Evaluation Q1-A2 Media
- 1. Q1. In what way does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Evaluation
- 2. Preliminary Work on Documentary • Before constructing my media product, I conducted research into a number of existing documentary products in order to analyze the various codes and conventions used within the genre. • I analyzed a range of documentary types and styles in order to see how different forms are expressed in relation to the subject matter. This included the texts Blackfish (2013), Coffee Shop Hot Shots (2010), Spellbound, Triumph Des Willens and Sydney 2000 Official Olympic film. • Across all of these documentaries I observed a number of common themes: • Montage elements used to support narrative ideas/themes. • Use of interviews to provide information to audience • Semiology conveyed through cinematography and iconography • Actuality footage to support particular viewpoint • Expressive sue of quick cut editing combined with technical sequences to express idea (e.g. time lapses, animations, facts)
- 3. Sports Documentary • I used what I learnt from my research into real media texts in order to influence the construction of my work. • I wanted to make a documentary that explored the issues surrounding the effects of sport on society. This developed to have a focus on drug abuse and discrimination on sport, as well discussing the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics. • As I was presenting particular viewpoints, I felt as if the film adopted the Expository mode, as well as blurring with the Reflexive mode, as I attempted to make people reflect on the issues that sport presents. • The piece was inspired by similar sports documentaries such as Venus and Serena, as well the pre-existing fascination of sport within British society. It was also inspired by cutting edge films like Coffee Shop Hotshots, which explores the effects of various entities on society in a similar way. As I have progressed through the course from AS to A2, I have felt as if my capacity to use research in my creative ways to influence my products has developed. I have been able to manipulate and subvert conventions/ideas to express various viewpoints. For example:
- 4. • One thing that was difficult when constructing my product is that are very few films that address the whole issue of sport and society; there are many that focus on just single athletes or events/scandals, but none that look to combine both. Therefore, I had to adapt the conventions of different documentaries to combine these themes in a way that expressed my ideas. • For example, to satisfy my audiences needs for high octane sports drama and spectacle, I had to use conventions form films such as Venus and Serena and Sydney 2000 Official Olympic Film. • In order to present ideas of the sensitive themes of drug abuse and discrimination, I had to adapt conventions from the film Blackfish. Then, to link these issues with society, I had to adopt conventions from Coffee Shop Hotshots. As a media producer, I felt as if my ability to adopt and manipulate certain conventions improved dramatically rather than just copying them, thus resulting in an original, creative product, rather than just something generic.
- 5. Narrative: Use of Interviews Within my product, I used a conventional, static interviews style when addressing experts by implementing a midshot/close up in order to interpellate the audience, as if they were listening to a conversation. I avoided direct mode of address, as this could have been seen as overpowering and to direct for the audience, as if trying to enforce a point of view. I used the content of these interviews in order to construct a narrative within the piece; this emphasised the idea of sport being an integral part of all our lives, in conjunction with the title We Are Sport. This subverted the common conventions of using the Voice of God, as I felt as this would be too imposing, as if injecting information into the audience (Effects model). Instead, the audience is left to make their own interpretation (Stuart Halls Audience Encoding/Decoding.
- 6. This followed similar conventions to the documentary Blackfish, where a similar narrative is constructed using synchronous audio form interviews in order to build an argument against animal captivity. • Whilst adopting a similar style, I feel as if my product does not adopt such a persuasive tone as seen in Blackfish, as those being interviewed are very adamant in their opinions. I feel as if the presentation of idea via interviews within We Are Sport instead entitles the audience to build their own opinions, or rather just become better informed. • However, the selective editing of narration and the specific idea addressed could be interpreted as a preferred reading, stating that “doping and discrimination in sport is wrong”. This therefore supports the idea of an expository documentary. . Such a style subverts the conventions seen in Coffee Shop Hotshots, where interviews are active and are introduced by the a Voice of God narrator. However, a similar narrative is also seen in Spellbound, in order to stress how the subjects are normal people, just like the audience watching
- 7. Narrative Structure My documentary could be seen as following Todorov 5-part narrative structure; The positive, reflective opening sequence (connoted by the upbeat music) could be seen as a state of equilibrium. The second sequence concerning drug abuse and discrimination could then be a disruption of that equilibrium, as the audience realise sport is not as innocent and pure as they want to believe.
- 8. A new state of equilibrium is then reached when all of the positive aspects of sport are reflected upon by those interviewed; even though there are problems, sport is still presented as a unique and rewarding outlet. I felt as if this structure was important in order to not present a biased point of view to an extent; it was important to provide a balance of positive and negative aspects of sport. This kind of effect is also seen in Coffee Shop Hotshots, where both positive and negative aspects of the Coffee Shop industry. However, I would say the narrative structure of Coffee Shop Hotshots is more complex in structure, constantly shifting between different viewpoints. Whilst having the same effect, the structures of the two texts are quite dissimilar.
- 9. Use of Experts Within the documentary, three experts are interviewed. Ian Tomlinson is a sports lecturer and historian; the use of this expert acts as a source of knowledge for the audience, functioning to drive the narrative forward. The authorative tone of voice engages with the audience more, affirming his sense of knowledge. Zara Dampney is London 2012 Beach Volleyball Olympian; this expert represents the role of women in sport, with her status as an Olympian evoking the audiences general knowledge of sport (such a level creates a sense of respect from the audience). Her soft tone and slight stumbling of words acts as Cinema verite, creating a deeper sense of connection with the audience.
- 10. Paul Reese is Great British Powerlifting coach, who has been involved in sport for over 50 years. Using someone from an older demographic helps appeal to a wider target audience; his position in sport creates a sense of “The Mentor” (Propp), giving the audience a sense of faith and trust in his views and opinions. The use of a range of representative experts and the way they are presented is effective in evoking a sense of trust in the audience; this makes them more susceptible to the information being presented, allowing them to be more open to other ideas/viewpoints. However, this may also be interpreted as an attempt to sway an audience to a particular point of view
- 11. Experts are used in a range of expository documentaries in order to inform audiences about the themes being explored. Blackfish uses experts in a similar way to my documentary, by interviewing ex-Seaworld trainers in order to present information on the company. Similar to Ian Tomlinson, a male with a deeper, authorative tone of voice is used to drive certain aspects in the narrative. Conventions of a Performative documentary are subverted here; In the film Spellbound, children with unique characteristics (being national spellers) are interviewed rather than specific experts. This allows for an audience to have insight into their lives. In some ways, Zara Dampney’s interview permits this for the audiences, but not the same extent. However, the experts in Blackfish are selected due to the moral beliefs on animal captivity, and thus are biased to this view. In my film, the experts are picked more for their knowledge and experiences, rather than their political stances.
- 12. Use of Semiotics In my documentary, the use of the Olympic rings is a strong source of iconography, such as the close up shot used in the opening titles. The Olympic rings is arguably the most recognised sporting symbol around the world, which establishes the sporting nature of the documentary early. Zara Dampney wears a Great Britain Jersey, with the unique colour scheme being iconic of the success at Team GB at the London Olympics. The colour scheme is renowned symbol is British culture, creating a sense of respect in Dampney’s interview. The positive presentation of these symbols creates an ideology of wonder about the power of sport, implying the idea to the audience that sport is a good thing.
- 13. Semiology is used to similar effects in other documentaries to impart ideologies: In Triumph des Willens, an emphasis is placed on the swastika symbol by the use of close up shots in order to enforce the political regime of Hitler within the context. The symbol is presented in a positive light by juxtaposing it with images of a cheering crowd and smiling faces, connoting that the regime is prosperous and beneficial. In my documentary, the symbol of the Olympic rings is accompanied by uplifting, positive narration from Dampney, connoting all of the positive experiences sport brings. Whilst my product adopts conventions of Triumph Des Willens, the extent to which propaganda is employed is subdued in comparison. Triumph Des Willens forces such representation repetitively on the audience, whilst my text leaves the audiences to form their own opinions. I think this is important for contemporary audiences, who are more active consumers of media and need freedom to think autonomously.
- 14. Montage Editing I used montage elements to support certain parts of the narrative and portray certain ideas. I used a fast paced montage sequence when discussing drug abuse in sport. The inclusion of close up shots of pills and syringes connoted this. The use of a time lapse symbolise how the problem is an ongoing problem within the running of sport. I also used a montage sequence to accompany Paul Reece’s narration about sport. The inclusion of an elder gentlemen playing sport synchornised with the line “its got to have a place for anybody”. The use of synchronous elements within the montage sequences helps to reinforce the viewpoint to the audience.
- 15. My use of montage elements was influenced by those seen in Blackfish; I used a similar style of montage as seen in Blackfish, such as the compilation of whales suffering as well as the accounts of injuries to trainers in order to enforce an emotive idea. I also used a time lapse sequence in a similar way to Blackfish, which symbolised the never ending cycle of killer whales suffered in captivity. The montage sequences in Coffee Shop Hotshots had a big influence in my piece, as they featured shots concerning city life and society in regards to the coffee industry, such as the long shots featured down high street. I was able to employ similar shots in my montages to convey a similar effect.
- 16. Use of Actuality Footage Sporting actuality footage was very important in satisfying the needs of my audience. I employed similar actuality footage as that seen in the “Sydney 2000 Olympic film”, such as action shots of sporting competition to convey the action and drama that audiences want to consume. A good example is seen during a montage sequence, where the shakiness of the camera footage used to shoot a Brazilian sports crowd conveyed the sincerity of sport and the emotion it can evoke it people. This is seen in other documentaries, such as “Blackfish”; However, the shaky camera footage used here conveys the sense of secrecy that obtaining the footage involved, and thus I have employed the use of cinema vérité to a different extent.
- 17. Music • I employed the use of two backing tracks within my documentary. • The first track was an upbeat, high keyed piece that was fairly evangelical and positive. This had the effect of creating positive connotations when juxtaposed with sport and evoked a sense of excitement and joy in the audience. This piece was then used again at the climax of the film to reaffirm these positive images • The second song had much lower key, with a slower temp and deep tone, creating a dramatic effect. This emphasises the problems of drug abuse and discrimination within sport by evoking a sense of shame and despair causing the audience to reflect on the problems present. A jovial piece, similar to my first track, is used in Spelbound to create positive connotations around the ideas of spelling bees, as well as a more depressive, reflective track in order to reflect on the stress caused to the young spellers. I employed this similar style/convention within my piece to portray such an effect.
- 18. Animations and Inter-Titles My use of animation and the design of my inter titles was very basic within the documentary. I used a white, slender typeface for my inter titles and main title to create a modern style to the documentary. The typeface is similar to the London 2012 Olympic logo, carrying on the symbolism of the Olympic spirit. The use of animated, slide on text boxes containing facts is employed in order to provide the audience with more information in a different visual form; the animation is fairly basic, in order to not distract away from the main narrative. The use of such facts allows for further information to be provided that the narrative style restricted due to interview dialogue being used.
- 19. My use of visual animation was inspired by Coffee Shop Hotshots, however within my piece I feel as if I used a minimalist style in comparison. In the real text, an animation is used that portrays statistics mentioned din the narrative, with synchronous movement relevant to the footage shown on screen. This was very engaging visually for the audience I instead used facts with a greater amount of text with simpler animation, in order to present the maximum amount of knowledge in the short time scale by brief presented. Real media texts do not need to worry about this, and instead seek to provide aesthetic appeal to the viewer. To this extent, I was able to be inspired by real media products without having to copy there exact conventions, developing my creative production abilities.