George Wing Television Blog

To take our idea futher, me and Jack decided to brainstorm some ideas to try and work out what we are visually seeing. This was to help us with our sequence and order of events: I think it would be interesting to have an introduction to this documentary with multiple clips from the news etc merging together all talking about stories. it starts with a report on just Liams case and then more and more cases build up over each other until they all stop and switch off in the style of an old tv. -ACCESS? Potential Sequence: Archive footage Title comes on. ‘Britains Falsely Accused’ Opening- Inside the hall where Liam is on Stage talking in Innovation of Justice Conference. Slow zoom into stage. Listen to what Liam has to say and then we go into vo “My name is Liam. Thats me on stage talking….. in 2017 I was falsely accused of rape.” Opens with drone shots, outside police station playing with telephone recording of a police phone call. Voiceover- Statistics about rape and peop...

"A shot list is a full log of all the shots you want to include in your film; essentially it is a checklist filled with minute details that will give your film a sense of direction and efficiency" (https://vimeo.com/blog/post/making-a-shot-list) A shot list is useful as a structure to follow for a shoot to ensure all the shots you want or need are covered. On shoot days its very busy and often a lot of panic and a shot list helps take away some of that stress as what you need to do is in front of you. Having previously made shot lists before for various projects I have a rough idea of what to include and has been a value practice for me since the beginning of first year where I learned how to properly format one and what to include. Here is an example from my first proper one: Whilst this was very useful to me and my project, I believe there is always room for improvement. This is why I am going to elaborate on my shot list for this project to give me more specific...

The key to documentary making is to actually start with a subject that excites you. "If you’re lukewarm about the subject matter, chances are, the final movie will be too."  (Desktop-Documentaries.com, 2018). I feel this is soemthing me and Jack struggled with massively in trying to find our idea. We had a lot of ideas and stories but nothing really excited us as much as what this current one does. I think with deadlines and everything, we rushed to find an idea rather than having the idea come to us and this si something that only happend through research which is what takes me onto my next point: Researching not only your idea but also story is very crucial to documentary making. It is important ot learn everything you can about the documentary subject; especially with an idea as complex not omnly socially but legally as what our is. Something tha has helped me whih this is doing a lot of digging not just secodnary researhc online but alsdo speking to contributors to fo...

SUCESSSSSSSSS!! Liam Allan very kindly phoned me back after reading our twitter message. After speaking on the phone I got a really good impression of him and thought he would be a great subject for the documentary. Not only could he be an interview, he could also lead the documentary. I think that this is what often makes a good documentary, when the person leading the documentary has a good personality to carry it would be successful and entertaining. It will educate, raise awareness and entertain. Provided our treatment proposal was agreeable to him, he was very much interested in taking part and potential leading the documentary. He also invited us to come along and film his event in Manchester on the 24th November. Although we may not use it for content it would be a useful insight and good chanced to meet Simon Warr, who was also falsely accused and wrote a book called 'Presumed Guilty'. Liam also said he would probably be more than happy to be interviewed. FACT...

I started off searching for Liam and the best place to get hold of him was via Twitter. His account enabled private messaging which was probably the best. He didn't have a press office or anything and that's because he's just a normal boy who has been deeply affected by the actions of a false accuser. We wanted to ease him into the idea to see if it would be something he would be interested in before starting the documentary. Before contacting I wanted to remind myself of how to work with a contributor and how to keep them on board. I was successful in my second year Directions unit project in keeping actors on board, which was mainly through consistent contact to ensure they all knew what they were doing and were happy. However, I also understand that looking after documentary contributors is a different story all together. I equally had experience with 'Are We Numb' in keeping contributors on board. In research I found Maddy, a contributor to a BBC Wales series ...

After having another meeting with Simon its evident we need to find a better focus for our documentary. Me and Jack really like the idea on the snowflake generation. But based on our feedback, we need to find a focus to make it a better rounded documentary. -Previous Generation to blame -Focus on education specifically? A sudden twist? -Life as a snowflake, live with a label? Living with a label as a concept People who are snowflakes. Demonstrations against Churchill get an education on Churchill Bring together three example snowflakes and see just how hard life in 2019 is. THey will all go through the stages of: -Applying for a job -Attending an activist demostration -Speaking to Joanna in a lecture to argue The 'R' Word Rape has become a stigma Falsely accused rape allegations -Speak to feminist group -speak to real victim and falsely accused individual -speak to someone who has accused falsely and why -speak to someone pressured into it -sp...

“One of the films chief assets is its gorgeous look, aided immeasurably by Iain Kitching’s lean editing. Slick, muscular, entertaining and emotionally satisfying.” - Hollywood Reporter on My Brother the Devil An editor who has inspired me a lot is Iain Kitching; a London based editor who has television programmes and documentaries for the past 15 years. He is a member of the Guild of British Film and Television Editors. I thought it was only natural to contact Ian to see where his years of experience have got him and if he has any tips or tricks for our documentary. I asked him what advice he had when it comes to editing and what inspires him when  editing, "what makes your style yours?." Sadly I didn't get a response and assume he was just very busy. However, this didn't stop me from wanting to find out more. In 2014, he worked on 'Babylon', Executive Produced by Danny Boyle. In 2012 he edited the feature film 'My Brother the Devil' winnin...

Evidence disclosure failings are a huge issue in the UK. This is not an opinion. It is a FACT. With si many case studies where evidence has gone really badly wrong, the judicial system must do better. In researching this I came across a journal published by parliament, who themselves have recognised this issue: "The Crown Prosecution Service have the duty to disclose relevant material collected by the police in the course of an investigation to the defence. This process is part of ensuring a fair trial. Problems with disclosure came into sharp focus following the high-profile collapse of a number cases between December 2017 and spring 2018. In early December 2017 the Government had announced that the then Attorney General would conduct a review of disclosure. The Attorney General has since changed, but we expect that this review will conclude. The Crown Prosecution Service, National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing also published a “National Disclosure Improvem...

Finding Serenity is a previous Third Year project. I was interested in looking into this as I wanted to analyse the work (especially a documentary) of previous years to see what I was up against. And after watching this, I knew I had my work cut out. Something that I really enjoyed about this documentary was the cinematic aesthetic. As director of photography, I was amazed by how carefully planned and well composed each shot was. That along with the editing, I was able to almost feel and be taken away into the mind of a bi-polar sufferer, just as the filmmakers intended. "A visual journey following the stories of people suffering with bipolar disorder, exploring their feelings, emotions and search for serenity. The film seeks to take the audience into the mind of the sufferer, to experience the volatile ride of mood swings, depression and mania. With a range of visual techniques and disembodied voices, Finding Serenity hopes to create a new style of documentary film making....

The above is our first treatment proposal I made for this documentary. This will be further updated now with the recent development of the idea. I enjoyed making the treatment as it felt like the idea was coming together and our ideas were coming to life; an exciting element to the pre-production. The format of the treatment is something I like to keep concise ant throughout my projects as I believe is stays formal and professional looking, and has all the important information we need.

Thousands of men have been convicted in the UK of historic sexual assault, often on the basis of a single accuser without any corroborating evidence. Many of these are known to be based on false allegations with innocent men locked up inside a legal system that now considers someone guilty until proven to be innocent. This website is designed to help those who suffer from these terrible miscarriages of justice and to publicize the dreadful shortcomings of the British Justice System. This is in no way trying to diminish the dreadful impact of sexual abuse. Genuine claims of HSA MUST be investigated and perpetrators locked up. But as recent publicity has shown, the police position that any claim of HSA must be believed has led to an explosion of opportunism. Anybody can be the victim of a false accusation of historic sexual assault. False accusations can be motivated by compensation, spite, attention or in response to false memory syndrome. False accusations cause immeasurable pain t...

The target channel for this documentary is Netflix. We believe this to be relevant as it is still very young. Documentaries on Netflix are increasing in popularity thanks to series' like Making a Murderer. However, one thing I have noticed is that these are all long documentaries with loads of hour long episodes (typically 8 to a series). However, Netflix is sending its executive Diego Bunuel to the U.K. to oversee original factual programming out of its soon-to-open new London office, part of the the streaming giant’s increased emphasis on localizing its lineup of shows. Bunuel, who will relocate from Los Angeles, will commission original documentaries for Europe. "Netflix makes most of its programming decisions from L.A., but is expected to install content executives in its regional bases as part of its ramped-up localization effort. "( Clarke and Clarke, 2018).  Europeans love to watch short documentaries. They are interesting, engaging and don't take up ...

Before looking into the structure of the documentary, it was fundamental to get some research under our belts. Because of the sensitivity of this subject and how complex it is, it's important to have a full understanding of all sides of the story. A good place to start is the with the way the law is set. The names of people who have been charged for sexual assault are released to the public as it is believed to be a matter of public interest. This a a very difficult argument and there are major flaws in the system.  "Nearly three quarters of the public think the identities of people arrested on suspicion of sexual assault should be kept secret until they are charged" - YouGov.uk The public appears to be split on whether or not to release the identities of those who are charged with sexual assault, but not yet deemed guilty or not guilty in court. I looked on debate.org to see what arguments people had put forward and here 73% believe the law should be changed where th...

The pitch today I believe was a great success, and thanks to the constructive feedback received by Simon and the rest of our peers, myself and Jack felt confident in pursuing pre-production for the rest of this unit. This is an idea we both love and would hope to carry through for our major project. What Went Well Clearly well thought out Strong research Even Better If Needs to stay relieve as its very current now. Need to really concentrate on the people carrying the piece and how they connect with each other. Need to have some strong characters to be able to carry the piece forward properly. Simons Feedback -Major project pre-production "Offended" a documentary about the snowflake generation. -Overall there is an idea somewhere in here, but at the moment I'm not sure what it is exactly. -I know you want to explore the snowflake generation - and it will involve two contributors on some kind of a journey. To Manchester? -That's it though and at the...

This documentary seems to go from interview to interview without any real break between. Like my documentary, it is this journey which is presenter lead by someone who has relevance to the topic (someone who has robotic arms and legs as an amputee). The synopsis is: "Cyborg presenter James Young journeys across the world to meet the makers and users of sex robots who have plans for a Westworld future where sex bots live amongst us. In Barcelona, James visits Dr Sergi Santos and his wife Maritsa, creators of one of the world’s most advanced sex robots and the answer, they suggest, to many couples' miss-matched libido. Sergi tests out his latest robot and James finds out how Maritsa copes with Sergi using the dolls himself. Elsewhere in Barcelona James also finds simple versions of the robots - not yet fitted with AI - being used in a brothel, and visits a professional sex toy tester who tries out one of the latest male sex dolls to hit the market. Back in the UK, James visits...

The presentation fr our greenligiht pitch was a success overall and whilst our idea still needed perfecting. The process that went into this pitch was pretty extensive and there was a lot of planning and research to even be able to produce a good idea. Personally, I am a perfectionist and I don't want to just come up with an idea for the sake of it and not actually be interested or engaged with the project. I need to have a sense of ambition and something me and Jack could be really interested in and therefore keen to learn and produce a successful project. The route we went for in the end was documentary, specifically targeted towards BBC Three. We therefore needed to apply the channels branding to our own documentary. But this didn't in any way restrict us as we really wanted to explore other avenues of inspiration from other channels. For example, our branding inspiration was actually based on the branding of Channel 4's 'Hunted'. The way it was promoted was intr...

Take home message: "you can be anything you want to be" Went to Royal Holloway and the culture was a polar opposite to what she was use to-more high brow and a bit of a culture shock. Her roots inspire here work even now and the decisions she makes. If you can crack brilliant storytelling you'll be fine Whats important in the world right now- Why now? THINK ABOUT THE AUDIENCE Started off as a researcher for the BBC by fluke. Got her teeth into 'What do artist do all day' BBC Four Documentary Stories that understand how we see the world That can take form in many different ways Make your case not moan. If you have an idea and get the opportunity to just shout but make sure you can back it. Develop some ideas Commissioners don't want to read loads of text so should be a really visual pitch make idea in one line Tabloid title, broadsheet content "YOU LIVE OR DIE BY YOUR IDEAS!" Three pillars to Documentary: Access Format ...

Today, myself and Jack had another pr-production catchup meeting with Simon where we were able to pitch him what we had of our idea so far and how we were going to portray it. After explaining Simon raised several very important points and although its not nice to admit after spending so much time and effort working on a project, he was right. I think there was potential for an idea there, but as he quite rightly pointed out there is no point in getting celebrities just because they are celebrities. This is very true, as if you can't get the celebrities you want it completely ruins the concept. It is therefore better to have an idea you can make without celebrity guests. This is why the Dynamo idea was so flawed. Although producer Beth Turrell said in our Masterclass "celebrities bring their own audience" meaning you will still get some good viewing figures, you also want to produce a successful show. He also said it is very similar in may ways to 'Who Do You Think ...