Target Audience Research

This is the questionnaire that my group created to hand out to 30 members of our target audience: After we handed out the questionnaires, we collated the results and then I created graphs to show the results for each question. Below are the graphs of the results and the conclusions I drew from them:


1. Are you male or female?

Conclusion: Out of the 30 participants, 15 were male and 15 were female so our research isn't going to be biased towards any particular gender. This means that our documentary should cater for both males and females equally.



2. How old are you?

Conclusion: A large majority of the participants were aged over 41, so our documentary may be weighted towards that age group. However, we did have several from the 36-40 group and the 26-30 group, so this may help to balance out any bias. Due to the small number of 16-20 year olds who filled in our questionnaire, our documentary will probably not cater for them as much.


3. What is your favourite colour?

Conclusion: Out of the 30 participants, almost a third of them picked blue as their favourite colour, meaning that we should use the colour blue in our documentary in some way, perhaps in the title sequence. Red was the second most popular colour so we could also use that colour.

4. What genre of music do you listen to?

Conclusion: Over a third of the participants said that pop music was their favourite genre of music, so our documentary should include a lot of this genre so it will appeal to the target audience. The second most popular genre was rock music so our documentary could include some music from this genre too.


5. What time of day do you watch the television the most?

Conclusion: Over half of the participants said that they most often watched television between 17:30 and 21:00 so we should aim to put our documentary out during these hours so that the target audience will be more likely to watch it.


6. Which terrestrial channel do you watch the most?

Conclusion: One third of the participants said that they watch Channel 4 the most so our documentary should be broadcast on this channel. However, almost a third said that they most often watched BBC1, so our documentary could also be broadcast there as there was little difference between the amounts.

7. What day do you watch television the most?

Conclusion: The majority of the participants said that they watched television the most on a Friday, so our documentary should be broadcast on this day. Sunday was also a popular day to watch television so if our documentary does not fit into the schedule of a Friday then we could use Sunday.

8. Is greed bad?

Conclusion: A large majority of participants said that they think greed is bad, so this helps us to decide which way the audience already lean so we know which way our documentary should go.

9. Why do you think that greed is/isn't bad?

Those who said that yes, it is bad, said:
*It’s selfish
*It’s unnecessary
*Wanting things leads to power and wealth
*A strong believer in the redistribution of wealth and resources
*Nobody will like you
*So many people are doing without
*It’s unfair
*It encourages exploitative behaviour
*Excess of anything is bad
*The more you get, the more you want
*There is too much that people don’t need
*People will do anything to get what they want
*It makes people mean
*It makes people resentful and bitter

Those who said that no, it isn't bad, said:

*People work for it
*You can’t get anywhere without it
*It helps you get things

10. Does money make you happy?


Conclusion: Out of the 30 participants, 20 said that they think money does make you happy, so we can use this in some way in our documentary, perhaps as a statistic e.g. "two thirds of people asked said that they think money makes people happy".


11. What words/phrases come to mind when you think of greed?

People said:
*Fat
*Banker
*Cheat
*Selfish
*Nasty
*Wall Street
*Gluttony
*Hungry
*Self-centered
*Jealousy
*Wanting everything
*Bills
*The Government
*Food
*Money
*Paris Hilton
*Misery
*Mean spirited
*Resentful
*Rupert Murdoch
*Big companies like Sky
*Rich people
*Excess
*Egotist
*Uncaring
*Focused
*Isolation
*Cars
*Fat cats in the city
*Corruption
*Control
*Power
*Poverty

We also recorded audio clips of some people answering our questionnaire:

Initial Ideas

After we brainstormed ideas, we decided on the idea of 'greed' and created another mindmap with more detailed ideas for this:

Brainstorming

In our groups, we came up with some possible ideas for our documentary and created a mindmap of them:

Genre Analysis - "The Boy Who Was Born A Girl"

Name Of Documentary: The Boy Who Was Born A Girl

Type of Documentary: Mixed/ Self Reflective

Themes:
*Gender
*Stereotypes
*Confusion


Narrative Structure:
*Closed - The girl Natasha becomes a boy “John”
*Linear - The documentary shows how “John” develops in time order


Camerawork:
*Establishing shot of detached houses which suggest the documentary is set in a middle class area
*A handheld camera is used throughout the documentary to make the audience seem more involved
*The interviews are shot in medium close up, where the interviewee is either to the left or right of the screen with the eye line 1/3 of the way down the screen, with the background being a shallow depth of field
*Low angle of “John” and mum on couch which suggests they have the power in the documentary
*Zoom in off testosterone gel reinforces the development from girl to boy
*Close up of ballet shoes is in contrast to the testosterone gel
*High angle shot of mum which suggests that “John” has more power in the situation, which is reinforced by a long shot of “John” and his mum whereby his mum is positioned facing his back
*Close up of hand on wrist which suggesting comfort and love
*Over the shoulder shot of mum followed by a shot reverse shot to “John”
*Long shot of doctors room with a dim lighting
*Extreme close up of doctors hand writing notes
*Contrast of close up of a muscular arm to a close up of “Johns” skinny arm
*Extreme close up of Johns face to show final emotion of joy



Mise en Scene:
*Interviews – reflecting something about life or occupation - doctor sat desk, in suit to suggest power
*Contrast between semi detached houses to the city
*Johns bedroom pink which conflicts with the Marilyn Manson posters and skulls
*Contrast of boy in school uniform at the start to a young man in a shirt at the end
*Barber shop connotes males


Sound:
*Voiceover – narrator is the young boy “John”
*Music reflected subject matter/mood
*Fast paced music in the gym
*Sad music and the beginning which contrasts against the happy music at the end “Your love keeps lifting me higher” (Rod Stewart)

*Montage - pictures from girl to boyEditing:
*Cuts - most common edit in documentary
*Fade to black

Archive Material:
*Pictures of Natasha
*Videos of Natasha and the school sports day surrounded by boys
*Home Videos
*Websites
*Stock footage - Street, gym, and roads


Graphics:
*The title of the programme reflects the subject matter by using the gender symbols within the title
*Text – White, sans
*The top line (name of person talking) is in bold and is slightly bigger than the second line (occupation), aligned to the left.

Genre Analysis - "That Thing Lara Croft"

Title Of Programme: That Thing Lara Croft

Type Of Documentary: Mixed

Themes:
*Effect that the Lara Croft games had
*Feminism
*Representation of women in the media
*Iconography

Narrative Structure:
*Closed
*Single strand
*Non linear

Camerawork:
*Conventional interviews - interviewees on the right, text on the left
*Close ups/medium close ups on interviewees
*Extreme close ups
*Tilted/canted screen during Angelina Jolie interview - makes her stand out as important and also emphasises the "action" genre of the games
*POV shots - tracking and zooming over the shoulder shots of internet café

Mise-en-scene:
*Video footage in the background during interview - links to what's being said. Out of focus so as not to draw attention away from the interviewee.
*Low key lighting - interviewees face lit by reflection of the game from the screen
*Screen graphic around the interviewee because the documentary is about gaming

Sound:
*Music from the game in the background - to reflect the target audience
*Male and female voiceovers - young sounding - reflects target audience
*Sound effects from the games e.g. shooting, explosions
*Voiceovers speak in Standard English
*Upbeat dance music in the background - uses Madonna song when talking about female icons

Editing:
*Screen graphic with interviewee superimposed inside - to reflect the fact that the documentary is about a game.
*Quick cuts which mirrors the action from the game

Archive Material:
*Game footage
*Websites
*Lara Croft film
*Nike advert
*Emails
*Still of magazines/articles

Graphics:
*Text saying the name and profession - white, lowercase, left aligned, sans serif font
*Rolling credits

Genre Analysis - "The Marketing Of Meatloaf"

Title Of The Programme: The Marketing Of Meatloaf

Type Of Documentary: Mixed documentary.

Themes:
*Construction of image in the media
*Audience manipulation
*The cost of relaunching a flagging artists.

Narrative Structure:
*Non linear
*Circular
*Closed
*Single strand

Camerawork:
*Opens with a low angle shot
*Zooming in and out at the meeting table
*Also over the shoulder/POV shot at the bookies
*Camera pans around the meeting table
*Close up of Meatloaf's face during interviews
*Conventional interviews - medium close up/close up, interviewee on right/left
*Handheld camerawork used by the press

Mise-en-scene:
*Interview with backstage area behind
*Make up trailer in the background - Meatloaf talking whilst getting his make up done.
*Interview with the recording studio in the background
*Interview on set of the music video
*Chromakey - anchors what they're talking about.

Sound:
*Male voiceover narrator - wry, sarcastic. A bit mocking. Uses standard English and jargon. Quite opinionated.
*Clapping/cheers
*Meatloaf songs in the background
*Tense music during chart countdown.

Editing:
*Narrating over the footage
*Chromakey - still image of Meatloaf on a screen in the background of an interview which anchors to what they're talking about
*Questions are edited out
*Dissolving/fade to black used
*Fast motion/slow motion

Archive Material:
*Brit Awards footage
*TV shows - Top Of The Pops
*Music videos
*Still images of magazines/newspapers
*American news programmes
*English news programmes
*Award ceremonies

Graphics:
*Magazine with videos footage over it
*Titles are left aligned, white sans serif font.
*Text scrolls across the screen - quotes from the press.

Genre Analysis - "The Devil Made Me Do It"

Title Of Programme: The Devil Made Me Do It

Type Of Documentary: Fully narrated, mixed documentary.

Themes:
*Murder investigation - good vs evil
*Marilyn Manson
*The influence of the media on youth culture.

Narrative Structure:
*Non linear - flashbacks
*Open ended
*Single strand

Camerawork:
*Conventional interviews - headshot, medium close up.
*POV shots - re-enactment of nun walking, etc.
*Shaky camera shots - handheld cameras - jostling to reinforce media frenzy.
*Close ups and long takes of religious iconography - dramatic low angle shots, emphasis.
*Extreme close ups of concert fans - emphasises their extreme style of dress, etc.
*Low angle shots of Marilyn Manson when he is interviewed - gives him power.
*Uses shadows on Manson interviews to reflect his character and add mystery. Also intensifies the "evil" in him.

Mise-en-scene:
*Shots of the deserted town.
*People interviewed in their own homes - makes it more genuine and anchors meaning.
*Documentary opens with scenes of the town in daylight
*Manson interviewed with his entourage in the background - also anchors meaning.

Sound:
*Voiceovers for the Italian speech - male voices, non diegetic - makes it more authentic.
*Sinister, eerie music when the nun was killed.
*Rock music - concert footage and over the credits.
*Choir music through cutaway of tunnel footage - moves narrative on.
*Opera singer over funeral footage.

Editing:
*Speaking over cutaways - interviewees and narrator
*Cutaways emphasise the themes in the film
*Concert footage followed by funeral footage - both large groups of people together for one particular reason.
*Cross cutting/fade to black, elliptical editing.

Archive Material:
*Footage of Marilyn Manson concerts and fans at concerts.
*Footage of 1999 Columbia school shootings
*Some still and moving images of Manson's music videos and news clips - reinforces what they're talking about.
*Italian TV shows

Graphics:
*Italian subtitles - sans serif, left aligned, white.
*Small titles saying who the interviewees are.
*Lyrics from Marilyn Manson songs subtitled at the bottom - points out their antiestablishment theme.
*Titles showing dates, times, key events, etc, e.g. "One day after the trial"

Genre Analysis - "Underage and Pregnant"

Title of Programme: "Underage and Pregnant"

Type of Documentary: Fully narrated

Themes:
*Underage pregnancies - preparing for them/coping afterwards
*Trying to get benefits/trying to sort out money problems
*Trying to get council housing

Narrative structure:
*Multi strand
*Linear

Camerawork:
*Mostly closeups of the interviewees
*Two shots of the couples talking

Mise-en-scene:
*Rooms in the house.
*One mum to be was interviewed with children's videos in the background maybe to emphasise how young she is.

Editing:
*Narrator speaks over the footage of the couples.
*Interviewees speak over cutaways of them doing things with the baby.
*Cutaways (footage) of where they live (London and Scotland)

Archive Material:
*Stills of a mum when she was pregnant
*Photos of another mum when she was a baby.

Graphics:
*"Handwriting style" font saying the mother's names with small graphics of flowers and birds, etc. around the names.

Genre Analysis - Theories and Concepts

John Grierson came up with the term "documentary" in 1926. The purpose of the documentary is to document something that has actually happened. It can be shown by using “actuality footage” or reconstruction. It can use a narrator’s voiceover to anchor the meaning or rely on the participants themselves with perhaps an occasional interjection by the narrator.

Documentaries are not just about facts. Instead, facts can be used to create socially critical arguments, inviting the audience to draw their own conclusions.


Features of documentaries

Observation: Most documentaries contain sequences of observation, and the programme makers pretend that the camera is on scene or ignored by the people taking part.

Interview: An interview is the most important part of the document in which the participants give their opinions and views. Documentaries rely on these.

Dramatisation: All documentaries use a sense of drama through the observation element, such as creating drama through the observation process or through reconstruction.

Mise en scene: Documentary makers carefully construct the shot.

Exposition: The line of argument in a documentary. It is what the documentary, quotes saying.

Different types of documentaries

Fully narrated: An off-screen voiceover is used to make sense of the visuals and dominate their meaning e.g. Nature documentaries.

Fly on the wall: The camera is unseen or ignored and simply records real events as they unfold. There is no commentary or narration thereby allowing viewers to come to their own conclusion.

Mixed: These use a combination of interview, observation and narration to advance the argument. The narrator is often in front of the camera.

Self- Reflective: When the subject of the documentary acknowledges the presence of the camera and often speaks directly to the filmmaker.

Docudrama: A re-enactment of the events as though they have actually happened.

Docusoap: Programmes that follow the lives of individuals with designated occupations.


Visuals

Archive footage, open countryside, street scenes and close ups of faces are all some of the stock materials uses to suggest the intended meaning or emotional qualities of a particular theme.


Interviews

An interview can be held anywhere but the setting does affect the meaning. Interviews normally begin with factual questions which are easy to answer and leave the more emotionally challenging questions until the end.


Voxpops

This technique consists of street interviews of the general public, which each person being asked the same question. The answers are then strung together in a fast sequence. These are good for illustrating a general agreement or a diversity of opinion.


Narrative Conventions

Documentaries rely on traditional conventions of narrative i.e. there is a beginning, a middle and an end.

Beginning - The central question of the documentary can be posed at the beginning in an intriguing way. Most dramatic pieces of action footage can also be placed at the start, or some quick interview cuts in conflict with each other can get the audience's attention.

Middle - The middle of a documentary often examines the issue in "human terms" focusing on people and their opinions. The conflict in the documentary is strengthened.

End - The exposition (line of argument) is fully apparent by the end of the documentary. The audience has no doubts as to what the programme is saying and there may even be a course of action the audience can take to address the problem.


Narrative Structure

Open - The audience is left to make their own mind up at the end.

Closed - There is a definite ending and outcome.

Single-strand - There is only one main plot throughout.

Multi-strand There are many different subplots which interweave.

Linear - It is in chronological order i.e. there is a beginning, middle and an end in that order.

Non-linear - There is no chronological order. Time is disrupted in some way e.g. via flashbacks.

Circular - There is a question at the start which is revisited at the end. Circular narratives can tie in with open narratives.