1. Question 1 – In what ways does your media product use, develop, challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
For our A2 advanced portfolio we were asked to make the first five minutes of a documentary
of our choosing. We first had to choose our topic and after mind mapping ideas we decided a
documentary based around the violence in video games was a suitable option. This was due
to all members off the group being gamers and therefore already having some prior
knowledge as well as an interest in the topic. We also had to produce some ancillary products
these included a thirty second radio trailer and a double page spread article in a TV listings
magazine.
Documentary
We first carried out research to see what common codes and conventions real media products
used. To do this we watched several documentaries both within our chosen topic and other
documentaries of varying styles and topics. These included ‘Supersize me’, ‘Gimme Shelter’
and ‘Gaming 4 Life’. These documentaries gave us an insight into the camera angles, editing
and pace of documentaries which we would later use, develop and challenge. We first noticed
that most documentaries had a catchy name which directly related to the topic of the
documentary. We decided this would be a good code to follow and decided the name ‘Out of
Controller’. This name was used as a play on words suggesting the games were out of control
by using the word ‘controller’ (a device used to play video games) we related the name to our
documentary. This followed the convention which other documentaries followed such as
‘Supersize Me’ (a documentary about fast food),
however I feel we could have came up with a better
name as some viewers who are not in the target
audience may not establish the connection between the
use of ‘controller’ and video games. Therefore the title
was not effective at grabbing people’s attention which
is a code of titles of a documentary.
According to Bill Nicholls’ theory of Documentary Modes (2001), the most similar mode to
our documentary would be the Expositional mode. Our documentary, like those of the
expository mode, speaks directly to the viewer, through the voiceover, and proposes strong
arguments from both sides, however after our documentary was finished you could argue that
our documentary was slightly opinionated to a negative view of violent video games.
Therefore you could say our documentary did break convention of an expository style
documentary as we tried to enforce a negative opinion upon the viewer where as an
expository documentary tries to give a balanced opinion. We did this as we felt it is important
that the audience can clearly see the negative effects that I could see as we felt it was a
serious topic.
We also decided to broadcast the documentary on Channel 4; this is
due to the fact that our documentary takes a serious tone on a
controversial subject, this is a type of documentary Channel 4 is
known for broadcasting. We also feel that our target audience (young
male adults 15-20) are regular watchers of this channel.
2. Interviews
A common conventions within documentaries is the style of the interviews, this includes both
vox pops (public) interviews and professional interviews. From the documentaries we saw
vox pops are common within all styles and types of documentaries. We therefore felt it was
important to include a range of vox pops within our documentary. Therefore we followed the
code of having lots of vox pops in our documentary. This is because vox pops are an effective
way of showing a public opinion; this was important to us as our documentary based on video
games affects a vast majority of the public. Within our documentary we managed to include
around six or seven vox pops, we therefore feel we used and utilized this common code.
However within a vox pop itself there are many codes and conventions. The first being the
use of a handheld camera; this gives the impression of being in a busy public place further
reflecting upon the idea of vox pops being the public’s opinion. We did not use this code due
to practicality reasons. We wanted to include this convention as we felt it was an effective
way of separating vox pops from professional interviews however our footage when using a
handheld camera was too shaky and made our work look unprofessional. We therefore broke
this common code of vox pops. Another convention of vox pops is the background of where
the vox pop takes place. It is a code of vox pops for them to take place in a public area such
as a high street, canteen or outside a shop. We both broke and developed this convention as
our vox pops took place in a range of areas; this included the college canteen and college
corridors. After viewing the documentary I believe we should have followed this code
entirely as the vox pops taking place in busy public areas such as the canteen looked much
more professional than in empty corridors(these gave the impression of plain white
walls). The vox pops taking place on the plain white walls looked less professional and
therefore following the code would have benefited our overall product. All of our vox pops
also used medium close ups as this followed the codes set out by all of the documentaries we
witnessed. This makes the documentary appear professional by giving high quality visual aid
to the viewer. We also developed on the codes and conventions of vox pops by having small
groups of people be interviewed; we feel this made the documentary more professional as it
still looked of a high quality but helped give the opinion of a wider group of people.
Thisimage displaysone of
several vox popswithin
the documentary.It
Clearydisplaysthe use of
a publicplace as a
backgroundand the use
of a mediumclose up
followingthe conventions
of otherdocumentaries.
Howeverwe usedatripod
breakingthe convention
of handheldfootage.
3. Our documentary also includes several professional interviews. These interviews differ from
vox pops as these give a professional opinion from an expert on the subject rather than the
public. We included around the same amount of expert interviews as vox pops as we
followed the very important convention of contrasting the opinion of the public against the
opinion of the experts. This makes the documentary seem professional as well as give a
balanced argument following the code of exploratory documentaries. We felt it was important
to include several expert interviews as they give a factual basis for the viewer to see. This
makes the documentary seem more believable as experts immediately improve the
believability of the documentary as well as show the seriousness of the subject. One of the
codes we followed within our expert interviews was the camera angles and background. The
expert interviews utilized a medium close up with a professional work place environment and
the expert is always sitting down. This code and convention can clearly be seen in ‘Supersize
Me’. We used this convention as it makes the expert seem more important than the vox pop
interviews separating him/her from the public. It also offers insight into the working
environment of the expert to help show the viewer what the expert does to make him
knowledgeable on the subject. This convention made the documentary appear of a high
quality by separating the experts from the vox pops further allowing a contrast between the
two. Another code of expert interviews was to display their name on screen; we developed
this code by displaying their name and job title. This allowed the viewer to see what
profession the expert had which made him/her an expert. It also makes the expert appear
important as giving him a name/title allows the viewer to take the expert more seriously
making the expert more effective at giving a factual opinion.
As can be seeninthese twoimages(top
image:‘Outof Controller’,(Canviolent
videogamesplayarole in violent
behaviour?)bottomimage:) bothutilize
codesand conventionsof the
documentarygenre.Ascanbe seenboth
are expertinterview,takingplace inthe
expertsworkingenvironmentusinga
mediumclose up.We usedthiscode as it
separatesthe expert’s interviewsfromthe
vox popsallowingfora greatercontrast
betweenthe two. Itcan alsobe seenin
thisimage that we have alsofollowedthe
conventionof displayingthe expertsname
and title.Thisshowsthe expertsauthority
and importance improvingtheiruse asa
factual source.
4. Both types of documentaries also follow codes and conventions. The first being that the
interviewee doesn’t answer questions directly at the camera and instead looks slightly off to
the side. This makes the interview seem more natural and gives a professional feel to the
interview. We followed this code in both vox pops and expert interviews as we felt it was
important to make the documentary appear natural. In all of the interviews we followed the
convention of not having the vocals of the interviewer asking the interviewee the questions.
This is again done to make the documentary appear more natural.
Background Footage
After viewing several documentaries we realised that background and archive footage are
essential to the overall quality and pace of the documentary. We followed the convention of
having all of our background footage filmed on a tripod. This makes the footage look
professional by removing shakes; it also allowed us to include pans, tilts and steady zooms.
This makes the documentary appear to be made of a high quality as all footage seems
professional and keeps the viewer focused and not be distracted by bad footage. We also
broke the convention of poor archive footage by making sure our archive footage was high
quality. In other documentaries we noticed archive footage was often of poor quality such as
containing lots of grain in the footage, this may have been done to separate it from the normal
background footage; however we did not follow this code as good quality archive footage of
video games allowed us to keep our target audience engaged. It also shows the modern HD
quality of video games as reflected by the high quality footage. We also often used
background footage as an establishing shot; this code is used in most documentaries
including ‘Supersize Me’ to visual show the viewer where interviews are taking place. We
followed this code as we also felt it was an effective way of showing the viewer where
certain events are taking place.
As can be seenfromthe image
takenfromOut of Controllerour
intervieweesneveranswered
questionsdirectlytothe camera.
Thisis a commoncode of all
documentarystylesandgenres.
As can be seenfromthissample of
backgroundfootage thatwe usedwithin
our documentary,we followed
conventionbyusingatripodand having
professional,HDqualitysteadyfootage.
Thisappealstoour target audience, as
any poorqualityfootage wouldput
themoff the documentaryastheyhave
grownup watchinghighqualityvideos.
On the rightis a screenshotof
backgroundfootage fromSupersize me
whatalso usesconventionsof steady
camera pans,tiltsect.
5. Editing
The editing of the documentary is a crucial part
of production, as editing can effectively
determine the style pace and format of the
documentary. We edited our documentary within
adobe premiere as this allowed us to freely
control the documentary so we could follow and
break codes and conventions. Our documentary
had a quick and sleek pace throughout the entire five minutes this was done to keep the target
audiences attention as well as giving the documentary a professional feel. This used the code
of the documentaries we watched; the first five minutes of all the documentaries we watched
were fast paced to show the audience what the documentary may include, acting as a preview
to the entire documentary. We followed this code as we felt it allowed us to easily produce a
professional product which would keep our target audiences attention. We did this by using
effects such as wipes as well as quick cutting. Another important code we followed was the
use of onscreen facts and statistics. We added these using a clear and powerful font to grab
the audience’s attention. We followed this convention as we felt it showed factual
information to the audience in an interesting way; it allowed us to give lots of important
statistics in a short time adding to the overall quality of the documentary. Editing was also
used to make the documentary smooth and sleek. This was mainly done by the use of cross
dissolves and fades; this removed the roughness of cuts between each scene/shot. Using fades
is a common convention in all documentaries as it makes the documentary easy to watch by
making the documentary appear professional. We followed this code as if broken it would
take away from the overall quality of the documentary.
As can be seenfromthisscreenshotfromadobe premiere
we usedcross dissolvesbetweenscenestocreate asleek
and smoothdocumentary.Thisalsoimprovedthe pace and
professionalismof the documentaryappealingtoourtarget
audience.
6. Sound
Sound is another important part of any documentary, therefore following and braking specific
codes and conventions is important to produce a professional documentary. We followed the
code of using a voice over within our expository documentary. This was done to directly talk
to the audience in a clear way. We used this code as it allowed us to keep the documentary
balanced as well as easily give the audience specific information in a factual and professional
way. Our voice over also allowed us to give both primary and secondary research this again
allows us to give the audience specific facts and figures. This style of voice over was used in
‘Gamers 4 Life’ and due to both documentaries having the same topic we followed this
convention as we saw it affectively being used to help improve the audiences understanding
of the subject.
The music used in our documentary is also important to the overall quality of the product. We
decided to break convention and loop non-diegetic background music throughout the
documentary; this was not done in documentaries such as ‘Supersize me’ where the music
changed to fit the situation of the video. We broke this convention as we didn’t want to
distract the audience from the important matters of the video and the voice over. We therefore
feel using the same track effectively keeps the audience’s attention on the documentary.
Radio Trailer
Our first ancillary task was to produce a 30-40 second radio trailer advertising the
documentary. Much like the documentary we first carried out research to find common codes
and conventions of radio trailers. We produced the radio trailer in Garageband and Adobe
Premiere as this software allowed us full control over the production of the radio trailer
allowing us to choose which codes and conventions to follow.
The first thing we produced for the radio trailer was the background music, this was done in
Garageband. We followed the code of having simple background music which was quick and
upbeat. This engages the listener but does not distract them from the information within the
radio trailer. Therefore we feel that this effectively acts as an interesting non-diegetic
background music which draws attention to the radio trailer so that the listener will listen for
the entirety of the trailer. We also followed the convention of using music of the same genre
as the music from the documentary; this establishes a brand identity and makes the product
recognisable. This helps promote the documentary which is the purpose of the radio trailer.
However we did brake the convention of using the exact same music as in the documentary.
This is often done to establish a clear link between the two products however we did not do
this as we felt the music in the documentary was not interesting enough to be used in the
radio trailer. This is because it would not engage the listener.
The voice over is another important aspect of the radio trailer. We decided to use the same
voice over as in the documentary; this is due to it being clear and professional. We followed
the convention of using the same voice over as similar to the music it establishes a brand
identity and helps advertise the documentary as well as sound professional. We also
followed the code of having the voice over give important information, this included the time
and date of the documentary. This was done so the audience can clearly hear and understand
where and when to watch the documentary. The voice over also repeated the name of the
documentary several times this was done so the name of the documentary would stick in their
7. head so they would be more likely to remember to watch the show, this code is commonly
used in all radio trailers aiming to promote a product.
The radio trailer also used many quotes and samples from the documentary. This convention
is done to give the audience an idea of what the documentary will include as well as making
the trailer seem professional by using affective advertising techniques. We wanted to follow
this convention as we felt it was needed to show the audience the style of the documentary
and what it may include. We broke convention when it came to using sound effects. In the
trailers we listener to many used lots of sound effects to grab the audience’s attention and to
keep them engaged with exciting noise. However we felt these affects would feel out of place
in our trailer due to the seriousness of the subject. We therefore used the smallest amount of
effects possible while using music and vocals to engage the listener.
Magazine
We also carried out research into existing magazine double page spreads in listings
magazines. This was again done to gain a understanding of common codes and conventions
used to make a double page spread appeal to a target audience.
A common code of a double page spread is to establish a clear house style. We also
established a clear house style be using the same fonts, colours and language style which
would attract our target audience. Using a specific house style makes the magazine appear
more professional and naturally attracts a reader to the page due to it appearing of a high
quality. We used a similar house style in all of our products to attract the same audience to
each media product. Double page spreads often use a entire page for a image; we broke this
convention as we felt that using one image would not reflect the nature of our documentary as
we often gained the opinion of several people never one specific person as we did not use a
presenter. Instead we used two large images which showed the reader different aspects what
are included in the documentary giving the reader a better idea of what our documentary
includes.
We followed the convention of using large quotes which stand out from the rest of the text.
This is done to show the importance of a shocking statement and therefore we felt this was a
appropriate device to shock the reader by highlighting shocking information. We developed
on this convention by also changing the colour of these quotes to further highlight to the
reader the importance of these quotes. We used a blood red colour which directly links to
Thisis a screenshottakenfrom
Garagebandwhichwe usedto
create our soundtrack for the radio
trailer.Thissoftware allowedusto
produce professional musicwe
followedthe code of notdistracting
the listener.
8. violence in video games; when supported with the quote this further shocks the reader
creating an effective promotional device. We followed the code of using simple colours for
the majority of the text. We used whites, blacks and reds. This was done so that the text stood
out and was clear to read making the double page spread look professional and of high
quality. We also followed the layout conventions of existing double page spreads as these
effectively drew attention to the double page spread. This includes the rule of thirds. We used
this as it highlights to the reader important information, this includes the name of the
documentary so they don’t forget what the documentary’s called. The rule of thirds also
allows us to show the most interesting parts of the magazine to the reader first to interest
them in reading the article. This includes titles, images and quotes. Following the layout
convention we also placed small page numbers at the bottom corners of the page giving the
magazine a professional look. Other small devices we followed from the codes of other
magazines included adding credits to photographers, credit to article writer and the name of
the magazine. All of these are small details but we followed this code as it makes the
magazine look like it was produced of a high quality and for a real purpose.
A major convention we followed was the use of bright colours; using bright colours makes
the magazine stand out and grabs the eye of the audience. We therefore effectively used this
to draw their attention to important aspects of the magazine such as the name of the
documentary, and the time and channel the documentary will be on. We highlighted these as
they are important to promote the documentary as the audience needs to know where they can
find the documentary. The bright colours we used were reds as these symbolised the blood,
gore and violence within video games, which is the subject of the documentary. Therefore
this makes the magazine seem professional and directly engage the reader.
Thisis our final magazine double
page spread.Asstatedabove we
have followedandbroke several
conventionstoproduce thisdouble
page spread.We feel ithasthe
effectof attractingour target
audience whilstremaining
professional.We did thisbyusing
codessuch as brightcolours,large
quotesandimages. Thiscreatesa
professionalproduct,which
effectivelyattractsthe target
audience.
Large
Masthead
Bright
Text
Large,
text
wrapped
quotes
Columned
Text
Large
Image
9. Therefore I can conclude that through research and planning I clearly established common
codes and conventions in all three products. We then decided to use, break and develop these
conventions to help make all three products appeal to their target audience whilst remaining
professional. Overall we mainly followed codes and conventions with the documentary being
the most persistent in breaking codes and conventions. However I feel that both breaking and
following specific codes and conventions has allowed me to produce products which
effectively for fill their purpose.
