3. Statistics
• The statistics that I have shown include the age rating of people who go to the gym and the percentage of how many
people in that age range go, as it shows a lot of people aged 18-34 go to the gym which is 30.90% which means that I
would like this project to be aimed at a audience between that age, meaning that this project will be aimed at young
adults.
• The images also show that a lot more people have been going to the gym throughout the years, meaning that a lot more
people will be going now do to certain circumstances such as covid-19 which left a lot of people to be inactive and
unhealthy, which has lead people to work on themselves a lot more and get healthier as they do not want to go back to
how they were while lockdown had occurred.
• “The figures show that two-thirds (64%) of people surveyed say that exercising is a priority for improving their physical and
mental health in the wake of coronavirus – up 6 per cent compared to before the pandemic.”
• This will help with my documentary as it may make my audience want to go to the gym more as they me agree with the
affects that the pandemic had on everyone across the country, making them wanting to be healthier and more active.
4.
5. Statistics
• The statics in the previous slide show what the most common age is for people that have a gym membership in the Uk. It
also shows the percentages of how many times people will work out, how many people work out, how healthy people are
and which gender goes to the gym the most. This helps me as it tells me what age range it aims at, which is young adults
which is who my project will be aimed towards.
• The image shows where in the UK people go to the gym, and it shows that the main areas are in the north of Yorkshire and
also big cities such as London, Blackpool, Liverpool and Manchester. I will be filming my project at a gym located in the
outskirts of Sheffield where I will be able to gain information from the workers, asking questions such as what is the age of
people the mainly go to their gym, the main gender, and also what times are the busiest for people to go. It is shown
through statistics that young adults mainly go to the gym either early in the morning or late at night as they tend to have a
busy schedule throughout the day either that being them going to school (college, university, etc.) or being at work
throughout the day.
• The statistics also show that not many people have enough time in their day to exercise, throughout my project I will be
showing that I go to the gym at different times throughout the day and how busy It is compared to other times, and to
also show that they stay open late for people who do work late and have a busy schedule so that they can go later on at
night time where they are most likely to have spare time to go.
6. Types of documentaries
Bill Nichols is an American film critic and theoretician best known for his pioneering work as founder of the contemporary study of documentary film. His
1991 book, Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary, applied modern film theory to the study of documentary film for the first time.
• Expository Documentaries- An expository documentary is a form of documentary film that claims to give an objective account of people, places, and
events – almost always with the use of spoken narrative. They’re usually quite long. This is due to the amount of time it takes to explain the story the
film is trying to convey to the viewers. They’re also usually very educational in their format and structure. This is because they try to build their
arguments around the information. And finally, they usually use narration to do so.
• Observational Documentaries- Observation documentary is a type of documentary focused on non-interrupted observation of real-life people and events. The
filmmaker follows real-life events and people around without disturbing them. It is often regarded as the middle ground between the poetic mode (which is very
abstract and focused on the feeling) and the expository mode (which is focused on the narrators' specific point of view).
• Poetic Documentaries- Poetic documentary is a subgenre of documentary filmmaking that uses avant-garde techniques to evoke a certain mood or feeling rather
than prove a point through a traditional linear narrative structure. Poetic documentary filmmakers provide the audience with an emotional perspective on a subject
through the use of rhythmic visuals that provide an abstract and subjective interpretation of reality.
• Participatory Documentaries- Participatory documentaries include the filmmaker within the narrative. This inclusion can be as minor as a filmmaker using their
voice to prod their subjects with questions or cues from behind the camera—or as major as a filmmaker directly influencing the actions of the narrative.
• Reflexive Documentaries- The reflexive documentary mode focuses on the relationship between the filmmaker and the audience, pushing viewers to reflect on
their perceptions and re-analyse their notions of truth.
• Performative Documentaries- Performative documentary films focus on the filmmakers' involvement with his or her subject, using his or her personal
experience or relationship with the subject as a jumping-off point for exploring larger, subjective truths about politics, history, or groups of people.
7. What Documentary Style Will I
Use?
• I will be creating a participatory documentary. I will be using this style as it includes the filmmaker throughout the
narrative of the documentary. The documentary I am creating is about me, so I will be shown throughout the
documentary, and carrying on from my personal study project, I will be my own auteur for this piece of work. I will be
using this style as it creates a connection between both myself and my audience as I will be speaking directly towards
them about my own story. I am hoping that this is fun and enjoyable for my audience, and also so they can see the reason
to why I do it and it may inspire them to do something similar.
• The project is based around me so that means I will be shown in all pieces of footage throughout the documentary, unless
I am using other people to film or gain interviews from. When I am creating my interviews and my own pieces of speech
towards the audience I wont be cutting out all of the mistakes as it may create a relationship between myself and the
audience as it will feel like I am having a genuine conversation with them.
• I will be researching exiting products that will inspire me and also include techniques and skills that I would like to
incorporate in my own piece of work.
• I would like to gain facts and statistics to use throughout the piece of work to have the factual and educational side to the
documentary, instead of just having footage of me working out and talking to the audience.
8. Participatory Documentary
• Participatory documentary itself is a form of film production that directly involves people and communities in a collaborative and
inclusive filmmaking process. The process of producing the film provides a platform which brings people together to explore
issues, voice concerns, listen to and tell stories. It is about designing a storytelling process that honours and reflects the voices and
leadership of people impacted by an event or ongoing situation. The person filming the documentary is talking directly to the subject. The
filmmaker interacts with, rather than observes, the subjects.
• Participatory documentaries are defined by the interaction between the subject and the filmmaker. The cinematographer must capture both
the subject and the interviewer as he is the interviewee (meaning they will mainly be recording themselves and talking towards their
audience throughout the whole project). These interactions will often support the filmmaker's point of view or prove the film's intent.
• Participatory documentaries often present the filmmaker's version of the truth by focusing on direct engagement with subjects and capturing
their reactions and how they feel about the topic they have researched and are talking about. This could be the interviewee just talking
towards their audience or it could also include some footage of themselves talking about the topic or showing different aspects of their topic
towards their audience. Often this is also investigative filmmaking where a question is asked or a controversial topic is explored and the
filmmaker is showing the audience the filmmaking process of their subject. The filmmaker can become an integral part of the film.
• Participatory documentaries can be done by the filmmaker or director following their subject around and asking questions, a technique often
employed by Louis Theroux. The filmmaker does not influence the subject but will attempt to subjectively engage with their subject despite
their personal beliefs.
Examples of participatory documentaries:
• Examples:
Icarus (2017) directed by Bryan Fogel
• Louis Theroux: The City Addicted to Crystal Meth (2009) directed by Louis Theroux
• Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992) directed by Nick Broomfield
• Bowling for Columbine (2002) directed by Michael Moore
9. How this will help me
• These techniques will help me as I an wanting to talk one to one with my audience and
connect with them through doing that. I like the effect it will have as I will be able to
interact with my audience a lot more as it will give the effect that I am talking directly
to them, instead of a large audience, this may help my audience to connect with myself
and the topic I have chosen for this project. ‘The person filming the documentary is
talking directly to the subject. The filmmaker interacts with, rather than observes, the
subjects.’ this is what I will be incorporating throughout the project itself, but I will also
be using my own voice overs when I will be showing footage of the activities I am doing
for the topic I have chosen. I will be the main interviewee/character for my project, but
I may also include other people to interview, to give their opinion on the topic I have
chosen, and any knowledge they have about it that could inspire or could be helpful for
the project, but also interesting and enjoyable for my audience. When I'm being
interviewed I would like to be asking myself the questions instead of someone else, as
that is commonly used for this style of documentary as it does tend to create a
stronger bound with the interviewee and their audience. I would like my documentary
to give the effect that me and my audience are very close and that they know me well,
hence why I am using this technique because it allows me to talk to them directly. I will
be gaining research from ‘Icarus’ which is documentary that shows this technique very
well, by talking to the audience and including them throughout, and I will be seeing
what techniques I can gain from it and use in my own piece of work.
10. Icarus
“When Bryan Fogel sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist
transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller involving dirty urine, unexplained death
and Olympic Gold-exposing the biggest scandal in sports history.”
Throughout the documentary, the main person talks towards
the audience at all times, even though he is talking to other
people at the same time. It goes into detail about his whole
journey of doping, it starts of with him using it, how he can
feel the change of him physically while using dope, but it also
shows the troubles of what he had to go through as other
countries found out that that method was used during the
Olympics In Russia, it shows how he was getting scientific
information from a Russian scientist about what the doping
was doing to him and during that time every country found
out that Russia was cheating and it became illegal and they
started killing all the scientists involved, and he himself and his
scientist were getting effected by this so they tried to escape
that loop of murder.
I will be using similar techniques that they used in this piece of work, such as recording myself, others,
gaining footage of interviews and also footage of the activities I film while working out at the gym. Not all
of their filming techniques looked “professional” which I liked, and which is also commonly used in the
style of documentary I will be creating.
This is very helpful as it showed a range of
skills and techniques that I could use
throughout my own project, such as the
transitions that were used throughout,
the angles and shots they got from the
camera. I also liked the interview
techniques they used as they gained
different camera angles and shots, either
using close-ups or medium shots on their
interviewee, which is something I should
consider using for my own work.
11. The City Addicted To Crystal Meth
I like how the main character
gains footage of other people
instead of just themselves.
This documentary piece is a
lot more factual than the one
I have previously analysed.
This will contain a lot more
statistics and logistic methods
for when it comes to working
out.
I enjoy how they clearly show
the different emotions
throughout each piece of
footage. This shows the effect
it can have on your mental
and physical health, all by the
way that they shoot the
footage and the right angles
to use.
I like how this documentary is a lot more factual than the one I have analysed
before. It may be more interesting to certain viewers if it includes a lot of statistics
and research about the topic
12. Endorphins
• “Endorphins are hormones that are released when your body feels pain or stress. They are
produced in your brain and act as messengers in your body. Endorphins are produced to help
relieve pain, reduce stress and improve mood.”
• When your endorphins are low you may suffer from depression, anxiety, body pains, addiction,
sleep issues and impulsive actions, this may happen to the lack of dopamine that endorphins
produce and this can cause people to act upon these feelings by using self-harm and exercise
addiction to deal with stress and anxiety. Endorphins and dopamine are both chemicals in your
body that make you happy, but they function in different ways. Endorphins relieve pain naturally.
When they attach to your brain’s reward centres, dopamine is then released. For example,
endorphins will naturally help soothe a runner’s achy muscles. Then dopamine will be released,
producing a runner’s high. Dopamine motivates you to do something over and over again. So
endorphins and dopamine do work together. Endorphins and serotonin are both chemicals in your
body that make you happy, but they function in different ways. Serotonin helps stabilize your mood
and well-being. It helps other systems in your body function as well. Endorphins are focused on
pain relief and stress relief.
• “Serotonin is a chemical that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and throughout
your body. Serotonin plays a key role in such body functions as mood, sleep, digestion, nausea,
wound healing, bone health, blood clotting and sexual desire.”
13. Mental health (depression, anxiety, stress)
• “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think,
feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy
choices.”
• Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life,
realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral
component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make
decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right.
And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.
• Sertraline is a type of antidepressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It's often
used to treat depression, and also sometimes panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder
(OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sertraline works by increasing the levels of a
mood-enhancing chemical called serotonin in your brain. It helps many people recover from
depression, and has fewer unwanted side effects than older antidepressants.
• Depression is a feeling of low mood that lasts for a long time and affects your everyday life. It can
make you feel hopeless, despairing, guilty, worthless, unmotivated and exhausted. It can affect your
self-esteem, sleep, appetite, sex drive and your physical health.
14. What my document is …
• My document is a YouTube styled video, with pieces containing information about myself and what I have
gone through with my mental health and including facts and footage about the gym and how it has
impacted on how I cope with my problems and struggles. I intend not to make it like a conventional
documentary as I would like to be more one on one with my audience, as if I am only talking to them and
not a group of people, this will make it more relatable and understanding for my audience. I want this piece
of work to be enjoyable and educational not only for my audience but also for myself and others who truly
relate to the topics shown. This piece of work is intentionally made to show that I am happy and better then
what I was before, it is also to show to my audience that if you keep trying you will eventually reach your
goals and you will be happy with yourself in the long run.
15. Techniques
• I will use a range of camera techniques, such as different shots and angles throughout the project with a
variety of pieces of footage I will be creating. I will also be recording audio alongside the footage I will be
recording, this is to make sure that the audio will sound clearer than what it would from the cameras source,
I will also be including backing music to use throughout the whole piece of work, this will show to my
audience the theme of the video which will be happy and joyful, while having a fun and creative side too it. I
will also be using a range of interview techniques, such as asking personal questions and also factual
questions which may either be about the gym or mental health, I will also try to incorporate different
camera angles so I can cut between different shots, this will give it more of a professional look, and may be
more interesting for my audience. I will also be using a range of editing techniques such as transitions, jump
cuts, cutaways, etc. this will be effective and will show a range of skills to my audience, it is also a way of
including more footage into my piece of work as I can include short pieces of footage such as B-roll between
gaps in my work.
