Evaluation Question Four

How did you use new technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

RESEARCH

I was able to use sites such as www.channel4.com/programmes/4od  and www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer in order to watch documentaries online when researching existing products: it's easy, the sites are free and you can fit your viewing time to suit your needs. The sites even prompted me too look at 'similar shows' which helped broaden my area of interest.

Search engines such as Google and bing made researching teenage pregnancy significantly easier, as I merely had to type in key words in order to find the information I was looking for. Obtaining statistics was a breeze and Google images helped me narrow the search for posters and advertisements when brainstorming.

CONSTRUCTION

Photoshop and InDesign are cheap, easy to use programs which are available for most PCs, laptops or mac computers, and they produce professional quality print work with ease, if used correctly. I used both programs when creating my products and found the controls easy to use and the effects much more skillful than anything I could have produced on Paint or Publisher. Tutorials for both programs are also available online, which makes them more accessible to everybody.

As copyright is an issue when using music for anything nowadays, programs such as Garageband made life easier when thinking about the soundtrack for my documentary. It was made possible for me to replicate or create my own snippets of songs, either using Garageband's preconstructed riffs or making my own with the keyboard-controlled instruments available.

iMovie, unquestionably, is far more effective than Windows Movie Maker and is quickly becoming very popular when editing any film. It was simple to use and had a much larger range of sound and film effects, fonts and transitions. The quality of the film I produced was much greater than the piece I made at AS level last year, and it was easy to manipulate sound with iMovie - something I had not been able to do with Windows Movie Maker. As I was using this program on a Mac I had the advantage of being able to record some of my voice over using iMovie which allowed me to turn down the sound of a particular clip and up the sound of my voice, instead of having to talk whilst filming over any background noise: this also allowed me to manipulate the people interviewed or filmed, as I could tell them one thing but record another at a later date.

EVALUATION

With widely used sites such as http://www.youtube.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/ available on a daily basis it was much easier to distribute my documentary to a wider audience - YouTube allows people on a worldwide scale to upload videos which may be commented on by just about anyone who uses the site, and unlike Facebook you don't even have to be 'friends' with the person who distributes the clips in order to make comments. This allows for a considerably larger field of feedback than was previously available when neither site existed.

I used Facebook, Slideshare and Vimeo in order to put my documentary out for audiences, both of which were considerably faster ways of gathering feedback than using contact methods as users can view content at any time of day and from the comfort of their own homes.

Also, the whole of my coursework has been publicly distributed online by simply using this site. Worldwide viewers can leave comments on my work or even 'follow' me.

Evaluation Question Three

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

As the main segment of my target audience were supposed to be teenagers, one of the best ways to obtain audience feedback was through Facebook - in the online age, pretty much everybody is signed on.

I put all three of my products onto the networking site and asked people to leave comments.

For all three products, the comments were almost entirely positive, with only a few negative points about the use of colour on the double page spread. Below I have shown the most substantial of the comments.

Double Page Spread

The thing most enjoyed by those who commented was the title - they thought it was quirky and modern, and fits in with similar documentaries currently aired on BBC Three. The thing most negatively commented on was the red bar - some didn't think it fitted well with the rest of the colours.



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There actually weren't any negative comments at all on this piece. The audience felt the colours and image used worked well together all round.

Documentary

The comments for the documentary were all pretty much the same as the one below. The audience liked the two stories, but felt the presenter should have been filmed somewhere more 'homely' at the start.

I also showed and gave out post-questionnaires to a small, randomly selected group of 15-16 year olds, asking them whether they liked the documentary; if they thought the music worked well; if they understood the documentary and whether they learned anything from it.

Some feedback I got was:

• "I preferred Lauren's story because it was more interesting"
• "Didn't like seeing the pregnant girl in a pub"
• "Loved the choice of music"
• "Would have liked to see more of Rachel's partner"

After the screening of the documentary, one girl in particular approached me and told me that she had felt "isolated" and "guilty" watching Lauren as she could relate to her story. I felt that this was brilliant feedback, as it shows my audience feel strongly about the topic.

What have I learned?

• I shouldn't have altered the colour scheme on my double page spread
• The choice of music and language was appealing to my audiences - they also loved the quirky title
• Brighter colours are appealing to younger audiences - they look more modern
• Teenage pregnancy is a contraversial subject: most of my respondents had had experiences with teen parents and, whilst most felt prejudice initially, we sympathise with young people in these situations
• My target audience enjoyed my documentary, as they liked watching the vulnerable girl - because her life had more negatives than positives, she was more interesting to watch. This is definitely the most significant discovery as I believe it explains why you see so many 'trashy' teenage mothers on television - negative stories are more entertaining and, in the media industry, people will do anything to maintain an audience.

Evaluation Question Two

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

My documentary, double page spread and newspaper advertisement are all linked through the brand image I used throughout the making of my coursework. The fonts, colours and use of language work together to produce a stand-alone product which should be recognisable to my audience.

COLOURS AND IMAGERY

Pink and purple are used on each individual piece of my work - because they are feminine colours - along with Denne Shuffle as my main font so the audience recognise that they are all connected. Also, I have used the same female in each piece - though the camera angles differ on the two print products.

The statistic is used on both print pieces, though it was not featured in my documentary (if it had been longer than five minutes, it would have been used later on). This, again, shows how the pieces link together and keeps the work secretive - viewers would have to watch to find extra information, as little is revealed in the print.

Nature is also a reoccurring thing used in all three products as the photographs used are of local parks and one of the two teenage mothers was also filmed in a park. This is because, I believe, nature can represent children through the idea of birth and spring (note also that the programme would be aired in springtime).

LANGUAGE

The language I used in my documentary is similar to that on my double page spread - the speaker seems passionate about the subject and is generally informal in tone (as are most presenters in this type of documentary).

I believe, and my audience thought so, that, though minor, the reoccurring colours, imagery and general tone came together well to produce a strong, noticeable product.

Evaluation Question One

In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


Using

DOCUMENTARY

• The title for my documentary is very similar to 16 and Pregnant in layout and font ideas

• Similar shot ideas used in my documentary to those in programmes analysed. I wanted to show realism

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Though my documentary would be shown on BBC Three (because it fits existing products on this channel) I felt more inspired by Channel 4 advertising.

DOUBLE-PAGE SPREAD

• The layouts used in both of these double page spreads are very similar. I used the idea of a boarder to make the page more difinitive.

Developing

DOCUMENTARY

ADVERTISMENT

• Not much development had been made regarding the two posters as my ad mostly challenges it

DOUBLE-PAGE SPREAD

Challenging

DOCUMENTARY

• My documentary was generally more formal than those shown on MTV and more music was used
• I had more 'professional' shots and less hand-held style angles
• I faked reality by using a woman who wasn't pregnant in my documentary, whereas the girl in 16 and Pregnant is clearly heavily pregnant

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DOUBLE-PAGE SPREAD

My Documentary

Sorry about the rubbish quality, but here's my finished documentary.

 'Prams, exams and full-time mams.'


Untitled from Jessica Hooks on Vimeo.

Completed Print

Newspaper advert

Listings magazine double page spread

Audience Profiles

KATIE

Age: 17

Favourite music: Florence and the Machine, The Arctic Monkeys and Kate Nash

Likes: Photography, swimming, shopping and spending time with friends

Dislikes: Spiders, underage drinking and Mondays

Bio: Brought up into a middle class family, Georgina knows the value of money and longs for independence. Perhaps not a completely 'average' teenager as she has a deep interest in politics and is a holder of high moral standards. She enjoys partying with friends at the weekend, but because of her upbringing disapproves of 'wreckless' teenagers who smoke, drink and have one-night stands. Currently studying A-Levels in Science, Photography and English she believes that education is essential for success in later life, and doesn't want to end up on housing benefits. Generally a pleasant girl who isn't outwardly judgemental and likes to think of herself as highly individual. She would be classified as popular in school.

Why are you targeting her?
Girls like this are part of my target audience because, though they may not necessarily admit it, they're usually the most likely to stereotype pregnant teenagers. Coming from a middle class family (though saying this is stereotypical in itself) she is more likely to band pregnant teens as 'lazy' or 'underclass' without considering the circumstances - also, as she values education I'd like to show teens like this that pregnant girls do want to go back to school, but sometimes it isn't easy, or even possible at all. I also want to show that girls like herself may even find themselves under these circumstances, so they shouldn't be so quick to judge.



JANET

Age: 34

Favourite music: Katy Perry, Rihanna and P!nk

Likes: Gossip, socialising and soap operas

Dislikes: Being gossiped about and nosey neighbours

Bio: A single mum of two teenagers, Janet works in a local supermarket to maintain a standard living for her family. She enjoys putting her feet up in her time off and knows pretty much everything about everyone - she thrives on gossip and scandals are her favourites. Not an overachiever in school, she decided to head down a working road rather than an academic one as she started a family at a fairly young age. Janet would love to think of herself as a 'trendy' mum, and despite financial setbacks she isn't one to hold back on luxury items when she has the opportunity. An all round family woman, she dotes on her children doesn't hesitate to come to their aid when they need her most.

Why are you targeting her?
Women like Janet are likely to be most interested in programmes about teenage pregnancy as it is probable that they were teen parents themselves. She wouldn't by any means be in a high social demographic position, and may even be classed as a 'chav' mum - but this is exactly why the show is aimed at people like herself: her children are, statistically, more likely to become teen parents themselves, and I want to show parents in this position how beneficial it is for young parents to have their support.
The children of women like Janet would also be included in my target audience as my documentary series would aim to show the different options teen parents have, and what kind of support they can get outside of the family.