4 INITIA

L IDEAS

IDEA 1-W

HAT GOES IN

TO

MAKING PRACTIC

AL

EFFECTS

CONTENT. A study of how a practical effects is really made and all the

steps that go into the production of practical effects, props and models, this will be shot in a prop house, special effects and model making company in Earlsfield Asylum and one in Wembley Artem

.Interviews with management and employees about their roles in the process of production, so this will include office workers and the people in the workshops

.The documentary will be split into two parts office work (communication) and manual work (making the practical effects, props and models)

.Possibly a history on practical effects and famous uses of them e.g John Carpenters “The Thing”

TARGET AUDIENCE

.The target audience for this documentary will be people who are in the prop making/special effects industry and also people aspiring to enter the prop making/special effects industry as the topic of the documentary will be very interesting to people in this demographic as it specifically focuses on a significant aspect of their lives

.The secondary target audience for this documentary will be active viewers of films and media as props an effects are major factors in the film making process which these people focus on sometimes obsessively.

MODE OF ADDRESS.The mode of address in this documentary will be both formal

and informal as the segments that focus on the office work will be formal as they work in management and communications and the segments when the employees in the workshops are focused on it will be informal as they are conduction manual labor.

.This documentary will be informative and investigative as it will inform the audience of what actually goes into creating practical effects and it will be done in an investigative way

CONVENTIONS.The conventions featured in this documentary will be .Narration- This will introduce the employees of the company, what they

do, what they are currently doing and what the job/jobs they are working on

.Cutaways-These will be used to show the audience the area that the company is based in and the workspaces the employees inhabit.

.Montage-This will be used when I need to show what the people in the workshop are doing as it will be more time efficient this way

.Interviews-These will be used when I would like to obtain some information about the individual people who work at the company, for example, how long they have been in the business, how the got started and what are you proudest moments of their career. This will also be used when I have to gain some information on the industry in general, e.g. the current state of the industry and individuals opinions on their jobs whether they enjoy it or not etc.

PURPOSE

.The purpose of this documentary is to inform people of the process of creating practical effects and the amount of time and hard work that goes into producing practical effects especially since the creation of HD cameras and 4K resolution.

.I am also making this because I have a passion and am somewhat knowledgeable of this topic and it is something I would like to peruse in the future and I believe making a documentary on a subject that I want to peruse a university degree on will look good to and impress the course leaders of the Universities I will be applying for.

LENGTH

.The length of this documentary will be 10 mins because so much goes into the creating of a practical effect, for example the manual work of actually making and putting together practical effect and any office work done also for example finalizing a deal with a studio and the communication that will have to take place between the company, studio and the filmmakers.

RESEARCHSecondary research-The Google definition of prop is “a portable object other than

furniture or costumes used on the set of a play or film”Some of the most famous props in the world were partly put

together from household objects for example, the main body of Luke Skywalks light saber in A New Hope was made out of a Graflex Flashgun, the bottom of Obi Wan Kenobi’s light saber was a tap handle and Han Solos blaster was put together from a Russian hand gun and other early 20th century fire arms.

https://www.fastcodesign.com/3028505/how-the-star-wars-lightsaber-was-designed

http://www.blastr.com/2015-2-26/weta-workshop-20-interview-richard-taylor

RESEARCHPrimary Research Survey-

RESEARCHSecondary research-The results of this survey has told me that most of the people polled

would be most familiar with props that are weapons, I infer this from the question what is your favourite film.

I have also inferred that more people believe that small objects a character can hold and manipulate are props.

I have also found out that people if asked think of a prop immediately think of some sort of weapon, this correlates with the findings of the first question.

I have also inferred that more people generally believe that props are very important to film and TV productions.

Finally I have discovered one that the majority of people believe that props have meaning but also that the majority of people believe that props help build a realistic character and story.

IDEA 2-WHAT

IS A

CONSULTANT

CONTENT.Discuss what commercial consulting is..Focus on one company, who their clients are, give some

examples of ads they have been involved in, interview some major individuals in the company, when did they get involved in commercial consulting, explain the details and nuances of the ins and outs of commercial consulting, how to successfully sign a client.

.Possibly follow the day or week in the life of a person who works in commercial consulting, as in I will follow their day to day tasks and activities in commercial consulting.

TARGET AUDIENCE.Similarly to the previous documentary idea the primary target

audience for this documentary will be people who work in the field of commercial consulting and to an extent people who work in commercial production in general.

. The secondary target audience for this documentary will be people who know individuals who work n commercial consulting for example someone who's mother or father works in commercial consulting and the might wish to know more about what the friends or family do for a living.

MODE OF ADDRESS.The mode of address in this documentary will be formal as the

working environment of the company I will be focusing on is very professional and the work being done requires a formal demeanor as they have to communicate with important clients daily.

.The style of this documentary will be observational as the documentary will take the audience through an average day of work at CCC and will show the audience the role each individual person plays in the company.

CONVENTIONS .The conventions that will be featured in this documentary will

be.Narration-This will be used when I need to explain what

someone's role in the company is, what that person may be currently doing and any events that may occur during that day

.Interviews-This will be used for the employees of the company to explain how long the have been in the industry, if they have had any other jobs connected to advertising before consulting and where did they start.

.Cutaways-This will be used when a client of theirs is mentioned and to establish the area of where their offices or workspaces are.

PURPOSE.I am want to possibly make this documentary because my

mother works in commercials consulting and I would like to really get to know the business that she is in and I would like to understand what she spends the majority of her days doing and how she earns her money from which I benefit from, as she has discussed it with me before and I have also talked to her boss before, but I have never observed it or paid it very much attention and I would like that to change. Another reason I have is that I consulting is a major part of creating a commercial, however it occurs in the financial area of production therefore I believe that consulting goes unrecognized, in the public eye at least.

LENGTHThis documentary would be 8 to 12 minutes long as there are

many factors that go into consulting and cost control, for example moving image content, determining digital advertising content, print and out of home-big bill boards, bus advertising, live events advertising also processes and procedures, producing bespoke reports. And there is constant turn over and overlap of these projects.

RESEARCHSecondary Researchhttp://www.inc.com/guides/201102/how-to-promote-your-consulting-

business.htmlThis article attempts to teach the reader on hoe to create a

successful consulting business and how to promote it and get yourself noticed.

https://www.marketingweek.com/2016/09/29/brands-missing-out-on-huge-business-by-pushing-age-stereotypes-in-their-ads

/This article explains to the readers why advertisers should stop

pushing age stereotypes in their advertising, more specifically age stereotypes, one reason is that studies apparently show that people are fed up with being stereotyped and “categorized” in the media

RESEARCHPrimary Research Focus Group-1.What role do you think commercial consultants play in

advertising?Person 1-I think that they probably consult companies on what should be shown or represented in their

commercials.

Person 2-I think that consult on what the companies should spend their money on whilst making their commercial.

Person 3- I think they go on set and oversee the production

2.Do you think commercial consulting is a good topic to base a documentary on?

Person 1-no

Person 2-no

Person 3-depends on the angle you take it on

3.How should this documentary be approached e.g. in an observational, biographic or investigative?

Person 1-observational

Person 2-observational

Person 3-observational

IDEA 3-TH

E AFFE

CT OF V

ISUAL

EFFEC

TS ON THE FIL

M INDUSTR

Y

AND AUDIENCES

CONTENT.This documentary will explore the both good and bad affects

of visual effects on the film industry and audiences..I will explore the affects on the industry through a contact

that I have in Method Studios a global visual effects company that most notably works on the Disney Marvel Films.

.I will explore the affects on audiences through interviews with my friend and family, these interviews will include a range of age demographics

.A brief history on Method Studios

TARGET AUDIENCE.The primary target audience for this documentary will be

people who are actively interested and involved in film a TV as visual effects are giant aspects of both these mediums.

.The secondary target audience for this documentary will be people who are employed in the field as they would enjoy seeing their profession and people who are in the same position as they are represented and observed.

MODE OF ADDRESS .The mode of address for this documentary will be informal as I

would like the people that I interviews personality’s to come across and be apparent to the audience and not have their interviews be tame and formal. However when I narrate the other aspects of the documentary for example brief history's and introductions it will be formal

.The style of this documentary will be observational and will mainly be participant led as the majority of people that will be talking and taking the audience through the documentary will be people who I interview e.g. my contact in Method Studios and the audiences that I will interview on their opinions on visual effects.

CONVENTIONS.The conventions that will be featured in this documentary will

be.Narration-This will be used when I need to explain the history

of visual effects and Method Studios..Interviews-These will be used when my contact in method

studios will talk about his career and the company he works for

.Cutaways-These will be used when images or footage need to be used to emphasize or give context to a point or just something my contact, myself or what the people I will be interviewing are saying.

.Graphics-These will be used when I want to communicate information via text.

PURPOSE.I want to possibly make this documentary as it links to my

interest in props and practical effects as I also have somewhat of an interest for visual affects as, if done well can be incredibly impressive and convincing, and because of this I have tremendous respect for people who produce such complex imagery as hundreds of man hours and patients go into the creation of these effects, and I want to delve deeper into this field and relay learn the ins and outs of this industry.

LENGTH.This documentary will be 7 to 9 minutes long as there is

decent amount of information that needs to be included in this documentary for example the the history of visual effects and Method Studios, the process of creating a visual effect e.g. collaborating with the film makers, planning, all the stages of actually making the effect and then convincingly integrating it into the film. And exploring the affects visual effects have on the film industry and audiences.

RESEARCHSecondary research.The first ever use of a 2D computer animated image was in the

Westworld 1973 and was a POV shot of the visual display of the android character in the film. This image was created by John Whitney Sr. and John Whitney Jr.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160218144928.htm

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/how-michael-crichtons-westworld-pioneered-modern-special-effects

The digital shot from West-World 1978

RESEARCHPrimary Research Survey-

RESEARCHThe results of this survey has told me that most people know

the meaning of CGI. I have also found out that the majority of people can recognize

that difference between in camera and CGI effects. I have also discovered that the majority of people would prefer

that this documentary focusses on the Computer animation company itself.

Another thing I have discovered is that people both find living creatures rather than inanimate objects more impressive in CGI form.

I have also discovered that the majority of people think that CGI is more expensive to produce than in camera effects.

Finally I have discovered that there is parity between the results of the question What do you think is easier to produce CGI or in camera effects.

THE DIFF

ERENT AFFE

CTS

AND CAUSES OF TEENAGE

AND ADULT DEPR

ESSION

CONTENT.This documentary will explore the affects of depression on a

female teenager and a female adult and the different ways it has affected both of their lives.

.There will be interviews with two expert in the field of psychology one in treatment and the other in management and they will give their professional opinion on why both these peoples depression manifested, and explain the long term affects of teenage and adult depression.

.There will be interviews with the two individuals concerning how they used to live their lives with depression and how it affected everyday activities and interactions and how they got better and if they have taken anything away from their experience with depression.

TARGET AUDIENCE.The target audience of this documentary will be people

currently suffer from depression as it will offer advice to them on how to deal with depression and get past it, it will appeal to people who used to have depression as the people being represented will be very relatable and sympathetic to them as they have experienced the exact same thing they have, it may also give them more insight into their own prior affliction as the people on screen could have dealt with it and found a different solution to their depression compared to the audience members who are in the same position.

It will also appeal to people who know individuals who suffer and or used to suffer from depression as it could help them understand their friends or families affliction and therefore sympathies with them more.

MODE OF ADDRESS .This documentary will be informative and will both be

participant and presenter led as it will inform people on the different affects of depression on teenagers and adults, how it manifests, how to deal with it and how to overcome it through the individuals and experts but a presenter will be appropriate when facts or figures need to be brought up in.

It will also be informal as the two people being observed will voice their opinions and experiences so their personalities and humor will come through, the same is a possibility for the two experts I will be speaking to, as similarly to the teenager and adult, the experts will have strong opinions on the topics explored in this documentary, and they may express these in an informal fashion.

CONVENTIONS.The conventions featured in this documentary will be.Interviews-These will be used then the subjects talk about

their experiences and feelings, and when the experts talk about their opinions and professional knowledge.

.Narration-This will be used when I introduce the people starring in the documentary and what they have been suffering from and why, it will also be utilized when I talk about the professionals credentials and as previously stated facts and figures.

Cutaway footage-This will be used when the two subjects are talking about the causes and effects of their depression and it will cut to relevant images or footage, and the same goes to when the expert talk about the common affects of depression and any common triggers of depression.

PURPOSE.The propose of this documentary is to educate the audience

on the the different affects of teenage depression and adult depression, and on how depression can manifest in these two demographics. It will also educate the audience on techniques of living with depression and how to get help if you are suffering from depression. A more personnel reason I would like to make this documentary is because the adult case that will be included in documentary is my mum and the teenager case is a friend of mine and I would like to explore and understand the experiences they have had.

Melancholia I by Albrecht Durer

LENGTHThis Documentary will be 7 to 9 minutes long as both the

sufferers and experts will have to talk at length about their experiences and opinions with and on depression and mental health in general. Things will also have to be explained, for example how depression can be triggered. I will need a 1 to 2 minutes for the introduction of the documentary where the subjects and the experts will be introduced, There will be a 3 to 4 minute segment where the subjects talk about the causes and experiences with their depression and also the experts discussing the difference between the manifestation and effects of teenage and adult depression and then there will be 3 minute long segment where the two subjects talk about how the got better and how they are doing at the moment and also the expert talking about the lasting effects if any depression has on people who have overcome it.

RESEARCHSecondary Researchhttps

://www.newscientist.com/article/2107516-living-with-adult-children-protects-parents-against-depression/

This article explains why older children living with their parents will decrease the chances of the parents becoming depressed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37504679This article states that the rate of depression and self harm in

young girls in England is rising.

RESEARCHPrimary Research focus group-1.Do you think that depression is a major or minor issue in our

society?Person 1-I think that in the grand scheme of things it is a minor issue

Person 2-I agree with person 1

Person 3-I think it is a major issue

2.Should I focus on the people who suffer from depression or the people that study it and treat it?

Person 1-The people who suffer from it

Person2-The people that treat it

Person 3-The people who suffer from it as it would be more interesting

3.Do you have any personnel experiences with depression?Person 1-yes my mother suffered from depression

Person 2-none

Person 3-none