q1

1. IN WHAT WAYS DOESYOUR MEDIA
PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE
FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL
MEDIA PRODUCTS?
Kate Pownall

2. Print Advert- Codes & Conventions
• The Channel 4 logo is always used, and is always positioned in the middle on the right hand side.
• The name of the programme is always featured on the advert.
• The scheduling of the programme: the date and time, is always featured, usually below the other text on
the page.
• Sometimes there is a strapline or slogan that catches attention.
• There is a block of colour around the text that makes it stand out from the page.
• The font of the text is simple and easy to read.
• Sometimes there is a link to the website.
• The information is clear.
• There is always one simple, eye catching and striking image that is shocking or funny, and is relevant to
the topic of the documentary.There is usually a lack of manipulation of the image.
• The Channel 4 logo is always in a colour block.

3. Channel 4 logo
positioned in the
middle on the
right hand side.
Name of
documentary
featured on
the advert.
Slogan and
scheduling featured
on the advert.
Information in clear
white text on a black
background to make
it stand out.
Slogan is short and catchy, positioned at
the top of the page to be eye-catching,
links to the theme of the documentary.
Image is striking and eye catching, links
to the theme of the documentary.
Image is strange and
amusing, which tells the
audience that the
documentary will be
light hearted and
upbeat.

4. • In both adverts the Channel 4 logo is
positioned in the middle on the left
hand side.
• In both adverts the writing is in white
text that stands out against the block
background.
• In both adverts the image used is eye
catching and makes people want to
find out more.
• In both adverts the scheduling is clear
and easy to see.
• The image used in the professional advert
looks more edited, and is in darker lighting
than our advert because it is portraying a
more serious issue.
• In the professional advert, there is a link to
the Channel 4 website, however, we didn’t
include this as not all adverts have them.
• There is no strapline in this advert, whereas
we have included a strapline in our advert.

5. Radio Advert- Codes & Conventions
• There is continuous speaking or sound throughout the advert.
• There is a use of sound effects or background noises.
• There is a voiceover that speaks in Standard English that gives relevant information and
facts.
• There is a voiceover at the end of the advert that gives the scheduling times, and the
channel is always the last thing we hear.
• The tone of the advert reflects the light-heartedness or seriousness of the documentary.
• The same advert is normally used for radio andTV.
• There are sometimes things from the documentary used, such as clips from interviews.

6. There is music throughout the advert, which
makes it appealing to listen to.
The music is upbeat,
and the narrator
sounds friendly,
reflecting the light
hearted feeling of the
documentary itself.
The scheduling
of the
documentary is
spoken at the
end of the
advert.
Although the last thing the narrator
says is the channel, the last thing the
audience hears is the singer saying “I
want candy”, meaning that the song
will stay in their head and entice them
to watch.
The narrator speaks in
Standard English and
gives facts relating to
the documentary.
We included clips from the
documentary, such as voxpops
and interviews, which will give
the audience an insight into the
documentary and make them
want to find out more.
The narrator
speaks in a
clear voice that
is easy to
understand.
Most radio adverts
are used for
television as well,
however we have
created this advert
specifically for
radio.

7. The second audio channel
is where the background
music has gone.
We adjusted the
volume to make it
quieter so the narrator
can be heard.
We have edited the
music so it is only
instrumental, apart
from the last part.
The video channel is
where the print
advert goes.
The first audio channel is
where the voiceover and
clips from the
documentary go.
We have deleted the video
from the clips, so we just
hear the audio, as this
advert is just for radio.
We have adjusted
the volume so it can
be clearly heard over
the music.

8. Our documentary conforms to conventions of professional
documentaries in many ways. According to John Corner, the five key
elements of documentaries are:
Observational
footage
Interviews
Mise en scene
Dramatization Exposition
We have used all of these except dramatization. We haven’t used
any dramatic reconstructions in our documentary, which challenges
convention, however, this is because it wouldn’t make sense to
include it in our documentary as the topic we are exploring doesn’t
require it.

9. Interviews
• We have used the rule of thirds, a conventional
feature of interviews where the interviewee is
positioned to one side of the screen.
• The interviews are all shot in medium close up
and are at eye level, with the interviewee
looking at the interviewer off screen.
• We edited out the questions in the interviews, and the
jump cuts resulting from this are covered by cutaways
that are relevant to what the interviewee is talking
about.
• We have used relevant mise en scene in interviews
such as the Mr Simms workers and the Fairtrade
employee, however, in the interview with a diabetic
and some of the voxpops we have just a plain white
background which isn’t relevant to the topic.

10. Screenshot from our documentary. Screenshot from a professional documentary.
We have framed our interview
using the rule of thirds, which is
a convention of documentaries.
Like in the professional
documentary, we have used
graphics to show the
interviewee’s name and
relevance to the topic.
We have used relevant mise
en scene; we filmed the
interview in front of jars of
sweets and chocolates.
Similarly, this professional
interview was filmed in front
of clothes, which relates to
the interviewee’s role.
Like professional interviews,
we shot ours in medium close
up at eye level, with the
interviewee looking at the
interviewer off screen.

11. Observational footage
• We have used a montage of observational
footage of people eating chocolate as the
opening titles of the documentary.This
introduces and conveys the theme of the
documentary.
• We have used lots of observational footage
as cutaways during interviews, which give
the interview meaning, or montages when
the narrator is speaking.Conventionally,
during this footage nobody acknowledges
the camera.
• We have used a variety of different camera
techniques, such as pans and tilts, to keep
the documentary visually interesting.
• We filmed all of our footage using a tripod, so
none of it was handheld. We didn’t use
handheld camerawork because there wasn’t
really any points in the documentary where
there needed to be realism.
• We have used establishing shots when
introducing new locations.

12. Editing
• The pace of the documentary is normally quite slow, apart from when there are
voxpops, or the opening montage at the beginning.
• The fast paced editing keeps the documentary visually interesting and exciting.
• Sudden changes in pace can keep the audience interested in the documentary.

13. Sound
• The documentary uses both diegetic and non-diegetic sound.The non-diegetic
sound comes from background music and narration, while the diegetic sound
comes from interviews.
• The music we used is relevant to the topic of the documentary, as it is called ‘I
Want Candy’, which relates to the theme of chocolate.
• The volume of music is faded out at the end of the opening titles, and is quietly
played beneath the voiceover.
• The narration used isVoice of God. It is a female speaking in Standard English,
who gives facts and information and links sections of the documentary together,
such as when she introduces the Fairtrade section.
• The narrator also conveys the exposition, which is that chocolate is one of the
most popular and most loved foods around the world.

14. Archive Footage
• We have used archive footage as cutaways in interviews, which is conventional.
Archive footage from the film ‘Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory’, used as a cutaway
in the interview with the old man.
We have used archive photos of Fairtrade
workers as cutaways in the interview with
the Fairtrade worker.

15. Narrative Structure
• The topic of our documentary is chocolate, and it is single-stranded because this is
the only topic talked about.
• It is open, as questions are left unanswered and the future of chocolate is still
ongoing.
• Our structure is non-linear as it doesn’t follow a chronological timeline; we start in
the present, and have a small segment with an old man talked about chocolate in
the past, and the future isn’t talked about in the documentary.