third documentary

Study Confirms What We Already Knew Men and Women Aren't All That Different

http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/study-confirms-what-we-already-knew-men-and-women-arent-all-that-different/

What is the social issue being focused on in this documentary?

The documentary focuses on whether men and women are different from one another, The researchers, Harry Reis, a professor of psychology at University of Rochester, and Bobbi Carothers, senior data analyst for the Center for Public Health System Science at Washington University in St. Louis, concluded that characteristics that we traditionally associate with one sex or the other actually exist on a continuum. He said  ‘although gender differences on average are not under dispute, the idea of consistently and inflexibly gender typed individuals is," they wrote. "That is, there are not two distinct genders, but instead there are linear gradations of variables associated with sex, such as masculinity or intimacy, all of which are continuous." In addition the documentary just discusses that men and women are the same they just have different characteristic like every person. And that we state that both genders are different which influences our lives for example who gets a job interview for a sports coach, initially if their were two people interviewing for the job, one a man and the other a women we would probably hirer the man because men are idolized as being strong where as women are considered soft and warm characters.

Summaries what happens in the beginning, middle and end of this documentary?

Throughout the documentary it has a researcher discussing how we think of women and men to be different just because of their sex. He then goes on to discussing how we see each gender men to be strong and sturdy where as women to be empathic and warm. Towards the middle of the documentary he goes on to saying that it doesn’t matter what gender you are, it simply depends on who you are as a person and how you have been brought up. And the end of the documentary it goes on to settling the issue and stating that we are all the same with just some differences, and that we shouldn’t treat each other differently simply on our sex.

What type of documentary is this? Conventions used?

The documentary that I looked at was a video diary; the documentary contains the subject talking directly to the camera about the social issue. The scientist talked directly to the camera discussing how the society visualises men and women and how that has an influence on our society and how each gender sees and acts to things. Also the documentary provided a personalised view of life and how the society sees the subject matter. For example when the scientist was discussing that he thinks that men and women are the much the same, and that it has been proven by science.

There aren’t many conventions that are used in this documentary, but there are a few. A convention that is used in this documentary is opinions, opinions was used when the man stating whether he thought we were different, he replied with saying that he believes that we are all the same with just a few differences, he feels as if we shouldn’t be treat each other differently because of our genders.

What techniques are used to maintain the audience attention?

There aren’t any techniques used in the documentary, to maintain the audience attention. However there are other ways that the documentary has maintained the audience attention. One way which this has been done is through the … making clear points, and doesn’t drag his points along or gets side-tracked. For example when the researcher talks about how studies have shown that men and women are different in ways. He then goes on to explaining in what ways studies have shown genders to be different. There he has given a clear point he makes it clear what his point is which is how the audience attention is kept.

Another way that the audience attention is maintained is also by the researchers giving us clear answers and facts. For example 

In one last way the audience attention is maintained is through cuts, the documentary uses cuts after every point made by the researcher. This helps to maintain the audience attention because it separates the point being made so it’s just not a continuous string of points. In a way the cuts are a way of giving the audience a breather from the last point being made.

What is the purpose of this documentary?

The purpose of this documentary was to raise awareness, to tell us the audience that were aren’t so different than we think. Just because we are different genders doesn’t mean we drastically think different. And that we shouldn’t treats each other differently because of what society has influenced us to believe, also that a person gender shouldn’t influence who gets let’s say a job.

Who is the target audience? Age/ gender/ interest/location/language

The target audience that this documentary target is mainstream. I think mainstream because I think the topic is a subject that concerns everyone. I think because gender has a big influence on our society and how certain sexes are treated, for example who gets a job. I think this affects everyone and people of the same interest would be targeted to this documentary.

I think that this documentary would target both genders, because the documentary talks about both genders, and is trying to send the message out to both genders that we aren’t so different but there are some things that set us aside. I think that both men and women would want to see how society pictures them and how that influences our way of living, our emotions and relationships.

The age of the target audience that I think this documentary target is, a young audience. I think people between the ages of 16- onwards. I think that this documentary would target an audience starting from this age and onwards is because this is a social issue which affects everyone of different ages. For example when the researcher starts to talk about how women and men are perceived such as women are perceive as kind and caring whether as men are looked at as strong. I think at this starting age teenagers are out under a lot of pressure to act a certain way because of their gender. Also most teenagers struggle with their identity in terms of who they are and what society distinguishes them to be, this is how I think they are also being targeted.

The interest of the audience how I think would be attracted to this documentary is those who have an interest in investigative documentaries, society, social issues etc. I think that people of this interest would be targeted through this documentary as it explores just these things. The documentary looks how society sees us and the how it affects our way of living and how we treat some people, which is again how an audience of these interest are being targeted.

In addition the location, nationality and language of the audience isn’t relevant in who is targeted to this documentary as the documentary focuses mainly on gender so I think people of all and different nationality, in different location and speak different language would be targeted.  However I do think this simply because the documentary is in the English language so I think it would target those of that language more. 

How is the audience encouraged to participate in creating change?

There aren’t many ways that the audience is being encouraged to participate in creating change.  But I think that because in the documentary that it has been scientifically proven that both genders are very similar it does encourage you to rethink about how you perceive the opposite gender perhaps. 

documentary

                 Poor White Kids

What is the social issue being focused on in this documentary?

The documentary that I looked at is ‘Poor White Kids’, the social issue that is being focused on is poverty in Australia, specifically poverty amongst the children in a part in Australia and how it affects them. The documentary looks at the welfare of the poorest part Australia, which evidentially has the highest number of poor children. The documentary looks at what poverty is, what it is like to live in poverty and how it can be fixed. But this documentary develops into the world of the children who experience it and provides a devastating critique of modern inequality in the wealthiest of nations

Summaries what happens in the beginning/ middle and end?

In the beginning of the documentary it sets you up with an introduction, into the part in which that documentary is focusing on. It shares facts about this area for example the area has the highest mass of poor children. A female voiceover starts with talking about experiments in social issues in Cornwall, which turned out to be an disaster, she talks about the late 1970 the new south wales government built an housing estate and filled it with over 3,000 people from Sidney’s poorest families. The planners had created a welfares ghetto. Today its one on the most disadvantage suburbs in Australia and has the highest portion of children in the country, there are 1500 people. The female voiceover goes on to saying; we are then shown pictures of the many children that live in the area. The documentary then follows up with a young girl saying that there are a lot of fights that happen in the area, and the female voice askes the young girl why is there so many fights? The girl replies with because this is Cornwall. We then a shown a family of five, the young boy in the family says that people with cameras come to the area only when there is something bad happening.

Towards the development of the documentary it starts to look closer, into the lives of the children. Children are asked questions about the topic and about their environment where they live. The female voice then tells us why they have come to this area, which is to ask the children about their lives, and then we see children answering this question. The question is then followed up with another question which is ‘who lives around here?’ a child replies druggies.  She also askes how do you see the adult world? Another young girl is shown and talks about how she doesn’t think of her mother as one because she hasn’t been there for her. A boy is then shown and talks about how his heart has been broken by a parent, he then talks about when you are at a young age and some one makes you a promise and its broken, it stays with you forever.

Towards the resolution of the documentary it finishes with a close look at a family, in the area who is living in poverty. We are first introduced to a young girl who is applying fake nails and she goes on to telling the audience that she couldn’t attend school today simply because her bag with all her books and pencils have gone missing, and she can’t afford to buy another one. If she were to attend without these things would personally be shouted at. She leaves us with the assumption that the school treats her different because of where she lives and how much money she has. The female voiceover then goes on to saying that the family have lived in this housing estate for 13 years. The voiceover also introduces us to her older brother and younger sister. And talks about how families in Cornwall don’t work and that their income comes from an organisation call centre link. 

The voiceover is then carried on as the camera shows the audience the mother with a basket of laundry. The mother then talks about the things that she has to do without, and that she has to buy her clothes as well as the children’s clothes from a charity shop. The young girl talks about how her mother manages to pay the rent, but sometimes she wouldn’t be able to because of the pay date. When I say this I mean if the rent was due on a Wednesday but the mother doesn’t get pay until a Friday. And another voiceover tells us a bit about the mother, for example that she doesn’t have a job at the moment. We then find out that the girl has to do without as well, she goes on to talking about a trip she wanted to attend, and she was going to ask but she didn’t because she felt that the money could be used for something else.

The documentary then looks closer at the brother, he then talks about the huge amount of bullying he goes through at school.  The voiceover askes him why? He then says that it’s because of the way he looks, the way he is and who he is.

What type of documentary is this? Conventions used?

This documentary was an investigative documentary, as it investigates and looks at a certain issue and stories in this case, the issue of poverty and the story of the children’s lives that have been affected by poverty. How it has influenced their way of life and how they view money and the poor area they live in. for example in the documentary the person behind the camera asked a young girl who is living in a poor place in Australia a question, and she went on to talking about a trip that she really wanted to go on but refrained from asking her mother for the money for the trip because she felt that her mother could use it in a more constructive way. Though children should have to have concerns about the lack of money that their parents are making and should just enjoy their child hood. That this young girl didn’t have the luxury and that she was holding off on things that she wanted because of lack of money.

The style of the documentary that is performative as the documentary looks at a stressful subject in this case poverty in Australia and how it is affecting the children in these poor families. The documentary show the peoples affected experiences and their emotional response to the issue and world. As the documentary shows people affected in their personal habitat (homes) living their daily lives, this is another feature in the performative style. The documentary shows events such as the way the poor children live, which are designed to make us experience what it might be like for us to possess a certain specific perspective on the world that is not our own.

There were a few conventions that were used in the documentary; one of the conventions that were used was voiceover. This convention was used when introducing the audience to the topic matter and telling us who poverty drastically affects. The voiceover also is used to introduce us to the area which the issue is happening in, and is also used to tell us a bit about the person who is being interviewed such as their name, age and a bit about their lives. This was an effective convention because it allowed the audience to have an insight into not only the topic and the place it is drastically affecting in the country but also into the peoples who are affected lives.

Another convention that was used in the documentary is interviews. Interviews were used when talking to children who lived in the poor area. For example children who lived in the area were asked if they think people are afraid to live here. The children then responded saying that they think people are afraid to come around here because of the druggies and sort of people who live around here. Interviews was also used when the camera looked into the lives of one of the families in the area, and the female voiceover talked to the brother about school, and he said that he gets bullied extremely for the way he looks.

The documentary has a clear subject matter you are instantly introduced t the subject matter, by the voice over accompanied by images of the area suffering in poverty. We are shown footage of Cornwall which is the area being looked at, the female voiceover then talks about a bit of history of the area, such of how the area came to be and how many people live there now.

Another convention that is used is facts; this is used when talking about the children. The voiceover talks about how this area has the highest mass of young children in poverty than in any other area in Australia. I think that fact is used, is to make the audience sympathise and feel for the children as well the people who live there, and make us want to help and make a change.

Another convention used is footage the documentary constantly shows you footage of the area and the sort of people who live there. I think that footage is used is to give the audience an idea of how the area is and what the living conditions are for the people who live there.

One last convention that was used in the documentary was opinions; there were various opinions from the children living in the area. I think that opinions were used to get an input and feedback from people who actually live in the community.  The female voiceover ask questions such as ‘what do you think of adults? A couple children were asked and gave us there opinions such as the girl in the documentary that responds to this question with talking about her mother and how she doesn’t deserve to be her mother.

What techniques are used to maintain the audience attention?

There are a few techniques used in the documentary to maintain the audience attention. One of those techniques is the cut away shot the documentary never focused on one thing for a long period of time it always cut away to another shot. For example when the camera was focused on the young girl, living in poverty. She was asked a few questions then the scene cut away to her mother and started to focus on her. I think this is a good way to maintain the audience attention, when I watched the documentary I found that my attention didn’t go awry and that I was focusing on the whole documentary in other words my attention was maintained.

What is the purpose of this documentary? What changes is it campaigning for?

The purpose of this documentary is to raise awareness to I think other parts, I in Australia and to show them how other people lives but also maybe to reveal the true story behind this area which has a bad reputation. I also thing the documentary has the purpose of making a change, to get people to help change the situation in that area.

Who is the target audience? Age/ gender/ interest/location/language How have they been targeted?

The gender of the audience that the documentary is targeting is both boys and girls. The documentary focuses on the lives of both boy and girl children and how poverty if affecting their lives.

The age of the audience that is being targeted through this documentary, is starting from young children ages 9- onwards. I think such a young audience is being aimed at is because in the documentary young children our suffering and being affected by the issue. I think documentary would open the children’s eye to how other children their age are living and the issues they go through.

In relation to the location of the audience being targeted is those who are located primarily in Australia. Seeing that the documentary is talking about an issue and area located in Australia I think the main audience being targeted is them. In terms of the language and ethnicity of the audience again I think is Australians. Though I think the documentary is primarily aimed at Australians and those who live in Australia, I do think there is a secondary audience being targeted. I think those in maybe United Sates of America and United Kingdom would be targeted because the documentary is in the English language and poverty is something that has a huge impact and affects people in these countries, this is how I think they are being targeted. 

Narrative and genre

Evaluation narrative and genre

For this task in small groups we had to develop and come up with a straight to the point scenario that lasted between 90-120. The scenario had to have a set up, development and resolution. For the task focused on genre and narrative, we had to display these aspects in a short drama that clearly showed the type of genre the drama is and a clear narrative. We had to focus clearly on the mis-en-scene that included costumes, lighting, performance and location to convey a clear narrative. Camerawork and sound. I worked with Sabrina Yaaqub and Cynthia Ankunda the storyline that we came up with to explore the genre and narrative is about a group of friends at college who are surrounded by a series of killings that have been happening at their college.  Then suddenly people in the group start to get killed they. It is revealed that two of the friends from the group are in fact the killers. We also picked a narrative that was also simple and straight to the point.  We thought that it would be better to have a simple narrative rather that a complicated one simple because sometimes a simple narrative is more effective and efficient.  The genre of the film sequence is drama and thriller it is clear that this is the genre due to certain aspects in the film sequence in particular the mis-en-scene. To convey the genre we thought carefully about the environment for example for one of the friends that are getting killed we decided for this too take part in the smoking hunt, simply because it was secluded therefore portrayed a thriller like atmosphere.

We also used props such as the phone towards the film sequence, for example at the end we see one of the killers talking into the phone. We used this prop to convey to the audience that there is more that one killer which again brings up the thriller and drama genre. Costumes for the killer were really necessarily seeing that we different feature the killers, in the shot simply because we wanted their to be a sense of mystery and to get the audience guessing who the killer was.  However for the victims their costumes portray the type of characters they were which added to the narrative of the film sequence.  In addition the shots that were used in the film were extremely good, we used shots such as long shot to show the environment, close up to show the persons facial expression and we also used a shot were we faced the camera up towards the sky or celling to not reveal the murders or killer.

Improvements

Overall I think this task was a success because we used a variety of shots that conveyed the genre greatly. Because we took into deep consideration of the mis-en-scene which helped to make the film successful.  Though I think it was a success their were a few things that needed to be improved upon, such as the editing in the editing process I found that the clips that were shot had high volumes of static so we couldn’t hear the voices in the scene properly. However apart from this I believe that we considered the mis-en-scene well, we made sure our performance conveyed the genre well, that our location choice help convey the right mood and meaning of the sequence, that the lighting was good. We used lower lighting in darker scene and lighter lighting in casual scenes. 

Kony Analysis

Kony 2012 was is a documentary produced by the Invisible Children, Inc. it was released on March 5, 2012 and directed by Jason Russell. The social issue that the documentary is documenting and looking at a man called Joseph Kony who is kidnapping children in Uganda and forcing them to do what he want s, so raises his statues of power. The children are being forced to do horrific things involving killing other children who disobey Kony, murdering their parents. Kony is turning the male children in to skilled weapons where as the females are being used as sex slaves and are being sexually exploited. The documentary also focuses on justice and awareness.

At the beginning of the documentary, it documents the invisible children’s plans and efforts to capture joseph. It goes in to great depth the actions of Kony with his rebel militia group Lord’s Resistance Army. (LRA), including the forcing of children being recruited as soldiers and also the regions they were happening in such as northern Uganda, the Democratic REPLUBLIC THE Congo and South Sudan. One of the many main people featured in the documentary is the young Ugandan Jacob Avaye, who we found out brother, was killed in the LRA. In response to finding out what had happened to Jacobs’s brother and what he had been through himself, the director and the founder of invisible children, Jason Russell made a promise to Jacob to help stop Kony.

The documentary promoters restricting compelled and forced youth military service and the restoration of social order. The video also has clips of Jason Russell's young son reacting to the information about Kony and what he forces children to do. Towards the end of the film, then a 2011 announcement from U.S. President Barack Obama is shown approving the deployment of Special forces military advisers to deliver information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces remove Joseph Kony from the battlefield. The documentary then ends by encouraging us the audience to join its campaign by putting up posters, helping out in their communities and providing a action pack.

The documentary looks at current affairs and investigates the action of Kony, which makes it an instigative documentary because it looks at a certain issue and focuses on a certain story. It is presented as a democratic tool for the audience to find out the truths and exposing wrong doing which this documentary does.  It’s also a current affairs documentary because the documentary looks at a current political and social issue in great depth, using voice-overs, news footage and interviews to achieve this. There are many conventions used in the documentary to document the issue. For example opinions was used, in the documentary we had countless opinions from the directors son. He we also get opinions from Jacob when discussing the lose of his brother he said that he would rather die than live with Kony out there and waiting for himself to be one of the children kidnaped. Another convention used is interviews, in the documentary we see the director interview Jacob asking him about what it was like, what the actual story was about joseph Kony.

Another convention used is images and photographs, in the documentary we see what the children in Uganda are being forced to do, we see the scars and results of what the children are being forced to do to victims who have survived the incident. I think this use of the convention is effective because it shows the seriousness and also realisation of what children at what a young age are being forced to do. I also thinks it’s a persuasive tactic to get the audience to want to take action.

Achieve footage is also used in the documentary; this is used at the start of the documentary when the director is showing the audience the birth of his child, and the stages of him growing up. This convention was used to show us the audience that every child including the children in Uganda should have a memorable childhood to look back on, that every child should enjoy their childhood. Their was also use of actual footage in the documentary for example when we saw footage of the campaigning going on to help stop Kony.

The purpose of the documentary was to raise awareness about Joseph Kony, but also to raise awareness of his action and what he made young children to do. For example in the middle of the documentary we see the director showing his son pictures of both Kony and Jacob and telling him about it. Also at the start of the documentary the director start of by telling us a little bit about Kony, followed by footage of someone taking children as a example of what Kony does. What also raises awareness of Kony is the campaign which is the campaign ‘ Kony 2012’ this is also being promoted in the documentary, for example in the middle of the documentary we see a ‘ Children’s Inc.’ Facebook page which is fighting for Kony to get captured for his action. We also see countless protest and people involved in the organisation. Though I think the primarily purpose of the documentary was to raise awareness, I do think another purpose of the documentary was to persuade the audience into to join the organisation, and also to persuade the audience to take action as well. I say this because towards the end of the documentary the director advertises the organisation pack and encourages you to join for just a generous fee to help.

I think the audience that is being targeted is mainstream; I think seeing that the documentary was shared on various sites such as Facebook and promoted worldwide I think the audience that is being targeted is everyone who is willing to help. For example when the documentary promotes the action pack it’s aimed at everyone it’s not specified to who should order it, in addition I think the documentary has different elements within it which would target an audience with an average taste and interest such as the story of Kony, the campaigning and the news.

The ages of the audience being targeted through the documentary is from the starting age of 11- onwards. I think the age of the audience starts from the young age of 11 is because the organisation and story is promoted on Facebook which is the youngest age you are allowed to sign up for Facebook. I think the purpose of this was to perhaps reach out to those of the same or near the same age of those children in Uganda, but also to aware them of the issue. I think that the documentary is targeted at those of all ages; I think age isn’t relevant in this case; the documentary is just trying to get those who are willing to listen to help.

The gender of the documentary that I think it is aimed at is both the female and male gender. I don’t think the documentary is aimed at a specific gender, because in the documentary we see how the issue is effecting both boy and girl children. We also see both women and men taking part in the campaigning and the organisation goes to both genders of the celebrities and high-powered people for help. Again I think the documentary has no limitation of which it targets, it’s just to reach out to those who are willing to help stop Kony by joining the organisation.

The interest of the audience who I think is being targeted through the documentary are those, who have an interest in current affairs, news, world issues and documentary. For example the documentary talks about issues in Uganda and discusses politics.

The location and language of the audience who I think is being targeted, I think isn’t relevant. However I do think those who are from Uganda and are well established with knowledge of Kony and his action. Will be able to relate to the victims of the documentary and will also take an interest in it. How I think they are being targeted is through the storyline and social media, I think from Uganda will have an understanding and relate to the victims and children which how they’re targeted.

The demographic group which I think is targeted through the documentary is those in group ‘E’ state pensioners or casual or lowest grade works, group D semi and unskilled manual worker and group ‘C2’ skilled manual workers. I people in these demographic groups would be interested in the documentary, I think those from the lower groups would maybe be able to have an understanding of the story, I think students would be aimed at to educate them as well as inform them. I think those from a slightly higher demographic group such as ‘C2’ like teachers would be targeted to show the documentary to students and to others.

How I think the audience is being targeted is through the social media, I think the constant images of the campaigning, picture of victims, children, Jacob, updates on the progress of the organisation ect. This targets the audience; I think it showed the audience what a different the organisation is actually making and is showing the audience that we can make a different if we just work together.

There are a variety of things in the documentary that encourage, the audience in participating in creating change. Things such as the action kit, this is promoted towards the end of the documentary, the action kit involves two rubber bands to keep for you and for another person to spread the word. Updates on the campaign, the story of Kony ect. The documentary also encourages you to donate to the campaign, and tells you how your money will help. Also seeing that the documentary is on Facebook and other website, you can share it with others to raise awareness and to get more people to help. In addition the documentary encourages you to participate in the blackout to help get the government to help with the Kony issue.