Research &
Contextual
Analysis
For my Final Major Project, I want to produce a documentary. A documentary is usually a non-fictional and very factual motion picture. You would normally expect to see single shot interviews from people involved, such as witnesses or expert opinions. They can be about anything varying from someone’s career and life story to a crime committed. A documentary can be a film or be in the form of a series. Most of the time they can be quite controversial and come from a more serious and unstaged approach. To produce my documentary, I will mainly be using Adobe Creative Cloud, more specifically Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018. I may also need to use Adobe After Effects CC 2018 to add in effects when editing the documentary and possible Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 to produce any imagery or advertisements for the documentary.
My two favourite sub-genres of documentaries would be auto/biographic and music documentaries. I like biographic documentaries as they normally access areas of the person’s life which you would have never seen before just seeing them in the media. Documentaries have a way of filming people to make it feel more natural and unstaged, the more comfortable the people feel in their interviews, the more they will say. I also like music documentaries as I have a big interest in music and again documentaries will tell you information that you would not know about the music industry. I really like that insider information you get from a documentary. I much prefer a documentary series or when it's broken down into a few parts as I feel like they cover a lot more. The most recent music documentary I watched was the Amy Winehouse documentary. It was called Amy. It was released on 16th July 2015 in Germany, distributed by Altitude Film Distribution; A24 and directed by Asif Kapadia. This documentary was really insightful, as it delved a lot deeper into Amy Winehouse’s life and the series of events that inevitably led to her passing. It was also really helpful as research for my Final Major Project as Amy Winehouse’s style of music predominantly falls into the R&B genre.
In terms of inspiration, I have watched several Rhythm and Blues documentaries that have inspired my decision to choose this topic for my FMP. I have mainly watched a lot of auto/biographical documentaries about a solo artists career. One documentary that I found very insightful and explained the genre and the music scene surrounding R&B music was the Netflix Original ‘What happened, Miss Simone?’. It was released 22nd January 2015, directed by Liz Garbus, distributed by Netflix and RadicalMedia. It was a docudrama about the legendry recording artist Nina Simone. The documentary re-enacts her life story and shows how she was accepted within the music scene. I found this documentary really insightful as it was on the completely different from the Amy Winehouse documentary and showed her career in a brutally honest way. It was also easier to envision the events that took place around the time Nina Simone was gaining fame as it was a docudrama so all events were re-enacted.
What makes a documentary, a documentary?
A documentary is usually a non-fictional and very factual motion picture. You would normally expect to see single shot interviews from people involved, such as witnesses or expert opinions. They can be about anything varying from someone’s career and life story to a crime committed. A documentary can be a film or be in the form of a series. Most of the time they can be quite controversial and come from a more serious and unstaged approach.
Documentary Genres:
• Historical/Docudrama
• Biographic/Autobiographic
• Nature/Science
• Ethnographic
• Travel
• Advocacy/Crime - public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.
• Rockumentary
• Sport
Documentary Genres:
• Historical/Docudrama
• Biographic/Autobiographic
• Nature/Science
• Ethnographic
• Travel
• Advocacy/Crime - public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.
• Rockumentary
• Sport
Documentary Modes: The last three are the most commonly used and seen in documentaries.
Poetic mode – more poetic than narrative. All about imagery and sound. No narrative (anti-narrative). There to create feelings and focuses heavily on camerawork. It may not always be used throughout the whole documentary. Some documentaries will use it at certain points to simply create a specific feeling.
Performative mode – personal experience. Someone who has personally experienced what the documentary is about will be the one narrating. It’s quite rare as it has to be linked to the subject matter.
Reflexive mode – Breaking the fourth wall. Truth is in the eye of the beholder. The idea that documentaries cannot always be all truth as people act differently when the camera is on. When they speak directly to the camera. Acknowledges it’s a documentary but sometimes plays with the chronology of events.
Expository mode – More rhetorical or argumentative than aesthetic. Addresses the viewer directly. Relies heavily on an informing logic, carried by spoken work.
Observational mode- Fly on the wall style of presentation. Nothing has been cut off. Synchronous sound. It aims to show you as much that they possibly can. Unobtrusive camera work. Big Brother-style.
Participatory mode – This is where there is one main presenter. They lead the documentary and ask the questions.
For my FMP, I want to produce a documentary about the origins and evolution of R&B. Before I even start researching the topic or planning out production, I need to know how to distribute my documentary. I have researched into the main ways you can distribute a documentary and the majority of sources state 7 main ways to distribute a feature documentary.
7 Ways to Distribute your Documentary:
Poetic mode – more poetic than narrative. All about imagery and sound. No narrative (anti-narrative). There to create feelings and focuses heavily on camerawork. It may not always be used throughout the whole documentary. Some documentaries will use it at certain points to simply create a specific feeling.
Performative mode – personal experience. Someone who has personally experienced what the documentary is about will be the one narrating. It’s quite rare as it has to be linked to the subject matter.
Reflexive mode – Breaking the fourth wall. Truth is in the eye of the beholder. The idea that documentaries cannot always be all truth as people act differently when the camera is on. When they speak directly to the camera. Acknowledges it’s a documentary but sometimes plays with the chronology of events.
Expository mode – More rhetorical or argumentative than aesthetic. Addresses the viewer directly. Relies heavily on an informing logic, carried by spoken work.
Observational mode- Fly on the wall style of presentation. Nothing has been cut off. Synchronous sound. It aims to show you as much that they possibly can. Unobtrusive camera work. Big Brother-style.
Participatory mode – This is where there is one main presenter. They lead the documentary and ask the questions.
For my FMP, I want to produce a documentary about the origins and evolution of R&B. Before I even start researching the topic or planning out production, I need to know how to distribute my documentary. I have researched into the main ways you can distribute a documentary and the majority of sources state 7 main ways to distribute a feature documentary.
7 Ways to Distribute your Documentary:
1. Online Self-Distribution
The first step in online distribution is targeting your primary audience. It is best to build up a following before you release your documentary. Target support groups or social media accounts surrounding the topic of your documentary. Find interested people that will actually watch your documentary. Create separate social media accounts solely to promote this documentary.
2. Online Documentary Channels
There are several documentary channels on YouTube that may accept documentary submissions. Since these channels post regularly, they already have subscribers who are ready to tune into the next film. If can manage to get a documentary distributor to share your documentary it will help you gain a following.
3. Film Festivals
If you can get your documentary into a film festival, it could really help gain a strong following and attract an audience that will want to watch. Film festivals also have film production and distribution companies. If they watch your documentary and they like what they see they could invest in you and help project your work on to a much bigger and more recognised platform.
4. Awards
It would be ideal if when you showcase your documentary you can present awards it has won alongside. Some film awards accept submissions like The Peabody Awards. if you submit your work to them and they like it you could win an award for your documentary. That will not only look good when presenting your documentary, but it means you are getting the recognition for your work as well as getting free promotion.
5. Broadcast Television
If you are interested in distributing your documentaries on a major television channel like BBC or Channel 4 you would have to submit a proposal outlining the premise of your documentary and why you think it deserves airtime on such a major channel. It would probably be hard to track down an executive of the company so you would have better luck emailing the company and if they like you, they will pass your ideas onto their distribution heads.
6. Theatrical Release
This is one of the more achievable ways to get your documentary screened, however, you would have to advertise it yourself and be responsible for how good the audience turn out is. All you have to do is go down to your local theatre/cinema and ask them if they could hold a screening for your film. Many theatres will agree but as long as it's not-profitable or if you do charge for the tickets for entry, all profits will go to the theatre company.
7. DVD
If you are looking for immediate profit and for an easily accessible platform, consider selling DVD copies of your documentary. The only issue with DVD's now is that its an industry that is dying out. With the dominance of online streaming platforms, a DVD release
R&B Research:
Rhythms and Blues, more commonly known as R&B was originated in African American communities in the 1940s and is still very current and popular now. In 1949, then Billboard magazine reporter Jerry Wexler created the term R&B to give the upbeat popular music, combining jazz and blues performed by African Americans, a name. The term Rhythm and Blues were used to replace the term “race music”. After the "race music" term was deemed offensive, Billboard began using the Rhythm & Blues name that Wexler created. By the 1950s, the music was heavily associated with black youth and was often dismissed and looked down upon as a “lowbrow” style of music compared to a straight Jazz “highbrow” way for the African Americans to express themselves.
Rhythms and Blues, more commonly known as R&B was originated in African American communities in the 1940s and is still very current and popular now. In 1949, then Billboard magazine reporter Jerry Wexler created the term R&B to give the upbeat popular music, combining jazz and blues performed by African Americans, a name. The term Rhythm and Blues were used to replace the term “race music”. After the "race music" term was deemed offensive, Billboard began using the Rhythm & Blues name that Wexler created. By the 1950s, the music was heavily associated with black youth and was often dismissed and looked down upon as a “lowbrow” style of music compared to a straight Jazz “highbrow” way for the African Americans to express themselves.
In the early 1970s, Hip Hop music was created, arose and began to dominate the music scene, specifically the black social scene. With the rapid growth of Hip Hop music, R&B became known to many as a “bunch of love songs” and the dynamic and soulful nature of R&B music was getting lost. By the mid to late 1970s, the term Rhythms and Blues started to gain back its credibility and became a blanket term that included both soul and funk forms of music.
The meaning behind ‘rhythm’ comes from the music’s typical dependence on four-beat measures. Most songs within the R&B genre use to use the same rhythm, therefore defining the rhythm element of the name. The term ‘Blues’ comes from the lyrics and melodies of the songs that were often sombre or ‘blue’. This was specifically prominent during the music’s emergence in World War II. The names abbreviation was simply just for convenience over time.
As a genre, R&B is recognised for its soulful tone and constant featuring of improvisation. In classic R&B, they regularly use a stacking technique on vocal harmonies. Singer-songwriter Stuart Goosman says this technique reminds him of the urban environments of Baltimore and Washington DC where the music got its start. “He suggests that the physical and psychic aspects of the city, in particular, ‘those cities' urban segregation, helped shape the consciousness of the musicians, who freed themselves through the limitlessness of singing, engaging the imagination to soar beyond the limitations of place.”
R&B musicians vary. Not every artist within the genre has the same style or make the same artistic choices when it comes to the composition of their songs. Some of the early R&B artists that made the genre what it is were artists such as, Little Richard, Nat “King” Cole, Louis Jordan, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Ruth Brown. There were also a lot of R&B groups when the genre was first discovered but I am mainly focusing on solo artists within the genre.
Today, R&B can be used to define most African-American urban music even though soul and funk can be placed in their own genres. However, more modern R&B artists come under the genre “Contemporary R&B”, leaving the old, classic soulful artists in the pure “R&B” genre. R&B throughout time has also expanded out of America and Modern/Contemporary R&B artists are now very prominent in the UK and other parts of the world. The genre now features artists such as Beyoncé, Usher, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson defining the genre. Contemporary R&B is now starting to come over to British artists a lot more with artist like Mahalia, Sinead Harnett and Jvck James gaining popularity within the music scene.
Research into decades:
The 1960s & The 1970s:
By the 1960s/ 1970s, R&B had started to define itself as its own genre. Major R&B artist that we still know now arose in the sixties and seventies and many Rhythms and Blues groups were created. One of the biggest success stories of this era was The Jackson 5.
My plan for this trip can be found in my Planning.
I had planned to go to the Soul Proprietors record store in Brixton as research as they specialise in Soul and Rhythm and Blues Records. I hoped that by going to a record shop that sells the genre I am focusing on, the staff would be passionate and knowledgeable and would be able to give me information and background on the genre which could add context to my FMP.
Research into decades:
The 1940s & The 1950s:
R&B originated in the
The 1940s with some artists like the ones above, making a massive impact on the
The R&B music scene. The artists above include R&B kings and queens Ray
Charles, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin. When R&B
originated, R&B artists had to define a genre that people didn’t know and
then make their mark as an individual artist on the music scene. It was a lot
harder for the new artist within this genre to be recognised, as people were
unfamiliar with the genre. So not only did they need to become familiar with an
array of new artists but also a new genre of music. Another difficulty R&B
artists had in the 1940s/1950s were being accepted in a society that lacked
equality. The genre was previously known as ‘Race Music” highlighting how
divided society was, it was then changed to “Rhythm and Blues” as the previous
name was deemed offensive but a lot of Caucasian members of society still used
the term “Race Music” in an offensive manner.
The 1960s & The 1970s:
By the 1960s/ 1970s, R&B had started to define itself as its own genre. Major R&B artist that we still know now arose in the sixties and seventies and many Rhythms and Blues groups were created. One of the biggest success stories of this era was The Jackson 5.
The group was founded in 1965 and was an American pop band composed of
members of the Jackson family by brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine, with younger brothers Marlon and Michael joining soon after. By 1969 they were a worldwide sensation and are still popular.
The 1980s:
By the eighties, Michael
Jackson had gone solo and left the R&B genre to become what we now know him
as the King of Pop. Major R&B artists like Diana Ross, Soul II Soul and
Chic were dominating the music scene. With the genre losing Michael Jackson
some people felt like they had to make a major comeback to keep their presence
in the music scene. However, true R&B fans felt that this allowed new and
possibly even better R&B artists to shine through.
The 1990s and 2000s:
The 1990s is where I think the heart of R&B lies. Nineties R&B incorporated elements from several genres. Elements of Soul, Jazz, Pop and R&B music could be found in the music at this time. This is when the genre branched off into contemporary R&B. Today, R&B can be used to define most African-American urban music even though soul and funk can be placed in their own genres. However, more modern R&B artists come under the genre “Contemporary R&B”, leaving the old, classic soulful artists in the pure “R&B” genre. R&B throughout time has also expanded out of America and Modern/Contemporary R&B artists are now very prominent in the UK and other parts of the world. The genre now features artists such as Beyoncé, Usher, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson defining the genre. Contemporary R&B is now starting to come over to British artists a lot more with artist like Mahalia, Sinead Harnett and Jvck James gaining popularity within the music scene.
Trip to record store:
The 1990s is where I think the heart of R&B lies. Nineties R&B incorporated elements from several genres. Elements of Soul, Jazz, Pop and R&B music could be found in the music at this time. This is when the genre branched off into contemporary R&B. Today, R&B can be used to define most African-American urban music even though soul and funk can be placed in their own genres. However, more modern R&B artists come under the genre “Contemporary R&B”, leaving the old, classic soulful artists in the pure “R&B” genre. R&B throughout time has also expanded out of America and Modern/Contemporary R&B artists are now very prominent in the UK and other parts of the world. The genre now features artists such as Beyoncé, Usher, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson defining the genre. Contemporary R&B is now starting to come over to British artists a lot more with artist like Mahalia, Sinead Harnett and Jvck James gaining popularity within the music scene.
Documentary review: HOMECOMING- A film by Beyoncé:
The documentary I watched on Netflix was called 'HOMECOMING- A film by Beyoncé', about American singer Beyoncé and her performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, written, directed and executive produced by Beyoncé herself. It premiered on Netflix on April 17, 2019. The film is being described as an "intimate, in-depth look" of the concert, revealing "the emotional road from creative concept to a cultural movement".
I knew that the film was about Beyoncé and her Coachella performance but I didn't realise the documentary would also talk about the background behind the R&B genre and the social scene surrounding it.
I found it really useful as it helped me get some contextual research for my documentary and means that I can be more accurate in production. However, the documentary lacked inspiration for me and the filming techniques were different from what I am able to produce due to the current pandemic. They also filmed a lot of behind-the-scenes which Very relevant for this type of film/documentary, however, would be inappropriate to use for my documentary. Overall I found this quite inspiring and did help steer my production process in the right direction and gave me good background knowledge on the social scene surrounding R&B especially nowadays.
My plan for this trip can be found in my Planning.
I had planned to go to the Soul Proprietors record store in Brixton as research as they specialise in Soul and Rhythm and Blues Records. I hoped that by going to a record shop that sells the genre I am focusing on, the staff would be passionate and knowledgeable and would be able to give me information and background on the genre which could add context to my FMP.
I had checked all of the opening hours of the store and even called them to ask if it was ok if I came down and asked some questions and possibly record some of the answers. They agreed to all of it and agreed that I could come on Friday 06th March at around 2pm as the store is normally quiet then. It was all planned out, however, when I got there the store was closed. I called back the same number and they said there was an emergency and they had to unexpectedly close the store. Obviously, these things happen but it is slightly annoying as now I have not got a trip to back up my research/ as a good source of primary research and with the current pandemic I can not guarantee when I will next be able to visit either the same store of a different place for research. I am going to have to do various different forms of primary research to support my final products.
Researching online music museums/record stores:
Due to COVID-19, I won't be able to go to another record store or museum as research for this unit. However, I have researched some museums who have an online presence as well as online record stores.
V&A Pop and Rock Music:
The V&A is an amazing museum which does have exhibitions on all genres of music. Their website has a section about Pop and Rock music, however, there are articles on here about R&B and Soul artists which are quite useful. An article I found particularly useful was called 'The Story of The Supremes'. It breaks down the back story of the R&B group and also explains their social stance and how they claimed fame during the Motown era and Civil Rights Movements. The main reason this is useful is that I want to come from a different point of view with my documentary and not only talk about the music in the genre but also the social scene surrounding it and articles like these help me get the background information to support my documentary.
Drift Records, Dusty Groove Records, Soul Brother Records:
Drift Records, Dusty Groove Records and Soul Brother Records are online R&B record stores. I actually reached out to Drift Record Store and asked them if they would answer some questions for the documentary. I am still awaiting a response. Even if they don't get back to me, their website, alongside the other two, are really useful as they have all different artists records whose music officially falls into the R&B category. This helps me get clarity on which artists, in particular, I can include in my documentary.
Researching online music museums/record stores:
Due to COVID-19, I won't be able to go to another record store or museum as research for this unit. However, I have researched some museums who have an online presence as well as online record stores.
V&A Pop and Rock Music:
The V&A is an amazing museum which does have exhibitions on all genres of music. Their website has a section about Pop and Rock music, however, there are articles on here about R&B and Soul artists which are quite useful. An article I found particularly useful was called 'The Story of The Supremes'. It breaks down the back story of the R&B group and also explains their social stance and how they claimed fame during the Motown era and Civil Rights Movements. The main reason this is useful is that I want to come from a different point of view with my documentary and not only talk about the music in the genre but also the social scene surrounding it and articles like these help me get the background information to support my documentary.
Drift Records, Dusty Groove Records, Soul Brother Records:
Drift Records, Dusty Groove Records and Soul Brother Records are online R&B record stores. I actually reached out to Drift Record Store and asked them if they would answer some questions for the documentary. I am still awaiting a response. Even if they don't get back to me, their website, alongside the other two, are really useful as they have all different artists records whose music officially falls into the R&B category. This helps me get clarity on which artists, in particular, I can include in my documentary.
Psychographics and Demographics:
Demographics explain who the primary target audience is, whereas psychographics explains why they feel the way they do. Demographics cover gender, age and ethnic background - the essentials. Psychographics explore a more personal side to the audience. Below are some examples of the different categories the audience could fall into. If you have confidently and successfully understood both the psychographics and demographics of the audience then you can successfully make a documentary that suits the wants and needs of the target audience.
Psychographics:
- The Belonger lives in an average town, loves the community, loves being with family and friends and belonging to a community. They are very nationalistic and don't like to change. Their best time is spending time with their friends. They are hard-working and are extremely conservative in their views. They will buy because of personal relationships and are very brand loyal.
- The Achiever is the serious business person that is constantly looking to become more, and to make more. Power and physical wealth is the major stimulator that makes this person perform. Workaholic and will drive high-end luxury cars. In total contrast to The belonger, these people hate being part of a group. They need to be individuals, to set themselves apart from the rest.
- The Emulator / Aspirer would love to be an Achiever but isn't. The emulator will try to do anything to make him or herself look like an Achiever to attract the opposite sex or approval within their peers. They will aspire to be like their idols. It might be the top rap artist, the top movie actor, the top sports star they are trying to copy, not the businessman. This group suffers from low self-esteem, needs peer approval, is usually under thirty years old, frequently not financially stable.
- The Socially Conscious Type A: is not concerned with the world of achievement or the world of family or community but rather what effects their actions have on society on a whole. They want to make the world a better place. They are environmentally concerned and believe in schooling and teaching. They like the socially disadvantaged but they are quite cynical about society and it's downfalls, yet take a generally positive view of how the future could be.
- Socially Conscious Type B: has given up on humanity on a whole and has moved off into their own small communities where they live socially-conscious within their socially conscious groups.
- Balanced / Totally integrated is basically a mixture of the Achiever and Socially Conscious types, which in certain respects is a bit of a paradox but works quite well in practice. These are Achievers with a Social Conscience, a person that achieves to make the world a better place. There are many other examples of people who have grown rich, who have achieved power and wealth but still ensured that their labours don't come at the expense of society. Rather with the co-operation and to the benefit of humanity and nature as a whole.
- Needs Driven are people that buy on impulse and instinct, depending on what they need at the time. There is little planning and things are bought as they are required. The interesting part is that, even though this part of the population is frequently poor, they will often buy goods at a surcharge because instead of doing the weekly shopping trip to the supermarket where things are cheaper they will buy last minute at the corner store.
My Primary Target Audience (Demographics) and Psychographics:
I want my documentary to educate my primary target audience as well as entertain. I haven’t got a specific primary target audience at the moment as I think I have chosen a topic that everyone could learn something about. I feel like having a broad target audience could be risky as I need to ensure I bare the demo/ psychographics in mind throughout production and without a specific age range it would be hard to do so. However, within my documentary, I will be discussing the origins of the Rhythm and Blues genre as well as how it’s evolved to what it is now. Therefore, both an older and younger target audience can benefit from my documentary.
I haven’t got a specific demographic that I am aiming my documentary at. Like I mentioned before, I think both genders of all ages could learn something from my documentary. However, I think when I am producing the documentary it will naturally have a more young and youthful tone as a reflection on my style and interests and therefore may automatically attract an audience still of both genders but in an age range of around 12-30 years old. Psychographics is something I can focus more on as I need to be able to relate to my audience and come down to a level where they can empathise with something within the documentary as well as learn something. My primary target audience will more than likely have an interest in if not specifically in the R&B genre, definitely will have an interest in the music industry as a whole. I will be discussing and comparing R&B music when it first originated against what it is now, so I will need to talk about artists that people have an interest in to keep them engaged. I think more demographics and psychographics will fall into place when I start production. For example, if I interview someone, I will instantly be able to gauge their interests and incorporate that in my documentary as a way of targeting my audience’s psychographics.
Primary Research:
Above is a link to my questionnaire. As a source of primary research, I carried out a short questionnaire with a few vital questions I needed to be answered by my audience to ensure I make a documentary that incorporates and caters to all of their needs. I needed to know what my audience already knew so I don't waste time reinforming instead of educating.
Questionnaire Results:
Question 1:
Question 2:
Question 7:
Primary Research:
https://forms.gle/dz5Bx48UzMKiHRPk8
Above is a link to my questionnaire. As a source of primary research, I carried out a short questionnaire with a few vital questions I needed to be answered by my audience to ensure I make a documentary that incorporates and caters to all of their needs. I needed to know what my audience already knew so I don't waste time reinforming instead of educating.
Questionnaire Results:
Question 1:
Question 3:
Question 4:
Question 5:
Question 6:
Question 8:
Question 9:
Analysis of my questionnaire results:
The results above are a summary of the answers, however, you can analyse the answers individually. I asked a few simple questions at the start to see who was answering and how the difference is gender and age could vary the answers given.
Overall, I had an equal amount of males and females answer my questionnaire and the age group that answered the most were aged 19-25. The questions were mainly answered the same across the board in the multiple-choice questions. However, the responses in the short written answers were very interesting and useful for my research.
The general consensus was that most people would be interested in an R&B documentary. There was a fairly equal division between the audience wanting to see an informative or creative documentary. We these results I think I am going to produce a documentary that is creative enough to reflect the topic and genre of music in question but is also informative enough that it educates my audience.
I think this questionnaire, although short, was exactly what I needed to confirm my final plans for final production. I am eager to start now and hopefully produce a documentary that takes all this data, using it to the best of my ability, and produce a really good final product.
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