The document discusses how a media product, a documentary, uses, develops, and challenges conventions of real documentaries. It follows conventions such as introducing interviewees with names and titles, using voiceovers, and including facts and figures. However, it challenges conventions by not having questions in interviews, starting the voiceover after the title sequence rather than at the beginning, and using a unique title sequence featuring scrabble pieces. The documentary also uses techniques such as home videos and abstract openings in ways not seen in other similar documentaries.

1. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms of real media products?
PAIGE COLES

2. Interviews
Super-size me
My Documentary
In my documentary, we very much followed the codes and conventions of a professional interview, as shown in
the ‘Super-size me’ example. On of the ways we were influenced by the appearance of this interview was the way
the professional was introduced. In supersize me, the interviewee was given a title which included the name of
the person and their profession in the field. Similarly, we mirrored this in our documentary by giving the name
of the interviewee followed by their job title. Also, the positioning of the text is down to the left-hand side of the
shot so it is made more clear. In the real documentary example, the interviewee is positioned on the right of the
shot, looking over to the left side. We used the same technique in out documentary to make it come across as
professional. However, I believe that we challenged the specific camera position of this shot as the camera is
positioned as a close-up in Supersize me. We used a medium close up shot in our documentary to show more of
the setting we had positioned out professional in. In our example documentary, the interviewee talks freely
about the subject as does out professional in out interviewee. Therefore, we challenged the codes and
conventions of other documentaries by not having questions and answers in the interview.

3. Voice over
In similar documentaries to my own (e.g Video Game Invasion) there are on
screen narrators. In video game invasion, the on screen presenter is Tony Hawk, a
professional skate boarder and game enthusiast. We decided to go against this
code and convention and just used a voice over in our creation. In most
documentaries aimed at out specific audience, there is usually an on screen
presenter. We challenged the usual code and convention to stand out from the
other documentaries. The voiceover in this documentary is over the music on the
shots. This makes the documentary flow better. We were influenced by this
feature and used the technique in our own documentary. I believe we challenged
the codes and conventions of ‘Video game invasion’ as our voiceover starts after
the title sequence. However, in their documentary, the voiceover starts as soon as
the documentary begins. We chose to do ours this way as we used footage and
loud, dramatic music to build suspense and draw the audience in.

4. Fact and Figures
My Documentary
Super-size me
In super-size me, as the narrator is speaking, he gives important facts relating to the
topic of the documentary. They also sometimes appear on the screen to make a
bigger impact on the viewer. In my documentary, I follow this technique by
displaying the facts and figures, and at the same time, having the narrator read
them out. This is effective and the viewer receives the information visually and via
auditory. The facts and figures are places on top of relevant stock footage. For
example, in the super-size me print screen, you can see that the stock footage is
relevant to the topic as it’s a shot of an over weight family. Similarly, we have
recreated this in out own creation by putting the figures on top of a shot of the shop
‘Game’ as this is a main seller of the violent video games.

5. Vox pops
My Documentary
Super- Size me
Vox pops are an important dimension of documentaries as it is a
representation of the general public’s view on the topic. In the supersize me documentary, a lot of vox pops are included to gain views of
the topic. A lot of the vox pops seem to be conducted in the same
environment. In the example documentary, the vox pops take place in
the street, where all the popular fast foods joints are located. In our
documentary, we visited a college who’s students’ ages range from 1618 years. Therefore, the information we gathered is relatable to the
target audience.

6. Title Sequence
As a team, we believe that our title sequence challenged codes + conventions
of other documentaries’ titles. This is due to the fact that we have never seen a
title sequence like this before and it was created completely from scratch.
Also, the hidden message in our title sequence makes it unique. Scrabble is an
old game, played way before the technologies of video games appeared. By
using the scrabble pieces for the title sequence, we are contrasting the old,
more peaceful games, with the new high tech and violent games. We chose to
do this to be different and stand out from other similar documentaries.

7. Home Video
In our documentary, we decided to use a ‘home video’ technique. We
used this because it was relevant to the topic we addressed. It showed
a gamer playing a violent video game and how he confessed it made
him ‘angry’ by playing it. We didn’t come across any home videos in
similar documentaries. However, on ‘super-size me’, the whole
documentary revolves around the fact it is a home video. We used this
technique as it made our documentary unique and different from
other similar documentaries.
Our Documentary
Super – size me

8. Radio trailer
Followed codes + conventions:
Voice over:
we used a voice over in our radio trailer to give further information on the documentary, mainly of when it’s on and the title
of the program.
Music:
The music of the documentary is dramatic and attention grabbing. This is similar to other radio trailers and the music needs
to be the music needs to be the music attention grabbing as there is no visual information.
Time/Date it will be aired:
The time and date the documentary will be aired is always included on a radio trailer. The viewer then knows exactly when
they can watch the program of the radio trailer they have just listened to, to gain more information on the topic.
Documentary length:
The average length of a radio trailer is around 3o seconds long. This is the length of our documentary. We have chosen to
follow this code and convention as we want the radio trailer to be accepted by the specific radio station we would want to air
it on and not take up too much time of their advertising space. There is a higher chance of us getting a slot if it is shorter.
Challenged codes + conventions:
Abstract introduction:
The opening scene of our documentary is very abstract and nothing like any other opening scene we have come across. We
challenged the usually codes and conventions of the start of a radio trailer as we believed it would add difference to our
trailer and there fore make it stand out from other trailers being aired around the same time as ours.

9. Magazine DPS
Followed codes + conventions:
Article:
The article is all about how the producers (us) investigated the issue of violent video games and who we interviewed and
why. This follows codes and conventions of other advertising DPS’s as most of them give the reader the same type of
information about the documentary. We chose to follow this as we found that, by telling the reader why we went on this
‘quest’ and who we interviewed about it, it would encourage the reader to watch the documentary.
Large image:
The large image used on the dps is a main code and convention of many magazine articles. It is the feature which draws the
viewer into the article. The main image in our DPS is of a character from ‘GTA 5’. The teenagers who have played this game
will then recognise this image and want to read about why this image is placed to largely in the magazine.
Images from the Documentary:
Most of the images used on the documentary are ones screen-shot from our documentary. This technique is used in many
documentaries’ DPS articles as it gives a sneak peak into what has been filmed on the documentary.