Coursework Brief

7. An extract from an original documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes, together with two of the following three options: 

• a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary; 

• a newspaper advertisement for the documentary.

My Documentary

London to Leigh Documentary from Katie Pearl on Vimeo.

My Documentary Newspaper Advert

My Double Page Spread for a Listings Magazine

Evaluation Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge codes and conventions of real media products?

Evaluation Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Evaluation Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Evaluation Question 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Production: Documentary Analysis

Production: TV Listings analysis

Tv listings analysis from KatiePearl1

Production: Documentary Advert Analysis

Editing: Final TV Listings changes

Whilst I was editing my double page spread TV Listings, I understood that the main body of the text in the left columns was difficult to read. To ensure that my products are perfect I changed the font of the writing. I also enlarged the size of the font and made the box a higher opacity so the writing is enabled to stand out clearer against the background. Collectively these changes made the writing easy to read. I also moved the pull quote from the middle of two columns to the center of one columns this made the page better aesthetically pleasing and fulfilled the continuity across all the text. I lastly added a drop cap to the first letter at the top of the page, this adds a strong visual emphasis. The first image below is the article before and the one underneath is the finished product after the changes.

Editing: Deciding on a suitable ident

Here is the video of both the idents I made and chose to place in front of my documentary for Channel 4.

I have decided on using the second version which I edited myself. This is because it still uses the rectangular boxes for brand identity and it is also more personal to the documentary by adding the detail of the name and time. It uses more skill and looks more effective to begin the documentary. I took the first ident from Channel 4 using a screen recording before one of their documentaries and this is less excellent than the one I decided on using.

Editing: Corrected introduction

I set out with my presenter to re film the introduction of my documentary. This is to ensure that all my shots and videos are perfect, especially as the introduction scene is one of the longest and most important. The previous introduction had some sound issues as I filmed along a busy road and the most suitable clip I had, had a car driving past towards the end which the audience can hear. As this was the only issue, I kept the script, shot angle, shot type and subject positioning the same or very similar. As a result of filming the introduction again on a different day, the lighting was better the second time so is clearer for the audience. I have included the before and after introduction below in one video to easily observe the difference.

Editing: Changes to Magazine Listings

As a result of my audience feedback I have changed certain aspects of my double page spread magazine listings for my documentary to make them look more professional, easier to read and to correctly adhere to many codes and conventions. I used a black outline for the letters in the title 'Q&A' this is to make them easier to read against the background they are on. I have also rearranged the information and the placing of the information in the yellow column box to make the box look more polished and aesthetically pleasing. Below is the finished article of this.

Editing: Documentary Title

I previously created a screen recording of two possible opening titles design as I was not certain which one was most appropriate and most effective. I have shown this video to my focus group and have collected their audience feedback below which was helpful for me to make my decision. I asked a long answer question so I could gather their opinion as well as their choice and will read and conclude with the responses. I have added the screenshots from the audience feedback below
.

All of these responses have suggested that the title cut out of the white box is the best choice as it is more creative and has a stronger brand identity. I personally agree too and therefore will be choosing this title as the opening titles to my documentary.

I also included a question based on the title in my last questionnaire to get the opinion of which title from a larger sample and the response has a 60% to 40% split with the majority also agreeing for the more creative titles.

Editing: Creating Channel 4 Ident

In order to create strong brand identity, I created an ident for Channel 4 to go at the beginning of my documentary. I found a video of many different Channel 4 adverts, videos and products and downloaded this using KeepVid. I then placed this into iMovie choosing the most appropriate and aesthetically pleasing ident to use. I normalized this clip to slow it down to a readable speed and I added text to the blank screen detailing the information of the name of the documentary and when it is appearing. This is to keep continuity and to adhere to codes and conventions of Channel 4 documentaries.