Week 3, Monday - Lesson 6

Social Media

Instagram - This platform allows users to post pictures, videos either publicly or privately. This is

also used for direct messages. Instagram was created in 2010 and since then it has shared over 30 billion photos, now 70 million photos per day. It currently has 300 million active monthly users from around the globe. 

Positive:

• Privacy settings - these are quite secure as people who aren't following you don't have access to your account if your account is on private. Everyone who intends to follow you must send a request before being accepted and able to view your images/videos. This makes it harder for predators to gain access to their accounts. 
• An effective way to keep in touch especially with family and friends who are long distances away. 

Negative:

• Location tagging - while it may be interesting and appealing to followers with tagging where you are, this can also be extremely dangerous. Location tags make it very easy to find out exactly where one is. If they decide to use a funny location tag from their house, the address and exact location will be visible for a follower to find. 

• Explicit images - with applications such as snapchat rising in popularity other platforms have attempted to interweave similar elements including direct messaging. This can cause trouble as people will if not post, send explicit images to one another.
• It is possible to find out exactly what you're doing at any point of the day, where you are doing it etc.

Facebook- It was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg which was initially made for Harvard students use only, this eventually grew over time and by 2006 you just needed to be over the age of 13 to have an account. This platform is used to stay in touch with friends, this is used to share status, photos, videos, events or private messaging etc. 

Positive:

• Instant connection - great way to stay in touch with family and friends. This is extremely convenient if they live long distances. This is generally a major pro for several social media platforms as this is the main reason they were originally created. 
• When you need a break from work or life - Facebook is a favourable option sought by many.
• Easy to use platform to post and share with friends. 
• Can be used for educational purposes. 

Negative:

• It can be distracting if it is not used within its limits. 
• Oversharing information can lead to people being in dangerous positions as it is possible for many people find out your entire life.
• Addiction - There are many cases that show that people have become addicted to their online account as it provides a sanction of safety.
• Accounts can be easily accessible and found unless the privacy settings are changed prior. 
• People can become obsessed with their self image online rather than their relationships and real life.
• People can become obsessed with their self image online rather than their relationships and real life.

Snapchat - This is a photo/video messaging application. All images/videos can have a time set on them to them "snap" to your contact list. After the amount of time set the image will delete. In recent time, people have been able to add to their stories which allows all contacts to view their image/video for a total of 24 hours and then it will be deleted. According to Snapchat in 2016 the app's users are sending over 7 billion photos and videos per day.

Positive:

• An effective way to keep in touch especially with family and friends who are long distances away for free.
• Easily accessible.
• If settings are private - easy way to talk to people who you want to speak to instead of having a large group of "friends" who aren't exactly close to you.
• Instant messaging.
• Find out important dates e.g. Three Kings Day 
• Live video call
• If hacked, nothing can be retrieved. 
• Funny effects.
• Effective way of promotion - geofilters & magazines for many different ages. 

Negative:

• As the image deletes because they are only set on 1-10 seconds it gives people the impression that because it's deleted, anything can be sent. This can lead to explicit images and sexting. This is dangerous as it is easy to screenshot or have another phone take a photo of the image which can put someone's reputation on the line and expose these images. 
• All images are stored somewhere.
• Anything can be screenshot. 
• Cyber bullying
• People can become addicted to it. 

Week 2, Friday - Lesson 5

To Sell a War

To Sell a War is a documentary that was made in 1992 by Martyn Gregory. It is based on the Free Kuwait campaign that was spun by public relation officers to gain supporters to commence the Gulf War. It exposes a ambassador Nijirah al-Sabah who places his daughter to falsely testify in court about Iraq soldiers removing babies from incubators and leaving them on the ground to die. This story was commonly seen throughout the media and was widely reported around the entire world. 

What are the differences in the documentary compared to other ones we have watched?

This documentary is in the style of expository as there is an omniscient voice that is used to directly engage with the audience. It also follows the criteria of aiming to persuade the audience of a particular view. Although, the major difference compared to other documentaries we have watched is that it aims to see both sides of the story whilst still attempting to persuade viewers one way. The other documentaries have been quite bias and only view evidence from one main point. It was interesting to see one that took the view point of both sides as it allowed the viewer to understand why they were trying to push one view instead of just doing it. 

What are the differences in the documentary compared to other ones we have watched in regards to the viewers emotional response?

This documentary, unlike others we have watched have taken an emotional attack with the use of the personal stories and the footage used of the teenager who is clearly upset about what has 'occurred'. This plays on viewers heart strings and people can easily relate and feel empathy for those affected. The other documentaries haven't used this technique except for a section in the Forgotten Silver where they used his 'partner' who began to explain their life together and how much she missed him. To Sell a War took a stronger approach as they used the death of infants which many, if not all could empathise with. 

Week 2, Thursday - Lesson 4

Was the documentary accurate?

Many parts of the documentary had important messages that are most definitely accurate. There are elements that are questionable and possibly false. If Spurlock followed his set rules at the beginning of the documentary which included eating everything on the menu one, super sizing if asked to do so and finishing the entire meal it is possible that the fast food could have an impact on his body the way it did. I believe that the fast-food industry continues to grow because people continue to purchase it and are slowly becoming addicted and reliant on the sugars and fats. The most accurate statement that is made in the documentary would be the last omniscient quote "Who do you want to see go first, them or you?" (Spurlock). If people continue to eat unhealthy and constant fast-food meals, it will have dangerous affects on the body.

Were there any problems/issues with the documentary?

There were a few issues with the documentary which included the amount of sugar Spurlock consumed per day during his diet and his large claims of fast-food industries, especially McDonalds being the main contributor to the ever rising obesity epidemic. The documentary itself is quite persuasive and after watching many would never want to enter a fast-food restaurant again. It is unknown if the statistic and effects on his body were completely accurate.

Were there any factual fallacies with the documentary?

There were many factual fallacies throughout the entirety of the documentary. These include:

• No one has even been able to produce the same results from completing the exact same experiment. Although each human body differs in results, basic math can conclude that his diet could not possibly consist of 5,000 calories a day. Tom Naughton's Fat Head states that "there is simply no way Spurlock could have been eating that much food if he was sticking to his rules." This is corroborated by a study that was conducted in a Sweden University where healthy young adults attempted a diet that consisted of eating 6,000 calories of fast food per day. All students studied did not run into liver or cholesterol issues. 
• Spurlock claims that fast food industries are one of the main factors contributing the obesity epidemic. Although, McDonald's is unhealthy there are many foods that eaten in masses can cause people to gain weight. Also, it is crucial that people take care of their body and exercise regularly in order to stay healthy. 

Morgan Spurlock (Director):

Morgan Spurlock is an American documentary filmmaker. He is most commonly known for his Supersize Me which depicts a McDiet that consists of eating three meals a day without any other food source for thirty days. The film's aim was to prove that the fast-food industry is a main factor for the obesity epidemic within America and the world. It exploits the danger with large fast-food company advertising techniques e.g. toys, playgrounds, happy meals etc as this promotes the wrong message to young children. The techniques can also be seen when salads are advertised as "healthy", it is known that some with the amount of dressing can have more calories than a big mac.

His girlfriend at the time, Alex Jamieson was a vegan chef who was currently writing a cook book. This was a subtle use of self advertising.

Week 2, Wednesday - Lesson 3

Supersize Me

We continued watching the documentary Supersize Me during the lesson. It consisted of the director eating only McDonalds for three meals a day for a month. We watched up until day 14 where he began to feel sick, depressed and put on an unhealthy amount of weight. The aim of this documentary is to see if the fast food industry is to blame for the increasing amount of weight people are putting on and level of obesity.

How did the director portray the fast food companies?

The director made the food companies out to be the main cause of the obesity epidemic that was and is still occurring in our world today. Many elements of McDonalds was exposed throughout the documentary so far including; lack of health information available in store, hair in foods and the amount of sugars and salts that are in their food items. Clearly, he is coming from a bias opinion as he is trying to prove that the fast food industry has detrimental affects to the body so they would be portrayed in a negative light.

How did the director portray the people in the documentary?

The director portrays people either as worried for his well being whilst he embarks on this three month McDonalds diet or as ignorant to what they're consuming on a weekly basis. He shows his girlfriend, mother and doctors concerned for how he is going to feel during this experiment. This continues throughout majority of the documentary. On the other hand, when he is speaking to strangers passing by he positions them to look ignorant. This is done as they are unaware of the affects of the food when asked "What calories are?" or their defensive responses when asked how frequently they consume fast food.

Did the director exaggerate? 

For a film to be successful, some elements are obviously exaggerated for the viewers. I'm sure he was feeling depressed and ill after eating many McDonald's meal but I'm unsure if some of what occurred was 'put on' e.g. vomiting etc. I'm sure there are elements that were exaggerated but it is done well, making it difficult to pin point exactly what is.

We will continue watching the documentary next lesson.

Week 2 , Monday - Lesson 2:

Types of Documentaries

There are six types of documentaries which include; poetic, expository, observational, participatory, reflexive and performative. While all of these have distinctive characteristics there are some documentaries and films that are a mixture of two or more of these. Documentaries and films are not restricted to one type to follow.

Poetic Documentary - A reaction against the content and rapidly crystallising grammar of the early fiction. The topic is usually close or related to the person creating it. They tend to be quite artistic in the way they are presented.

Expository Documentary - These speak directly to the viewer, often in the form of an omniscient or 'god like' voice. These films are rhetorical and aim to persuade the viewer. Images aren't particularly used unless it is to support the argument.

Observational Documentary - These documentaries attempt to observe the life lived with a minimum of intervention. The filmmaker is usually out of the shot so they cannot influence what is happening. Majority is not rehearsed or scripted. This type of documentary is most common in wildlife documentaries.

Participatory Documentary - These documentaries believe that it is impossible for the act of a filmmaking to not influence or alter the events being filmed. All of these types of documentaries are influenced by the filmmaker. We began watching another documentary at the end of lesson, Supersize Me which is an example of this type.

Reflexive Documentary- These draw attention to their own construction, and the fact that they are representations. These prompt to audience to question the authenticity of documentary. The documentary as well as the audience recognise and acknowledge the issues of realism and representation.

Performative Documentary- These stress subjective and experience emotional response to the world. They are extremely personal, unconventional, sometimes poetic and/or experimental. They are designed to give the audience a specific perspective not of our own on an issue or the world. The sub-genre also might lend itself to minorities or specific groups.

During our unit last year on the representation of women in media, we watched Miss-Representation which is a document about women in the public eye and how they are, essentially misrepresented. I believe these was a mixture of an expository and observational documentary due to the images being important and not secondary which in the case in a expository documentary. The use of an omniscient voice also contributes to this.

In our last lesson we watched Forgotten Silver which was a participatory documentary with reflexive elements. This is due to the director, Peter Jackson playing a large role in the film.

At the end of the lesson we started watching Supersize Me which is a participatory documentary about a man who eats only McDonalds for three meals a day for 30 days. This is to see the impact fast food companies are having on the populations health and if it is a large contributing factor to the increase in weight gain and obesity. We only watched up until day three so I am excited what the remainder of the documentary entails and his results from the experiment. We will continue to watch this in our next lesson.

Week 1, Friday - Lesson 1

Forgotten Silver

This was our first lesson of the year and we discussed how we would be studying documentaries this term. We watched, what we thought was a documentary called 'Forgotten Silver' directed Peter Jackson and Costa Botes. The hour long film exposes the forgotten New Zealand filmmaker Colin McKenzie with the rediscovery of his long lost films of Salome. It was very interesting and convincing story as the director used famous film makers that spoke about he was one of the best film makers of the time and used real archive footage of New Zealand. After watching the entire film, the entire class was taken back by this incredible film maker and we were all perplexed by his amazing advances that were lost in history. We were then told that everything we had just watched was fiction and in fact this was a mockumentary. I really enjoyed watching this and I am very excited about this unit of work.