Research

 This is the research blog for my project.

(This is the template I used)

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you catogorise this as? 

2. Who is the target audience?

3. What typical documentary Conventions were USED? 

4. Did it conform or subverted documentary expecations? 

5. How did it create suspense using camera, sound, mis-en-scene, & edit?

6. What parts of the opening did I find inspiring?

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you catogorise this as? I would call this sports crime as a sub-genre

2. Who is the target audience? likely people who have an interest in sports; and also especially those who are 18 years or above because of the age rating being 18+

3. What typical documentary Conventions were used? well the biggest one in my eyes were the non-diegetic narration on scenes/shots of the stadium, along with the actions of the scallywag and fans being drunk and hanging out around the stadium

4. Did it confromn or subverted documentary expecations? it conformed by using the mentioned Conventions I said, but it subverted it by the fact that the sub-genre is sports, which is not a typical sub-genre for documentaries.

5. How did it create suspense using camera, sound, mis-en-scene, & edit? Over-THe-Head shots of cities, but through static security screens, which gives off a 'something special is being monitored' kind of effect. shoulder-shot of a security camera guy watching screens showing their audiences outside the building, followed up by a close up of his eye, which gives the effect of seeing what it's like from the POV of one man watching a big event or the large effect an audience has; a 'me vs them' effect or 'me vs the event' effect, seeing a different perspective of the sports event from a detached, and not so festive view than usual. Slow tense camera cuts, to bring tensions and suspense and importance to every piece of evidence shown about the event. Intense music to make the event feel more impactful or tense.

6. What parts of the opening did I find inspiring? I like how it twists the typical festive and exciting parts of a public sports event, by having a more detached point of view of them instead, which gives a new POV.

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you catogorise this as? I think it might be mystery crime...? I don't think there might be a sub-genre at all, though If I were to pick one... Familial Crime? Relationship Crime? Mystery/Who-Dunnit Crime?

2. Who is the target audience? probably young adults, those who are interested in crime & mystery and uncovering the hidden truth beyond what lies on the surface.

3. What typical documentary Conventions were Used? quick cuts between various types of scenes, such as victim/security-higher-up interviews, to backgrounds of houses/neighborhoods where the crime scene happened, important documents (that are also zoomed in towards selected important law-related words), and some of these scenes involve non-diegetic subtitles of audio being played of 911 calls between a victim and the 911 Pick-up caller.

4. Did it conform or subverted documentary expecations? I'd say it conformed to the typical crime documentary formula. Only one thing I'd say is different is that the sub-genre is 'unique', if you can even call it that.

5. How did it create suspense using camera, sound, mis-en-scene, & edit? close-up shots of papers with selected law-related words (or other types of content related to the story or crime such as online roommate pricing) but also CUs of potential crime doers or people involved with the crime, then there's also long shots of of buildings, cities, and and houses. Theres tense music, but also theres edits/cuts between audio lines of people describing the criminals positively pre-crime. For MES, the old, low quality pictures of criminal line-ups add to the whole crime/law/mystery theme this show has going for it. 

6. What parts of the opening did I find inspiring? It's interesting. There's not a lot of specific parts to say about it.

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you catogorise this as? Murder Mystery Crime

2. Who is the target audience? Young adults, interested in mystery & crime related content. I would mention a specific numerical age range, but at this point I don't think documentaries about tragic crimes are exactly... kid friendly, to begin with. 

3. What typical documentary Conventions were USED? Stuff such as a general contrast between innocence vs 'the dark truth', very intense, 'glitchy' edits and visuals, use of practical evidence like images of victim/crime-doer i.e. security footage or images of the past.

4. Did it conform or subverted documentary expecations? Conform

5. How did it create suspense using camera, sound, mis-en-scene, & edit? contrasting edit by having the video start with innocent potrayals; i.e. static shots of a woman in a field looking down at a pool peacefully, old static videos of the victim still alive doing a cooking activity while the camera has shaky movement, giving a personal/'humane' effect, etc... then it cuts to (using various transitions too, like TV static or glitches, or sudden cuts) scenes involving stuff like interviews and reports, which are often accsociated with impersonal content and news, which heavily contrasts from the seemingly life-enjoying characters from before. This gives the type of effect that whatever innocent thing the viewer had previously seen has now become dark, darker, yet darker...

6. What parts of the opening did I find inspiring? It's decently captivating. but again, nothing too special, not as much as the sports one at least.

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you catogorise this as? Murder/'Whodunnit' mystery

2. Who is the target audience? It's rated 16+, so it's likely at least for teenagers. Teens-adults who like mystery and crime, and suspenseful media where the identity of the crime-doer is a mystery

3. What typical documentary Conventions were USED? Suspenseful music, mysterious imagery, case details, 'glitchy' visual effects, cliffhangers, etc...

4. Did it conform or subverted documentary expecations? OK so I don't know if the intention was to subvert, but I like how unlike most crime docs, it shies away from showing too many crime scenes, and is intentionally vague by just... mostly using establishing or medium shots of buildings and houses, but with mixed with every other media element used in typical crime docs.

5. How did it create suspense using camera, sound, mis-en-scene, & edit? Starts off with establiing but also close up shots of the house at night, with slow zoom/push in to said shots, while narration or recording of a call between a victim & a 911 caller, which immidiately brings a certain intense attention to a seemingly regular house. Said call also has its moments where it syncs up with the tense music playing, which adds to the suspense, but also cleverly adds impact to each LINE. As the music gets faster, it syncs up with more shots of practical evidence and images surrounding the crime scene which were added, so yeah it adds to the suspense. It then pays off by having the final 'act' of the suspension build up involve this time have interviews with the head investigator discussing his suspension, then followed up by lines from an investigation from Ms. Pan herself; as a bonus they also edited her lines to say 'I lied', which can give a twisted connotation or hint that she might not be the most... trustable person out there, despite seeming like a victim.

6. What parts of the opening did I find inspiring? I already explained it in question 4, but I enjoy how it intentionally keeps the actual crime scene visually vague & mysterious, and the audience can only guess based on inference through buildings, which is a unique take.

1. What sub-genre of crime documentary would you catogorise this as? Mystery/identity fraud

2. Who is the target audience? Young adults who enjoy mystery related content

3. What typical documentary Conventions were USED? Suspenseful music, mysterious imagery, case details, interviews & comments, etc...

4. Did it conform or subverted documentary expecations? Slight subversion as this trailer wasn't as 'glitchy' or dramatic as your typical documentary trailer, it was more subtle and even 'child-like', fitting for the victim it focusing on.

5. How did it create suspense using camera, sound, mis-en-scene, & edit? Interview with a guy that has a normal medium shot, but then suspense truly begins when it's a lower angle shot with his face hidden but he is holding a paper (gives connotations of importance & mystery), then it cuts to an old image of the daughter with her daughter, but as the interviewer narrates Nad mentions something wrong with the father, it immidiately transitions to a bunch of quick cuts of more old images of her as she gets older per image, showing that she had a long history of innocence specifically, which fits the juxtaposition of what actually happened to her later. Then after the intro we are given more knowledge about her father, but it's through negative connotations as he is told by the narrator of his crimes + shots of crime evidence, folders, and greyed out images, which have a sort of 'impersonal & objective' connotation, removing the emotional innocence the daughter once had. It ends off with tthe third act of the trailer having faster cuts between more crime evidence like the news or certain locations, all while syncing with the faster tense music, which builds and adds up to the tension.

6. What parts of the opening did I find inspiring? I like how it has a more 'child innocence' vibe and theme to it, more unique than other trailers.

Self-Reflection: IT WAS SO TEDIOUS TO GET THIS DONE ON A THURSDAY NIGHT AMONG OTHER THINGS, but I'm glad it's over. I feel like I would hate this blog less if it weren't for number 5 needing more time, analysis, and rewatch. Next project, I need to get this done immidiately so no more delays.

My Team

 This is the blog relating to content surrounding my team(mates).

The guy in the construction vest (hehehe) is named Carrick! 

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The guy with the clear white shirt is named Gio! 

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...and last but note least, the guy in the Adidas shirt is named Angkasa Surya, or Kaka for short! 

[BLOG]

Self-Reflection: Yeah these guys are good, sometimes annoying, but we were able to work together well. Carrick and Gio carried, I did my part, Kaka... also did his part but I would be lying if I said us other three (especially Carrick) didn't want to punch him so badly at times for not taking his job seriously.

Weekly Progress Plan

This is my weekly Progress plan, where I take note of our progress... weekly.

Week	Start Date		Task		Blogpost Title	Content	Deadline
W1	22 July
W2	29 July	Pre Production	Research	1	Brief	Description of the brief, embed powerpoint	W2
				2	Plan & Weekly Progress	Plan for the whole project, Weekly diary	W2
				3	Team	Your team + Links ot their blogs	W2
				4	Research	Research into documentary openings of the same genre	W4
W3	5 August		Plan	5	Statement of Intent	Plan for the product	W4
				6	Storyboard	Scene by scene storyboard	W5
				7	Location Scout & Risk Assessment	Possible shooting locations, risk assessment table	W5
W4	12 August
W5	19 August	Production	Produce	8	Behind the Scenes	Images of the shoot	W8
				9	Social Media (Research & Development)	Research into similar social media pages. Development of own ideas.	W9
				10	Thumbnail (Research & Development)	Research into similar thumbnails. Development of own ideas.	W9
W6	26 August
W7	2 September	Post Production	Edit/Reflection	10	Editing Process	How did you edit? Challenges, solutions	W9
				11	Self Reflection	Self Reflection Essay	W9
W8	9 September		Edit
W9	16 September		Submission	12	Final	Final doc, social media page, thumbnail	W9

WEEK 1

We just returned and was given a warm up of some sorts.

WEEK 2

OUR NEW PROJECT was literal crime documentries!!! (and music videos in the far far future) I think this'll be interesting, and DEFINETLY waaay easier to manage than say, magazines which were a headache. I think recording with friends sounds like a MUCH more fun activity than say, being stressed about the details & standards of a magazine. We also learned about media regulation, ecology, and another thing I forgot, which seems interesting not gonna lie.

To-Do-List: get a group and make some ideas (for crime documentary).

WEEK 3

We learned more about media regulation such as the Livingstone & Luntz theory, and I learned the  comparisons of US vs China in terms of TikTok regulation. Watching videos about this made me realize how well taught the children in China are, compared to US children.

to do list: survey locations

WEEK 4

Finishing off Media Regulation, we moved on to Power & The Media! It was interesting to learn how media companies can use or manipulate media to change the perspective or reach a certain narrative they desire that audiences have to follow. (Which can also be used for fake news or manipulation). Also on the weekends me and my friends decided to go to our main location that we scouted (also the only one we've scouted so far) and make a first rough recording. It's not really of high quality, but a rough recording is useful to get a general idea of the smaller details of what we want to record, such as the camera angles or the general actions. Think of it as a 'Prototype recording' or test record.

to do list: we need to record/test record more scenes and maybe start working on the final product.

WEEK 5

From what I remember our team made a schedule for when we gotta record more of our crime documentary intro, and then we learned more about stereotypes & we watched both satirical spoofs of crime documentaries, and also actual crime documentary representations of foreigners (that are actually really bad hehehe). We also today wrote on our classroom notes about bozos on the news, and dissected & analyzed why the media tends to under or over represent certain people & groups

Honestly on a personal note about that last part, I agree that people generalize whole groups of people waaay too much, especially when it comes to online fanbases. An example was on Twitter not too long ago some idiot decided to edit the art of someone to reference a inside joke/meme of his fanbase, but the guy who did that wouldn't listen and kept spamming to play along with the joke, but in the end they were looked down upon. However this one guys action caused people to generalize the whole fanbase, i.e. someone made a snarky comment or joke about people in the fanbase acting like upstanding citizens of society which I think came off as stupid and jerkish...

but ignoring that rambling, here is my to do list:

- for my group, we gotta record our crime Doc and get things done

- for me personally I gotta review all the theroeis and theory stuff on my own just in case

WEEK 6

The teacher introduced the critical reflection, we did notes on how to answer the 4 questions. Although I was also, kind of sick so I don't think I was able to get much in person. We did do our rough recording of what our documentary is supposed to be like.

Week 7

We did our final recordings this week (one of my teammates will record the final recording tommorow with his father and that'll be it for the recording). Also funnily enough, even after 7 weeks of working on this project, we never thought to give it a name, the most basic and simple task. Carrick and I also started doing the required interview scenes, and the editing task was handed to Gio, while the behind-the-scenes task and blog was handed to me.

To-do-list: Go with Carrick to interview his pastor + tthe behind-the-scenes content during that time and also during the church recording (i.e. pictures or videos of the process) + help contribute to coming up with a title for crime documentary, even if just a little bit.

Week 8

It's the final week, and usually that means everything we postponed & procrastinated on now has to be crammed into one Thursday night, hooray! I kid, but it feels satisfying to get this almost done. Today it was a project lesson (these next few days will be, in general) so we continued polishing related stuff, specifically the critical SELF-REFLECTION. We got a tad bit of work done on Wednesday, however one of my teammates was being distracting and only a little bit productive. I'm honestly ashamed of myself for laughing at his stupid jokes and playing along when deep down I know I shouldn't, like at all. On Thursday, we also continued working on our blogs, but with a little more pressure as this is the last day before grading the final project. We saw the final product (thanks to our pal, Gio), and although it was well edited, there were still problems, such as it being 8 minutes long when it should have stayed 5 minutes max. Luckily we have until Sunday to both complete/cut the video + finish the other half of blogs, since mister was so kind to just let us finish half our blogs for the due date instead of, y'know... having literally everything be done at one day, 9 weeks wasn't enough somehow.

to-do-list: get all my blogs & reflections done on a Thursday night, or at least half of it, and then get the other falh done by Sunday night.

Self-Reflection: This was honestly very tedious to do, but that's mainly because I just forget what happened on the days. I feel like for my next project, I'm don't have to work on my Weekly Progress Plan every day that I have Media so that I don't have to worry about having to come up with jargon, just because I forgot. It'll also be a big time-saver.

Documentary Project Brief

 This is the brief for my documentary.

Self-Reflection: Me working on a crime documentary seems absurd to me, but I guess this will be pretty interesting. Given who I'm working with, it would be really funny if my friend who was into politics played as the president who got almost assassinated, it would fit a lot.