Media Studies A2 Advanced Portfolio

1. EVALUATION QUESTION
1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
Fleur Feeney

2. CONTEXT
• There is a growing dialogue in the media about gender issues as of late. Modern feminism is giving a
platform for movements like ‘Times Up’ and ‘#metoo’; the Oscars have produced a gender-inclusive list of
academy award nominations; there are many prolific artists/actors/musicians who are genderqueer and/or
vocal about gender inclusivity and issues; many department stores are making all of their children’s clothes
unisex; the attendance at ‘pride’ grows each year, reflecting the growing numbers of openly LGBT youth; the
women’s march of January 2017 became the largest single-day protest in history… this provides a fantastic
background for a product surrounding gender. I am developing upon the growing conventions of gender
based conversation.
• In deciding the subject of my documentary, I identified a gap in the market.
• There is a wide discussion surrounding gender issues but few accessible documentaries around that
subject, for a young, liberal audience.
• There are documentaries like Queer Britain and All Man, and even Stacey Dooley, which are proving popular
- showing that there would be a welcoming audience to a similar subject - but neither of these look at the
concept of gender as a whole.
• My plan was to provide an informative, yet informal, documentary aimed at young adults of a liberal
persuasion about gender issues and LGBT genders. This was to be short and snappy, appealing to a
largely LGBT aesthetic and featuring a large range of representation. A secondary aim was then to
persuade the less liberal to be more open minded about new gender ideas, and to, at the very least, provide a
varied representation of women, men and other genders that would diversify the dominant hegemony.
‘All Man’ by Grayson
Perry is a documentary
series of analysing men
and their behaviour,
trying to get to the
bottom of
hypermasculinity,
among other issues.
‘Queer Britain’ is a
series of 30 minute
episodes that explores
LGBT issues, including
religion and body image.
Neither of these are
talking specifically about
gender but do cover
some gender issues.

3. • I decided to adopt several of the conventions I found in the
documentaries I watched and analysed as this would be
gratifying for my intended target audience.
• I wanted an achievable effect, inspired by realism;
something short and easy/fun to watch; suitable for an
audience of young adults; featuring intelligent content and
showing a journey, etc. See my aims in my documentary
treatment here.
All Man Queer Britain
Use of presenter – interacts with
subject, talks directly to camera and
does voice over.
Use of presenter – interacts with
subjects, talks directly to camera and
does voice over. Presenter is a vlogger
and sometimes vlogs to camera
(appeals to young, digital native
audience).
subtitles cutaways
‘on the run’ questioning, shaky
camera…
Good soundtrack
Interviews (mostly in-action or outside) Interviews (studio or obvious set up)
Simple aesthetic
There are also several generic
documentary conventions I wished
to follow as seen here.
These are collated in a mood board
which I used to prioritise which
conventions I’d be conforming to,
here.
Interactive Performance
Doc maker interacts with
subject + does voiceover
Doc maker and crew interacts
with subject
Use of archive material Doc maker comments on
process of making the doc
Location shooting and hand
held camera
Direct and/or emotional
address to the audience
Interviews dominate but are
informal
Subject matter is often to do
with identity.

4. HOW MY TARGET AUDIENCE
INFORMED MY CODES &
CONVENTIONS
I used my focus group to identify which codes
and conventions they liked, in order to create a
product that would appeal to them.
These were their responses
and so I made sure to adhere
or develop on these.

5. PRESENTER• I followed generic conventions by featuring a presenter.
• Both ‘All Man’ and ‘Queer Britain’ feature a presenter who uses direct address to the audience which suggests a strong connection with the
audience. The representation of Riyadh Khalaf was particularly gratifying from an audience perspective as he was presented as a
relatable character who had a strong emotional connection with the subject he was speaking on. In fact, the representation achieved an
effective balance between relatable and aspirational, as he is presented as being groomed and put together, as well as knowledgeable on
his subject and charismatic. The down to earth attitude, casual tone and emotional vulnerability balances this out. Having a relatable
character is important to the audience connecting with the documentary and this is supported by John Grierson’s statement that people on
screens are ‘performing the actions that they would do in their normal lives’. I adopted this by presenting my presenter as relatable and
down to earth, also adopting conventions put forward by Stacey Dooley in her BBC Three documentaries, by featuring a working class,
young woman.
• His language was not overly formal and his presenting style was accessible. I adopted this convention and chose an informal mise-en-
scene to create an informal tone and accessibility, as well as a closeness with the audience. It looks as if Khalaf used his own home for
some of his footage, so I adopted this convention too for the same effect. This is also reflected in the clothes I chose, which are neutral and
smart casual.
• Khalaf is a good choice of presenter as
he reflects the target audience
demographic, as a young, metropolitan,
digitally native, homosexual male adult.
I am adopting this by featuring a young,
female presenter who is also a digital
native, a feminist and LGBT ally -
reflecting my own documentary.

6. PRESENTER
• I challenged traditional conventions concerning documentary presenters as I featured
a previously unknown presenter. Although institutions prefer to feature people
nowadays who already have a following, in order to strengthen ratings, I thought it would
be a good idea to feature a fresh face who was knowledgeable about the subject. This
may invite intrigue and would be gratifying for a younger audience.
• I also developed upon traditional documentary style by adopting Queer Britain’s
elements of vlogging style. Khalaf was previously known as a vlogger and a journalist
and he utlises these skills in his docuseries - walking down the street talking to his own
hand held camera, filming himself in his own home, etc. These are interspersed with more
professional style studio footage and set up interviews. I presented my presenter as
someone who was comfortable in this style, appearing both in front and behind the
camera. I also utilised this style in other areas like cinematography and cutaways. See
my research on vlogging here.

7. CUTAWAYSBy researching the conventions of
general documentaries, here, I knew
that archive footage was
conventional. I also knew it would be
useful, especially as my target
audience expressed an interest in the
history of the subject. Therefore, I
included a section of my documentary
that was made up of black and white
footage from the ‘60s, specifically the
time of the Stonewall Riots (my
research around this can be found here
and here). Over the top of this I had a
voice over which explained the origins
of Pride. To do this I converted footage
I researched on YouTube and
downloaded and imported it into
iMovie.
This establishes the seriousness of
the topic and also clearly anchors
the historical message of the
dialogue.
I used the titles feature to credit the
source. I observed this convention from
Queer Britain.
By doing this I was adopting conventions I
observed in Stacey Dooley’s work, as in her
DUP documentary she features archive
footage from the party’s history.

8. CUTAWAYS
I converted this footage
using a YouTube to Mp4
converter.
By using notable LGBT
icons and figures, I added
to the LGBT aesthetic
and positive message of
the episode, as well as
making the piece look
more professional.
Here, I was also developing on
what Queer Britain did in the
opening of their first episode, in
which they featured footage of
interesting characters and
notable priests of different faiths
spouting their opinions on why gay
people are sinful. This was all
archive footage which added to
their overall message.
I also used found footage to show footage of
celebrities I was talking about. I did this
because I did not have the means to get this
footage myself, but also because often this kind
of footage is shown in documentaries, showing
notable figures on the red carpet, etc. I found
that this anchored my message and also added
interest to my documentary as it wasn’t just the
presenter talking to the camera for a large chunk
of time.

9. CUTAWAYS
I challenged convention by
taking inspiration from the
‘vlogger’ style seen briefly in
Queer Britain. This meant that I
often used a hand held camera
(shots stabilised later in
iMovie), which helped me to stay
‘incognito’ and get more natural
documentary footage. It also
allowed me to get cutaways and
footage at Pride without
attracting attention, and allowed
me to get more involved,
achieving more immersive
footage - proving more popular
with my focus group. This style
establishes the documentary’s
tone, focusing on youth culture
and growing conversation
amongst young people.
Vlogging is also very popular with younger audiences -
millennials and Generation Z. Although this style of
shooting is perhaps a little risky for an established
producer and broadcaster like Channel 4, it’s familiar for
the target audiences, produces positive responses online
and risky is exactly what Channel 4 market themselves to
be - outside-the-box thinkers. See my Channel 4 research
here. Furthermore, multiple documentaries are now starting
to utilise the vlogging form slowly, for example when the
presenters have extra thoughts or are trying to demonstrate
their journey. I am developing upon the growing style.
This use of vlogger style footage and
cutaways adds to my ‘rough and
ready’, Grayson Perry inspired
aesthetic.
One of the most appealing
conventions of the documentaries
I watched was the frequent use of
cutaways to illustrate and anchor
the presenter’s point. Therefore, I
adopted this convention.
The Gender
Journey
The
Gender
Journey
Queer
Britain
Queer
Britain
Stacey
Dooley

10. CUTAWAY
S
I thought it was an effective
convention to feature cutaways
that add interest to dialogue, or
illustrate a point and several of
the documentaries I looked at did
this. Therefore I decided to adopt
this convention.
Queer
Britain
Stacey
Dooley:
The Billion
Pound
Party
All
Man
My cutaways (above and left) correspond with the
dialogue of the voice over. I chose the books and
magazines because they had interesting,
controversial or new, liberal ideas about gender and
representation of women. The Grayson Perry
reference is slightly meta as he was one of my
inspirations.

11. INTERVIEWS with
INTERESTING
CHARACTERS/EXPERTSI adopted a technique seen in
most documentaries, including All
Man, Queer Britain and The
Billion Dollar Party, which is to
use experts or interesting
characters. This provides
accurate and valid information
from alternative sources and
gives the documentary a voice of
authority.
For Felicity Messer’s interview (above), I made sure to frame it as a mid shot and also to
have the mise-en-scene be in her bedroom to show a natural environment. The computer
and various activist badges enforces the idea that she has authority in these matters, and her
being a trans-woman giving a personal testimony to her experience creates an intimacy
with the audience (encouraging a preferred reading) - as well as challenging the
convention that interesting characters are presented in a negative light.
Here, I am developing upon conventions in Queer Britain (above)
which show personal testimonies from LGBTQ+ people in their
homes/natural environments to create an emotional reaction
and to add authority to the narrative.

12. INTERVIEW
S
I chose to conduct several of my
interviews out on the streets of
London Pride. Here, I am emulating
Grayson Perry and Stacey Dooley
by using on-the-go questioning and
conducting somewhat unplanned
interviews out in public.
I also chose to arrange them in the
same way as Queer Britain by
using short clips from each
interview all together in a
sequence. Although, I was also
challenging this by not using a
studio mise-en-scene.

13. OPPOSITIONAL
VIEWI thought that it would fit with the risk taking image of Channel 4 and the generic conventions of
documentary, develop upon convention and add drama/interest to the documentary if I included an
oppositional view. This worked well in documentaries like Stacey Dooley’s Billion Pound Party
and Queer Britain. Therefore, I added a short clip of an interview I conducted at Pride London with
a christian protester. There is only a short section of this in my exert, but had the exert continued to a full
episode, there would have been a whole discussion around this, adding to the narrative.
Interesting or unusual characters are
a key convention of documentaries
(Louis Theroux has made a career
around observing the ‘weird’). The
odder or more extreme the choice of
subject is, the more this enforces the
preferred meaning of the documentary
makers - i.e. if the christian protester
seems ridiculous, outdated, hateful or
cruel then that puts him in a negative
light and reflects well on the feminist,
LGBT positive message of the
documentary.
I desaturated the footage of the
christian protester as to create a contrast
with the more positive footage and to
imply that his views are negative and to
be looked down upon.
Stacey Dooley
doc

14. SOUND
• I mostly used diegetic sound as I had lots of interviews, but also because I wanted to
keep the atmosphere of Pride present.
• I also used non-diegetic sound in the form of a voice over, adhering to convention. I
did this by recording straight onto the apple mac, or by recording sound recordings on my
phone and uploading it as music files. The voice over was very important in order to
convey information and to adhere to conventions of documentaries.
• I also used several songs in the background, like Born This Way by Lady Gaga and
Bad Liar by Selena Gomez (most of which were just the instrumental versions). Most of
the documentaries I watched featured nondescript instrumental music, so this is definitely
a development of convention by using well known songs. However, I used them
because I thought they would be appreciated by my target audience - which was
confirmed to me in my audience feedback, here.
• I also used generic instrumental music in places, which adhered to convention, and I think
it worked quite well.

15. ANCILLARY PRODUCTS
CONVENTIONS OF
POSTER
The documentary poster/newspaper advert
would appeal to an older audience as most
millennials and most Gen Z don’t read
newspapers anymore - instead they get their
news from online platforms like social
media. This means it would reach my
secondary audience. It would probably be
shown in arts based magazines like The
Guardian or The Independent - especially
due to the liberal message of the documentary.
Research shows that millennials and gen
z are very image orientated and think
seriously about chosen aesthetics, so the
main image here is important. I made
sure the colour choices were
aesthetically pleasing and worked well
together. Using my limited art knowledge,
I knew that red and green were
complementary/contrasting colours that
work well together, so I used them. This
consideration is conventional of an arts
based newspaper who cater for more
culturally/artistically aware readers.
Bright colours are also heavily used in the
LGBT community and would attract those
readers.
Link here to poster research
It’s a key convention that the ancillary
products are meant to be eye catching,
because their purpose is to draw in an audience
and advertise the product. Therefore, I am
adhering to convention by using bright
colours and large text.
A cross platform
presence of the
presenter is vital
for brand identity
and engaging with
the audience. If
the ancillary
products aren’t
engaging, and
show consistency,
then the
audience won’t
be inclined to
watch the
documentary
series. Having the
presence of the
presenter is a key
convention.
This was effective as I received positive audience feedback from my focus
group.

16. Conventions of Channel 4
My documentary series is airing on Channel 4, who have a very strict house style and
brand identity. I found this guide (in this blog post) that they use for their staff, which details
the conventions of their advertising products.
I emulated my inspirations by using a bold colour
scheme that I knew worked, as well as featuring the
presenter, which is highly conventional practice and
important for establishing brand identity. Like Grayson
Perry’s unconventional dressing, or the editing of faces, I
included clues as to what the documentary is about by
holding ‘typically male/female’ objects, as well as using
body language that suggested there was a question to
be answered.
I developed upon Channel 4’s conventions by making the
presenter seem more approachable and friendly, emulating
BBC Three’s Stacey Dooley.
It was important to represent the
mood and the aesthetic of the actual
documentary, which is why I included
bright colours and an image that
hints towards differences between
masculinity and femininity. Plus, the
high heeled shoe that the presenter is
holding can be a symbol of cross
dressing and drag, as well as typical
femininity.
With careful research and consideration of existing
channel 4 products, I was able to follow their
conventions. I shot an eye-catching and intriguing
main image, which I edited to include a bright
background (to further draw people in). This formed a
complimentary background for large text detailing
the name of the program, what kind of program it is
and when it airs. This is in the typical channel 4 box
which surrounds the text in a bold colour, as well as
featuring the channel 4 website link underneath. I
also made sure to include the logo in a matching
colour, as convention dictates, level with the text. Not
adopting these conventions would have made for an
unprofessional product that wasn’t identifiable as
channel 4.
I found a font online that was close to
the channel 4 house font, so I used
that to stay conventional and
professional.

17. DP
S
I identified the key conventions of
TV listings magazine Double
Page Spreads and followed them:
eye catching main image,
columns with an article, presenter
presence, images from the
documentary, pull quotes, drop
caps, page numbers, social media
presence, heading and
subheading.
As well as the actual
listings, TV listings
magazines, like Radio
Times, often include
articles and
interviews. I chose to
emulate the products I
researched and
analysed because I
thought I could create
a more professional
product with more
intelligent content.
It was important to include social media links in order to appeal to the digital native
generation, but also to prove a cross media platform presence. Social media is vital for
effective marketing, and by providing links I am also providing a rich user experience.
By having additional
information and more
experience of the tone/mood
and people involved in the
documentary via social
media, my target audience
are more likely to have a
preferred reading.
It’s conventional to feature the
presenter, or important subjects
of the program, and I have done
both. This increases engagement
with the audience and
establishes brand identity. I
furthered this by using the same
colour scheme as on my
newspaper advert poster.
I used an image that looks like a press
photo, establishing the presenter as a
voice of authority and emphasising her
importance in the documentary. The
facial expression suggests the
documentary is posing a question, and
coupled with the direct mode of address
connotes that the docuseries is fun and
engaging - as well as suggesting the
presenter is a character.
I adopted conventions of radio times magazine by including the article type in the red
shape. I also found a font online that was close to the one they use. I also followed
generic magazine/tv listings conventions by using drop caps and pull quotes to add
interest to the article and break up the text.

18. DPS TV
LISTINGSI emulated the gradient effect
in order to produce a
professional look and also so
the text could be read. In a
similar way, I adopted the
convention of text wrapping,
developing on this by
wrapping the text around the
box with additional information.
I also made sure to use an eye catching
image which matched the house style of the
magazine, but also the brand identity of the
documentary. By using a figure in an LGBT
flag, I’m adopting conventions of LGBT
media but also challenging traditional
magazine conventions as traditional media
tends to avoid an LGBT narrative. The image
anchors the core message of equality and
celebration of non-traditional gender identities,
just as the researched image in the dps I
analysed anchors the article’s description of
Catherine Tate’s preparation for her part.
Find my dps ancillary research here.
I adopted the convention of using ‘behind the
scenes’ photos to add interest to the main
spread. I also used the convention of using
small, white or black text as bylines to
describe the images. To further adopt
convention and to add to the aesthetic appeal,
I put the images in frames and added a drop
shadow.
In my copy I added mass appeal by
mentioning ‘award winning’
(buzzword) quality. The tone of the
article was informal, appealing to a
younger audience, and conforming
to conventions of Radio Times
articles, as seen here. By using
positive language to describe the
presenter I encouraged people to
watch the documentary, but I also
mentioned where it could be
watched, taking full advantage of the
advertising opportunity.

19. Conclusion
• I drew from a variety of influences, including Channel 4 products, but also BBC
Three documentaries. I emulated the youth-orientated, informal tone of the
documentaries, as well as the broad identity-related topics - especially as this
was more gratifying for my primary target audience and more accessible for
wider audiences.I found it helpful to pull conventions from a variety of places
since documentary conventions are very broad and vary often.
• My main influences were Grayson Perry’s All Man (Channel 4) and Queer
Britain (BBC Three). This was due to the presenting style, shooting style and
subject matter. I tried to stick to interactive and performative modes of
documentary as that suited my product best.
• To create a consistent brand identity I followed the conventions of Channel 4
advertising products. I ensured that I used techniques that draw audiences in
as advertising is the main purpose of ancillary products.