My final research for FMP

1. Research
Rhys Sadler-Scott

2. Existing Product
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxK3_hihHis
Educating Essex.
A documentary style TV show focusing on the GSCE school year of a group of Essex students and the staff
that teach them. The link and image above is from the trailer of the show which airs on channel 4. The
show, similar to the documentary I am aiming to produce. Focuses on the school life of a group of students
that have something different about their day to day routine then the average student. It is popular with
audiences because of its outlandish, comedic tone, thanks to the natural humor heavy relationship
between the students and the teachers as well the interest at seeing how school life might differ in
separate parts of the country.
I chose this program to focus on as one of my existing products because of the huge similarities in the
subject matter, which might help me to frame and film any interaction between students and staff in my
own Documentary. As well as understanding what audiences might want to see if a scene focuses on the
lessons of the children.

3. Existing Product
The Roman invasion of Britain: Presented by Bettany Hughes.
Is a revered and trusted source of information about the Roman invasion and the life of the British settlers
circa 40AD. It is popular with audiences because of it’s broad, detailed look at ancient civilizations and the
strong reputation of Bettany Hughes. As well as being a very good source of information for that
particular time period. The format of the documentary; that of a presenter moving through the different
significant areas and narrating over footage relevant to the current focus of the documentary is almost
exactly how I had planned to present my Documentary, so it will be a good source for the ratio of what
types of footage to include in my own project. I.e. How long to spend narrating, presenting and showing
footage of the subject matter. The documentary will also be useful for knowing when it might be
appropriate to apply music to a certain scene. Which is done in this product to great effect, usually as a
transition between Bettany Hughes narrating and re-enactment footage of what actually happened during
the Roman invasion of Britain

4. Existing Product
Blue Planet 2.
In terms of cinematography and how to shoot and score documentary so that it is interesting and
engaging for the audience. I think that the recently released Blue planet 2 is a prime example of how to
do these aspects right. I think there is a huge amount to be learned about how to shoot and narrate a
documentary here, as well as the importance of a well fitting soundtrack, which can work very well to
tie the separate styles of shots together. Blue Planet is an observational documentary, which means the
tone might clash with my own planned reflexive/performative documentary. Which is why I chose this
example almost solely for the masterful use of cinematography and soundtrack to highlight the
information being presented in the product. Which has helped me to understand how the shots and
music can make or break my own product if I employ them with just as much care and focus as the
subject matter of the documentary itself, that of the daily lives of the students at a School specialized in
high functioning autistic adolescents. Blue Planet 2 is also a good example of a Documentary that
focuses more on narration than a physical presenter, which may be how I choose to format my own
work. The audience appeal comes both from the huge success of the first blue planet documentary and
the stellar reputation of David Attenborough as a presenter and source of information on nature and
wildlife.

5. Existing Product
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_eP39tXW0
School Life.
I have chosen the 2017 documentary ‘School Life’ as the focus for my fourth existing product
because of it’s extremely similar subject matter and tone to my own planned documentary on
Autistic School Life. The film appeals to audiences because of the obscure subject matter, that of
daily life in an Irish boarding school and what it’s like for the inhabitants. The documentary focuses
on two senior teachers and their experiences teaching a group of teenaged students at an Irish
boarding school. They way the product is shot from the point of view of the teachers is similar to
what I had envisioned for the format of my own work, with the Teachers interviews and voiceovers
being played over footage of the students learning during the day. The performative style of the
documentary, here meaning the story is given from the point of view of a certain individual. Or in
this case, two individuals and their journey through schooling young adolescents. The format of the
documentary and the way it is shot from the point of view of the teachers but also heavily features
the students and their exploits on a daily basis is an angle that I might like to explore in my own
product. The focus on a boarding School is also runs parallel to my own work. However, I have
chosen to analyze only the trailer of this particular documentary, for help with my own trailer. As I
feel that I shouldn’t borrow to heavily from the themes explored in this film, in order to give my own
piece more originality.

6. Existing Product
March of The Penguins.
I chose this product, more specifically the trailer because of the mysterious and cinematic
style that blends both realistic footage and a cinematic, three act story structure. Though this
probably won’t be the format I present my documentary in, as I think a more wholly realistic
style would be more appropriate. I do think it could work very well if I implemented it in my
trailer. By adding an aura of mystery as to what the Documentary is really about, but giving
enough information that the audience has a rough idea. It will leave them wanting to know
more about the film and it’s content, therefore making the trailer very effective. The MOTP
trailer is particularly effective because of it’s use of a well known narrator (Morgan Freeman)
and steadily building inspirational music that fits the tone of the trailer shot for shot. So this
Film might also help in my selection of a soundtrack for my Documentary. As well as the
music I Choose to compliment my trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7tWNwhSocE

7. Existing Product
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqz8NGcmva4
The Undateables.
The Undateables is a show that focuses on people with mental and physical disabilities
looking for a romantic relationship with other people. The show focuses on a wide variety of
disabilities, from autism, to Tourette’s, to paraplegia to disfigurement. I chose it as a product
to focus on mostly for the autistic aspect. The focus on the daily life, or at least an aspect
thereof, of autistic individuals share heavy parallels with my own potential product. The main
difference being that, instead of focusing on their love life, I will be focusing on their earlier
years and education. As well as how being autistic can affect the way you learn in a
mainstream schooling environment, compared to a more specialized environment, similar to
the emphasis on contrasts shown in The Undateables. The audience appeal comes from
curiosity as to how people with disabilities might have a different daily routine or how they
might cope with physical hindrances that the average viewer doesn’t possess, which is some
of the same appeal I hope to instill in my own project.

8. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched products have?
• The most common feature of my products is they are all documentarian in nature, meaning
that they are all informational or educational in some way. One looks at history, two look at
nature and wildlife and two look at school life in an unusual school or environment. It is these
last two that are the most related to the product I intend to produce. Aside from this, the
products are vastly different in the effects, music, tone and styles they employ, but they are
all a form of Documentary in their own right.
• What aspects of the research will you include within your own production
work?
• I will include aspects from all of these products in my own work; the focus on School life and
the students from Educating Essex and school Life, The overall focus on autism/other
disabilities from the Undateables, The usage of a presenter and exploration of the area in the
Bettany Hughes documentary, The usage of voiceover when observing a natural/unscripted
event from Blue Planet 2, and the usage of cinematically edited music and shots to make the
trailer interesting similar to March of the Penguins. All of these aspects put together should
turn into a solid, interesting and all around well made documentary if employed right and
these inspirations should put me on the track towards that outcome.

9. Questionnaire Analysis

10. Focused Audience research
• Observation:
• This audience member prefers Crime and
lifestyle documentaries around an hour of
length. They are also female, which
means that this product appeals to both
genders.
• What this says about my audience:
• This audience member declined to give
their age, so I cannot analyse that part of
the demographic, however, this does
show there is a demand for lifestyle
documentaries and that documentaries
are still sufficiently popular as a medium.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:
• My product will appeal to this particular
audience because of it’s lifestyle/day to
day observational style. Which this
audience member shows a preference for.
It will also include a mainly voiceover
format, which the audience is also shown
to prefer.

11. Focused Audience research
• Observation:
• This audience member prefers shorter,
more informational documentaries that
get straight to the point of the product.
They’re also male, showing the product
can appeal to both genders.
• What this says about my audience:
• This audience member enjoys short,
snappy documentaries with easy to
follow facts and ideas. Though they have
also highlighted a general indifference to
watching documentaries at all. Showing
that my product will not appeal to every
member of my demographic.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:
• My product will still appeal to this
audience member because of its
shortened length and snappy style, with
short, quickly delivered and easy to
follow facts.

12. Audience research
• Observation: The most common trend in how often documentaries are watched is once or
twice a month, whereas very few people watch them all the time.
• What this says about my audience: Documentaries are not suited to constant viewings, so
the audience will most likely watch those that stand out above the rest in tone,
cinematography, subject and style.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will produce as well made and intruding
documentary as I can, with a lot of effort and thought put into what I include in both the full
length documentary and the trailer. Making the audience more likely to want to see it.

13. Audience research
• Observation: The audience has a
preference for wildlife and historical
documentaries. There is no demand
for an educational or informational
documentary.
• What this says about my audience:
The audience generally prefers
Documentaries that tells them about
the lives of other species, or the day
to day life of civilisations different to
their own.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: my product has an aspect of
history to it: That of the building and
the attitude towards autism over the
years. It also shows the daily life of a
more obscure brand of people. Which
gives it a lot of appeal to this
particular audience.

14. Audience research
• Observation: The general
preference for the length of
documentaries is 31-60
minutes long by quite a large
margin, though there is still a
demand for shorter lengths.
• What this says about my
audience: The audience
prefers longer winded
documentaries, probably so
that they have longer to
absorb the information given,
or so they have more time to
understand the subject.
• How will your product appeal
to this audience: Despite my
Documentaries shorter
length, there is still a demand
for it, and if I format it in a
simple, easy to follow way, I
think the audience that enjoys
longer Documentaries will still
be interested in my product.

15. Audience research
• Observation: A large majority of the
audience would watch a
documentary in their free time.
Though just over a fifth said the
opposite.
• What this says about my audience:
• There is a demand for documentaries
to be watched at the leisure of the
audience.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: If my Documentary is well
shot, edited, styled and thought out.
Then that, combined with the
shorter length, should make it a
more than viable option for people
to watch in their recreational time.

16. Audience research
• Observation: The audience generally
prefers Documentaries with a narrator
rather than a presenter.
• What this says about my audience:
• Audiences would be more receptive to
a documentary that features narration
in a larger capacity than the narrator
appearing onscreen and presenting the
documentary.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:
• I intend to include a blend of both
techniques in my documentary,
therefore satisfying both groups who
have a specific idea of how a
Documentary should be presented.

17. Audience research
• Observation:
• Most of the audience would be
interested in viewing a
Documentary that focused on the
lives of a lesser known people or
civilisation, with only a small
portion that are uninterested.
• What this says about my
audience: Most of my potential
audience would be interested in a
product that gave information on a
civilisation besides their own.
• How will your product appeal to
this audience:
• My documentary will detail the live
and tribulations of autistic
schoolchildren and how their
education differs from mainstream.
Which is information only a small
amount of the audience are likely
to already be privy to, making it
more interesting upon first
viewing.

18. Audience research
• Observation: There is roughly a
60-40 ratio of men and women
who are interested in
documentaries, with the majority
being women.
• What this says about my
audience: Over half of the interest
in my documentary will most likely
originate from a female audience.
• How will your product appeal to
this audience: In order to balance
out the ratio slightly, the focus of
the documentary will be on male
Autistic children, with the female
influences coming mostly from the
staff at the school. This way, there
will be a factor of interest for both
genders

19. Audience research
• Observation: The general
pattern in preferences is a
desire for well researched
documentaries with accurate
facts.
• What this says about my
audience: My audience wants
a factual documentary with
accuracy and knowledge in the
information it delivers.
• How will your product appeal
to this audience: I will make
sure to double check all of the
facts and bits of trivia I include
in my documentary for
maximum accuracy, therefore
appealing the the general
consensus.

20. Audience research
• Observation: There are a wide
range of people of many
different ages that might be
interested in product.
• What this says about my
audience: People from ages
16-50 have the potential to be
interested in my product,
possibly an even wider range
than that.
• How will your product appeal
to this audience: My
documentary will focus on
both the students with autism
and the staff that work with
the students, which means
the focus will not be any any
age group in particular,
therefore making it more
appealing to a broader
spectrum of ages.

21. Interviews

22. Interview 1 (Sam Schoettner, 17, Male)
• 1. What do you think the appeal of documentaries about School life is?
• You get a chance to look into other students lives and see similarities, differences between their
school/ school life and your own and just in general how they might do things in their everyday live
differently (for example homework).
• 2. How do you think a Documentary about an uninteresting subject can be made more
interesting?
• I personally think if the subject you are talking about is well researched and you care about it, it is
hard for it to be boring as if you are interested and show that some of the interest will rub of on the
viewer, even if they don't care for the subject.
• 3. What do you think is a disadvantage of Documentaries?
• I think, if they aren't done well they can become boring very quickly. I watched a documentary
recently that basically kept repeating itself so it could have been 1/4 of the length and given me as
much information. Basically it has to always be moving forward with new information so that there
is constantly something new to be learned this will decrease the chance of the documentary
boring.
• 4. What do you think is an advantage of Documentaries?
• Documentaries are very useful for quickly learning and gaining a basic understanding for whatever
the subject is the documentary is about. This means you could watch a documentary about
something you have never heard of and walk away knowing quite a lot about it. Therefore
documentaries are hugely important to society as a whole as they contribute as a vast source of
information.

23. Interview 1
• Observation:
• The interviewee clearly has a preference for short, well presented
Documentaries that do not tread the same ground or give the same
information over and over again. They also show a preference for more
educational documentaries.
• What this says about my audience:
• This interview shows that males aging from 16-19 have the potential to
enjoy a documentary type project, and therefore puts them in the
demographics.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
• My product will appeal to this audience because it will be short and
snappy in its presentation, only ten minutes at most, and will therefore
not be very repetitive or slow paced in the way it is formatted. Fulfilling
the desire the interviewee has for obscure information and keeping it
direct and to the point, like they are stated to prefer.

24. Interview 2 (Simran Jabbal, 17, Female)
1. What do you think the appeal of documentaries about School life is?
When you watch a documentary about school life you get to see how other students behave. I’ve
seen parts of Educating Yorkshire and you see how different students act in a classroom if they
have disabilities. I find it fascinating how other students react to other students with disabilities.
2. How do you think a Documentary about an uninteresting subject can be made more
interesting?
you could make it more interesting by getting proper researched information about the particular
topic.
3. What do you think is a disadvantage of Documentaries?
Depending on the documentary but they can be boring
4. What do you think is an advantage of Documentaries?
They make people more knowledgeable about the about a certain topic.
5. What do you look for in a documentary?
A good narrator (voiceover) like David Attenbough.

25. Interview 2
• Observation:
• This interviewee has an interest in school based documentaries, as this
was her longest, most detailed answer. Specifically looking at the school
life of differently abled students, like those with physical or mental
disabilities. She also dislikes slower paced, repetitive Documentaries.
• What this says about my audience:
• This interview adds females aged 16-19 to my demographic, which will be
helpful when I am determining my target audience. It also reinforces the
fact that audiences do not enjoy the longer paced documentaries that
emphasize the same point over and over again.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
• My product will appeal to this audience because it will, in fact, be focusing
on the school life of autistic teens and pre teens, making it ideal for this
audiences preferences. I will also be short in length, mitigating their dislike
of long ”Boring” documentaries.

26. Bibliography

27. Bibliography
1. Anon. (2018). Hypodermic needle model. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypodermic_needle_model. Last
accessed 12th April 2018.
2. BBC. (2017). BBC One - Blue Planet 2. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04tjbtx. Last accessed 12th April
2018.
3. Bettany Hughes. (2009). The Roman Invasion of Britain. Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roman_Invasion_of_Britain. Last accessed 11th April 2018.
4. Channel 4. (2011). Educating Essex | Starts 22nd September | Channel 4. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxK3_hihHis. Last accessed 11 April 2018.
5. Channel 4. (2016). TRAILER: The Undateables Series 5 | Catch Up On All 4. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqz8NGcmva4. Last accessed 17th April 2018.
6. ChrisLawes. (2013). Documentaries with good cinematography. Available: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls056730943/. Last
accessed 12th April 2018.
7. Christopher Campbell . (2016). The 20 Best Documentary Trailers of the Last 20 Years. Available: https://nonfics.com/the-
20-best-documentary-trailers-of-the-last-20-years-7078d0b4446a. Last accessed 12th April 2018.
8. Luc Jacquet . (2005). March of the Penguins. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428803/. Last accessed 13th April
2018.
9. Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing. (2017). School Life - Official Trailer . Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_eP39tXW0. Last accessed 12th April 2018.
10. N/A. (2018). The Undateables. Available: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-undateables. Last accessed 17th
April 2018.
11. Rhys Sadler-Scott (2018) Target Audience Research Survey (conducted on 11/4/18)
12. Sam Schoettner (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 13/4/18)
13. Simran Jabbal (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 14/4/18)