Documentary Production diary

Pre-Production

Planning my documentary was quite a challenging task as i didn't know fully what i wanted the topic too be about. Eventually i thought i should do it about Darlington as i have lived there most of my life and i know it really well, i then decided to make it about crime with youths in Darlington as i know quite a few people i can talk too about the subject. I created a mind map of the things i wanted too include in my documentary, for example i wanted to show clips of graffiti too show the state some places get and too give the effect that nothing gets looked after. I did a lot of research into other peoples documentaries too see what they had included, and too see if it could give me inspiration for certain clips. I made a rough storyboard of how i wanted everything too be shown so that when it comes too filming i will know which shots i want to do first and they can be in order. I asked my friend Alex if he could be my main interviewee as he lives in Darlington and knows the area well. I decided what equipment i needed and practiced setting it all up too see what i need too use for interviews, and what i need too film B-roll. I looked at the weather forecast for the days i wanted too film as i had planned for the beginning of the documentary too look dull and sad, so i had too be filming on days that were cloudy or raining, but whereas towards the end of the documentary i want it too look happy, so i needed too film on days that were sunny. One of the last things i needed too do was think of questions for my subjects too answer, this was quite hard too do as i wanted quite a few questions so that we could go in depth of what Darlington is like.

Production 

After i  had planned everything and sorted my equipment out, i got the train down too Darlington so i could film my interview with alex, when i got there i took a look round the room too see what the lighting was like. If the room was too dark then i would have too make it lighter so that the audience can see the subject, and if it was lighter then i would have too make the room darker. In this case the room was very dark so i put the lights on, this wasn't much use as it didn't effect the lighting in any way. I put a lamp on in the background to brighten the room more, the lamp created a very warm picture which was contrasting with the natural light that was coming through the window and shining on the Alex's face. This left me with a background that was very warm and the interviewee which was very cold. Also one side of his face was really dark so i put a light shining at at the other side so that you can see his face more, creating a softer shadow. Now that everything was setup for the interview i asked him all the questions i needed too. Now that the first interview was done i decided too go out and film some B-roll with my shoulder rig, Alex came with me too film some B-roll as he knows some good areas that i can film things like vandalism and houses. Also if im filming in rough areas then its best if i don't film alone, especially if i have camera equipment. I had made a small story board of the places i wanted to film,so that i was more organised as in past filming experiences if i wasn't very organised it would take a lot longer to find location that you would like too film.
When i was at the location i was going too be filming i used my shoulder rig so i could get really steady shots rather than it being really shaky, if my footage was ever that bad then i can put warp stabilizer on in post production, although this is not always the option you should go for as sometimes it makes the clip look unnatural. I filmed a time lapse of the town clock using my intervalometer, this is a remote that you plug into you camera if it doesn't have one built in. I set the camera so that it took a photo every 5 seconds and then i left the camera for about 40 mins, but when i looked back at the footage i noticed that i had accident kicked the tripod half way through which meant the whole picture moved a bit too the right.
After i got all of my B-roll shots it was time for the next interview, i set a time i could come round too do the interview and made sure i had planned all the questions i was going too ask. When i went into the living room was very bright which was very good as i didn't need to add any lighting, also the walls were white which meant that light could reflect around the room. I asked him a couple of questions about Darlington and that was all i needed.

Post-Production

I uploaded all of my footage onto the computer and opened up premiere pro. I wanted a few B-roll shots too open with so i put the time lapse of the town clock too start and placed a title over it. As i was editing my documentary i noticed that there was a lot of lag when playing back the footage, after a while of trying to figure out why this was happening, i realized that i had been filming in 60fps but when making a sequence in premiere pro, i had made it in 25fps. This meant that all the footage was being compressed making it run slow. It took me quite a while too edit all of my footage as there was lots of it and had too make it too the minimum of 5 minutes and the maximum of 10.
After i had edited all of my footage i needed to export the finished product, i changed the export settings to vimeo 1080p as after the exporting process is done i will upload it too vimeo.

Evaluation

I think over all my documentary was good, although it could have been a lot better. There are a few things i would change about my documentary like the voice over for the statistics, if i had planned time better then i would have been able too get someone else too do it, but seen as though i was stuck for time i quickly wrote a script and read it myself. Compared to other documentaries that talk about the same issues with crime, i think i have mentioned lots of information that can be useful and interesting.

Job roles in the media sector

Job roles in the media sector

There are many different job roles on the media sector and they all are very different to each other. Freelance basically means that you are self employed and you can get hired to work for different companies. Working freelance is good because you can work with different people and you can work on loads of different things, for example a company might contact you and ask if you can make a short film for them, and then once you have finished that project you then have to start looking for a new one. The downside with freelance is that you wont always find jobs, you need to network and make yourself marketable so that people will want to go to you before anyone else.
The range of job roles on the creative media sector can range from being an actor to simply being a runner. There are a variety of different methods of employment, which gives people the flexibility to find a job role that suits there needs and what they would like to be, the creative industry are there to help create the scene to make it a better experience for the audience. Time management is really important in the film industry as if you dont keep track of time then things can get out of hand. you would need to show a professional attitude to time management  by making things like film logs which are a great way to keep track of events.




Aaron Holmshaw
64 Butterfield Drive
Eaglescliffe
TS16 0ez
07526700998

Personal Profile
I am a very punctual, hardworking person that strives to make this the best they can be. I have a passion for the film industry and is very keen to meet deadlines. Through out education i have been interested in film and media and even did a media course in GCSE which involved lots of filming and editing. Now that i am in college doing a media course, we have learned more about the industry and how certain job roles work. We have learned plenty of skills that can help us do our job correctly.

Work experience 

I had work expirience at a shop called JG windows which is a music shop in Darlington. Working there made me more social and more of a confident person, this is because i had to interact with customers and work as a team to get things completed.

Grades

Maths                          C
English Literature       C
English langueage       C      
Art                               C
Imedia                         P2
Music                          C

Here is a link too my portfolio which shows all of the work i have done in college so far.

https://vimeo.com/user45656393

Yours sincerely,

Aaron Holmshaw

Dear Sir/Madam

In response to your recent advertisement on Euspert, please find enclosed my CV for the role of a runner.

As you can see I have had plenty of work experience in the industry during the time I have off and I have demonstrated my skills in an office environment. I am capable of working in a team to get tasks done. I believe that I am right for the job because I’m very easy to get on with and I put a lot of effort and pride into the work I do.

I am keen to follow my ambitions to work in the media sector and believe I will be an asset to the company. I hope to hear back from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Aaron Holmshaw

Documentary Filming

Public domain archive

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Documentary Showbible

Research

The Genre i am going to choose will be documentary. This is because i feel like i can make the most of the information i gather if i make it into a documentary. Documentaries can be about anything you want, but if i chose a genre like wildlife, i would be limited to only information about wildlife. I want my idea to be about crime in darlington as i think it is an interesting subject and will be able too capture some good footage and interviews. Vice is a company that makes documentaries that are mostly set around the UK. Quite a few of their documentaries are similar to my idea in the locations they are set in, for example a lot of the locations that are filmed are quite rough areas.

Benefits street

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3mkGkhnPp4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMcjoP670so


Developing ideas

The concept for my documentary is that i want it to be about crime, as its a interesting subject and pretty easy to talk about if its set in a rough area. The location i want it to be in is Darlington as its close to where i live and as i used too live there i know it very well. As i know quite a few people who live there it will be quite easy for me to find people that i can interview and talk too. I want the documentary to show what growing up in Darlington is like from the prospective of a teenage living there so that people can see life from a different age point. The target audience is aimed around 16 and above as anyone under 16 might not be particularly interested in documentaries, and if they are then it depends whether they will be interested in the topic. Also its aimed at people who live or have lived in Darlington as they can relate to the topic and the things that are being mentioned, and its a good source of information.
I want the documentary to start of with all the bad things that go on in Darlington and then end with a positive note, this is so people see the bad side and the good side of places which means my documentary will not be bias. It will involve one of my friends that has lived in darlington all his life so he has a pretty good knowledge of it.

Locations

I did some research about the different places i could film my B-roll shots, i simply did this by using google maps as this is a very quick.

This photo is of Alex's house where i'm going to hold the main interview.

This is darlington town centre where i plan too do a time lapse of the clock.

This is Alex's grandads house, Bill Coatsworth, where i will ask him a few questions about darlington.

Interviews 

When i interview Alex im going to ask him these questions:

• Whats it like growing up in Darlington?
• What was school like in Darlington?
• How where the people in secondary school?
• What do you do in your spare time?
• What are your opinions on the council?
• Is it easy to get alcohol?
• How has Darlington changed over time?

I think that these are some good questions as if he answers them in detail, then we will be able to hear about what its like growing up in Darlington

When i interview Bill Coatsworth, it wont be as long as the main interview with alex as i want to hear more of a youths prospective on society. These are the questions i will ask him:

• Is there any places that you would avoid going to in darlington?
• Have you had any trouble with youths?

As you can see the list for Bills questions is much smaller, but still gives an impact on the audience.

Secondary sources

Before i started too make my documentary i had too do a bit of research through the internet about how to set up lighting to get the best picture. I looked at a tutorial on YouTube about 3 point lighting for interviews, this will help me get the right shadow on the subjects face, and either make the shadow soft or hard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLlMl2KuZi0

I looked at a video on youtube that a guy made about how to write and produce a documentary. He

talks about the journey he went through too make his documentary, he uses a narrative to make his documentary more interesting and this makes the audience more interested to see what happens next. He starts off by finding the protagonist with a desire, this makes people want too find out what the end result is. Then he films the journey that the protagonist took to complete his desire, and last he shows the discovery and the end product. So even though its factual it can still have a story, for example i want my documentary too go though all the bad thing then too finish off i want too show all the good things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdKGHkTljh0

Some more research:

http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/making-documentaries.html

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ten-tips-for-dslr-documentary-filmmaking.html

Legal and Ethical consideration

As i am mostly going too be filming in public i dont need to ask anyone for permission, but the only thing i can do is get liability insurance. This means that for example if i had a light and someone knocked it over and electrocuted them they would not be able too sue me if i had liability insurance, whereas if i didn't they would be able to sure me.

Planning

Now that i had done all of my research, i am ready to start planning my production. The main thing i need to do is get my interviews out of the way as i can do B-roll shots in my own time. As if it gets too late and the people aren't available then i wont be able to film my interviews. I have asked Alex what days he can do for the interview and as he is not currently not working he can do any day. With Bill he doesn't work on weekends, so anytime on the weekend are ok with him. Now that i have planned out when im going to do my interviews, i need to look at what equipment ill need.

Equipment list:

• Nikon D3300
• Tripod
• Microphone
• Shoulder rig
• Intervalometer (Time lapse controller)

I am planning to do a time lapse of Darlington at the start of the documentary and too do this i will need to use the intervalometer as my camera doesn't have one built in.The only thing i will have to spend money on would be transport to get to darlington, and food.

Risk assessment

There are always risks when it comes too filming things, and they always need to be addressed for everyone's safety. For my documentary i think the biggest Risk is walking around certain parts of Darlington, as equipment could easily get stolen. Also if we are walking with all the equipment we can easily trip, hurt ourselves and damage the equipment.

Responding to feedback

Communication Skills: Assignment 2 - Research

Survive and Thrive

Internet Research

For my programme, Survive And Thrive, for it to be broadcasted on TV i need it to be commissioned by a certain channel.  I want Survive And Thrive to be broadcasted on channel 4 as the main competitor Bear Grylls is broadcasted quite frequently as he is constantly making new programs like The Island With Bear Grylls and Mission Survive.

Channel 4 Factual Entertainment is a new supercharged department spanning both Entertainment and Factual Entertainment genres, home to a wide range of award-winning and ground-breaking reality, constructed factual and entertainment shows including The Island with Bear Grylls, The Jump, The Last Leg, The Undateables, 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown, Child Genius, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, Gadget Man and Travel Man, Derren Brown: The Experiments and Troy.

Factual Entertainment on C4

Constructed Factual for 9pm is a priority – series such as The Undateables, Undercover Boss, Child Genius, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, and 17 Kids and Counting. Access to either individuals or public institutions is important especially when matched with a brilliant idea, way in, or C4 twist. We strive to say something new about the world and reinterpret PSB for a young generation, making shows about broad issues that are contemporary, popular, carry public service values and are also mischievous and counterintuitive in approach. Big reality events and insightful social experiments like The Island with Bear Grylls are a big priority. Authenticity is key as is hiding the hand of the producer - The Island feels authentic because we stripped the format (and crew) out of the concept.

This example is from the channel 4 website about commissioning TV shows. There are multiple category's that TV shows come under.

• Arts
• Comedy
• Daytime
• Documentries
• Drama
• Education
• Factual programming
• Features
• Film4
• Formats and Music
• Nations and Regions
• News and current affairs 
• Off peak
• Offline
• Specialist factual
• TV events and sport

Survive and Thrive would come under the factual entertainment section as other survival programs like Bear Grylls is under this section. 


Book Research

The following is taken from.....

*Similar Programs 

Bear Grylls - The island is a British reality show which is based on channel 4. There has been two series so far and a third is currently being made. The first series featured 13 men on a desert island and they have to survive as best as they can without any tools to help them. The first series was accused of being sexist as it did not include any women, so in series two they included two islands with men on one and women on the other.

Survivalist Bear Grylls presents 21st-century American men with a challenge: surviving on a deserted island without the modern conveniences to which they are accustomed -- and without the promise of a prize or a winner being declared. Fourteen contestants are sent to an isolated location with only the clothes they are wearing and a few survival tools, and they must film every moment themselves, resulting in a raw and unfiltered story. The men test their mental, physical and emotional limits as they hunt and gather food, build their own shelters and rely on their strength and skills to survive.

This is a more detailed example of what The island is.

Book Research

I found this book in the library, this page was relevant as it talked about researching too help you through the production stage. 

The next page included information like the best way too design your page around the topic you picked. Also it talks about post production saying its the most important stage as it brings everything together.

The last page talked about the theory side of things, for example the "content" paragraph talks about how everything that is put on the screen is there for a reason.

Digital Graphics Production Log

Evaluation

The Client wanted a logo, symbol, CD cover, CD face and T-shirt based around the CD cover. I had to come up with an idea based on his interests so that he can use them to represent him as an artist. The logo is too be used for merchandise and used online this will be the main thing people will see when they think of "Omega Ned" which is the Artists name. The symbol will mostly be used for his Soundcloud page and it needs to include the logo. I wanted the CD cover to be simple but not boring to look at, i did this by incorporating the logo on the front and have a plain white background to contrast with the black on the logo. I personally thought this was a good idea and looking at the feed back i got from Omega Ned he seemed to like it aswell. I thought my final project reached the requirments of the brief because i included everything he wanted and came out with a finished product that looks good. It also reached the needs of the target audience because its appealing and gives them all the information they need like all the songs that are listed on the back cover and even the small statement in the middle.
The bits of my work i thought were successful was probably the logo as its simple but yet includes everything the client wanted. But also the unsuccessful bit of my work was the logo when trying to put it on the CD, this is because the hole in the middle of the CD cut out most of the design. I managed time pretty well as nothing too complicated got in the way of reaching the deadline. If i repeated the project again i would probably work more around the CD and see if i can redesign the logo a little differently so that it can fit nicely. Overall im very pleased with the outcome and so is the client which is the most important thing.