This document outlines four potential ideas for a documentary: 1) Video game addiction, 2) Alcohol and its effects, 3) Cyber bullying, and 4) Young carers. For each idea, the document discusses the content, target audience, style, conventions to appeal to the audience, purpose, secondary research ideas, and results from primary research conducted. The common goal across all ideas is to raise awareness about important social issues by educating and informing audiences through interviews, expert opinions, and engaging visual elements in the documentary.

1. Initial Ideas
For Documentary

2. Initial Idea 1- Video Game Addiction
Content
• The documentary will explore the issue of video
game addiction, it will explore individuals who are
addicted to video games and the impact it had on
their lives.
• I will also be interviewing a psychologist, who will
explain the negative implications video game
addiction can have e.g. social learning theory,
physical and psychological issues.
• I will be contacting a professor from the department
of psychology at a university, will try to contact unis
like Kingston and Roehampton
• I will also be interviewing parents who have children
who are addicted to video games.

3. Target Audience
The target audience for this documentary would be predominately parents
as the documentary would inform them of the effects video games can
have on children.
A lot of parents buy their children games which have age restrictions, and
this issue will be highlighted.
Furthermore, I will be interviewing parents who have children who are
addicted to video games and therefore, other parents watching may be
able to relate.
The documentary would also appeal to people who play video games as it
may give them a better understanding of the effects video games can have
and could make them question whether they are addicted and if they play
too much?

4. Mode Of Address/Style
The documentary will be participant led, as I believe this will make the
documentary more easy to understand as it provides clarity to the audience. This
is because the participant is able to introduce the topic to the audience and at the
end able to summaries what has been found.
I would also like the participant to be an adult, as my target audience is parents
and so by having an adult presenting gives credibility to the issue.
In addition, I would like my documentary to be quite traditional and professional,
this way it also adds credibility to the issue and appeals to the target audience of
parents.
At the beginning of the documentary I will include a short montage where I include
all the main key elements from the documentary. This will make the documentary
more interesting and draw the audience in.
I want the presenter to be quite casual, appealing to both audiences.

5. Locations
• Bedrooms- filming individual playing game
• Kitchen/living room- interviewing parents
• Filming in National Media Museum- cutaway
• Interview with psychologist- office location
• Filming at ukie (United Kingdom interactive entertainment industry)

6. Conventions and appeal to target
audience
Cutaways- For example, I will film individuals focusing while playing games, pressing
hard on controller, POV shots while playing games, cutaways of games in a game shop,
possibly media articles on video game addiction. This will appeal to the target audience
as it engages them more as they are not just hearing one person speak throughout,
visuals are also relating to the speech. This makes it more interesting.
Interview- I will be interviewing both individuals who are addicted to video games but
also parents and how they feel about it. This will appeal to the target audience as
parents (target audience) watching may be able to relate to the parents in the
documentary.
Voice-over- voice overs will be heard narrating to the audience what is happening whilst
cutaway footage is seen. This makes the documentary more interesting for the audience
as they are not just seeing someone talking, but whilst someone is heard footage is
seen. Therefore, this engages the audience more.
Expert view- I will have expert view from a psychologist, who will explain the
psychological effects video game addiction can have.

7. Purpose
The purpose of this documentary is about raising the issue of video game
addiction and the effects it has, both psychological and physical. Video game
addiction is hardly spoke about, even though it is a serious issue, for
example, 24 million people in Britain play video games and the majority of
them are addicted. Thus, the purpose of this documentary is to raise
awareness.
This idea is original as although there are many facts and research out there
on video game addiction there is not many documentaries available for
people to watch.
A lot of people don’t want to go and search about the issue, having a
documentary which summaries the key issues is much more convienent.

8. Secondary Research

9. Primary Research
Survey monkey
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KWWJQB3
From analyzing the results from Survey monkey I
found that all 13 individuals aged between 11-17
played video games that were ages 18+.
I also found that, of the 15 individuals I surveyed 5
of them play video gaes for around 4-5 hours
everyday and 3 people even played more than 6
hours, which is a very long time to be playing on
video games in a day.
I also, found that the most popular genre of games
played was ‘shooting games’ followed by sports and
action’
This highlights that a lot of young people play violent
games.
- My findings raises concerns; by playing violent
video games are the youth becoming more violent?
Interviews
In order to gain primary research on this idea I
interviewed a few young people aged between 11-
20 years old.
I asked questions about how much games they play
and if they play games which contain violence and if
they were 18+.
Of all the young people I asked all of them said that
they play games that are over 18. with majority
implying that ‘ games over 18 are so much better’.
Furthermore, violent video games were something
that was played by many and they were attracted to
it, with the most popular being Call of Duty; Modern
Warefare.
I also asked them if I were to make a documentary
on videogame addiction what they would like to see.
Here are some responses I gained:
‘ I didn’t even know you could become addicted to
video games’
‘one that includes facts and statistics’
‘it should include examples of people who are
addicted and what their life is like because of it.

10. Initial Idea 2- Alcohol and its effects
Content
• Within this documentary I will be exploring the
effects alcohol can have on an individual.
• The documentary will be from the perspective
of an ex-alcoholic who will be telling the
audience about their story (brief). But also, be
presenting the documentary.
• I will also be interviewing an alcoholic, who will
describe how they feel being addicted to
alcohol
• I will also be interviewing a doctor who will
describe the effects of drinking excessively

11. Target Audience
• The target audience for this documentary is very broad and it will
appeal to all individuals who drink, so they are aware of the effects
if they drink excessively.
• However, it will predominately appeal to individuals who are on the
verge of becoming alcoholics as the documentary will explain the
effects it has to the body and thus may help them realise they need
to get help and stop drinking.
• Furthermore, a secondary target audience will be people who
haven't drank already.

12. Mode Of Address/ Style
This documentary will be participant led, with the participant being an
ex- alcoholic. The reason for this is that the audience may be able to
relate to the participant, the participant is someone who has
overcome alcohol addiction and therefore, it sends a message to the
audience (other alcoholics) that they can overcome it to.
The documentary will take a quite observational but also educational
style. The ex-alcoholic will explore the life of someone who is
addicted to alcohol and they will be interviewed. It will be educational
as well because I will have expert views from a doctor, who will
explain the effects.
Towards the end of the documentary helplines and advise will be
given, so individuals can seek help

13. Conventions and appeal to target audience
Cutaways- I may use cutaways such as someone drinking, close ups of them
drinking, when I interview I will cutaway to footage related to the speech, this
engages the audience more as they are not just watching someone speak but have
visuals aids as well.// animated images of what happens in the rain when drinking
excessively, whilst voice overs are heard.
Interview- I will be interviewing individuals who suffer from alcohol addiction and
how they feel and how it has affected their lives. I may also interview family
members, so the audience are able to hear from a perspective of a family member.
This appeals to the audience as they will be able to relate to someone who has been
affected by a similar issue.
Voice-over- voice overs will be heard narrating to the audience what is happening
whilst cutaway footage is seen. This makes the documentary more interesting for the
audience as they are not just seeing someone talking, but whilst someone is heard
footage is seen. Therefore, this engages the audience more.
Expert view- I will have expert view from a doctor, who will explain the effects that
excessive alcohol can have, whilst the doctor is speaking I will also have cutaways.
The expert view would appeal to the target audience as it adds credibility to the
documentary, as its from a doctor audience will take on board the effects mentioned
and may re evaluate how much they drink.

14. Purpose
The purpose of this documentary is to raise awareness of the
effects of drinking alcohol excessively.
The main element of the documentary is to show the effects it has
on the body but also allow the audience to hear a perspective
from an alcoholic as well as ex-alcoholic.

15. Secondary Research

16. Primary Research
In order to gain feedback on this issue, I conducted a focus group.
For my focus group I asked participants what they would like to see on
a documentary on alcohol.
Here are some responses I gained
‘I think showing someone who is effected by alcohol is a good idea’
‘having facts would be good as audience may not know the true facts
about alcohol’
‘the idea of interviewing a doctor is quite good it highlights the
seriousness that alcohol can have’
‘I think you should interview family members of the person addicted to
alcohol, to gain their perspective on how they feel and the effect it has
on the family.

17. Initial Idea 3- Cyber Bullying
Content
• This documentary will be about cyber bulling and I will be
exploring the seriousness of cyber bullying and how it
impacts individuals.
• Cyber bullying is an issue within the young community, in
todays day and age, the majority of young people use
technology and thus, cyber bullying is an issue. The majority
of young people do not realise the impact cyber bullying can
have on individuals. It can lead to self harm and even suicide
in some cases, for e.g. A famous case Amanda Todd.
• I will be interviewing people who have been bullied and they
will explain their story. I have contacted ‘ The Cyber smile
foundation’, in order to film someone who is willing to
participate in my documentary.
• In addition to this I will be interviewing experts from this
foundation, who work with the issue of cyber bullying, they
provide expert hep and advice to victims and their families.
• CEOPs
• The Documentary will also explore the consequences of
cyber bullying and I will be contacting the school police, so
that I can interview them.

18. Target Audience
• The primary target audience for my documentary will
be ideally young people, as the issue is more common
and frequent amongst young people.
• However, the secondary target audience will be
parents as it will give them an insight into cyber
bullying and issue they may not know that is common.

19. Mode of address/ style
• This documentary will be educational and informative. Hence it
will be presenter led with the presenterbeing someone with a
basic knowledge into cyber bullying- this is a convention in
documentaries as participants usually have little knowledge
and gain knowledge on the issue throughout the documentary.
This will appeal to the audience further as both the participant
and audience will be gaining knowledge and awareness of
cyber bullying.
• It will be educational as well because I will have expert views
from people who deal with cyber bulling who will explain the
effects. I may try to talk to the school police and see if he has
any opinions on this issue.
• The documentary will also be observational as the participant
will explore the life of someone who has been bullied and they
will be interviewed.
• Towards the end of the documentary helplines and advise will
be given, so individuals can seek help

20. Conventions and appeal to target
audience
• Cutaways- I may use cutaways such as many people walking around in a busy centre
with technology , close ups of people on social media, when I interview I will cutaway to
footage related to the speech, this engages the audience more as they are not just
watching someone speak but have visuals aids as well.
• Interview- I will be interviewing individuals who have suffered from cyber bullying
where they will talk about how they felt and how it has affected their lives. I may also
interview family members, so the audience are able to hear from a perspective of a
family member. This appeals to the audience as they will realise the impact cyber
bulling has on individuals, therefore they will be less inclined to cyber bully themselves.
Also, if individuals who have been cyber bullied are watching they will be able to relate
to someone who has been affected by a similar issue.
• Voice-over- voice overs will be heard narrating to the audience what is happening
whilst cutaway footage is seen. This makes the documentary more interesting for the
audience as they are not just seeing someone talking, but whilst someone is heard
footage is seen. Therefore, this engages the audience more.
• Expert view- I will have expert view from a cyber bullying advisor and police, who will
explain the effects that cyber bulling can have. The police could talk about the
consequences of cyber bullying as many do not know about laws such as the malicious
communications Act. The expert view would appeal to the target audience as it adds
credibility to the documentary, as its from a police, so audience will take on board the
police mention and may realise that cyber bullying is a big issue.

21. purpose
• The purpose of this documentary is to raise awareness
of cyber bullying
• The main element of the documentary is to educate
people about cyber bullying; what it is and involves,
how it impacts individuals, consequences and where
you can get support and help from.

22. Secondary Research

23. Primary Research Questionnaire
I conducted 2 focus groups with different
people, to get their opinions on cyber
bullying and what they would like to see
in a documentary on cyber bullying.
Many people stated that ‘cyber bulling is
very common amongst young people’
because ‘many young people now have
social media sites at a very young age’.
We also discussed that ‘many people are
unaware of the consequences of cyber
bullying’, therefore, participants in the
focus group agreed with me in that I
should include a police explaining the
new laws and consequences in place.
Focus Group
I gave out my questionnaire to 20 people aged
between 13-17.
The results I gained from looking at the results of the
questionnaire was that not a lot of people knew that
cyber bullying is a serious issue and did not know
effects it can have on victims. Furthermore, all of the
responses said they would like to see a documentary
on this topic with a presenter participant, hence if I
take on this idea I will take this on bard.

24. Initial Idea 4- Young Carers
Content
• This documentary will explore the question ‘Who
are young carers’, through exploring the life of
one individual who is a young carer. This
individual was became a carer from a young age
and had no support until her school had found
out after her attendance became very low. Her
teachers then found out and she was bullied for
a while she then contacted an organisation
called ‘action for children’ who helped her
through it.
• The documentary will also include interviews with
members of the organisation ‘action for children’.

25. Target Audience
• As the documentary explores the life of a young carer who was
able to get support through the organisation ‘action for children’,
the target audience will be ideally other young carers, to let
them know that there is help out there. For example statistics
show that 1/3 of young carers in the UK have no support due to
not mentioning that they are a young carer
• However, the target audience for this documentary is broad, it
would appeal to anyone as it gives them an insight into young
carers.

26. Mode of Address/ Style
• This documentary will be observational- in that I will be
filming what the young carer has to do in her daily life
for her mother. Thus, the documentary will focus on
her getting meals ready for her and her mother, giving
her mother medicine on time and putting her mother
into bed etc.
• While showing her daily life, in the documentary she
will be interviewed where she explains her story, of her
bullying and how she feels about young carers.

27. Conventions/appeal to target audience
• Cutaways- For example, I will film a young carer feeding their mother medicine, getting
food ready and generally interesting footage that relates to the speech that is heard. This
will appeal to the target audience as it engages them more as they are not just hearing one
person speak throughout, visuals are also relating to the speech. This makes it more
interesting.
• Interview- I will be interviewing young carers themselves. This will appeal to the target
audience as other young carers (target audience) watching may be able to relate to the
individual in the documentary.
• Voice-over- voice overs will be heard narrating to the audience what is happening whilst
cutaway footage is seen. This makes the documentary more interesting for the audience as
they are not just seeing someone talking, but whilst someone is heard footage is seen.
Therefore, this engages the audience more.
• Expert view- I will have expert view from an individual from the organisation ‘ action for
children’, who will explain what they do and why. This gives credibility to the documentary
as well as potentially helping any young carers watching the documentary.

28. Purpose
• The purpose of this documentary is to highlight the
topic of young carers which is hardly spoken about. I
believe that not enough support is given, it is reported
that young carers usually miss around 50 days of
school a year and are 4x more likely to drop out of
college and university and ¼ of students get bullied in
school.
• Therefore, this documentary is to educate people
about young carers.
• Many young carers get bullied and are not comfortable
about saying that they are a young carer, and so
another purpose is to make individuals who are young
carers to not feel ashamed of what they do.

29. Secondary Research
“We are also aware that some young carers get into trouble at
school because their behavior is misunderstood,” says Morris.
“For instance, they may be late or absent because of what is
going on at home. They may miss homework or a parent might
go into hospital the night before an exam. All this kind of thing
has implications for further and higher education too, as well as
their chances in the job market. It’s great that Lili’s school is
carer aware, but we’d like to see all schools identifying and
supporting young carers to do well.”

30. Primary Research
Interviews
Through interviews with various individuals, they stated that a documentary
on young carers will be very beneficial as ‘its not a topic that is spoken
about’.
When asked about what should be in a documentary on young carers,
people stated
‘showing someone who is a young carer would be good, having footage of
them helping their family member’
‘The young carer could talk about their struggles they through so that the
audience could really understand the reality of being a young carer’
‘definitely include statistics as it makes the documentary more factual and
serious’

31. The length of the documentaries will be around 5-15 minutes. This is
enough time to make an informative documentary on the issue.
The documentary is not a conventional hour long documentary as I want the
documentary to be concise and be a brief over view of the issue.
Length