:

JENNA: Do you think now clothing has become more provocative our society is becoming more and more superficial?

NANA:

JENNA: What’s the main thing you think is different about society nowadays compared to when you were growing up?

NANA:

JENNA: Do you agree with people having plastic surgery or do you think they should just accept the way they are?

NANA:

JENNA: Do you think people used to be judged much more on their personality back then?

NANA:

SAYS GOODBYE TO NANA AND GETS BACK INTO THE CAR

JENNA: From what she said, things used to be very different. Obviously it’s an advantage growing up in the era that I am in as we have far more commodities than they did years ago, but from what she said, our society has become so false nowadays. Nobody seemed to be worried or interested about someone’s appearance, if they liked the person that was all that mattered. I’m not speaking for everyone, but in general terms it seems nowadays if someone’s considered to be good looking then they’re automatically well liked. Whereas someone could be the nicest person but if they’re not considered very good looking then they aren’t very liked by piers.

Location Research

This past week I have been doing location research for where I am going to film my Short Documentary Film.

Release Forms

All my characters have signed a Release Form which states they're happy to be filmed for my production.

Beth:

Alice:

Thirla (Nana):

Victoria:

Dr Clibbon:

Character Profiles

Now they've all stated they are happy to take part in my media, I have produced pictures of each of my characters along with a paragaph on each of them explaining why I wish to use them in my Short Film.
Beth:
I have chosen Beth to be in my Documentary because she was born with a birth mark half way down her body. People said they wanted to see people that were conscious about their body image and Beth is self conscious about the way she looks. I want people to realise that although she may not look exactly like the everyday person she is still just the same as everyone else and shouldn't be treated any differently. I hope to hear about how she feels about her appearance and what her opinion is on people changing the way they look, does she think its pointless or does she support others changing their appearance?
                                             
Alice:
I have chosen Alice because 3 people mentioned the fact they would be interested in seeing someone who had an eating disorder and not long ago Alice unfortunately suffered from anorexia. I hope to gain an insight into what exactly made Alice stop eating and get her take on plastic surgery.
                                             
Thirla (Nana):
I chose my Nana because she is from an older generation and I want to figure out whether people were less worried about their appearances when she was younger. They didn't use to where such provocative clothing as people do nowadays and tv wasn't introduced for a while, did these two factors change the way people felt about their appearances?

                                           

Victoria:

I chose Victoria because shes a lady at a clinic who performs lazar hair removal. Someone mentioned they'd like to see someone featured who is responsible for changing someones appearance and although it is not hugely invasive, lazar hair removal is still cosmetic. I want to find out how having treatment effects patients and why she considers it to be a worthwhile treatment.

Dr Clibbon:
I have chose Dr Clibbon because he is a plastic surgery consultant and performs opersations on patients too and someone in my audience research specifially mentioned that having a plastic surgeon would be good. I want to find out from him why he thinks plastic sugery is on the increase, the pros/cons to having surgery, the most popular procedures and whether he considers the media to have an influence on an individuals decision to have plastic surgery in the first place.

Appointment Conformation

Today I received a letter through the post to say my consultation had been confirmed.
Here are the details of the letter;
Overall view:

Close up for content:

A booklet of prices for treatments was also included:

Confirming Characters

My audience research has enabled me to think of some possible character that would be good to use in my Documentary Film. I have 5 people in mind. 2 of which are friends of mine, 1 is a relative and the remaining 2 are employed in the cosmetic industry.

Today, I want to ask these people if they are happy to take part in my media coursework so I can confirm them as my characters. If they do not wish to take part then this will give me plenty of time to think of other people which I may be able to use.

I saw Beth and Alice at Sixth Form earlier on so I was able to ask them in person if they would participate, both of them agreed.
I emailed my Nana as soon as I got home an she replied around 20 minutes later saying she would be more than happy to be involved.
Finally, I rang the remaining characters. I was a bit nervous about ringing them as I wasn't sure what they were going to say. They work at the Sk:n clinic in Norwich and both of them also said they were ok with being filmed. When on the phone to them I decided to book a plastic sugery consultation so that I would know the date of filming well in advance.

Overall I am really happy that all the characters I wanted have agreed to help me with my A2 production.

Documentary Audience Research

Now I have decided to do a Documentary instead of my first initial idea I figured I needed to do some audience research. When I did my survey last month I didn't really mention Documentaries and no questions on there were aimed at that Genre. Although some of the questions I asked in that survey can still help me create my new idea, I decided to do some Audience Research based on Documentaries specifically. My research is not very in depth due to the fact I have already completed some audience research and I want to start getting on with actually filming my piece instead of concentrating souley on researching. This is also due to the fact time is very limited.
This time round I decided to film some people in my class, rather than post surveys around my estate. I felt people might be reluctant to fill in another survey, plus survey answers can sometimes be quite restricting. Furthermore, filming people giving answers is much more engaging for an audience, also, it was easier and less time consuming because it was in a lesson and the people used were readily available.
Here is my latest Research video below;

From this Audience Research I learnt:

- Majority of people watch documentaries

- People watch documentaries based on whether they're interested in the topic they're about and what a individual likes totally depends upon the person themselves

- It was equal between the amount of people who wanted a TV Presenter and who wanted a voice over, so I don't think it matters either one I decide to use

- Most people would be interested in watching a documentary on a persons body image, girls more so than boys however

- My documentary should be aimed at teenage girls, probably the 17-20 year old category which was in my original survey

- Generally people wanted to see extreme cases of people that looked very different. Someone with an eating disordered seemed to be popular and one person suggested a plastic surgeon which I really like the idea of.