Thursday 21 October 2010

Filming: Vox Pop Attempt 1 and Faulty Mic Test

Testing our camera's positioning and the mic was the first thing to do. As we tested it, it worked however on the first VoxPop video it decided to become faulty and not work. The mic was faulty for the rest of the day because when attempting to record someone repeating the question, it didn't work. So we have to record this again.


We went to Liscard Village to record a VoxPop. It was around midday so we thought that there would be a variety of adults, elderly people and maybe new drivers. We asked one question " What do you think of young drivers?". It was difficult asking people to take time to answer this short question because many did not want to be filmed and even when we offered just to record the audio they refused by making excuses.

Therefore, we have decided to take another angle of recording our VoxPop by visiting teachers in our school who will take time to give their opinion. We will still use the VoxPop from this day because as much as we didn't get many people., we managed to capture a few good answers.

Sunday 17 October 2010

Filming: Interview with Angie (take1) /Stockfootage

We interviewed an experienced driver called Angie Lloyd Prince. We positioned her in the drivers seat of the car where we placed the camera on the pavement with the door open. The eyeline was slightly high and she was looking up rather than on eye level. This was the only negative aspect of this interview. We plan to retake this and then compare the two, in order to choose the best and most suitable interview for the documentary.

To add to our stockfootage, we filmed in the back of the car as extra and a different type of camerawork.

Friday 15 October 2010

Filming: Stockfootage, Car logos on Breck Road

We filmed a nearby motorway from a bridge in high angle to record cars driving underneath us. Also, we captured footage of drivers on the same road, with the occasional speeder and three-point turner. We have videoed a lot of stockfootage of cars on the roads, but we think that fast forward motion of these shots will create a more exciting and appealing opening five minutes.

We also, used the camera to film car logos. They were captured in either CU or ECU. Looking at our running order, these shots will be used with the audio of the VoxPop.

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Filming: Interview with Glyn the Workman (take1)

We interviewed a workman named Glyn Roberts, asking questions about his job and whether it involved driving. The interview was good and the mise-en-scene was well thought about (we had him positioned in front of a wall surrounded by planks of wood, this links to his job because he is a driver that delivers materials and tools to building sites and other companies). He was entertaining as well as and kept us laughing.


We have decided to retake this interview as an audio only file, just so we have choice when editing.

Filming: Footage - Test Centre Day

We planned to interview somebody from the local Test Centre. There was no contact number or email available so whilst taking the camera out to film stock footage, we visited the test centre. There was no reception, just a small room where several instructors sat. We asked the instructors in there for permission to film posters in the room, for example: 'Think!', 'DVLA' 'Police Notice' signs.

We were unable to find an instructor to interview and there was no office or reception that was accessible to us in the test centre. When filming an establishing shot of the building, a man (seemed to be working with the test centre) questioned us about our filming and was not supportive of our idea when we explained about making an A-Level Media Driving Documentary. Explaining that we had had permission he dismissed the comment and we felt obliged to leave.
We carried on filming during the day, filming signs and cars on the road.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Filming: Stockfootage at Cheshire Oaks

We captured stock footage of cars, driving school cars, motorways, car parks, indicators. As well as still images of signs and a few cars. We took pictures of inside the car and wide shots. We filmed the jorney along the motorway so we can maybe fast forward it when editing.



We captured gear stick images and video, which we feel will be ideal for the opening sequence. We used the storyboard to help us with each shot. As extra footage we got still shots of a car showroom and car logos.

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Research and Planning: Running Order

Running Order:

0.20] Voxpop: “What do you think of drivers?” answers mixed together
0.30] Title: Road/motorway sign (roundabout), FIRST GEAR - opening
0.15] Voiceover introduces it, someone walking into test centre – tracking shot
0.15] Archive of Highway Code, leaflets, stats from questionnaire – still and zoom
0.20] Interview with test centre person, “both genders + all ages” – conventional frame - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
0.15] Someone getting into learner car , crab shot– tracking or pan
1.10] Conventional framing of interview with instructor – audio carries on over next image - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
0.10] Stock footage, lanes of traffic, fast motion, traffic lights, zooms
1.00] MCU Interview with Andrea, cross cut with Laura, cutaways/ in car with them, stereo, pub? -Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
0.55] Archive of alcohol, drink driving, distraction leaflets. Then interview with RAF – cutaways of pan of RAF office and leaflets (archive) – Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic

------------------------------------------------------------------------------(5mins)
0.15] Stock footage at RAF base, officers driving around?
1.30] Voiceover explains driving as a profession – Emergency services, St John’s Ambulance – film vehicle. Interview with driver – explain rules of driving for the services- Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
2.00] Does and Don’ts footage – CU, long shots, MCU –Voiceover anchors demonstrations. Alcohol, distractions, safety check, archive of posters and DVLA advert – promote speed awareness
1.00] Becky Elliott interview – conventional – teacher – fitness of riding a bike instead of driving – cutaways of bikes, her riding bike, pan of gym and CU of fitness posters (tracking) - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
0.30] Interview with fitness coach – how important is it? (Recommended amount of exercise) - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
0.10] ECU of fitness ratings – cardiovascular rates, gym apparatus and the bikes
0.15] Archive clip of cyclists Tour De France, news. Cross cuts to drag race and formula one footage. Sound – introduce Hamilton over the microphone– images of cars
2.00] Interview with Lewis Hamilton, archive of his success, ECU of his sponsors, CU of car, slow motion edit of him winning formula one - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
1.15] Recap of topics before the break. Voiceover and sound effects. Cross cuts, between stock fooage and interviews graphics of a timeline, rewind effect from formula one – car racer – driver – learner driver. Brake SFX sound, image of title in road sign impacts the screen, representing emergency stop. Fast action
-------------------
3.00] AD BREAK
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0.15] Brake SFX sound, image of title in road sign impacts the screen representing emergency stop –fast motion
0.40] Voiceover, quick recap – Interview of learner driver explaining the thrill they get from driving, who they aspire to be like? – MCU - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
0.15] Archive footage – crosscuts, successful of Jeremy Clarkson, newspaper articles, clips, and his voice?
0.35] Establishing wide shot of BBC studios; tracking of POV shot – fast motion – enter studios – walk around – focus, CU of Top Gear notice board. Fast motion edit into room, pan of studio.
0.25] After pan, cross cut to show footage to create a sequence that jumps from the room being empty and then full
2.15] Long shot of Clarkson sitting in chair, MCU – conventional interview – how do you feel to be an idol? What’s so great about cars? What’s the career like, fun? – - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic - cross cut and the audio carries on over images of his cars and TV footage.
0.15] Graphics – careers in driving – dissolve over each other
1.00] Cross cut of types and makes of cars – voiceover of audio of Vauxhall manager interview, Vauxhall car advert as archive footage
0.40] Voiceover carries on careers – shell Garage Company. Interview MCU with owner - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
0.40] Interview with motorcyclist – why did you learn? MCU - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
0.30] Interview in MCU of Arriva bus company driver and Mersey rail interview – cross cuts with images of logos in CU and zoom - Graphic, text, displays name and relevance to topic
2.00] Graphics – careers involving driving, that are less obvious...? – Submarine (underwater driving), archive of missions, photos as archive of underwater explorations – equipment pan and zoom. Interview with Submarine driver, MCU, why this type of driving?
0.40] Phone Interview National Express – pan of station with buses in, logo in CU
1.00] Archive footage NASA – voiceover, info about this exploration
0.30] The Doc in Liverpool – workies – pan and zoom, CU of vans – fast motion track
1.00] Graphics – stats of careers involving driving, cross cut CU of leaner plate, to driving licence and papers, to pilots and official licences. Graphic of text “Your driving can take you anywhere”.
0.20] Voxpop – first question repeated – answer = “They open doors to opportunities”
0.10] Title – FIRST GEAR – superimpose another text “Put it into 5th”. Still – foreshadows life ahead of you

Research and Planning: Secondary Research

Searches with Google

Casualties due to alcohol
-----------------------------
Death rates by mode of transport
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Casualities by age
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Accidents on main roads
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Driving license statisics

•In 2006, 63 per cent of women and 81 per cent of men in Great Britain held a full car driving licence.

•The number of women holding a full car driving licence increased by two and a half times between 1975-76 and 2006.


•The proportion of young adults holding licences has fallen over the last decade. Half of men aged 17 to 20 held a licence
in 1995-97, compared with 37 per cent in 2006.
-----------------------------
Alcohol statisics

•Alcohol can slow down reaction time by 10 to 30 per cent.

•It also reduces ability to perform two or more tasks at the same time. Alcohol reduces the ability to see distant objects and night vision can be reduced by 25 per cent.
-----------------------------
Youtube clips related to driving and crashes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amoTX7I2O80 - BMW car footage, gadgets

Research and Planning: Storyboard

Storyboard: Page 1, 2 and 3




Sketches of Interviews
(interview with RAF officer)

(interview with Andrea)

(interview with instructor)


(interview with laura woods)

(interview with test centre person)

Research and Planning: Primary Research

Leaflets and other information

These are still images of leaflets, posters and forms.











RAF office
We contacted the Liverpool RAF careers office during the week, in order to ask if we could set up an interview with an officer or RAF spokesperson about flying or driving within the air force. We rang a few more times because we had not heard anything for several days. The office gave us details of an officer named Jack Russel.



We decided to use the email address provided so that we could clearly explain what our request was, the ideas and reasoning behind wanting the interview. We gave a contact number and email so that we could be contacted whenever. As a group we decided to give the potential interviewee choice of the time of the interview to suit them because, as we explained, we are keen to travel to the office in our own time or in frees periods and lunchtimes during school. The image below shows the email we sent.
(Email to the RAF officer)

Due to our short time scale to film, we decided to use the extension number given after another couple of days to see if the officer was available to speak to. He explained that he hadn't yet replied because he has to have permission from the RAF to continue with the interview. We are now awaiting a call on Monday 18th October.
--------------------------------------
Interview Questions
(for Andrea and Laura)
1. How long have you been driving for?
2. How old are you? Do you feel intimidated by other road users due to your age?
3. How many attempts did it take you to pass your practical test? How did you find it?
4. As your a (fairly) new driver do you get distracted at anytime in the car, if yes by what?
5. How do you feel about music being played in the car?
--------------------------------------
Interview Questions
(for driving instructor)
1. How long have you been a driver instructor for?
2. What is it that made you choose this as a career?
3. Are there any highlights to being a driving instructor?
4. Do you have any memorable experiences that you can share?
5. What does teaching people to drive mean to you? And how do you spot a good driver? Any tips?
-------------------------------------
Interview Questions
(for RAF Officer)
1. What is your role in the RAF?
2. How long have you worked within the RAF? Did you have to agree to a contract? Can you explain this?
3. How many applicants do you get for careers that involve driving? What are these careers?
4. Flying is an extension to driving, what is the difference in training to be a pilot in the RAF and being an RAF officer who drives cars?
5. If you could choose out of these two careers, would you prefer to fly or drive? And can you explain reasons why.
------------------------------------
Interview Questions
(for Glyn the Workman)
1. What is your job?
2. What does that job entail you to do?
3. Does it require you to drive and why?
4.What is it like driving as a profession?
5. Would you recommend the job?

Monday 4 October 2010

Research and Planning: Formal Proposal

Formal Proposal for Documentary – FIRST GEAR

Topic - Driving
Type of Documentary – Mixed
Style of Documentary – informal, informative, entertaining
Channel and Scheduling – ITV1, 8.00pm – 8.30pm (hammocking)
Target Audience – Ages 17 to 20
Primary Research Needed – Interview with driving instructor, police officer, RAF officer, learner driver, someone who has passed, someone who works in test centre, train and bus drivers
Secondary Research Needed – Chris Kelly radio jingle, archive footage: news, music, leaflets, posters, signs and RAF dvd or presentation disc
Narrative Stucture – Closed, multi-strand, Linear
Outline of Content – Interview with driving instructor (what made you want this job, what are people like on their tests, funniest memory, what makes a good driver?), Interview with learners, Interview those about to take their test, Interview with travelling businesses, Interview with police (drunk driving, alcohol, speed, accidents), Interview with RAF officer (distractions, why ? and how people choose careers in RAF involving driving/flying), Interview with bus drivers and train drivers (why they chose this?), Do’s and Don’ts for driving, Interview with mechanic, Interview with Miss. Elliott about fitness of cycling instead of driving, BBC TopGear (Interview Jeremy Clarkson, and archive footage of the programme), Lewis Hamilton (how does race driving differ from normal everyday driving?, how do you feel about when youre in a race and your car breaks down?), Richard Hammond (Tell us about the car crash you had), Interview coach drivers and lorry drivers, Go to a race track and film, stockcar racing footage, tank drivers in the army, tractor drivers, farming and why driving is important for taking produce to market, caravan showrooms, car showrooms, The maker of Vauxhall interview, Jason Button & Michael Schmacher (formula1 driver), RAC, Shell interview with managing petrol and diesel costs/demands, motorcyclists, emergency services drivers, pilots, sailors, submarines, (driving underwater and experience?), NASA aircraft – interview at Spaceport, archive footage of space misssions, Happy Al’s Coaches, Merseyrail, National Express and Arriva bus company.
Resource Requirements – Camera, Tripod, Microphone, Tape, Relevant mise-en-scene, Leaflets and cut outs from highway code book.

Sunday 3 October 2010

Research and Planning: Mindmap of Content

Screengrabs of Mindmaps and drafts

DRAFT of Mindmap of content, topics and ideas
DRAFT of Music Mindmap

DRAFT of Running Order