Product Research

As research to help not only choose a brief but also get some ideas on similar media productions I watched a documentary called 'In Guns We Trust' on www.shortoftheweek.com. It is about, as the name suggests, gun use and laws in the U.S. And it particularly concentrated on a small city in Georgia where it is law for the head of every household to own a gun. It was a documentary unlike most others as it was done with almost completely still images just including small sections of video throughout. This was an interesting technique which would be something I would think about if I decide to do brief number seven, a five minute extract of a documentary, as it was simple and very hard hitting. This is because, more so in photographs than videos, you take time to look at and take in the content of each image. This means that the hard hitting pictures such as a child shooting a gun, really stay with you.

'In Guns We Trust' also uses a large amount of black and white. All the still images have a black and white filter on them as well as the thumbnail for the video. This is a common technique which creates a  negative, almost upsetting mood. It was very effective as even before I had clicked on the video I could see that it was most likely going to be against the unusual gun laws presented in the documentary. The image (shown below) hid the mans identity which again, paints a negative image in your mind. It also shows his hands where he has a ring. On it is a symbol commonly worn by satanists. This also gives off a creepy almost scary vibe which made me think it would be a mostly negative documentary where the gun laws would be seen as bad. Although an opinion was not given, the view of the creator was shown through the images and videos used.

Another media production where black and white is used is Hozier's music video for 'Take Me To Church'. The video for this song is based around homosexuality which is controversial topic in today's society as it is accepted by most people but there are still difficulties for homosexuals in everyday life. The use of black and white in this piece shows how it is not an upbeat story but instead quite a dark one. The music video gave me an idea for what I could do if I chose brief number one, a music promo video, as the video really told the story of the song.

Due to the huge effect the black and white filters in these videos had, I am considering using black and white in my own work. I think it is a very good way of showing the style of a piece straight away and making the audience subconsciously be in a certain mood before even knowing what the video is about. This product research has really helped me to come up with various ideas for different briefs I might choose.

Therefore, the product research I did was hugely beneficial to my creative process and has given me lots of inspiration.