c





 
 
  

 



 

 

  


 


 



  




  


Our documentary was about social networking. It looked at the effects
social networking has on people. We wanted a general view so we
looked at all different age groups ranging from teenagers to young
adults to adults. We found that many people were addict ed to social
networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and many more. On the
other hand, few people also suffered the consequences of social
networking.
Examples of Cyber-bullying were illustrated in our documentary.

c!"c#

Victim of Cyber Bullying

Before beginning the documentary, I had to carry out research into the
codes and conventions of real documentaries. In particular, I looked at
Channel 4 documentaries as they usually targeted the audience our
documentary was looking for. There were many in teresting topics on
documentaries but not many surrounding the issue of social networking.
However, there has been a movie recently released call ͚The Social
Network͛ which looks into how Facebook came about and the millions of
people addicted to the site. This gave us an idea into how to go about
our documentary and helped us with the conventions.
Our documentary consisted of interviews, soundtracks, moving images,
captions etc that made it conventional. These common codes of conventions
are clearly presented in real examples of TV documentaries. Snippets and title
pages were also used in our documentary to give it an authentic look.

One of the main conventions used in documentaries is a ͚expert and relevant͛

interview. In the documentary we produced, we had Sue Green (college
councillor) give an interview giving the insights of the effects social networking
can have on teenagers. The convention of captions is very common. Our
documentary has a formal approach due to the serious topic being discussed.
Interview techniques are key to documentaries. Close -up interviews show the
expression clearly where on the other hand the full body shot interview has a
more laid back approach. Close-ups make the interview have a more personal
tone attracting the audience͛s attention. This helps them relate to the
documentary and focus better. The body shots are usually used for snippets as
they are short n snappy.

LISTINGS PAGE

I used a real listings page to compare and analyse my own. I used the listings
pages that looked professional as it gave a good layout design. In traditional
listings pages, the headline is usually of a large s ixe to grab the reader͛s
attention. I used this code of convention, as it is very common. I also use the
column writing as it gives the listings page a professional look. This also shows
a good layout and helps with the procedure of the page. Another commo n
convention I used was having the title of the documentary, the channel, time
and date just below the title. This is very common and the formal look attracts
our target audience rather than the younger generation.

However, I did not use the ͚break-up͛ quotes that would come in-between text.
I felt that I would challenge this convention as I felt it was not needed. I went
for the professional look throughout my listings page but still challenged some
common codes of convention.

3

3





Presenter: What effects does social networking have on your life?

SNIPPETS of people interviewed on the documentary play with music in the

background. Opposing views on the issue are illustrated͙

Presenter: This is an opportunity not to be missed. ͚THE NETWORK͛ looks into

the effects of social networking and why we are so addicted to it? Do not miss
this documentary on Channel 4 8pm Wednesday 28 th February.

http://www.brmb.co.uk/news/headlines/facebooks-value-swells-after-new-
investment/
Our radio trailer consisted of a soundtrack with voice clips and important
information from the trailer. Snippets of the interviews are played to grab the
reader͛s attention and make sure our target audience tune in.

CONVENTIONS WE FOLLOWED FROM OTHER TRAILERS

We used a friendly voice tone for the presenter, as it is conventional. This will
help our target audience relate to the program. We also used male and female
views to show a broader view as this would appeal to both genders. The
͚quotations͛ from the documentary help attract our audience making them
willing to watch. Another common code we used here was the advertising of
the radio station. This is probably the most common convention in radio
trailers. The music soundtrack we used was downloaded from
www.freeplaymusic.com. The soundtrack selected was copyright free.

 0 




 $ 

 

  






Our main task was the documentary but our listings page and radio trailer
helped advertise and get recognition. There was a common theme between a ll
the products to ensure it was all identified as one program. The use of the
same characters was common in the advertising.

Our ͚main͛ character was Alastair as he was the one most affected by social
networking. He featured quite heavily on the documentary giving his account
of how his life was ruined by the social network site ͚Facebook͛.

r



 







 
 The Image of Alistair across our products gives the product a common
theme. His quotations from the documentary are used in both the listings page
and the radio trailer. This also helps advertisement and gives ͚brand identity͛.
These direct links between all 3 products pushes them towards being
successful.

We used music and sounds across our 2 hear able tasks. Music used in our
documentary and radio trailer was similar giving continuity between the 2
products. This helps the main product, as the ancillary tasks are being
successful in advertising the documentary.
One common theme between all 3 products was that it targeted the same
audience. The variety of shots, music, images etc all helped attract our target
audience. Our radio trailer was aimed at the same target audien ce and they
could listen to it on different platforms like online, podcasts, facebook, twitter
and other various sites.

Advertising the products was a successful process. 65% of our target audience
said they would listen to radio trailers rather than changing the station. Listings
pages were less popular amongst this audience as we found only 15% would
actually bother reading a listings page. We also found that advertising online
was the most successful way to grab our target audience͛s attention.

 r %



 
 
$

& 

 





 
 

'() (*

We carried out
audience feedback to
find out how successful
our documentary was.
Here are a few images
from our audience
feedback session.


The questionnaires had
questions on several
aspects of the
documentary. The
questionnaire gave an
overall rating of the
documentary of
͚excellent͛ ͚very good͛
͚good͛ ͚ok͛ and ͚poor͛.
#


 

+ 
 



 

 
$

0 
 




  

"
 

 
 
",-



 

 
-








-

M






 -

M








 

 

*

c 

 

 -

. 

 
/ 

 


 


",
  
-

(0 





  



 
  






  



#c#0
.!c0001

,
2

  
)3 " $

Looking at previous
documentaries on
YouTube and Channel4oD
helped us use the codes of
conventions well for our
own production. We also
challenged a few
conventions and aided us
in finding our target
audience, type of
documentary etc.
Researching helped us
analyse the documentary
techniques.
THE BLOG-

The blog helped us access all the online material available. It enabled us to
complete tasks at home as well as in college ensuring the work was completed
on time. Tasks were covered as a group and equally shared. Production was
completed on time ensuring there were no delays along the way. Construction
moved forward with advanced time management through the blog.

The blog enabled our team to post regular posts to stay updated. It was
available to the whole team so we worked together to get the prod uction
completed. The blog helped with the research and planning which helped the
group immensely. My skills have improved specifically from just writing essays
to making a more interactive blog. This included adding images and more
importantly hyperlinks.
STILL CAMERA-

Using the digital camera helped and developed my shot construction.

Appropriate shots had to be taken to enable correct effects were transferred in
the correct manner. There were specific shots that had to be used to catch our
target audience͛s attention. Close-ups showed definitions of emotion and the
long shots were establishing. Mise en scene was a factor as well due to getting
the correct shot. This improved my camera skills emphatically. Locations were
identified which the target a udience could relate to.

A few images were used from the digital camera to

complete a storyboard on comic life.

The storyboard consisted of images and speech

bubbles.
FINAL CUT EXPRESS-

Used for video editing͙

We used final cut express to edit most of our documentary. We imported

recorded video and cut it down. It took video and audio whilst we also
imported soundtrack music.

Log and transfer helped us with the editing procedure. We selected the
footage we wanted and deleted the parts we didn͛t need.
Photoshop & InDesign-

Photoshop enabled me to edit my still images and add them to my listings

page, which was made on In Design. The images were actually exported from
final cut express but they were edited on Photoshop. Background colours were
also changed using Photoshop and various effects were also added.
GARAGEBAND- USED TO EDIT AND PRODUCE THE RADIOTRAILER

Garageband was used to produce and edit the radio trailer. We cut, pasted and
edited the audio we recorded and produced the 30 -second trailer. It consisted
of 4 tracks: the base track, voiceover, extracts and presenter. Right timing had
to be perfected to make sure all the tracks fell into the correct place.