Theoretical Problems

3.2 Solve theoretical problems within a creative media production project

How do I keep the audience engaged? (Uses and Gratifications Theory)

The problem I have to overcome is not understanding how I am going to keep my audience engaged. Audience engagement is important because the entire purpose of producing the video is for an audience member to watch it - if they become bored or uninterested and stop watching it then I have not achieved the purpose of what I set out to do. In order to overcome this issue, in my content research, I researched into the uses and gratifications theory. The uses and gratifications theory by Katz and Blumler identifies the different categories that explains why an audience member would be consuming a piece of media. After understanding what categories my audience fit into, I can then tailor my video to suit their needs - therefore, engaging the audience.

The research I completed can be seen below...

Through understanding that the aim of my documentary is to educate the audience, I am able to confidently say that my audience would fit into the surveillance category of Bulmer and Katz’s uses and gratifications theory. The uses and gratifications theory states that an audience member is actually searching for a type of media to fit their needs and that specific time. There are 5 different categories that an audience member can seek for, these include: surveillance; entertainment; personal identity; integration and social interaction; and escapism.

Surveillance – this category suggests that the audience are watching to inform something or educate themselves on a specific subject. This fits perfectly with my documentary, as I am aiming to inform the audience on a the subject of misophonia through the use of personal stories.

Entertainment – this category suggests the audience are watching for enjoyment. An example of this would be to watch a game show or something they have a personal interest in, such as a sport show.

Personal Identity – this category suggests the audience are watching to gain a sense of relatability. The media product will have characters with similar characteristics to the audience, meaning they are able to connect and relate to what is happening on screen.

Integration and social interaction – these media products have the ability to spark a conversation between people. An audience member will engage with these media products with the intent of having social interactions with other people. A great example of this is online gaming, as people with play games with their friends online. Furthermore, an entertainment talent show may spark conversation because of personal opinions, ‘who was the best singer?’.

Escapism – this category suggests the audience are engaging with this media product to escape from reality. The media products may be entirely different to their own lives so they can imagine themselves in the lives of those on screen.

After looking through the 5 different categories of the uses and gratifications theory, I actually think that my audience would fit very well into the personal identity category too. My documentary is going to include personal stories from those with the disorder, so if someone watching these interviews doesn’t know they have misophonia, or someone close to them is watching, they might be able understand what they possibly have. This is particular true as it is a newer disorder, so there are still lots of people who do not know what it is. I am glad I have been able to recognise this as it gives my target audience a broader range.

Now that I am in the position I understand why I am creating the documentary, and who it is for, I can move into the next stage where I plan on communicating with people who are affected by misophonia to understand more about how I can structure the documentary and what it may include. I have decided to do this because I think that this will help me to understand more about how I can appropriately represent people with misophonia. This is relevant to understanding my target audience further as if I can understand what content will be included, I can do a survey to ask the current target audience of 16+ year olds and refine this down to understand a more specific target audience.

Harvard References

Websites

Independent Cinema Office. (n.d.). Understanding audiences. [online] Available at: https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/advice-support/how-to-start-a-cinema/understanding-audiences/#:~:text=The%20key%20to%20making%20a

Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Misophonia: What It Is, Triggers, Symptoms & Treatment. [online] Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24460-misophonia.

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Potential contributor not available to be a part of production

I received an email response from Emma, the clinical psychologist I had previously emailed. Very unfortunately, she states that she is unable to take part in the production. This email can be seen below.

emma email - potential contributor not available.png

It is a real shame that this is the case, as I think having her a part of the documentary would have added a lot, making it far more engaging and professional. This has become a big problem and something I am going to have to overcome very quickly. I have two options in this situation.

Option 1:

Focus it on peoples experience – looking at the similaries and differences between their stories – edit between them to show cohesiveness
Make the documentary more personal
With this, focus on their thoughts on how it is represented + their experiences with professionals

Option 2:

Speaking with my auntie who is also a clinical psychologist and seeing if she would be happy to be a part of the production. She does not specialise in misophonia but does specialise in helping parents who are struggling with bringing up their children. Furthermore, she is a ‘trained in a range of therapeutic models, including CBT, systemic and psychodynamic approaches’ which is great because CBT is an approach to help with misophonia too.
Though I understand it’s not ideal, and Emma would have been a better fit. I do think that because she works with parents and families to discuss the effects of actions and emotions on their loved ones, she can relate this to misophonia and talk about how it can make such a big impact on the family members of those who have it.

I think the best choice for me is to choose option 2 as I still want to have a professional viewpoint included within the documentary too. The image below shows the message I sent to my auntie.

Luckily, she was happy to help and be a part of the production. Though its not what I exactly wanted, this is proof of me being able to overcome a logistical problem and turning it into something positive.

BBFC Rating

Its important that it my production I do not breach the BBFC’s 12A classification as this is the rules that both the college and exam board have set. Firstly, what is a classification? The BBFC state that ‘Classification is the process of giving age ratings and content advice to films and other audiovisual content to help children and families choose what’s right for them and avoid what’s not’. It’s vital that I learn what the 12A classification’s rules are and how to stick with them.

The 12A classification suggests that no one under the age of 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema accompanied by an adult. It is the adult's choice to consider whether it is suitable for the under 12 to be watching the film. Therefore, my content should be suitable for under 12s, to consume. There are 9 different categories to discuss.

Dangerous Behaviour - ‘No promotion of potentially dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No endorsement of anti-social behaviour’. This is okay for me because I have no dangerous behaviour within my film.
Discrimination – ‘Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned’. This is okay for me as I do not discuss any sort of discrimination or discuss discriminative actions within my film.
Drugs – ‘Misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give detailed instruction’. The only drugs that may be referenced within my film are the use of medication that someone with misophonia may take. This will not be frequent, it will not be glamorised by any means, and it will simply be a passing comment, not into detail.
Language - ‘There may be moderate bad language. Strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification’. The only close thing I have to this would be the use of the words ‘Shut Up!’ at the end of the first scene. Although said in an aggressive manner, within context it is understandable as this is fight of flight reaction that someone with misophonia may have. Furthermore, it is not a swear word so will not fall under the category of bad language
Nudity – ‘There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it must e brief and discreet’. I do not have any nudity within my piece so this is not a worry.
Sex – ‘Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable’. I do not have any sexual references/topics within my piece so this is not a worry.
Sexual Violence and Sexual Threat – ‘There may be verbal references to sexual violence provided they are not graphic. The stronger forms of sexual violence, including rape, may only be implied and any sexual threat or abusive behaviour must be brief and negatively presented. I do not have any sexual violence references/topics within my piece so this is not a worry.
Threat and Horror – ‘There may be moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences. Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be. Horror sequences should not be frequent or sustained’. The 1st scene of my documentary is going to be like a horror, and is meant to heighten your heart rate. I do not have any physical or psychological threat and the ‘horror sequence’ within my idea is very mild. The overall tone of my film as a whole is not disturbing, only the first scene is slightly overwhelming/unsettling, meaning that it also is not frequent or sustained. My film will fit into this guideline as it is mild and only lasts for one short scene.
Violence – ‘There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context’. The only ‘violence’ I have in my scene is the use of the term ‘Shut up!’ indicated at the child’s parents.

Despite a lot of these categories not causing any worry to my production, it was still good to look into this as it has helped me to better understand that I am producing a suitable piece of content. The particular category that was interesting to look into was the threat and horror one. It fills me with confidence to know that what I intended on producing in my ‘horror’ scene 1 is suitable for a 12A audience.

Harvard Reference

BBFC (n.d.). What is classification | British Board of Film Classification. [online] www.bbfc.co.uk. Available at: https://www.bbfc.co.uk/about-classification.

BBFC (n.d.). BBFC | BBFC. [online] www.bbfc.co.uk. Available at: https://www.bbfc.co.uk/rating/12.

Ethics of using AI in my documentary

This link with the practical problem of Erin's interview being vertical - click here to view

Despite being able to physically overcome the problem I had, in the sense that I now had a video which fitted the 16:9 aspect ratio, the technique I used to overcome it with has caused it's own problem. There's a lot of debate around the ethics of using AI in film, particularly documentaries, due to the fact that documentaries are meant to be truthful, and the AI generative imagery is in fact not real.

To understand more about whether my use of AI is ethical and if there's anything I need to do, I first spoke with my tutor, as he has great interest in this area of filmmaking. He suggested looking at what some other big production companies say about the matter, as this can be used as a good guideline for my own filmmaking.

This is what BBC had to say on the subject matter...

Any use of AI by the BBC in the creation, presentation or distribution of content must be transparent and clear to the audience. The audience should be informed in a manner appropriate to the context and it may be helpful to explain not just that AI has been used but how and why it has been used.

(www.bbc.co.uk. (n.d.). Guidance: The use of Artificial Intelligence. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/use-of-artificial-intelligence#:~:text=by%20their%20teams.- [Accessed 16 Apr. 2024].)

The part that I find most intriguing from this guidance statement is, 'The audience should be informed in a manner appropriate to the context' this proves to me that the context of the video or use of AI, is dependent on the actions that need to be taken place. They go on to state that 'it may be helpful to explain not just that AI has been used but how and why it has been used' which despite given my context of using it to create a more pleasing image for the audience as they listen to what Erin the interviewee has to say, is probably not needed, it doesn't hurt to add. Therefore, to overcome the ethical issues of using AI within my documentary, I will be writing a note in the credits to state that AI was used in Erin's interviewee for the purpose of generating a background. This tells the audience when and why it has been used, which I think is suitable, if not more than needed, for my use of AI.

Interviewee discusses being in a privileged position

When cutting Erin’s response to the work she does and how she is able to use different techniques to cope with her work, I stumbled into a sort of, theoretical problem. The problem was that she discusses how she worked as a ride operator during college, and the affected her mental health a lot as it was a lot for her, particularly as she wasn’t able to wear her headphones; after this she now works for her mum’s company as a graphics designer. She states that her mum gives her the accommodations she needs without any question – which is good for her, but as an audience member with misophonia, seeing someone in a perhaps more privileged position than you are, how is that going to make you feel. I have to think of it from the perspective of someone with misophonia, or someone wanting to learn more about it – if the interviewee on screen is stating how she was simply able to work from home and, honestly, get it quite easy, that doesn’t educate the audience much about the most effective ways to prevent triggers. It’s quite uncommon for someone to have that opportunity, so this might just make the audience feel even worse about themselves and the potential position they are in.

It’s a difficult, but critical, place to be in as an editor, as this could affect the way in which they perceive.

To overcome this theoretical problem, I have made the decision not to choose this part of her interviewee. I can be selective with my clips to still give context to what she does, but not go into depth due to the reasons I have stated.