EPQ
Getting started documentary
Watching documentaries:
YouTube video: Million youth media, 2020, Can you hear me now. [YouTube video] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB86pd_VRgc
This is a short documentary by a Birmingham rapper who was also an ex-NHS worker. This documentary is focused on the flaws that are within the UK's immigration system. The narrator starts off with showing a mid shot of him from the back and there is some shots of the narrator himself talking and also a voiceover as he is talking. In this part he is discussing his situation and how he got his wok permit taken away from him. In my own documentary I could do something similar like addressing the issues as a voiceover and also clips of me talking as well. When he talks about more serious issues like how he cannot work anymore the music starts sounding more tense. There is also clips of a child walking slowed down, I think it is to create a more tense visual. Then he starts getting more into the overall message of this documentary which was addressing the issues of racism and how he wishes the government would see him would be past his skin tone and here this message was directly being said to the government which could be a target audience. Then starts talking about his own experience and what he has witnessed, and when this voiceover is going on there is clips of evidence to prove what he is saying. Then he started to rap and during this he was still stating issues and his personal life. After this was over there was a back screen and there was things written about Michael like how he received a temporary work permit shortly after and then the last sentence is stating a figure that proves how many asylum applications were still pending. This is to show the number as evidence so it is believable and people can know. What I got from this documentary was although he was stating the issues and his own experiences to make the documentary more visual many sources of archive material was added as well as clips that were filmed to demonstrate the issues, if I am able to prove my point like that through archive material it would be good and for my own documentary I will make sure to back my points with evidence and also emotive language and music. Overall, the documentary was very informative.
YouTube video: Million Youth Media, 2017, Riot from wrong. [YouTube video] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkeKQl56-7c
This documentary is about the London riots and how massive the destruction was, but it also shows what young people are dong to find the causes of this riot. The documentary just started off with archival footage of what the riots looked like and who was present, and during this there was also a voiceover which talked about the role of the police and ambulance during that time. Then tense music started, and the voiceover started to talk about someone that died and showed a picture of him. The archive footage also showed flowers where people had died. From this you're like able to understand that the issue is serious as provided by the evidence too. Then the title of the documentary was shown and during this time there was still archival footage playing in the background as well as a news speech which said about someone who was declared dead. Then one of the young people hat are going to be taking about the issue started a voiceover and during this the group of young people were shown. After that there were clips of the group talking and two clips which were placed beside each other still playing but low enough so you could still hear the voiceover. Then started to show clips of the location and where their meeting was held. Then the victim's friend started an interview and talking about his friend. Then more of Mark's friends were interviewed who just talked about how he was a good father and friend, and as the friends spoke their name, where they are and how they are related to Mark was listed on the screen below. As his family and friends spoke about Mark pictures of him were shown then it was like a voiceover and shifted back onto the interview. Started to talk more about the reality behind how the police treated the situation and how Mark was treated. Also discussed the representation of how media demonstrated the situation and then there were two black screens again which had a few sentences about the mistakes police did. And more archival footage which showed the consequences of the riots. Then at the end the clips were more positive and showed a good side and this also meant more positive music to reflect what was happening. Concludes the documentary by talking about making a change in the world and how they as individuals do it, and the end of the documentary ends off with credits of people in the documentary. What I could take from this documentary was the use of voiceovers overlapping from the interview like not everything would be one clip, and in some the voiceover would obviously go over the archival material. I think the target audience from this documentary was mainly towards younger people because there was a main message that was coming from young people themselves and how their helping the situation I'm assuming this is supposed to be insightful for other young people too.
YouTube video: Million Youth Media, 2019, That's not ours. [YouTube video] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KywsBsAJ2Zs&list=PLLWx4ZPpvLcztuIMQoYoisd_4rIfYkBM-&index=3
This documentary is about the negative stereotypes of black men and boys in the media. In the beginning the narrator starts introducing himself to the camera. The narrator starts telling a story about him and a friend walking to the bus stop and how they started getting chased by a group, then transitions into the narrator showing where it happened. He talked about how his friend got stabbed and also how he got stabbed in his back, and how there were a lot of people around but no one was coming forward to help. Started talking about how the public treated them with not helping them out. When the shot went back to him talking this time there was a mid shot focused on his hands as the voiceover was still going on. There was a lot of shots following the narrator as the voiceover was still going on. Also starts talking about how he was treated by the hospital staff and how they made it seem like it was his fault. Shows a lot of location shots then shifts back onto the subject talking. Discussion of the attack shown with him and his barber. Other people shown sharing their own experiences of racism, and the narrator discusses it with them. Then clips of him and his friends were shown and the voiceover was still going on, it was talking about young people and how white people view black people. Then at the end a black screen with the name of the documentary was shown with sad music in the background. Then finally at the end it was people that were involved in the documentary were listed such as the director, with music still going on in the background. What I was able to get from this documentary was that the narrator can just be the only one speaking throughout the whole documentary but adding in brief clips of other people talking about their own experiences, I also think that adding other people's experiences and opinions elevates the documentary because the audience are able to get a real life scenario and understand the depths of the subject you are going to be talking about. This documentary seemed like it was targeted for basically everyone in the audience especially the higher authorities such as police and the government.
YouTube video: Lentimatica, 2022, What don't you understand? [YouTube video] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlFkfOqtgR8
This documentary is about ADHD and it explains the issues of it and what it feels like. It first started off with a voiceover with a clip and the voiceover was basically stating what ADHD is and how it can be made to seem like an excuse. Then in that clip the camera was slowly zooming out whilst the voiceover was still going on. Then the screen eventually goes blank and the music starts getting louder. and shifts back to him doing a voiceover about how it feels being in a classroom and this showed a clip of a classroom and the main focus was the subject with ADHD. Then it shifts into a black screen again and the voiceover still continues. And then a mid shot of the subject simply just staring into the camera was shown. And whatever the voiceover is talking about it is shown on the screen such as when he started to talk about being in a room the shot shifted into a room with the subject in it. Then the voiceover started to repeat itself to make it sound like what it sounds in the mind of a person with ADHD. After that I also noticed how foley sound was used because there was a sound of a fan and then when the voiceover said to turn it off the subject in the video actually turned it off. And then more close up shots have been shown as the voiceover continues. The sound of a clock ticking also starts to intensify and get louder which was supposedly meant to show like the tense atmosphere, then it suddenly shifts to the subject being back at school. Then there was also a discussion between the teacher and student about why the student wasn't doing any work and her concentration but during this the voiceover was still going on but you could still hear the discussion in the background slightly. Then the next clips are all of the subject and what she is doing during the day, the voiceover is still happening and matches with what the subject is doing in the clips that were filmed. I really liked how the ending ended with the animations of the characters besides their name I think it made the ending look a lot better, and there wasn't any outro music apart from a clock ticking. I think that the target audience of this documentary was aimed at like people with ADHD or just young people that might suffer from similar issues, to be educated better about it and understand the symptoms. What I was able to get from this documentary was how it entirely went without using any archive material whatsoever but just showed clips that were filmed that matched with the voiceovers and there was no interviews, however I do think that archive material would've made this documentary better.
YouTube video: DW documentary, 2023, India's prostitution villages [YouTube video] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew7-Z2xCMgE&list=PLovlAKbQVz6D3nqwNV7XmIAJBlZ_6OmYw&index=9
This documentary is about how sex work in India is a way of life for many women there. And how in order to escape poverty and feed their family this is what most women do. The documentary starts off beautifully with a women waiting in a village and there is no music you can just hear the background noise very well such as the cars honking. Then the camera gradually zooms out of the woman from the back and the voiceover begins by a woman who says that the lady shown is waiting for a customer on the roadside. And slowly slight music starts to be added to the background, then it shifts back onto the lady and the voiceover starts talking about the circumstances that the lady is in and how she has a baby to feed and a family to support. Then a shot of the lady sitting down from far away is shown, then the camera starts zooming into her slowly again, the voiceover continues and you can still hear background noises such as the traffic. Then a shot of the location from a high view is shown and the voiceover starts talking about the work that the lady does and about the old caste system within India. Then with a extremely wide shot of the location from the top view is shown with the title of the documentary on top. And after the name of the documentary, the two women who did the reports their name was shown next, and during this there was music in the background. Then the voiceover starts talking about a place far from New Delhi which is like a different world, and the following shots that are shown are of the reporter travelling there, so bits of the journey was shown. She talks about travelling to a place where sex work is popular and a shot of the village is shown and she talks about where it is. Then she talks about how she meets a sex worker called Ankita and a clip of Ankita is then shown. As Ankita is getting ready for a client, the voiceover is talking about how Ankita says she is of legal age but just doesn't "look like it". The reporter talks about how Ankita says it was of choice because it allows her to support her family, and during this a clip was shown of Ankita walking with the client up the stairs. Then a clip of Ankita and the reporter talking is shown and since Ankita is speaking in Hindi to the reporter a voiceover in English was done to translate what she says. Then clips of the poverty in the village was shown to demonstrate the struggle the people there are facing. Then another interview of another sex worker talking about how she got into it and how her mother also did the same in order to earn a living. The voiceover then starts to state figures of how many sex workers there are in India to state factual evidence to support the subject she is discussing. Then a wide shot of the location was shown, and as the voiceover starts talking about where these women are mainly a map was bought into the side to show where in India this happens. Then at the end it shifts to how members of the community are trying to change the destination of the next generation and what they are doing in order for this change to occur. Then a shot of a group of girls was shown gradually zooming in and then a final short message was said in the voiceover, and the producer was also listed at the end. The target audience for this documentary I think was just a message generally for everyone to be more educated on a topic like this especially young women. I was able to pick up many good qualities within this documentary such as the cinematography as well as how sound was used effectively in it.
Who is the film for? (audience)
Since my documentary will be about crimes, I believe that the general audience for crime documentaries varies depending on the focus and style of the documentary itself. But overall since I am making a documentary about crime there is several different types of target audiences that I could have. For an example, if I was making it about psychological factors within crime and cases to do with that my target audience could be like forensic science enthusiasts. And if I am discussing a severe issue that is still ongoing and needs recognition I could even target the general audience as well as criminal justice professionals such as the police. And since I've decided that the initial concept would be a documentary about knife crime, I believe that the documentary's target audience should be wide as knife crime is a significant societal issue that impacts a wide range of individuals and communities. Young people and the entire public is going to be my documentary's primary target audiences, in my opinion. I selected this age demographic because, given their dual role as prospective victims and offenders of knife crime, young people themselves need to be the intended audience. A documentary has the potential to be a very effective tool for teaching and increasing youth awareness of the hazards and consequences associated with carrying and using knives. Additionally, I believe that the youth should be better informed about the dangers of carrying knives and about ways we can collaborate to tackle knife crime. I also think that knife crime is common through young people and hence this is why many young people themselves end up becoming victims to it, I think researching the issue better and start finding the root of the problem to why young people need to carry knives have to be looked into firstly, and I think if young people understand the consequences these actions have would be useful. Furthermore, I decided on the broader public as my target audience as well because knife crime is a problem that affects society as a whole. A better informed and involved public can be achieved through increasing public knowledge of knife crime and educating people about its effects and solutions. By general public, this could even include teachers as they can spread the information onto students and educate them. Or even parents and carers, as it allows them to look out for their children. So by also using the general public as my target audience can reach to many professions that could benefit in spreading information about knife crime and ways we could tackle it.
New official idea (target audience)
The target audience for my official idea which is the journey to mindfulness will be people especially young people that experience mental health difficulties themselves, this is because I was hoping that my documentary and my own journey and how I manage things is going to be helpful to those who might struggle with their own problems, although not everything works for everyone people can still try out things and see what works the best for them. And since I am a young person myself my opinions and advice may not be suitable for someone older hence the ages range should be just within young people so teenagers. I will also use opinions from experts for this documentary so they will have more professional advice as well rather than just my own. I also want to target this at the general public. This is a a more broad audience, I think that mindfulness is something everyone needs to be aware of and learn about how they can even help the people around them if they themselves aren't affected.
What makes a good short documentary idea?
An interesting concept for a short documentary should align with the short format properly. First and foremost, you need to pick a topic that your target audience would naturally find fascinating, distinctive or important. So when finding an idea you have to make sure it is engaging and although you wont have too long to discuss it you will be able to add the main parts. This might be an unusual incident, a societal problem or a interesting cultural tradition. Next, the documentary must have a compelling story with a distinct beginning, middle, and end, regardless of its duration. It should also have an engaging storyline. Furthermore, a significant emotional response is frequently produced by an exceptional short documentary, whether it's because of powerful images, engaging characters, or personal accounts. A documentary's visual component is equally crucial, and you should think carefully about the pictures, archive footage, and even animation that you are able to use to strengthen your narrative. Since there won't be much time to cover everything in a short documentary, you must be brief, concentrate on the most important parts and stay away from disusing or including any unnecessary information. Further, unless you have a unique viewpoint on the matter, you must ensure that, when you address your issue, you are providing a new perspective and not just repeating stories that have already been talked about since the audience also need to gain new knowledge. Using access to important people or locations associated with your issue can substantially improve your documentary it is another essential component of a strong short documentary. This entails conducting intriguing interviews with informed people who can then provide insightful information to your audience. Because this is a brief documentary, you might want to limit the number of interviews you undertake so they could range from two to three depending on your time limit. It is crucial that you conduct thorough research in order to fully understand your subject and be ready for any issues that might come up when filming. As well as that, you need to make sure that your documentary delves into your subject and delivers a clear message to the audience. it should be clear to your audience what the documentary is attempting to say and what it's message is after watching it. And finally, despite the documentary's short length, a high standard of production quality should be maintained. This entails using both high quality camera equipment and sound equipment when filming. A strong short documentary idea is ultimately one that acknowledges the limitations of the short duration time while captivating and educating your audience still. And it should leave a lasting impression on your audience and make them feel like they learnt new information or understood the subject better.
Review sheets (money, how many actors, how many crew, storyline, most moving element, locations, set-ups)
Overall in general the expenses for a documentary in the UK can go up from £100000 to even £200000. Since the equipment will be provided by school I will not have to spend any money on equipment and other resources. However, if I were to be using costly props money might be factor but I cannot think of any costly props or props that I would need to buy separately because since I am making it about knife crime a prop I would include would obviously be a knife but I could simply source that myself. In conclusion, it is basically free of cost. Next, for actors I think I will probably need three people, two people that will like talk about their opinions on knife crime and share any stories they might've heard of. And the other person can act when I will be filming clips myself to include in my documentary. I think like including shots of them grabbing or reaching for the knives. Basically I want to film an act that shows an example of an in real life situation to what happens when young people are doing these things, so I could even include a shot of the actor pretending to be dead on the floor. As part of how many crew members I would need, I personally don't think I would need anyone but possibly one more person. However, I do feel that I could even complete all the filming independently when I did the practice EPQ I had to be the one using sound equipment and filming at the same time so it was difficult to like check if me and the interviewee were in the frame, so I think one more person that could just help with that. But besides that I will be able to complete everything else by myself. The storyline will be starting off with me introducing the subject of knife crime and a brief overview of it, so I was thinking that in the beginning I start with a voiceover and a clip I filmed myself of the actor like grabbing a knife then I will mention a figure to prove knife crime evidently and list that also on the screen. Next, I will start to possibly include a case study to show the audience how impactful the situation is and the consequences of it and here I will still continue talking in a voiceover. After this I want to include an interview but like just a general talk from the interviewee about knife crime and talking about the severity of it and if they know any cases that have occurred recently. Shortly after, I will transition back onto showing archival material and I think I will use a video for that footage. I also want to add a very short clip of me saying something about knife crime like a strong message that is still brief though. After that I will include another interview this time I will actually ask 3 questions to the interviewee and they will respond and as they're talking I might want to add archival footage and make it like a continuation of the voiceover of the interviewee, rather than just showing them throughout the interview. I will add some footage next that I filmed myself like a short clip of the location. And after that I will add some more archive footage and do a voiceover. And finally to end the documentary I will summarise everything I said in the video and whatever I am concluding I can add that as archive material at the end. I will base the locations within college, so when I film like the scenes with the knives in it I can use the forest, and then when I film the interviewees I can use an empty classroom where it doesn't seem like a classroom so I will need like a clear background to make it seem like a normal room. And when I am filming my location I could just use an overview of outside. So the main location will be just based in college, so I will be doing all the filming there itself. And as for the set ups I will be just be setting up like the camera with a tripod either from the ground or from a table depending on how I want the actors and myself to be in the frame. And when I am filming like the knife I could possibly set the knife up on the ground and film either zooming into it or just a close up shot of someone reaching for it. And for the interviews I am considering mainly doing like mid shots, but when I am filming the actor grabbing the knife I will have a close up there. And when I am filming the location I will just set up the tripod and camera outside and this will be a static shot. I will also do another static shot of the actor laying dead on the ground this is also a static shot and I will film this also with the help of the camera on the tripod. And the most moving elements within my filming will probably have to be the actor because I wanted to film some shots of the actor reaching for the knife.
What ideas do you have?
I have therefore come up with three brief ideas for a documentary. I chose them because, I was interested in these topics as they were the most that I was passionate about speaking of and then being able to make it into a documentary. However, my main objective is to focus on knife crime. I went with this idea because I believe it's a serious problem that needs to be addressed, and in terms of it's causes and it's solutions, and because I believe that more needs to be done to educate the public about how to stop crimes like that and warn young people about the potential consequences, so I think this is a useful and informative subject to discuss in terms of my documentary. In addition, during criminology we studied numerous cases involving knife crime and watched documentaries relating to it, so I am aware of what needs to be included if I am going to be making my documentary about knife crime. The next idea I came up with was a bit personal because I wanted it to be something related to mental health, so I wanted to talk about my journey to mindfulness. And this documentary will also be focused on what advice I would give to young people. I want to do this because especially around teenage years I think mental health becomes a serious issue with all the other factors going on in your life such as balancing school work. I want this documentary to give advice and also make it like a comfort space for young people to know that it is normal to feel what they are at this stage unless it is something more serious. But I will talk about my own journey, and also ask other students how they balance everything. My final idea that that I wanted to make one about environment issues as well, so I thought of doing fast fashion and greenwash, this is basically about big fashion labels that make everything look appealing and perfect of them towards attracting customers, but behind the screen they aren't taking any sort of environment responsibility whatsoever. This is a good topic to talk about because basically everyone buys fast fashion even big brands you think may not be part of it, I also have a good idea that I could ask a few random people whether they know the reality behind fast fashion and if they would like still choose to buy fast fashion. In this I will discuss all the environment risks that come from buying from such brands and the damage we are contributing to it, as well as adding archive material showing what really happens behind these big brands.
Three main ideas
First documentary idea: Knife crime
So, for my first main idea I thought of making a documentary raising awareness and explaining the consequences of knife crime. I chose to do this because we were learning about this previously in criminology and I find it worrying how it still increases and the impact it has on the society especially young people. So related to that we did look at a few case studies related to knife crime, so I am aware of some cases that are recent and what has happened before as well which I could discuss within my documentary to use real life examples as evidence about how ongoing the issue is. This documentary will be laid out like this. So for the beginning I will start off with introducing the subject of knife crime briefly, so here I will be doing a voiceover with some archival material such as footage that shows the severity of the issue. I can find either like news clips which I can add. Going further, I will introduce a new shot of like a clip I filmed myself so I was thinking of doing a walking shot of just a close up of someone below their knees and then it will transition into a clip of the actor trying to reach for the knife. The clip will end on a black screen to kind of leave that clip on a cliff hanger. After that I am thinking of adding a real life case of knife crime that has already happened and to show the impacts of it I will use archive material in the background and then the voiceover will just be of me briefly talking about what happened. I want to include an interview next but it won't exactly be an interview I can get like a criminology teacher or student to just do a general talk about knife crime and if they know of any cases that have occurred recently, and before the interview in a room happens I will do a brief shot of the location which will just be a few seconds. Shortly after, I will transition back onto showing some archive material like a news article about the rise of knife crime in the UK. I also want to include a clip of me saying a brief but strong message right in between. Since figures are more reliable to use in a documentary when you're stating a social issue, now I will add like a black screen and figures of the rise of knife crime and how many young people have lost their lives due do it will pop up, and I will still be doing a voiceover here as I read out the figures. I will be doing a proper interview next where I will ask three questions that are useful for my topic. Either I will do this with the interviewee sitting down or standing up, but in a way that the camera is facing them but they are looking at me when responding to the questions. But as they're talking if they mention something that I could add archive material for I will use their voiceover going over the archive footage. Then like transition the clip back onto them talking. Next, I will add another clip I filmed myself this might be the actor pretending to lay dead on the ground so it is like a continuation from the first clip I filmed myself, and it will show like what happened next as a result to the person choosing to use knives. After that I can do a voiceover that speaks about the consequences of what happens when you're in that involvement. And then going further approaching the end of my documentary I was thinking of taking mid shots of a few people just a couple second each and adding them besides each other with like positive music in the background now, because of the last voiceover I want to say like a motivational message about being able to tackle knife crime together as a community. The audience that I have chosen for my documentary is the general public and young people. I chose to target this documentary at the general public because knife crime is an issue that everyone needs to be aware of and understand how we could get to the bottom of it, and how people could even protect their children from getting involved in issues like that, that lead to a terrible outcome. Furthermore, I also want young people as a target audience of this documentary, this is because I feel like a lot of issues of knife crime is common mainly within the youth, and it can even be result from young people being involved in gangs. I feel like a lot of young people get into gangs as a way to fit in and don't realise the violence that comes out from it and the impact it has on the community. And through a documentary I want to raise awareness on the severity of the consequences and try to find out how we can reduce the amount of stabbings that take place. The setting of this documentary will be at college so when I am filming the interviews I will just use an empty classroom and since I will be talking to people that study criminology it makes more sense to do it in an educational environment, so when I am filming like a short clip of the location it will just be outside at college to show where this is going to be held. There are quite a few documentaries on YouTube about knife crime, but in order for mine to be different from others I will have to try and include information in other ways and make sure my cinematography is also good. And that my project is unique I can state facts and come up with different approaches to discussing knife crime. I also want the theme so when I am editing the documentary I want the colour theme to be a bit dark so like I could lower the exposure and adjust the gradient of the documentary clips. And the mode of this documentary is reflexive mode.
Second documentary idea: Journey to mindfulness
The next idea which is my journey to mindfulness. I wanted to make it something based on mental health, since in the current times it is a severe issue that many people face and struggle to get out of, and some people aren't even aware that it is something serious and can be treated in many ways. I want to talk and explore the truth behind it, that getting help for it doesn't always mean solutions like therapy but there are other ways it can be dealt with and how I would deal with it. I want this documentary to be informative for my audience and useful so I will try to include ways that aren't usually included when you try to research what could you do to help your mental health. If I talk about more different approaches to what everyone else is doing it think some might find it useful but it depends as not everything works the same for everyone. So to start of this documentary I will film a clip to start of with myself, and I think I want to film like a nice scenery or like a close up of flowers. But something beautiful, and then on top of that I will add the title of this documentary and my name below. It will also include music but it will be quieter. For the next scene I will explain what mindfulness is and when I am doing a voiceover of this I will add archive material in the background to demonstrate what I am taking about. Then It will shift onto me talking I will at this stage talk about some things I did to help me have a better peace of mind, and as I am doing so I will also add archive material on top to make it like a voiceover montage so as I am speaking about these tips I will use archive material to demonstrate what I exactly mean. After that I will show either like a podcast or video that I have watched that has been beneficial for my mental health and how it helped me and what advice I was able to get out of it. I will explain what the video was also going through and recommend it to my audience. After that I want to include a couple of clips of people saying one thing they did that helped them through their mental healthy journey. And as someone is saying that I can also include a slow motion clip of them smiling with the voiceover of them talking about it going on in the background. For the next part I will add some archive material of something that shows the issue that mental health has become especially for younger people in this generation. I will either add archive material that includes like figures to show evidence to prove to my audience. The next clip I want to add is just a slow motion video of like two friends walking an laughing together and I will add some positive music in the background but I will make sure it isn't too loud as I will be doing a voiceover on top of that. And for the voiceover I will start talking about how impactful friends and family have been to me through my entire journey of mindfulness and here I could even add a picture or video of me with friends or family at a time I was very happy. Then finally, I will conclude my documentary by stating important points that I have made through the documentary and end it off with a strong message and in the background once gain I could use archive material, and I will also add the same music I did for the intro to the outro as well and I can add the credits at the end. Furthermore, the target audience for this documentary is going to be aimed at individuals that are or were affected by mental health issues and the general public. I chose individuals that may suffer or have suffered from mental health issues because a documentary like this I hope will be a way to educate and and offer support to the ones that need it, and also for them to know it will not be like that forever and try to make the whole point of the documentary as a hope for individuals of such. I also chose the general public, this is for obvious reasons because I want to be able to reach to a broader audience whether it is to parents, teachers or students whoever it may resonate with or whoever will consider what I say and try to help someone out or even look out for someone. I also want my documentary to create understanding and empathy for those that might suffer such challenges. This documentary I believe is a mix of performative mode and reflexive mode. The locations of this documentary can vary, so for the clips where I will ask people on their advice that they would give I want to do this in college, and for filming a nice scenery I might just do that outside college myself. And if I was to be adding clips of like the friends walking together I can also use the college settings for that too. And there are probably quite a few documentaries of people talking about how they dealt with mental health issues and their journey to mindfulness, but in order to make mine different and unique I will try to state points which aren't usually said when someone is trying to give advice for mental health and usually a lot of people state that therapy is useful but like there is many people that don't find it useful and would rather try to heal independently and that is perfectly fine so I will talk about what they can do that isn't something like read a book. I will also discuss in what way it helped me.
Third documentary idea: Fashion greenwash
For my second idea, I wanted to focus on an aspect of the environmental issues that isn't discussed as much, so I decided to do fashion greenwashing. Basically, this is when fashion labels exaggerate their representations in an attempt to attract customers. However, those companies are disguising their lack of action with misleading statements of environmental commitment. Fashion brands are greenwashing if the environmental promises they make are not supported by what they actually end up doing. This is the situation where businesses present themselves to the public as environmentally conscious while continuing to pollute the environment secretly. I chose to do this also because I feel like a lot of people buy from fast fashion including even me, but I feel like at times we are unaware that even big brands that we think are environmentally friendly really aren't. So to start of this documentary I will be doing the opening like it is the news so for the opening I want to add animation like of the title of this documentary and the background to be like a news themed opening. And I will add some tense music in the beginning as well. Then I will start it off by adding archive material to show the damage and impact fast fashion has on the world. So I will show pictures and footage of the consequences from buying from fast fashion and I will do a voiceover here talking about what has happened in those sources of material. After that I want to film a clip of my own so I can film like my clothes or an outfit of someone and make the video in slow motion and here I will do a voiceover saying like how we all basically buy from fast fashion. Then I will transition to adding archive material on if we didn't want to buy from fast fashion brands what other options are there and are there any affordable options because most people tend to buy clothes from fast fashion as it is more affordable to buy from. So there I will just be showing pictures of brands you could buy from that are affordable and also more environmentally friendly. After that I also want to include some more clips of me just asking a few people if they care about fast fashion and if they considered the environmental effect on the world and like would they ever stop buying from fast fashion brands. Or I could also ask them what they're favourite brand is and as they're saying what it is it will most likely be a fast fashion brand and if so I can add pictures of the brands and they are saying it and make it seem like a voiceover. Then since most people's answers would probably be a fast fashion brand I could then after that add a clip of me talking into the camera with a microphone about how a majority of people mentioned fast fashion brands and then I could ask like a rhetorical question, then the screen will like fade to black. And I will add more archive material and a voiceover again on the impacts of buying from fast fashion and the misleading commitments they claim that they are making in order to support the environment. Then I could film a couple of my friends like standing in a group that aren't wearing fast fashion brands and the camera shot will like start from the bottom of their outfit and then in slow motion go to the top to show like what they are wearing, and on top of this I will do a voiceover again and this time I will talk about how you can still get affordable yet stylish clothing that do not have to be from fast fashion, so as a way the clip of my friends will demonstrate that. And then to conclude I will summarise everything that I have said in the documentary, but especially the main points and how there are other alternatives to fast fashion brands and what we could do to help the consequences that have been suffered due to us buying from fast fashion brands. And as I am doing this voiceover I will add more archive material probably something like a video clip of what happens when we buy from fast fashion. Then at the end it will fade into a black screen I will add like a short message at the end and it will finish off with the ending credits, here there will be outro music as well which will probably be the same music that was in the introduction. The locations of where I will be filming the clips myself will be at college and when I am asking students those questions I would preferably do it outdoors with natural lighting, probably earlier on in the day when it is brighter. The mode of this documentary is going to be expository mode since the aim of this documentary is to persuade people to reduce buying from fast fashion. The main target audience that I have chosen for this documentary is consumers. These are people that buy fast fashion products, so I chose them as a target audience since the aim of my documentary is to educate and make them feel more informed to make more sustainable choices when it comes to buying from certain brands. How I will make my documentary unique from others is that since I already chose a topic that there isn't many documentaries out there about, so I already have a good starting point so I could just try and research obviously beforehand about this topic and things that people may not already be aware about so I can talk about it in my documentary, and people actually learn something new from it.
