SOCIAL ACTION
What does 'Social Action' mean?
- Refers to an act which takes into account the actions and reactions of individuals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_actions
RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
There are several ways of gathering research and also different types of research.
Types of research:
Primary - This contains sources / media that you first handedly put together
- Audience Panels - A live or virtual conversation about a particular topic among selected group of panelists who have contrasting opinions
- Pros: It allows you to get live coverage of responses.
- Cons: The equipment being used for the live / virtual conversation could fail.
- Data Gathering Agents -
- Pros: It will save you time as someone else is doing that job for you, therefore allowing you to focus on other parts.
- Cons: If you aren't gathering the data yourself it could mean you are not well informed on the topic.
- Forums -
- Pros: Forums will often have a mix (various races, genders etc.) and that could give you a wider range of answers.
- Cons: Some people might not have a proper opinion on the topic and might mess around, writing anything. Some responses might not be that persons true belief.
- Interviews - A conversation where the interviewer asks the questions and the interviewee answers them
- Pros: You will immediately get answers as that person is normally in the room with you
- Cons: The interviewee is put on the spot and might not always be able to give an answer
- Observations -
- Pros: These would allow you to see people experience that media product and therefore you could see reactions (e.g Facial Expression)
- Cons: It could make some people uncomfortable being right in front of the other person and knowing their being observed.
- Surveys - A way to collect information from a selection of people
- Pros: A relatively quick and easy way to gather information from multiple people
- Cons: Some people might not take it seriously which could affect the reliability of your results.
Secondary - This includes any information you did not collect directly
- Audio Material
- Pros: If the audio is coming from a place such as Youtube, then chances are the video with the audio would still be up there
- Cons: The audio could be from a radio show, which could mean you weren't able to replay it.
- Books
- Pros: Easy to access
- Cons: Some books will be opinion rather than fact which then can make it hard to formulate information from that source
- Directories
- Pros: They are a large source which can reach a vast amount of people.
- Cons: Potentially could be out of date
- Film Archives
- Pros: These could help you to see techniques and styles other film makers have used.
- Cons: Could be outdated
- Government Statistics
- Pros: Commonly can be trusted and is accurate.
- Cons: It might not be useful to you
- Internet Forums
- Pros: Often behind a screen people won't be as afraid to be honest about your media product and therefore might be more inclined to be honest.
- Cons: If you want factual information it may be hard to find that as often people write whatever they want to.
- Newspaper
- Pros: They are updated daily and checked over, this could make the reliability higher.
- Cons: Can be subjective as it often will be influenced by the writers views
- Photo Libraries
- Pros: Can be an easy way to show your media product.
- Cons: Some pictures could be very unclear or simply just too old.
Ways to gather research include:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Analysing texts e.g. Blogs, Newspapers
What is the purpose of research?
Researching a topic will mean that you can get the most amount of information possible to help you broaden your knowledge.
STYLES OF DOCUMENTARIES:
There are severals styles of documentaries, the word style is relating to the manner of that particular thing.
Styles of documentaries:
- Expository - Documentaries which are in this style are commonly non-fiction films, they can directly access the audience. Social issues are transformed into an argumentative manner with a narrator to highlight what is going on.
- Observational - In these documentaries the filmmaker is an observer who is not involved in the social issue, they are on the outside. They are normally neutral, not supporting either side the situation being explored.
- Participatory - In these documentaries the filmmaker will normally have their own personal opinion on the topic. The events that are shown 'are influenced and altered by the presence of the filmmaker'.
- Performative - Documentaries in this style are aware of the emotional differences within people. They acknowledge that the subject being explored is subjective and therefore show different points of views.
- Poetic - The documentary explores a topic which is personal to the people included, the presenter (sometimes) and the interviewees.
- Relexive - A documentary where the audience will have engagement with the topic being explored.
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EXAMPLES OF DOCUMENTARIES THAT ARE LINKED TO SOCIAL ACTION OR TO:
- Health Concerns
- Financial Issue that directly affects either a local area or age group
- Political Issue that directly affects either a local area or age group
Example 1 for Health Concerns:
Stacey Dooley Investigates World's Worst Place to Be a Woman?
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06mvwhb/stacey-dooley-investigates-series-7-2-worlds-worst-place-to-be-a-woman#
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06mvwhb/credits
Example 2 for Financial:
Stacey Dooley Investigates Mum Selling Their Kids for Sex
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p051xhnz
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF8XzK2HggE
Example 3 for Political:
Stacey Dooley Investigates Russia's War on Women
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05vb22n
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05vb22n/credits
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LOOKING AT THE DOCUMENTARIES IN MORE DEPTH:
Stacey Dooley Investigates World's Worst Place to Be a Woman?
PART 1: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE DOCUMENTARY?
What is the purpose?
- To highlight the cruel way women are treated in Honduras (San Pedro)
- Shows how often women are attacked and murdered
- Highlight that for some just being female 'can put their live at risk' (13 seconds)
What is the impact of the documentary?
I think the attitude of some of the men is quite disgusting and it makes me feel that there is no hope for females in certain parts. It is shocking to think that in this place a woman is murdered every 13 hours but yet hardly nothing is done to reduce the risk to woman.
Who is the intended audience?
- British women - In the documentary Stacey Dooley says: ''In Britain today, young women like me, take basic rights for granted"
- Men - There may be some men who treat the women in their lives in a certain way and may not be aware that they could see it as abuse.
What was the issue?
The issue being addressed in the documentary is about the high rates in which women are brutally attacked and murdered. Although many men are punished, many get short sentences and may be out within just a few years. Furthermore, there is still a large number of crimes that go unpunished and it means men can reoffend.
In this gang populated city, Honduras, young women are often targeted by members as they are vulnerable and desperate for money. Then they may be recruited by members to do their dirty work; this can involve selling drugs and even killing other women and their kids. The worst part is that if they don't do what the gangs say, someone will still be killed and it will be the woman recruited. The only way to get out of that lifestyle is in a body bag, there's no other way really.
Who is the filmmaker?
- Presenter - Stacey Dooley
- Executive Producer - Mark Rubens
- Production Company - Twenty Twenty TV
BBC (The British Broadcasting Corporation)
Facts:
- First shown 26th October in 2015
- In 2014 there was over 6000 murders in Honduras
- Honduras has the highest homicide rate in the world
- Murders are so common of women that it has its own name - 'Femicide'
- 'So many of the crimes go unpunished' (1 minute )
PART 2: UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
Research Techniques Used In This Documentary:
- Interviews
- Newspapers
What is the purpose of research?
Researching a topic will mean that you can get the most amount of information possible to help you broaden your knowledge.
Was the documentary effective?
My Opinion:
PART 3: THE STYLE OF DOCUMENTARY
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What is the purpose?
- To show how desperate families are for money to the point that they would even exploit their own kids
- Shows how at risk children are, if their own mum's are doing this then what would someone else
- To show the 'most disturbing child sexual exploitation imaginable'
What is the impact of the documentary?
Who is the intended audience?
- Potentially the intended target audience could include people who sit at their desk watching these liv shows. Seeing the documentary means that they really can see the impact of what their money allows to happen.
- General Public - just to raise awareness and inform us of how hard life really can be
What was the issue?
The issue being addressed in the documentary is about the way in which young kids are exploited and used as a means to make money. The documentary explores the vile acts that kids are made to do by their own family members, commonly their own mothers.
There is a a man who 'is deep undercover trying to rescue them', however, this can be a difficult job. Often if he is successful of getting children out of these situations, it still means a kid being separated from their mothers.
Who is the filmmaker?
- Presenter - Stacey Dooley
Facts:
- First Shown: 16th May in 2017
- The children are forced to perform sex acts on fiends, siblings and their own parents.
- Pedophiles internationally pay to see these live sex shows, often some even travel to abuse the kids in real life
PART 2: UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
Research Techniques Used In This Documentary:
- Interviews
What is the purpose of research?
Researching a topic will mean that you can get the most amount of information possible to help you broaden your knowledge.
Was the documentary effective?
My Opinion:
PART 3: THE STYLE OF DOCUMENTARY
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Stacey Dooley Investigates Russia's War on Women
PART 1: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE DOCUMENTARY?
What is the purpose?
- To highlight the levels of sexism in Russia, and to highltight the mentality of men
- It shows how backwards some Russians are when it comes to the way I which they think women should be treated
It is absolutely disgusting knowing that the government would have the stupidity and audacity to decriminalise 'certain forms of domestic abuse. It makes me feel angry that there are many women who have to put up with being abused and there's often no way to get out the situation.
Who is the intended audience?
What was the issue?
The issue being investigated is the reason why the law to decriminalise some forms of domestic abuse was put in place. Stacy Dooley travels to Russia to find out why this decision was made and the impact the law is having on women.
Who is the filmmaker?
- Reporter - Stacey Dooley
- Director - Freddie Martin
- Executive Producer - Sarah Waldron
- Producers - Freddie Martin & Diana Aroutiounova
Facts:
- In February 2017, certain forms of domestic abuse were decriminalised in Russia
- She meets victims that have had to escape their abusive partners
- Dooley meets feminists who are fighting for equality regardless of threats
Brilliant work!! I look forward to watching these documentaries. I will send you feedback to support with the ones you had questions on.
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