Research - Chris Anderson and the Long Tail

The first arrow is where I believe my AS product, an R&B music magazine, would be positioned (at the lower end of the 'hits' section).This is because R&B is now no longer as niche as it once was, and is usually found in mainstream culture, such as being broadcasted on the radio.

The second arrow is where I believe my A2 product, a politics magazine, would be positioned (at the higher end of the niche content). This is because documentaries are not as mainstream as other broadcasted products such as TV dramas or soaps. Documentaries do not always appeal to all, particularly when they are specifically about a certain topic, such as Politics. This narrows the target audience down even more as it may only appeal to certain people, such as the middle-class due to conservative politics predominantly being aimed as this group.

Production - Stacey Dooley inspired shots

I have decided to be the presenter of my own documentary as I could not find anyone who was not already in my documentary willing to participate.

In order to film myself, I held the iPhone 7 myself to film the first cutaway. I decided to do this as it is a common shot to see when in a car on the presenters way to their next location, so it was acceptable for the shot to be slightly shaky. This shot was inspired by Stacey Dooley (as seen below of her holding a phone/camera in the back of a car).

Stacey Dooley                                                        Me




In order to film myself for the second cutaway I used a tripod. This was because the shot needed to be still, and I wanted to film myself walking towards the camera. This was because doing this is an effective way to introduce or evaluate the information which has been discussed, and it also creates more movement to the scene. This type of shot is a convention of a documentary, which is commonly seen and used.

Stacey Dooley                                                           Me





The 3rd cutaway which I filmed of myself was me sitting down reading headlines from my laptop. This again was inspired by Stacey Dooley's documentaries as she similarly looks up information herself to evaluate. In order to film this shot I put my phone on the table and angled it up, whilst leaning it on a book. Even though this is not the most technical way, it enabled me to get the correct shot angle I wanted, as well as a steady shot. She also was in a cosy environment, possibly a home, so I therefore used a comfortable environment, my home, but outdoors in order to get a more high key lighting.

Stacey Dooley                                                          Me




I also included some screenshots of newspaper headlines which featured at the same time as the election. This again was inspired by Stacey Dooley, as you can see below, as she used a similar technique of looking at the front pages on her laptop, allowing the viewers to also see what she is looking at.

Stacey Dooley Documentary                                      My Documentary                                        

Production - contact sheets

Above are my shots  for 3 different cutaways of the documentary.
It is evident that I have taken multiple shots of the same thing, in order to get the right shot.

Production - outfit options for me (the presenter)

Due to my documentary having a fairly relaxed feel, even though it is about Politics, a serious matter, I have decided to choose my outfit to look smart but also slightly casual.


Option 1:

This outfit consists of a white shirt with navy cigarette trousers. This creates a smart casual look due to it being a conventional style regarding more serious documentaries, even though I am going to make mine more casual, inspired by Stacey Dooley.


Option 2:

This again is a fairly smart/casual outfit, however the top is not a shirt, it is a t-shirt, and the bottoms are jeans instead of trousers. Even though this my be fairly aesthetically pleasing, I do not think it is the most suitable as it is slightly too casual.


Option 3:


This outfit consists of a white frilly t-shirt, paired with black jeans. I like this outfit as it can create a fairly smart/casual look, however it may be too casual, like the option above.


Option 4:

This outfit consists of a white shirt with back tight fitting trousers. This creates a smart casual look due to it being a conventional style regarding more serious documentaries, even though I am going to make mine more casual. This is a common theme seen on Channel 4 documentaries, as they are often about more serious issues (smart) combined with the exploration of everyday people and circumstances (casual).


Option 5:



















The top of this outfit is again a white shirt, which shows the smartness and importance of the issue being explored throughout the documentary. It is paired with black jeans however, which I feel is not smart enough and is slightly too casual.


I have decided to go with option 4 as I think that it is the most appropriate due to it being arguably the most aesthetically pleasing, as well as the best mix of smart and casual.

Planning - research feedback

Sam responded first, saying that option 1 or 2 would be the best suited to presenting the statistics in my documentary.






Violet replied second saying options 2 and 5 are most suitable.

Millie replied after saying options 1 and 2 are the most suitable, like Sam replied.

Phil replied last explaining that he only like option 2.



Option 2 was evidently the most popular, along with option 1 being popular too.
This will be beneficial for me as it allows me to gain a deeper understanding into my focus groups thoughts, as well as what they would prefer to see in my documentary. By doing this, I will be able to make it more appealing to my target demographic, making my documentary more successful.

Research - Statistics presentation options

I sent this email to my focus group.

The responses in which I receive from my 4 individuals will enable me to determine which font and positioning will be most appealing to my target audience, and therefore make my documentary more successful.

Production - Glastonbury clip research

Here is the clip of Jeremy Corbyn at Glastonbury I have decided to as a cutaway from my documentary. This will be archive footage which I will use from the independent.

Click here to view the full clip.

I have decided to use this clip as it has the best shot angles and shows the audience evidence of what is being spoken about during the interview.
I will add a title to the bottom left corner saying 'Glastonbury', to make it clear to the audience where the cutaway is. This is also a common convention of a documentary.

Production - Inserting a published clip as a cutaway

In one of my interviews, with Anna, she mentions that Jeremy Corbyn was at Glastonbury Festival. I am going to research how to insert a clip of Corbyn's speech into my documentary, over the top of the interview. So therefore I will have the voiceover of Anna speaking about Glastonbury, with the clip over the top. This gives the audience visual evidence of what is being spoken about.

In order to do this I had to use QuickTime Player.

You select the clip you want to record.

Open QuickTime Player.

Select File.

New screen recording.

Press the red button.

Select the area in which you wish to screen record.

Save the screen recording.

Add to iMovie and edit.