Background Research & Research Process Reflection

I have a plan to organize my crew and cast this week to firm up details of time and dates that work with everyone. There are 3 camera operators and 4 cast members. I will mainly need to focus on time and types of cameras used. The aspect of a documentary focusing on one story will be mostly narrative which does not need extensive camera angles or sets. The main focus will be using B-Roll and interviewing each person individually to create a long form documentary.

I believe as I am forming this project the main demographic would be college age students. The age specifically would b 18-32 as many people find engineering and building technology interesting. The main focus would be to create an interest in engineering and how each aspect of a large unit works independently to come together as a full scale device.

My creative research has led me to many shows on the Science channel or Discovery. The way they present complex topics to people who know very little about a certain subject is the focus I would like to replicate. “Mythbusters” is a long running show that uses diagrams and visual drawings to create the best understanding through visual and audio examples. The second show I researched is “How It’s Made.” Because my project follows these same parameters of seeing how a project works from start to finish, this is an important marker to building my documentary chronologically. The third show that will help me achieve my project is “The Machines That Built America.” With this show taking a more historical look at machines and how they are used, I could present my documentary in this format and create a compelling story.

I believe the tools and techniques I use will be important while on set. The technical experiment I will use this week is creating a visual adaptation of the electronics sed in the vest itself. Having a 2d or 3d model will help the viewer understand what exactly is being shown on screen.