The document discusses how the media product uses and develops conventions of real documentaries. It begins by researching documentaries on binge drinking to understand typical elements like voxpops and interviews. The documentary is about binge drinking among young adults and includes voxpops, title sequences, and shots that establish settings. To make it appealing to young audiences, it uses visually pleasing shots and upbeat music to create an atmosphere. The documentary develops conventions by using shots and interviews similarly to other works but challenges conventions by not using on-screen presenters and handheld camerawork for a more professional look.

1. Evaluation question 1
In what ways does your media product
use, develop or challenge forms of and
conventions of real media products?

2. • At the beginning of the year we were given a brief – to
create the opening 5 minutes of a documentary on a
topic of our choice. Along with this we were asked to
make a magazine double page spread and radio trailer
to promote and advertise our documentary.
• The first piece of research we carried out was into
existing documentaries on binge drinking and their
typical conventions. We researched what typical
voxpops, expert interviews, voiceover, shot
composition and background footage. Looking at other
documentaries gave us an idea of how to successfully
conform to the codes and conventions of a the
documentary genre.

3. What is the documentary about?
• We decided to make our documentary
about binge drinking among young adults
after considering other topics such as
addiction to shopping and social media.
• We made a mind map of our ideas and
the topics we could explore related to
binge drinking.
• We chose this topic as we thought it
would be interesting to investigate why
young people binge drink – being young
people ourselves and recently turning 18.
• Along side the documentary we made a
radio trailer and magazine double page
spread to advertise it to our target
audience.
• Our target audience is young adults aged
18-24.
• We chose to challenge the
representation of young adults. My
documentary also reinforces
stereotypical ideas of young people can
be naïve and irresponsible especially
when it comes to drinking.

4. Developing forms and conventions of real
media products
• In order to use and develop codes and conventions of real
media products we researched Bill Nichols theory of
documentary modes (2001). This includes expository,
poetic, observational, participatory, reflexive and
performative mode. In reflection of these modes we
decided to make an expository documentary. It follows
conventions such as images illustrating what is being said
by the author. Editing serves to maintain the continuity of
the point we’re trying to get across. The images and text we
use supports what the voiceover is saying and showing the
information as well as speaking it would make the audience
take more notice and remember it. Young people are more
visual and therefore this would be more appealing to the
target audience.

5. • Firstly I did research into existing products and their codes and conventions. I watched both professional
and other students documentaries using some conventions and challenging others. I used aesthetically
pleasing shots for example pouring a shot. I used both these ideas from the student documentary ‘FYI’.
This is pleasing to watch and also emphasies the topic of my documentary.
• I think this makes the documentary look professional and eye catching to the audience. The shot
composition of the establishing shot introducing the location zooms out of the college sign revealing the
building. I also think this is aesthetically pleasing. The colour of the college building against the green
background makes it stand out.
• The shots from the night out that introduces the documentary has no voiceover only upbeat club/dance
music which continues throughout the documentary. This is something young adults can relate to as it
creates the atmosphere of a night club. The pink lighting also emphasises this.
• The students and experts are not directly looking at the camera during interviews and voxpops. This is a
professional element we took from BBC’s ‘Is binge drinking really that bad?’. We also used titles to
introduce the experts in the same font as the documentary title and title for magazine double page. This
effectively links the products and promotes the documentary.
Using forms and conventions

6. Using codes and conventions
• In our observation of different documentaries we discovered voxpops often target
people the issue affected. In Morgan Spurlocks ‘Super Size Me’ his voxpops
involved people who were over weight. This is because the message of the
documentary was aimed at over weight people and the negative effects fatty foods
have on the body. Therefore, I chose to use students and people who would have
to deal/associate with e.g teachers, bar staff in my voxpops as the message of my
documentary is the negative effect binge drinking has on young people. The
people used would have relevant and interesting opinions on this whether is was
the preferred, negotiated or oppositional reading. We told the people involved the
questions before the filming took place which presumably Spurlock did not as the
responses were off the cuff and didn’t look rehearsed. It was hard to achieve the
same effect as the students I asked had some time to prepare an answer. Although
I think we achieved this quite well. We also used elements such as the natural
work environment of the people we interviewed like Spurlock did. The
environments of the interviewees in ‘Super size me’ were messy emphasising the
lack of organisation surrounding the issue. The environments I interviewed
depended on the profession – the barman’s environment was noisy whereas Amy
the biologist was shot in a college lab with pipets and test tubes in shot.

7. Challenging forms and conventions
• Through our research, we watched the documentary ‘Is binge drinking really that
bad?’. Although it was helpful in giving us ideas in what to include such as facts,
figures and questions to ask in the interviews and voxpops, it used 2 onscreen
presenters. We didn’t use an onscreen presenter as we felt a voiceover suited the
target audience better. Using a voiceover allows for more visual shots showing
what the voiceover is saying rather than the presenter standing infront of the
camera. It is a participatory documentary and we decided to make a expository as
it informs the audience on binge drinking and provokes an argument that binge
drinking in young people is a problem. Rather than a presenter showing the
audience how they did the research and following them on this journey to find
out, our documentary informs the audience on information we researched before
hand. We also watched Morgan Spurlocks ‘Super size me’ which is also a
participatory documentary. He uses hand held camera in which we also decided
not to use. Although our documentary has informal elements, a professional
camera looks better. It is quite a one sided argument whereas our documentary
explores the opinions of many different people, including students themselves and
professionals such as teachers, a biologist and a bartender.

8. Developing codes and conventions