Evaluation Question 1 - A-level Media

1. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real
media products?
Connor Clark

2. Real Media Texts that I researched
Before I began to produce my media product I decided to conduct research into existing
products to get an understanding of the different modes of documentary; understand
how the conventions are used and gain inspiration.
I looked into a range of documentaries some unrelated to my idea and some related. I
gained a great deal of knowledge in doing this and I helped to shape the ideas for my
media product.
The documentaries I analysed include ‘Crushing Weight’ (2015), ‘Spellbound’ (2006),
‘Louis Theroux: America’s Medicated Kids’ (2012) and ‘Manson’ (2009).

3. After analysing these documentaries, I picked up on certain codes and conventions that
defined the modes and also crossed over between the modes. The things I discovered
were extremely helpful and influential when creating my documentary.
One of the first things I discovered was that the blurring of modes is not uncommon. By
allowing the modes to blur the documentary can become more unique and interesting,
similar to sub-genres and hybridised films.
Another thing I noticed was the way in which a tone of voice can effect a voiceover and
change the aesthetic of the documentary.
The use of archive footage, stills and old material was also a useful conventions that I
analysed.

4. Crushing Weight is a medical documentary very similar to my media product. When analysing the codes and
conventions of the documentary I gained different ideas on how to create my documentary. Some of these ideas
and conventions that I used within my documentary, some I developed and some I challenged.
One of the first things I noticed when watching ‘Crushing Weight’
was the used of direct mode of address. In some of the scenes, the
subject (Jacob) films himself talking to the camera and in turn
directly to the audience. The use of this mode of address allowed
for the audience to feel more of a connection with Jacob, however I
felt that when I was watching this it made the documentary too
informal and personal and this took the attention away from the
serious issue of obesity that was at hand.
I decided to develop this convention further and adapt it to suit my documentary and use it to my advantage. Rather than
filming my subject (Mason White, a young boy suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa) I chose to use direct mode of address
through my voiceovers. In my opening voiceover, I used the voice of God to directly speak to the audience, using phrases
like ‘Strength is a quality we all possess.’ and ‘Can you imagine.’. By using these phrases it allows the audience to connect
with the documentary and begin to actively think about their personal situation. The idea of the first voiceover was to make
people think about how lucky they are to function normally and not have any disabilities. The difference the voiceover has,
as a pose to the filmed footage, is that the voiceover makes the audience actively listen and think about their situation. If I
had filmed my subject talking directly to the camera, the audience would have passively absorbed the information and
merely accepted what they were told rather than think about things.
‘Crushing Weight’ Comparison

5. ‘Spellbound’ Comparison
“Spellbound” (2002, Jeffrey Blitz) is a documentary following the lives of eight American children as they prepare
to compete in the National Spelling Bee. The documentary effectively represents the characters and personalities
of all the subjects involved, as well as the way in which their culture and upbringing influences them.
When watching Spellbound, I identified a convention regularly
used was the use of mise-en-scene to set the subjects background
and indicate the culture in which the live in. For example for
Angela, the setting for an establishing shot to represent her was a
ranch that indicates she is from the south of North America as
ranches have connotations of southern farms. It conveys to the
audience possible reasons why she takes up spelling bee as a
hobby, because the empty ranch doesn’t appear to be an exciting
place for a child to grow up in.
Other semiotics used such as an old
woman knitting and a decrepit cinema/
theatre all indicate that life can be very
boring in Texas and that for a young girl
there aren’t many exciting things to do.

6. In my media product ‘The Butterfly Boy’ I chose to subvert this convention and rather than using
semiotics to indicate my subjects background, I chose to use semiotics to establish my subjects
passion and dreams.
I used mise-en-scene and Iconography to
convey to the audience that Mason’s
passion is sports and football. In the shot to
the left you can see him playing table
football, and in both shots you can see him
wearing the Bournemouth football team kit.
This shows the audience that Mason is
extremely passionate about football.
These symbols and semiotics that imply this are
tinted with sadness though because as the
documentary progresses the audience discover
that Mason cannot actually play football as he
could get seriously injured as a result of his
illness.