Unit 16- responding to a brief

Research methods:

other products made for similar clients

The commission brief

Secondary sources

When working on a commission, you will need to carry out your own research. You need to know where to find information, and to understand different research methods that creative media professionals use to source information.

Sources of information

Other products of the relevant genre

Primary research

Taking notes

Good research notes include:

bullet-pointed lists
the source of the information
mind maps to record information on a topic
colour-coding or highlighting to indicate content referring to different areas of a topic/project

Other products aimed at the relevant target audience

Primary research into your target audiences tastes, opinions and existing consumption of media products can be collected through interviews, surveys and focus groups. This will provide you with invaluable information when responding to your brief

Task 1- sectors

Television-

-Factual programming in television is non- fiction and it documents actual events and people. These types of programs are also described as observational documentary, fly on the wall, docudrama and reality TV. Some examples may include the one show, BBC news, Top gear and Dragons Den.

Radio-

-Factual programming in radio covers a whole range of genres that are based on real people and real events, with no element of fiction. Some examples may include BBC radio 1, LBC and talk SPORT.

Film-

-A factual film/story is one that is based on actual events as they unfolded in real life. A factual film may refer to a historical film. Other examples of factual films may include the wolf of wall street, 1917, catch me if you can and darkest hour

Web-based moving image-

-A web based factual film like a documentary on YouTube is based on actual events, and also being more tailored to younger audiences, like a documentary about a content creator or even a football team.

Web-based audio factual programme-

-Audio factual programmes like podcasts cover daily life and delve into individual stories like the joe Rogen podcast

Task 2- codes and conventions

Presentation of facts/ version of reality through realism-

For factual shows like a documentary, facts are shown in many different ways, such as possible graphics on the screen or being read aloud by either the presenter or a professional in the topic.

Dramatization is the reconstruction of an event, novel, story, etc., in a form suitable for dramatic presentation.

Narrativization is communicating experiences or events in narrative form, in order to better understand them.

A presenter may influence ideas through their views on the current topic

Task 3- format of programming

Documentary:
-An expository documentary is a type of documentary filmmaking where a commenter talks over the video to explain a specific story. Examples of expository documentaries are "civil war," "the blue planet," "An inconvenient truth" and "our planet"
-An observational documentary is a type of documentary filmmaking that aims to record realistic, everyday life without intrusion. Some examples include "an inconvenient truth," "our planet" and "Fahrenheit 9/11"
-An interactive documentary is a production that differs from the more traditional forms- video, audio, photographic- by applying a full complement of multimedia tools. Some examples include "Up in arms," "All governments lie" and "The anniversary project"
-Reflexive documentaries are similar to participatory docs in that they often include the filmmaker within the film. However, unlike participatory, most creators of reflexive documentaries make no attempt to explore an outside subject. Some examples include "man with a movie camera," "chronicles of summer" and "Lois Theroux's weird weekends"
-A performative documentary emphasizes the filmmaker's own involvement with the subject. Furthermore, the filmmaker shows a larger political or historical reality through the window of her own experience. Some examples include "drifters," "night and fog" and "the thin blue line"
-poetic documentary is a type of documentary that uses avant-garde techniques to evoke a certain mood or feeling rather than prove a point through a traditional linear narrative structure. Some examples include "Mirror of holland," "microcosmos" and "Life in a day"

-Infotainment is a type of media, usually television or online, that provides a combination of information and entertainment
-An educational program is a program written by the institution or ministry of education which determines the learning progress of each subject in all the stages of formal education
-A wildlife program is a program all about animals in their natural habitats
-Special interest programs are unique that stray away from the typical tv shows and often tap into our personal interests or hobbies.
-A discussion program is a program where the host interacts with an expert or a group of experts about a specific topic.
-A review tv program is where a host or a group reviews something like a product or a type of media
-An investigative program is a type of program where they investigate something like a current murder or something that happened in the past.

Task 4- Legal and ethical issues

-Compositional balance is where you weigh both sides of the argument in order to conclude the argument. This is important in factual programming as it then gives both sides of an ethical argument e.g. if filming animals in their natural habitat is ethically right.

-Impartiality is where decisions are judged over unbiased opinions. This has relevance towards factual programming as objective media should be the main standard as to what you can judge from.

-Objectivity is where someone is objective towards both parties, showing no favouritism. Factual programming needs objectivity as all legal and ethical must be discussed from an objective perspective.

-Subjectivity is where people are influenced by their own opinions, feelings and bias. Factual programming needs to avoid this as subjectivity shows favouritism towards a certain party.

-Opinions are where someone has a certain ideal or perspective towards something. Factual programming needs opinions, as it can help both parties express their ideas and points.

-Bias is where you have favouritism towards a certain party, thus completely being on their side instead of being balanced. This must be avoided within factual programming as it simply leans towards a certain argument, instead of staying unbiased.

-Libel and defamation is the art of defaming another person through multiple different ways, writing slander, articles etc. This isn't good for factual programming as it could ruin a party's entire image and arguments.

-Privacy is where things are kept hidden from the public. This is vital for factual programming as it can keep confidential stuff hidden from the public and other parties.

-Representation is the portrayal of someone or a group of people. This could be used in factual programming as it could present a certain group in both a positive or negative limelight.

Learning Aim A- Core assessment

Within documentaries, the five different formats that producers can use are expository, observational, interactive, reflexive and performative. For my documentary, it will be under the performative format, with it bringing an emotional side of my artist's life and music career, rather than just filling it with facts. There will be no legal or ethical issues as the footage will be only mine, and any other footage I decide to use throughout will be copyright free stock.