Initial Ideas For Documentary

Initial Idea 1- Video Game Addiction

Content• The documentary will explore the issue of

video game addiction, it will explore individuals who are addicted to video games and the impact it had on their lives.

• I will also be interviewing a psychologist, who will explain the negative implications video game addiction can have e.g. social learning theory, physical and psychological issues.

• I will be contacting a professor from the department of psychology at a university, will try to contact unis like Kingston and Roehampton

• I will also be interviewing parents who have children who are addicted to video games.

Target AudienceThe target audience for this documentary would be predominately parents as the documentary would inform them of the effects video games can have on children.

A lot of parents buy their children games which have age restrictions, and this issue will be highlighted.

Furthermore, I will be interviewing parents who have children who are addicted to video games and therefore, other parents watching may be able to relate.

The documentary would also appeal to people who play video games as it may give them a better understanding of the effects video games can have and could make them question whether they are addicted and if they play too much?

Mode Of Address/StyleThe documentary will be participant led, as I believe this will make the documentary more easy to understand as it provides clarity to the audience. This is because the participant is able to introduce the topic to the audience and at the end able to summaries what has been found.

I would also like the participant to be an adult, as my target audience is parents and so by having an adult presenting gives credibility to the issue.In addition, I would like my documentary to be quite traditional and professional, this way it also adds credibility to the issue and appeals to the target audience of parents.

At the beginning of the documentary I will include a short montage where I include all the main key elements from the documentary. This will make the documentary more interesting and draw the audience in.

I want the presenter to be quite casual, appealing to both audiences.

Locations

• Bedrooms- filming individual playing game• Kitchen/living room- interviewing parents• Filming in National Media Museum- cutaway• Interview with psychologist- office location• Filming at ukie (United Kingdom interactive entertainment industry)

Conventions and appeal to target audience

Cutaways- For example, I will film individuals focusing while playing games, pressing hard on controller, POV shots while playing games, cutaways of games in a game shop, possibly media articles on video game addiction. This will appeal to the target audience as it engages them more as they are not just hearing one person speak throughout, visuals are also relating to the speech. This makes it more interesting.

Interview- I will be interviewing both individuals who are addicted to video games but also parents and how they feel about it. This will appeal to the target audience as parents (target audience) watching may be able to relate to the parents in the documentary.

Voice-over- voice overs will be heard narrating to the audience what is happening whilst cutaway footage is seen. This makes the documentary more interesting for the audience as they are not just seeing someone talking, but whilst someone is heard footage is seen. Therefore, this engages the audience more.

Expert view- I will have expert view from a psychologist, who will explain the psychological effects video game addiction can have.

Purpose The purpose of this documentary is about raising the issue of video game addiction and the effects it has, both psychological and physical. Video game addiction is hardly spoke about, even though it is a serious issue, for example, 24 million people in Britain play video games and the majority of them are addicted. Thus, the purpose of this documentary is to raise awareness.

This idea is original as although there are many facts and research out there on video game addiction there is not many documentaries available for people to watch.A lot of people don’t want to go and search about the issue, having a documentary which summaries the key issues is much more convienent.

Secondary Research

Primary ResearchSurvey monkeyhttps://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KWWJQB3

From analyzing the results from Survey monkey I found that all 13 individuals aged between 11-17 played video games that were ages 18+.

I also found that, of the 15 individuals I surveyed 5 of them play video gaes for around 4-5 hours everyday and 3 people even played more than 6 hours, which is a very long time to be playing on video games in a day.

I also, found that the most popular genre of games played was ‘shooting games’ followed by sports and action’

This highlights that a lot of young people play violent games.

- My findings raises concerns; by playing violent video games are the youth becoming more violent?

InterviewsIn order to gain primary research on this idea I interviewed a few young people aged between 11-20 years old.I asked questions about how much games they play and if they play games which contain violence and if they were 18+.Of all the young people I asked all of them said that they play games that are over 18. with majority implying that ‘ games over 18 are so much better’. Furthermore, violent video games were something that was played by many and they were attracted to it, with the most popular being Call of Duty; Modern Warefare.I also asked them if I were to make a documentary on videogame addiction what they would like to see. Here are some responses I gained:‘ I didn’t even know you could become addicted to video games’‘one that includes facts and statistics’‘it should include examples of people who are addicted and what their life is like because of it.

Initial Idea 2- Alcohol and its effects

Content

• Within this documentary I will be exploring the effects alcohol can have on an individual.

• The documentary will be from the perspective of an ex-alcoholic who will be telling the audience about their story (brief). But also, be presenting the documentary.

• I will also be interviewing an alcoholic, who will describe how they feel being addicted to alcohol

• I will also be interviewing a doctor who will describe the effects of drinking excessively

Target Audience• The target audience for this documentary is very broad

and it will appeal to all individuals who drink, so they are aware of the effects if they drink excessively.

• However, it will predominately appeal to individuals who are on the verge of becoming alcoholics as the documentary will explain the effects it has to the body and thus may help them realise they need to get help and stop drinking.

• Furthermore, a secondary target audience will be people who haven't drank already.

Mode Of Address/ StyleThis documentary will be participant led, with the participant being an ex- alcoholic. The reason for this is that the audience may be able to relate to the participant, the participant is someone who has overcome alcohol addiction and therefore, it sends a message to the audience (other alcoholics) that they can overcome it to.

The documentary will take a quite observational but also educational style. The ex-alcoholic will explore the life of someone who is addicted to alcohol and they will be interviewed. It will be educational as well because I will have expert views from a doctor, who will explain the effects.

Towards the end of the documentary helplines and advise will be given, so individuals can seek help

Conventions and appeal to target audienceCutaways- I may use cutaways such as someone drinking, close ups of them drinking, when I interview I will cutaway to footage related to the speech, this engages the audience more as they are not just watching someone speak but have visuals aids as well.// animated images of what happens in the rain when drinking excessively, whilst voice overs are heard. Interview- I will be interviewing individuals who suffer from alcohol addiction and how they feel and how it has affected their lives. I may also interview family members, so the audience are able to hear from a perspective of a family member. This appeals to the audience as they will be able to relate to someone who has been affected by a similar issue.Voice-over- voice overs will be heard narrating to the audience what is happening whilst cutaway footage is seen. This makes the documentary more interesting for the audience as they are not just seeing someone talking, but whilst someone is heard footage is seen. Therefore, this engages the audience more.Expert view- I will have expert view from a doctor, who will explain the effects that excessive alcohol can have, whilst the doctor is speaking I will also have cutaways. The expert view would appeal to the target audience as it adds credibility to the documentary, as its from a doctor audience will take on board the effects mentioned and may re evaluate how much they drink.

PurposeThe purpose of this documentary is to raise awareness of the effects of drinking alcohol excessively.

The main element of the documentary is to show the effects it has on the body but also allow the audience to hear a perspective from an alcoholic as well as ex-alcoholic.

Secondary Research

Primary ResearchIn order to gain feedback on this issue, I conducted a focus group.For my focus group I asked participants what they would like to see on a documentary on alcohol.Here are some responses I gained‘I think showing someone who is effected by alcohol is a good idea’ ‘having facts would be good as audience may not know the true facts about alcohol’‘the idea of interviewing a doctor is quite good it highlights the seriousness that alcohol can have’‘I think you should interview family members of the person addicted to alcohol, to gain their perspective on how they feel and the effect it has on the family.

Initial Idea 3- Cyber BullyingContent• This documentary will be about cyber bulling and I

will be exploring the seriousness of cyber bullying and how it impacts individuals.

• Cyber bullying is an issue within the young community, in todays day and age, the majority of young people use technology and thus, cyber bullying is an issue. The majority of young people do not realise the impact cyber bullying can have on individuals. It can lead to self harm and even suicide in some cases, for e.g. A famous case Amanda Todd.

• I will be interviewing people who have been bullied and they will explain their story. I have contacted ‘ The Cyber smile foundation’, in order to film someone who is willing to participate in my documentary.

• In addition to this I will be interviewing experts from this foundation, who work with the issue of cyber bullying, they provide expert hep and advice to victims and their families.

• CEOPs• The Documentary will also explore the consequences

of cyber bullying and I will be contacting the school police, so that I can interview them.

Target Audience• The primary target audience for my

documentary will be ideally young people, as the issue is more common and frequent amongst young people.

• However, the secondary target audience will be parents as it will give them an insight into cyber bullying and issue they may not know that is common.

Mode of address/ style• This documentary will be educational and informative.

Hence it will be presenter led with the presenterbeing someone with a basic knowledge into cyber bullying- this is a convention in documentaries as participants usually have little knowledge and gain knowledge on the issue throughout the documentary. This will appeal to the audience further as both the participant and audience will be gaining knowledge and awareness of cyber bullying.

• It will be educational as well because I will have expert views from people who deal with cyber bulling who will explain the effects. I may try to talk to the school police and see if he has any opinions on this issue.

• The documentary will also be observational as the participant will explore the life of someone who has been bullied and they will be interviewed.

• Towards the end of the documentary helplines and advise will be given, so individuals can seek help

Conventions and appeal to target audience• Cutaways- I may use cutaways such as many people walking around in a busy centre

with technology , close ups of people on social media, when I interview I will cutaway to footage related to the speech, this engages the audience more as they are not just watching someone speak but have visuals aids as well.

• Interview- I will be interviewing individuals who have suffered from cyber bullying where they will talk about how they felt and how it has affected their lives. I may also interview family members, so the audience are able to hear from a perspective of a family member. This appeals to the audience as they will realise the impact cyber bulling has on individuals, therefore they will be less inclined to cyber bully themselves. Also, if individuals who have been cyber bullied are watching they will be able to relate to someone who has been affected by a similar issue.

• Voice-over- voice overs will be heard narrating to the audience what is happening whilst cutaway footage is seen. This makes the documentary more interesting for the audience as they are not just seeing someone talking, but whilst someone is heard footage is seen. Therefore, this engages the audience more.

• Expert view- I will have expert view from a cyber bullying advisor and police, who will explain the effects that cyber bulling can have. The police could talk about the consequences of cyber bullying as many do not know about laws such as the malicious communications Act. The expert view would appeal to the target audience as it adds credibility to the documentary, as its from a police, so audience will take on board the police mention and may realise that cyber bullying is a big issue.

purpose

• The purpose of this documentary is to raise awareness of cyber bullying

• The main element of the documentary is to educate people about cyber bullying; what it is and involves, how it impacts individuals, consequences and where you can get support and help from.

Secondary Research

Primary Research

Questionnaire

I conducted 2 focus groups with different people, to get their opinions on cyber bullying and what they would like to see in a documentary on cyber bullying.

Many people stated that ‘cyber bulling is very common amongst young people’ because ‘many young people now have social media sites at a very young age’.

We also discussed that ‘many people are unaware of the consequences of cyber bullying’, therefore, participants in the focus group agreed with me in that I should include a police explaining the new laws and consequences in place.

Focus Group

I gave out my questionnaire to 20 people aged between 13-17.The results I gained from looking at the results of the questionnaire was that not a lot of people knew that cyber bullying is a serious issue and did not know effects it can have on victims. Furthermore, all of the responses said they would like to see a documentary on this topic with a presenter participant, hence if I take on this idea I will take this on bard.

Initial Idea 4- Young CarersContent• This documentary will explore the question

‘Who are young carers’, through exploring the life of one individual who is a young carer. This individual was became a carer from a young age and had no support until her school had found out after her attendance became very low. Her teachers then found out and she was bullied for a while she then contacted an organisation called ‘action for children’ who helped her through it.

• The documentary will also include interviews with members of the organisation ‘action for children’.

Target Audience

• As the documentary explores the life of a young carer who was able to get support through the organisation ‘action for children’, the target audience will be ideally other young carers, to let them know that there is help out there. For example statistics show that 1/3 of young carers in the UK have no support due to not mentioning that they are a young carer

• However, the target audience for this documentary is broad, it would appeal to anyone as it gives them an insight into young carers.

Mode of Address/ Style• This documentary will be observational- in that I

will be filming what the young carer has to do in her daily life for her mother. Thus, the documentary will focus on her getting meals ready for her and her mother, giving her mother medicine on time and putting her mother into bed etc.

• While showing her daily life, in the documentary she will be interviewed where she explains her story, of her bullying and how she feels about young carers.

Conventions/appeal to target audience

• Cutaways- For example, I will film a young carer feeding their mother medicine, getting food ready and generally interesting footage that relates to the speech that is heard. This will appeal to the target audience as it engages them more as they are not just hearing one person speak throughout, visuals are also relating to the speech. This makes it more interesting.

• Interview- I will be interviewing young carers themselves. This will appeal to the target audience as other young carers (target audience) watching may be able to relate to the individual in the documentary.

• Voice-over- voice overs will be heard narrating to the audience what is happening whilst cutaway footage is seen. This makes the documentary more interesting for the audience as they are not just seeing someone talking, but whilst someone is heard footage is seen. Therefore, this engages the audience more.

• Expert view- I will have expert view from an individual from the organisation ‘ action for children’, who will explain what they do and why. This gives credibility to the documentary as well as potentially helping any young carers watching the documentary.

Purpose• The purpose of this documentary is to highlight the

topic of young carers which is hardly spoken about. I believe that not enough support is given, it is reported that young carers usually miss around 50 days of school a year and are 4x more likely to drop out of college and university and ¼ of students get bullied in school.

• Therefore, this documentary is to educate people about young carers.

• Many young carers get bullied and are not comfortable about saying that they are a young carer, and so another purpose is to make individuals who are young carers to not feel ashamed of what they do.

Secondary Research

“We are also aware that some young carers get into trouble at school because their behavior is misunderstood,” says Morris. “For instance, they may be late or absent because of what is going on at home. They may miss homework or a parent might go into hospital the night before an exam. All this kind of thing has implications for further and higher education too, as well as their chances in the job market. It’s great that Lili’s school is carer aware, but we’d like to see all schools identifying and supporting young carers to do well.”

Primary ResearchInterviewsThrough interviews with various individuals, they stated that a documentary on young carers will be very beneficial as ‘its not a topic that is spoken about’.When asked about what should be in a documentary on young carers, people stated‘showing someone who is a young carer would be good, having footage of them helping their family member’‘The young carer could talk about their struggles they through so that the audience could really understand the reality of being a young carer’‘definitely include statistics as it makes the documentary more factual and serious’

The length of the documentaries will be around 5-15 minutes. This is enough time to make an informative documentary on the issue.The documentary is not a conventional hour long documentary as I want the documentary to be concise and be a brief over view of the issue.

Length