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 that
makes the audience trust the programme. 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 Crime-watch articles) used these to
give an in-depth 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 Cadet 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 organized and
clean look that fitted well with the
clinical link to St John Ambulance.
By doing this, I also maximized the
ease of reading for the audience,
as the text lies orderly in one
section rather than curving around
the page. Furthermore, an
enlarged quote 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
utilized this convention as it alludes to something they can only find out
through reading the article.