I have done some research on the uses and gratifications as part of my audience theory to get a better understanding of my audience and what type of audience my production will be targeting.

The uses and gratifications theory comes from Bulmer and Katz who suggests that media play an active role in choosing and using media. Uses and gratifications are what the viewers seeks out the media source that best fulfils their needs. Uses and gratifications assumes that the audience choose what it wants to watch for different reasons.

Revisionworld.com. (2019). Uses and Gratifications Theory – A-Level Media Studies – Revision World. [online] Available at: https://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/media-studies-level-revision/uses-and-gratifications-theory [Accessed 20 Mar. 2019].

This theory is about the use of media by humans and not the effects of media. It focuses on free will and is settled as media can be used in different ways and for different purposes. The audience is said to have full control over the effect media has as the effect can be chosen by the audience themselves depending on what they watch. The theory is closely related to human psychology of needs, influence and motives.

The human uses and gratification can be set into five broad categories:

Affective needs which talks about emotional fulfilment and pleasure like soap operas series on television and movies. People like to relate to the characters in the shows in emotional ways and they can laugh and cry when they do.

Cognitive needs which is what people use to get information and fulfil their mental and intellectual needs. These viewers usually watch the news, documentaries, quiz programmes and D.I.Y videos etc. Online media and the internet is also being used for educational purposes.

Social integrative needs usually the need of each person to socialise with people like their family and friends. These people like to use social media like Facebook and Twitter etc which increases social interactions and provide people with topics and ideas to discuss with friends and family and increases social interaction skills.

Personal integrative needs which are needs for self-esteem and respect. People need reassurance to establish their status strength and power etc. They use media to watch advertisements to know which fashion products are in style and stop accordingly to change their lifestyle and fit in with other people.

Tension free needs are where people listen to music and watch television when they are stressed and do this to relieve the stress or when bored. People use media to help escape the various tensions in their life that they don’t want to face.

The viewers for my documentary will fit into the category of cognitive needs because I am creating a documentary which is educational and will satisfy their mental and intellectual needs.

Bajracharya, S. (2019). Uses and Gratifications Theory – Businesstopia. [online] Businesstopia. Available at: https://www.businesstopia.net/mass-communication/uses-gratifications-theory [Accessed 20 Mar. 2019].

How will this help me

This theory will help me when I’m planning and writing my interview questions and when I come to writing my voiceover script. When I have sorted my interviews, I will be writing the questions out for me to ask and they will be questions asking them to give information on the different things in the city such as when I am interviewing the historian, I will be asking him to give me some facts on the docks which means I will be giving the audience what they want which is for educational purposes.

In my voiceover script, I will be writing the introduction, different parts of the documentary for when I introduce each contributor between scenes. When the voiceover comes in, I will be giving different facts that I will have gathered from my research and have it for different segments, for example, when my musician is being introduced, I will have them talk about the music in the city saying something like ‘Liverpool is one of the only cities in the world with artists that have produced the most number one hits.’ This is feeding my audience knowledge that they may not have known before and then this will be satisfying my audience’s needs.

UPDATE

How has this has helped me

This theory has helped me when creating my documentary when it comes to filming, writing my interview questions and writing the Voiceover Script because I need to fulfil their intellectual needs by giving them information all the time. When writing my interview questions, I have asked them or to explain things that my audience will learn for example, I asked in my Frank to give some information on why the docks opened in 1846 and then this lets the audience know that the docks opened in 1846 and then they find out what more information on the docks and how they helped Liverpool as a city.

When writing my script for the voiceover, I gave out some facts that I got from my research and put it into my voiceover and I didn’t have an interview for the football and art section so I used a voiceover to give some facts and this way I am giving the audience what they want. For example, I talk about when Everton and Liverpool football teams were founded and the development of football in the city, this is feeding information that most people wouldn’t know about and they are learning new things.

 

I have also decided to use Robert Flaherty as a pioneer for documentaries and their development over time. I have looked at their techniques and theories that I can apply in my own work.

Robert was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan on the 16th February 1884. He received only a little education, he attended Upper Canada College, Toronto and the Michigan school of Mines. He spent the years between 1910 and 1920 prospecting for iron ire in North Canada and that is where he gathered the material for his first film, Nanook of the North.

Robert Flaherty would photograph what the camera wanted him to photograph, and distil ideas and material from this. He is credited for 8 films and distinguished by an instinct for finding lyrical image.

In 1931, Flaherty came to Britain to make a documentary for the Empire Marketing Board and was to be a study of craftsmanship in Britain’s major industries. A weeks later, Flaherty was taken off the film and was completed by the EMB personnel.

He created Man of Aran in 1934 which Flaherty and his crew spent over a year off Aran, shooting the film and taking in the Irish life. The production was closed down due to finance. However, Flaherty took part in editing the film and received many awards including Best Film of 1934 at the Venice Film Festival. After that, he was commissioned to go to India to film Elephant boy which was a big budget production compared to the work he had done prior.

He created two more films when he returned to the USA from London and created two more films. His work continues to be commemorated at the annual Flaherty Seminar, inaugurated by his widow in 1954.

Screenonline.org.uk. (2019). BFI Screenonline: Flaherty, Robert (1884-1951) Biography. [online] Available at: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/480547/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

Quotes

There’s a saying among prospectors: ‘Go out looking for one thing, and that’s all you’ll ever find.’

Sometimes you have to lie. One often has to distort a thing to catch its true spirit.

BrainyQuote. (2019). Robert J. Flaherty Quotes. [online] Available at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robert_j_flaherty_141942 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

In documentaries, they usually have the main talking heads that speaks right throughout the documentary in a mid shot and they are usually sitting at a mid shot which they use when they are giving information on something serious, they usually use them during the news as well.

I have used the new documentary, Leaving Neverland which is about 2 men coming out about Michael Jackson ‘sexually abusing’ them as children. I have decided to use the interviews from this as examples because they have many of the similar interviews I want to use in my documentary where they have the main person/ people speaking right the way throughout the documentary.

The documentary opens with the first victim, James Safechuck who is sitting in his own clothes dressed quite casually in a dark room which looks like his home. He isn’t looking at the camera which is known as an indirect interview, like he isn’t telling the viewers the story, he is telling the person who has asks him the questions who isn’t visible on camera or be heard on the documentary. In my work I will do this because my main interviewee who will be used right throughout my documentary will be in the similar position, I will have him sitting down and maybe be somewhere that will match with what he is talking about. I will use a mid shot of him right throughout my documentary so the audience can see his hand gestures and facial expressions as it is the most common interview shot used in documentaries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James continues to talk whilst archival footage plays over him of him and Michael but continues to talk. In my documentary, I will do this, using the main interviewee on screen but also as my voiceover who basically puts the whole documentary together like they do in this but by many people which includes the 2 victims and their families and don’t have any other voiceovers that has a scripted narrative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It then goes to a mid shot of the other victim, Wade Robson who is also telling his story without any other narration. He is sitting in a chair in what looks like a wooden lodge so he is somewhere comfortable talking about his horrifying ‘experience’ with Michael Jackson, and the lighting is very low which suggests that this is a serious and low spirited subject. He also avoids eye contact also with the camera and speaks to the person behind the camera which is also an indirect interview. The interview is very similar with Wade and James because they are both explaining their stories on the same subject. When I am interviewing, I will use this shot but also I will have the locations matching with what they do or what the topic is about, for example, when I am filming the historian who is also a radio presenter and a lecturer, I will either have him sitting in his radio station or in a university classroom because they are what he does and so he is also comfortable and is used to where he is  like this interviewee is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to look at interviews in documentaries who act as the main talking head as well as the voice over and put the whole documentary together because this is a professional documentary and by looking at this, I know what I need to apply to my own documentary like the shots, the eye contact either making it direct or indirect, the setting and the lighting.

In my project, I will be using high key lighting because it is not as serious and dark as this documentary. I will stick to mid shot interview right throughout it because it is the most professional one to use as it is used in the news and other interviews as well as on documentaries. My interviewee will not be looking at the camera so it will be indirect as he will be looking at me behind it as I will not be visible or heard on camera. I haven’t decided on the background yet for the interview, I could keep relocating or I could just stay in one place but still unsure but it will be somewhere that will be related to the subject of the documentary which will be at or in a tourist attraction in Liverpool.

Channel4.com. (2019). Leaving Neverland: Michael Jackson and Me – All 4. [online] Available at: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-and-me [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

I have used the new Netflix documentary, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann and I looked at one interview in particular. Looking at the interview for this, I want to apply every technique they have used in this including the shot, lighting and looking room.

I looked at the way the woman is sitting, the background, the shot and how she speaks. I will use the same techniques in this in my own project because she is the narrator in a certain part of the documentary and she is used as the interviewee and the voice over which is what I will do with my main interviewee.

She is sitting at a desk which is a mid shot which is the main shot I will use as he looks at me and not at the camera so we can see his facial expressions and hand movements. I am still unsure of the background because I want it to relate to the topic of my documentary but I also would like it to be in a background that matches his career or who he is for example his radio station.

I will have the interview right throughout my documentary like this one is apart from there are more interviews throughout it but she is used as an interviewee and a voice over.

 

In the third episode, a woman who is a detective working behind this case is being interviewed as one of the main talking head throughout this whole episode and she is also used as a voiceover throughout it then it would cut back to a shot of her speaking.

She first comes in which is a mid shot of her from the chest and up with little head space. The whole point of this is so the subject in the shot is delivering information. The woman is looking to the interviewer who is not heard or seen and is stood behind the camera. She is dressed formally like every other interviewee in the documentary series which suggests it is a formal interview and topic. The background can be seen which has large windows behind her looking out into the buildings outside. In my project, I want to use a shot like this when I am interviewing the main interviewee who will be used right throughout the documentary like this woman is. I will use a mid shot as it is one of the most common shots used in interviews and I will have him look at me and not at the camera so it is indirect like this interview and that will be the only shot used like it is in this interview.

She continues to speak whilst archival footage of Madeleine McCann’s parents are walking with lots of paparazzi. In my documentary, I want to do this with my main interviewee which is the historian who I will have in the documentary and also as the voice over in some parts. I will also be interviewing him but I will be off the camera and my voice won’t be heard.

For this project, I will be using John Grierson who is a well known pioneering documentary maker. I have decided to look into his work as he was a documentary pioneer and looked at some of his creations.

Grierson was born in Perthshire, Scotland in 1898. He graduated from Glasgow University and serves Rockefeller fellowship in the USA after serving on minesweepers during World War 1. He became Assistant Films Officer at the Empire Marketing Board and was commissioned to make Drifters in 1929 which is a documentary about the North Sea herring fleet. He then became a Films Officer in 1933 at the General Post Office film unit and later been argued to be a pivotal role in British film culture.

He applied significant influence on the talented team of young filmmakers he attracted around him when he Wass only credited as directing the documentary Drifters. Drifters contains many of the traits that would later characterise the documentaries in the future, particularly an emphasis on the social interaction and everyday routine of the fishermen at sea and the economic importance of the fishing industry. The montage of style of Soviet cinema and the poetic style of Robert Flaherty were clear influences on Grierson.

In 1937, Grierson stood down from the GPO and formed Film Centre, an advisory and co-ordinating body for the documentary film movement. It was this capacity that identified Grierson’s role and influence on factual film. He was also acting as a production advisor to Films of Scotland and throughout the war he was serving as a Film Commissioner at the National Film Board of Canada.

Grierson returned to the UK in 1946 after a futile period in New York. In 1948, he was assigned to the Films Division of the Central Office of Information. He attempted to re-establish a major programme of government documentary production, but repeatedly frustrated by political opposition spending cuts provoked by the post war economic crisis. In the 1950s, Grierson acted as joint head of Group 3, the production arm of the National Film Finance Corporation and spent some years in independent television before finishing his career teaching at a Canadian University.

I got my information from a John Grierson biography online:

Screenonline.org.uk. (2019). BFI Screenonline: Grierson, John (1898-1972) Biography. [online] Available at: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/454202/ [Accessed 14 Mar. 2019].

Here are some of John Grierson’s most famous quotes:

We believe that the cinema’s capacity for getting around, for observing and selecting from life itself can be exploited in a new and vital art form.

We believe that the materials and the stories taken from the raw can be finer (more real in the philosophic sense) than the acted article.

In documentary we deal with the actual, and in one sense with the real. But the really real, if I may use that phrase, is something deeper than that. The only reality which counts in the end is the interpretation which is profound.

I look on cinema as a pulpit, and use it as a propagandist.

Documentaryisneverneutral.com. (2019). Documentary Is Never Neutral: Quotes on Documentary. [online] Available at: http://documentaryisneverneutral.com/words/docquotes.html [Accessed 14 Mar. 2019].

I have began looking into existing documentaries, I am focusing on expository documentaries and looking at the techniques used in them so I can apply them into my own documentary. I have looked at one documentary by BBC called Afghanistan – the unknown country which is an expository documentary which includes a lot of expository techniques such as voice over, interviews and montages which I will apply to my own work. The documentary has been created by the BBC and it is about all the country besides war and talking about the fascinating places and the people they meet including interviews.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=afghanistan+the+unknown+country

The documentary opens up with a short montage of different locations in Afghanistan and then the voice over comes in. I can use this in my documentary by showing different shots of Liverpool and its most famous tourist attractions and by doing this, it is showing the audience that Liverpool is the main location of the documentary. Each one of the shots last about 2-3 seconds so the montage doesn’t last too long and before the voiceover comes in it will last 8 seconds.

   

The voiceover comes in 8 seconds into the video. They start with a rhetorical question which are used quite a lot in the beginning of documentaries to get the audience thinking to themselves, I could put a rhetorical question into my voiceover at the beginning as it is a very useful technique which may also give the audience a small idea of what the documentary is about. It then cuts to the woman who is the presenter of the documentary and is mentioned in the description as a woman with 30 years of experience in Afghanistan to show a different side of the country which has been at war for 30 years. She speaks directly to the camera who is dressed with a scarf around her head which is worn to match the culture there. She speaks directly to the camera so it is like she is speaking to the audience. I will do this differently because the person presenting my project will be sat in a chair in his work and will be speaking to me behind the camera but will not move and stay in the same location right throughout who will also act as the voice over.

After the montages and the voiceover, it cuts to the title page which the background is a picture of people in Afghanistan riding on bikes and driving getting on with every day lives and the title: Afghanistan The Unknown Country which is in bold white typography and the work Afghanistan is in capitals so that the audience know that this is the main location of the documentary and what it will be about. In my documentary, I could do this by putting Liverpool at the top in capitals and the rest of the title in lower caps to show the audience that the documentary is set and will only be based on that city. The shot behind the title could be a shot of people walking through the city between Topshop and M&S so it shows everyone getting on with their own lives and doing whatever they are doing.

The presenter has moved to another city in Afghanistan and lets the audience know where she is going. She goes and interviews a man in a different language but the English subtitles are at the bottom. This interview is an indirect interview and is an unplanned interview, she just goes up to him and begins to speak to him on the streets. In my documentary, I could do small interviews that only lasts 15 – 20 seconds on the streets that relates to what the documentary is about. There are many of the same interviews right throughout the whole documentary who give their opinions in most of them and they are all very informal. I could also do this but do it as vox pops and ask many people rather than speaking to one person and getting different opinions on a certain topic like the art of Liverpool.

They use diegetic and non diegetic sounds so they will have music that match the culture in Afghanistan so like drums and bells that they have edited in but they also use the sound from the clips that haven’t been edited into the film and they film, like in one part of the documentary, they film horses running with men on them and you can hear the mean shouting and the horses making noises. When filming my documentary, I could film a part of Liverpool like China Town and use the diegetic sound from the clip but also edit some non diegetic sound into it like Chinese music which is known as commentary sound. I will also use music that is by a musician from Liverpool that has a song about the city and use it in the intro and the outro.

Later on in the documentary, the audience is shown a tourist location which is a very famous location called the Nobel Shrine where the Profit Mohammad’s son in law lies. Millions of muslims line up to visit there and the presenter of the documentary takes us there and gives some information about it. In my project, I could do this by filming in one of Liverpool’s tourist attraction and give some information on it like they did in the BBC documentary; for example, I could film the Liver Building and give some information and the history on it then get permission and go inside and film.

I will use many of the techniques used in this documentary in my project because I have to get my documentary exactly like an expository documentary and because it is a similar documentary, I want it to turn out exactly like that.

Youtube.com. (2019). afghanistan the unknown country – YouTube. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=afghanistan+the+unknown+country [Accessed 15 Mar. 2019].