Audience Research: Feedback on Pitch
I decided to collect feedback via Microsoft Forums to see if my initial idea was doable and fit the brief.
Here are the results:
This feedback from my peers has been extremely helpful and positive. From this data, I have gathered that my idea does fit the brief as I have included relevant issues from today's society. My peers have given me different suggestions of what to include such as, interviews, dancing clips and giving out health tips to help others - which is a feature of a typical BBC 3 documentary.
I also need to consider another character that is part of a different social group, which is a requirement from the brief.
Audience Research: Focus group
Audience Research: Focus group questions
1. How often do you watch documentaries?
Hannah (P) - I watch a documentary probably either once a week if there is like a short series of them or once every two weeks because I enjoy watching and learning about what they are about! I definitely watch a documentary in the space of two weeks.
James (P) - I don't often watch documentaries because after about 20 minutes they tend to get a bit repetitive and boring.
Max (P) - About once a week
Catherine (S) - 3-4 times a week
2. If you would watch one what platform would you watch it on? (TV, Phone, Computer)
Hannah (P) - I would watch some on tv if it was appealing to me, I quite like history documentaries on tv. However, I watch most of the documentaries on my phone on Netflix.
James (P) - If I was to participle in the sport of watching a documentary I would watch it on my television because the adverts would offer me a break to take in and digest the information in the documentary.
Max (P) - Streaming platform iPlayer or Netflix
Catherine (S) - TV
3. What social media platform do you use the most?
Hannah (P) - Snapchat
James (P) - Instagram
Max (P) - Instagram
Catherine (S) - Facebook/Instagram
4. What's your favourite genre of a documentary?
Hannah (P) - My favourite genre of documentaries is either history-related about wars and the history of where we live and what’s happened, or documentaries about the world and the planet, for example, our planet on Netflix was a very enjoyable watch for me! I love learning about the environment and how we can help it.
James (P) - I love a good travel documentary. the reason for this is that I love seeing new places and there environments and culture.
Max (P) - Wildlife/Nature
Catherine (S) - History/astrobiology
5. What makes a documentary more appealing to you? What attracts you?
Hannah (P) - In a documentary, anything to do with the world and our planet I usually watch and really enjoy as it something I love to learn more about and explore! David Attenborough is my favourite person to watch on documentaries! They appeal to me more if they have lots of footage of what they are talking about so I really get a sense of what is happening.
James (P) - The best kind of documentary is one that has a meaning and a purpose behind it. otherwise, it feels like an hour and a half worth of blab.
Max (P) - Often it's either the subject matter or sometimes the narrator on the series. Such as David Attenborough narrated wildlife doc.
Catherine (S) - Photographic evidence/personal accounts
1. How often do you watch documentaries?
Hannah (P) - I watch a documentary probably either once a week if there is like a short series of them or once every two weeks because I enjoy watching and learning about what they are about! I definitely watch a documentary in the space of two weeks.
James (P) - I don't often watch documentaries because after about 20 minutes they tend to get a bit repetitive and boring.
Max (P) - About once a week
Catherine (S) - 3-4 times a week
2. If you would watch one what platform would you watch it on? (TV, Phone, Computer)
Hannah (P) - I would watch some on tv if it was appealing to me, I quite like history documentaries on tv. However, I watch most of the documentaries on my phone on Netflix.
James (P) - If I was to participle in the sport of watching a documentary I would watch it on my television because the adverts would offer me a break to take in and digest the information in the documentary.
Max (P) - Streaming platform iPlayer or Netflix
Catherine (S) - TV
3. What social media platform do you use the most?
Hannah (P) - Snapchat
James (P) - Instagram
Max (P) - Instagram
Catherine (S) - Facebook/Instagram
4. What's your favourite genre of a documentary?
Hannah (P) - My favourite genre of documentaries is either history-related about wars and the history of where we live and what’s happened, or documentaries about the world and the planet, for example, our planet on Netflix was a very enjoyable watch for me! I love learning about the environment and how we can help it.
James (P) - I love a good travel documentary. the reason for this is that I love seeing new places and there environments and culture.
Max (P) - Wildlife/Nature
Catherine (S) - History/astrobiology
5. What makes a documentary more appealing to you? What attracts you?
Hannah (P) - In a documentary, anything to do with the world and our planet I usually watch and really enjoy as it something I love to learn more about and explore! David Attenborough is my favourite person to watch on documentaries! They appeal to me more if they have lots of footage of what they are talking about so I really get a sense of what is happening.
James (P) - The best kind of documentary is one that has a meaning and a purpose behind it. otherwise, it feels like an hour and a half worth of blab.
Max (P) - Often it's either the subject matter or sometimes the narrator on the series. Such as David Attenborough narrated wildlife doc.
Catherine (S) - Photographic evidence/personal accounts
To discover the leisure and media consumption habits of my target audience, I set up a focus group consisting of four people: Hannah, James, and Max acting as my primary audience and Catherine as my secondary.
I asked them five different questions whilst also asking them to list their interests.
For my focus group, I tried to pick people within the demographic who didn't really have similar backgrounds/interests.
Interests
I have realized that if I heavily focus my documentary on the topic of theatre and performing, this could limit my audience - as I would be attracting a niche audience. Because of this, I will balance this out with the topic of mental health so I can attract a wider audience.
Questions from Focus Group
Question 1 - How often do you watch documentaries?
From the data, it was shown that the average from my primary audience would be once a week, with the exception of James, who doesn't often watch documentaries because "after about 20 minutes they tend to get a bit repetitive and boring." This suggests that I will need a way to engage my audience.
Question 2 - If you would watch one what platform would you watch it on? (TV, Phone, Computer)
The results were split down the middle with two people saying TV and the others, Netflix/BBC iPlayer.
Question 3 - What social media platform do you use the most?
It was shown that Instagram was the most used platform. So, therefore, I will try and incorporate Instagram as a way of digital convergence.
Question 4 - What is your favourite genre of a documentary?
Most of my group said nature or something that has various locations.
Question 5 - What makes a documentary more appealing to you? What attracts you?
For this question, people said that they enjoy personal accounts but mostly depends on the subject matter. I believe social media and mental health, is a relevant and on-going issue that society is trying to tackle. Setting it in the performing arts industry will be a new and interesting perspective that hasn't been researched before.
GENERIC RESEARCH ON DOCUMENTARY
JOHN GRIERSON
John Grierson was a Scottish documentary maker. He was considered as a pioneer within the film industry and often considered to be the “father of British and Canadian documentary film”
As a director he was very much influenced by the Soviet cinema and Robert Flaherty’s poetical style.
In a 1926 review of one of Flaherty's films he coined the term "documentary" to describe the dramatization of the everyday life of ordinary people.
Grierson used non-professional actors instead of actors in order to create a more 'authentic' reality and also made use of extensive location shooting. He was always keen to make a film with distinctively 'British' characteristics, which he saw as moderation and a sense of human importance, which is seen in his pioneering documentary Drifters.
Grierson did not believe that documentary film was just a public report of the activities of daily life but as “something more magical.” “It is a visual art which can convey a sense of beauty about the ordinary world."
BILL NICHOLS
Bill Nichols is an American film critic who was best known for his pioneering work as founder of the contemporary study of documentary film.
- Poetic mode
- Expository mode
- Observational mode
- Participatory mode
- Reflexive mode
- Performative mode
Structure of a documentary
A documentary structure usually depends on the subject matter of the film, but in general, a documentary is made up of the "three-act structure."
Act One
The beginning of the documentary needs to capture and engage the audience. In the first act you establish and set the tone for the whole movie and create curiosity in the viewer's mind to make them want to keep watching. Within this section, you want to set up some kind of problem or unusual situation that keeps the audience intrigued. The beginning is more or less a teaser for the whole documentary. It sets up the questions that the rest of the movie will answer.
Act Two
Act 2 is divided into numerous scenes that build on each other to reveal your story. These segments do not necessarily go in chronological order.
Act Three
The last act brings some kind of resolution to the questions and conflict established at the beginning of the film.
GENERIC RESEARCH – TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 2
‘ABUSED BY MY GIRLFRIEND’
Summary – Tells the story of Alex Skeel, a 23-year-old man from Bedford, who was severely abused by his girlfriend, Jordan Worth. This documentary consists of observational filming with various police accounts, providing a raw and personal view of Alex’s life and how a teenager romance became violent and abusive.
“By sharing his story, Alex hopes to challenge assumptions about violence and masculinity in relationships, and to empower victims of domestic violence to come forward”
ANALYSIS
STORYBOARDING + PLANNING
Comments
Post a Comment