Evaluation; Question 1.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?Before planning and creating my finished product, I made sure I understood the most commonly used codes and conventions of real media products such as documentaries, radio adverts and print adverts. Therefore I was able to know what elements to include to appeal to the audience as certain elements will be familiar to them and/or will capture their attention.

From earlier research, John Corner, who was a documentary maker stated his believes that there at 5 different elements that make a documentary; observation, interviews, dramatisation, mise en scene and disposition.

How my documentary ‘Britain’s Butties’ uses, develops or

challenges froms and conventions of real media products.

The Documentary

The opening sequence of the documentary conforms with real media documentaries as it really relates to the topic and is intriguing because I did it in the form of a stop motion. The opening title of the documentary is obvious to the audience on the sequence and is to allow the audience to understand what the documentary will be addressing. The whole sequence here is accompanies by the typical British soundtrack, reinforces the title of ‘Britain’s Butties’.

The introduction to the documentary is to allow the audience to understand areas of deeper topics that will be explored throughout the documentary. My documentary conformingly does this through using a montage of clips related to sandwiches, accompanied by a voice over explaining sandwiches in Britain. This entertains the audience as they listen to the information being spoken. In the voice over, statistics are used to reinforce the argument to the audience .

The Documentary

There is a montage of short clips stating interviewee’s favoured sandwiches. These all conform with typical codes and conventions of real documentaries.

Mise en scene is used, as in the background of the interviewees there is a sandwich related image/objects, which also entertains the audience.

In a few of the interviews, I have used the effect of the green screen. This draws the audience’s attention as it is different.

We interviewed experts such as workers in sandwich stores, as well as managers. This is an important convention as the information from these people will be what the audience really listens to because it is coming from a person who is higher up and more knowledgeable on the topic. The camera angles used in all interviews are medium shots.

This is an almost always used convention in documentaries, which I found out during the research and planning stage.

The other type of shot used in real documentaries can sometimes be a medium close up. My documentary does not use this shot often, which is an area that I have not conformed to the codes and conventions.

The Documentary

Graphics such as; titles of interviewees are important as they inform the audience of who is speaking and what their knowledge of sandwiches comes from, from their job title beneath. In my documentary, these conform with the typical codes and conventions of real documentaries because all real documentaries use these as they are vital.

Archive footage is more than often used in real documentaries. In the forms of live footage, commercials and images. My documentary conforms to this.

Archive footage from the Meatloaf documentary

Archive footage from my documentary – commercial.

The Documentary

Reconstructions are used to give the audience visual clips of relations to the topic, it also keeps the engaged and interested in what’s going on. My documentary conformed to this as we recorded a reconstruction of someone purchasing a subway.

Sound Non-diegetic sound in documentaries are the background music (usually fast to keep the audience focused and entertained by the documentary), in ours we used the ‘sandwich’ song as it clearly relates to our documentary. This challenges conventions of real media as it isn’t as common to use background music that has lyrics because it’s usually instrumental music so that the audience only focus’ on what is being said on the documentary. The voice over which is commonly called ‘the voice of god’ because the manor that the information is spoken in, makes the audience believe what he/she is saying.

Diegetic sound in documentaries are typically the interviews, archive footage, and voxpops.

Voxpops are included in documentaries to add extra opinions which the audience watching may consider themselves. It also makes the documentary more interesting and most documentaries have voxpops.

The Documentary

Cut-aways are vital for documentaries. From documentaries I researched, I’ve found that it gives good, clear visuals for the audience and keeps them intrigued. It’s a different form of information for them, instead of just speaking all the time. Cut-aways also give short, relatable clips to accompany the words of an interviewee or voxpop.

In my documentary, I used a range of shots from my cut-aways; Zoom – is effective as it adds a little bit of interest to the topic. Point of view shot – is very effective as it is able to involve the audience by making them feel part of the documentary, making them quite entertained and engaged to the program. Panning shot – this effect gives the audience a full view, adding interest to it. Close up – this gives a kind of focus for the audience, on the object they are being shown in a close up. Over shoulder shot – this also makes the audience feel part of the documentary, giving it that increasing entertainment.

The Documentary

Medium shot – this gives a general view of what’s going on. And it most commonly found in the interviews.

Rule of thirds is used in the interviews often in documentaries. In documentaries the convention of this is that interviewees were only to be either on the left or the right side of the shot, never in the middle.

Establishing shot – is sometimes used in documentaries, this allows this audience to have an idea about what is going to be talked about next.

Long shot – this gives the audience a longer view than usual, so adds interest due to its creativity.

How my print advert uses, develops or challenges forms and conventions

of real media products.

The Print Advert

Tag line located at the top left, this is the same as most Channel 4 advertisements. Therefore, conforming with real media products.

The Channel 4 logo located at the middle right of the advertisement, conforming with real Channel 4 adverts.

One main image as a close up, dominating the whole advert. This image sums up what the documentary is about, sandwiches and is appetizing to the audience. This camera shot is in the audience’s point of view because it makes them feel more involved and makes the documentary feel more entertaining. I believe it is quite effective, as it anchors meaning and informs the audience.

The title of the documentary has the largest font type to grab the most of the audience’s attention.

Information of the scheduling of the documentary is below the title and has the smallest font type. This conforms with typical Channel 4 adverts.

Banners put behind the title and information which is usually found on Channel 4 adverts.

The font that was decided was the closest to the Channel 4 font found.

Real Media Print Advert

Scheduling time information

Title and information have banners behind them. The title and information are usually found at these specific places, the only this is that sometimes there isn’t a tagline.

One main image that dominates the advert, for the most focus and portrays what the program is about. On this advert, it’s obviously someone looking into a bin and frowning at foxes.

The channel 4 logo located at the middle right of the advert.

Tagline found at the top left of the advert.

How my radio advert uses, develops or challenges forms and

conventions of real media products.

The Radio Advert

Script:

Our nation is built on a good sandwich. In the last year 1.69 billion sandwiches were sold ‘on the go’.

So we decided to put the question to the nation, what is Britain’s best buttie?

-Voxpops of audio clips from the documentary of people saying their favourite sandwich-

Is our beloved lunchtime snack as healthy as we think?

Tune in to Britain’s butties on Channel 4 this Thursday, 8 o’clock.

Don’t be late for the great butty debate.

The Radio Advert

Voice: The voice used on the radio advert is the same voice that we used on the documentaries voice over. This connects the two media products together and when presented, it will be clear that they are from the same campaign. This is an important convention of real media products, making my product more professional and realistic.

Music:The music that is used in the radio advertisement is the same music that is heard during the opening sequence of the documentary. The song we chose is Rule Britannia by James Thomson from 1740. This song relates to our title and is catchy so the audience will remember it. We have used this faintly as the information being spoken on the advert is more important than the music, but the song is still able to be heard.

Voxpops used in the advert:Voxpops are usually used in real media radio adverts. We have used short audio clips of a few voxpops from the documentary of people saying what their favourite sandwich is. This gives the audience a feel of what is included and might intrigue them to watch it. Also, including voxpops make the advert more interesting and creative because if it was just one person speaking through the entire radio advert, it could be quite boring and the audience wouldn’t be as interested in listening to it.

The Radio Advert

Scheduling and Information:In real media products of a radio advert; the title, tagline and scheduling are conventionally at the very end. I have observed this through listening to a few radio adverts and then used this in my own. By including this convention, it makes my overall product seem more realistic as it is following more and more conventions of a real media campaign.

Length:The typical length of a radio advert is, approximately 30 seconds long. Ours reaches this convention of a radio advert with it being 34 seconds long. This conforms with typical radio adverts as it’s within the time range that it’s meant to be.