TV advert - final feedback

Cameron,
Some good work produced within your group and it is a shame that your grade has been restricted by certain aspects limiting your achievement.

In regards to unit 2 - Communication Skills for Creative Media Production (pitch and presentation):
You were able to use appropriate techniques to extract information from written sources with some precision and presented a media production report which conveys relevant information.
Your pitch was interesting and I thought that you conveyed the information about your re-branding idea and employed forms of address in your pitch to communicate ideas. The presentation had some elements which were effective and you were able to deploy and manage technology to pitch a media production proposal.

In regards to unit 30: Advertisement Production for Television:
IN your TV advert analysis, you were able to describe structures and techniques of TV advertisements with some appropriate use of subject terminology.
Working within your group, you were able originate and develop an idea for a TV advertisement showing some imagination and with only occasional assistance. The advert demonstrated a good understanding of conventions in TV adverts and it was clear that you were able to produce a TV advertisement to a good standard working within appropriate conventions and with some assistance.
Your evaluation was also detailed and you explained your own TV advertisement production work with reference to detailed illustrative examples and generally correct use of subject terminology.

Primary Research Data

3MW Idea Mind Map

Documentaries

Documentary

A documentary is a film or television or radio programme that provides a factual report on a specific topic, usually a relevant subject to current society. There a number of different types of documentaries that all serve a slightly different purpose.

Expository Documentaries

Expository documentaries speak directly to the viewer, often in the form of an authoritative commentary employing voiceover or titles, proposing a strong argument and point of view. These films are rhetorical, and try to persuade the viewer. For example, ‘Blackfish’ is an expository documentary as it exposes the truth behind SeaWorld and the industry behind the captivity of orcas.  

Observational Documentaries

Observational documentaries are about observing the life of an individual (usually). This involves as little intervention by the filmmaker as possible, meaning we don’t see the director/filmmaker at any point, also this form of documentary includes no interviews/ conversations with the subject. This form provides no voiceover and displays no opinion to the viewer, allowing the viewer to make their own judgement. For example, ‘Big Brother’ is an observational documentary where a number of random people are placed into a house and have to live together for a period of time.

Interactive documentaries

Interactive documentaries are a more typical form of documentary, in which the filmmaker along with their crew personally interact with the people/event that is being documented. Unlike observational documentaries, you actually see the filmmaker and hear what's going on from his perspective, meaning we hear their personal opinions/impressions of what’s happening. For example, Louis Theroux’s series of documentaries and also Ross Kemp’s series of documentaries, in both, we follow them into interesting/dangerous events or as they spend time with interesting people, for example Louis Theroux has an episode where he spends some time with modern day Nazis, and Ross Kemp has a series called ‘Ross Kemp on Gangs’ where he spends time with some of the most notorious gangs in the world.

Reflexive documentaries

Reflexive documentary is where a filmmaker attempts to expose the conventions of documentary to the audience. This will use shots from everyday life, however, they will be edited in order to portray a subject in a different light than it might appear if it was unedited. Nick Bloomfield is known for his reflexive style of documentary making. He films with minimal camera crew, often just himself and a cameraman, this makes his documentaries seem more personal.

Performative Documentaries

Performative documentaries represent the world indirectly and focus on presentation rather than content. Use of re-enactments, exaggerated camera positions and soundtracks are used to help submerge the audience into the narrative. This type of documentary aims to present the subject in a subjective, expressive, stylised, evocative and visceral manner. For example, ‘Tongues Untied’ is a performative documentary by Marlon Riggs which depicts his life growing up.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the best documentaries display both the unbiased facts, and the filmmaker's opinion separately, as this allows the documentary to educate while still remaining interesting. I feel that interactive documentaries efficiently display both the facts and the opinions over any other form of documentary and is therefore my personal favourite type.

3MW analysis

3 Minute Wonder Analysis

           

I liked this one because they address a serious relevant topic but in a comedic, satire kind of way.
A problem I found with this is that the production value seems to be higher than what we are capable of.

            

I like the structure of the documentary and how his work is displayed as he answers the the questions, however it would've been better if there was footage of him working. Another problem with this is how the music is too loud and can block out some of the dialogue.


           

I like the simple structure and low, easily reachable production value of this documentary, along with the entertaining commentary throughout. A problem with this is that the commentary is very opinionated and biased to his personal views.