CRITICAL REFLECTION ESSAY

How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge Conventions?

This essay is about my A2 coursework documentary, 'Mortgage Madness.' Documentary is a technique of showing a non-fictional plot to get an essential message or theme out, as defined by John Grierson as "the creative treatment of actuality." During my studies, I was inspired by films like Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin (1925), which highlighted the importance of montage. I utilised montage to demonstrate how Covid had a global influence by displaying news snippets from several countries. Because I believe the viewer expects these from the documentary genre, I followed most of the standard documentary codes and conventions, I used interviews and archived video, as well as non-diegetic music to create atmosphere. Supersize me (2004) was the subject of my research, and it taught me how to make a difficult and important issue amusing and engaging to a younger target audience. I learned how to do interviews by watching documentaries like Blackfish (2013), which are heavily reliant on interviews. In terms of my magazine and social media profile, I chose to model them after a regular GQ magazine and social media page. This means that the colour palette and font are quite minimal. I was inspired by documentaries like Athlete A, which drew such a large and devoted audience due to the seriousness of the topic and the manner it was portrayed. Following the documentary, there were tremendous campaigns, a massive social media following, and a massive outpouring of support for the athletes. According to Steve Neale's definition of genre, it consists of "repetition and difference," which implies that while I have included things that adhere to the codes and conventions, I have also done other things to question this, so things that are unique.

 

I investigated more recent documentaries on Netflix, such as The Social Dilemma (2020). The contrast between historical and contemporary films was fascinating to me. In contrast to being informative and objective, many current documentaries appear to be pointing the finger at someone and blaming someone or something for the outcome. This was incredibly interesting to me as I was deciding on the aesthetic of my documentary because nothing is ever black or white, especially not the property market or COVID19, because there are so many variables that influence and decide complex things like this.

 

 

 

I studied the history of documentary by watching Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North (1922) to gain a better understanding of the foundation and influence that a good documentary may have. I also decided to research Bill Nichols, a well-known documentary filmmaker. He described six documentary modes. I researched these before deciding on what I wanted to do and settled on an expository documentary because I had achieved footage, but then I realised that when it came to filming, I was participating in my documentary, so it became a hybrid of participatory and expository. I believe the most significant way in which I defied convention was by using a female presenter in a stereotypically male-dominated issue and sector and tailoring it to a younger audience rather than an older one. I'd also argue that by utilising GQ and Instagram, I'm reaching out to a wider audience as they both very popular and allows consumers to share comments and engage with one another.

 

 

How do your products represent social groups or issues? 

The idea of a 'male skew,' and the fact this topic may appeal more to men as they think they’re more qualified for and historically have a greater understanding of it, may mean I am likely to have a male-dominated audience. However, I'd like to think that I opposed this by using a female presenter and using BBC 1 as I believe it is a more general channel that isn't directed at either men or women, so I'd say I tried to break gender norms and hegemonic tropes. I purposefully filmed my father in an office and in a business outfit to show that he is a professional in that field. My documentary's plot is around the effects of COVID19 on the property market and obtaining a mortgage. I believe this is a significant issue, particularly for younger people, because obtaining a mortgage is considerably more difficult now than it was previously. As a result, I included an interview with a younger individual (21) to get his perspective on the matter and see how he feels. This adds a new perspective to the discussion because it comes from someone who will be going through this battle in the future years. In terms of mise en scene, you'll notice a lot of business suits and simple attire throughout. I thought it was very crucial for my brother to dress simply for his interview. In terms of music, I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to accomplish and what music I wanted to use where, but I believe that once I did, it was effective in portraying the documentary's concept.

 

 

 

How do your products engage with the audience? 

 

My target demographic is ABC1s between the ages of 16 and 25. Consumers who are primarily interested in business make up the psychographics of this target group, but because the issue is something that most young people will ideally try to do soon, it appeals to many young people. This is because, as I previously stated, it is a contemporary concern for many young people, and the fact that it is broadcast on BBC1 indicates that it is also intended for a young adult audience. My documentary will air on BBC1 at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I believe that the topic of rising home costs is one that may be particularly sensitive and frustrating to certain people, thus I believe that they would watch to relate and have an element of personal identification within this issue, according to Blumer and Katz's Uses and Gratification theory. I also believe that by utilising a young female presenter, it comes across as more current than choosing an older presenter who hasn't had first-hand contact with the subject. 

 

Stuart Hall's audience theory discusses how humans are active rather than passive audiences, as well as the various ways in which different audiences may acquire media texts. An active audience will engage with and understand my documentary in a variety of ways, challenging the ideology that I have encoded in it. A preferred reader would sympathise with Covid's plight and feel sad for younger people now, as they would face numerous challenges in the next years. An oppositional reader can say that young people won't have a difficulty in the coming years and won't sympathise with them.

 

 

 

How do your elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’ 

 

With branding, I replicated my colour palette and typography throughout. I chose a plain, basic colour palette, such as dark blues, because I believe it better suited my target demographic than a bright and vibrant one. In terms of lighting, I went for high key, because this would serve to emphasise the ideology of my documentary more than low-key. I tried not to overcomplicate my branding by not attempting to do something difficult to follow, but rather to keep it simple and easy to grasp so that it is easy to understand my documentary's ideology and denotations, as well as the commonalities amongst my items. In my magazine, I used photographs and interviews to relate to and engage my target audience, and my social media presence is similar in terms of content and images. Bridgeton is a good example of great branding. All their social media pages are linked and promote the same message.