2. Will Smith talks about being famous
The video is about how Will Smith feels about fame as he is famous
himself and is in 'The fresh prince of Bel-Air' and 'all of us'; two very
famous shows. He has also won four Grammy awards. The video
constantly changes from animation to real life. The video usually uses
animation when there is no footage for the story that he is telling.
This may be used because in 2018, when the video was made,
animation videos were very popular on YouTube. There is also editing
used at the start of the video when introducing the name of the short
documentary. It makes a pun towards an old web search engine
called ask.com. The style of the video is made to look like a
professional documentary at the start but as the video progresses it
becomes a mix of a documentary and a YouTube video more suitable
for the internet. It does this by constantly switching from a
professional filming look to a childish looking carton style. In the
video Will Smith answers questions about being famous and what it’s
like and what he thinks about it. This links back into my project
because I want to do something similar and get my dad to talk about
being famous and things that he did and didn’t like about it, and
some interesting parts about being famous that people don’t realise. I
think this video will affect my project because I think that I might get
him to answer some questions at the end of the documentary, like
how this video has Will Smith answering questions.
I would also like to show old pictures with the zoom effect
like this video does. I think that it does a good job of
adding more effect to what the person is saying and helps
people visualize the story being told to the person
watching.
3. Paul McCartney answers questions
The video is filmed in a very minimalistic way, there is no
background, there is also no background music and all the
questions are shown in person in the video and not edited in
afterwards. The reason that the video is made in this way is
because it is part of a video series by ‘WIRED’. In the video
series they get celebreities on to answer the most google
searched questions about themselves. The video constantly
has jump cuts to cut out the boring parts and the parts where
nobody is talking. This is done because videos on the internet
and YouTube are a lot shorter and videos on the internet go
at a lot faster pace to keep people's attention because they
can always just click onto another video unlike a film or TV
show. In the video Paul McCartney answers the most asked
questions about him on the internet. I think that my project is
going to be presented a lot different to this video. This is
because I don’t have questions to answer from the internet,
and I also feel like the minimalist style is very hard to work
and keep people's attention unless the video is perfectly
made. I also think that the minimalist style doesn’t look very
good. I think that I am not going to have the questions read
out and them be asked off camera so that the mini
documentary flows very well without having different
4. Mini documentary of man dying and coming back to life
This video is about a 19-year-old boy, in 2019, who was carrying a
ladder and hit a power line and got electricuted and managed to
survive even though he should of died. The video is filmed by a media
and news company and is filmed in a very typical way of American
news companies. When they report on a story with a short video,
they usually interview the person, friends, family and people
involved. In this they constantly switch between an interview they
have with the man and footage they have gotten at the hospital and
of him doing different activities. This is very common of this type of
media; this is to engage the viewers better because they are seeing
the places that the stories happened, and the people involved. They
create this style by filming an interview/interviews with different
people and then taking them to places where things happened to
explain the events and then they also go to places of significant in the
stories and get b-roll and background footage. The mini
documentaries usually are very good at giving a short story of what
happened without going into very Indepth detail to fit it into a short
time span. I think that I might take some idea from this style and put
it into my project. I think that I might use the idea of getting b-roll and
background footage to put in a certain points over when they are
talking. I am looking at this because I want to create something
similar but less serious and with less people interviewed, and for it to
be less like a news report and more like story telling. I think that I
have learned if I am making an interview more for entertainment it
need more comedy and entertainment value than this, rather than
5. Brave art
This short documentary is about an artist called Karin who just starting learning
to paint later in life, and she uses herself an an example as to why you're never
too old to learn a new skill, and that art is everywhere. The video is a short
documentary which means the way it is filmed is very common for that type of
video. It is heavily colour corrected and colour graded and made to look very
professional. It is also very minimalist with just talking and shots of the main
subject doing what they are talking about, usually in slow motion. This style is
created usually by having a very heavy yellow or blue colour grade. They usually
get the person to answer questions on camera setup in an interview style like in
this video. They will then go and film the location that is being talked about it
and may spend many hours' time lapsing it. They then also go and film the
person doing what they are talking about to put over them talking about it.
There is usually a lot of depth of field shots and a lot of slow-motion. I really
like this style of short documentary and I think I want to use a lot of aspects of
this in my documentary. I would like to use the heavy colour grading and the
footage used of locations when talking about them and the footage used of the
person doing the thing they are talking about with depth of field and slow-
motion. However, unlike this documentary, I think that I could have a bit more
music and more interviewing locations and angles rather than just one like this
video has. This is because I think that my documentary is going to be on a lot
lighter subject and a lot less serious subject, so I think that it doesn't have to be
so intense. I think that my project is going to be made like how this mini
documentary has been made and I will make changes to fit how I want to make
mine depending on what I think will work best.
6. Homeless people in Bristol
This documentary is made in a time where homelessness is a big problem in the
UK, so it is a modern and a very common problem. Because of this, the
documentary is filmed in a very serious way, it's made to inform and show
people what it's like to be homeless and how homeless people struggle and
don't get help. The video does not have any black bars because it's not trying to
be cinematic like a film would, because the documentary wants to come across
as real as possible, so people realise it's not just something they're watching
and it's happening. The colour grading is a dark blue, this help set the tone of
the documentary; sad and serious. The quiet background music helps set the
serious and sad tone because the tempo is slow which makes the viewer
subconsciously slow down and think more about what they are watching and
take their time with it. The music is at a low volume so that the background
noises and the ambience is louder. This helps to yet again show that this is a
very real issue. Hearing normal life in the background of the homeless people
talking, represents them being an outcast in society, and even though they talk
nobody else listens. In the short documentary, multiple people are interviewed
to show the scale of the homelessness problem. There is also a lot of cinematic
shots to show what sorts of conditions homeless people live in. A lot of the
cinematic shots are right next to the wall of a building, this is to help show
what homeless people see every day and helps the viewer imagine being in the
position of being homeless. I like the way that this short documentary is filmed,
and I think I want to have similar but lighter colour grading for a calmer tone. I
also like the idea of the cinematic shots of places, I think that I will use this for
when I interview someone, and they talk about places. However, unlike the
short documentary, I am only going to be interviewing one person, so I am
going to have multiple interview angles unlike this documentary. I also think
that I will have the speaking more isolated with little to no background noise.
This is because I want the viewer to concentrate on what is being said and it
should feel isolated from real life. I think that I will also have a lot happier
7. Research summary:
What I've found from all my research, is that no matter what context or what the interview or short documentary is
about, there is always cinematic and b-roll footage whilst they are talking and it's never just the person talking by
themselves. This applies for all the videos I looked at except the question and answer video because it was trying to be
minimalistic. I've also found that the ones that are titled a 'documentary' are colour graded and are of a lot higher camera
quality. I've also found all the videos use music at some point. This is either when the video starts and there is an
introduction, or it's throughout the whole of the video as background music to set the mood. I have also noticed that in
every video in this style, they are all very simple and don't require any special effects. This is because everything being
narrated in the videos is either shown with the viewers imagination or with animation and drawings. This is because
recreations of things told by the person in the video with narration over the top lose either comedic value or make the
viewer uncomfortable because it can seem unrealistic. I have also noticed that all these videos have text in the bottom
corner to introduce somebodies name instead of the person introducing themselves. This is to make sure that parts of
the video aren't pointless, and time isn't wasted and helps to keep the viewers' attention. I have also noticed that all of
them are under 10 minutes. I think this is because over 10 minutes it seems to long for a short documentary or a short
story, so I am also going to keep my short documentary under 10 minutes.
8. Bibliography:
Will Smith. (2018) The truth about being famous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MvOvZWN23M (accessed
15/09/20)
Wikipedia. (2020) Will Smith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Smith (accessed 17/09/20)
WIRED. (2018) Paul McCartney Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions |
WIRED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pf19jV1NYw (accessed 15/09/20)
TODAY. (2019) Man Who Was Electrocuted & Pronounced Dead Tells His Story |
TODAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDkjvd-GDFE (accessed 15/09/20)
Digital Arcade. (2018) Brave Art (Short
Documentary) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWfUw37Qk10 (accessed 15/09/20)
Arthur Cauty. (2018) Invisible | a Portrait of Bristol's Homeless | a short Documentary by Arthur
Cauty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoAzzghXtEw (accessed 15/09/20)
Wikipedia. (2020) Warren Furman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Furman (accessed 17/09/20)
Wikipedia. (2020) Gladiators (1992 British TV
9. Content Research
• Warren Furman was born on the 3rd of July 1972 in Doncaster UK.
• He stared in Gladiators from series 5-8 (1996 – 2000).
• Gladiators had 8 series (1992-2000).
• He got on the show by writing in and going for a trial and competing
against other people. It took him two attempts to get on the show.
• He moved to Essex at the age of 5 and grew up there.
• He got engaged to Katie Price in the late 90s.
• He had two children, one in 2003 one in 2005.
• He started a charity called AceActive in 2016.
• The UK Gladiators TV show was based off the US version.
• Gladiators was created by Dan Carr and John Ferraro.
Editor's Notes
Context affects what is produced, how it is produced and who can produce it.
Technology is part of the context. Early fanzines were hand made because there was no InDesign or Photoshop. Web-series simply didn’t existing because the web didn’t exist.
People who don’t have access to jobs in mainstream media, to become journalists or editors, might produce work independently of that system.
People who don’t see themselves or their interests being represented in main stream media, might produce something that represents them or their social group.
The political situation will influence what someone decides to make. The cultural situation will influence what people make.
Every media text is a product of its environment, just like people.
Style: The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed. The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or performance
characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era.
For example, a podcast could be two people talking, it could be interviews and a voice over, it could just be a recording of a teaching session… how it is done, is the style.
Techniques:
How are these things being made? What methods are being used? Find out and also use your own experience. For example, is a fanzine being hand written or word processed? How do people making a web series set up their shooting spaces? The more you can find out about technique, the more you can get ideas for your own work.
Content:
The material, including text and images, that constitutes a publication or document.
What is actually in this product? Break it down. Is it interviews, monologues, reviews, instructions… Identify the different types of content in the items you research, to help your own ideas.
Context affects what is produced, how it is produced and who can produce it.
Technology is part of the context. Early fanzines were hand made because there was no InDesign or Photoshop. Web-series simply didn’t existing because the web didn’t exist.
People who don’t have access to jobs in mainstream media, to become journalists or editors, might produce work independently of that system.
People who don’t see themselves or their interests being represented in main stream media, might produce something that represents them or their social group.
The political situation will influence what someone decides to make. The cultural situation will influence what people make.
Every media text is a product of its environment, just like people.
Style: The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed. The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or performance
characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era.
For example, a podcast could be two people talking, it could be interviews and a voice over, it could just be a recording of a teaching session… how it is done, is the style.
Techniques:
How are these things being made? What methods are being used? Find out and also use your own experience. For example, is a fanzine being hand written or word processed? How do people making a web series set up their shooting spaces? The more you can find out about technique, the more you can get ideas for your own work.
Content:
The material, including text and images, that constitutes a publication or document.
What is actually in this product? Break it down. Is it interviews, monologues, reviews, instructions… Identify the different types of content in the items you research, to help your own ideas.
Context affects what is produced, how it is produced and who can produce it.
Technology is part of the context. Early fanzines were hand made because there was no InDesign or Photoshop. Web-series simply didn’t existing because the web didn’t exist.
People who don’t have access to jobs in mainstream media, to become journalists or editors, might produce work independently of that system.
People who don’t see themselves or their interests being represented in main stream media, might produce something that represents them or their social group.
The political situation will influence what someone decides to make. The cultural situation will influence what people make.
Every media text is a product of its environment, just like people.
Style: The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed. The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or performance
characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era.
For example, a podcast could be two people talking, it could be interviews and a voice over, it could just be a recording of a teaching session… how it is done, is the style.
Techniques:
How are these things being made? What methods are being used? Find out and also use your own experience. For example, is a fanzine being hand written or word processed? How do people making a web series set up their shooting spaces? The more you can find out about technique, the more you can get ideas for your own work.
Content:
The material, including text and images, that constitutes a publication or document.
What is actually in this product? Break it down. Is it interviews, monologues, reviews, instructions… Identify the different types of content in the items you research, to help your own ideas.
Context affects what is produced, how it is produced and who can produce it.
Technology is part of the context. Early fanzines were hand made because there was no InDesign or Photoshop. Web-series simply didn’t existing because the web didn’t exist.
People who don’t have access to jobs in mainstream media, to become journalists or editors, might produce work independently of that system.
People who don’t see themselves or their interests being represented in main stream media, might produce something that represents them or their social group.
The political situation will influence what someone decides to make. The cultural situation will influence what people make.
Every media text is a product of its environment, just like people.
Style: The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed. The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or performance
characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era.
For example, a podcast could be two people talking, it could be interviews and a voice over, it could just be a recording of a teaching session… how it is done, is the style.
Techniques:
How are these things being made? What methods are being used? Find out and also use your own experience. For example, is a fanzine being hand written or word processed? How do people making a web series set up their shooting spaces? The more you can find out about technique, the more you can get ideas for your own work.
Content:
The material, including text and images, that constitutes a publication or document.
What is actually in this product? Break it down. Is it interviews, monologues, reviews, instructions… Identify the different types of content in the items you research, to help your own ideas.
Context affects what is produced, how it is produced and who can produce it.
Technology is part of the context. Early fanzines were hand made because there was no InDesign or Photoshop. Web-series simply didn’t existing because the web didn’t exist.
People who don’t have access to jobs in mainstream media, to become journalists or editors, might produce work independently of that system.
People who don’t see themselves or their interests being represented in main stream media, might produce something that represents them or their social group.
The political situation will influence what someone decides to make. The cultural situation will influence what people make.
Every media text is a product of its environment, just like people.
Style: The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed. The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or performance
characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era.
For example, a podcast could be two people talking, it could be interviews and a voice over, it could just be a recording of a teaching session… how it is done, is the style.
Techniques:
How are these things being made? What methods are being used? Find out and also use your own experience. For example, is a fanzine being hand written or word processed? How do people making a web series set up their shooting spaces? The more you can find out about technique, the more you can get ideas for your own work.
Content:
The material, including text and images, that constitutes a publication or document.
What is actually in this product? Break it down. Is it interviews, monologues, reviews, instructions… Identify the different types of content in the items you research, to help your own ideas.
Write down a summary of the key things you have learned in this research, that will help you with your project. Short sentences and bullet points are acceptable.
