Here are the key strengths and weaknesses of your research methods: - Product Research Strengths: Provided ideas for camera work, lighting, editing techniques, and overall structure. Allowed you to see what works well in similar documentaries. - Product Research Weaknesses: Could lead to an unoriginal final product if too many ideas are directly copied without putting your own spin on them. - Questionnaires Strengths: Gave valuable insights into your target audience's interests, pain points during lockdown, and preferences for content. Helped define your audience profile. - Questionnaires Weaknesses: Sample size was small so may not be fully representative. Responses could be superficial without follow up questions for context.

1. Research
Louis Dodds-Rodgers

2. Existing Product
I have chosen this short documentary as a product to study for research because I
feel it shares some similar characteristics to what I would like my final project to
include such as the actual recording process of using hand held motions and also
the editing afterwards to give it a more free-handed feel to it, making my film more
appealing to the younger audience because it makes my film more down to earth,
younger audiences will appreciate this because. From this documentary I have
studied I will imprint some features such as a straight forward professional
approach mixed with a comforting informal persona to send a serious message to
the viewers but also come across as a normal human but appear as sympathetic so
the viewers are aware of the situation.
I will be going for a nonchalant type of lighting to make the documentary come
across as quite dull and morbid, I will switch between this and a vibrant source of
lighting to contrast the differences before and after the pandemic. This will be
achieved by filming some of my FMP on a dark grungy day and some more of it on a
sunny vibrant day bringing a mixture of emotional value to my film.
I will make it appeal to my target audience through direct address bringing a closer
relationship between the viewers and myself. My reasoning for this is direct address
gathers the attention of most people and in this case I will appeal to the right kind
of audience, my audience have all experienced the same thing as a human race
making it easier to address them and the topic.
New film shares teenagers’ lockdown experiences, alongside toolkit for educators (manchester.ac.uk)

3. Existing Product
I have chosen the recently released Netflix original ‘Pandemic’ which is a
docuseries about the recent pandemic and other virus’ throughout the years on
this earth. I will be implementing a few ideas from this docuseries such as some
of the camera work which was included in it which consist of; drone shots, long
shots, close ups and extreme close ups as well as emotive footage taken from
either the news or other sources of online media to show the devastating effects
of COVID-19. In this docuseries there is not much editing as it is meant to come
across as a normal everyday video recorded by normal everyday people to show
the fact how COVID-19 has effected every one of us. In the post production
process I will be adding very little special effects or other similar details as I want
my documentary to be as understandable as possible and I would like it to be
taken seriously whereas if I fill it with special effects it may come across as too
light-hearted for the message with I’m trying to get over to the audience.
The lighting in this series is quite bright and upbeat most of the time unless
speaking about a dark experience with COVID which they would then implement
pathetic fallacy and change the lighting to match the mood of the subject which is
what I will be aiming to do with my documentary. I will try and refrain from using
costumes and props as similar to this series due to the fact I do not have enough
budget to purchase realistic props fitting to the matter of coronavirus and there
will be no costumes needed as it may take away some of the gritty realism I will
be trying to get over to the target audience.
Trailer for Netflix Docuseries "Pandemic" - YouTube

4. Existing Product 2020: The year where Covid changed
everything | ITV News - YouTube
This product is based around coronavirus and the spread of it throughout 2020 and the effects it had
on everybody. The effects used in this documentary are similar to some they use of news channels and
good morning Britain such due to it being an ITV film it contains most of the same effects as the ITV
news, it accomplishes this by using more interviews from different shows compared to having
researchers roaming the streets looking for stories. This ITV documentary includes heavy usage of
green screens and on screen text layouts which pan across the screen for a short period of time to give
the viewer a short piece of information. In this short film I can see they have used several clips from all
around the world making the media more inclusive and sympathetic reminding us that we are all in this
together, I will be implementing some of this into my FMP because of the inclusiveness featured
although I will not be able to travel and take any videos myself so I am aiming to find some royalty free
clips on YouTube which I can use. There is not much attention to lighting in this documentary as most of
it is either natural lighting or removed in post production this gives their film a more neutral feel to it
compared to others I have studied, my documentary will be different from this as I want the light to
reflect the mood of it all.
This appeals to ITV’s viewer base because it mostly revolves around the big matters at hand for
example the most spoken about topic in the documentary is Boris Johnson and his battle with COVID,
they speak on this the most as ITV is a national news broadcaster meaning they have to cover the
grounds of the prime minister. Another widely spoken topic in the short film is Queen Elizabeth which
also revolves around the fact they are a national broadcasting show, this will contrast what I am aiming
to do with my short film as I am wanting to make mine about the citizens of England who are now
victims of mental health neglection both adults and children to make sure I send the biggest message
across I possibly can about not only the mental health of the victims of physical neglection and how
lockdown has effected everyone physically.

5. Existing Product The Summer Of Rave 1989 (Full Documentary HQ) -
YouTube
In this film / documentary there is the study of raves in 1989 and how they impacted
Britain for years to come and changed the scene. From watching this I can tell how
different the times were back then due to a few factors, one of which being that the
video quality is much different considering the resolution and the overall quality.
Another difference between my other researched product and this older one is the
lighting, the lighting in The summer of rave is very dim even in the clubs which shows
the difference between technology now and then. The scenic shots are all very dull
and grey setting a monotone feeling to the documentary showing what the UK was
like thirty years ago contrasted to now it is more vibrant and full of colour due to the
changes of infrastructure.
Due to it being a film from 1989 there is a heavy usage of transitions as it was more
common back then with film editing becoming a more common thing, I will be using
some transitions in my documentary but only when necessary or where it would fit. I
will be avoiding pointless transitions in my post production because it gives of
impressions of unprofessionalism.
This documentary will have appealed to the viewers from 1989 due to the fact it is
about a large movement which a lot of normal everyday people were part of so it
applies to them meaning they find self recognition in the media.

6. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched products have?
• My researched products all contain a bit of free held camera work to an extent, this was useful to
see because now I know my target audience enjoys the type of filming in documentaries like the
one I am planning on creating.
• Another common feature between all my researched products was interviewing, doing interviews is
a great way to get the publics opinion fairly and helps create the perfect documentary for them.
• What aspects of the research will you include within your on work?
– I will include the interviewing type from the recently researched documentaries
such as some of the questions which were asked because I will be featuring my
documentary on a similar basis as well as the camera angles that are used, this is
important because it gives my short film a lot of aesthetic quality bringing the
production higher and furthermore bringing more attention and awareness.
Another feature of my researched products I will implement into my own work is
the lighting to create a mise en scene such as a dimmer lighting to compliment the
dimmer topics and bright sunny days to contrast the negative colours. I want to do
this because the colour and saturation of the film can have a dramatic irony effect
on the viewer making them empathise the emotions I want based on the colour
and scenery of the documentary.
– One thing I will do my best to refrain from doing is making my project appear as a
news broadcast by adding certain features which make it come across as so such as
banners underneath describing the points being made and having professional
looking interviews that are scripted fully. I would like to avoid this because it shakes
of the realism of a documentary and loses interest as it becomes more and more
similar to a news broadcaster.

7. Questionnaire
Analysis
Survey Monkey Link:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/
77S8S8Q

8. Audience
research
• Observation: 10% said yes 90% said no
• What this says about my audience: That the vast amount of my
audience have not seen documentaries created by students
• How will your product appeal to this audience: Make it all inclusive
and aesthetically appealing to give a good first impression of a
student made film.

9. Audience
research
• Observation: 10% said camera work, 10% said the overall quality of the product
and the other 80% it did not apply to.
• What this says about my audience: That a large portion of them enjoyed the
camera work and the quality of the film
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will make sure the camera work Is
perfected with good shots and a stable. I will also make sure the general overall
quality of my product is great to make sure the viewers are entertained.

10. Audience
research
• Observation: 36% of people said yes and 64% said no
• What this says about my audience: The vast majority did not enjoy
the lockdown
• How will your product appeal to this audience: By speaking on
mostly the negative parts of lockdown but also some of the
positives that came from it.

11. Audience
research
• Observation: 36% did and 64% did not
• What this says about my audience: Some could not stand lockdown
and decided to venture outside whilst the tier rules were still in
place compared to some who just sucked it up and stayed inside
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will cover both
sides of staying inside and going outside and how it affected us all.

12. Audience
research
• Observation: 50% said yes and the other half replied with no
• What this says about my audience: Some are ambitious and optimistic
whereas the other half are starting to think this may become a way of life now
• How will your product appeal to this audience: My product would appeal to
my target audience by me addressing this matter in the documentary, I will
thoroughly cover the topic of whether I think life will ever revert back to its old
ways or whether we will adapt to this and overcome it in time.

13. Audience
research
• Observation: 55% said covering the topic, 27% chose younger people and the
remaining 18% chose other
• What this says about my audience: The vast majority of my audience wants me to
cover the topic of coronavirus followed by the studying of its effects on the
younger generation.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: Centring most of my documentary
towards younger people to make it more relatable to my target audience. I will
also make sure to broadly cover the subject of coronavirus in as much detail as
possible to fit with my target demographic.

14. Audience
research
• Observation: The vast majority of 91% chose 16-19 and the
remaining 9% chose 13-16
• What this says about my audience: Most of my audience will be
students themselves and going through the education system
through the pandemic like myself and many others.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will make my
product appeal to my audience by basing a lot of my research on
the younger generation, in specific under 18s.

15. Audience
research
• Observation: 91% of responders are male and the remaining 9% are
female
• What this says about my audience: There are more males than females
who are wanting to see my student documentary.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will speak out about
men's mental health as well as women's making sure to make the
males feel included and also empathised with as my documentary will
feature around all the hardships coronavirus has put us through as a
species.

16. Audience
research
• Observation: The majority of 73% replied yes and the remaining replied
with no.
• What this says about my audience: Most of the survey candidates think
making an educational documentary would either help spread awareness
or help spread a message.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: Fill my documentary with
as much information as possible to give it the best chance of educating
and spreading awareness.

17. Audience
research
• Observation: 37% said the presentation and 63% said the message behind it.
• What this says about my audience: This says my audience is eager to see a deeper
meaning and message behind the documentary whereas some are more
concerned about the presentation of it as a whole.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will make my FMP appeal to the
target audience by putting a message behind it which will intrigue a larger market
and audience to my product but I will not substitute the presentation quality.

18. Interviews

19. Interview 1
• Do you believe a student can make an adequate film by their selves
which would be of good quality?
• Somewhat, yes
• What is your favourite documentary?
• Blue planet
• How often do you find yourself fed up and bored in this pandemic?
• Most of the time
• Would you say you have suffered any mental or physical difficulties
during the coronavirus?
• No
• Will you ever take life for granted again if everything returns to
normality?
• No

20. Interview 1
• Observation: Did not enjoy the lockdown
experience.
• What this says about my audience: They are
upset because of how the world has changed.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: I will base my product of the fact
lockdown was bad and unhealthy for a lot of
people but there also were some positives to
come from it.

21. Interview 2
• Do you believe a student can make an adequate film by their selves which
would be of good quality?
• Yes
• What is your favourite documentary?
• Seaspiracy
• How often do you find yourself fed up and bored in this pandemic?
• A few times a week
• Would you say you have suffered any mental or physical difficulties during
the coronavirus?
• Yes, I have suffered from not seeing my friends or family for long periods
of time
• Will you ever take life for granted again if everything returns to normality?
• I’d like to say no but we always end up taking things for granted so who
knows.

22. Interview 2
• Observation: This person did not enjoy lockdown and is
looking forward to returning to normality. They also
experienced mental issues whilst dealing with the stress of
it all.
• What this says about my audience: They are not enjoying
the current flow of life and how things are turning out and
are desperate to return to normal. This also makes it out to
seem like my audience is struggling dealing with the
negatives that come from the coronavirus.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: My product
will appeal to this audience because of the fact one of the
main topics I will be speaking on is; the mental state of
everybody severely affected by the pandemic and other
effects it has had on us and our world.

23. Audience Profile
Category Demographic Content to appeal to this audience
Age Range
16-19 • In depth conversation and topics revolving
around mental illness which would maybe
be deemed inappropriate for anybody
younger than 16.
Gender
Both male and
female
• I have set my gender demographic to both
male and female however the content I
presented my interviewees with was heavily
sided to the male persuasion meaning more
of my viewers may be male than female but
besides that point I will be aiming my FMP
at all genders.
Psychographic
Those who have
maybe suffered a
loss in the recent
struggle of COVID
or if they are
struggling
themselves
• Making my documentary as inclusive as
possible including all different types of
things we lost due to the coronavirus such
as: a large amount of our freedom, lives,
seeing friends etc.
Social Status
Working class and
upwards
• Due to the fact this pandemic has affected
each and every one of us in a different

24. Research
Evaluation

25. Research Evaluation
• Give an overview of how you conducted your research. Discuss the strengths and
weaknesses of each method
– Product Research
• I conducted this by beginning to research products similar to my own and some of which I can borrow some of the ideas
such as setting the scenes with establishing shots and how to create a mood or tension to give of a certain emotion to the
viewer.
• The strength of product research is the fact it can give you good ideas to work with and build on over time further
progressing the finishing product.
• As well as helping to build ideas it can also help build on topics which need improving.
• A weakness of product research is that sometimes the finishing product may end up to similar to the originally researched
product meaning my ideas would not be one hundred percent original.
– Questionnaires
• The questionnaires had a few strengths, one of which being that I know exactly what my demographic would like to see.
This helps greatly as I can ask certain questions which will benefit my filming and editing to fit around the target audience
and what they specifically want.
• One weakness of this method of research is mixed reviews or mixed statistics make it difficult to read what everybody
wants with ease and the statistics can also not be 100% reliable at all times meaning there may be some anomalies.
– Interviews
One benefit of interviewing is the fact that I can directly ask my interviewees the questions and get a
straight response compared to online where it is easier to just pick any option causing an anomaly.
Another benefit of researching through interviews is the fact it can give the interviewee a broader
spectrum to answer on, meaning they have more freedom to answer the questions fluently compared to
answering more quantitive questions.
A weakness of doing my research through interviewing is getting blunt or short answers making it tough
to make my own judgment on what to add into my final project.

26. Research Evaluation
– What sort of a response did you get?
I got a very positive response from my survey making it a lot easier to make certain
choices referring to my FMP, I was given some ideas also from my survey which will
greatly help in making my final product. I found out more about my target audience,
my demographic and my psychographic meaning I have a better understanding of
what to speak about in my short film to get peoples attention and to maintain their
attention. From my survey I also found out a lot more about my general demographic
opposed to what they want to see such as; their age and their gender. This helps me
deliver the best project to my viewers as possible.
– How did you distribute your survey? Give an advantage and a disadvantage
– My media tutor distributed my survey through microsoft teams to my class which
helped me get a lot of responses to the survey I created and in a short amount of
time as well, this is positive because the responses have came from classmates and
others of a similar age which benefits my documentary as I am basing it around the
effects of the pandemic on younger people such as students.
– A negative of distributing the survey this way could be that the students do not feel
they need to fill it in accurately and this would lead to me getting a lot of
anomalies in my research data meaning the researched portion of my
documentary has been voided as it will not count as perfectly candate any longer.