This formal proposal outlines a documentary about fast food. It will examine the nutritional values and production processes of fast food, as this was the topic their target audience expressed most interest in. The documentary will take a mixed style, using both archive footage and observational filming. It aims to both educate and entertain viewers about fast food. The filmmakers plan to air it on Channel 4 at 8pm on a Tuesday to reach their target 16-55 year old audience. Primary research like interviews at fast food restaurants and a questionnaire are needed. The narrative will begin with an introduction to fast food history, have interviews in the middle, and conclude by discussing fast food's future impact.

1. Formal Proposal
By Jake, Tom and Elisa

2. Topic
• Our chosen topic for our documentary is fastfood, more specifically the making of the product
itself and the nutritional values of the food, because
this was what our target audience wanted
according to our questionnaire. We’ll discuss topics
such as which fast-food restaurants are the
healthiest and which are the unhealthiest. We have
chosen this topic because it is very relevant in
today’s society and because it’s present in almost
everybody’s lives. 64% of our target audience
considered it to be a big a problem in the UK, so we
believe that this should be documented. Due to the
popularity of fast-food it has made it a highly
discussed topic.

3. Type of documentary
• The type of documentary we’re producing is a
mixed documentary because it’s the most common
and popular type of documentary aired on
television. It’s the type of documentary that will
make our audience the most entertained because
it contains both archive footage and observational
footage so it will cover a lot of areas.

4. Style of documentary
• We aim to do our documentary in a formal
style, with elements of informality which is
educational to provide factual and intellectual
information about fast-food because this was the
most popular option chosen by our target
audience in the questionnaire. We also want it to
be entertaining and to do so we’ll use
music, montages, graphics and various other things
to keep the documentary interesting and
entertaining.

5. Channel and Scheduling
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The channel we have chosen to show our documentary on is Channel 4. We
decided to use Channel 4 as it often has documentaries on it. Also they show
a wide range of documentaries and documentary styles which attract a wide
target audience e.g. Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, My Tattoo Addiction, One Born
Every Minute, Bouncers, 24hours in A&E, Terror in the Skies and many more.
Also Channel 4 contains advertising which could profit the documentary as
well as advertise the documentary. We have decided to put our
documentary on at 8pm on a Tuesday night. We chose the time 8pm
because a lot of our target audience will probably have jobs or be at
university or college, we believe that the majority of them will have got home
and settled by this point. It is also timed so that it is after their dinner since most
people tend to want to relax and watch television after. We decided to have
it on a Tuesday because the audience shouldn't have as many distractions or
reasons not to watch/miss the documentary. For example, on Friday and
Saturday nights they will most likely want to go out and enjoy themselves. Also
there is a lot of competition between programmes on Saturdays and Sundays
since a lot of popular programmes are aired on those evenings e.g. X
Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Downtown Abbey, Top Gear. We didn't want
to show the documentary on a Wednesday either because many people
could want to go the cinema with the popular Orange Wednesday offer with
Orange mobile. The show before our documentary at 7pm is The Channel 4
News, and afterwards at 9pm is another documentary.

6. Target audience
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Our target audience is both men and women between the ages
of 16-55. We have chosen this as our target audience as almost
everyone eats or has eaten fast food and these are the people
who are most likely to go to fast food restaurants and buy the
food themselves. Also this target audience is most likely to watch
a documentary as they are young adults/mature adults. Since
fast food is found in most people's lives we believe they would be
interested to watch a documentary about fast food and find out
more about it. From our questionnaire we gathered that our
target audience’s favourite colours were blue, red and green.
Also, that the most popular genre of music was pop music and
that most ate fast food once a month or less. The most popular
fast food restaurant within our target audience was McDonalds
and the least popular was Burger King. The most popular channel
for watching a documentary was Channel 4. Our target
audience most wanted to find out about the making of fast food
and the nutritional value, with 31% wanting to be educated as
well as being entertained (21%). Finally, 64% of those asked
believe that fast food is a big problem in the UK.

7. Primary research needed
• The primary research that we require is facts and figures
about fast food. We’ll gain primary research from going
too fast food restaurants and use statistic from our
questionnaire. Also we will find interviewee’s and film
them in the correct location for the best mise en
scene, such as filming in front of fast food establishments.
Primary research will also include props such as fast food
items from the menu. In our interviews we’ll ask them
questions about the fast food industry, what they expect
from fast food, why it’s so popular and their overall
opinions. From gathering this primary research it will
make our documentary more reliable and valid to our
target audience.

8. Secondary research
needed
• We will need to find archive material such as fast
food adverts, extracts from films, videos, television
and radio. As well as still photos, pop
music, relevant documents e.g.; official reports or
surveys, newspapers and magazines. From
gathering this secondary research we’ll be able to
present a factual and informative documentary.
We’ll gain secondary research from the internet
such as articles and videos.

9. Narrative structure
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Beginning: At the beginning of the documentary we will have title sequence
and montage of observational footage and still images of people eating fast
food and working in the establishments of a fast food restaurant. We will
discuss the history and beginning of fast food. We will also have a few
interviews that introduce the topic and give an overview of opinions on fast
food for example; whether or not they think fast food is a big problem in the
UK. Throughout the introduction there will be the Fast Food Rockers - Fast Food
Song and we will fit it in between narration and interviews. We will add in
some of the fast food slogans.
Middle: The middle will include various interviews from fast food workers and
fast food eaters that are relevant to our target audience. As well as that we’ll
include background information about the restaurants, the facts about health
issues and fast-foods impact on it and fast food mascots and their impact
upon sales. We’ll include various types of archive footage, including other
fast-food related documentaries such as Supersize Me.
End: We’ll summarise all of our key points that we discussed throughout the
documentary, as well as discussing the future fast-food and the impact that it
may have.

10. Outline of content
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Observational footage of people eating fast food, people getting served etc.
Interviews with fast food eaters that are members of the general public
Pop music played in the background (Fast Food Rockers - Fast Food Song)
Still images of a range of products available on some fast food menus
Archive footage of historic events like openings etc. from fast food restaurants
Facts and figures regarding fast food establishments (e.g. nutrition and making of
the products)
Interviews with fast-food employees
Montages of different fast foods
Background information about the restaurants and history
The prices of fast-food and speed of service
Information about obesity and fast foods contribution to that
Infamous fast food adverts and slogans/jungles
The mascots of fast food e.g. Ronald McDonald
Sales comparison around England, UK, Europe and the rest of the world
Other documentaries about fast food (e.g. Supersize Me)
How/why it’s so popular

11. Resources required
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Camera equipment
Microphones
Tripod
Fast-food props
Archive footage sources (YouTube)
Internet access
A script, plan or storyboard
Bag
Money
Interviewees
Voice over narrator
Computers and editing software (Adobe Premiere Pro)