BOOMSATSUMA PORTFOLIO
CDM 301
boomsatsuma are looking for a range of exciting short portrait documentaries to be included in an anthology collection titled ‘boom docs vol.1’. Your documentary should focus on one person and an aspect/s of their life. The length should fall between 3 and 5 minutes and include an interview and some form of B-role/GV or archive footage/photography.
Mindmap
Idea 1
Treatment
Target Audience is planning to B-C as tom is B as a graphic designer as well as some e as students who want to learn more about it and get ideas for careers. These people we are hoping are Reformers as trying to learn more and explorers who are actively earning more already. The interest in this is key with the audience with documentaries on channel 5 like 24/7 showing behind closed doors show there is a need to show the behind the scenes and not many people have and also looked into the mental health aspect of it which many people are trying to expand their knowledge about.
Project Outline: Life of a firefighter is going to be short documentary, 5 minutes in length. In the documentary I want to show how great being a firefighter is and how rewarding your daily work is. However I also want to show the negatives of being a firefighter with the battle of mental health issues. The media I am intending to use in this short documentary is sit down interview A-roll footage with lots of B-roll footage shot at the fire station showing what they on a day to day basis. I also want to highlight the person being interviewed background and what made them want to become a firefighter and how something might of inspired them. Tom works in on Hill Road in Clevedon which I have done test shooting in the building before. It has great natural light within the building due to the wide opening windows art the front of the shop as well as lots of ceiling lights throughout the shop as it is a graphic design studio and printing shop. The environment is great as well with lots of items on the wall as well as art. There is a purple elephant wallpaper onto a wall as well as a mural which has a natural vibe at the back of the shop.
Audio Elements:
I am planning to use low level copyright free music during parts of the background which is low key and has a generic tone and not electronic.
I will be using a legal microphone while recording audio of Simon to get crisp audio which sounds clear and only focus's on Simon and not background audio.
Visual elements:
I am going to be using a lot of archive footage which is available online as well as Simon has a large range of photographs and videos. I will also be using parts of Simon's Book.
The interview is going to be in few places which one will be at Simons apartment in Richmond as well as outside Scotland Yard in London as well as alongside the cycle path where one of the victims where murdered.
Working Title
Life of a firefighter
Genre
Documentary
Duration
5 Minutes
Key scenes
Tom in training
Tom sat down in uniform
Tom sat down in casual clothing
Moodboard
Budget
legal and ethical concerns
Copyright is a way of protecting a person's intellectual property and gives them exclusive rights to make copies of their creative work usually for a limited time, it restricts others from reproducing or copying someone's work without permission. In our work to respect the copyright of other people's work, we will ensure to use non-copyrighted music which can be obtained from places such as Youtube Audio Studio. If we were to receive a complaint that we had someone's copyrighted property, first we would check the validity of the claim made. If the claim is false, we would contest it through the correct routes. If the claim lies within a grey area of the law of under fair use, we will make sure to highlight this to those making the complaint, and solve it between us. This may result in us having to remove and replace the part from the video. Although we tried to make sure not to infringe if we were to outright infringe on someone's copyrighted property, we would immediately take down the video and correct it by removing all that was copyrighted.
OFCOM is the Regulator of communication services in the UK that the public rely on every day.
They regulate services online through broadband and TV and postal services run by royal mail. Any complaints across these boards are directed to OFCOM. They have a duty of care to protect the general public from harmful and offensive content published. However they do not provide services to do with contracts with companies to do with mobile phone contracts or broadbands and are not responsible for TV advertising as this is provided by ASA and CAP. They are also not responsible for what people post on social media, this should be reported directly to companies. Across all platforms they make sure people are being equal such as not discriminating against anyone and making sure stereotypes are not being used. They look at language and terminology used online as they get reports from the public; however they can only take action with significant evidence, however freedom of speech is one of the most important parts of OFCOM and to make sure every voice is heard, especially with complaints about communication services on TV and Radio. They also make sure that what people are saying is true, if they receive a complaint about a program or advert that is false they have the right to remove it as it may harm another companies product or services, However if it has been posted on a private companies site such as instagram or youtube you must report it to the companies rather than OFCOM, this is because these companies are international corporations.
Personal In formation concerns
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Only include information they give consent to even if they say it in the interview as they may feel like they are under pressure.
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Show the character in a good light by only including correct information about them and nothing they could find offensive.
mental health concerns
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Give warnings about what this documentary contains at the start (Footage of fires)
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Give warnings that this documentary mentions mental health issues
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Only contain information which is factually correct about mental health
sample material
Idea 2
Treatment
Target Audience and Potential Market Position:
Target Audience is planning to B-C as Simon is B as a author and works in the House of Lords. Also aiming at some E as students who want to learn more about it and get ideas for careers. These people we are hoping are Reformers as trying to learn more and explorers who are actively earning more already. The interest in this is key with the audience who like crime thrillers and documentaries about murder and other serious crimes. This interview can show them a family perspective of what it was like when your family are so heavily involved.
Project Outline: What my dad did is a short personal documentary about Simon Farquhar's Father who was a MET police detective and was the first ever officer to arrest somebody of murder without a body as evidence. He wrote a book call the railway murders which tells the story of his dad who led the investigation. It would be interesting interviewing him about writing the book and the difficult time he went through with it. For example my mum got a Special mention in the book because she was helping him through the tough time. He also works in the House of Lords as a writer to write up everything that is saids in a debate so other can read it online accurately. His writing has been short listed for many awards
Working Title
What My Dad Did
Genre
Documentary
Audio Elements:
I am planning to use non copyright music with joyful sections as well as sad moments when tom talks
about mental health.
I will be using a legal microphone while recording audio of Tom to get crisp audio which sounds clear and only focus's on Tom
Visual elements:
I am going to be using GV footage of the station to fill the gaps while Tom is talking. This footage is going to contain footage of training as well as what they do when they dont have a job.
I will be setting up a setting where Tom can sit down in both a uniform as well as casual clothing to answer questions about training to be a firefighter and before as well as other items including what's it like on the job.
Duration
5 Minutes
Key scenes
On the river talking
In his office talking
By the railway talking
Moodboard
Budget
Same budget as Life Of A Firefighter
ADDITIONAL BUDGET
These are the extra items I need to add to my budget to make what my dad did achievable
legal and ethical concerns
Copyright is a way of protecting a person's intellectual property and gives them exclusive rights to make copies of their creative work usually for a limited time, it restricts others from reproducing or copying someone's work without permission. In our work to respect the copyright of other people's work, we will ensure to use non-copyrighted music which can be obtained from places such as Youtube Audio Studio. If we were to receive a complaint that we had someone's copyrighted property, first we would check the validity of the claim made. If the claim is false, we would contest it through the correct routes. If the claim lies within a grey area of the law of under fair use, we will make sure to highlight this to those making the complaint, and solve it between us. This may result in us having to remove and replace the part from the video. Although we tried to make sure not to infringe if we were to outright infringe on someone's copyrighted property, we would immediately take down the video and correct it by removing all that was copyrighted.
OFCOM is the Regulator of communication services in the UK that the public rely on every day.
They regulate services online through broadband and TV and postal services run by royal mail. Any complaints across these boards are directed to OFCOM. They have a duty of care to protect the general public from harmful and offensive content published. However they do not provide services to do with contracts with companies to do with mobile phone contracts or broadbands and are not responsible for TV advertising as this is provided by ASA and CAP. They are also not responsible for what people post on social media, this should be reported directly to companies. Across all platforms they make sure people are being equal such as not discriminating against anyone and making sure stereotypes are not being used. They look at language and terminology used online as they get reports from the public; however they can only take action with significant evidence, however freedom of speech is one of the most important parts of OFCOM and to make sure every voice is heard, especially with complaints about communication services on TV and Radio. They also make sure that what people are saying is true, if they receive a complaint about a program or advert that is false they have the right to remove it as it may harm another companies product or services, However if it has been posted on a private companies site such as instagram or youtube you must report it to the companies rather than OFCOM, this is because these companies are international corporations.
Personal In formation concerns
-
Only include information they give consent to even if they say it in the interview as they may feel like they are under pressure.
-
Show the character in a good light by only including correct information about them and nothing they could find offensive.
-
Delete any footage where they said something they dont want in the documentary
Ethical Concerns
-
Given the nature of the topic give a warning at the start to explain that this interview will contain some details about extreme crime.
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Only include information which is factually correct about the case and book.
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Offer support at the end of the documentary which links to if anyone is suffering because they know a victim or they are themselves then reach out.
sample material
I have chosen to continue with my idea "Life Of A Firefighter." I am very pleased with my planning for this idea and want to take it forward into production and create the short personal documentary. We are planning to shoot the short documentary within Clevedon fire station which is where we are going to do the interview for A roll and different shots in and around Clevedon seafront and hill road shops. We are hoping to film everything on 1 day the 30/3/22 however we have the 31/3/22 as a backup date if the weather turns or there is an issue at the fire station which means we have to leave. The interview is taking place at 4:30pm which gives us 5 hour to shoot b roll before. The style is going to be an A roll interview with B roll on top of clips of different areas he talks about such as his job as a graphic designer and firefighter as well as his fitness. Below I have outlined all the pre production documents
production schedule
Risk Assessment
Recce's
Kit List
Call Sheet
in/post production
RAW FOOTAGE
RAW Footage 1
I used my drone to film this shot in clevedon which is on the seafront. The flower bed is a perfect circle along the green which is just off the promenade. It was perfect as no one was around and I managed to line the drone in the middle so it is a perfect show while flying up smoothly
RAW Footage 2
I filmed this shot outside of that copy shop on Alexander road in clevedon with Tom Sharp looking at the camera and not talking which is a. very common hot within documentaries. I got the inspiration for this shot from statue wars which was shown on BBC one and is about the Colton statue with the mayor.
RAW Footage 3
I filmed this shot outside Clevedon Fire Station where they were leaving for a drill exercise and opened the door for our cameras. The shot looks great and has the ability to be slow or sped up to make it look quicker. In post production I am planning to colour. grade the shot as it was getting dark by this point in time.
Behind the scenes
Here are some of the pictures we took behind the scenes while filming life of a firefighter and the challenges we faced while filming including the weather which is why we used an umbrella and camera covers for the majority of the outdoor shots to keep our equipment dry. We filmed in multiple places within the Clevedon area including the seafront by salt-house fields and along by there bandstand which is where Tom has done some training before. Outside and inside thatcopyshop which is where Tom works as a graphic designer as well as the fire station.
Editing Process
To edit Life Of A Firefighter I used Final Cut Pro for the most of the editing however I also used Adobe Premier Pro for some of the shots as I found the titles and overall graphic to be better on Premier Pro. As you can see my timeline consists of the music layers, the A-Roll interview as well as achieve footage and GV. Since editing the first craft I have changed the music to be more gradual as well as adding additional effects to the archive footage so it isn't a black screen being the photos. I also added movement to these shots so it is more pleasing for the viewer to watch.
Portrait Documentary
Evaluation
I am incredibly pleased on how my final documentary has turned out. I have created an 5 Minute personal documentary on Tom Sharp who is a firefighter based at station 17 in Clevedon, North Somerset. Tom has been a firefighter for 2 years and had some incurable stories to say however not all of them could make the cut of 5 minutes we decided to show the highlights alongside some GV and archive photos given to us by Tom.
Shooting Life Of A Firefighter was a difficult task to complete because of the challenges of time and the B-Roll. In the morning of the interview we shot a lot of the GV inc Clevedon however the weather was not on our side for the shoot. For example at 12:30 the moment we were going to start filiming It started raining very heavily, which you cans in my behind the scenes. However we carried on and make improvisations to allow the shoot to continue. We managed to arrive at the station early to capture some footage before Tom arrive ed including a shot we never planned of Tom driving in. Due to the tight station timetable we only had 1 hour and 30 minutes to film the interview as Tom has to leave by 6pm so we manage to set up and pack away in time to have a whole hour of footage to work with to create an amazing story.
During post production I found it tricky to narrow down different stories that he talked about however I managed to get it to 4 minutes and 57 seconds. The overall edit was tricky because of the cutting down however it was very enjoyable because of the interesting topic that Tom talked about which I overlayed with a lot of archive footage which was slow moving. Overall there would not be much I would change about what I did except allowed more time at the station to gather even more b-roll of inside the station however due to Tom’s timetable it wasn’t available for that week.
If we were planning to film another portrait documentary I would give 2 days for the shoot so we could do an interview in 2 different locations as well as gather more B roll. If Tom the interviewee had more time this is what we were planning on doing. In the future to improve my skills I would take 2 c100 cameras so I could have a 2 angle interview for the whole thing which would make the editing process more interesting and challenging.