In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and

conventions of real media products?

By following many conventions associated with documentaries, I have been able to
resemble a professional documentary. These prominent conventions are
explained below after I researched four similar products: Young, Dumb and
Living Off Mum, Barely Legal Drivers, Countryside Cops and Diaries of a
Broken Mind. I also looked into relevant examples of TV listing double page
spreads and adverts.
In my documentary, Ive used a plethora of establishing shots and short clips
to build the scene and give some hints about the documentarys content. This
was mimicked throughout my four research documentaries because many
used them as a means of setting the location and introducing characters. I
chose to follow this convention because the audience would be able to
instantly relate/understand only from some establishing shots. Many of the
documentaries I researched highlighted their main speakers at the start; this
meant the audience would know throughout the show who was who. I
emulated this in my own so that all of the speakers were familiar faces that the
audience could remember.
The use of a narrator helps to illuminate and give contextual information on
the documentarys focus. As a result, the audience can become fully engaged
because the content or what the interviewees are saying isnt surprising. I
used this convention in my own product to maintain audience interest. I
altered it, however, by using the voice of a young adult; this allowed the target
audience to assimilate well with them and feel connected. If I had used an older or more
authoritative voice it may have bored the audience into switching channels.
Facts and statistics were used throughout the documentaries I
researched and so I wanted to emulate this. The reason for this was
because facts helped to authenticate the shows content which makes
the audience trust the promore. They also added an extra layer of
interest to peak the audiences engagement. Therefore, I decided to
maintain this convention in my own documentary and alter it fit the
needs of my own audience. The facts I implemented were from varying
elements of St John Ambulance, from their history to their present day
charitable efforts. These were implemented to surprise the audience but
also to break up the interview sections. Without this, the documentary
may have seemed very one dimension and thus not appealing to the
target audience.
Similarly, in my TV listings double page spread, I followed the
conventions of this text and used an interview with a SJA
Cadet. The TV listings I researched (One Born Every Minute,
Hustle and Crimewatch articles) used these to give an indepth
look at what the interviewees thought and, by using quotes
throughout, helped to give authenticity to their contributions. I
chose some questions like Tell us about some of the injuries
and illnesses youve seen on duty to show the true reality of
what the Cadets devote their time too. It intrigues the young
audience about the side the general public may not be allowed
to see which may be enticing for the curious audience
members. The anecdotes also gave a personal side that
details the lengths in which they go to make every patient well looked after.

I stuck by the conventional use of interviews as

they were key to promoting the Cadets views and
experiences. In many documentaries there are
used as an integral part of showing both sides to
the story. However, I had to defy this slightly as I
only had the positive side of SJA Cadets to show.
The interviews though were structured similarly
with the question and answer format prevailing.
The interviews, like many professional ones, dived
into the feelings and experiences of each Cadets
through a range of questions. Some interviews will
purposely implement emotive questions/topics to conjure up
sadness; this is add a layer of sadness to their documentary.
This is not a convention I followed as the most important thing I
learnt from researching my target audience is the necessity to
keep it lively and entertaining. This is because young people
are more inclined to switch over to something else or turn the
TV off if something isnt fun/engaging/time-worthy. Furthermore,
if the episodes are fun to watch then the audience are more
likely to watch other episodes in the series.
In both my ancillaries, I have used a brief
section of text to give the specific time, date
and channel relevant to the show; this was a
relevant convention that I needed to use to
give the audience a chance to know about
the show before it airs. Therefore they are
less likely to miss it. These quick facts
ensure the reader doesnt have to read the
whole article and this is especially
useful to those revisiting the article
for specific information only.
In my TV listings double page
spread, I adhered to the
conventional use of columns and
spacing. This meant that my article
portrayed an organised and clean
look that fitted well with the clinical
link to St John Ambulance. By
doing this, I also maximised the
ease of reading for the audience
as the text lies orderly in one
section rather than curving around
the page. Furthermore, enlarged
quotes from interviews was a
common feature across all of my
researched double page spreads.
As a result, I used this in my own
and further developed it by
overlaying it on an image of the
SJA logo. The quote you have to
be ready for anything is enough
to intrigue the audience but not

give away too many details. Ive utilised this convention as it eludes to something they can
only find out through reading the article.
My target audience, young adults, is most likely to watch upbeat and relevant topics to them.
This convention I have completely adhered to in order to maintain the right viewers. The
whole documentary focuses around a youth organisation that the target audience can join;
this is well aimed because many young people are searching for a club they can join to fill
their time and gain skills. As previously mentioned, the structure of the documentary is lively,
fun and from a Cadets perspective; this enables the audience to understand what the
Cadets go through in vocabulary and examples that are appropriate to their generation.
Despite not being exclusive, the techno/peppy/upbeat music is predominantly used in youthoriented shows because it highlights to the audience the fast-paced and fun nature of the
show. Ive mimicked this in my intro and final clips. My documentary would be shown on the
teen-orientated channel E4. This channel aims itself at the TV needs of young adults and
therefore suits my documentary well.