Is TV News a Window on the World

The question "Is TV News a Window on the World" basically questions whether or not mainstream media is a good source of "true reporting" in terms of representing the world to its audience. This question is very important in the world today as people now have access to means of obtaining their own  information on stories and not just in their local area. The reason for this is course due to social media and the fact that the world wide web has become a staple in pretty much every house world almost globally. This question is also important to ask because TV and the mainstream media tries to present itself in an honest and clear way e.g. being a window on the world.





Logos for BBC News and Russia Today, two different news TV stations

How does the mainstream media try to present itself in that way? - The news does many things to convince people that its 100 percent honest in what it does in reporting the news. This is done through the use of the starting sequences for example which are explained in my previous post which can be viewed here.

In addition to starting sequences my last post also mentions the news reporters themselves such as how they are limited to certain expressions to remain more professional and serious looking.  It is also important to note that there is a choice involved in what actually goes out in the news reports, this is because not all events that happen in the world can be reported. Choices themselves are made according to beliefs such as if a particular story is good enough to air and if they think it affects enough people for anyone to care to much. Already we are starting to see that this "window" is starting to get a bit cloudy! This then nicely sums up that mainstream news and almost all other forms of news are not a window on the world as such. These decisions that have to be made normally are connected to a gate keeping system that is used within the industry. Below in the next paragraph I shall breakdown this process in each of its steps and also explain how a lot of news simply gets lost and is thrown into the "news bin".

The Gate Keeping Process - (Helps decide what is news worthy)

1. Sources of news: This is news that has to be found and seen by a reporter. These are found by the reporter using a routinely monitored source. Lots of different stories happen daily but if they are not seen by a reporter they fall under the news radar and into the news bin as it were.

2. Has to have values to the news: For example a story has to affect a lot of people or be interesting enough to get attention. For example a natural disaster in L.A will be more likely to be reported then a stabbing in London. If a story does not have certain news values it will fall into the bin. Media researchers Galtung and Ruge came up with a list of News values which is still relevant to this day and age even though the original research was done in 1965. The researches analysed what made a news story reach the front cover of a newspaper and make headlines on Television. These fall into 3 different categories, "Impact", "Audience Identification" and "Pragmatics of the media coverage". These are explained below.

- Impact means that if the story is big enough then it will affect many people in many different areas such as a money crisis for example. Also if an event is frequent it is also likely to hit news stands because these happen daily, they fit well into the news programme schedule. Negativity also plays a part in this because bad news is more "exciting" than good news so to speak. Additionally both unexpectedness and unambiguity both play a role.
- Audience Identification means that stories could be about a celebrity or about nations that are seen as a Global power and also stories that are of people that speak the same language.
- Pragmatics of the Media Coverage means that stories that fit the media's expectations have a greater chance of being shown than the ones that go against them. Continuity also plays a part here as stories that gather a momentum, this is good because the news can then show the build up as it happens live which can in turn attract the audience back in each hour or so for example to find out what's happening.

What is interesting to note is the fact that the BBC lists the following as their values:

• Truth and accuracy
• Impartiality and diversity of opinion
• Editorial integrity and independence
• Serving the public interest
• Fairness
• Balancing the right to report with respect for privacy
• Balancing the right to report with protection of the vulnerable
• Safeguarding children
• Being accountable to the audience

But these values are often lost or contradicted when it comes to what actually gets reported.

3. The cost can have an impact: News companies have to base some of there output on the price involved for example earlier in the year a channel like ITV might have had some good coverage of an important story at a large price, but the coverage was better than other news companies. However later that year something else may come up and the channel cant afford to send anyone there to get footage so they lose out. Again if a story is simply too much in terms of cost then it gets put into the news bin so to speak.

4. Competition between the news company's: News broadcasters are always pitted against each other on a constant basis, because of this any slight interruptions during an important breaking news story can lead to people simply tuning into rival stations instead to get their news fix. Also most news stories are sent over in a packaged way containing clips, audio and narration and if any of these goes wrong the whole report is pretty much wasted if the issue can not be fixed in time. This means that some news stories get put into the news bin because of technical difficulties.

5. Legal constraints: Certain stories cant be published or talked about due to constraints such as a super injunctions which is a law that means reporters and people alike cant talk about it or even mention the injunction itself.  In addition to that some stories might be considered to controversial to air on the news and this might cause legal problems such as the person involved suing the company for airing a particular story. There are many different laws that work in the news for example the most basic laws that make up the news are the Impartiality Laws which is used in many broadcasting acts. Then there is laws like the one mentioned above where some news stories cant be run for certain reasons. Listed below are some of these laws:

- Official Secrets Act: This prevents the broadcast or publication of anything that is seen as "detrimental" to national security.
- Prevention of Terrorism Act: This prevents anything being published or broadcast that could promote or endorse any terrorist activity's
- Libel Laws: Prevents the broadcast or publication of any wild accusations for example something that could be seen as completely false in the eye of the public.
- Sub-judicy Laws: Prevents material being published or broadcast of anything that is related to an on going court case that could influence the Jury
- D (Defence) Notices: May be issued by the Ministry of Defence and Government to prevent the publication of anything that could be detrimental to British defence interests.

So is the question "Is TV news a window on the world" have any truth to it at all?
Not 100 percent no, the main reason here being that news stories are cherry picked to suit an agenda almost and because most of the people who work in news programming are middle to upper class you feel like your only getting what they want you to see. There is some truth in this question though as on some stories they do show what's happening for real and not just one side of it perhaps, but again this really depends on the content of the story. Local stories about the Norfolk broads or something similar will be reported truthfully if they make it into the news schedule because there is nothing to hide from the public view for example but even that is questionable. I personally think that in order to get a "Window" like view on the world around you, you as an individual will have to search for the stories to get both sides for example. So the window like part of the news only really works if you are open minded to many different views and sides of certain stories and dont let just one source dictate what you think personally.

Newsreaders - A connotational Analysis

The video below is of a BBC news broadcast that is 18 minutes plus long, so for this I am only going to be looking at the first 3 minutes.




1. Analysis the connotations of the title sequence:
From the start we can see that the opening sequence is going for an argent and demanding your attention approach. This is seen in how the title counts down from 12 seconds, although in the actual and extended version this 24 seconds (this represents 24 hours). In the actual countdown itself the camera angle changes or changes to a completely different shot altogether as seen below. In addition to this the change in scene moves around the world and changes on every other beep sound that comes in every second. This fast paced intro sequence is accompanied by fast paced music which is heavy on brass and loud drums. Additionally the title sequence also makes use of showing off technology and not just in the form of graphics, instead the sequence shows reporters with camera men live on the scene as it were. This helps to show that the programme is up to date on current events for example.

2. Analyse the connotations of the newsreaders:

As you can see above when the report starts, both news readers are behind a desk with various bit of paper work on the desk to connote importance. In addition to that the male news reader also starts reading first before the female says anything. The male reporter also appears to be middle aged compared to the young looking female newsreader. This age difference is typically found in news programmes as old males are seen to have knowledge whereas the female is young because older females don't represent beauty perhaps. Lastly the expressions that the newsreaders express are limited and are of a serious nature in order to appear professional looking because the news they are telling the viewer about is important.

3. Analyse the mise-en-scene of the studio 
The studio that the BBC use is notable for showing the background in a transparent manor, showing people working behind the scenes and other movement. This can be seen as a way of the BBC showing themselves as "transparent" and "unbiased" when it comes to reporting world news. In addition the desk is very clean and looks new, and appears to reflect the light making it show reflections on the surface. In addition to this even the background office space looks clean and well tidy perhaps suggesting that the BBC is organised and dedicated to the cause of bringing up to date news to the viewers. Lastly everything In the studio looks new, even the building it appears to be housed in looks modern, this can also show the fact that they are up to date on the news for example.

Documentary Evaluation

Below is the video for my 3 Minute wonder documentary titled "Music and the Changing World"




Documentary Style - Overall id say my style of documentary is more geared towards an expository one. This is mainly due to the fact that I show images and other bits of footage such as the CD packaging shots. These helped to be informative to what the person was talking about in the documentary. In addition I also made use of showing peoples opinions on the topic discussed. However even though id place my documentary in this category I would mention that I didn't make use of its conventions such as facts, such as statistics or a voice over to guide the viewer through the documentary.

Topic and why you chose it - My topic was about the Music industry and the shift from physical sales to digital within the last decade. The documentary itself focused on the views of old and young people in today's society on if they preferred to purchase via the digital market or from high street chains such as HMV for example. I chose this topic because I have a personal interest in the industry and how it works, plus being a young person but instead preferring to buy the albums I like on CD or Vinyl is seen as different among our generation for the most part. Lastly I chose this to see if I could find any like minded individuals like myself when it comes to the topic.

Use of camera - Interestingly enough my documentary didn't make use of the standard convention of handheld looking shots. This was because all the shots were instead captured using a tripod which was set up and positioned in a certain way before recording took place.

Use of sound - I made use of L cuts in my documentary to show the audience what the person on screen was talking about. For example this could be the showing of a CD being opened and the booklet taken out as the interviewee is talking about how booklets in CD's are full of creative and interesting art. In addition ambient sound can be heard throughout the documentary, however this is just sound from the audio recording during the interviews. Lastly a big part of the sound was made up of a track I made for personal use however I managed to use if for the making of this documentary and it suited the film very well in my opinion. This music was layered under the interviews so that the audio could still be heard from the people talking.

Use of editing - My use of editing for the documentary mostly revolved around using cuts to show the next interviewee on screen, however for some shots I did make use of an image or some other footage to hide the fact I changed person, however their audio was unaffected by this change as it was just a video one. in addition to cuts I also made use of fade ins and fade outs to move to one person to the next.

Use mise-en-scene - I made use of mise en scene in my documentary to help the overall film quality. For example Carl Simmonds who was one of the people interviewed in the documentary was seen being interviewed in a music technology class room, this gave purpose to the text on the screen stating he was a teacher. In addition to this, the shot used also helped to back up any points he may have made in the documentary because the viewers can see that he may perhaps have some expert advice on the topic. In addition studio shots were also used, these filmed people working within the studio environment and related to the documentary's topic. Lastly the students were captured in a more casual manor when compared to the teachers sitting at their desks, for example one of the interviewees was filmed as she sat on a table.

How happy am I with the overall product and why ? - Overall im very happy with how the documentary came out in the end and especially for a solo effort id say its the best thing ive worked on so far. This is mainly due to having freedom to work on something I wanted to do idea wise, however it was a little daunting at first in terms of what do I shoot and stuff like that. Id also add that I liked the way my music fit the overall mood of the documentary and how I edited it together so that it all fit and was cohesive in terms of relating to the topic was good.

The Nature and Purposes of Research in the Creative Media Industries

Primary Research/Self-generated Research

1. Define Primary research - This is research that the researcher does after doing some secondary research first on their chosen topic. Primary research can be for example interviews with people to find out information or observations on a certain group depending on the chosen topic. This method is used in the media industry to find out if people would like to see a film based on someones idea for example. These questions can also be used for Market research and can be used to determine if or not your idea will work based on the results. A good media related example of this is "Spiderman" the film that came out in 2002. The following is an extract that was taken from the BBFC article which is linked here "in 2001 the BBFC carried out a pilot in Norwich allowing under 12s to see the 12 rated films showing during the eight week pilot period. The outcome was that the public was only in favour of making the 12 cinema rating advisory if under 12s were accompanied by an adult throughout the film, and if information about the content of the film, for instance, 'Contains a single use of strong language and moderate violence' - BBFCinsight - was available on publicity material and was included in local cinema listings. The BBFC then carried out a national survey in May 2002 and got almost identical results, with over 70% of people supporting the introduction of 12A, as it is now known, provided children under 12 were accompanied by an adult and Consumer Advice was available to help them make informed decisions about what their children could watch."

2/3 What did you do? - For my research I conducted both interviews and also made a questionnaire that I made online using Survey Monkey. The questionnaire was sent out online using social media and also the colleges email system. The interviews for the documentary were conducted in different rooms around college and asked questions based on the topic such as "Do you prefer buying physical or digital music".

Interview during the filming of the documentary.

Secondary Research

1. Define Secondary research - This is research that the researcher finds and uses from a source for example it could be checking out results from other researchers questionnaires or reading articles on the chosen subject. In the media world this can be useful for checking historical accuracy in a film set during the wild west for example. This research method is then used to check the clothes what people used to wear in the past and what happened in certain events e.g. during a war, who won who lost. An example of this found in media would be the Titanic film, as an article on Empireonline mentions "In preparation for the most challenging job of her career, Scott spent months researching every available scrap of information on how people dressed in 1912, poring over newspapers, magazines, catalogues, personal journals and archives, including that of the White Star Line. So intensive was her research, it often surprised even her." The link to the full article can be found here.

2/3. What did you do? - For secondary research I read articles online, watched a short film (12 Minutes running time) which discussed about my topic and helped to present new information. In addition i also watched a video from user "The Needle Drop" (Online music reviewer, pictured below).

Quantitative Research 

1. Define Quantitative research - This is research that is presented in a statistical format using numbers e.g. bar graphs and tally charts (Microsoft Excel). For example this could be a list of who gave what answer in a multiple choice question on a questionnaire. Questions that lead to this type of data can be questions such as "How old are you?" and "How many hours of TV a day do you watch?" for example. A media related use for this can be viewing figures that BARB provide as seen in the screen shot below. 

2/3. What did you do? - For my own research I made use of Quantitative research by making an online questionnaire and sent it out to around 20 different people of different age groups. From here I analysed the results, however this only affected multiple choice questions within in the questionnaire. In addition to this I also looked up sales figures of physical and digital formats of music, these were presented in a mix of bar charts and also just the numerical data (e.g. New release on CD was 318,000 units first week compared to digital sales of 500,000 for the same album). Examples of how I used Quantitative research are seen below.

Qualitative Research  

1. Define Qualitative research - This is research that is presented in a written form and could be for example someones answer to a question on a questionnaire e.g. what their view on a certain subject is and why. Questions that lead to this type of data can be questions such as "What are your most recent views on mainstream media?" or "How did this make you feel" for example. A media related example of this could be the website TVguide.co.uk who collect ratings on programmes and also collect opinions such as the example below.

2/3. What did you do? - For my own research I made use of Qualitative data in the form of answers in my questions and also from the articles I read up online. In my questionnaire that I sent out I asked questions that were Qualitative, these are seen below. 

Data Gathering Agency's 

Explain what BARB/Other Similar sites do - They are the official source and go to guide for the UK's viewing figures for TV. Boxofficemojo for example also have viewing figures but these are for film instead of Television. In addition Boxofficemojo also includes how many cinemas the film was shown in as well as the exact amount of money that it grossed. IMDb in addition also shows these figures, however these are not as detailed as Boxofficemojo's statistics.

Audience and Market Research

What is it? - Audience research: This type of research is used to get a better understanding of the audience that your film or idea may be aimed at, as mentioned previously the people who made the Spiderman film done alot of this to get an idea if the 12A age rating would work or not. Market research: helps to gain information about target markets or consumers. Market research provides important information to identify and analyze the market need, market size and competition.

What did you do? - For this I looked into finding out audience behavior such as if or not they would be interested in watching a 3 minute mini documentary on a topic to do with music. In addition I also made sure that I looked into audience awareness, making sure that I learned if many people had already heard of a 3 minute wonder in the first place. Lastly I also looked into audience profiling, I got to ask questions based on if they liked my chosen topic and if they would be interested to learn more. 

The Audience research from our project - I used Survey monkey to help with the audience profiling and to gauge any potential interest on the topic from the people I sent the questionnaire to.

Production Research 

What is it? - This research will allow you to identify what resources you will need to launch the end product and whether your film would be profitable within the current market for example. Production research will give you an idea of what factors, could affect the production of your film, these factors can be controllable but also uncontrollable. Factors include pricing, promotion and distribution and consumer spend rates for example.

What did you do? - For this I looked into locations for potential shooting, these were mainly for the interview sections of the documentary. In terms of finance there wasn't anything that would be a problem, I pretty much had access to everything I needed via college or at home. For the content of the of documentary I brainstormed some ideas of what else I needed to film to make the documentary enjoyable to watch. In addition I also looked up other related music documentaries to see what they had included with the interviews they had conducted. In terms of personnel (people to interview) I simply chose a mix of two adults and two college students to get different responses and views on the subject matter. 

Accessing Research Data 

Reliability - 

1. In my research people were tested and asked questions on the questionnaire and also within the interviews. The consistent conditions were that the person being asked couldn't simply skip the questions being asked and I found that everyone who was asked answered everything that was needed to get results. 

2. One problem did arise in the questionnaire in that one person answered the questions incorrectly and their results were not counted for the ones they did this on. 

3.  This work did relate to my work for the unit as I was able to determine if people would be interested in the topic I had chosen for the mini documentary. In addition is also showed me that a number of people did in fact know about 3 Minute wonders in the first place, meaning in terms of the people I asked I wasn't making anything that might have confused people at first. 

Validity - 

1. In my research people were asked and tested on the same questions each time (as seen in the survey monkey questionnaire) in addition to that people in the interviews were asked the same questions, although I did leave space for any open questions to ask based on their feedback (semi structured in other words). 

2. I had a problem when it came to editing the documentary as my questions would be mostly different for each person I interviewed, however they all answered the set questions which did help in the editing process. 

3. I believe that this helped my as a whole as I think everyone answered the questions with their own views and thoughts on the subject. I think this was mostly down to the fact that nothing being asked was personal to peoples lives to where it could make someone feel uncomfortable for example. I also believe this to have been the case with the survey monkey questionnaire, again because nothing was personal I think that people responded with their own views. 

Representativeness and Generalisability

Were the participants representative of the population? - The population that were given the questionnaire were not representative of all ages and could instead be seen as representative of young people. However one person over the age of 50 was asked, although there is a huge gap in age as the second oldest to be asked was 27 years old. Id say overall that the people asked were representative/generalisable of the younger age group that was in my target audience. 

Research

Audience Research - People's Views on 3 Minute Wonders (Primary research)

Questions: 

1) What is your gender ? (M/F)

2) How old are you ? (Open answer)

3) Do you watch TV often ? (Y/N/Sort of)

4) Have you watched a documentary recently ? (Y/N)

5) What type of documentary do you like to watch ? (Open answer)

6) Have you ever heard of a Channel 4, 3 Minute Wonder? (Y/N)

7) Would you be interested in a 3 Minute documentary on how Digital Technology is changing the music world? (Y/N/Sort of)

Link to survey HERE

Market Research - 7/8PM Channel 4 (Viewers reach)

Over a 3 day period of time (Secondary) 

Thursday the 13th of March - from 7 to 8PM showed the News, which has a high viewing rate. A countdown to the winter games (Paralympic), "Undercover: Hate on the terraces", "Food Unwrapped" and "One Born Every Minute". Both of which shown rate highly in the viewing figures taking the number one and number 8 spot with 3.18 million viewers (Image seen below).

Wednesday the 12th of March - From 7 to 8PM Channel 4 showed: "The News" for half an hour, the "Paralympic Games Highlights" and "Secret Eaters" (Documentary). 

Tuesday the 11th of March - From 7 to 8PM Channel 4 showed: "The News", "Paralympic Games Highlights" and "Kirstie's Best of Both Worlds"

Conclusion - In conclusion most of the programming shown to be in the top 20 for total viewers is not in the majority for this one hour slot. However most of the programming that does get into the top 20 happens around this time as seen in the image below, we can see that the top 3 happens at around 9PM so its close to my study of 7-8PM. 

 Secondary Research: Researching The Topic

De La Soul Article (FEBRUARY 13, 2014 4:35 PM ET) Link HERE

- Talks about how the group made all their albums free to download on valentines day, mentioning issues with itunes and the samples they used early on. 

Key Points: 

1) Early hip hop music in particular was made up from using heavy sampled content (perhaps show a screen shot here of a wiki page) and was not fully looked after so to speak. This lead to problems putting music on for digital download sale. 

"The same things that made 3 Feet High and other De La albums so influential — its creative, if not fully licensed, use of a myriad of samples — has also prevented the group's work from appearing on many digital platforms. "It's been a trying journey," admits Posdnuos. "We've been blessed to be in the Library of Congress, but we can't even have our music on iTunes"

The Archive ( Uploaded on Youtube: May 20, 2009/Dir. Sean Dunne / USA / 2008)

- An examination of the world's largest vinyl-record collection, the man who owns it, and the current state of the American record industry.

Key Points: 
1) First record (flat/vinyl) was made (pressed) in 1881

2) Back in 2008 Paul was forced to close his shop and cites it as a dying medium and that "no one gives a damm" when it comes to saving the collection that has over a million records and over a million singles.

3) Collection is estimated to be worth over 50 million US dollars and all he wanted was 3 million to save it


Digital music sales outstrip CDs and records, BBC Article (31st May 2012) Link Found HERE

- Article talks about the sales figures in terms of physical and digital mediums in music

Key Points: 

1) "According to figures compiled by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) digital accounted for 55.5% of the £155.8m spent on music in the UK in the first three months of 2012."

2) "The BPI's figures show income from digital sales has risen by nearly a quarter year-on-year to £86.5m. Verses revenue from physical formats, such as CDs and vinyl dropped by 15% and now represents just £69.3m."

3) "BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor said the results represented a "significant milestone in the evolution of the music business"

The image below shows the best selling albums in the first quarter of 2012 for both formats

4) "We will need to see the trend repeated for several quarters to say we have turned the corner - demand for physical CDs remains strong in the UK."

5) "The CD still makes up the majority of album sales in the UK and that's going to remain the case for some time."


Should you print your album?  (Uploaded to Youtube October 13th 2013/The Needledrop)



- A video of The Needledrop contemplating whether or not printing your album, laying it onto some physical medium. Should it be a priority for people who are trying to make it in music today?

Key Points: 

1) Quoted from the video: "as long as music collectors, music nerds and incredibly passionate fans walk the earth there will always be room for CD sales, record sales for example" (59 secs - 1min 15 secs)

2) He also mentions that in the old days when there was not any digital form, people who liked only a few songs from the album would still buy, however now you can pirate, stream or buy those tracks separately from the album as a whole. (Use the clip in the film perhaps)


The changing musical landscape: iTunes Radio, declining digital sales, Beyonce and more (Article Jan 8th 2014) Link HERE

- Article highlight earlier points about the fall of physical sales but also highlights the overall decline of sales in general

1) Overall, album sales suffered an 8.4% decline, dipping to 289.4 million units from nearly 316 million units in 2012. The CD declined 14.5% to 165.4 million units, down from 193.4 million in the prior year, while vinyl continued its ascension rising to 6 million units from the 4.55 million the format tallied in 2012. That means vinyl is now 2% of album sales in the U.S; digital albums comprise 40.6% and the CD is 57.2% and cassettes and DVDs 0.2%. (Highlighted part shows vinyl increase and how its making a come back)


Anti Party Music, Cassettes of new albums being sold  Link HERE 

- A website in which you can purchase new albums from strange "unique" artists such as Yung Lean or Keyboard Kid (Main producer for Well known Lil B). However most of the artists on here are extremely underground. In addition this is not the only site who still sells cassettes, for example FACT magazine listed there overall favorites for 2013 mentioning that a wide range of different genres are put on tape. FACT Mag Link HERE 


Key Points: 

1) Still a demand for tapes/ people still collect them especially if the music is weird and "far out" e.g Lil Ugly Mane, Yung Lean who's tape can be seen below - Link to the sold out tape HERE

Cassette Tapes are almost cool again (Article) Link HERE


- Talks about how tapes were influential to the music scene till the CD was the most used in 1991, talks about how tapes are cheap and a good way to get A&R love.

Key Points: 

1) cheap medium compared to CD

2) "Their ease of use made them a cost-effective distribution medium for labels and hopeful bands trying to get A&R love, as well as a chance for DIY home recording and music swaps among audiophiles and young lovers alike."

3) "The cassette isn't quite shaking physical music these days, and it isn't enjoying the same sort of renaissance as vinyl, which has seen a 33.5 percent increase in sales in the first half of 2013 alone. But there is undoubtedly public interest in the format today, spurred by new tape labels popping up"

4) "In September, there will be the first Cassette Store Day (an interesting title, seeing as there are few stores that just handle cassettes), which will include concerts and limited edition releases and reissues"

5) "This may be true for die-hard music fans (who some may refer to as elitists), but sales and press coverage beg to differ."

Sources Used/ Date Accessed

1) De La Soul Article - Accessed: 18/03/2014
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/de-la-soul-to-make-entire-catalog-available-for-free-20140213

2) The Archive (Youtube Video) - Accessed: 18/03/2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J6OmXaLdKE

3)  Digital music sales outstrip CDs and records, BBC Article - Accessed: 18/03/2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18278037

4) Should You Print Your Album? (Youtube Video) - Accessed: 18/03/2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKOePUxRn-g

5) Anti Party Music, Cassettes of new albums being sold - Accessed: 19/03/2014
http://antipartymusic.bigcartel.com/

6) Cassette Tapes are almost cool again - Accessed: 19/03/2014
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/cassette-tapes-are-almost-cool-again

7) Fact mag list, best of 2013 (tapes) - Accessed: 19/03/2014
http://www.factmag.com/2013/12/02/the-20-best-cassette-releases-of-2013/

Research - Individual Idea

Concept Overview - A documentary about the music industry and the war (almost) between physical and digital mediums when it comes to people purchasing music. The doc will also explore early leaks of albums and whether that affects younger people not purchasing albums/songs, the doc will also ask a older generation if possible however the focus will most likely be on a younger generation.

Genre and format of concept - The format will most likely be an expository documentary with the presenter/voice over asking questions, in addition the documentary will also be educational showing stats for example about digital sales and how they can make up a good percentage of sales of new releases, and also how they can be pushed forward to avoid a leak or to take advantage whereas physical can't.

Target Audience - The target audience for the documentary will most likely be younger people (teens) as this mostly talks about a shift in habits for the newer generation when it comes to purchasing music. However this documentary may also relate to older people as they may want to know the reasons behind the decline in physical sales of music.

The Aim of the Documentary - The aim of the documentary is to inform the viewer on the topic and present information/views that can help make up the viewers mind by themselves. In the end I hope to present the viewer with information on the topic as well as present a side of music that is perhaps unseen (e.g. physical forms and what they mean to certain people).

Would I Need To Travel Anywhere (Is it an issue) ? - Most if not all of the doc will be shot inside of  college making use of staff and students to gather different views.

Who Do I Need And Will I Make Use of Experts/Witnesses? - I might make use of one expert in the form of a music tech teacher but other than that none are needed

Possible Interview Questions (Some Examples)(Production research) -
1) Which do you prefer, Digital or Physical when it comes to buying music ?
2) (Regarding the answer given for the question above) Why?
3) Do you first download a leak to preview the album then buy it, or once you have got it is that it? No purchase?
4) How often if any do you purchase music?
5) Would you say that the internet has made it easier to accesses loads of different artists but has made it harder for newer ones to make money?

Equipment - A tripod and camera is all that is really needed, however i may bring in a CD to show of some benefits as well as borrow a vinyl from a friend to represent the Physical forms as well as a blank CD to show that music can be burned as well.

Purposed Budget - Hopefully the budget should be none or at least very little since I can loan everything needed


Amended/Final idea for Documentary - The doc will focus on two different aspects that link together when it comes to the argument "Digital versus Physical", one being if younger people even bother to purchase a CD for example and the other being if downloads effect people buying them, e.g. if an album leaked early from an artist you liked would you download it and not buy to support? Or wait till it comes out.

Market Research: Documentary and its availability

TV listings for 2 different channels 

Channel 4 - Over a 24 hour period Channel 4 had a total of 8 hours and 40 mins of Documentary programming. The percentage out of its daily programming is 35% in total.

Channel 5 - Over a 24 hour period Channel 5 had a total of 6 hours of 55 minutes of Documentary programming. In total the percentage out of its daily programming amounts to 29%.

3 Minute Wonder Research

What even is a 3 Minute Wonder? 

A 3 Minute Wonder is a very short Channel 4 slot of programming that helps to broadcast new and up and coming directors documentaries and also short films. As the title suggests the films are around 3 minutes long and are aired at 7.55pm every weekday.  Additionally Channel 4 offers new directors £4,000 and some assistance in making the shorts.

What is the aim/purpose of a 3 Minute Wonder?

The aim of these shorts normally takes a look at issues that are not within the public eye and tend to be mostly Documentaries. In addition it offers new up and comers the chance to air their work to a large audience and get a start in the competitive environment that is the UK Television Industry.

What topic would you normally see in a 3 Minute Wonder?

In a 3 Minute wonder you would normally expect to see issues covered that don't make it into the mainstream media. For example these could be issues that effect a local community or a particular type of people. Topics can also range to focusing on a particular person and their own issues or even an activity such as street art.  


Three 3 Minute Wonders 


1. This is Our Youth: Walking Backwards





What type of Documentary is it ? 

Observational

Why did I like it?

I liked this one because it was a bit of a Mockumentary style mixed in with an interesting message in that youth culture is mostly made up of older ideas and are never given credit, the underlying theme being that they don't have any respect. In addition it features some funny moments such as when the youth are playing football backwards as seen below in a screen shot.

2. King of Laughter





What type of Documentary is it ? 

Observational and also Reflexive

Why did I like it ?

I liked the strange way in which the film was made in, this being that the camera tracks the main character "The King Of Laughter" at the front of him as if the camera is fixed to him. In addition the sped up footage of the older people talking was odd and almost unsettling.

 



3. Last Supper




What type of Documentary is it ?

Performative Documentary

Why did I like it ?

I liked it as it exposed something that isnt really talked about a whole lot, that being the last meal that death row inmates have before being executed. These meals can be requested by the inmates, for example the one being interviewed mentions that he wants ice cream. In addition i also liked the film as it shows that its not an easy subject to talk about, even for the inmates, this also helped to reveal more personal details about why he was in there too.

5 Different Types Of Documentary

What is a Documentary?

Non-Fiction, a Documentary aims to show at least some aspect of reality which can be helpful to document a historical record, a Documentary can also be used to instruct. Documentary film making has been described as continually evolving and is also without any boundaries. A filmmaker named John Grierson added that Documentary film-making is a "creative treatment of actuality" mentioning that a documentary makes use of raw footage that is more real than an acted piece. Documentaries can range from all kinds of factual and perhaps even non-factual (Mockumentary) points such as a musicians life and work or a story behind a conflict, these can make use of many different techniques to show there points and information. For example they could make use of interviews with select people or use raw unedited footage taken by someone at the particular event. It is also important to note that the events of a Documentary must be unstated. Below listed are 5 different types of Documentary types that are each explained.  

Expository Documentaries 

According to Bill Nichols an Expository Documentary has a "voice of god" like commentary and also includes "Poetic Perspectives" these are a series of footage/images that perhaps aim to bring across a certain point meaning that these images have to be descriptive and informative. The main conventions of an expository Documentary include the following:

- A Commentator
- Rhetorical Questions
- Facts
- Opinions
- Persuasive Techniques

An example of an Expository Documentary - "Backstairs Billy: The Queen Mums Butler". A Documentary on William Tallon, devoted Queens servant, the documentary shows footage and pictures of his times working closely with the royal family and shows what he does now and why he his hounded by the press in recent memory. The programme features detailing's of what happened to the Butler and how it happened to him, showing the effects on him as a person and how this may have effected his work during his time with Buckingham Palace. 

Link to programme can be found HERE













Observational Documentaries

When making an Observational Documentary the filmmaker has no intervention during the filming process. This means that the filmmaker simply watches and records what is happening in front on them and does not ask the participants any questions for example. In addition no "god like" voice over is added over the footage as the filmmaker tries to remain almost invisible. The main conventions of an Observational Documentary are seen below:

- Long Takes: camera films continuously
- Normally records events as they unfold
- Sound is recorded while camera was filming (Typically)
- Simply records day to day routines of people for example.

An example of an Observational Documentary - Strippers: Channel 4, the doc explores why many young people recently are turning to table dancing to support themselves financially. The documentary explores the workings of Strip clubs and does its best to bring the viewers the raw feelings and emotions that the girls may feel, whether this is their opinions on the work or how it may effect them outside of the clubs, e.g. home life. The film maker is not involved in these processes but may have a physiological effect on some of the girls, e.g. they may not want to spill their guts on camera about certain issues.

Link to programme information can be found HERE.



Clip of the show can be seen below...



Interactive Documentaries

Interactive Documentaries do the opposite of Observational Documentaries, that means that Interactive
makes the filmmakers presence noticeable and mostly prominent during the filming. The filmed people and events that take place during the filming process are interacted with by the filmmaker. During this, the filmmaker will mostly follow a person for example, asking them questions about what they do and why, he or she can then express there opinion/views on a particular subject. The viewer can then be presented with a balanced view offering both the filmmaker and also the other individuals ideas and views. The main conventions of an Interactive Documentary are seen below:  

- Most of the time the filmmaker is the main person on screen
- The filmmaker will formally or informally ask questions
- The interviewee and filmmaker will share the same space when questions are asked

- Filmmaker participates more actively in events that are present
- Shows the practice of interaction taking place

An example of Interactive Documentaries - Michael Moore: Fahrenheit 9/11, this documentary film explores the presidency of George W. Bush and the "War on terror" and how its covered on the news after the events of 9/11, it also covers what happened during this time and how it was handled and why it was controversial. Michael Moore during the length of the documentary goes to meet people and talks very straight forward about the issues at hand. The camera of course follows Michael during the run time, switching up the shots to cut to other footage and keep things interesting. However Michael takes center stage.

Link to information about the Documentary can be found HERE.

How does "Access" and "Privacy affect a interactive documentary?

Access: Not having access to certain things such as an interview with someone or a report from an incident can affect the production as this may prevent a certain opinion or view from being heard. This can also effect accuracy within the documentary  and possibly lead to bias from a particular side (e.g. the filmmaker has chosen to leave certain parts out because he does not agree with that side of the argument).

Privacy: This can affect the production as the filmmaker may not be able to visit certain places that could perhaps help to add needed information. Privacy can also affect paper work and not just places, for example if the doc is one about an event, certain parts of the "official" documentation may be edited and blanked out. This prevents the filmmaker knowing who may be influential within that event as things like names and places can be edited out.  Below is an example of an edited document.

Reflexive Documentaries


Reflexive Documentaries focus more on how the people being shown are filmed instead of focusing more on the event itself or the person. This means that Reflexive Documentaries have the emphasis placed more on the properties of the film and the actual filming process. In addition a Reflexive Documentary does not just simply present a part of reality, instead the documentary tries to demonstrate to the viewer how the images used in the doc are constructed. The main conventions of a Reflexive Documentary are seen below:

- Illustrates the choices that are made by the filmmakers
- Makes viewer aware of why these choices were made
- Reflexive Documentaries can mostly make use of montage sequences that can be slow and fast paced
- Reflexive Documentaries can also make use of Freeze framing, out of focus shots, double exposure and       also can use reverse motion

An example of a Reflexive Documentary - Dziga Vertrov: Man with a Movie Camera. This Documentary is a silent film with no story or even any actors involved. The film itself presents urban life within Ukrainian cities, day and night and shows regular citizens working and children playing interacting with the world around them. The film maker here goes to length to film people working at their day jobs, sleeping and conducing music too as seen in the clip below. The main aim here is of course to show the town and place that the documentary is shot in at its most normal, showing the inner workings of the people who live there.

More details about the film can be viewed and read HERE.

Performative Documentaries


Performative Documentaries have more emphasis on moving attention away from the world and have the film lean more towards the expressive side instead. This means that a Performative documentary is more geared towards representing the world indirectly. This type of Documentary goes for evoking its subject matter in a way that is subjective, expressive and also stylized. However these can be sometimes viewed as evocative and visceral. The Performative style is used to present information in a vivid way while also encouraging the viewer to make their own mind up about the subject as they experience the documentary and its events/content. The main conventions of a Performative Documentary are listed below:

- A Performative Documentary tries to show the same mood or atmosphere that can be found in almost all        fiction films
- Performative Documentaries can also make use of acted reconstructions to help portray a particular scene,    in addition this can also help the viewer see what potentially happened
-  These types can also help tell a story, for example "The Thin Blue line" uses reconstructions to show each       new bit of the testimony that was given in order from each other.

- Raises questions about the knowledge used
- Stresses the mood and tone more so than the arguments and evidence.
- Can affect real world events after the documentary has been released, this could be seen in the Thin blue line as the cop killer was found out due to an interview given towards the end of the production.
- Reconstructions can also be used to identify a criminal on the run for example in T.V programmes such as BBC's "Watchdogs"


An example of a Performative Documentary - Marlon Riggs: Tongues Untied, this is about, as quoted from the Wikipedia page, attempting "to depict the specificity of black gay identity. The "silence" referred to throughout the film is that of black gay men, who are unable to express themselves because of the prejudices of white and black heterosexual society, as well as the white gay society." The documentary gets people to act out a basketball game for example, this is then merged with the actor saying their speech, this happens a few times in the clip shown below where people are asked to act out certain phrases and speeches over other bits of footage.

For more information on the film click HERE.




Conclusion 

What type of "Filmmaking Philosophy" am I going to incorporate in my own Documentary? 

My own personal Documentary will most likely use an Interactive or Expository style to get the information needed. This is mainly due to the time limit we have on the Documentary which will be around 3 minutes long. In addition due to the subject matter of the Documentary an interview style to get answers would be best suited as its a discussion about music so the presentation needs to be welcoming.

Do you think that the Documentary maker has a "Contract" with the viewer?

Yes, I believe that a Documentary maker has a duty to present the truth as much as they can on their chosen subject matter and not show any bias towards any view of there's within reason.


Bibliography:

- The Non-Fiction film: Five types of Documentary (Buckland, W 2003)
- http://www.channel4.com/programmes/backstairs-billy-the-queen-mums-butler (First access: 26th of Jan 2014)
- http://www.channel4.com/programmes/strippers (First access: 26th of Jan 2014)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_9/11 (First access: 26th of Jan 2014)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_with_a_Movie_Camera (First access: 27th of Jan 2014)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongues_Untied (First access: 27th of Jan 2014)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film (First access 25th of Jan 2014)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_mode (First access 25th of Jan 2014)