Featurette feeling..

I've been researching featurettes recently to get a better insight on what we want to achieve from this group project, and came across some good examples that I feel will be very helpful when thinking about the structure our piece wants to be.

KOALA FRIDAY

This is a documentary featuring the Brighton based band "Koala Friday," who we were in fact going to use as our subject matter for this piece, but in the end decided upon a band which will give us more of a narrative for our filming.

However when I came across this video on 'YouTube' I did find it a perfect example of what we want to try and portray- The Informality, how relatable the band seem and the narrative in the piece, (backstage/ going on for a gig/ offstage etc).

At the beginning it had a clear title showing the audience what it will be about. We do want our featurette to be clear, but the idea of having perhaps a few shots merged together before the proper introduction, is, to me, more engaging as you're intrigued at what you will be watching.

I also liked the car scene at the beginning, (something we have discussed about for our interview section in the piece), as it shows the band very natural and relaxed, so you can see that they are just normal guys- perfect for the fans! The subject of their conversation is also nothing to do with their career, (talking about their lunch prices?!) which I think provides the audience with a much better insight on their "favourite" band.

The narrative of the documentary is appealing for people interested in their lifestyle and what 'a day in the life of' is all about. The camera takes us on a journey; from the car, to backstage/onstage, and their reaction after the gig when they are in high spirits. I really liked the shots when they were on stage, as it felt as if you were an audience member- again something we want to achieve.

This featurette is something that is very similar to what Patrick, Chloe and myself want to film, from the shots to the narrative. The end of the video was also very effective as there were stills of the band with their track over it- exactly what we thought would look really good! There was also text showing the audience the conclusion of what the band have achieved.

In an objective sense, there were a few bad points to the video. I thought some of the camera filming looked quite amatuer and shaky. We would avoid this by using tripods/ monopods etc, to keep a professional feel to a informal narrative.

Another point would be perhaps there were too many spots which were quite boring- we want to keep it 'on your toes' busy- we want it to reflect the bands' lifestyle.

Another example:

Even though it's "behind the scenes as a photographer.." this is exactly what we're looking to achieve.. the was he narrates it/ the use of stills.. music... and overall outcome and conclusion.

Even though it does reflect the way we want our piece to be filmed, it does drag on a bit and I found myself skipping a lot of it- we don't want this for our documentary- the audience should be engaged and interested in the band's story want to know more.

I did really like the beginning of this, as it showed the narrator as the actual photographer- we hear his voice throughout the featurette so you know who the voice belongs to. He introduces the piece in his car, driving (something we want to incorporate).

This video is a lot more professional than the previous example- filming and audio. But was it as fun and interesting as it could be?

I'll continue to research into this genre of Television to get inspiration for our group project.

DOM BOWER