Website walkthrough

 https://vimeo.com/527032788

Statement of intent

Product 1 

I intend to use the four areas of media theoretical framework along with my research to produce an opening for an observational documentary named ‘What It Takes’. This will be based on international showjumper Harry Bateman and produced by sport company ‘Sporting Excellence’ for BBC3. This idea is influenced by the lack of coverage of unique sports within the media, and so appears as something new and fresh for the 16-25 socially conscious, middle to upmarket audience. Stuart Hall’s reception theory is useful to consider here, due to the preferred meaning is for the audience to feel inspired after watching the documentary, with the call to action being to encourage the audience to participate in a new sport.From my research it is apparent that audiences are more likely to interact online or discuss with others if the documentary is engaging, and so I intend to use a range of shot types across various locations such as the stables and competitions to indicate the nationwide coverage of the sport, as well as using the hashtag #WhatItTakes to converge between the online forms and the documentary. Including a range of shot types such as wide shots and close ups will be paramount; however I shall also use a low angle shot whilst a horse jumps over a fence, which will indicate the power of a horse and the partnership between horse and rider. Stuart Hall’s reception theory comes in useful here, as the preferred reading of the audience would be that they find the shot and the documentary as a whole exciting and feel enlightened as to what they find out.  Using various locations and shot types also allows the audience to have a true insight to equestrianism and experience the ‘observational’ aspect of the documentary, which theorist Ben Nichols describes as allowing the audience to be shown true, uninterrupted facts in order to interpret the positive preferred meaning. As a public service broadcaster, the BBC has a remit to ‘educate, entertain and inform’ their audience, and by broadcasting a new, less publicised sport to the 16-25 aged audience it allows them to learn as well as feel encouraged to try something new. This should construct a positive and exciting representation of the sport, and see it as a valuable asset to British sport. Nevertheless, it shall also reveal the difficulties that lay for sportspeople such as balancing a social life, money and injuries. The audience will experience a behind the scenes feel, revealing the hardworking ethic of Harry Bateman as an international showjumper and how he built his career. The observational documentary will represent Harry Bateman as a credible source of knowledge as an international competitor, as well as the interviewees that will feature.

 

 

Product 2 

The website to accompany the documentary will maintain the typical house style of the BBC3 website, continuing its colour palette of black and pink to anchor its production. The website will contain extra information for audiences, including clips of Harry Bateman answering their questions as the 30 second audio visual, and blog posts about recent competitions and topics within equestrianism. This allows the ‘educating and informing’ section of the BBC remit to be fulfilled, as the audiences will find information separate from the documentary and learn more about this subject. From my generic research into BBC documentaries, I noticed the lack of digital convergence between platforms, and so this is something I shall improve by encouraging interaction via links to social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. As theorist Clay Shirky suggests, audiences are no longer passive and want to interact by liking, commenting and sharing, and so I shall utilise this information by providing platforms that audiences can interact with each other about What It Takes. There will be available links to organisations that audiences can visit online which offer a way to get started and learn further about being an equestrian, encouraging the call to action to be fulfilled by the audience. The website is also an opportunity for intertextuality to other media forms, and I intend to use autobiographies by Olympians Nick Skelton and Tim Stockdale, as well as films such as Moneyball. Although these chosen autobiographies may depend on cultural competencies, it allows the audience to learn, which fulfils the BBC remit further. I shall also place an Easter egg within the website, and those who chose to click on the logo that it is linked to shall receive a free copy of Nick Skelton's autobiography, encouraging satisfaction for the individual who finds it. The website will also offer the opportunity to ask questions for the talent and have him answer them in his blog or audio-visual clip, as I found in my research that having the ability to ask questions was popular among audience, as it allows them to become involved in the media.

How do you intend to link your media products to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the digitally convergent nature of your media production? (approx. 100 words) 

A range of social media platforms will be used to reference the documentary, as well as pop-ups on the website. All of these platforms allow the audiences to interact by asking questions online or submitting via the pop-ups on the website, as well as discovering new content on the Instagram and Twitter. The website will have a social bar to connect the audience to the available sites and so create a network to promote the documentary. Furthermore, the #WhatItTakes will be displayed within the documentary and so can be a way to encourage conversation between audiences, and allowing them to ‘speak back’ as Clay Shirky indicates in his end of audience theory.

Website final look

 Home - First page

Upon entering the website, a pop up will appear, encouraging the audience to ask any questions they may have after watching the documentary or questions regarding equestrianism in general.

 

The website has kept to the house style and colour palette of BBC3 as indicated by the brief, and has a clear format for navigation and access to social media such as Twitter and Instagram via the social bar. 

The What It Takes website and documentary is introduced to the audience, displaying the call to action, encouraging the reader to become involved in sport by shining a light on unique and underrepresented sports.

In this section I laid out my documentary, its description and scheduled times similar to BBC productions I studied in my generic research. Furthermore, I also highlighted the ease of access to BBC iPlayer for the audience to access other shows via the service.

Easter egg -

I have two clips made for questions answered by Harry himself, and includes many shots that were not in the documentary of the stable yard at his home in Essex, as well as competition footage. 

The sporting excellence logo is an Easter egg, and if the audience choose to click on it, it will reveal that they have won an autobiography by Olympian Nick Skelton.

Following on from the clips section, What It Takes offers the opportunity to enter a competition via social media, to win a riding lesson with Harry. 16-25 year olds utilise social media considerably more than any other age group, and so this is the perfect opportunity to engage with them, and encourage them to send in images of them doing a sport, using the tag #WhatItTakes to gain their attention. This also offers the audience an opportunity to 'speak back' to the documentary, as highlighted by theorist Clay Shirky. Audiences are no longer passive and want to engage online, and so this will distribute the show across many platforms.

The blog posts allow audiences to engage and learn further about showjumping, following in the life of Harry Bateman. It covers many topics such as sacrifices, a day in the life, as well as competition results. This reflects and fulfils the BBC remit to "educate, entertain and inform" as the audience continues to learn and be engaged further by what the website has to offer. 

The Twitter account for What It Takes features, demonstrating convergence between the platforms and the ease of access to make contact with the show and others who have watched the documentary to discuss.

Here I had a slideshow of 3 different sections to the website. 

1. Leads to the second page of the NEA 'documentary' page.

2. Leads to the blog section. The audience can interact with other news displayed about Harry and his latest news, and most importantly keep up to date.

3. Allows audiences to get involved with horse-related businesses such as the British Horse Society.

The subscription box allows audiences to have emails sent to them with the latest news/updates. They can also access the What It Takes Twitter, Instagram and Vimeo accounts, giving ease of access and so encouraging them to take a look.

Documentary - Second page

I have placed an Easter egg again within the documentary page. To the top right there is another Sporting Excellence logo, which is linked to the pop up.

The documentary is placed along with the extra audio-visual clips, alongside the BBC iPlayer logo, anchoring its availability to the service and the BBC3 production. 

I placed a list of the participants within the documentary. I used another sportsperson (also a friend of Harry) as well as an experienced trainer to give a sense of credibility towards the documentary, and that the opinions displayed can be trusted. Stuart Hall is useful to consider here, as with the website and documentary using trustworthy people, it will encourage the preferred positive reading of the audience.

I also used the 'try something new' box to anchor the available sources for audiences to get involved not only through sport, but reading and watching media.

I displayed the available sources of information to the audience. Some may wish to get involved, but not know necessarily 'how', and so I wanted to provide linked logos between websites of Sport England, British Showjumping and The British Horse Society to make them easier to access, and with an active 16-25 audience they are far more likely to utilise online formats and digital convergence.

Documentary final

 Documentary - What It Takes

30 second audio visual final & extra AV

30 Second audio-visual 

Extra audio-visual

Easter egg

 

I have placed 2 Easter eggs on my website, and upon clicking the audience will win an autobiography of Nick Skelton. 

This book is mentioned on the website as it is recommended by Harry himself, and so audiences may feel encouraged to read it.

Intertextuality and encouraging audiences to get involved

 Today I have been working on placing some intertextuality within my website. I wanted to allow audiences to become involved not just by taking part, but watching or reading more on sport and athletes who have opened up about their paths to success. 

I used 2 books and a film for this, autobiographies by Tim Stockdale and Nick Skelton, and a film named Moneyball that is based on true events. 

These sport-based texts can appeal to audiences because they are something new and interesting to watch after the documentary.