DOCUMENTARY IDEAS

docky ideas breuh

-Mental Ill Health

.No. of mental health professional establishments in the area

.Awareness in schools 

-Climate Change 

. No. of recent deaths due to air pollution 

. 2016 Caterham flooding 

. Affect on community events 

.A new report led by King's and published by the government's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) estimates that between 28,000 and 36,000 people die as a result of air pollution every year in the UK.

Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap- Unit 31: Social Action and Community Media

Unit 31: Social Action and Community Media

Documentary- Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap

What is this documentary about? What is its purpose?

Explained is a Netflix original series of short documentaries where each episode provides the viewer with an insight into different social and economical topics, such as crypto-currencies, the rise in 

e-sports and the stock market. In this specific episode, the theme of the documentary is the racial wealth gap in the United States of America. Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap discusses the issue of the massive divide in wealth between African-American's and Caucasian-American's and how this is directly due to the American slave trade. 

The documentary goes on to explain how the 13th Amendment (January 31st 1865)  may have abolished slavery in the United States, however this did not mean that racial discrimination was over. Racial discrimination continued for over one hundred years, not just in prejudice and unjustified hate, but also in the US laws and businesses. The documentary includes an exclusive interview with Charles Brooker, an African-American man who's parents managed to expose the fact that real-estate companies tricked black families out of houses in predominantly white neighborhoods in order to keep the housing prices high. Archive footage shown in the documentary of news reports asking white members of the public in the 1960's if they would want a black family living in their neighborhood revealed that racial discrimination was still normal for many US citizens. When one woman was asked if she thinks a black family moving into the neighborhood would affect the community, she replied: " I think that the property values will immediately go down, if they're allowed to move in her at any number." This shows the viewer that the racial prejudice in America led to less African-American's being able to buy houses in many neighborhoods. As time went on and these houses went up in price, this meant that the caucasian families who now owned the properties became even wealthier, while real estate and property development companies funneled African-American families into low income housing in neighborhoods which were far less developed, since wealthier areas were more of a priority for development. 

The purpose of this documentary is to educate the viewer on the growing wealth gap between black and white citizens of America and how this is a long lasting effect of the slave trade. Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap achieves its purpose by providing the viewer with evidence, such as interviews and stock footage, as well as statistics which show the massive wealth gap and how long this has been growing. 

Does this documentary reach a Local, National or Global audience? 

Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap reaches a global audience as it is a Netflix Original and therefore is available in every country that has access to Netflix. However, you could argue that the contents of the documentary is only applicable to the United States as the long lasting effects of the slave trade are on African-American citizens. Therefore the target audience would be members of the United States who would like to know more about the wealth gap and racial divide in America. 

The purpose of this documentary is to shed light on the sore mistreatment of African-American citizens and how the progress of the past three hundred years has still not been enough to create an equal balance of wealth between in America. The documentary also touches briefly on the the topic of receiving reparations for the slave trade, however unfortunately, the documentary does not offer a particularly in depth discussion on the matter, which is something which could have helped improve the documentary as it would have allowed room for the viewer to question whether this could be beneficial to the improvement of the wealth gap or if the government spending such a huge amount of money could actually make the economy worse off. 

Bibliography:

- (2016). 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery. Available: https://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/13th-amendment. Last accessed 19th Nov 2019.

- (2018). Why Everyone Should Watch Netflix’s Explained. Available: https://www.redbrick.me/everyone-should-watch-netflixs-explained/. Last accessed 21st Oct 2019.

 (2018). Explained- The Racial Wealth Gap Photo Gallery. Available: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8453102/mediaindex?ref_=tt_mv_close. Last accessed 21st October 2019.

One Strange Rock- Unit 31: Social Action and Community Media

                      Unit 31: Social Action and Community Media

Documentary- One Strange Rock Episode Two: Storm

What is the documentary about? What is its purpose?

 One Strange Rock is an episodic documentary show on Netflix that depicts the grandeur the nature and science. This episode, titled 'Storm', details the creation of Earth through a series of violent storms. The purpose of the documentary is to teach the viewer the geographical history of the Earth and inspire them to take an interest in science.

The documentary goes through three stages of the Earth's formation, the creation of the solar nebula, the molding of the Earth and the slow rise of the atmosphere. Since there is obviously no recorded footage of the creation of the solar nebula (our solar system), the documentary uses animation in order to re-enact the clashing of rocks which, over time, formed the sun, planets and eventually moons. By using a computer generated re-enactment, this helps the viewer get a better understanding of what the narrator (Will Smith) and the scientists are explaining. During the first stages of the formation of the Earth, rocks hurtling through space crash into each other, causing friction heat to fuse them together and erode into a planet-sized spherical object. This process is also what causes the other planets to form, as well as the sun, which becomes big enough for the planets to orbit around. This process is explained to the viewer by qualified scientists who have studied this process intently.





By using qualified scientists, such as famous astronaut Chris Hadfield, the documentary has a greater form of credibility as the information being told is directly from professionals, therefore making the documentary a step above other educational television shows about space and evolution.



(pictured- Chris Hadfield interview in One Strange Rock: Storm)

The purpose of this documentary is to explain the way the Earth was formed through millions and millions of years, the documentary achieves this by thoroughly explaining the events which formed the Earth by using computer generated models as well as interesting interviews with distinguished scientists

What implications can you make after watching this documentary?

'One Strange Rock: Storm' explicitly demonstrates the way the Earth's atmosphere was formed and what is needed to sustain it. A steady balance of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon and oxygen in the atmosphere allows for life to thrive on Earth. This explanation of the atmosphere, this could also imply the dangers of climate change, as the levels of carbon dioxide fluctuate the more fossil fuels and coal we burn. From this, we could argue that the documentary also indirectly warns the viewer of the dangers of climate change. It is more than ninety-five percent probable that the massive increase in global warming since the 20th century is due to human intervention. Since nineteen-fifty global carbon dioxide levels have exceeded 300 million units, however it is now over a staggering 410 million.

Does this documentary reach a Local, National or Global audience?
This particular documentary is a Netflix original series, therefore it reaches a global audience as Netflix is available in almost every country across the world. This allows for the documentary to educate and teach to the widest demographic it can. It also makes sense as the themes discussed in the documentary are universal and could potentially inspire its audience to pursue a career in astrology or geography.

By having world famous actor Will Smith present and narrate the documentary, this also helps appeal to a global audience. Since Will Smith is such a recognizable star, his association with the documentary helps promote it as well as possibly boost the ratings as people prefer to watch television shows with familiar faces.





bibliography:
(2019). Climate Change: How Do We Know?. Available: https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/. Last accessed 21st october 2019.

One Strange Rock Poster- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Strange_Rock

Screenshot of One Strange Rock: Storm- https://news.yahoo.com/boom-cosmic-collisions-earth-life-171500996.html

Screenshot of Chris Hadfield- https://recapguide.com/recap/707/One-Strange-Rock/season-1/episode-2/

Screenshot of Will Smith- https://recapguide.com/recap/707/One-Strange-Rock/season-1/episode-2/

Dark Tourist: Japan -Unit 31: Social Action and Community Media

                                          Unit 31: Social Action and Community Media

Documentary- Dark Tourist; Japan

What is this Documentary about? What is it's purpose?

In this documentary series, journalist David Farrier travels the world in search for the darkest and most disturbing tourist spots. In this particular episode, David travels to Japan where he visits a number of strange and creepy locations. These places include a radioactive ghost-town, which was hit by both an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, a hotel where the staff are robots and the notorious Aokigahara Forest, also known as 'the suicide forest'.
The purpose of this documentary is to act as both an insight into the darker parts of the world which are available to tourists, as well as question the ethicality of these twisted tourist trips. For example, while in Fukushima, Farrier and the other tourists were told that radiation levels would not exceed 2.1 on their Geiger counters as areas above the limit were deemed unsafe, however the Geiger counters exceeded far beyond this number, even going up to fifty times the acceptable amount of radiation in one area. Being exposed to radiation of this level could lead to many health complication, including cancer and the possibility that, should any of the exposed people choose to have a baby, it could be born with genetic mutations.  The documentary offers an exclusive insight into the way these tourist attractions are managed, therefore exposing the risks and shadier side of the business itself.
Dark Tourist: Japan is a documentary which allows itself to be viewed with an open mind and lets the viewer to come to their own conclusions when the documentary deals with certain subjects. For instance, when the crew go to the Aokigahara Forest, they discuss with the tour guide that many believe that the forest is haunted and the spirits cause hikers to commit suicide. They even meet a woman who claims to have been attacked by these spirits and insists that the crew perform a special ritual in order to avoid the spirits. The documentary does not attempt to disprove the local's beliefs and Farrier respects the local's beliefs and goes along with the ritual.
The purpose of this documentary is to inform the viewers of the darker parts of the world and the ways you can see these places for yourself, as a tourist. The documentary also sheds light on the practices of these tourist attractions, allowing the viewers to see any potential dangers of such tourist attractions.






Does this Documentary reach a Local, National or Global audience?                                                   
Dark Tourist: Japan is part of an ongoing documentary  series on Netflix. The series itself is actually a Netflix Exclusive and therefore can be viewed in any country across the globe, which has access to Netflix. Not only is this practical due to the fact that the documentary itself takes place all across the globe, it is also a benefit business-wise. If the documentary was shown exclusively to one country, this could lead to less views or lower ratings, since the country has a low amount of people who are the show's main demographic.
What techniques does the Producer use to create an impact on the audience?
Archive footage is used multiple times throughout the documentary. For instance, when focusing on Fukushima, footage is shown of the earthquake and tsunami which swept through the city and destroyed it, which resulted in the collapse of a nearby nuclear power plant. This footage is shown in order to show just how damaging this natural disaster was for the civilians who lived there, thus creating an emotional impact for the viewers. Archive footage is also shown when the locals of an old, abandoned island town returned to their homes fifty years later. The old footage of a bustling city filled with workers and children contrasted with the current footage of the dilapidated apartment blocks and estates create a sense of nostalgia and loss for the viewer, which allows them to sympathize with the locals.














Bibliography:
All rights to Dark Tourist are owned by Netflix.
Pictures Courtesy of
-newshub.co.nz
-mirror.co.uk
-darktourism2015.weebly.com
-brandsoftheworld.com

What is Single and Multi-Camera Production

LESSON 1 - WHAT IS SINGLE CAMERA PRODUCTION

TASK 1

Task 1: Understanding 'single camera production'

a)   Define 'single camera production':

A piece of media shot entirely with one single camera

b) Identify the advantages and disadvantages of single camera production (refer to examples where you can):

Advantages ·         Cheaper- More cameras cost more money ·         More aesthetically pleasing ·         Practicality- More cameras can lead to confusion ·         Leads to more flexibility between roles- One actor could be in charge of the camera while the other is in front	Disadvantages ·         Less Theatrical- More angles in a scene could look more professional ·          Takes longer to get the perfect shots and angles ·          Could lead to less realistic reactions from actors

c)    What is multi camera production

 Media which is filmed using multiple cameras at once

d)  How does multi-camera differ to single camera productions?
Multi-camera productions are used more often in larger productions, such as theatrical films and higher budget Television shows. Single camera productions are more often used in lower budget productions, however, a scene shot with a single camera and good cinematography may be viewed as more aesthetically shot. Single camera productions are more associated with 'Indie' (independent) productions.

d) List 3 examples of single camera shows/films (aim for different genres)

1)

Modern Family

2)

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

3)

The Adams Family

List 3 examples of multi-camera shows (aim for different genres)

1)

Friends

2)

Cheers

3)

Three's Company

e) What is the definition of genre? Why is this important for audiences?

A style/ category of a piece of media

Genres are important for audiences as they help viewers understand what type of content is in the show/film. For example, if a family wish to watch something comedic and family-friendly, they will know what type of films to choose and stay away from other genres such as thrillers or horrors.