Media A Level

1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES
YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
USE, DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL
MEDIA PRODUCTS?

2. MY INITIAL PLANS
➤ After researching a variety of types of documentaries, I identified
a gap in the market for a new of type of wedding documentary.
➤ Although wedding documentaries are increasingly popular with
shows such Say Yes to the Dress, Don’t Tell the Bride and Four
Weddings (click on the links to clips of the shows)dominating TV
channels, I wanted to create a documentary which showed a
more in-depth show of the process of creating and selling
wedding dresses
➤ I wanted to show the variety of wedding dresses and the different
options brides may have nowadays

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH AND PLANNING
➤ Research and planning is an
essential part to the creation of a
media product - I have learnt this
since the creation of my AS music
magazine.
➤ Throughout my advanced portfolio
I made sure to research throughly
into existing media products to
understand the codes and
conventions of existing
documentaries and ancillary
products.

4. DOCUMENTARY TITLE
➤ Originally the title of my documentary was going to be
‘The Wild World of Wedding Dresses’
➤ However after consulting with my focus group, they felt
the connotations of the adjective ‘wild’ did not reflect the
symbolism of wedding dresses which suggests a dainty,
pure and glamorous image
➤ I chose to go for the title ‘The Wedding Dress’ as it is
simple, shows the genre and the use of the word ‘ the’
suggests there is one dress - typically brides have one
wedding dress which is special to them.
➤ The message shown is contact with one of the members
of my focus groups

5. CUTAWAYS
➤ I used a lot of cutaways throughout my documentary which
which is a convention of wedding documentaries such as ‘Say
Yes to the Dress’
➤ I decided to mirror some shots used in other documentaries to
add to the professionalism and verisimilitude of my product.
➤ For example, there is a shot from ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ of a
dress drop which I have replicated in my own product

6. CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS - USE OF A
NARRATOR
➤ After analysing ‘The Wedding Shop’
documentary which filmed a wedding
dress shop, I decided to use a
narrator throughout the documentary
➤ Shows such as ‘Say Yes to the
Dress’ do have a presenter - in the
UK version the presenter is celebrity
wedding dress designer David
Emmanuel. By therefore not using a
narrator I am challenging the
conventions set by the genre
➤ Due to the type of my documentary
being expository I decided to use a
voice over narrative as this was
typically seen in other documentaries
which were similarly constructed

7. CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS - FOUND FOOTAGE
➤ Although I did mostly decided to conform to conventions, I did
challenge some typically seen in wedding documentaries
➤ For example, most documentaries only use modern age
footage when showing wedding dresses however I challenged
this conventional use modern footage and incorporated a use
of older found footage from royal weddings
➤ This created a historical element of my documentary which
showed a change in trends and styles throughout history

8. INTERVIEWS WITH EXPERTS
➤ I incorporated a use of interviews by experts in the wedding
dress industry - I interviewed Clorese Thompson, owner of
Chantilly Lace and Lucy Spragg, an independent wedding dress
designer
➤ An expert opinion provides the audience with a trustworthy
source of information which gives the media product more
informative authority
➤ I used simple shots seen in other media products - mid shots
with the use of the name and title of the speaker showing how
to speaker is an expert. This is an adopted convention of the
genre.

9. MIRRORING SHOT TYPES
➤ Below shows a medium shot from ‘The Wedding Shop’ and
the how I have filmed my footage in a way to reflect this.
➤ By framing a mid shot of Clorese creates a clear mise-en-
scene of the shop, showing her location with the background
of a rack of wedding dress

10. THE USE OF SOUND IN MY DOCUMENTARY
➤ I used non diegetic music added over the top of my narration
and shots. By using dainty, happy and upbeat music provided
a good background to my content and did not overwhelm or
distract viewers from the footage shown and the narration
heard.
➤ I found the music I wanted on Youtube and used KeepVid to
download it and place over the top of my content - all music
used is copyright free
➤ The music used is similar to the background music in
documentaries such as ‘The Wedding Shop’ conforming to the
conventions set

11. MUSIC USED IN MY DOCUMENTARY
Dog and Pony show linked here. This music has
connotations of ballet music which is typically very
feminine, girly and dainty - therefore a reflection of
the representation of wedding dresses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_dEO4am2YI
Used from 0:11-0:42
Upbeat Instrumental Work music linked here. The
music is quite upbeat and connotes a happy
experience - reflecting a brides typical emotion if
they are engaged and searching for their wedding
dress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmtfhud4cUE&
t=18s
Used from:
0:42 - 1:03, 1:09-1:23, 1:34- 1:38, 2:55-3:32, 3:42 -
4:55

12. IMPORTANCE OF ANCILLARY PRODUCTS
➤ A key convention of documentaries is the use of ancillary
products to support the show. The use of the products are to
encourage the target audience - mine being women aged 16-
30 to engage with the show and promote engagement and
encourage people to watch the show

13. ANCILLARY POSTER
➤ My poster would appeal to the older age range of my target audience
(25+) due to younger people being less likely to buy
newspapers/magazines.
➤ However, if my poster was shown on social media such as Twitter it
may reach a wider audience of younger people
➤ I have chosen to adopt a similar style to other Channel 4 posters to
add to the brand identity and make the poster instantly recognisable.
By following the conventions set by Channel 4 makes the poster look
more realistic.

14. CHANNEL 4 POSTER CONVENTIONS
➤ The use of a Channel 4 logo in the chosen colour theme - I
have used purple as it is a stereotypical girly colour which
creates an feminine association to wedding dresses
➤ The font which has been used is placed on a block of colour,
matching the logo - this is seen in nearly every poster
➤ The posters typically have a web address to encourage
engagement online with audiences
➤ The time of the documentary is also shown - to promote the
show and encourage audiences to watch the show

15. NEWSPAPER DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
➤ After researching I realised the necessity for a good double
page spread with a good copy which can encourage readers
of the magazines to watch the show
➤ I have used images taken from when I got my footage from my
documentary for my ancillary product
➤ I identified key conventions such as using the same font for
the title of the double page spread (DPS)

16. IN CONCLUSION
➤ My main product reflects a lot of conventions set in the genre
such as using upbeat non diegetic music in the background,
the use of cutaways, a narration and certain shot types.
➤ However, I have challenged some conventions such as not
using a presenter and using found footage adding a historical
element to my media product
➤ My ancillary products do use and conform to the conventions
especially my poster as I have used the same layout and
same techniques used in a Channel 4 poster