Commissions Unit- Research (Contacting Anna Kennedy)

I discovered that I had the perfect person to feature in our documentary when I found out about the occupation of one of my Mum's Facebook friends, Anna Kennedy. It turns out that she has run a school for autistic children over the last 15 years in Kent and has two autistic sons. She also has a second school in Bromley which was officially opened by Sarah Cameron (David Cameron's wife). 

Anna Kennedy and Sarah Cameron

Here is a link to an article she was featured in:

http://metro.co.uk/2012/04/24/anna-kennedy-raising-autistic-children-is-physically-and-mentally-demanding-400043/

..As well as her school in Greater London, Hillingdon Manor School:

http://www.hillingdonmanorschool.org.uk/about/anna-kennedy/

Because she knows her through Facebook my Mum sent her an email through her email address. 

This is the response she received back..

Because of this response I have decided to email her asking if she wouldn't mind us filming at the autistic school she runs in Bromley, Kent. Not only would this be easy to access but it would allow for excellent coverage in our film. I will give a further update when I receive a message in response.

Commissions Unit- (Canterbury Field Trip) Workshop

Last week the class went on two separate field trips to Canterbury. Ilianna and I were part of the second trip which ended up being to a stonemasonry site. One purpose of the trip was to see how they would design a giant stained glass window at Canterbury Cathedral but unfortunately there was a wedding in progress. This meant that the trip was instead taken to the stonemason's building site. It was interesting because we got to see how the designers worked in their environment with the materials. 

On the site myself and Ilianna were placed in a small group with Sam Babington and Sophie Marriott. The goal of the day was to film the workers amidst construction using the Sony PMW camera's to see what different angles and specific actions we could use. For this project, I was the sound technician using a rode microphone. Ilianna was the cinematographer.

I feel that I learnt a bit about the kind of style that would be good for this project to use and it helped with understanding just how important coverage can be. Visually and sound wise I feel it came quite well and this experience will help us with the development of our upcoming Documentary piece and actuality filming.

Here is the finished film we made: 

Commissions Unit- Mini Film Video

This is the finished movie that Ilianna and I have completed for our Mini Film which I have uploaded onto Youtube.

Commissions Unit- Mini Film Script

Mini Project Script (Sam & Illy)

Commissions Unit- Mini Project

The class have been set up in our groups to film a 1 minute "Mini Project" about the day to day life of a person/student. Myself and Illianna have decided to film a specific sequence on Thursday for this. This project is to help us prepare for our upcoming Documentary projects. For this we will need to work out how to sequence our footage, we will make a script for this.

Commissions Unit- Definition of Autism

What is Autism? 

"Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them."http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/autism-and-asperger-syndrome-an-introduction/what-is-autism.aspx

Commissions Unit- Finalised Idea (Autism Documentary: Unsung Heroes)

After many discussions with Ilianna we finally decided what our new idea should be:

We decided to make a Documentary about parents raising autistic children once we realised that we that we had the right amount of connections available and knowledge on the subject to make a great idea come to life.

Statistics for known cases of Autism have risen considerably
 in the last 20 years as awareness becomes stronger. 

This idea initially came about when Ilianna wanted to use her research about single parents to form a Documentary. When making her original idea we decided to email it to our tutor Helen. Unfortunately we soon we to discover it was quite similar to another group's idea. This meant that myself and Ilianna had to decide between us whether their was a way to develop it or start from scratch. We looked at the ideas we had thought of and came up with the idea of making it about the families coping with disabilities. I then suggested making the subject matter more specific i.e Autism once we both realised we had access to separate families raising autistic children.

The great thing was that we'd managed to find an idea that combined thoughts Ilianna and myself had previously shared which meant it was as much a collaboration as possible. We could also retain the family aspect of the single parents concept. We both were inspired by the people around us that we knew when coming up with it. I've grown up knowing a family called the Aricci's ever since I can remember. The oldest son, Alex is the same age as me and i've witnessed the effects autism has had on him growing up. I sent seperate Facebook messages to Alex as well as his father Anthony who has agreed about the Documentary proposal of interviewing them. I will also get permission for the entire family if needed as I like the idea. Particularly as I have access to valuable information as Anthony is very knowledgeable on the subject. 

This is the idea Ilianna thought of: 

"I, for example, got inspired by a close family friend, that is a single mother that raised her autistic son alone after her husband abandoned her due to their son's condition.

However we want the main focus about our documentary to be about how they have faced their issues dealing with autism and their parents have coped with these problems. We will mention a clear definition on the subject and make sure that it is represented properly. Also we will bring up how these parents are an example of unsung heroism in the real world having to cope with the struggles and the consequence of raising children with a disability.

Commissions Unit- "My Hero" Idea 3 (Single Parents)

After we were asked to use a backup idea instead of "Unsung Heroes" myself and Ilianna had a meeting to decide what we would instead focus on. We decided that we wanted to develop one of the ideas that Ilianna had thought of to do with single parents. What initially seemed like a fairly standard idea soon became much more interesting when we realised just how much we can focus on in regards to their role in society. It also holds some deep meaning for Ilianna as she has noted on her blog:

"I grew up with both parents present till about the age of 13, when at that age my father died after having a heart surgery to replace his valves. What I, as a teenage girl, experienced was dreadful and I absolutely praise my mum for staying so strong and raising me as a single parent with no help till now. I went through a lot, but to be honest, I wouldn't survive the loss without the support of my mother, or she without mine. So yes, she is my hero, she's one of the most important people in my life that lifted my mood when I felt like my life had ended, and so I want to dedicate this "hero" project to all those single parents that are heroes for their own children. Saying that, through this film we don't only want to dedicate this to single mothers, but to single fathers too, as their role in general has been underrated by the society we live in." 
(http://iliannainuca.blogspot.co.uk)

This idea also holds meaning for me, i've been raised by my Mum since I was about two and although i've also had someone in my life who I could regard as a step-father for the most part it's been my Mum looking after me. This had a great experience in effecting me as I grew up as an only child. However I have to say that she always supported me and I feel that she dealt really well against the challenges that single parents have to face. So Illy's right when she says this project is for all the single parents out their that have the task of raising their kids in a family centric world.

Here is the pitch presentation we decided to use for this idea:

IDEA 3: Single Parents

Title: “My Hero”

Producer: Ilianna Ntouvli

Director: Ilianna Ntouvli, Sam Mckeown

Introduction:

In life we believe that our society, has not been fair to the heroes around us, mainly to the single parents facing everyday challenges of raising a child alone.
The main conflict is within the families and when single parents are exposed to this rather challenging role to raise a child alone in a critical world: they would have to focus on their duty as a new parent and face the challenges/package that comes with it.

Ultimately we want the audience to feel like they’ve engaged and related themselves to the stories exposed through our documentary film and be sympathetic with each character.
Also to understand that the credit given to those “heroes” is underestimated as we, as a population, should not criticize the way in which these parents have voluntarily chosen or not have had a choice, to experience.

This is the idea we want to pass to our audience and the society we live in. From ages 16-34, I want this film to be an example of a way to show the consequences of raising a child alone.

People Included:
-Single Mothers/Fathers

-Grand-parents (of children)

-Possibly children

-Doctors? (showing statistics/studies related to topic)

Location/environment:

-Home of single parent or grandparent of child

-office of doctor

-playground.

Target Group:

Part of doing a documentary film for BBC 3, is that the target group is mainly ages from 16- 34, which is exactly the group we're targeting for. This is due to through those ages we can explain this situation and have a great impact on it, as the age group we’re targeting for is the ‘new generation’/ the millennial generation and we can in some way make a change in this situation.

Possible Time Aired:

-19:00-20:00.
-It’s usually the time slot when they air ‘Hotel of Mum and Dad’, again, similar to our film.

-It’s also the first time slot meaning that it’s a time when usually families sit together to watch television. Or when most parents come back from work to relax and watch something entertaining but rather educational.

-It is also when all the other channels like E4, Channel 4 & 5, ITV, etc. are usually airing American television series.

In preparation for the "Single Parents" Documentary idea I started researching into any information that I felt would be helpful for our idea.

One of the first things I found was this website which has some very interesting statistics on it about single parents:

http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/365/Statistics

Commissions Unit- Feedback For "Unsung Heroes" Pitch + Email Query's

Ilianna and myself received some feedback about our project from Helen, Fergus and Rachel. Some of the criticism was quite mixed. It seems looking at the feedback for the "Unsung Heroes"pitch that the idea came across as overly ambitious for the short timespan we are given to plan and work on this project.  Another reason was the risk of danger due to filming in a psychiatric hospital, (such as The Maudsley Hospital) mainly because patients could potentially get out of hand. Also the patients would be restricted and the main focus would be the on the psychotherapists and nurses which was arguably not enough for the documentary to base around. So although I personally thought it was a good idea, (as did Ilianna) it was likely to be quite a difficult idea to put into action and would have taken arguably longer than two months to film. 

Another point was that it needs to appeal widely to our target audience. These days if your pitch doesn’t fit into what the BBC thinks the 16-34 demographic want, then its less likely your idea will be chosen.

After we finished the pitch I also was informed by my Mum that she had received permission to film in the hospital. This was confirmed through Richard Morley who is in charge of the Communications/ Media department at the Maudsley Hospital. Here are the emails as I received them in chronological order:

Email 1

Email 2

Email 3

Commissions Unit- Thoughts On BBC Three Being Axed

Earlier this month in the news there was a huge media uproar when it was announced that BBC Three was being axed as a broadcasting channel and will instead only be available in some capacity online.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26447089

"The BBC's decision follows a speech given by director general Tony Hall last week, in which he said "tough choices" would have to be made if the corporation was to meet its savings target.

"We are in the final stages of a budget process to find an extra £100m of savings," he said at the Oxford Media Convention. "I will announce the outcome of those decisions in the next month.""The futures of both BBC Three and BBC Four have been much discussed as the corporation continues to implement its savings plans."

Since this is the channel my Documentary is meant to hypothetically be aired on and as i'm in the demographic for BBC Three I thought I would share my thoughts on this decision.

I think this is a worse solution than the other one proposed, which was folding BBC Four into BBC Two and making the latter channel more highbrow.

The BBC needs to think about the teenagers and young adults who watch their programming, because they're the next generation of licence fee payers. It makes me wonder what exactly does doing this say about their commitment to that audience?

However looking at it from the BBC's point of view I would say it somewhat makes sense. Especially considering how BBC 3 shows do very well on iPlayer and catch-up. Also, 3 has been producing an increasing amount of online content lately. 

Commissions Unit- Sound Workshop (12/03/14)

On Wednesday 12th March I had a sound workshop with Fergus in which we were shown different ways of tracking sound to get the best possible coverage. This will come in helpful in preparation for this Unit as a way of guaranteeing great sound. Here is a demo sound clip from that workshop featuring the sound kit that was used on that day.




Unfortunately Ilianna was still ill on that day but I have asked Fergus if he would be willing to re-explain the basic of the equipment used for Ilianna and myself at a later date.

Commissions Unit- The "Unsung Heroes" Pitch

After a long discussion with Ilianna in regards to our pitch presentation we decided to morph part of my second idea (Unsung Heroes) and the information she had gathered from her own idea on Mental Illness Patients. We came to the conclusion that using all of our previous knowledge and research on the subject "Unsung Heroes" is one of our most viable ideas to put forward.

Here is a copy of the pitch that we wrote down together and presented for general feedback, analysis and a Q&A.

Sam & Illy: Pitch One by SamMcK123

Commissions Unit- Finding The Right Interviewees

An interesting interview with Marlon Brando
on the Dick Cavett Show, 1973.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAPDQ5MlLxE

Apart from story and planning, one of the most crucial parts of filming a great documentary is finding the right people to volunteer for your film. Getting interviews with people that have nothing of relevance to say can ruin a documentary, no matter how great the story or subject matter is. This is why it's important to know how to make interviewees feel at ease and give the most interesting answers.

The thing about making a Documentary is that no matter what it's about you've got to find a way to draw in audiences and keep hold a of their attention. It is normally regarded as very important in these circumstances to find volunteers that will flesh out the basis of your films's story-telling.
It is often the case in the best Documentary's to see people that have exaggerated characters, this doesn't mean that they tell lies but rather that they are good at explaining the chosen story and giving insight in a way that is captivating to its audience. I want to find this type of character in our Documentary that is willing to tell us their stories. If the "Unsung Heroes" idea is chosen for example, I need people working at the NHS to describe what motivates them to continue working and take on the stress levels of their day to day job. For this to work the questions need to be posed in a way that makes them feel comfortable.

Commissions Unit- Research into BBC Three + Possible Timeslots

To get ready for this project I have decided to do some research into the types of documentary's that channels such as BBC3 are renowned for since this is the channel that would hypothetically show our finished film. Ilianna and I searched for ideas after the initial group meeting and we came back with our suggestions. Once we thought of some potentially interesting ideas we wrote them down and decided to see if we could make them as original as possible.

Here are some Documentaries I looked at to see what types of shows they are looking for, I found some very useful information on the BBC website. This contained a Commissioning brief for BBC Three's programming including Documentaries and Current Affairs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/briefs/tv/browse-by-channel/bbc-three/

BBC Three Controller: Zai Bennett

Our Priorities

BBC Three is primarily aimed at younger
audiences than it's sister channels.

We have three key priorities:

• The channel needs to be disciplined about focusing on the young - its centre of gravity will be 16-34 year-olds: people who are young in spirit and mindset.
• BBC Three is ‘Never Afraid to Try New Things’ and that’s why we will continue to innovate with breakthrough comedy, stand-out entertainment, brave documentary and intelligent factual formats. Our content needs to have potential to innovate across platforms.
• BBC Three should provide an environment for the development of new ideas and talent and for existing talent to take risks, becoming a genuine laboratory for BBC One and BBC Two.

I then found out some information about what they are looking for in regards to Documentary's and Current Affairs..

Documentary and Current Affairs

Whether its matters of body or mind, bringing programming together around a single season or theme works well on BBC Three. The Criminal Britain and The Body Beautiful seasons were great successes and more recently we aired It's a Mad World, an agenda setting season of thought-provoking and often uplifting programmes dedicated to debunking the myths and taboos around mental health issues. We are always seeking ideas for new seasons that will engage with our audience.  And this engagement can also be more light- hearted.   Our documentary series The Call Centre, achieved high ratings with our audiences when, thanks to boss Nev, we got involved with the lives and loves of the very entertaining employees of a Swansea call centre.

We are also looking for ideas for single documentaries like the hard-hitting India: A Dangerous Place To Be A Woman and Petrol Bombs and Peace: Welcome to Belfast, as well as series that can shine a light on domestic and international issues such as Stacey Dooley’s three part investigation into drug trafficking.  And we’ve had  great success with fast turnaround documentaries reflecting big news stories eg Oscar Pistorius: What Really Happened?  Horsemeat Banquet and The Cleveland Captives: What Really Happened? 

I think looking at everything that has been written here the ideas Ilianna and myself have chosen we could appeal towards the audience that would typically watch this type of programming. I think it is clear that a lot of these shows like adding a sense of drama as well so that is important to keep in mind.

In regards to a possible time-slot  I want to aim for one around the 8:30 to 9:30 mark and think this would be beneficial for us. This is the time in which most other channels such as Channel 4, E4 and Five are showing US imports. On the main channels such as ITV and BBC shows such as Coronation Street and Panorama respectively are aimed at older audiences. I think this gives us a higher chance that audiences in the 16-34 age bracket will sit down and watch a Documentary on BBC Three.

I also found an interview with Sam Bickley, the Head of Commissioning for Features on Documentaries on BBC Three:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/briefs/tv/browse-by-genre/documentaries/documentaries-on-bbc-three.shtml

Commissions Unit- Idea 2 (Unsung Heroes)

http://www.nhsheroes.co.uk/

The second Idea I have thought up is much more to do with public heroes. This means I will focus more on the general aspect of those who often go under-appreciated for their work. I will be focusing on those that have jobs in the public sector, an example of this would be those working for the NHS.

If this idea is chosen I want to interview those that have been in charge of helping people who have struggled with issues such as addiction (i.e drugs, gambling) and Mental Health Issues.

The Maudsley Hospital is a
psychiatric hospital in South London.

There are some very beneficial reasons behind me picking this idea. One of them has to do with wanting to show appreciation for heroes who's deeds go unsung. This is the type of documentary that will greatly appeal to channels such as BBC Three and almost guarantees a viewing audience. It all comes down to how you approach it. Personally I want interviews with those who have faced and dealt with many problems in their job. 
Originally I was unsure as to what to base this idea around. I've decided to build this idea mainly around those working in Psychotherapy, particularly those that have had a lot of experience.

The biggest reason for picking this idea is because my Mother has had experience working in this capacity for many years as a psychotherapist in cognitive analytic therapy (CAT). This means that it would be much more likely to get interviews because of her job background working at The Maudsley Hospital. She has also had much experience working with people that have personality disorders.
http://www.national.slam.nhs.uk/about-us/our-experts/jannoliver/

Edit: I have decided to not concentrate solely on Psychotherapists, as they are generally seen as being a bit middle class and expensive- I would say mental health professionals such as nurses and psychotherapists. Nurses are generally regarded more highly, especially as the government has just announced nurses are not all going to get a pay rise this year, after not having one for 4 years! I think mentioning this will give them more sympathy from viewing audiences.
There are 3 main categories of mental illness:- Psychosis, Bipolar and Personality Disorder. Here's a link for a clearer definition of personality disorder:- http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/personality-disorder/pages/definition.aspx

Commissions Unit- Idea 1 (Stan Laurel Documentary)

The first idea I came up with for the Documentary film I am making with Ilianna is very different than the second. For a start this idea is more of a niche topic and it is based around the celebrity hero rather than the unknown one. The topic is comedy and the man, is Stan Laurel.

Yeah, this guy.

There are many different reasons I chose to go with this very specific idea. For one I want to find out the reason WHY in the 21st century fans of comedy are still devoted to the films he made as a double act with Oliver "Ollie" Hardy. (Affectionately nicknamed "Babe" to his fans) Why is he still a hero to so many people in 2014?

There are more reasons I chose this topic of discussion, such as the fact that they have fraternity organisations across the world (labelled the Sons Of The Desert after their 1933 film). The interesting thing is these are in the form of over 100 convention sites mostly in the US and UK where there films are shown and members, guests and even former co-stars can reminisce about those films and everything connected with Stan and Ollie.

They even have many across the UK including in London, Glasgow, Kent, Nothern Ireland, Birmingham etc. http://www.wayoutwest.org/tents/uk.html 

A Classic Stan Laurel Production, Sons Of The Desert.

I like the idea of finding out about these conventions, where and when they are held so I can start working on contacting the individuals such as the heads of these tents. This would help me gain a greater understanding about the reasoning behind their affection for Stan as one of their comedy "heroes". Even outside of conventions they are still gaining fans of all ages due to their humour which has aged well albiet with a slower pace than many younger audiences are used to. 

Randy Skretvedt's indispensable book!

Another reasoning I have for the idea is that the films Stan Laurel took a part in are very old at this point. This means that many of their films including the first and last films Laurel and Hardy made together, are in the public domain! This means no hassle with copyright issues. I have researched into this and seen what films and what prints are eligible to use or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Deuces#Public_domain

That's a listing from their 1939 classic "The Flying Deuces, which now falls into the public domain. We are also free to use for this project many of Stan Laurel's interviews and home movies as well as newspaper clippings for which the copyright has not been renewed.

Another reason for making this film is for purely self-indulgent reasons, I was brought up on the films of Laurel and Hardy as a kid. They shaped a large part of my sense of humour. (For better or for worse) I've read much more about them then most people have including Randy Skretvedt's excellent book "Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind The Movies". 
On a minor note I have seen every surviving short, silent and feature film of Laurel and Hardy. Which I suppose using the modern terminology makes me a "hardcore" fan of the duo. or a “Laurel-ite” to use a phrase that was coined by Helen, our lecturer for this unit!

Commissions Unit- Research Ideas & Collaborating With Ilianna

For the Documentary Unit I will be collaborating with Ilianna Douvli.  We have both jointly agreed to do the BBC3 "My Hero" idea.
I am very excited for this project because I feel like the two of us working together can come up with some really intriguing ideas. We have already sat down and gone through ideas together which we will be discussing in further detail over this weekend for our pitch presentation on this upcoming Monday. (17/03/14) 
I feel like we are both passionate about our individual ideas and will try and see what is feasible for us as main and secondary plans for the project. Here are a few brief summaries of our main ideas in a nutshell. I will discuss my suggestions in further detail in upcoming blog posts so watch this space!

You can follow Ilianna's blog here: 
http://iliannainuca.blogspot.co.uk

My Ideas (In A Nutshell!)

1. My first idea is very specific/niche particularly as it is based around a different type of hero, the comedy hero. I want to find out why 63 years after his last film people still pay tribute to comedy legend Stan Laurel and his work with comedy partner Oliver "Babe" Hardy. I want to show the connection he has today with his fans long after his death and why he is revered and idolised so much in the 21st century.

2. My second idea is to find out about the more under appreciated hero's. The underdogs if you will. My main topic of thought is finding about the people in charge of helping those who have struggled with addiction (i.e Gambling) or Mental Health Issues.

Ilianna's Ideas 

1. Terminal Illness victims/survivors
2. Single Mothers raising kids by themselves.
3. Wildlife Savers/Rescuers
4. Family Heroes

Commissions Unit- Definition Of A Hero

Because the ideas I am working on for my documentary are based around people who are found to be heroic I have decided to add some definitions to make my main topic easily distinguishable.

The Modern Example of A "Super-Hero". Despite them being fictional, Batman and Superman are seen as inspirational figures for millions of fans in the 21st century.

What is a hero to me?

To me a hero is a person that is admired by others for performing a couragous act or even just inspiring them to better there life. I feel that it is arguable who can be considered a hero or not but it is all in the perceived opinion of the individual to make this decision.

The Oxford English Dictionary's Definition Of A Hero

"A person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities"

This is heavily linked to "hero worship", this is defined as "excessive admiration for someone." This is where the phrase superhero comes from.

Commissions Unit- Introduction & Initial Thoughts

We are now at the start of a new Unit for our course, and its interesting just seeing what to apply to this in terms of ideas and research. Here is the brief as was originally written on the Unit's guideline:

Conceive, develop, script, shoot and edit a 10 minute documentary which fits either:

Canterbury Cathedral

1. BBC3 –  ‘My Hero’ – stories of heroism–
Or

BBC3's current logo

2. Canterbury Cathedral – A film for their YouTube channel about the artists and artisans work to keep the beauty of the cathedral alive



For this project, I think I am going to go for the "My Hero" concept. My reasoning for this is that it honestly seems like something I will put more of my heart and soul into as the idea resonates with me more. I think it is something I will be more passionate about. This type of documentary also in my opinion lends itself to wider variation than the Canterbury Cathedral idea. I look forward to seeing what I can bring to the table.

d