Evaluation Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media Products?

Codes and Conventions

• Codes and conventions in media terms are a set of rules that you may apply to produce your media text. It’s the way in which something is usually done through certain techniques to make your media text more professional.

• Some of these conventions Include:InterviewsSoundCinematographyEditingStatisticsMise en scene

Documentary• For our documentary it was important to research

the typical codes and conventions used in order to make our documentary as professional as possible.

• This meant I had to research into similar products (documentary) which is where I came across ‘Panorama’ who similarly produced a media text on knife crime. This would help give us an outline on how to produce our own.

Panorama is a BBC Television Current affairs documentary programme

• The way in which Interviews were set up was vital.• There are two type of interviews that all documentary’s follow, these are formal and informal

• As you can see even though the type of interviews were different there were still some similarities. We included captions which is another convention so the spectator would know who is being interviewed.

• This shot of a formal interview from another documentary illustrating how the person is being interviewed at his own work place which is a convention that we followed as it made themmore comfortable.

• Similarly all 3 documentary's including ours, use mediumor medium close up shots to denote the facial expressionand body movement of the interviewee, this made themclear and easier to understand.

Interviews

SuperSize me: Professionalinterview

• Statistics are facts which means they tell the truth, this again is another form of convention as it helps the producer to persuade the spectator to follow their argument or point.

• As you can see both documentaries use statistics in a similar way. The information in both is clear and all the focus is on the information even though there is background footage.

• Not all documentaries use this technique but crime is a serious genre and statistics help to portray this which is why we used this convention

Statistics

Panorama Our documentary

Sound• We used sound as a form of code and convention that we

research from many documentaries including Panorama.• Panorama used Non-diegetic music throughout the

documentary as music helps to attract the spectator since diegetic sound such as voices may not be as entertaining.

• Similarly to Panorama we both used serious music within our documentary as it matched the seriousness of the topic. This is an important convention that we followed as it benefits both the producer and the spectator.

• We also used a male voice over as the topic was more suited for the male gender which is the same as what panorama used.

Editing • Since Panorama had the same topic, the pace of the editing

was very similar. It was quick and precise. There were no long takes except for the interviews which was form of convention that we emulated.

• Both documentaries also use transitions to make the media text more eye catching as it makes the documentary slightly more exhilarating. However this wasn’t over done because crime is not a comical topic so it the editing was kept at a level similar to Panorama which was a convention that we adapted.

Colour and lighting• the art of photography and camerawork in film-making. Within

cinematography we had to follow certain conventions that I learnt while researching different media texts, one of which is colour and lighting:

• Just like panorama, our documentary uses dark colours and low key lighting, we even use black and white as this created a more gritty and tough appearance which linked to our topic of knife crime.

Mise en scene• Is the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a shot, its

everything within the frame.• This was an effective convention that helped to create the perfect

shot.

When taking a shot certain objects and props are used for a certain affect just as panorama illustrates by using the prisoners cell, everything within the frame including the bed and the plain wall is used to create tension behind the acts of knife crime.

Similarly we used this code and convention to add to the professionalism of certain shots, in this case an interview which is why we used props such as an apple mac as it linked to who was being interviewed. Similar to panorama we kept props plain and simple like when we interviewed the police officer to create tension of the consequences of knife crime

Archival footage• ‘Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and

file footage is film or video footage that can be used in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material’ – wiki

• Almost all documentaries use archival or stock footage and this was another code and convention that was essential in the making of our media text.

• Just like panorama we used footage of news report to emphasise the issue of knife crime. This technique is effective as news reports are significantly important and a few shots of this makes our documentary more professional

• Panorama used an on screen presenter however we only used a voice over in our documentary so we challenged this convention, we did this as we though it was more effective. Another way in which the voice over challenges panorama’s convention is the fact that our voice over is less professional but more related to the topic, this would allow the audience to relate to what's being said.

• Another way in which we challenge certain conventions that panorama utilizes is through the use of non diegetic music, within in panorama the music is played In certain scenes whereas in our documentary the music is on a loop so its playing all the time. We did this as it attracts more attention to what is being shown on set so the audience stays focused on our documentary.

• Some of the background and stock footage we used was different to panorama, we challenged this as when recording the news footage we used actual cases, for example Joshua Ribera who was rapper that was stabbed, this increased the importance of the issue. However the way in which we used the news reports challenges panorama’s as we create a montage in the intro to ‘break the news’.

Codes and conventions that we challenged

More..• Even though in our documentary we use a lot of low key

lighting and dark colours to illustrate the seriousness of knife crime, we also challenge this code and convention as we used brighter colours and high key lighting in certain shots, e.g. vox pops of students, background footage, some of the interviews. This was to illustrate that its not all bad but only we, the people can reduce knife crime and crime in general.

• Panorama doesn’t use any vox pops however we do so you can say this is another convention that we challenged even though vox pops are popular amongst other documentaries. Panorama focuses on just the prisoners yet with give the public a voice on knife crime which I thought was effective.

Vox Pop

Magazine article• To understand the codes and conventions of

double page spreads, we had to research and analyse certain magazine articles. This would help and give us information on how we could make our double page spread as professional as possible, whether we challenged or emulated specific codes and conventions

Codes and conventions that we emulated

• Our target audience was mainly teenagers and young adults so when researching for magazine articles we came across ‘A diary of courage’ which is a teenage TV listing article, since the audience was similar, we followed these conventions

• As all double page spread articles must include, a main title. This was clear and large, we emulated this convention as attracts the audience and promotes the significance of our article.

Main Image• One main convention of a magazine article is

having a main image. Both our magazine article and a diary of courage use a main image which is large and takes a lot of space. We emulated this code and convention as the image is really effective and makes the magazine more attractive.

Columns and paragraphs

• The information in the article is vital so the way its set up is just as important. A diary of courage uses columns and paragraphs to lay out their article towards the bottom of the double page spread. We emulated this convention as it made the text more clear and professional

Captions• Towards the bottom of the double page spread, A

diary of courage uses captions to promote the magazine article. We emulated this convention as it would make our article look just as professional.

• We also used captions to inform the reader of when you can listen to the radio trailer, this includes the date and time.

Note: This was just under an image

Subsidiary images• Sometimes, one image is not enough. You may

need subsidiary images to support your article which is what a diary of courage illustrates. We emulated this code and convention by using two other images to help promote our media text..

Challenging conventions

• Throughout our magazine article we used quotes however a diary of courage didn’t so we challenged this convention as we thought some of the quotes were really effective in catching the attention of the reader.

• The use of drop caps is code and convention that both articles including ours use. However a diary of courage uses this technique multiple times. Whereas our article uses it just once at the beginning so in a way where challenging their convention as our article is more serious and straight to the point.

• Within our magazine article we use subsidiary images from our documentary which is different to a diary of courage’s article. We challenged this convention as it would show the reader a glimpse of what to expect which may convince them to watch the documentary.

Radio Trailer• For our radio trailer, it was just simply listening to

other radio trailers and understanding what the codes and conventions were so our media text could be as successful.

Codes and conventions• While researching radio trailers learnt that they

all had voice overs. We emulated this convention as Voice overs create a different perspective and can make things more easy to understand.

• Another important convention that many radio trailers include are the date, time and channel of what is being promoted. We emulated this convention is would inform the audience when and how they will be able to view the documentary which of course is vital.

More..• Background music is an essential part of a radio

trailer which makes it a convention therefore we emulated this technique. It kept the audience interested and active.

• Another convention that we learnt while listening to radio trailers is that they have sound clips from what there promoting. We emulated this convention by including sound clips of vox pops to give the audience an insight of what's included.

Challenging certain conventions

• We didn’t really challenge many typical code and conventions of radio trailers.

• However When researching other radio trailers, we learnt that the voice over used in their radio trailers was the same voice over from their media text (documentary). We challenged this convention as we used a different voice over, in fact it was a female’s voice. This kept the gender differences balanced so our documentary focuses on both genres.

• Another way in which our radio trailer is different and challenges typical conventions is through the sound clips used from our documentary. We only used vox pops from our media text but other radio trailers used more, e.g. sound from interviews and background footage. So we actually challenged this as we tried to keep ours simple.