IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP

OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA

PRODUCTS?Kate Pownall

Print Advert- Codes & Conventions• The Channel 4 logo is always used, and is always positioned in the middle on the right hand

side.• The name of the programme is always featured on the advert.• The scheduling of the programme: the date and time, is always featured, usually below the

other text on the page.• Sometimes there is a strapline or slogan that catches attention.• There is a block of colour around the text that makes it stand out from the page.• The font of the text is simple and easy to read.• Sometimes there is a link to the website.• The information is clear.• There is always one simple, eye catching and striking image that is shocking or funny, and is

relevant to the topic of the documentary. There is usually a lack of manipulation of the image.• The Channel 4 logo is always in a colour block.

Channel 4 logo positioned in the middle on the right hand side.

Name of documentary featured on the advert.

Slogan and scheduling featured on the advert.

Information in clear white text on a black background to make it stand out.

Slogan is short and catchy, positioned at the top of the page to be eye-catching, links to the theme of the documentary.

Image is striking and eye catching, links to the theme of the documentary.

Image is strange and amusing, which tells the audience that the documentary will be light hearted and upbeat.

• In both adverts the Channel 4 logo is positioned in the middle on the left hand side.

• In both adverts the writing is in white text that stands out against the block background.

• In both adverts the image used is eye catching and makes people want to find out more.

• In both adverts the scheduling is clear and easy to see.

• The image used in the professional advert looks more edited, and is in darker lighting than our advert because it is portraying a more serious issue.

• In the professional advert, there is a link to the Channel 4 website, however, we didn’t include this as not all adverts have them.

• There is no strapline in this advert, whereas we have included a strapline in our advert.

Similarities Differences

Radio Advert- Codes & Conventions• There is continuous speaking or sound throughout the advert.• There is a use of sound effects or background noises.• There is a voiceover that speaks in Standard English that gives relevant

information and facts.• There is a voiceover at the end of the advert that gives the scheduling

times, and the channel is always the last thing we hear.• The tone of the advert reflects the light-heartedness or seriousness of the

documentary.• The same advert is normally used for radio and TV.• There are sometimes things from the documentary used, such as clips

from interviews.

There is music throughout the advert, which makes it appealing to listen to.

The music is upbeat, and the narrator sounds friendly, reflecting the light hearted feeling of the documentary itself.

The scheduling of the documentary is spoken at the end of the advert.

Although the last thing the narrator says is the channel, the last thing the audience hears is the singer saying “I want candy”, meaning that the song will stay in their head and entice them to watch.

The narrator speaks in Standard English and gives facts relating to the documentary.

We included clips from the documentary, such as voxpops and interviews, which will give the audience an insight into the documentary and make them want to find out more.

The narrator speaks in a clear voice that is easy to understand.Most radio adverts are used for television as well, however we have created this advert specifically for radio.

The second audio channel is where the background music has gone.

We adjusted the volume to make it quieter so the narrator can be heard.

We have edited the music so it is only instrumental, apart from the last part.

The video channel is where the print advert goes.

The first audio channel is where the voiceover and clips from the documentary go.

We have deleted the video from the clips, so we just hear the audio, as this advert is just for radio.

We have adjusted the volume so it can be clearly heard over the music.

Our documentary conforms to conventions of professional documentaries in many ways. According to John Corner, the

five key elements of documentaries are:

Observational footage

InterviewsMise en scene

Dramatization

Exposition

We have used all of these except dramatization. We haven’t used any dramatic reconstructions in our documentary, which challenges convention, however, this is because it wouldn’t make sense to include it in our documentary as the topic we are exploring doesn’t require it.

Interviews

• We have used the rule of thirds, a conventional feature of interviews where the interviewee is positioned to one side of the screen.

• The interviews are all shot in medium close up and are at eye level, with the interviewee looking at the interviewer off screen.

• We edited out the questions in the interviews, and the jump cuts resulting from this are covered by cutaways that are relevant to what the interviewee is talking about.

• We have used relevant mise en scene in interviews such as the Mr Simms workers and the Fairtrade employee, however, in the interview with a diabetic and some of the voxpops we have just a plain white background which isn’t relevant to the topic.

Screenshot from our documentary. Screenshot from a professional documentary.

We have framed our interview using the rule of thirds, which is a convention of documentaries.

Like in the professional documentary, we have used graphics to show the interviewee’s name and relevance to the topic.

We have used relevant mise en scene; we filmed the interview in front of jars of sweets and chocolates. Similarly, this professional interview was filmed in front of clothes, which relates to the interviewee’s role.

Like professional interviews, we shot ours in medium close up at eye level, with the interviewee looking at the interviewer off screen.

Observational footage• We have used a montage of

observational footage of people eating chocolate as the opening titles of the documentary. This introduces and conveys the theme of the documentary.

• We have used lots of observational footage as cutaways during interviews, which give the interview meaning, or montages when the narrator is speaking. Conventionally, during this footage nobody acknowledges the camera.

• We have used a variety of different camera techniques, such as pans and tilts, to keep the documentary visually interesting.

• We filmed all of our footage using a tripod, so none of it was handheld. We didn’t use handheld camerawork because there wasn’t really any points in the documentary where there needed to be realism.

• We have used establishing shots when introducing new locations.

Editing• The pace of the documentary is normally quite slow, apart from

when there are voxpops, or the opening montage at the beginning.

• The fast paced editing keeps the documentary visually interesting and exciting.

• Sudden changes in pace can keep the audience interested in the documentary.

Sound• The documentary uses both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The non-

diegetic sound comes from background music and narration, while the diegetic sound comes from interviews.

• The music we used is relevant to the topic of the documentary, as it is called ‘I Want Candy’, which relates to the theme of chocolate.

• The volume of music is faded out at the end of the opening titles, and is quietly played beneath the voiceover.

• The narration used is Voice of God. It is a female speaking in Standard English, who gives facts and information and links sections of the documentary together, such as when she introduces the Fairtrade section.

• The narrator also conveys the exposition, which is that chocolate is one of the most popular and most loved foods around the world.

Archive Footage• We have used archive footage as cutaways in interviews, which is

conventional.

Archive footage from the film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, used as a cutaway in the interview with the old man.

We have used archive photos of Fairtrade workers as cutaways in the interview with the Fairtrade worker.

Narrative Structure• The topic of our documentary is chocolate, and it is single-stranded

because this is the only topic talked about.

• It is open, as questions are left unanswered and the future of chocolate is still ongoing.

• Our structure is non-linear as it doesn’t follow a chronological timeline; we start in the present, and have a small segment with an old man talked about chocolate in the past, and the future isn’t talked about in the documentary.