a2 Media studies work

2. Breadline Kids is a mixed documentary as it
contains a variety of content in different forms.
The documentary follows families who are
struggling in relative poverty and the issues this
causes, especially for children, interviewing
these families and observing how they live.
There is a narrators voice running over the
majority of the documentary which has a soft,
empathetic voice, eliciting pathos from the
audience, so the documentary is as hard hitting
as intended to send a message. Facts and
statistics as well as achieve material are used
throughout.

3. This documentary has many themes. These include:
Poverty/Food Poverty- which is the main focus of
the documentary.
Food Banks- and the options of help that are
available to people in poverty
Family- We see how family units stick together
through difficult times and share the issues in an
attempt to make the situation better- We also so
what a parent is willing to do to make things better.
Children- The documentaries allows us to see the
childs perspective on there situation
Illness- This is also a theme in the documentary

4. The narrative structure of this documentary is a single stranded narrative that follows the
lives the 4 families and how they change in the duration of filming.
Beginning Middle End
The start of the documentary
introduces the families it will follow for
its duration and the struggles which
they face on a daily basis. It also
educates us on the reality of poverty in
Britain and how serious the problem
really is.
In the middle of the documentary we
see, in depth, the problems that the
families are facing and the attempt to
solve these problems. The
documentary enlightens us on the
sacrifices that both the adults and
children are forced to make and how
these can affect us dramatically. For
example- one parent doesn’t eat atall
in order to feed his children.
The end of the documentary is an open
narrative where we see the families
learning to cope with their situations
and adapt. We see the families moving
forward and moving on as their
situations improve and they receive
help however the documentary does
not end on a complete conclusion.

5. In Plus Sized Wars, fixed camera is used during
interviews which captures the head and
shoulders of the interviewees and their
surroundings- which reflect the theme of the
documentary, placing these people in their
environments and emphasising the reality of
relative poverty. Handheld camera is utilised
throughout which defies the intrusive nature of
documentary, instead putting us in their shoes.
The documentary relies on observational
footage and the use of panning shots and long
shots is prevalent throughout.

6. Mise-en-scène is the design aspects of a film
production and means ‘Visual Themes’. In ‘Breadline
Kids’ we see the people in their own environments,
placing them and giving us an insight into the way
they live. This puts us in an empathetic position and
elicits pathos. In the footage, the houses tend to be
dimly lit and basic. Also, the observational footage
outside the home gives a clear suggestion on where
these people might live and the lifestyle. The footage
in food banks and help centres shows us places we
may not have initially seen and what help is available.
There is also footage in the hospital, to highlight the
reality of life for one family featured.

7. Sound in this documentary is relevant to the situations
portrayed. There is sad slow music in the background which is
empathetic and creates an atmosphere of tension. There is
footage of one girl featured singing and this diegetic sound is
also sad and hard-hitting and emphasises the innocence of
children. Natural sound is present in interviews- for example:
the washing machine, and this highlights the normality of life
and how these people are the same is everyone else. There is
a well softly spoken voice over who is empathetic rather then
authorities and there is also voice over by the participants
over the observational footage.