Below is a more detailed approach to our documentary. I was able to sit down and take an in depth look at our documentary and make a strategic plan for our plan towards the filming and set up of our documentary. Between 3rd and 7th of November, Sheffield Showroom theatre was host to Sheffield documentary festival. Between the hours of 9 and 4 there was a variety of speeches from people working in different areas of the media sector. There was also a workshop where the participants had to create a documentary idea that had a theme of Africa. There were 9 groups all together. Our group (Barnsley College) won the ‘competition’ with our idea of ‘Nigerian beauty’. Our idea was to interview a Nigerian model and the women around her (mother, sisters, aunties) and ask them questions about her, her career and their views on beauty. Then to take bring her to Britain an compare British models and their idea of beauty to the Nigerian aspects.
Why channel 4?
We have chosen Channel 4 to be the host of our documentary. We chose them because of their history with filming and broadcasting documentaries, they have an online archive of 596 documentaries and there specifications are matched to our goals. They also support an OD programme (on demand). This is where we are able to access programmes that we have missed on television, allowing us to catch up whenever we wish, no matter date or time as it is uploaded onto the internet and ready to watch. Therefore, if some of our audience miss our documentary, or wish to look upon it again, they are able to recall upon it as it will be available on Channel 4 OD.
Interview
Before the interviews are to take place, we plan to meet the fire fighters that will be appearing in our documentary, it will not be filmed or documented as it is an ’exercise’ that will allow us to get to know one another, find out about each other’s interests and become comfortable around each other before filming is to occur. In effect this will reflect in the documentary with natural conversation, rather than a structured ‘cold’ interview where it would be just be a simple question and answer.
Questions will be asked to gain information on the fire fighters as we do not expect them just to reel off random information. The questions are well thought out and well structured.
By preparing and researching our questions, we were able to make the questions open that allow a variation of answers that will/ could reveal detail and depth. However another technique is to provide statements that the fire figthers are able to build upon . This gives the subject chance to lead us through their story from their point of view and share their experiences with us, the audience. This level of preparation will provide a relaxed, conversational interview.
Plan
It is crucial to a films finished product that plenty of planning is done well before any filming is done. The purpose of planning is to ‘map out’ or structure the filming and editing process. It allows the film makers to ask themselves questions: what do i want to say? Has my story been done before? Do i have access? How am i going to tell the story? What resources do i have? By planning our documentary this way, it has allowed us know and easily direct what shots are needed, what questions we need to ask to gain the information we need to fit it in to our story etc. Like most documentaries, the aim of ours is to educate and entertain our audience. We plan to document the everyday life of our local fire fighters and find out what goes on behind closed doors and their whirring sirens. Our ‘fly on the wall’ (observational) documentary filming style has the added effect of voice over narration. During the editing process, the shots used can subtly indicate progress within the film.
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