Social Issue
12/09/2023 - Introduction to the Unit
TASK - What makes a Documentary?
A documentary is a piece of media whose purpose is to inform you about a certain topic via visual media, for an informative narrative, material such as interviews, real footage, and reenacting based on authentic resources.
Sub-genres of Documentary
- Docudrama - a dramatic reenacting of a topic to inform about a certain topic.
- Biographic - documentary which showcases the life and events of a certain person.
- Nature - a documentary about natural and wildlife topics.
- Ethnographic- Documentaries that explore ethnicities and their cultural values.
- Travel - A documentary that presents the aspect of exploring a different environment and area such as countries and continents.
- Advocacy/Crime - a documentary of a criminal case and its narrative throughout its progression from the beginning till the recent updates about it.
Documentary Modes
A conceptual scheme developed by American documentary theorist Bill Nicholas that seeks to differ purposes of documentaries' narrative.
- Poetic Mode - an artistic expression approach to the documentary that shows an inner truth and meaning that can be felt by a poetic and artistic approach.
- Performative Mode - Emphasises the subject of the topic from the documentary by the documentary maker engaging with the documentary and audience for transmitting a clearer knowledge about the topic and assisting the audience in understanding the narrative.
- Reflective Mode - the purpose of drawing out a message and representing the topic and meaning in the documentary to the audience.
- Expository Mode - a more rhetorical and argumentative narrative that creates the purpose to go against the topic trying to expose something that is not being seen and hidden.
- Observational Mode - the purpose of observing the topic without intervening or disturbing any aspect during its progression.
- Participatory Mode - the real approach of the filmmaker to go and engage with the topic while not disturbing the knowledge or the narrative of the topic which comes by itself.
Case Study - HAPPY
1. What is the documentary genre for this documentary?
Happy is a documentary about the impact of depression shown by victims speaking out about it and statistics that help to enforce the message, the mode of this documentary is performative as the documentary maker was the one who went out in the field and gained the material from interviews he conducted on the victims asking about the topic, therefore helping the audience with the meaning of the message of this documentary which is depression impact.
2. What convention of documentary does Happy use?
Happy uses most of the Conventional elements of a documentary, this could be shown in the interviews of the victims which show informative material about the main topic which is the effects of depression, the use of first-hand interviews really helps to build the documentary narrative, being part of the convention elements.
3. What are some of the modes used in Happy?
Happy uses many of the modes, a main mode that is highlighted is the reflection mode, this could be seen in the questions that were rhetorical to the audience trying to make them feel and question themselves about their experience and if so be aware of themselves and others who suffer of depression, such purpose of sending a message on the audience links to the reflective mode.
Case Study - Just Skate
1. What is the documentary genre for this documentary?
Just Skate is a documentary that gets into the culture and history of the skating community, the documentary shows a bit of narrative, which is nonbiased, and summarises the beginning of skating however the biggest focus of this documentary is the observation of skaters and gives them the mic to express and tell their tale of skating without disrupting any natural narrative, therefore, this documentary is an observatory documentary.
2. What convention of documentary does Just Skate use?
Just Skate uses all the conventional elements of a documentary therefore giving a strong documentary narrative, one of the principal conventions is the long testimonials given by authentic skaters while having them in their own field, thus enforcing a natural narrative and the reliability of Just Skate, thus making Just Skate keeping and not breaking any conventional features.
3. What some of the modes are used in Just Skate?
Just Skate uses one mode and it sticks to it throughout the whole narrative, the mode used is an observatory and it could be seen that there is no evidence of someone behind the camera therefore making the narrative come from the topic naturally.
17/10/2023 - Framing a documentary and B-roll introduction
Framing an interview - For a documentary to be successful must have a strong narrative and flow that is targeted by you, the producer, as it is a documentary and not a movie you will encounter a series of natural and spontaneous narratives therefore to minimalist it and use it in your way you must lead pathways such as interview questions and shots placement to make it have a fluent but natural narrative which feeds your topic chosen.
Broll - A common cinematic technique that is very strong in transmitting, messages, tone, narrative, mood, and emphasis is called Broll, this technique consists of random shots related to the shot before or the voice-over as a visualizes the message, and it makes easier to convey it.
Three-point lighting - A lighting plan that is commonly used as it is a simple and efficient way to make your guest fully express and expose his character/role in this narrative, this is so because the subject or guest is placed in front of the camera while at 45 degrees from the camera, there is the key light 100%, then at another 20 degrees is the backlight which is 20% then diagonal from the backlight there is the fill light which is 50%. To maintain a more natural and successful interview you must consider the following elements.
- close or mid-shot as there are more natural POVs.
- subject must either look into the camera or near it to make it seem serious but also relaxed for that natural feeling.
- the guest/subject must be relaxed when answering the question
- before moving on to the next question the interviewer may make the guest/subject extend and talk more about his answer as it helps to feed the context material.
Case study - STOP BULLYING
STOP BULLYING is an amateur documentary made by a student who tries to show the public the effects of bullying and how to stop it.
The narrative of this documentary has a very easy video template as it is mostly dominant and focuses on interviewers therefore feeding its own material on the topic from victims, this could be seen in the documentary as the first Broll shot is finished the remaining content is just interviewers of the victim therefore telling the audience the impact of bullying by testimonials which makes them understand the effects of bullying.
The use of Broll in this documentary at the beginning establishes the mood, tone, and story, this is highlighted as the broll contains a reenactment of what is portrayed as grief, sadness, and depressive mode, therefore starting from and enforcing the moody and empathetic narrative to the audience so they know the purpose of the documentary.
Case study - BeYouTiful
The lighting used in BeYouTiful is a three-point lighting which is fundamental as it is the most important and efficient for the key of convention for a documentary, this could be seen as the majority of the context and footage of this well put documentary are interviews of various guests which all have in common experience which body dysphoria and looks related insecurities, there as they play an important role into this documentary their answers and appearance must be clear therefore the use of a studio and three-point light is essential as the most efficient.
15/09/2023 - Audience and Research
Documentaries are a form of showing in-depth primary research into a topic which is planned into pre-production primary/secondary based on the topic, demographics/psycho-demographics, target audience, and market.
Primary research - Obtaining the details for the research from direct sources of the specific topic or subject, examples are feedback, interviews from experts, and testimonials from safe sources.
Secondary research - Collection of information for your research from articles which already gained that information has been processed, things such as online stats, articles, documentaries, and interviews.
TASK 1 - Review Analysis (secondary research)
Planet Earth 2 is a mini-documentary series that explores the beauty of the wildness around the world, In each episode, there is a different topic and environment featuring great experts in wildlife such as David Attenborough giving testimonials and also dubbed over analysis as narrative.
Planet Earth is an observational documentary with a solid narrative, the camera work and screen time in this documentary consist of real-time footage of subjects such as animals or vegetation acting in their own habitat, and the use of this camera work highlights a natural narrative that comes purely from the subject's behaviour, therefore fitting with the observative mode of the documentary which really links to the main theme is which is wilderness and cant be set-up.
22/09/2023 - BlackFish analysis
Documentary conventions –
Location shooting.
Uneven, hand-held camerawork.
Natural lighting.
Following the action.
Film-maker’s visible presence.
Interviews with witnesses.
Expert testimonial.
Voiceover.
Archive footage.
Material shaped into a narrative.
Material is structured into an argument.
Visual coding/set-up.
| Analysis – Why does the director use this convention? What is the audience effect? | Visual evidence/screenshot |
Real footage
| The director has introduced this convention code to show authenticity to the story of the murderous whale due to its abusive and horrible treatment. | Minute 17:17 there is B-Roll with the police using equipment to retrieve the body of the female trainer which has the dubbed over witness’s testimonials about how the whale killed her. |
Testimonials
| The use of interviews in this documentary creates an authentic narrative but also creates the targeted emotion and grief this documentary tries to show through its message and context. | After showing more footage of the female trainer who was killed, there are interviews of witnesses who describe the case. |
Experts and Staff testimonials
| The use of staff or experts’ testimonials shows a professional approach to the documentary which improves the quality of the documentary.
| Steve Huxton a former SeaWorld executive is which comes and gives his testimonial on the case of SeaWorld. |
Records
| Records give a sign of originality to the documentary as it forbids any sign of framing and also makes the documentary more captivating | Detective interrogation of the first case of the death of the female trainer. |
Mode
| Analysis – Why does the director use this convention? What is the audience effect? | Visual evidence/screenshot |
Reflective mode
| The maker of this documentary and the interviewers try their best to squeeze the empathy of all the witnesses and experts/staff as much as to emphasize the brutality and impact of the captivity of these killer whales and the people that were affected so that it won't repeat again or for people to join the campaign against it. | Real footage of protesters mourning the death of the people killed by these psycho whales and protesting against the incubation of these whales that led them to commit unnecessary violence and problems due to the abuse and negligence. |
Expository/debunking mode
| One of the other purposes of Blackfish is to debunk and prove that the allegations and the horror stories about the mistreatment are true and present them to the worldwide audience. | This is shown in the hidden camera of the staff lying about Tilikum’s floppy fin saying that it's natural for male Orcas. |
12/09/2023 - Expand your knowledge of design
Identity
- Identity in graphic design could be seen in the piece itself, something that makes the audience look at it and makes them remember you. To create an identity, you must complete and think about the following elements: Logo, Colour, typography, and unique art elements.
- A strong identity would help you become more successful as you bring awareness of your brand in your work, attracting and serving the public.
Gillette is an American brand from Boston, that specializes in men's grooming and also made a forever change in the barbershop industry due to being the inventor of the safety razor that could be used by their primarily men audience and barbers.
The Gillette logo shows clear signs of their identity to the product and the history behind it,. an example of the link between product and logo design is the double T which is similar to the razor construction inside the Gillette safety razors, building a strong bond of recognition between the invention of the safety razor and also that there is there product.
A mature and dark blue is the primary colour of their main logo which targets their political and demographic audience, this variant of navy blue as their background shows an indication that this product is targeted predominantly at men, therefore building their interest and bond to their product as it seems as a part of their gender pride, also, Gillette which is strong American capitalist brand, the colour blue but navy, shows their political and society placement as an old and strong company which is mature and rooted into the marketing and also support the democracy and freedom of their people.
Experimental Jetset is a Dutch graphic studio whose unique identity is to use predominantly its words, most likely San Sheriff, and place them in such a way as to create an artistic view and also to create a meaning which especially is to show minimalism which is a modern trend among graphic design.
This artwork is made by Laszlo Maholy-Nagy, a famous Hungarian constructivist painter and photographer who specialized in and had a vision for abstract art which was a direct hit to the trend of Constructivist art.
14/09/2023 - Experiment with illustrator based on Jetset experiment
Jetset design
- Experimental Jetset is a small Dutch independent brand graphic studio, founded in 1997, they have specialized in printed and site-specific installation.
- Their identity is using text to build the design due to their goal to "turn language into an object"
I am not a big fan as my point of view about this minimalistic type of art as it seems quite blank and does not have enough artistic design that creates meaning such as a story and eye captivating, however, I do like the clean composure of text which is used to clearly transmit an explicit message and creates harmony throughout the composure of the text, which are some features I will be looking to use into my posters.
This is an illustrator demo poster of my fictional campaign inspired by the Experimental Jetset Studio and its unique design, the influence of Jetset Studio was in the approach of a text-only poster to convey the meaning/message which in this case is that sports can impact and change lives from any point, also the same how Jetset plays around with the graphic design of their letter to give a look linked to the message I have done the same with the motion blur of overlayed but with lowered opacity to give a meaning of the motion that sports create not physically but also mentally.
One of the principal tools used for this poster was the Text tool, this was because the main and important content of this poster is seen through text, therefore using the text tool to generate the text using the San Serif type called Alfram which gives a bold but formal aspect which also fits in the chosen theme of a retro aspect but with y2k features such as motion blur.
I have used Illustrator primarily for the main content (typography) however for the lava/liquify effect and the heatmap gradient I have used Photoshop to create an 8-bit as a strong background that links both to my theme topic and identity into the design (retro and Y2K theme).
19/09/2023 - Constructive Design
Constructivist art
- Constructivist art - is an artistic movement during the political and social movement in Russia in 1915, constructivist art was made by Vladimir Tatlin, the aspect of this art embraces an industrial and urban aspect through its geometry and abstract nature, this reflects the rejection of decorative stylization constructed by traditional government and society.
- The three elements of industrial: Tectonic, texture, and construction
Examples
Laszlo started his full artistic life after coming from WW1 and joined a poetry club where he got a boost into his fame after publishing Cubanist-woodcut-influenced pieces of art in the Hungarian journal "Ma".
This artwork is called A2 and shows a Western European approach compared to the communist constructivist artwork that imposes their society and political ideologies into their work however as we can see Laszlo, as a more poetical and artistic visionary, tries to focus on other messages and also give an abstract approach, this could be seen as Laszlo uses the keys of the convention such as texture and constructionist.
Lazlos fits his work as a constructivist as its artwork displays the look of material texture through its natural distressed background colour pattern and lining, giving the impression of either timber or burlap which both are massive industrial materials in the period this painting took place.
This is one of the constructivist art pieces that Laszlo made before in his career, I like this piece to some extent as it seems that the use of
This is my poster called Constructive which has the main message of Sports Change Lives, the design used in this poster is a constructivist artwork, and the key convention of this unique art is the heavy use of basic shapes, which are meant to represent industrial pieces used for architecture and assembly, and abstract design which breaks the conventions of conservative art that was established by traditional and nationalistic societies which at the era of constructive art communist and industrial society was rising up.
The main message of this poster is that "sports changes lives" which I have laid it out by using geometrical shapes and colours.
29/09/2023 - Filming
A primary essential when filming is the camera shots as they are massive giants on your narrative and message which you try to convey through your filming.
SHOT TYPES
Extreme Long Shot - 95% of the screen space contains landscape, focusing more on the picture than the smaller details that can be seen in a closer view in-depth, the effect of such a shot is to clear the message of where the story happens.
Long shot - A lot of landscape is presented in the shot however it is closer to taking a more in-depth look at the details, therefore the effect is to let the audience understand the significance of the landscape to the narrative and observe the summary of the narrative.
Full shot - Complete view of the character or subject, which makes the audience understand and have a good introduction to the subjects or character that is part of the narrative.
Wide Shot - The main subject of the frame takes a part of the frame while surrounded by a narrative-related landscape, to understand how the subject fits in the environment and narrative.
3/4 and American shot - American shot is inspired by the Wild West movies when the character is presented from knees to head making them a big proportion of their body which is used to create the body language of the character therefore emphasising the characteristics of the subject.
Mid shot - Waist upwards or half of the subject or character, due to being the most important part which communicates to the audience through their movement and also is the one which is the most common shot which the audience's eyes are used to.
Two/more shot - Know as a social shot, it contains two or more characters/subjects in the shot.
Shot Techniques
Shot reverse shot - Used to clarify and in-golf the audience inside a conversation, a single subject shot jumps between characters who perform an act or communication.
180 degrees - The 180 rule is an imaginary line in which the main subject or characters of the shot are facing each other on the 180 rule.
By following the transmission of the 180 rule line you achieve peacefulness and a clear narrative between the character or subject because they mirror each other.
30 degrees rule - The 30 degrees rule emphasises the right difference between angles of the following cut, the rule says that between shots there has to be a 30-degree difference to show some form of relaxed motion and stimulants however if the angle is above 30 degrees difference this would be seen as jump shot.
B-roll - B-rolls are abstract shots of common landscapes or empty characters to emphasise the narrative of the story while keeping the visuals and the complexity of the mood stimulated.
29/09/2023 - Surrealism design
Surrealism - the purpose of surrealism art and design is to revolutionise human critical thinking, by combining realistic elements and deforming them into a fictional and abstract way to smartly deliver a message to people with a high level of critical thinking and also improve their critical thinking.
Why would surrealist artwork and design be useful in a campaign?
Surrealism is a very good method of attracting attention due to its interesting and interactive way for your audience to be captivated by your message or product.
Surrealism is a sophisticated way of reaching or delivering your message to your target audience or pressure groups for your campaign, because as an example is more common and appealing to the higher class and educated class due to their IQ and mind being more suitable for the purpose of surrealism way of presenting a message through critical and abstract way, therefore is a more efficient making your campaign more powerful as it attracts a audience which have a stronger power into the society.
Lex Drewinski
Born: 11 September 1951 Poland
Lex is a Polish graphic designer who is a very specialised surrealistic artist who has won 200 awards through various art competitions targeted at social campaigns, which can be clearly seen in his artwork.
I like Lex because although his specialised surrealistic art is commonly associated with very difficult ways of presenting messages, Lex proves wrong and uses very simplistic shapes and factors that are put together with solid and primary colours that create simple pictures with a clear message about a social problem.
This sports campaign poster is my approach to surrealist artwork with the use of Photoshop, as seen in the poster, the key convention of surrealistic artwork is the use of two realistic items that deliver a message while looking unrealistic and distortion the image content by using motion blur, meanwhile with my own identity of retro film postcard with 1920s style of san serif.
The use of the two real elements to create a message is produced by placing a raging gorilla head on the head of Mike Tyson while fighting and being in a brutal scenario, the use of making a surrealistic human and animal hybrid is to connotate how sport changes your life and yourself into a powerful and legendary beast.
Also, the use of motion blur in the captured picture is used for a mood of surrealism, the effect of motion blur is to make the object seem in constant movement which deforms the visual aspect of reality, therefore I have used it to make my piece seem as a more alive with motion in its visual design but also keeping it surreal by its visual disturbance.
03/10/2023 - Social Media Impact
Social media is one of the strongest tools to put out your campaign due to being a convenient media source that allows the audience to react and take part in the campaign by being involved in it or sending the message later on.
Video Requirements
Instagram -
- Instagram Reels - 30 FPS,1080 x 1920 dimension, 4GB, 15-60 seconds.
- In-Feed Videos - 30 FPS,1080 x 1080 landscape/1080x1080 portrait, 4GB
- Instagram Stories - 30 FPS, 1080 x 1080 vertical. 4GB, 15-60 seconds
TikTok -
- The dimension for Tiktok reels is 1080 x 1920 vertically as it fits with the scrolling feature.
- An aspect ratio of 16:9 or 1:1 to captivate the whole screen of the phone.
- As for file format is .mp4 or .mov however mp4 is the best and most common.
Youtube -
- Quality - YouTube supports quality from HD to 16K
- Codec and Format- M4 for overall video, however for video format use H.264 and AAL-LC as sound files.
- video quality - 1080 HD is commonly used as it's a perfect balance between quality and size, however, 4K and 16K are considerable.
5/10/2023 - Designers and Social issues
As you can see the design is very simple and bold, with a strong and clear message that has a powerful impact on the viewer who walks by and recognises the face and name that is a subject of humiliation in this print.
As we can the main subject is Nigel Farage, a pro-Brexit politician who has a huge part in the scheme of gaining the public masses, sponsors, and funds for Brexit to happen and gain power, Nigel's face is big and clear stating his presence strongly with the purpose of captivating the audience's mind and eye with the quote of "Brexit has failed" building his association with the quote, this leads the message that such prominent pro-Brexit politician accepting that Brexit is a disaster, therefore making a parody and highlighting the hypocrisy of their ideas.
6/10/2023 - Planning your documentary
To assemble a documentary you must plan out everything from research to the logistics of your crew.
Planning forms -
Storyboard - a sheet with describes the type of shot, the longitude of the shot, light placement, context of the shoot such as landscape and subjects, and the progression in the placement of the camera. All of these things are followed by a visual sketch of the shot.
Screenplay script - Screenplay script describes the scenes more explicitly which allows you to establish a more solid mood guide that your shot aims.
Call sheet - The logistics of your crew where they have to be at a specific time and what their role or duty is, all of this is followed by their contacts so you can manage and be in touch with them in case of a change.
Risk assessments - Risk assessment of the environment where you gonna shoot, in the details you must include how severe and likely to happen, therefore you must show what precautions you would take to prevent it.
12/10/2023 - After-effects introduction and practice
After-Effects is a digital visual editing software that covers effects, graphics, and motion. This post-production software is used to produce media products in film, television, and game design.
Summarised is the best to use after-effects before Premier Pro as you can edit effects and more artistic 2D or 3D effects of particular clips that are used to compose in Premier Pro
13/10/2023 - Plotting documentary
The idea for a social issue covered
- Trouble Youth and how sports could direct such to a brighter place
The idea for the documentary genre and mode
Change4Motion is the title of my documentary, the name chosen reflects the really deep purpose of the documentary which is to present a campaign about the troubles that may occur in a youth's life and how the introduction of sport has regulated and allowed him to enter a new life where has more balance and aims to success then misery.
The problems presented could be very varied from depressive and mental health to troubled youth environment and life. An example of a story I am mostly looking for as a narrative is the story of a kid who was in really deep blue and how the introduction of sports has drifted them away from a poor life and had a rocky path but ended up in long-lasting achievements he accomplished.
Key of convention -
- Interviews of the guests
- real footage of the topic (sports practice, daily activities of their new life)
- Archive footage related to the story (old photo of themselves)
Camera Techniques -
- A roll and Broll of the environment
- Dolly camera
- POV camera
- Misonscene
Mise en scene elements
- Location - Studio, gyms, and maybe places where the guest might live
- Color - Grey and dark background however the colors are more vibrant followed by cold temperatures and a green tint
- Set - ( same as location)
- Prop - daily and natural props that come with the topic and when recording
- Lighting is very dim and scar but highlighted into key light on the subjects that matter
17/10/2023 - Social Issue campaign pitch
- Main goal: the main goal of my campaign is to spread awareness of troubles that youths encounter that plague their life and how throughout the introduction of sports they have improved and guided them to a successful life.
- Key message: Stop using your precious time to fly away into a bad part of life
- Background: There is an increasing flow of bad influence on today's youth that comes from sitting on the fence and consuming the unfiltered media platforms which are filled with toxic stuff that affects their lifestyles, health, and mentality
- Target audience: my campaign aims to guide the youth into a better life if better before anything gets into their life, my target would be 14-18 youth, and due to the biggest problematic and impactful group in society being male I would aim at teenage boys.
- Concept: to convey this message to the audience I would use real pieces of evidence of victims of this troubled plague such as interviews and how they found a cure and also how they felt after.
31/10/2023 - Documentary interview studio light plan
- Yellow triangle - LEDs which are set to a tungsten level of 32k with their number on them being the opacity
- The camera is set at 35 degrees away from the straight line from the guest to give a cinematic mid-shot with a lot of contrast without affecting the body language that is being highlighted.
- the seat of the guest is placed far back as close as possible to the wall with a light following backlight through.
Inspiration
My inspiration for my interviews is based on the warm and grainy look of the famous interviews from LadBible which cover shocking stories that reveal the deep trouble the guest has suffered and how they solved to come out of them, which such similarity I have used a little bit of their aspect as a form of studying from a successful and relative example so I know what standard quality and also what the audience wants to be captivated.
Although of its semi-major influence, I still want to keep it unique to my production therefore I chose the lighting to be warmer than the ones in LadBible and also a darker and harsher contrast by really under-exposing the blacks.
07/11/2023 - Campaign and Documentary names
Name - Change2Motion
Change2Motion is my chosen documentary and pitch name, I have composed this name through the idea of creating a title that directly explains and reveals the topic and narrative that my campaign and documentary would have.
Change2Motion creates an understanding of transition by sports for a younger audience through the use of literature, this point could be seen in the use of the verb "Change" which is at the beginning of the title suggesting that the topic and narrative inside the context is about the evolution of youth into a better and grower person due to "motion" which is denotes the context of sport, also the use 2 instead of "to" shows a quirkier way of putting out words, therefore, it shows a younger and childish audience.
07/11/2023 - Free-Solo
Free Solo is a semi-biography documentary that targets the legendary free-solo rock climber Alex Honnold's career, life, and the main preparation for the attempt of his biggest and hardest achievement that no other climber would do.
El Capitan is a vertical rock with a height of 3,308 meters in Yosemite National Park, such a big challenge has always been in Alex's mind however he knew that for this he needed a lot of preparation, therefore, National Geographical has got all of his processes from the beginning to the achievement into a documentary.
The mode of this documentary is a perspective mode because all of this is fully Alex's pathway, the cast does not intervene in his way leaving all the main content to have a natural narrative therefore playing the narrative of a history-breaking achievement vlog or fly on the wall view.
As a fan of Alex, I know that Alex always pushed his skill to the max, this could be seen in his video where he puts himself in incredibly dangerous situations, this shows not only dedication but also love therefore the El Captain achievement was a high peak dream as it proves not only his skills but makes him the legend he is in the culture and community of rock climbers.
A documentary is meant to be a media form of presenting and documenting current events, history, and anything that has a greater meaning behind it. For the purpose of documentation on the subject, you are meant to keep it original and neutral as that not only misleads the audience but will also spoil the story and narrative to an artificial instead of a natural beauty.
In conclusion, Free Solo is an ethical documentary, this is because Alex is a legendary rock climber who is famous for his achievement but the intensity of his stories reflect that his skill is perfect and El Capitan was the real test of his name, as a perspective documentary the narrative should be interrupted so that it maintains that intensity and that strong atmosphere, on the other hand if the cast does intervened it would've affect the atmosphere and the natural narrative of the story therefore free solo is a ethical documentary.
11 November 2023 - Audience research
Audience identity
My documentary is meant to target youths who face troubles in their life and present them that the use of sport would change them for the better.
AGE: 12 - 19
Gender: Boys
Profession: Students
Location: Urban
Class: working class or unemployed background
As a teenager myself who takes part in a life of sports, I have a personal experience of what a youth would be attracted to, especially in the trends and technology which are exposed on multi-media platforms such as Instagram, therefore I will be taking some influence and shape my project based on these platforms as they are the most outreaching forms.
Due to attention-grabbing and graphically advanced technology which stretches from video quality and advanced art graphics of the multi-media, I will be really stretching myself to adapt to these quality standards and artistically.
Trends like gym culture, and alpha superiority have been taken wrongly as they only show easy success or dramatic and extreme stories that are based on a particular way because these characteristics of an incoming bulk of media trends can lead to very toxic and closed mindsets due to either no full story so you can see the reality and no supervision of expertise which can keep entertaining media product and detecting misleading information which can have a seriously harm the viewer's minds.
The number one audience who get affected is youths who embrace all of this information and get trapped around this bubble of influence which develops their character and reality when affected by it the youth who face problems in their actual reality will try to refuge in their world however they get either overwhelmed by the information so they just prefer to watch it and consume it or its just the ones who yolo it and let viral videos of their trend lead them throughout life which in many cases will kick them off and damage them.
28 November 2023 - Final Leaflets
This is my final leaflet design which is essential as it covers most of the context and significance of my campaign, the chosen design allows me to use it as a foundation for further campaign expansion products such as the back of other leaflets which show examples of people that are examples of the target audience and how they improved.
I am very happy with how the consistent design and impactful tone preach the bold message of how bad the current situation is for youth in the UK making people feel a reality-check of how depressing it is and make them more aware of it.
This leaflet was very effective and emotional due to its simple and very organised design with a very formal tone of information about the situation therefore I have decided to use it as a form of content sheet or page face for any other prints.
Composure of Leaflet
Logo - The logo of my leaflet can be found big and clearly at the top left of the leaflet, stating the campaign's organisation.
The design of the logo states its content about sports and how it elevates the youth throughout it, this could been seen in the graphic design of the logo by the use of the motion blur on the word motion and the top of the two which not only presents that motion takes you to the top but also it gives a visual presence of actual motion, the use of this effect not only creates a clearer introduction of the topic which my campaign covers but also links motion blur to the identity of my campaign of how much accent it puts on this topic.
On the other hand, the colour pallet also is chosen to get the attention of a younger target audience, this is highlighted as I use a bright yellow in the colour pallet of my logo to signify an eye-catching presentation of the warm yellow shine as a positive and success around a dark typography which is the troubles that youth face and overwhelmed by, on the other hand, one of the most flashy colours for a younger people, therefore. I have used it as a tool to captivate the eye of my target audience which is predominantly boys aged 12-18.
Grid - My leaflet's target is to be organised and allow enough space for the pieces of information to be big and flashy, there are two reasons why I chose these two functionalities.
- one reason is the clarity and reading efficiency, the attention span of youth when reading is pretty low therefore I have done this in such a way that my grid allows me to make the text boxes bold and big for the youth to have an easy time reading and a lot enjoyable so that they can read and absorb the information.
- the second reason for choosing this design is that it allows me to increase the size of text boxes and graphics therefore allowing me to put them in use to make an eye-catching design and artwork which will support the youth to stick to the leaflet and also welcome him to the campaign.
Leaflet 2 is a final product which is meant to simulate a unique case study of people who are relevant to the campaign. These usually famous sportsmen had a troubled background and throughout their progression in sports which they they have overcome their problems and become someone. The placement of this leaflet page would be at the back of leaflet 1 as a contrast with the real statistics of the horrifying reality.
The use of this particular contrast of reality and fame motivates the youth due to the fact that it shows a case study that is related to their reality and highlights that they shined throughout sport and ambition to change their life for the better.
Composure of the leaflet
Colour - I have stuck to my colour pallet that has a strong colour contrast to present my identity and because it's flashy for my target audience. The use of yellow as a dominant colour on a black fond has the connotation of making photos and information about the success and the background of the celebrity not only stick out and capture the attention of young but also show the shine of the success and also the hierarchy of information.
Layout - The page layout of this part of the poster has been used to connotate where this successful sportsman, for example, Mike Tyson comes from, this could be shown in the use of placement of the portrait of Mike Tyson up above the page with information about his story and his background right next to it big and flashy, on the other hand the images of his location where he came from is at the bottom symbolising these of hierarchy throughout my design to connotate that no matter where Mike Tyson came from he still ended so much up high in his life, this effects the young audience as their are more motivated and confident into joining a sports career as they can see a concrete evidence of success that have familiar problems.
1 December 2023 - Infographics
Infographics - A way of presenting information and stats accompanied by illustrations for the purpose of entertaining, invoking a feeling and transmitting the information much clearer and organised.
Elements into the design of infographics
- story - the content of the infographics must support a chosen topic and story
- design and style - to achieve harmony in the delivery of infographics, the content must be linked to the infographics and the theme must be consistent.
- visual appeal
- information and content
- size and shape
This infographic poster presents simple statistics via illustrations which are editorial to the text in the bubbles, about Mexico's culture and population. The simplicity of this poster's illustration is what makes it very efficient in understanding the information that is being presented, the use of basic colours makes it a very friendly piece of information.
09/11/2023 - Documentary papers and plan
Screenplay script pre-edit
For the B-roll I was planning to get some shots with a depressive tone of urban scenery as an introduction to the content and establish a serious tone and mood, I want the audience to feel sympathy and understand the level of the dilemma so that once they received the message they think of a solution to solve it.
The dialogue between the narrator and guest 1 shows the question and the structure of the testimonial and gives me a professional understanding and preparation when I take the interviews, also the questions I have written are being applied to guest 2 however for the sake of the space I chose to cover it for only guest one.
Shot mode
21/12/2023 - Rough Cut documentary and feedback
Strengths:
- Solid intro
- Narrative and mood are successful
- Pace
- Entertainment
Weakness:
- Add edits to show the identity of it
- subs
- outro
Final CUT
24/12/2023 - Social Campaign Evaluation
Change2Motion is my social issue campaign which targets troubled youth and present them that an escape from their troubles and lead to success could be found in sport. The documentary is purely my own creation which was very hard to visualise and carry out the making of it. However some visual appearances such as lights are influenced by interviews such as BibleLad set of interviews which creates a warm aura around the person who is sharing hard information.
Most of my research comes from associations which covers and works with problems that a trouble youth might encounter such as poor conditions, crime and mental health, also the collaboration of my friends who have a background of this trouble and sports have worked with me to come up with the material of this documentary.
I have chosen leaflets as my form of media to showcase my campaign as recently I have explored a lot with Photoshop myself and also digital leaflets are a open door to both digital and physical form of media, once with this opening it increases the theoretical chances of gaining attention from my target audience as they are surrounded by physical and digital platform of media.
My campaign is composed out of two genres of media, editorial and visual. the editorial version is leaflet compositions of two pages which are linked with each other to create one product, the purpose of this 2-page leaflet is to inform the reader about the cruel reality and showcase a live example of how sports support the youths life and make them have a healthy pathway to a achievement that make a living and a name out of it instead of choosing their dark influences. My documentary is meant to be a very short documentary where I try my best to bring once again awareness of current problems and multiple first hand testimonial with people that come from a rough experience and picked up sport in order to change.
I feel like the leaflet is much better into communication my message as I specialise more into still image and made a higher quality product whereas the documentary could've been much better as I had a greater vision for it but due to lack of training into the domain of moving images I have failed to produce it.
My main audience into this campaign are usually teens from the age of 12-19, pre-dominantly male and that come from labour and non-stabile lifestyles, due to their lack of critical thinking and interest I made my product as bold and cohesive possible as I kept It short, bold and non-fictional, also giving evidence to proof this campaign, which such clear message I am trying to make them have a moment of revelation and be sober for moment to realise that there is a different way of life which is much more healthy and purposeful.
The biggest difficulty I have came over doing my project was into the documentary making and lack of resources as I had trouble gathering material for it and also editing and projecting the documentary as their wasn't enough knowledge for me to work with all the tools and efficiency that Adobe offers.
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