Self analysis

WHAT WENT WELL (WWW): So far I know I am up to up to date as I have already chosen the question I'm going to base my coursework on and managed to complete some footage furthermore I have done some necessary research in regards to key media terms and relevant information which relates to what we're doing in class. I hope to keep this up. EVEN BETTER IF (EBI): I would have liked to had finished shooting all necessary footage for my for my documentary by now but unfortunately the people helping me have delayed this. Furthermore personally it would be even better if in the next three weeks I managed to fully grasp the mechanics of Adobe Photoshop which will make life easier when I start my magazine piece

Key Media terms

Surveillance - The need to know what is happening in the real world This is something we witness on TV dramas as they attempt to make it as real as possible and include events that take place in the real world.


Cultural Assimilation - When ones culture comes to resemble another ones culture e.g. In fresh prince of Bel-Air Jeffrey the maid is portrayed as this well spoken,educated man and comes from a good background, effectively holds qualities of a White man however the Black people on this show are portrayed as people who come from troubled backgrounds, dress very casually and are a nuisance.

 Cultural Pluralism - Small groups within an ever-changing society who manage to keep hold of their identity e.g.a white family who have moved from the north of England to London which is known for it's multiculturalism, but they manage to keep the identity that they developed from where they lived. 


Multiculturalism - Living in a society made up of different cultures e.g. a society made up of Asians, Africans, Caribeans, Americans who all live together.

Uses and Gratifications Theory (UTG)

This is the theory used to match up the why and how specific media is matched up with certain needs. In other words focusing on the audience we intend to deliver the content to and choosing what type of media would be appropriate in order to successfully deliver the content. Furthermore it is the psychological effect that media has on the viewers and this theory focuses on this aspect. In summary it is ideally the motive behind the choice of media that suites each individual.

This is England analysis

At the start of the film we are introduced to this innocent boy ‘Shaun’ who is still grieving the death of his father, he lives the life of an average English kid, going to school everyday, playing with his friends, etc. At school things start to go wrong for him as he is effectively bullied for many reasons such as; the clothes he wears, his appearance, hairstyle and is teased about his the death of his father. Shaun is more and more sensitized; frankly he can’t take any more of it. Due to the absence of his father he seeks help preferably from a male figure in order to resolve these issues he is having at school, at this point his relationship with his mother starts to deteriorate as she simply wouldn’t understand and this foreshadows what was yet to happen. In seeking for this male father figure ‘Shaun’ more or less loses motivation and at this pivotal point he come across a lad name ‘Woody’ who is much older than ‘Shaun’ and is also apart of a gang who all represent the same identity ‘Skinheads’. As we understand ‘Shaun’ had lost nearly all motivation and was really looking for help or someone to protect so as he met ‘Woody’ which introduced him to his gang ‘Shaun’ saw this as an opportunity to belong to something and from this point onwards he knew he was not going to be bullied anymore. He is suddenly to a foreign lifestyle, which he had no knowledge on before and not suited to someone of his age. They take him to parties, they smoke, drink, meets and make him center of attention effectively restoring his confidence/motivation in life that he had recently lost and he no longer resembles the ‘Shaun’ at the start of the film. This shows the audience how huge the impact that a persons surrounding can have on them to the point that they become a completely new being. We start to see a personality emerge out of ‘Shaun’ as he becomes deeply involved in the activities his friends take part in and the audience see how happy he becomes as apart of this gang which he sees as a family. He starts to joke, speak his mind, socialize, etc. This tells us although people portray gangs always in a negative image these are the positives, this sense of family, love and unite are the reasons why people join these gangs.

A2 Final Task

7. An extract from an original documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes, together with two of the following three options: • a radio trailer for the documentary; • a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary; • a newspaper advertisement for the documentary.

Falklands War

In 1982 Argentinians invade the Falkland Islands. A remote UK colony in the South Atlantic. This lead to a brief bitter war. At the time Argentina were in a financial crisis. By doing this they would reclaim sovereignty. UK had ruled the island over 150 years and reacted to this. Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher) at the time said "1,800 falklanders were of British tradition and stock". Instructions were sent to reclaim the island. The fight that took place resulted in 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen losing their lives and 3 Falkland Islanders. Both leaders at the time were nationalists. Margaret Thatcher in most of her speeches spoke very proudly of Britain and how superior Britain was however failing to mention the problems the country was facing such as immigration, racial conflicts, social unrest and confrontation with the trade unions. She referred to the Argentinians as 'robbers' that dared to invade British territory. The Falklands War almost Britain's last attempt to keep hold of it's precious reputation.

Documentary Reasearch

Coronation Street

Coronation Street seems to focus on the realism of life for example the majority of scenes are set in homes with everyday appliances. Furthermore various conversations are on going to let the viewers know what is going on in the plot.

However there seems to be a lack of excitement and fairly mellow in my opinion but this could relate to where coronation street is set, telling us that dramatic situations do not occur on a regular basis.

Finally I did not see a variety of scenes as most of them included a setting, a few characters and an ongoing conversation this suggests that the whole show is based on the source conversation to foreshadow any oncoming bad events.