PLANNING 25 WORD PITCH

Produce a DOCUMENTARY FILM TRAILER which is based upon the  MODEL INDUSTRY, showing the routine of being a model as well as the runway.

MOOD BOARD

IMAGES

In order to gain further insight into the FASHION INDUSTRY, but most predominantly the MODEL INDUSTRY, I used online social networking sites such as TUMBLR, to research images relating to my chosen topic. Through viewing and analyzing these specific images I was able to understand the conventional ways in which the fashion world was documented.

               

USEFUL WEBSITES

http://www.stormmodels.com/womenboards/mainboard-women


http://www.premiermodelmanagement.com/

http://www.nextmodels.com/#/home


http://www.elleuk.com/

http://www.vogue.co.uk/

http://fordmodels.tumblr.com/

NEWS ARTICLES

NEWS RELATING TO MY TOPIC

http://www.newser.com/story/114849/sad-secrets-of-the-modeling-world.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/opinion/its-fashion-week-poor-models.html?_r=2

http://www.newser.com/story/76784/model-lara-stone-people-still-call-me-fat.html

http://www.newser.com/story/94130/australia-tries-to-ban-super-skinny-models.html

http://www.newser.com/story/139901/marc-jacobs-sends-girls-14-down-runway.html

STATISTICS

STATISTICS about the health related issues that are commonly associated with models and the industry...

• In 1950 the models closely resembled the average measurements of women of that time

• The average U.S woman is 5'4" and weighs 140 pounds, in contrast the average U.S model is 5'11" and weighs 117 pounds

• Some of the pictures of models that are featured in magazines do not  really exist. The images are computer modified of different body parts, from alternate people.

• Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman now (today) she weighs 23% less

• Kate moss one of the most famous and influential models of our time is 5'7" and weighs 95 pounds. that is 30% below ideal body mass. 

• Supermodel Elle Macpherson  also meets the body mass index physical criteria for anorexia

•  In a study, 3 out of 4 woman stated that they were overweight although in fact only 1 out f 4 of them actually was. 

GENERIC RESEARCH - BEING A MODEL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2abkUwPI5Q


This three-part series takes a look at the unforgiving world of fashion, from the models whose faces grace the covers of Vogue to the people who find them, groom them and put them there

'A good model can advance fashion by ten years.' Yves Saint Laurent

'If you are not in fashion, you are nobody.' Lord Chesterfield

'A designer is only as good as the star who wears her clothes.' Edith Head

'When a person is in fashion, all they do is right.' Lord Chesterfield

'In difficult times fashion is always outrageous.' Elsa Schiaparelli

'We live not according to reason, but according to fashion.' Seneca

'The leading cause of death among fashion models is falling through street grates.' Dave Barry

RESEARCH INTO MODELING

MODEL DEFINITION

A model, sometimes referred to as a mannequin is a person who is employed to display advertise and promote commercial products (predominantly fashion garments)

QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS

I was able to view the results of my questionnaire easily through the use of google docs this enabled me to clearly see and understand the responses the public answered to my questions. As my questionnaire was answered by a variation of people I anticipated that the results would differ immensely. This expectation is  reinforced through the results given.

After analysing my results it became obvious that unlike before, many where willing to watch a documentary style of film, all though the topic of the documentaries that the audience was watching and preferred differed form art to music to fashion. Despite this when asked all said they would be intrigued to watch a documentary film based predominantly on the modeling industry, this may be because there has not up until now been a film on this. I believed it to be important to ask which aspect of a documentary my audience favored and which they least preferred, in doing so I would have knowledge in what appeals to the public when creating my final video. 

USING SOCIAL MEDIA

Through the use of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, I was able to share my questionnaire and ask people to answer my questions rather than hoping for people to find it on my blog, through doing so I also received responses from a variety of people differing in age, gender etc, consequently my results are more varied, reliable and helpful. 

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

QUESTIONNAIRE

CODES AND CONVENTIONS

VOICEOVER
In a Documentary the Voiceover is usually authoritative in some way, encouraging the audience to think that they either have some kind of specialist knowledge, enabling the programme /documentary to appear serious.

REAL FOOTAGE OF EVENTS
Documentary is essentially seen as 'non-fiction' however despite this there are debates around this.  A convention of documentary is that all events presented to us are to be 'real' by the audience/viewer. 

TECHNICALITY OF REALISM
Including 'natural' sound and lighting, inorder to reinforce the idea of being real and not constructed

ARCHIVE FOOTAGE/STILLS
To aid authenticity and to add further information which the film maker may be enable to obtain themselves.

INTERVIEW WITH EXPERTS

USE OF TEXT
The use of words on screen to anchor images in time and space. labels, dates etc trend to be believed unquestioningly and are quick and cheap way of conveying information.

SOUND

In most documentaries non-digetic sound is featured has been added. This has many affects. adding to the tension and realism of the feature

SHOT TYPES

CLOSE UPS - A shot within a film in which the subject is tightly framed and shown at a relatively larger scale

EXTREME CLOSE UPS - Similar to a close up however extreme close up are mainly used on significant objects within the film

OPENING TITLE/LOGO - This can be reference to the production company who made the film, but also the opening sequence of many films which gives detail of the actors/actress' or any other important information

TEXT - Text is predominantly shown through in order to assist the visual, as well as offering knowledge and information to the viewer, which is frequently reinforced by the film footage

RULE OF THIRDS - A normative rule that an image should be mentally or representationally divided in three horizontally and diagonally, and that the focus of the image should not be in the center of the resulting shape

DOCUMENTARY FILM TRAILERS

The September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine weighed nearly five pounds, and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. With unprecedented access, this film tells the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion.

In an era when newspapers are becoming increasingly obsolete, director Andre Rossi offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the newsroom that has kept America informed for generations yet now struggles to remain relevant as more readers turn to the Internet to stay informed on current events. With their reputations on the line, the editors and writers at The New York Times battle accusations of inaccuracy, and embrace blogging as a means of retaining readers who might otherwise allow their longtime subscriptions to expire.

Bill Cunningham is a fashion photographer, but unlike most in his profession, he rarely spends a day in a photo studio. Cunningham's work has been a long-time fixture in The New York Times; in his "Evening Hours" column, he presents pictures he's snapped of the wealthy and influential and what they're wearing to social events, while "On the Street" documents bold and individual looks worn by everyday people on the sidewalks of New York City.  Filmmaker Richard Press offers a look into the life and art of this influential figure in the documentary Bill Cunningham New York, which follows him as he works and tries to reveal what makes this unique artist tick. 

ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENTARIES

Cherry's Body Dilemma - Cherry Healey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iqoYBp6Xaw&feature=relmfu
Cherry Healey is a slave to her bathroom scales. As her teenage diaries reveal, diets and looking thin has been a lifelong obsession. And with 37 per cent of women in the UK on a diet 'most or all of the time', she's not alone. Now Cherry wants to tackle her body neurosis, so she meets up with women of all shapes and sizes to find out what makes a body beautiful. From a bodybuilder to a fat and happy fashionista, from a nudist to a frustrated slimmer, Cherry takes a look at women's body hang-ups to see if she can get rid of her own demons once and for all.

Super Slim Me - Dawn Porter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lxbcPwRuj4
Dawn Porter, embarks on an all-consuming exploration in an attempt to go from an average and healthy UK size 12 to a super skinny and fashionable US size zero. Whilst living on a diet of just 500 calories a day and sometimes under she comes face to face with the stylists, designers and agencies who are seen to be responsible for encouraging this dangerous and supposedly fashionable lifestyle. Exploring the impact it has on both the industry and those within it, as well as those who are dedicated fashion followers. 


The Truth About Online Anorexia - Fearne Cotton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnR-PxboxdI
Fearne Cotton examines the ongoing trend for super-slim women and immerses herself in the worrying world of ‘pro-ana’ websites who encourage anorexia and starvation as a life choice.As Fearne explores the diet and exercise regime of a ‘pro-ana’, she’ll try some of the extreme regimes that they endorse and meet other girls who’ve embraced the same lifestyle. She will explore the seductive nature of these ‘support’ groups, examine the world of competitive dieting, and look at relationships that ordinary women have with each other when it comes to diet and body image.

PROPOSAL FOR ADVANCED PORTFOLIO

Name - Paddi Horncastle

Title of Brief -  Documentary Film Trailer

Outline of ideas - My video will be in then form of a Documentary Film trailer, being predominantly based on the model industry. I will attempt to highlight the lives of models, as well as showing light on one of the most competitive industries in the fashion world.

Ancillary Products - Film Poster / Film Magazine Front Cover

Target Audience - All though there is no specific demographic for my piece, i believe that girls aged between 16-25 are most likely to view my 'film' as it could appeal to their interest. However there could also be a secondary audience, those who are within the model industry or are aiming to become apart of it, therefore my trailer aims to inform.

How will your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? What is your inspiration?
Through research I have been able to understand the conventions of a film trailer, but most specifically a documentary film trailer. In order to attempt to make my final piece resemble a professional trailer, I will incorporate these conventions, these include titles, slow editing, abstract shots etc. However I will also edit my footage in a way which can be seen to challenge the conventions of these genre of film, I have decided to edit the entirety of my film to black and white, I believe that this change will differentiate my film from others, as well as the colour style will reinforce the seriousness of my piece.

How will your main product and ancillary texts compliment each other?
I hope that the ancillary products I produce to accompany my main video, will compliment one another. I will try to keep a reoccurring theme through all three tasks, whether this be through colour choice, font type or images selected. 

How will you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Throughout the duration of constructing, researching, planing and evaluating my project I will use various forms of technology, in order to clearly present my work, capture my footage and edit my final piece. All of my research will be posted on Blogger and online blog, this presentation will allow my posts to be easily found as well as appearing structured and easy to read. I will also rely heavily on the internet, as I will have to watch documentary films in order to understand the codes and conventions which are used. When filming my footage I will use a video camera, and later edit my footage in Imovie, an editing software. As well as this, I will use differing forms of powerpoint, sound clips and videos during the planning, generic research and evaluation, enabling me to use as many interactive media technologies as possible.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Dissimilar to my AS project, where my product TUNE, a music magazine, had a clear target audience, which was easily categorised by age, gender and interest, for my A2 project, a documentary which offers an insight into the world of modeling, THE MODEL INDUSTRY, has the ability to appeal to all groups. Therefore my project has no specific demographic but instead will simply interest anyone who wants to find out more about or gain knowledge about the truth behind the modeling and fashion industry. This group of people would be known as my 'intended target audience.' 

FOCUS GROUP

NAME              Bronte Horncastle                      

AGE                 19                                          

SCHOOL         St Marys University

STUDYING     English and Film Studies

LIKES              Fashion, Food, Music

DISLIKES        Sport

NAME              Jaz Wasson

AGE                 17

SCHOOL         St Bernards High School 

STUDYING     English Drama Art                  

LIKES              Fashion, Reading                                                   

DISLIKES       School

NAME              Ellis Hebden

AGE                 17

SCHOOL         Southend High School 

STUDYING     Politics, History, French

LIKES              Dancing, Singing

DISLIKES       Animals

NAME             Jerry Hyams

AGE                 25

SCHOOL        Working

STUDYING    Events Manager

LIKES             Shopping, Concerts

DISLIKES      Driving

MODES OF DOCUMENTARY

Poetic Documentary

- Does not use continuity editing, sacrifices sense of the very specific location and place that continuity  creates

- Explores associations and patterns that involve temporal rhythms and spatial juxtapositions 

- Social Actors rarely become fully-fledged characters

- Opens up possibility of alternative forms of knowledge to straightforward transfer of knowledge

Expository Documentary

- Arose from dissatisfaction with distracting entertainment qualities of the fiction film 

- Voice of god commentary, poetic perspectives sought to disclose information about historical world & see that world afresh, even if ideas seem romantic or didactic 

- Addresses viewer directly, w/titles or voices

- Advances argument about historical world 
- It takes shape around commentary directed toward the viewer; images illustrate  the verbal commentary builds sense of dramatic involvement around need for solution to a problem. 

-  Nonsynchronous sound prevails (historical circumstances)

- Editing generally establishes/maintains rhetorical continuity more than spatial/temporal  

  

Observational Documentary 

- Arose from available lightweight portable synchronous recordin equipment & dissatisfaction with moralizing quality of expository documentary. 

- It allowed filmmaker to record unobtrusively what folks did when not explicitly addressing the camera. 

- It stresses the nonintervention of filmmaker 

- Filmmaker cedes control of events more than any other mode. 

- Editing doesnít construct time frame or rhythm, but enhances impression of lived or real time. 

- This mode limited filmmaker to present moment and required disciplined detachment from events themselves. 

- It uses indirect address, speech overheard, synchronous sound, relatively long takes. 

  

Interactive Documentary 

- It arose from the availability of same mobile equipment & desire to make filmmakers perspective more evident. 

- It allows filmmaker to account for past events via witnesses and experts whom viewer can also see 

- Archival footage becomes appended to these commentaries to avoid hazards of reenactment and monolithic claims of voice of god commentary 

Reflexive Documentary 

- Arose form desire to make the conventions of representation themselves more apparent and to challenge the impression of reality which other three modes normally conveyed unproblematically. 

- It is the most self-aware mode - its reflexivity makes audience aware of how other modes claim to construct "truth" through documentary practice.

- It uses many of devices of other modes but sets them on edge so viewer attends to device as well as the effect. 

- It tears away veil of filmmakers illusory absence 

Performative Documentary 

- Like Reflexive Documentary, it raises questions about knowledge

- Endorses definition of knowledge that emphasizes personal experience (in tradition of poetry, literature)

- Tries to demonstrate how understanding such personal knowledge can help us understand more general processes of society (May "mix" elements of various documentary modes to achieve link between subjective knowledge/understanding of the world, and more general understandings, i.e. historical ones.)

DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTARIES

It can be argued that the responsibility to tell important stories falls on the shoulders of documentary filmmakers.  Given the recent unprecedented box-office successes for some documentaries, it is evident that the public desire for more documentary based films is at it strongest, however despite this many extraordinary documentaries have difficulties broadcasting their feature as well as attracting large audiences, due to a lack of publicity, in comparison to blockbuster titles. Nevertheless advances in technology, and the widening of peoples knowledge in software etc can be said to have made it easier for filmmakers to distribute their work.    

GENERIC RESEARCH

What is a Documentary 
The term 'documentary' is used to describe  any film which aims to document some aspect of reality. They can take many forms ; from short films documentaries lasting just three minutes, television documentaries or feature length ones that are released in cinemas alongside the latest blockbusters. 'Documentary'  has been described as a 'film making practice a cinematic tradition and ode of audience reception' that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries

History of Documentaries
The first films that could be described as documentaries were 'actualities.'These were single-shot moments captured of film :a train entering a station, a boat docking, or factory workers leaving work. The Lumiere brothers made many famous ones, such as this one of workers leaving a factory.

1920's
the newsreel tradition is an important progression in documentary film; newsreels were also sometimes staged but were usually re-enactments of events that had already happened, not attempts to steer events as they were in the process of happening

1920 - 1940
From 1920 to the 1940's most factual or documentary films were propaganda, with their main purpose being t persuade the audience of a point.

1950 - 1970's
The 1950's saw the start o a movement known as 'cinema-verite' (or direct cinema) the fundamentals of the  style include following a person during a crisis with a moving , often handheld, camera to capture more personal reactions. there are no sit down interviews and the shooting ratio (the amount of film shot to the finished product) is very high, often reaching eighty to one. From there, editors  fin and sculpt the work into a film.

Modern Documentaries
Box office analysts have noted that this film genre has become increasingly successful in theatrical release with films such as ....super size me, march of the penguins, fahrenheit 9/11.....compared to dramatic narrative films documentaries typically have far lower budgets which makes them attractive  to film companies because even  limited theatrical release can be highly profitable.

THE BEGINNING OF FILM, 1890's

• Post modernism is different text in media in media form makes it more stimulus for the reader/audience.
• Intertextuality, is when (in a music video) there is not only a performer but also creating a message for the audience.
• Editing has to make sense in a narrative way
• One text referencing another - in music videos etc
• Homage/ Pastiche - references to action sequences from a previous film, such as 'AnuvaHood' is influenced and affected by the previous film 'KidultHood'
• Lumiere Brothers -MODERN- first people to create film -ACTUALITIES- they toured with their films using CINEMATOGRAPH - which successfully functioned as as a camera, projector and printer
• Should wait for person/action to come into the shot
• The Brothers where playing around with film, seeing what they was able to do!! They were experimenters 
• La voyage dans la Lune 1902

'ABOUT A GIRL' SHORT FILM

http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/movingshorts/films/film9.html
http://www.silverfilms.co.uk/movies/short-films/about-a-girl

'About a Girl' released in 2001, is an example of a successful short film, based on the events of a true story. The short film won in total 8 awards, including a Bafta. Despite the majority of the feature depicting the life of a suppose ordinary young girl, the generic dialogue and everyday happenings, offered an obvious contrast to the shocking and unexpected ending, and overall message of the feature. Camera angles and narration assists in conveying the innocence and naivety of the girl compared to the act she was committing. Sad and eye opening, this short film skillfully conveys the concern of the writer, as well as educating the audience, in an unexpected area. 

THE PHONE CALL

In order to gain experience in differing video cameras, before filming for our chosen piece, we was set a task to film a scenario 'THE PHONE CALL' by doing so we was able to set up a camera, as well as a tripod, film footage from a variety of angles and shot types, and later edit the video, incorporating as many different transitions and edits as possible, this included cutaway and titles.

TIPS FOR FILMING

After viewing the previous years final videos, I was able to note aspects which I believed to assist in making the film appear professional but also noticed some aspects which were not so good. Watching these videos was beneficial as it enabled me learn tips on what not to and what to do when it comes too filming. 

• Use a tripod to keep the shots steady.
• Make sure sound levels are synchronised with movements etc. By using a microphone, or a similar device.
• The pace of editing was appropriate for this genre of film.
• Hand-held cameras - could use 2 cameras to create a homevideo contrast effect.
• Think carefully about what Institution identity to use, e.g. Working-Title for a British type of film.
• Consider lighting.
• Sometimes when creating horror videos, less is more impact.
• The editing process is extremely important.
• Rule of thirds is a good technique when filming. 
• If you are adding titles throughout the film/trailer, think carefully about the words - they could spoil it.

EXAMINER'S REPORT 2011

• Candidates frequently spent substantial time planning the main production but hardly considered their ancillary tasks.
• Candidates had presented their pre-production material with a director’s commentary
• Combined performance and narrative to good effect, with a variety of camera work used creatively and with appropriate editing.
• The best teaser trailers showed excellent understanding of the genre, being short in length and consisting of numerous shots that were tightly edited.
• Candidates seemed to spend so little time (or had little knowledge of) the importance of the lighting and composition of images in their principal shoots that they were left with sub-standard original material to work with.
• The best videos combined performance and narrative to good effect, with a variety of camera work used creatively and with appropriate editing.
• Best practice made creative and varied use of digital technology in the presentation of work, using such things as video, audio, PowerPoint and freely available presentation software online such as Prezi and Scribd.
• Candidates whose responses are limited to essay style prose, whether on a blog or PowerPoint presentation illustrated by some still images, do not demonstrate excellence in the use of digital technology in the presentation of their work.
• Images were best when thought had been given to pose, expression, props, lighting, costume and setting and when subsequent use of image software enhanced the photos appropriately.
• Camerawork was often far too limited, particularly lacking in close ups and with insufficient attention paid to framing.

INTRODUCTION

Throughout the entirety of my Advanced Portfolio blog, I will demonstrate a wide range of media techniques shown in differing formats. Task options for this topic, is to either produce a short film,a film trailer or a  documentary. As I have had no previous experience in creating any of these, I will research into all, then decide which style of video will suit my ideas and concept the most. In addition, I will need to create two ancillary products to accompany my final piece. My Advance Portfolio will convey the skills I will acquire and knowledge I hope to gain in differing media formats.