Music

Music could be used in my documentary for a number of reasons:

• Creates a mood - example a funeral march to show death
• warn the audience of whats about to happen
• set the scene - bagpipes playing over images of hills to show its scotland
• a theme tune for the documentary - title sequence

"Lads to Dads" - BBC1 northern Ireland

This was a documentary about three younge teenagers taking the role of being a dad. it was showing a different side to teenage preganancies showing that its not just the mum's life who is effected by an unexpected pregnancy.
link to episode:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00nx612/lads_to_dads/

• soft womens voiceover, contrast as seen as how its about males. its a soothing voice, almost like a mother to the programme.
• introduction sequence a cartoon, flashing almost like the Blitz, black silowhets of males falling from the top of the image over photos of objects associated with baby's. its almost like the saying "a bomb shell" its representing the shock of the boys finding out that they are going to be a dad.
• voice over introduces the people who are part of the documentary, medium shot of characters talking into the camera with text who they are. voice over almost asking them questions. they are in there home in a specific place personal to them, the boy is in his bed room for example.
• cuts to footage, such as the boys playing football, still voice over.
• home vidio almost like footage, male voice behind camera asks the questions.
• fly on the wall - visits a group for younge dads.
• music over clips relevant to the documentary, sensitive music representing that it is an important moment that is life changing for the events that are about to take place.

"Brian Cox's Jute journey" - BBC2

"Brian Cox's Jute Journey" was broardcasted on BBC2 and was a documentary into Brian's Cox's past who is a hollywood film star. it documents his past as well as taking a journey to Kolkata in the footsteps of the Dundeed jute workers who left to seek fortunes in India.
Link to the Documentary:
http://www.bbc.co.uk.iplayer/episode/b00nspvr/Brian_cox's_Jute_journey/

• Clips of old footage, relevant to voice over and what is being said.
• Voice over, scottish man, introduces himself. shot of lanscape slowing moving to an image of a man. his face covers half the screen showing he is the voice over.
• title shot then fades into a background image of water, showing that this is where the journey begins.
• introduction - this was good at setting the scene, gently easing the audience in.

Research into Documentaries

As part of my research into making a documentary, i have decided to look at a number of them all ready out there to see how different genre's represent documantarys in different ways and see how i can possibly create mine.

codes and conventions

Before doing any research, i wrote down all the codes and conventions that i already expected for a documentary.

• Voice over
• cut a ways
  
• captions - titles
  
• interviews
  
• presenter
  
• location - subject specific
• undercover footage
• talking to the camera
  
• lighting
  

types of documentary's i could consider:

• mockumentaries
  
• wildlife
  
• fly on the wall
• investigative
• experimental
• educational
• biography/profile
  
• music
• journey
• travel
• docu - drama
• reality TV
• historical
  
• science
  
• fashion
  

Definition of a documentary

After being given the Brief i found some definitions on the interenet to see what a documentary actually is.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/documentary:

• Communication Arts / Broadcasting) a factual film or television programme about an event, person, etc., presenting the facts with little or no fiction

• resenting factual material with little or no fictional additions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film:

• Documentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality.
  

http://www.answers.com/topic/documentary:

• Presenting facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter, as in a book or film.

• A work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration.
  

http://www.yourdictionary.com/documentary:

• designating or of a film, TV program, etc. that dramatically shows or analyzes news events, social conditions, etc., with little or no fictionalization

THE BRIEF

An extract form a new documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes, together with two of the following three options:

• a radio trailer for the ducumentary
• a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary
• a newspaper advertisment of the documentary