Introduction - 17th September

Candidate Name: Paul Boden
Candidate Number: 3028
Centre Name: Walton High School
Centre Number: 30435
Group Members: N/A


For my A2 media coursework, “advanced portfolio in media” I have decided to undertake brief 7:

“An extract from a new documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minuets along with two of the following three options:
A radio trailer for the documentary
A double page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary
A newspaper advertisement for the documentary”

The theme of the documentary and the genre of documentary were left up to me. Not fully understanding the different form and conventions found within varying genres of documental films, I decided to undergo some research into documentaries.

I will focus my research around the different genres of documentaries and what these entail. I was also research what audiences consume documentaries, why they do so and how they do so. I will also look at some examples of professional documentaries and how these are sculpted towards certain audiences and marketed to appeal to them in order to understand how I should create my documentary to appeal to my selected audience and how I should promote it. I will also investigate how institutions such as the BBC influence documentaries through funding and distribution.

I wish to create a piece that is both investigative and informative, yet at the same time light hearted and appealing to a younger audience. I will therefore watch examples of documentaries that are similar to this, observing how the directors present their information through camera work, mise en scene and most importantly editing. I will use my research to create a documentary that is professional looking and most importantly appealing to my target audience.

I will also conduct research into my ancillary projects. Though I do not know yet which two of the three I will produce, I will conduct similar research into the audiences and conventions of each in order to understand how they are produced and aimed at particular audiences.