Evaluation: Question 1

1. In what ways does the media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Due to our film being a documentary we were able to film everything ‘as and when’ it happened, so there was no continuity slip ups. On each day of filming there was a different training activity for us to get involved in and shoot for example: day 1 we shot the fire fighters testing the hoses; day 2 we shot the RTC engine in action with the mechanical cage located on the back; and day 3 we shot them dismantling a car to release a trapped casualty along with the interviews with Matthew Barrell and Phil O’Colloell. Shooting what we needed on each day, we avoided continuity errors. While editing we used a few establishing shots to distinguish that the film was ‘moving on’, obeyed the 180 rule and used a range on different shots during the sequence. We also used a lot of match on action, especially when either the narrator or the ‘characters’ talk about the equipment and when they are on the job.
A documentary it there to entertain and educate: our film follows the conventions of a documentary. It informs the audience about the fire service: how they feel about their jobs, the cots they have had to make in their departments. Like any documentary we asked questions that allowed the fire fighters to tell us their story. It follows the regular conventions and structure of documentaries. It could be compared to the recent documentary Coppers shown on Channel 4.
Our film does not display any parody or abnormality from the genre we worked with. It fulfils the nature of the documentary. However while filming we acquired footage that was unsuitable for the film due to the levels of laughter within them. At the beginning of our film you see an engine come into the ‘yard’, returning from a call out: in this shot you see one of the fire fighters waving at the camera from within the engine. We deliberately placed this shot in our film to give it an upbeat feel. We felt that it was unnecessary to challenge the conventions of genre as it would not reflect our aims and confuse the audience into what we were trying to portray to them. I believe that our film outlines the stereotypes the occupation as it mainly features male characters. Due to the tasks the job entails: lifting heavy equipment, patience and physical endurance of the occupation, I believe that the job is aimed at the gender it is intended for.
The use of graphic convention in which we have used was to try and create pleasure for the audience: although that within this we created an underlining convention of educating the audience in the subject in question. We did this thoroughly throughout the film using the voice over to describe the fire fighters actions and equipment they were using, where it’s stored in the engine and how it is used: how the equipment has changed over time, how it has been developed to suit the jobs that are attending, how the adaptations have increased their jobs easier and the more beneficial they are for releasing the casualty from the danger they are in. We have also provide the audience pleasure with a sense of personal identity: how the audience can relate to the characters on screen; if they are in the same occupation, know someone who is, whether they are looking in to going into the occupation or if their job is similar e.g. other emergency services, lifeguards etc. Even if the audience are unable to identify themselves with the fire fighters, I believe that they can be used as a role model for the audience: going out every day and risking their lives for another. Their behaviour would provide a good canvas for others to follow, or the ‘copycat’ theory, promoting a good work ethic and in the most serious circumstances: injecting something positive into the media and therefore into the audience (hypodermic theory).
Due to the bad press about the fire service over recent months: the cuts, protests etc, we wanted to distract the audience for the negative connotations that people may have of them and show the audience about what really happens and what they actually do instead of ‘sitting about’ and ‘chilling’, showing them that they are constantly training and are doing plenty of community service: going into schools and explaining about fires, what happens and what to do in the event of a fire etc. In the image of my poster (see poster), is simple: an engine and the words ‘find out more’. I did it like this because not many people know that much about the fire service and what they actually do within their community, therefore by portraying my poster like that, the audience may be intrigued into what it is about, what it includes and what may happen if they watch.