Project proposal

•      Content (name, issue, overview of basic content)

                  'Have we got life wrong?'

                   Basic content- My views on this issue as an introduction, short interviews with people from many different backgrounds, ages and classes to see if the answers vary or are similar to each other, clips of other people speaking on this issue.

•         Style and Purpose

                     This will be an Expository documentary as I plan to speak directly to the viewer in the forms of                                narration and whilst asking the interview questions.

•         Target audience

            My target audience is young people aged 16-24 as I feel these people may be more optimistic about this issue and also as the next generation they could be highly influenced, resulting in them trying to make a difference regarding this issue.

     People at this age are also making major decisions about their lives and future, hopefully this documentary will get people to really think about what they are doing with their lives and realise their is more to life than just work and money.

P         My secondary audience would be working class city workers who would spend most of their time working and I would like to know their views on working life and also question why they do this.

•         Techniques used to target the audience

Direct approach - whilst narrating I want to talk direct to the audience so that each individual feels directly involved and so they know this issue regards them and they have the power to make a difference, to do this I will have to use language such as 'You' 'we' and 'us'

                 Another technique I plan to use is the use of location of the interviews, these will be based in the city therefore people who live in the city, or work similar jobs to those who are being interviewed might be eager to see the responses and opinions voiced.  

•         Influences

There was not a particular documentary that had influenced me to use this subject matter for my own documentary, this was more influenced by my own thoughts and views and I wanted to be able to voice them, whilst also finding out other people's views on the matter. 

•      Interview techniques 

Whilst conducting my interviews I plan to be behind the camera, with the subject facing me whilst they are talking so they are not looking directly into the camera. This is because I want the audience to feel as if this is a conversation between me and the interviewee, rather than a overly structured interview which doesn't flow. This will also allow the interviewee to feel more comfortable when talking and may also be able to give deep contextual answers, and talk about the topic in great detail.

I want my interviews to be light hearted and also be open to new questions and views, depending on the answers I receive from my interviewees.

•         USP compared to how other documentaries and media products have dealt with this issue

There are not many instances where this issue has been mentioned, online and in documentaries therefore people may see this as unique and interesting and something they would like to be discussed further.

•         Projected impact of documentary on target audience, affected community      and social issue (short-term/long-term)

                 The long term effects of this documentary should be towards my target audience as I plan to give them a new outlook on their lives and the way this world works, also about who and why we let people have power over us. Im also hoping for this documentary to inspire someone who may have the power to make a change, actually do something or take some action.

•         Ethical considerations of content and effects of documentary on target audience and relevant community.
•        Details on possible funding sources, distribution and exhibition

             For this type of documentary the TV channels that would be most suited are, Channel4, Channel 5 and BBC3, the main reason for this is because these are popular channels therefore the documentary would receive a large viewing audience.

      However due to lack of funding I think the most effective way to distribute my documentary would be online, on sites such as youtube as it is free and a popular site and I would also be able to share the video via various social media sites like twitter and Facebook.

            

Scarface (Homework)

After watching this film you will need to write a blog entry relating to each of the points indicated.  You will need to ensure that your points are in full sentences with references to specific examples from each film to support your points and include images from the film.  


   +Narrative: summary of plot, narrative techniques used e.g. single strand, multi-strand, alternative narrative, enigma, climax and equilibrium

   +Genre: examples of technical, visual, symbolic codes and conventions used
The obvious genre of Scarface is Gangster, due to many elements seen in the film such as the conventions the film follows, for example the  heavy use of violence  and death shown throughout the film, such as the death of tony, death of Monolo, assassination attempt of Tony, Tony Kills guy in car

   +Representation: How are men/women portrayed?
Women are portrayed as helpless and needy an example of this would be Tony's sister, Gina, Tony feels that as he is making money he should be looking after his sister by buying her things and that Gina and their mother shouldn't be working at all as he gives them money to help fund them
El-Vera is seen more as an object or a 'Trophy Wife', her personality comes across as heartless and she seems to not care what men see jumps in between, her main goals seem to be money, luxury's and drugs.

   +Target Audience: Who are they? What will they find appealing?
The target audience for this film would most likely be males aged 18+, this is because this age Group are the ones who would be interested in the themes shown in the film. Such as the women, power, money and the drugs as these may be the most relatable and appealing things to someone of this age and gender, compared to someone of a younger age, or a female.
Another reason for this age rating would be that a younger audience would be more sensitive to violence and also be more influenced by seeing this sort of behaviour.


The use of violence in this film is very strong and is featured in more or less every scene, Even though this film came out over 10years ago the violence shown can still be seen as shocking, for example in the scene where Tony has to pick up the drugs and his friend ends up being killed with a chainsaw.
   

   

Research

My topic is "Have we got life wrong?", I found it hard to research this topic as this is not a physical issue, or something that most people talk about on a regular basis, therefore there are no campaigns against this.
However I was able to find blog responses whereby people had questioned this issue using questions such as 'Working Our Lives Away','Is life too short for a 9 to 5 job?' ,  also an  interview with rapper J.cole whereby he talks about capitalism and the system and the way we value our lives.
Who is affected by this issue?
Personally I don't feel as if there is a particular group of people who are affected by this issue, everyone is effected by this from the moment they are born till the moment they die as we all live on the same earth under the same system, therefore all under the same rules to live by in life.
Even people who are aware of this issue are forever effected as there is no escape from this system due to the fact we as people are more or less powerless.

Post by Worldstar Hip Hop.

Full interview

watch from 9.40 

I looked at discussion and psychology websites whereby people asked questions in order to receive feedback/opinions. I found many people shared the same opinion as me.
http://www.quora.com/Life/Is-life-too-short-for-a-9-to-5-job 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-darkness/201401/working-our-lives-away

Interview Review

To demonstrate I was listening to the interviewee I sat diagonal to them, and kept looking directly at them when I was asking questions and when they were talking, also ensuring my body was facing them so they could tell I was completely interested in what they were saying, and making them more comfortable to give fuller and more structured answers. 

During the interview my interviewee gave answers which sparked new ideas for questions that would be more suited for the subject matter, so I adapted to the interview situation and changed some of my questions, therefore I was able to pull out more relevant information.

By conducting this interview I learnt that even if I am not on camera as an interviewer I still need to be aware of my body language, for example in my interview I was sat very informally with my hands behind my head. I need to be aware of this as the interviewee may mimic my body language, which may result in them taking a less serious approach when answering the questions.