A2 Media Studies Christopher Warburton: September 2012

Research for Documentary

In preparation in filming and planning out our documentary, we conducted various research on some of the main factors that would create the content and body of our documentary.
Identifying the main key reasons illegal downloading occurs was our first port-of-call. So we thought to ourselves, why would we NEED to download music for free, and then why would we WANT to?

Firstly, the introduction of the internet was one of the biggest influences upon the idea of file sharing and illegally downloading from website such as The Pirate Bay, Fenopy and IsoHunt. In addition, there is the other side to the coin in which the internet had a huge benefit on musicians/bands by being able to broadcast themselves, their music and their message through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
The influence of both of these aspect means bands are giving away music for free in the first place, or giving the option to donate towards the band.
Next, where do bands make their money? Well, a musician's income would not be based sheerly around record sales, especially when (if signed to) a record company would take a huge percentage from the cut of CDs in the first place. A musician's income would also come from royalties (distributed through the PRS), merchandise, gigs and shows, sponsorships and advertisements.

RESEARCH LINKS -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18685793
http://tsort.info/music/faq_album_sales.htm
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2012/120705album

Brainstorm for Documentary

CONTENT

Interview Footage:

Producers, Musicians, Sound Enginners.
Futureworks staff aka. University of Lancashire (Tutors, Musicians, Producers).
Local bands.
Management agencies.

B-Roll Footage:

Enhancing shots and time lapses.
Slow-mo shots of performing musicians and emphasis on slow-mo to build atmosphere.
Timelapses.
Live performances

Target Audience Research

Initial Plans

Downfall of the Music Industry

Name Ideas:

Download killed the Music Star
Music: A Dying Industry/ Art
Music: Where is the Money?
Music: Sonic Pirates

Topics:

Piracy
Live Music
Sales - Internet/ Stores
Busines
Breaking into the Industry

Target Audience:

Musicians
Avid music lovers
General Public
Producers, Promoters and Managers

Channel:

The channel we plan to broadcast our docimentary on is Channel 4, this is because it is a popular channel with a whole host of documentaries under their belt. They have a long running documentary 'Dispatches' and also archive their shows on 4oD.

Schedule:

We are schedualing our documentary to air at 8pm Wednesday, we chose this as we have observed the TV schedual and notest that there are no major shows airing at this time thus we could gain a larger audience.

Brainstorm of Content

Preliminary Ideas:

Music Industry
Slenderman Myth
Video Games
Tattoos/ Body Modification
OCD

Music Industry:

Pros:

Already have Contacts
Larger Audience
Always changing

Cons:

Competitive
Difficulty covering big names
Too many different ideas to cover

Slenderman Myth:

Pros:

Archive footage
New and cutting edge
It is present in popular culture at the moment

Cons:

Doesn't Exist (allegedly)
Strugle for interviews
Not entirely serious

Video Games:

Pros:

Lots of experience
Updating frequently
Easy to get hold of footage

Cons:

Been done too many times before
Won't be able to get interviews with developers
Very specific audience

Body Modification:

Pros:

Not been done that often
Have contacts in the field
Knowledge of locations

Cons:

Underage
Difficult to get A-roll footage
Some people can be put of by body modification

OCD:

Pros:

Hard hitting documentary
Raise awerness
Peope can relate

Cons:

Don't know people with OCD
May not want to be Filmed
Don't know enough about the subject

Genre Analysis

The Illuminati

Camera

Establishing shots
Close ups
B-Roll footage
Rule of thirds
Image montage
Different angled interviews

Editing

Archive footage
CGI animation
Superimposed flames
Fast paced editing
Cut aways
Sound effects on kicking and word movement
Text Overlays
Overlaying two different shots of the interview, one is translucent in the background
Subtitles instead of narration at times
Edited panning

Mise-en-scene

Interview backdrops
Illuminati/ Free Mason paraphinallia
Mysterious hooded figures during recreations, to represent the mystery around the Illumanti
Talking Heads

Sound

Archive voice overs
Music
Narration (voice of God)
Atmospheric Drones to emphasize certain words or images and to build suspense
Archive voice overs from News Broadcasts

The Meth Epidemic Analysis

Camera:

CU of meth paraphernalia
B-Roll footage between interviews
Abstract establishing shots
Enhancing shot using soft focus of police lights signifying criminal activity.
Hand Held footage during drug busts immerses the viewer to help put across the point.
Rule of Thirds during interviews

Sound:

Atmospheric Drone
Sirens signify criminal activity
Narrator - Voice of God
Interview speech overlaps with B-roll

Editing:

Cut aways to B-roll
Cross-cutting (A/Broll)
Massive emphasis on cut aways to enhance shots
Text overlay for names and locations etc.

Mise-en-Scene:

Talking heads
Interview backdrops, workplace or outside
Having drug users interviewed in police custody connotes the seriousness of the meth epidemic

The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special In 3D On Ice

Camera:

Interviews applying the Rule of Thirds as part of their A-Roll footage
Hand held footage from concerts and conventions used as B-roll footage
Footage from on location, CU and LS of Simpsons paraphernalia
Archive footage of scenes for the show
Tracking shot of host walking down street
Panning shots around rooms full of paraphernalia
Mid shot of host interviewing Simpsons fans

Editing:

Montage of scenes from 'The Simpsons' show
Montage of different bands playing the theme tune
Cross cutting between A/B-roll footage
CGI animations
Graphic and Text overlay on interviews and B-roll footage
Timelapse

Mise-en-scene:

Simpsons cutouts and themed backdrops for Interviews
Interviews with people of power set in offices and places of work
Physical Narrator
Product Placement

Sound:

Music
Different renditions of the theme song
Narrator (Voice of God)
Narration from host on screen
Interview speech over B-roll

Exit Through The Gift Shop

Camera:

Heavy use of hand held footage
Long shots of artists at work across the street
CU of art
Rule of Thirds
Zoom in and Out
Panning shots from rooftops
Establishing shots from car windows

Editing:

Montage of Street art clips
Text Overlay
Fast paced editing
Montage of family life B-roll footage
Pixelated faces to hide identity
Black and white and sepia footage
Edited zoom and pans of still images
Archive footage

Sound:

Muffled, distorted voice to hind Banksy's Identity
Music
Narration (Voice of God)

Mise-en-scene:

Interview backdrops
Relevant pieces of street art in the background
Mysterious lighting in Banksy's interviews to hide his face

Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe

Camera:

Rule of thirds
Heavy use of Archive footage
Mid shots of people playing games
CU shots of arcade games and games in retail

Editing:

Fast paced editing
Montage on in-game footage
CGI animation
Visual comedic animations
Text Overlay
Static transitions between footage A/B-roll

Sound:

Narration
Game noises overlapped behind narration and interviews
Sound bites cut from games, ie. swearing, damage sounds and gunfire
Police sirens highlighted to signify criminal activity

Mise-en-scene:

Arcade machines in the background of narrator introducing the film
Living room set as the background for the main narration, connotes the stereotypical gaming location
Gaming paraphernalia scattered around the set
Dull lighting representing the light from a TV screen