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Department of Media and Communication

EXTENDED PROJECT PORTFOLIO

Academic Year2016/2017

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Bronwyn TwymanYear 1 – Film & Television

Unit 8–Extended Project

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS.........................................................................................................................................2

LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................................5

LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................................5

DEFINITION OF TERMS...................................................................................................................5

Unit 8 - Project Proposal.......................................................................................................................6

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Project Action Plan and Timetable.......................................................................................................9

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CHAPTER 1...........................................................................................................................................11

Introduction........................................................................................................................................11

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The Background of my Project........................................................................................................11

Who am I?...................................................................................................................................12

What did I learn on my course?..................................................................................................12

What is my project about?.............................................................................................................12

Why my project is important?........................................................................................................13

CHAPTER 2...........................................................................................................................................14

Literature/Resources Review.............................................................................................................14

.......................................................................................14

Introduction....................................................................................................................................14

Media sources, literature search and evaluation...........................................................................14

Requirements for my creative media production project..............................................................15

CONCLUSION - Who/what was my inspiration? /Contextualisation of my study.....................15

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CHAPTER 3...........................................................................................................................................16

Research Design and Strategies..........................................................................................................16

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Introduction....................................................................................................................................16

Research Questions........................................................................................................................18

Research Design Evolution..............................................................................................................19

CHAPTER 4...........................................................................................................................................22

Writing and presenting my research findings....................................................................................22

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Findings/Data analysis....................................................................................................................22

Conclusion - How did the research help me with my project? (Interpret Research).....................22

CHAPTER 5...........................................................................................................................................24

My Project...........................................................................................................................................24

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Introduction....................................................................................................................................24

Pre-Production................................................................................................................................24

Production.......................................................................................................................................24

Post-production..............................................................................................................................25

CHAPTER 6...........................................................................................................................................26

MY EXTENDED PROJECT - FINAL PRODUCT........................................................................................26

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CHAPTER 7...........................................................................................................................................27

Project Evaluation...............................................................................................................................27

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APPENDICES........................................................................................................................................28

Extended project in creative media production Learning Outcomes and Assessment.................28

1. Understand the requirements of a creative media production project...................................28

2. Be able to use research methods to inform ideas for creative media production...................28

3. Be able to use skills, knowledge and understanding in the completion of a creative media project.........................................................................................................................................28

4. Be able to evaluate a creative media project...........................................................................28

REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................29

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1- What is research...................................................................................................................15Figure 2- How to ask good questions...................................................................................................16Figure 3 - My exercise 1.......................................................................................................................16

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 - Project Proposal......................................................................................................................6Table 2 - Project Action Plan and Timetable..........................................................................................9Table 3- My research Plan...................................................................................................................11

DEFINITION OF TERMS

EP – Extended ProjectUAL – University of the Arts London

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Unit 8 - Project Proposal

Candidate Name

Bronwyn Twyman

Candidate Number

78293

Pathway Level 3 Film & Television

Project Title Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?

Section 1: Rationale (approx. 100 words)

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My concern for this project is to come to a consensus on the question ‘Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?’ My project is about exploring this question by using footage from film and television shows as well as conducting interviews. It is important that my project is portrayed in a fair way and not in a one sided matter. My project will capture my audience, as they are the main subject matter of the project. As my audience are teenagers, I believe that my project will be interesting for them and will grasp their attention.

Section 2: Project Concept (approx. 200 words)The aim of my project is to produce a documentary looking at how teenagers are portrayed in the media and to start a discussion with thought on the subject. I think it would be highly interesting to gain all of the different opinions and compare them to each other so I can make a conclusion. The main influence for my project is the show ‘Skins’ (2007-2013) which shows the life of a group of teenage friends. The show inspired me because I personally believe that the characters in the show are not portrayed realistically sometimes and are rather exaggerated. To research for my project I am going to look into the show ‘skins’ further as well as looking into other film and television shows that have teenage characters. I will undertake some primary research so I will also be carrying out some interviews with teenagers. My target audience are teenagers, primarily older ones who are interested in watching films and television, as I believe they would be the most interested in my project. I have a very big role in the project as I am directing and controlling everything. I will be carrying out a lot of research, filming and editing. As my project is only a standard documentary type, my technical requirements are basic. I will need a camera, a lapel microphone and a computer so I can edit.

Section 3: Evaluation (approx. 50 words)To evaluate my project I am going to compare my completed project to my planning work. I will also evaluate my project by how pleased I am with the outcome. I will also acquire some peer feedback on my work so I can see a different viewpoint. Lastly, I am going to produce a daily diary, which will detail the work I have produced.

Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format)Films42.com. (2017). Movie Teens: How Accurately Are They Portrayed?. [online] Available at: http://www.films42.com/feature/movie_teens.asp [Accessed 9 May 2017].

Miller, J. (2014). Teenage stereotypes in the media. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC-u1vA7_qo [Accessed 15 May 2017].

Storify. (2017). The Media Portrays Teens in Stereotypical Ways (with images) · AlixRMCSTUDENT. [online] Available at: https://storify.com/AlixRMCSTUDENT/the-media-portrays-teens-in-stereotypical-ways [Accessed 9 May 2017].

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Stuff Mom Never Told You- HowStuffWorks (2014). [image] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgXvpqyqEew [Accessed 15 May 2017].

YouTube (2013). Clique Documentary. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glili5Sz8_A [Accessed 15 May 2017].

YouTube (2017). Mean Girls - Cliques. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRteokw7m80 [Accessed 15 May 2017].

Table 1 - Project Proposal

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Project Action Plan and Timetable

Project Action Plan and Timetable

Week Date WeekBeginning

Activity / What you are intending to do - including independent study

Resources / What you will need to do it - including access to workshops

1 24/04/17 Discussing my three initial ideas and then conclude what idea I am working on.

Then complete my project proposal and discuss it.

Computer

Learner Progress Tracker

Project Proposal Document2 1/05/17 Start on the pre-production process.

Continue to research even further looking into television shows and films as well as creating a survey for primary research.

Computer

Learning Progress Tracker

YouTube

Survey Monkey3 8/05/17 Continue working on the pre-production

process and paperwork. I will complete all of the required work so I am prepared to pitch the next week.

Computer


Pre-Production paperwork4 15/05/17 I will present my project this week and then

begin to work on it. I will start to finalise, begin film interviews, and look into finding video clips I can use in my project.

Computer


YouTube

5 22/05/17 Carry out and film interviews with various people in college.

Computer


YouTube

Camera

Microphone6 29/05/17 Collect the clips for my project. Work on

creating a voiceover to go along with the clips. Also, include news articles.

Computer

YouTube

Camera

Microphone

7 05/06/17 Start editing my interviews and video clips together. Syncing the audio with the interview clips.

Computer

YouTube

Camera

Microphone

Avid Media Composer8 12/06/17 Finish off any editing and syncing that hasn’t Computer

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been completed and begin wrapping everything up.

YouTube

Camera

Microphone

Avid Media Composer9 19/06/17 Evaluate my work and complete any final

changes or pieces of work so I have my entire project finished.

Computer

YouTube

Camera

Microphone

Avid Media Composer

Table 2 - Project Action Plan and Timetable

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CHAPTER 1

Introduction

The Background of my Project

My project definitely had a lot of inspirations behind it. Being a teenager I have seen many films and television programmes that involve or focus on teenagers. However one particular television programme stood out to me which was ‘Skins (2007-2013)’ I personally felt that it could be quite unrealistic and I wanted to find out if others felt the same way about the show, as well as my project question as well.

My previous work also had an influence on my project too. Over this past academic year I have created many fictional projects. For this last extended project I wanted to work on something different, so I decided to work on a non-fictional project.

The basic premise of my project is to explore the question ‘Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?’ The idea of the project is to explore this question by looking at the opinions of others and research too.

I want to achieve a consensus for this question for not just the project itself, but for the audience as well.

Who am I?

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Figure 1

Who am I? (Task)

In this task I created a mind map using images. The images that I used explored who I am and while creating it I looked into a few different categories. These categories were experiences, background, influences and inspirations. I used images the most in my mind map as I like to display things visually which I think worked well in showing who I am.

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What did I learn on my course?

Figure 2

What did I learn on my course? (1)

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Figure 3


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Figure 4


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Figure 5


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Figure 6


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Figure 7


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Figure 8


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Figure 9


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Figure 10


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Figure 11


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Figure 12


In this next task I created an infographic which presents what I have learnt from the course. I started the infographic with a small introduction and explained the first initial weeks in college, then continued from there. I have learnt a lot throughout the first year of the course. One of the main skills I have picked up along the course is editing skills. Before the course I knew basic editing skills, but not much else. Throughout this first year I have edited various pieces of work on Avid Media Composer. Using this software has helped me a lot in my works because the software is industry standard. The main skills I learnt throughout editing is syncing audio, using motion effects, transitions and more. I have also learnt about using equipment such as cameras, different types of microphones, Steadicams, lighting, reflector boards and more. The thing I have found interesting to learn about is the industry and all of the different job roles, for example all of the job roles that are required when making a film. Finally, I also have learnt about the necessary paperwork when it comes to creating different types of media. For example when making a film it is mandatory to have a

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filming permit as well as a risk assessment sheet to ensure the safety of everyone on set as well as legal reasons too.

My knowledge and skills I have now are definitely different compared to when I enrolled on the course. When I enrolled on the course I did have a basic understanding of certain aspects in the course, for example using a camera. However over the year of this course I have learnt many skills as well as becoming more knowledgeable in my subject. As I have learnt a lot I definitely know a lot more than I did when I began the course.

What is my project about?

I feel that many films and television programmes portray teenagers unrealistically. I

find this topic very interesting and I wanted to explore deeper as well as see if other

people feel the same way as I do. I also wanted to explore if others found it as

important as I do, or if it is just me who feels this way. My extended project is a short

documentary style film which includes a mixture of pre-existing footage as well as

my own footage I have shot. The pre-existing shots include clips from films and

television shows in which I will add a voiceover explaining my project and my

research that is relevant to my project too. The footage I have shot are interviews so

I could talk to teenagers more in depth on the subject.

My roles in this project are the writer and film director as this is my own project.

Why my project is important?

My project is important because I want to inform others as well as myself too. The main reason that I wanted to create the project is to explore if others feel the same way as I do on the subject. Carrying out this project informs me as I can look into all of my research and interviews and see the consensus. My project also informs other people who may watch the project as I believe a lot of teenagers may not think about their portrayal in films and television programmes and I think my project can help them think about it. Finally, this project is important as it will help me to develop my skills in a lot of different areas too. My

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project involves a lot of different aspects such as primary and secondary research, filming and editing. As this is the case I am working on a lot of different things which in turn helps me to use my skills as well as build on them too.

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CHAPTER 2

Literature/Resources Review

IntroductionThis chapter goes over various types of resources I have used for my research to develop further in my project. It looks into how these resources related to my further research and my project as a whole. The beginning of the chapter looks into my literature review which starts with what I have learnt from my previous work. The chapter ends with my secondary research and a conclusion of my resources.

Media sources, literature search and evaluation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30VPbTLqbMU

In this video teenagers hold up signs with certain stereotypes that surround teenagers. They then turn the sign around to break the stereotype. This video is similar to my project because it surrounds one of the aspects of my project; stereotypes surrounding teenagers. There are differences between this video and project. This videos main focus is teenage stereotypes whereas my project does focus on this, however it focuses on a bigger picture of how teenagers are portrayed in film and television.

Another difference between this video and my project are the formats that they are in. This is a short one minute video whereas my project is a short documentary which will be around five to ten minutes long.

However one of the main factors that connects this video and my project is the fact that they both are informative and tackle an important subject.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meq7ZHEdxMo

This video relates to my project as well, however it is very different to the first video and my project too. This video is a video with a fictional characters, looking at teenage stereotypes in a comedic way. This is very different to my project because my project is not fictional and does not use any comedy. The format is also different too as this is a 4 minute comedic video whereas my project is a five to ten minute short documentary.

Although the format of this video is different it still relates to my project. This video is looking at teenage stereotypes in a comedic way however it still tackles the subject nevertheless. I believe that the comedy aspects actually could help as it keeps the viewer entertained, while still informed.

I think the comedic aspect of this video could possibly be a negative for some viewers. This is because I feel that some people may feel it takes away from the subject matter and focus too much on the comedy aspect.

Requirements for my creative media production project

Industry structure

For my FMP I am making a short documentary style video exploring how teenagers are portrayed in film and television shows and whether it is realistic or not. So looking into this my FMP is in the film industry. The film industry structure is filled with many different roles. The roles all play a part in the three stages of the production process which are;

1. Pre-Production2. Production3. Post-Production

A lot of the roles in the industry work in multiple stages of the production process. For example the director would work in all three of the production stages. My work fits into this

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structure as there are three main roles for my project. They are the Camera Operator, the Director and the Editor. All three of these roles fit into these production stages.

The Camera Operator works in the production stage as that is when the filming takes place. The Director is present in all of these stages, firstly in the Pre-production stages they work mainly with the producer, planning a lot of aspects such as the budget. In the Production process they will have many roles but for example they will work with the actors, directing their performances. Finally in Post-Production, they may work with the editor.

Independent or Mainstream

My project is quite mainstream. Although the main focus of the project is a specific question, I believe it is quite a broad question which can be viewed by a majority. I do not think the subject matter of teenagers is a small market as that age range is rather large. I also do not think that that age range could be the only ones interested, although they are definitely the main target audience which I will explain.

Organisations

I believe that my project would be shown on mainstream television as it is a documentary. I could definitely see my documentary aired on Channel 4. I believe this as the channel is known for airing documentaries. Channel 4 tends to focus on the teenage age group quite a lot of the time as well, which fits with my project. I thought about the BBC but when looking into their scheduling their documentaries are not particularly in the same range as my documentary is and it also does not seem to fit within my target audience the best it can.

I think although my project could be shown online it would work better to be shown on television. This is because online tends to work with a more niche audience whereas looking into my project, I have concluded it is more mainstream. Television is a better way to show my project, however online does work with my target audience in some ways as they are younger.

Job roles relating to my project

Director

Qualifications- To become a director having qualifications do help, but they are not at all necessary. Qualifications that can help when wanting to become a director can come from colleges as well as universities too. Taking a course in film and television will help you as it shows you have knowledge and skills from the course you can use when becoming a director. It will especially help if you take a further course at university surrounding film and television or production as it proves you have taken your skills even further and that you have been dedicated for many years.

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Skills- To be a director it is vital that you are a highly motivated person and have a creative vision. The director is arguably one of the biggest roles in the film industry and they are in charge of a lot of people and aspects of a film or a television show. You must have a vision for a certain project and be motivated to bring everything together. It is also highly important that a director has excellent communication skills. The director like the name suggests, directs. So their main job is to direct other crew members such as the actors. Communication is extremely important when working on a film and television show, so communication skills are definitely one of the most important things to have.

One of the more obvious skills to have is to be creative. Creativity is vital to be a director as it is impossible to create a film or television show without any creativity. Within creativity comes passion as well. It is highly important that you have a passion for film-making as this will also help with your motivation as well. To be a successful director and to remain one, it is important to prove that you are a highly passionate and motivated person.

Experience- Experience is extremely vital when becoming a director. As mentioned in the qualification section, taking courses at a college or university proves that you have experience. You could also gain experience from volunteering. There are many local theatres in a lot of areas that may be looking for help, even if it is just observing you are still learning a lot of important skills. Like many people in the industry when they begin working, they start as a runner. This could be a good step into becoming a director. It isn’t the most rewarding but you are gaining experience and you can work your way up, it may take time but it will all help in the end to become a director.

Working also enables you to meet and make a lot of new contacts. A lot of people in the industry have made their way in through contacts and have become very successful. So overall gaining experience is very important when wanting to become a director.

Knowledge- Like experience, knowledge is also highly important. Like many roles the skills are important, but the knowledge needs to come with it as well. You will need to have knowledge of what it takes to become a director as well as what the job actually involves. Someone could have a lot of skills that are important and have the motivation to become a director, but not having the knowledge on your job could result in you not becoming a director.

Personal attributes- To be a director there are many different attributes you will need. Firstly it is important that you are a strong minded person. The job of a director can be very stressful at times and you need to be a strong person mentally. You need to be able to work under a lot of pressure and stress as deadlines in the industry are highly important. It is also important for a director to be very committed to his or her work as you will be working long unconventional hours. A lot of the time

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you will be filming until you are finished, no matter what the time is. So you need to be prepared to be very committed to your work and push through to meet your deadlines and complete the work.

Finally as mentioned before, you must have high levels of self-belief. It is no secret that being a director is definitely not easy. It is very stressful at times and requires a lot of hard work. So a director must be highly confident and believe in themselves so that they can be determined to succeed. Determination will definitely get you far when being a director, and it is a vital attribute to have.

Others you will be working with- The Director works with almost everyone. As they are directing a lot of people they are clearly going to be communicating with a lot of different people on set. These include directing actors, working with the camera operator, the director of photography, the producer as well as many more. The director will work with the actors and actresses for a long time, demonstrating how they want them to portray their character in certain scenes. The director works closely with the producer regarding aspects such as the budget and the schedule. The director will also sometimes work with the editor during post production, however they do not always work with the editor as much.

Equipment required for my project

Editing software- Avid Media Composer

Media composer Interplay Edition 7.0

Avid Media composer will play a very big role in my project because it is the programme I will be using to edit all of my video clips together. I am using Avid Media Composer because it is used regularly in the industry and is regarded as one of the top editing programmes. A lot of big films and television programmes have been and still are edited using Avid Media Composer. As it is regularly used in the industry and it has been used to edit well known films, I am confident that it is a good piece of software to edit my project on.

There are usually pieces of editing software that come with computers, such as Movie Maker. However I will not be using a programme such as that because they are quite basic, especially when compared to Avid Media Composer. Avid Media Composer will allow me to edit my video clips in more depth and more precisely. Therefore that is why I have ultimately decided to edit with Avid Media Composer.

Camera- Canon 600D

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My FMP will primarily have a lot of footage included in it, so I need a camera. To film for my project I am going to use the Canon 600D. I am using this camera because the picture quality is what I need for my film. My project is not using any specific shots or angles other than filming an interview. SO the main priority is the picture quality that this camera can deliver.

YouTube

When I have fully edited my completed my FMP, it will need to be uploaded to a video sharing website so others can view it. I have decided to upload it to YouTube because it is the biggest video sharing website currently. As this is the case this gives my project a wider audience and can allow it to be viewed a lot more compared to if I used another video sharing website. I have uploaded all of my previous works and projects onto YouTube so it will be uploaded with the rest of my works.

There are also projects similar to mine on YouTube which is also why I am uploading my work onto there. There are many different short documentaries people have made and have uploaded to YouTube, which shows that my project is an ideal video to be uploaded onto the website.

Microphone- Lapel microphone

I have decided to use a lapel microphone for my project as I feel that is the best type of microphone to use for an interview. I have used this microphone in previous works and it was successful when working on interviews. With having previously used it as well as others suggesting this microphone, I have decided to use it for my Final Major project in interviews.

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Risk assessment

Figure 13

Risk assessment

Target audienceMy target audience are teenagers, primarily older ones who are interested in watching films and television, as I believe they would be the most interested in my project. This is because they are aware of the subject I am focusing on. It is also intended for older teenagers who enjoy documentaries as my project is in a documentary style.

Legal requirements

My project has many legal requirements that need to be considered. Copyright laws are highly important to my project and any other piece of work I produce. The use of intellectual property, music and trademarks all need to be respected as you cannot take credit for

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somebody else’s work. It is important for me to have permission to use certain property in my work no matter what it is.

For my project I am creating a documentary and I will definitely want to include some light background music. For this music I must make sure it is within fair use and I am not simply using a song without any permission. Even when I have permission to use a song I must make sure to reference it in Harvard format.

I may also choose to film in a certain area for my documentary. If I choose to film outside of college I must make sure to have permission to film in the area which includes having a filming permit. A Filming permit is a document that is proof you have legal access to a certain area.

Health and safety is also highly important for any project you may be working on. So I am definitely going to focus on it. Before filming for my project I must ensure that I create a risk assessment sheet. A risk assessment identifies all of the possible health risks that could occur when working, and helps to avoid or solve them.

My projects style

My project is in a documentary style. However when it comes to the visuals my project does not have a specific look or aesthetic. The content and question of my project was the main priority of my project compared to the visual style. The style of my project is a standard documentary, I didn’t experiment in any way with the visuals or sound.

Required skills for my project

There are many skills that are needed for my project. Firstly one of the important factors of my project is the research. Research is vital for my project and the research skills are definitely required. Another skill that is important for my project is editing skills. As I am creating a short documentary for my project which includes clips, editing is a must. The editing is not too advanced but some basic editing skills are definitely needed. For example importing videos and audio, cutting clips and using in and out points. Finally, my project requires communicational skills. My project includes interviews in which I talk to other people on the subject of my project. Basic communicational skills are required to carry out interviews and talk to others.

CONCLUSION - Who/what was my inspiration? /Contextualisation of my study

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The previous two videos that were similar to my project actually influenced my project. Within the first video there were various teenagers who held up signs with certain teenage stereotypes on them. They then flipped the sign to challenge the stereotype. This affected my own project because it made me focus on my format and look into whether mine would be similar. I decided from this video that I wanted to tackle my project different and I didn’t use a similar format to what was used in the video. The second video had the same impact on my project, I looked at the format of the video and decided that I did not want my work to be similar. So I decided to use a different format.

By looking at multiple similar products during my research it helped me to learn from them. The most important and informative thing I learnt was from this short video regarding teenage stereotypes.

In this short video it claims that:

‘4 in 5 teens feel that they are unfairly represented in the media.’

‘Of these 85% say it’s affecting their chances of getting a job.’

These statistics that I looked at were highly important and I believe that they were the most important thing I learnt from similar media products. This is because these statistics helped me a lot with me research for the project. This is the type of information that can be used in my project to show evidence from certain sources. While carrying out my research and looking this product similar to mine I decided to look into these statistics. It was important that I looked into them to check that they are true and I am not putting false information into my work. I found the BBC News article which supported these statistics from a study, so I was ensured that these statistics were indeed true.

My project requirements

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There were many requirements for my project. Firstly research is required for my project as I am creating a factual short documentary which needs correct information. Filming interviews was also a requirement for my project as the interviews were one of the most important parts of my project, it allows me to talk to others more in depth over the survey that I created. Finally one of the most important requirements for my project was editing. As I created a video for my project there were many clips that needed to be edited to create my final project.

CHAPTER 3

Research Design and Strategies

Introduction

This third chapter looks into the research design for my extended project. Chapter three begins with my research questions and then describes the design of my research. It will also look at the methods I used while researching for my extended project.

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Research Questions

My projects purpose

The purpose of my project is to create a short documentary that starts a discussion on the ways teenagers are portrayed in film and television and whether it is realistic or not.

Aim of my project

The main aim of my project it to successfully start a discussion as well as show the audience actually how are teenagers are portrayed in film and television. This is shown by using research with interviews, surveys and statistics too.

Characteristics

There are many characteristics to my project. One of the main characteristics of my project is the format, which is a short documentary. My documentary is made of found footage as well as, my own interviews, suverys I created, research and a voiceover.

My survey questions

For the first question I started with my question in hand ‘Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?’ I started with this question so I could get straight to the point and I could then expand further. I then asked if that there are any television shows or films that people think portrays teenagers realistically. I included this because it helps me with my research as I can look into these television shows and films.

The next question is regarding if people think it should be changed to be realistic. I added in multiple answers as people may think specific things. The answers to this question will help me to gather the opinions of others. For the second to last question I looked into the different aspects of teenage life in film and television, this will help me look into specific areas. Finally, I asked if it is important to portray teenagers realistically. I am highly interested in finding out people’s opinions on this matter and it will also help me with my research.

Next, I asked if they think it should be changed to be realistic. I included this question because I want to know if there is a majority opinion on this or mixed feelings. I think a lot of people may believe that teenagers are not portrayed realistically but do not think it should be changed. So I want to see the answers to this question in relation to the first one.

In the fourth question I asked if there are any specific films or television shows that have given them a different impression on teenagers or their lives. I asked this question because it can be answered more specifically. Once I have the results of the films and television programmes I can look into them which would help me add even more into my research, or use certain relevant clips in my documentary.

Finally, I asked if it is important to portray teenagers realistically. Just like the third question I think a lot of people may think that teenagers are not portrayed realistically but do not

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think it is important to anyway. So the answers to this question are going to help greatly with my primary research.

What I wanted to find out

The main question I wanted to find out was the title and basis of my project ‘Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?’ From this question I also wanted to find out what others thought of this question and if there was a mixed view or if a lot of the opinions were the same. My survey questions helped me to explore thiese questions. Finally, I wanted to find out if there were any other works based or around the subject of my project. I looked at all of these questions during my research.

Research Design Evolution

Target audience

The target audience is important in any media product so I ensured that I carried out a lot of research surrounding my target audience. I firstly looked into audiences of television programmes and films that surround teenagers using the website ‘Yougov Profiles.’ The tool allowed me to look at any television programme or film and look at the main audience in the ‘Yougov’ panel.

Looking at these target audiences helped me with my own target audience because my project is revolved around teenagers. These programmes and television programmes focused on teenagers of the ages I was initially thinking that would be a part of my target audience.

Skills used

There were many skills that were going to be used in my project so I needed to make sure I researched the techniques on how to use these skills. One of the main skills that was used in my project was editing. I have previously edited many of my works before. To understand what I had to do while editing this project I looked back on my previous works and how I edited them.

The editing I carried out on this project involved a lot of editing that I had previously worked on. This includes using in and out points, cutting clips, syncing audio and importing clips too. As the editing portion of my project was only basic I did not need to research too much into it.

Another skill which was needed for my project was carrying out interviews. Much like the editing for my project I was familiar with carrying out interviews. I have worked on interviews before in previous work, however I did ensure that I use the correct microphone for interviews. My previous knowledge helped me with this.

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My production research

The production is important in any media product so I ensured I spent a good amount of time working on it. Firstly I worked on the budget for my project. My project did not need a budget as it was a college production but I created one anyway because this is what the industry does.

For the budget I needed to research into the crew, the equipment cost, the materials, transport and copyright. As I didn’t actually need a budget, I researched on the internet of the prices for these factors. For the equipment I used a website which allows you to hire media equipment, and used the prices from the site. For the transport I looked at train ticket prices and used them in my budget. For the personnel I used a website which allows you to hire workers in the media industry, I looked at the price to hire a professional. Finally for the copyright, I researched into legal and copyright laws as well as using my own knowledge too.

Others needed for the production

There were three other people that were needed for my production. It was very important for my project that we all kept in touch regarding the project. For example certain times may change or people may be suddenly unavailable.

My production roles

There were multiple production roles in my project. I looked into the roles that related to my project and researched deeper into them. I looked at the camera operator and the director. For both of these roles I looked at six categories which were the qualifications needed, skills, experience, knowledge, personal attributes and others you will be working with. I looked into these categories because they covered all of the aspects of the certain job roles.

My production schedule

I created a production schedule for my project too. The production schedule helped me sort out all of the work I needed to carry out in a schedule. I arranged the different activities (for example filming and editing) into certain weeks to plan when I was going to work on them. This allowed me to use my time efficiently and ensured that I could complete my work on time. It began with the week of pre-production, weeks of filming and the week of editing.

My location Recce

Another important part of my production research was a Location Recce. The location recce allows me to look and evaluate if a certain location is suitable for filming in. For example you may need certain permissions to film in a certain area, I personally planned to film in college

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so I didn’t need any permissions. In my location recce I mainly looked at possible camera obstructions and contact numbers for important services such as the police.

Health and safety (my risk assessment)

Health and safety is extremely important within my project, so I made sure to create a risk assessment. The risk assessment allowed me to be aware of possible hazards and control them to. For example water could possibly be spilt on electrical equipment, a solution to this would be to keep water in bottles and away from equipment. There are many other ways to come up with solutions too, for example I can check my locations for any hazards as well as taking images to include in the risk assessment.

My shot list and shooting scriptAs I am creating a non-fictional documentary for my project I didn’t make a storyboard, but I made a shot list and a shooting script. The shot list presented all of my shots but the shooting script allowed me go into more depth and detail. The storyboard would have helped me with a visual view but it was harder to create one as my project is not a fictional story. The shooting script went into the action on screen and the dialogue too. I didn’t need to add any props into my shooting script as there weren’t any.

The production

In the production process of my project there were many aspects that I needed to look into such as certain hardware I was using as well as certain techniques as well. Firstly as I was filming interviews there may have been certain techniques I may have had to use. However as I was just carrying out a basic interview with no specific camera techniques, I just used my previous camera knowledge.

For the hardware I was using it was important I used the correct equipment, so research was definitely necessary. I was filming two interviews for my project so I looked into the appropriate microphone. I already knew a suitable microphone but I ensured I still researched just to be sure, this ensured that my sound would work the best it could.

Post-production

The main focus of the Post-production section of my project was the editing. As I have edited many times before I didn’t edit by looking at sources, but I did try it myself. The editing I worked on for my project was very basic as the content is more important to me rather than certain editing techniques and the style. I wasn’t completely confident within syncing a video and audio clip together so I worked on it myself to ensure that it was possible for my project.

My research activity

My research activity was a major part of my primary research. For this I decided to create an online survey with five questions relating to my project. I created a survey online as it could reach more people as well as the results being easier to collect. I altogether collected

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twenty responses which was a number I was very pleased with, I knew I wanted to display my data results in some form of a table or chat. However I used the website ‘Survey Monkey’ which already put the results into a bar chart automatically.

To analyse my survey results I looked at all five questions one by one and commented on whether I expected these results. I also looked at the numbers of the results and how they compare to each other.

CHAPTER 4

Writing and presenting my research findings

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In chapter four I am presenting my collected information and I will also present an analysis. The basic premise of my project is to explore the question ‘Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?’ The idea of the project is to explore this question by looking at the opinions of others and research too.

Findings/Data analysis

Analysing my data

To analyse my data I broke it down into sections. For example the results from my online survey was automatically created into a bar graph which helped me to analyse the results quicker and easier. To analyse these results even further I looked at each of the questions one by one and I commented on the results and whether I expected them. I also looked into the numbers of the results and whether there was an opinion that seems the most popular or if the views were widely mixed on certain questions.

To analyse my secondary research I also broke it down too. I began by looking at why I looked at certain media projects and how they related to mine. I looked at how they could help me as well as writing what I had learnt from them. Breaking them down into sections helped me because I could look at different aspects from different angles too.

My findings

From my primary and secondary research I learnt a lot. I think I definitely learnt the most from the survey results from my primary research. I had quite a large response from my survey with twenty of them, so this helped a lot. I learnt that the majority of people who took my survey did think that teenagers are portrayed realistically in film and television. The majority of people thought that there are shows that portray teenagers realistically, the majority of people thought that it should be changed to be realistic, the majority of people thought that some shows and films gave them different impressions of teenage life and finally the majority of people believed that it was important to portray teenagers realistically in film and television.

I also found from my research that there are a lot of videos and other media products surrounding the subject of teenager’s portrayal in the media. Whether the portrayal is in film and television or in the news, I found a lot of products surrounding the subject.Before I had carried out my research I did think that there would be other products, but I didn’t expect the sheer amount that I found.

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Conclusion - How did the research help me with my project?(Interpret Research)

The basic premise of my project is to explore the question ‘Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?’ The idea of the project is to explore this question by looking at the opinions of others and research too.

Over the years I have seen many television programmes and films that revolve around teenagers, this definitely inspired me to create my project. One of the television programmes that stood out to me the most is the show ‘Skins’ (2007-2013) I believe that the show can be quite realistic sometimes and covers subjects teenagers go through, however I also believe that quite a lot of the show is highly exaggerated.

Within my project I want to achieve two things; thought and discussion. I want to make my target audience think about the subject and look at their own opinions. I also aim to start a discussion about the subject among others because I personally believe that this subject is important.

Use Findings to contextualize my Project (Present and Discuss Findings)


In this video teenagers hold up signs with certain stereotypes that surround teenagers. They then turn the sign around to break the stereotype. This video is similar to my project because it surrounds one of the aspects of my project; stereotypes surrounding teenagers. There are differences between this video and project. This videos main focus is teenage stereotypes whereas my project does focus on this, however it focuses on a bigger picture of how teenagers are portrayed in film and television.

Another difference between this video and my project are the formats that they are in. This is a short one minute video whereas my project is a short documentary which will be around five to ten minutes long.

However one of the main factors that connect this video and my project is the fact that they both are informative and tackle an important subject.

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This video relates to my project as well; however it is very different to the first video and my project too. This video is a video with a fictional characters, looking at teenage stereotypes in a comedic way. This is very different to my project because my project is not fictional and does not use any comedy. The format is also different too as this is a 4 minute comedic video whereas my project is a five to ten minute short documentary.

Although the format of this video is different it still relates to my project. This video is looking at teenage stereotypes in a comedic way however it still tackles the subject nevertheless. I believe that the comedy aspects actually could help as it keeps the viewer entertained, while still informed.

I think the comedic aspect of this video could possibly be a negative for some viewers. This is because I feel that some people may feel it takes away from the subject matter and focus too much on the comedy aspect.

My three initial ideas for my extended project were-

1. Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in a television shows and films?2. How did Nirvana affect the music scene?3. Social media addictions

After looking at and analysing my three ideas I decided to work on idea 1; Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television? I chose this idea over the second idea because I believe that it would have been more of an opinion piece rather than exploring the subject in depth. I picked my first idea over idea three because it was going to be told as a narrative, which I have worked on a lot in previous work. I wanted to work on something else for a change as well as a challenge too.My second idea was‘How did Nirvana affect the music scene?’ I planned to create it as a short documentary involving research and interviews. I think this idea definitelycould have been perceived as an opinion piece. I think this definitely was a weakness of the subject. A lot of people could believe that they made no effect on the music scene whatsoever so that could of effected the project if I had chosen to work on it. However I think a positive aspect of this idea is as it is a specific subject, the target audience is quite easy to know and work with.

My third idea ‘Social media addictions’ was going to be made as a short story surrounding a girl who becomes addicted to social media and it begins to affect her life. It affects her relationships with friends and family and it especially affects her grades at school. I think a positive to this idea is that it

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tackles an important subject which is relevant in today’s society. Another positive to this idea is that it would attract a teenage audience as they is the age range who uses social media the most. I think a negative of this subject is that although it does bring up an important subject, it doesn’t involve any statistics or facts. Whereas if this idea was portrayed as a documentary, it would.

The idea that I chose ‘Are teenagers and their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?’ has some positives and negatives too. I think a positive of the idea, much like my third idea is that it tackles a relevant subject. While researching I found many different media articles and products on the subject which shows that this topic is relevant. I think a negative of this idea is that I am only focusing on film and television rather than other media platforms, such as in the news. I believe some teenagers and other ages may think that their portrayal is more important in the news, which I will explore in my evaluation.

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CHAPTER 5

My Project

IntroductionIn this chapter you should present the level of self-direction, personal initiative and commitment necessary to progress ideas and find solutions, and the practical, theoretical and technical comprehension, appreciation, knowledge and proficiency necessary to achieve identified goals. The ability to plan and organise work within a given timeframe and the efficient production of outcomes both individually and collaboratively.

Pre-Production

My pre-production paperwork

Risk assessment

Figure 14

Risk assessment

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Production budget

Figure 15

Production budget

Shot list and shooting script

1. Introduction and the opening shot- Shots from films and television programmes with teenagers in them.

2. After the introduction it will cut to one of the interviews3. Play another interview4. Cut to more clips exploring what happened in the interviews with more clips from films and

television programmes

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5. Play the next two interviews6. The last shot will be clips again to finish.

Figure 16

Shooting script

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Location Recce

Figure 17

Location Recce (1)

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Figure 18

Location Recce (2)

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Figure 19

Location Reece (3)

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Call sheet

Figure 20

Call sheet

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Figure 21

Call sheet 2

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Production Schedule

Figure 22

Production schedule

My role within my project

I have quite a few big roles in my project. I wrote the project as well as directing it too. As this is my extended project I worked on a lot of things myself. I decided on the actual subject on my project as well as the format it was going to be in. I wrote the script for the project as well as deciding the content of the documentary. I also had the role of setting up the equipment and conducting an interview. As for the interviews I had to set them up which involved contacting other people and arranging times and places to meet as well.

Working in a team

AlthoughI worked mainly on my own within this project I worked with others while filming for the interviews. I worked with three other people on one occasion and on the other, two people. When working in the team I ensured to keep in contact and ensure that everything was going to plan. It was not too challenging working in a team and it definitely helped my work. Apart from the interviews I didn’t work with anyone else in a team.

Production issues

Luckily the majority of my project went to plan, however I did have some issues. Firstly the schedule changed which also affected my equipment usage. For this project I borrowed equipment which was

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only available on certain days, which had to be worked around my schedule. The first date I planned to film on had to be changed as one of the interviewees couldn’t make it, so it had to be changed. Luckily after this everyone agreed on a day and I was able to borrow the equipment I needed.

The availability of certain people involved in my project also affected my location. I was originally going to film in college however due to travel arrangements this was not possible for everyone involved. So instead for one of my interviews it was filmed in a house which still worked well and I still managed to have footage.

Finally, there were some availability issues and I only managed to have two groups of people to interview. I originally planned to interview four people individually, however I still managed to interview a good amount of people.

Analysing my target audienceI investigated my target audience by using the website ‘Yougov’ profiles to take a deeper look into my target audience. This tool allows me to search any brand, person or anything else and look at their main demographic in the ‘Yougov’ panel. I used this tool to look at multiple films and television programmes that are centered on teenagers.

ProductionManaging the team

As I was working in a team when carrying out the interviews I created a call sheet to ensure that we could all keep in contact. The whole team kept in contact using social media, it is important we kept in contact in case there were any changed to the schedule or any other possible incidents. As the interviews were only a small portion of my project I did not need any other management techniques such as team meetings.

Managing myself

It was important I managed myself in this project, for example my time management. To do this I made sure that I tried my best to stick to my schedule to ensure that I was using my time wisely and I was sticking to the deadline as well.

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Development

I ensured to take many screenshots and images while creating my work. The majority of them are from the shoot as well as screenshots from while I was editing my project.

Editing development screenshots:

Figure 23

Editing screenshot (1)

Here is an image of the timeline of my project, this screenshot was taken near the end of the project so there were still a couple of more clips that needed to be added.

My project bins

Figure 24 Editing screenshot (2)

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Shoot screenshots

Figure 25

Interview 2 screenshot

Figure 26 Interview 1 screenshot

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WordPress feedback

1. Jenni with Formative Feedback

1.1

Well done Bron, this is a very good post, which clearly demonstrates your good understanding and knowledge of the film and media industry and the role and effect that has on the context in which a production gets made. You have illustrated it well and made it a very accessible piece of writing. You do need to remove FMP from a number of places – extended project remember! And it is Bibliography and not Harvard Referencing at the end please.

2.1 And 2.2

Both of these posts are very good Bron, well done. You have produced a very wide range of research, demonstrating a thorough and sustained line of research. The only thing that is missing is the need for some conclusion’s, detailing what the research has given you. You have to ensure that each piece of research has an introduction, telling us why you undertook that research? What was your question? What did you find? What did it tell you? And how did you apply it?

3.1

A very good post, which show a coherent and reasoned understanding of the planning process.General

Just those few minor changes detailed above and this would be a very good post Bron. Well done.

Post-production

During post-production I mainly worked on the editing process. I imported all of my clips and downloaded clips and as usual put them into different bins. I then cut the clips how I wanted to by using in and out points and inserted them into the timeline. For certain clips I removed the audio because I needed to add in a voiceover. I also added in a beginning and ending text for my project as well as adding in relevant research too.

Luckily I didn’t encounter too many problems as I am familiar with editing, although I did encounter some. Firstly when I filmed my interviews I forgot to use a clapper board which helps when syncing audio. It took me slightly longer to sync the audio but luckily it wasn’t too challenging.

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The visuals

When editing I did focus on the visuals slightly other than the interviews because I wanted to have clips playing during the voiceover sections. These voiceovers included important results and findings from my research and my interviews too. The actual information I was giving was more important to me than having a certain visual style to my project. I didn’t use any experimental techniques within my project, the content was more important than the visuals. However the visuals were still important to me.

As I only used a basic style for my project I didn’t use any special effects such as motion affects, affect editors, colour correction or anything of the sort.

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CHAPTER 6

MY EXTENDED PROJECT - FINAL PRODUCT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0cjj5-PVpI

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CHAPTER 7

Project Evaluation

Introduction

Are teenagers portrayed realistically in film and television? This is the question I am exploring in my extended project by creating a short documentary. The documentary includes my research with surveys and interviews I carried out. It also includes my findings which will be displayed by a voiceover over clips from films and television programmes surrounding teenagers that are relevant.

The purpose of my project

The purpose of my project was to inform as well as to explore too. This project was created because I wanted to create a thought and discussion on the subject, specifically around teenagers. As I personally think teenagers portrayal in film and television is important, I wanted to see if anyone felt the same way. The project informs because I am showing my audience many different types of research I have carried out as well as my interviews and other finding. My project is explorative because I am personally interested in the subject and I wanted to learn the different opinions of other teenagers around my age range.

I wanted to learn if there was a general consensus or if there was a range of opinions. It was successful as I received both a general opinion and mixed opinions too on different aspects of the subject.

Reference material surrounding my project

While researching, I definitely did not have the issue of not having enough reference material as there were many media products that explored the same subject as my project did. As my subject was quite large (teenagers portrayal in the media) there were many different aspects around the subject. For example it involves stereotypes, the media, a documentary style and many others. As this is the case when I was looking for similar reference material that would help while researching my project, it didn’t have to completely revolve around the sole question ‘Are teenagers and

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their lives portrayed realistically in film and television?’ For example I looked at reference material that used the same format as mine, a short documentary that looked at teenager’s portrayal in the news. Although this was slightly different to my project as mine isn’t revolved around the news, it still was relevant as it helped with my documentary format as well as the inclusion of teenagers.

I am pleased with my research, however while looking back I think I could have done slightly more. I worked on a fair amount of research and I am very pleased with it, however I think I could have used different types of research in my secondary portion. In my primary research I used many different types of sources, but in my secondary research I watched clips and evaluated them. Looking back at my secondary research I think I could have used different researching techniques such as looking at more articles and having more informative research. I did look at one article but I think I could have looked at more.

Developing my project ideas

I had many different ideas for my project and I developed them by breaking them down and analysing which ones would work the best. I had the idea for my project to create a survey to help with my primary research. To develop the questions for my survey I looked back onto my work and explored what I wanted to find out. From this I created the five questions for my short survey that were relevant for my research and project overall.

From this I was able to develop my interview questions too. I was pleased with my survey but I felt I didn’t have too much information as it’s just a survey with yes and no answers. Comments were added but I still felt I needed to talk to others more in depth about the subject. From this I was able to develop ideas for my interviews and explore certain questions that I wanted to ask.

I also knew that I wanted to include clips from films and television programmes to go over my voiceovers. I wanted this so there would be visuals while I speak, so it looks more interesting rather than just a blank screen. I developed this idea by testing a video clip against one of my voiceovers and it worked well, so I decided to use them. I decided on the clips I was going to use by looking at films and programmes that were relevant to the subject of my project.

Strengths

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1. Covering an important subject.The subject of teenager’s portrayal in the media is a very big subject, with many videos, articles and other outlets relating to it. As this is the case I believe that this allows me to work with a bigger audience, which allows my project to be seen by many people. Although I did have a specific target audience, I feel that it can be expanded.

2. Using multiple techniques in my documentary.Within my project I used many different techniques such as voiceovers, interviews, using my research and pre-recorded footage. This is a positive as I believe using many different techniques within my project keeps it more interesting and allows my target audience to keep focus on my project.

3. Multiple ages and genders in the interviews.Within the interviews for my project I talked to four different people. I made sure I talked to both males and females to achieve a wide range of views. I also made sure to interview different ages which were 18-20. I believe these factors helped me to ensure that my project was also more inclusive rather than interviewing the same gender and the same age.

4. Stuck mostly to my original idea, with little changes.There were some slight changes from my initial ideas; however my project is very much close to my original thoughts. The only thing that slightly changed was the interview location. Other than this factor I stuck to all of my planning and my research and created the project that I had intended to.

5.

Weaknesses

1. Limited survey questions.Looking back at my survey questions I think I definitely should have included more. If I were to add more questions I would add a question involving the gender of whoever was taking the survey. From the results of this question I could have looked into whether certain genders have the same viewpoints. For example I could have found that females feel a certain way on the subject whereas males may have felt another way. This would have helped me with my research and conclusion as well.

2. Slight audio issuesWhile looking back at my documentary I can tell that in some areas the audio is higher in some parts, and lower in some parts. Luckily it is not to the extent where I feel that it ruins my project, but I feel that it is definitely noticeable. I think in some areas for example the

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interview, the microphone may have been slightly too close.

3. Standard visualsAs I have mentioned before the content of my project was more important to me rather than the visuals. As this is the case my visuals are very basic and I did not use any experimental techniques in any portions of my documentary. I believe that it is a possibility this makes my project uninteresting for certain people. Interesting visuals may have helped to keep the audience more interested.

4. Short first interviewLooking back at the first interview I filmed, it is rather short. I do ask the question surrounding teenagers but the discussion didn’t seem to last very long. I think this is more noticeable when compared to my second interview.

5. Image qualityFinally, looking at my completed project I can see where I present my interview findings, the images are not the best quality. The images were good quality originally and they were rendered, but they still were not the best quality. However they are still very much able to read.

Theme

As I mentioned before, the content of my project was more important to me than the style. So the theme of my project from my design ideas is a standard documentary. I was influenced by how many standard documentaries are laid out, including research, statistics, facts and of course interviews. While researching for my project I watched many documentary style videos which definitely inspired me for my project as I realised I wanted my project to be like them.

I wouldn’t describe my theme with any particular words, but it definitely isn’t experimental. I used many standard documentary techniques and I didn’t use anything out of the ordinary. For example I didn’t use any experimental camera angles or techniques.

Experiments and exploring

The main experiment I carried out for my project was creating the online survey. The survey consisted of five questions that were relevant to my project which would help with my primary research. This experiment was successful and definitely helped with the research portion of my project. It helped me because firstly, I received a good amount of responses from twenty people.

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I chose to create an online survey rather than a paper version because it could reach more people, for example I shared it on my social media. I think that sharing the survey on social media definitely helped me to acquire more responses. The survey results definitely had an impact on the development of my project, not just for the research but for my actual practical project as well. I decided to include the results of my survey into my video because they were relevant to the project and it shows evidence of what some teenagers believe.

Similar media products

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOvPyD3SyKU

This video is titled ‘Media portrayal of teenagers.’ This video looks at certain ways teenagers are portrayed in the media. It then cuts to multiple teenagers breaking these stereotypes, for example one of them said ‘I do not deal drugs’ as a response to the stereotype of teenagers doing drugs in the media.

This video is similar to mine because it focuses on the same subject, the portrayal of teenagers. It is also similar to my project because it features actual teenagers in the video who break down certain stereotypes.

The differences between this video and mine project is that there were no statistics or facts used in this video, just the opinions of others. Another difference between this and my video is the style and format of the video, as my project is styled more as a short documentary

Technical skills within my project

The technical skills within my project are basic, but nevertheless they are there. There was filming involved in my project during the interviews, I also used microphones as well. I filmed the interview using standard camera techniques, with the camera in a basic angle in front of the interviewees. Within the interview I also use a lapel microphone to ensure that my audio was the best quality that it could be.

Another technical skill within my project was the editing process. The editing within my project was basic as well but there was still a lot to work on. I used Avid Media Composer to edit my project. I imported all of my video and audio files as well as downloading the clips from films and television programmes to add in a voice-over. I synced my audio to my interviews and I cut clips down to the size I wanted to.

My project proposal

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Looking back at my proposal there were a few things that were changed. Firstly I planned to film my interviews in college; however the location of one of the interviews changed. I did film one of the interviews in college, however for the other one there were slight schedule changes. So the location was changed from the college to one of the houses of the interviewees. This didn’t affect my project in any other way.

Within my proposal I developed my research that I intended to look at. Within my proposal I wrote about my research but not too much in depth due to the word count. However when I was working on my research, I developed further into the ideas that I had set out to within my proposal.

Finally I managed to complete everything that I had wanted to accomplish in my proposal. Within my proposal I explored how I was going to plan for the project and how I was going to carry it out overall. I stuck to everything that I wanted to achieve and I definitely think I have while looking back at my project proposal.

Original idea

While looking my three original ideas, I thought that ‘Are teenagers portrayed realistically in film and television?’ was the strongest idea out of my three initial ideas. When my idea was discussed, my tutor agreed. They felt that one of the other ideas ‘How did Nirvana affect the music industry?’ may have been an opinion piece, to which I agreed to. I agreed that this idea is the strongest because it tackles a big subject and unlike the other idea, it is not an opinion piece altogether. There are opinions in my project however there are other opinions along with research that can support claims.

Improving my work

There are some things that I could work on to improve my project. Firstly I would work and improve on the audio. The audio levels were quite mixed through my project and I definitely think that it could be improved. If I were to do this again, I would ensure that the audio is improved by ensuring the microphone placement is correct at all times. I would also edit the audio levels within the editing process as well.

I would also change some of my found footage. Some of my footage is of different qualities and when they are played one after another, it definitely is noticeable. If I were to change this I would ensure that I would use clips that were all of the same quality, so my video looks the best it can.

I would also try to plan the interviews slightly better. I would meet with the interviewees before and talk about the subject and tell them about the questions I was going to ask. This would have allowed them to be prepared for the interview which would ensure the interview would run smoothly. This was definitely and error I made within my project by not doing this.

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Does my project answer my brief?

My project stuck to and definitely answered my project proposal. Within my proposal fits the needs of my project because I achieved everything that I set out to do. I looked at different types of research, including primary and secondary. I carried out the interviews I wanted to and I managed to write the script that I wanted to.

It also fits the needs of my project because it answers my evaluation too. Within the evaluation portion of my project proposal I wrote that to evaluate my work I was going to look at how I felt about my work as well as keeping a diary. I kept a weekly booklet and wrote my developments and progress each week. This booklet definitely helped me with achieving the needs of my project because it helped me to stay on track and ensure that I was sticking to my schedule.

My pitch

My pitch definitely went better than I expected. Although I was confident on my pitch I wasn’t 100%, however when the pitch was over I was very pleased with the outcome. I was able to get all of my points across within the time I was given, and I spoke very confidently throughout the pitch.

I also received some good feedback from my pitch as I spoke very clearly. There was one slight issue with my pitch as on my PowerPoint, the text clashed with the background. However when the pitch was over I was able to easily edit the document so the text was more easy to read.

When doing a pitch next time, I would practice more. I did practice for this pitch however looking back I think I definitely could have practiced slightly more.

Conclusion

Overall my project went better than I expected. There were a few errors and problems on the way and I am not 100% happy with the result. However I still am pleased with it. Past the audio problems and other slight issues I think that it turned out great.

I am pleased with my interviews and the contents of my project, as well as the project as I whole. I stuck with my initial ideas and throughout developing my ideas I was able to create a short documentary on which I am very proud of.

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APPENDICES

Extended project in creative media production Learning Outcomes and Assessment

1. Understand the requirements of a creative media production project.1.1 Analyse the requirements of a creative media production project.

2. Be able to use research methods to inform ideas for creative media production.

2.1 Review a range of research sources to support a creative media production project. 2.2 Interpret research to develop ideas and effectively communicate to an audience

3. Be able to use skills, knowledge and understanding in the completion of a creative media project.

3.1 Apply practical skills, knowledge and understanding to complete a creative media project within an agreed timeframe.

4. Be able to evaluate a creative media project.4.1 Critically evaluate a creative media project against the agreed requirements and

parameters.

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REFERENCES

Teen PSA: Proving the Stereotypes Wrong. (2008). [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30VPbTLqbMU [Accessed 23 Jun. 2017].

Your Bibliography: Teen Stereotypes in the Media. (2015). [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGPQkDzTEh8 [Accessed 23 Jun. 2017].

YouTube (2012). Teen Stereotypes. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meq7ZHEdxMo [Accessed 23 Jun. 2017].

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