Your summer project contains compulsory and optional elements; everybody will be researching TV documentaries, choosing a TV documentary subject or topic, writing a first draft Statement of Intent and presenting this to class as an Ignite presentation in September. However, if you wish to also plan and film elements of your production over the summer while you have time we would 100% support you in this approach as long as you have parental permission and it is safe to do so.
Summer project tasks
Complete the following tasks on a blogpost on your coursework blog called 'Summer Project: coursework planning':
1) Research: TV documentaries
You need to write a 150-word close-textual analysis of five (or more!) TV documentaries. For each documentary, focus on a different aspect of media language, and embed or link to each one on your blog:
TV documentary 1: Topic / subject matter
How is the topic or subject of the documentary introduced and what techniques do the producers use to make the audience want to keep watching? Can you apply any narrative theories when analysing how the documentary draws the audience in? (E.g. enigma and action codes; binary opposition; character types etc.)
TV documentary 2: Mise-en-scene
Choose a documentary to research that uses mise-en-scene in an interesting or creative way. For example, look at the locations used for interviews or the cosume/props used when people are on screen. Use CLAMPS to help you here and think in particular about how mise-en-scene is used to communicate the genre of the TV documentary.
TV documentary 3: Camerawork
Here you are looking for particular camera shots and movement. It's important that TV documentaries are visually interesting and many opening sequences deliberately use powerful close-ups or other aspects of camerawork to create a connection with the audience.
TV documentary 4: Editing
Montage editing is an absolutely critical TV documentary convention and you'll often see this used in opening sequences. Analyse pace, transitions and juxtapositions. How is editing used to create meanings for the audience and introduce the topic or subject matter?
TV documentary 5: Opening / title sequence
You may well want to particularly focus on the opening sequences of ALL the TV documentaries you research but here focus intently on the opening three minutes. This is what you will need to create and look particularly at how a title sequence, hashtags/social media and TV channel branding are built into the sequence alongside introducing the main subject matter and characters.
You can find a range of TV documentary examples in this blogpost or you are free to select TV documentaries of your choice. You may wish to write more about one video than another but as long as you have 750+ words of research in total you will be fine. It's almost certain that A/A* students will watch a lot more than five TV documentaries as part of this process - even if that simply means watching the opening three minutes of a range of different examples.
2) Planning: TV documentary topic/subject matter
In order to produce a successful TV documentary opening sequence, you will need a compelling and engaging topic for the documentary. What are you going to investigate? What current debates or issues in society are you passionate about? What makes you angry or happy? Is there a niche topic that you happen to be an expert in? We'll be coming up with a range of ideas in class and your research will also help you think of potential topics.
For this section of your summer project, come up with a shortlist of FIVE potential topics for your TV documentary and then which you have chosen and why. This will be crucial for your Ignite presentation to class. You can simply write these on your blog.
If you're struggling to come up with ideas, this BBC article on nurturing new documentary directors has a lot of examples of successful BBC documentaries and what they are looking for in new talent.
3) Statement of Intent
Write the first draft for your genuine 500-word Statement of Intent. This will be submitted to the exam board alongside your media products and is worth 10 marks of the overall 60 marks available.
Guidance is provided by AQA in their NEA Student Booklet but we strongly recommend you also look at our Statement of Intent questions to consider document too (you'll need to log in with your Greenford Google account to open these documents).
4) Ignite presentation
Prepare a 5-minute, 20-slide presentation using the Ignite format in which you present your coursework project. In effect, this is your statement of intent in presentation format. You must cover:
Your Ignite presentation will be marked out of 30 on the following criteria (each worth a possible 5 marks):
1) Research (through the presentation AND your blog)
2) TV documentary concept
3) Language: terminology and theory
4) Representations
5) Audience and Industry
6) Delivery
You can find more information about Ignite presentations - including examples - in this Ignite presentation blogpost here.
Summer project deadline: all tasks above due in first week back in September
Summer project: optional extensions
Pre-production tasks
Some students in previous years expressed an interest in filming their video production over the summer break. This makes a huge amount of sense - far more availability of actors/interviewees, much more time to schedule filming etc. If you do want to film over the summer, make sure you complete the following pre-production tasks here:
TV documentary script
This is essential to plan every second for your TV documentary opening. A TV script includes both presenter introduction/voiceover AND a full description of what can be seen on screen. However, you may not be able to include everything before you shoot - for example, you don't yet know what the people you interview are going to say! This is a great online guide to planning and writing your documentary script.
Storyboard
Sketch out a selection of critical shots from your TV documentary opening, take a photo of the storyboard and upload it to your blogpost. What visual style are you trying to create? Storyboard sheets can be downloaded from here.
Shot list
Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film for the TV documentary - and think particularly about creative ways you can visually represent your subject matter. Remember also that interviews are often filmed creatively in documentaries (e.g. from multiple angles, mixing colour and black and white etc.) As with any shot list, plan a range of additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word to set out your shot list - you can find a short film example here. It makes sense to organise your shot list by scene or location rather than a huge list of every shot in the documentary in chronological order.
Mise-en-scene
What iconography are you including to ensure your audience understands the genre you are working in? Plan the people who will appear in your documentary - think about costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. This can be simply completed using your blog or Microsoft Word - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details.
Shooting schedule
Plan a shooting schedule for your filming over the summer. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Word or Excel or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it! In the current circumstance, we also recommend including an additional section regarding safety and social distancing.
Non-assessed participants
You will need to provide a written record of all non-assessed participants in your production work (both video and print). Keep a record of everyone involved - actors, camerawork, sound etc. You will also need a keep a record of any non-original sound or video and note it on the Candidate Record Form - so this means any archive footage or music/SFX. Keep these on your blog for easy reference when submitting your work in Year 13.
Production: Filming and photography
Once you have completed your pre-production tasks, you can film or carry out photoshoots as you wish.
Good luck!
3) Statement of Intent
Write the first draft for your genuine 500-word Statement of Intent. This will be submitted to the exam board alongside your media products and is worth 10 marks of the overall 60 marks available.
Guidance is provided by AQA in their NEA Student Booklet but we strongly recommend you also look at our Statement of Intent questions to consider document too (you'll need to log in with your Greenford Google account to open these documents).
4) Ignite presentation
Prepare a 5-minute, 20-slide presentation using the Ignite format in which you present your coursework project. In effect, this is your statement of intent in presentation format. You must cover:
- Your TV documentary concept: title, topic/subject matter etc.
- Media language: how you will use TV documentary conventions, camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene to create meanings for your audience. Remember the key word: connotations.
- Media representations: how you will use or subvert stereotypes in your TV documentary; applications of representation theory.
- Media audiences: how you will target the specified audience - mainstream family audience (prime-time, pre-watershed). Audience pleasures - why they would enjoy your documentary; audience theory.
- Media industries and digital convergence: the TV channel that would broadcast your documentary; how the audience could watch it; how you will use social media and the print posters to promote the documentary and encourage audience sharing and involvement.
Your Ignite presentation will be marked out of 30 on the following criteria (each worth a possible 5 marks):
1) Research (through the presentation AND your blog)
2) TV documentary concept
3) Language: terminology and theory
4) Representations
5) Audience and Industry
6) Delivery
You can find more information about Ignite presentations - including examples - in this Ignite presentation blogpost here.
Summer project deadline: all tasks above due in first week back in September
Summer project: optional extensions
Pre-production tasks
Some students in previous years expressed an interest in filming their video production over the summer break. This makes a huge amount of sense - far more availability of actors/interviewees, much more time to schedule filming etc. If you do want to film over the summer, make sure you complete the following pre-production tasks here:
TV documentary script
This is essential to plan every second for your TV documentary opening. A TV script includes both presenter introduction/voiceover AND a full description of what can be seen on screen. However, you may not be able to include everything before you shoot - for example, you don't yet know what the people you interview are going to say! This is a great online guide to planning and writing your documentary script.
Storyboard
Sketch out a selection of critical shots from your TV documentary opening, take a photo of the storyboard and upload it to your blogpost. What visual style are you trying to create? Storyboard sheets can be downloaded from here.
Shot list
Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film for the TV documentary - and think particularly about creative ways you can visually represent your subject matter. Remember also that interviews are often filmed creatively in documentaries (e.g. from multiple angles, mixing colour and black and white etc.) As with any shot list, plan a range of additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word to set out your shot list - you can find a short film example here. It makes sense to organise your shot list by scene or location rather than a huge list of every shot in the documentary in chronological order.
Mise-en-scene
What iconography are you including to ensure your audience understands the genre you are working in? Plan the people who will appear in your documentary - think about costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. This can be simply completed using your blog or Microsoft Word - the key aspect is to have planned all the critical details.
Shooting schedule
Plan a shooting schedule for your filming over the summer. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Again, this can be on Word or Excel or you could simply use your blog. The most important thing is that you've planned it! In the current circumstance, we also recommend including an additional section regarding safety and social distancing.
Non-assessed participants
You will need to provide a written record of all non-assessed participants in your production work (both video and print). Keep a record of everyone involved - actors, camerawork, sound etc. You will also need a keep a record of any non-original sound or video and note it on the Candidate Record Form - so this means any archive footage or music/SFX. Keep these on your blog for easy reference when submitting your work in Year 13.
Production: Filming and photography
Once you have completed your pre-production tasks, you can film or carry out photoshoots as you wish.
Good luck!
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