Formal Proposal for Documentary

Topic

The documentary will be based around Chocolate.

Type of documentary

It will be a mixed documentary (Interviews, archive footage and cut aways).

Style of documentary

Our documentary is going to be trendy but formal providing a modern and funky outlook on chocolate. The documentary will include bright colours and have a happy approach to the topic.

Channel and scheduling

The documentary will be shown on channel 4 at 7 o clock, straight after Hollyoaks. This is to try and attract some of the large viewership that will have watched the programme. Therefore it involves inheritance form of scheduling, that we will be using for our chocolate documentary. We decided to put the documentary on channel 4 as we think our documentary matches the theme of the channel like modern, trendy etc. Also, we thought that 7 o clock was an appropriate time as it wasn’t too late but not too early so we can catch our target audience, which most of them will have finished work by then.

Target audience

Our target audience is both genders, ages 20-60. They will shop in supermarkets and high street shops, and be middle class (spend money on a weekly food shop). In their spare time they will usually watch TV, go shopping, and spend time with friends and family. Additionally, they will have a general interest in food (chocolate specifically) and enjoy learning about it.

Primary Research needed

Our primary research will be from interviews from relevant people such as staff in chocolate shops, chocolate fans, chocolate haters etc. This will also include different locations such as chocolate shops and supermarkets which will involve the Mise en scene, all relating to the topic of the documentary.

Secondary research needed

Our secondary research will include archive footage including material such as; movie clips, programmes, photos, videos, music, reports, statistics, magazines, newspapers and the internet. So specifically for our documentary, we will use move clips from Forest Gump ‘life is like a box of chocolates’, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Maltida ‘Chocolate cake scene’, Elf ‘adding chocolate to spaghetti scene’. Additionally, we will use photos of chocolate, chocolate shops, chocolate in different time periods as well as videos too. We will use our target audience research as well as using the internet for statistics to provide facts and visuals.

Narrative Structure

The narrative structure will include a beginning, middle and end which will flow productively, starting from what chocolate was like in the past, people’s views and opinions on chocolate in the present and all kinds of chocolate there is now. The documentary will be all about chocolate and will show specific points that outline why people like/don’t like chocolate, to show people how popular chocolate is, how big it is and how chocolate has changed over the years.

Outline of content

Our content will be based around chocolate and will include a variety of elements to attract the audience and also to fit everything in. So we will have interviews included to get a range of people’s opinions and perspectives and also to get more information when on their job if relating to chocolate. These interviews will be with people such as; staff in chocolate shops, the public (people who like chocolate, people who don’t like chocolate, people who are allergic to chocolate). Additionally, we will have archive material to add some other visuals into our documentary. This will include; film clips, old footage off chocolate (being made, how they looked), photos of chocolate and chocolate shops, newspaper and magazine cuttings relating to chocolate and statistics. Music will also be involved to make sure the documentary is upbeat and fun. Some music will be; Chocolate (1975), I want Candy, Charlie and the Chocolate factory theme tune, which all relate to chocolate. Within the documentary, we will film different places relating to chocolate that include; Thornton’s, Mr Simms Sweet shop, Hotel Chocolat, Archie’s, supermarkets and department stores. The style of the documentary will be a positive approach which will include chocolate, bright colours and will be happy and funky. Cut aways will be used in our documentary to split up the interviews and to provide a visual on what people are talking about. These will include; people eating chocolate, chocolate shops, making chocolate, chocolate bars, cakes, drinking hot chocolate, scooping chocolate ice cream, adding chocolate to milkshakes, people buying chocolate, unwrapping chocolate, advent calendars, Halloween chocolates, people opening a cream egg, box of chocolates and melting chocolate.

Resource requirements

For our documentary, we will need basic technology to help us film cut aways as well as helping us carry out interviews. The resources we will require are:

7 people for interviews ( Staff in chocolate shops, people who like chocolate, people who don’t like chocolate/allergic)

1 person for voiceover Camera Tripod Lighting Microphone Headphones Chocolate – bars, cakes, drinks, boxes, singles, ice cream Backgrounds – chocolate shops, green screen