What is Idea Generating?

Idea generating is a crucial component of a successful final extended project as it lays the foundation for potential ideas to lead. Developing strong ideas allows me to identify different angles to my stories and analyse different aspects to consider when following through to creating my project to strengthen the engagement with my target audience. It helps to anticipate challenges and plan ahead for them, understanding the research needed to conduct and interviews to gather. I have demonstrated this through creating mind maps to highlight my main points in an easy to read display to refer back to and a detailed analysis going further in depth to what I hope to accomplish. 

Global Guardians

My idea is to create a documentary about 'Global Guardians' - a UK based team of first responders who are deployed worldwide to assist in natural disasters such as: wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis and avalanches. The purpose is to highlight their heroism, the challenges they face (both during missions and when returning home to their everyday lives) and the critical role they play in disaster relief behind the scenes. I aim to raise awareness about their work and open a new perspective and appreciation to these ordinary people who go and do extraordinary things.

Within this project I aim to increase the public awareness of their work and what it takes for them to prepare and train for their work. Starting from they day they decide to join this line of work and explore how much of themselves they put into this job. I also want to highlight the importance of rapid disaster response and showcase the almost "God-like" decisions they have to make in the moment which can altercate everything and the effects this has on the environment and civilization. Alongside this I will aim to demonstrate the dual identity these people have; from going on missions and being the fearless hero that people need, to going home and having a family themselves that they have to depart from when called upon and the mental strain that needs to be brought to light. And personally I hope to gain professional experience in documentary filming and storytelling and expand on my strengths in presenting and reporting on such serious issues through my media skills and piece to cameras and overall come out of this project with a distinction.

In an era of escalating natural disasters due to climate change and an ever-growing technological world, the role of first responders is more prevalent. This project is relevant in today's climate as I hope for it to resonate with audiences who have experiences such travesties, concerns over global warming and people who aspire to be the next generation of first responders. 

For my final extended project, I will use a variety of skills. For making a project as powerful as this, I believe research skills will be very important to ensure I can convey the messages properly with correct facts, this can be done through interviews with professionals, fact-checking sites, and utilising different forms of sources. For creating my product I hope to use my storytelling skills through piece to cameras and b-roll to help portray what I want to visualise, especially for aspects where I can't physically get my own visual shots. Another skill I hope to utilise would be my editing with transitions and audio, I want my project to have an empowering and progressive atmosphere and I want to expand and use may skills of editing to showcase this and elevate my project.

Through my last year on my course and working on my FMP I have began to expand the possibility new soft skills and hard skills and I will research to understand how I can benefit and use these within my project. There are hard skills such as advanced editing techniques - growing my confidence on adobe software's I am able to use their resources to their full capabilities. This can be demonstrated from my radio package earlier this year where I became more confident using adobe audition and editing sound which I can learn and translate into my FEP on Premier Pro. For soft skills, I feel this project will be a good chance to gain more professional skills in emotional intelligence when dealing with sensitive subjects, learning how to report about them and interview people about them in a compassionate and professional way.

This idea is challenging and ambitious because it involves real-world scenarios that will have effected and still effect people's lives. Alongside this it will also arise challenges when gaining access to resources I may need. These include gaining access to environments with potentially hazardous conditions where I can capture authentic footage. For this project I may need to work hard to gain access to certain situations to get footage as well as interviews.

There are several relevant resources that can support the project, including interviews with UK first responders and charitable organisations such as Red Cross and World Health Organisation. Alongside this, archival footage or images from disaster sites will also be available. 

When it comes to marketing my project, there are multiple ways I can involve and attract attention for my product. One way I can do this is by creating google forms and sharing them amongst my intended target audience groups from their demographics and psychographics to get feedback and guidance on what they would like to see to get them more engaged and even ask them about where they find out about documentaries the most to utilise that knowledge into my marketing. This will allow me to be on a closer level with my audience and understand what they already know and that they lack knowledge on and want to learn more and put myself in their perspective when creating this project rather than just the producer. If I can achieve this successfully this can also help me with my career aspirations on being a TV reporter as it builds my experience on talking to similar audiences and informing them whilst remaining professional and wary of my ethics. In addition, having myself promote insights and the makings of this project onto social media will allow my audiences to feel more connected with myself as the narrator and trust and emotionally connect with my project more as they understand the journey I have been on to bring this to them and in modern day having a positive media presence is pivotal when in pursuit of becoming a public figure like a journalist as having someone they can trust and depend on when delivering news is important.

The ideal target audience according to YouGov would be individuals aged 25-50 as they are typically more engaged with global issues and documentaries. This audience are likely to be interested in environmental sustainability, humanitarian aid a n, climate change and world news. While the primary audiences would be people from the UK it could also appeal to global audiences who may typically get assistance from these organisations. Another potential audience minority may be the younger audience around 18 year old who may be looking to join the first responders academy and get into this line of work.

This project aligns closely with my intended progression plans, as I aim to pursue a career as a TV presenter/reporter, potentially even a correspondent for a broadcasting company like the BBC. This project will provide me with practical experience in creating impactful content whilst deepening my understanding of global issues. Both of which are crucial to my career aspirations. 

However, there are potential issues I may face with this idea. As previously mentioned, it is difficult to capture my own shots of natural disasters as they are more common abroad and it is not within my capabilities for time and budget to travel abroad. As well when working with first responders such as fire departments it can arise difficulties working on their unpredictable time schedule.

To achieve a high grade for this project and aim for a distinction, I need to ensure that the final product is well researched and professionally executed, demonstrating my presenting and storytelling skills. Through documentation such are production logs of the process ands evaluations from myself and my peers, I can help refine my product to its highest standard.

The output of the final product will be a 10-20 minute documentary. I am going to reach out to charitable organisations such as the Red Cross to seek marketing and help spread the message for public viewing. 

Farming Fight

My second idea is to create a documentary about the 'Farming Fight', focusing on the challenges currently facing the farming industry. These challenges include the impact of inheritance tax, the decline in local food sourcing since the UK left the EU and the increased public awareness around farming issues, particularly since Jeremy Clarkson became a vocal advocate for farmers with his farm and show Diddly Squat. I am doing this project because farming is a vital part of society, and the world I grew up in and get the difficulties farmers face are often overlooked and the line of work often forgotten about when we think of those who impact out lives daily. This documentary seeks to shed light on rural communities and grow them into the coming generations. 

From this project I hope to achieve both societal and personal growth. Raising awareness to what these workers go out and do everyday to provide not just for themselves but everyone ne else as well and gain greater support for farmers and for people to consider sourcing locally more and more in their daily choices. As well as this I hope to provide a voice for farmers and spark a conversation through my creative choices achieve this and in result achieve a distinction for my project.

This idea is currently very relevant in todays climate as day by day we see in the news the protests that our farmers feel the need to take onto the streets to fight for change and get the things they deserve. it can also tie into current debates on food sustainability and Brexit's economic impact especially following the new change in government. Jeremy Clarkson's involvement has brought it to the forefront and I believe in this climate, I could push it further.

For this project, I will use several skills, including powerful storytelling and script writing to create a clear and engaging narrative and to be able to convey the messages that the farmers are striving to be in the media with strong meaning. Filmmaking and editing skills will be important to produce high-quality content coupled with good communication to conduct effective interviews that I can place within my piece to emphasise my narrative. Additionally, time management will be crucial with allowing time for potential error to ensure I meet all my deadlines.

Alongside this, I will also use this project to gain some new hard and soft skills. For hard skills, I will challenge myself to grow my confidence on adobe software's, to use their resources to their full capabilities. This can be demonstrated from my radio package earlier this year where I became more confident using adobe audition and editing sound which I can learn and translate into my FEP on Premier Pro. For soft skills, I feel this project will be a good chance to gain more professional skills in emotional intelligence when dealing with sensitive subjects, learning how to adapt my narrative to match my interviews to allow them to lead the story and coney their messages. 

My idea is ambitious because it addresses complex issues that require in depth issues that impact peoples lives. I will need to discuss topics such as law, politics and public opinion. As well this product hopes to not just inform but inspire change which means I have to ensure it resonates and engages with my audience.

To ensure I remained informed on my topic, I could use a variety of sources to support my idea such as government reports on the farming industry with Brexit and inheritance tax. In addition, the BBC has done extensive coverage on current farming issues and protests of which I can reference and use. And for a more public interest source, Jeremy Clarkson's Farm series and his interviews are also of value as well as online public reactions to them to highlight the financial strain farmers face. Finally for stats and figures I can always reference the NFU (National Farmers' Union) for studies on international trade and sustainability. 

For this topic which is very current in todays news and market, I believe the best ways to market my project is through vox-pops. vox-pops in comparison to google forms are more open and expressive and doesn't require the person to express their feelings within a check box, I can ask them tailored questions dependant on where I am collecting my vox pops to get a connection with my potential target audience and how they view things individually and allow them to express myself. This then allows me to be able to tailor my project to allow every voice to feel represented through every region and allow them to have trust in me as the narrator expressing their views on a public platform.

The ideal target audience for this documentary would be adults ages 25-55 who are interested in topics such as sustainability, politics and rural living. According to YouGov data, this demographic is likely to be politically engaged and concerned about environmental issues. Plus, people who already support local food suppliers would form a good portion of my audience which I can use to my advantage through discussing and talking to local farm shops within my piece.

This project links nicely into my intended progression plans as I want to go on to become a TV presenter/ reporter and this project will provide me with real experiences with true skills that are needed in that line of work such as reporting and presenting through piece to cameras, as well as interviewing people related to the topic spoken of. In addition, with this being a very current issue in the news it gives me the chance to experience reporting on a story in real time as situations change daily and adapt to what is going on which will help me broaden my skills to become a professional presenter in my career.

Whilst creating this project, I need to plan for the chance I could face some difficulties and challenges withing my idea. Some difficulties I might face include finding unbiased credible sources for data. Since the topics I am covering are very politically charged, when talking to professionals and looking through websites I need to ensure my views and facts remain unbiased. Additionally, managing time for filming shots on farms and getting interviews on farms could be difficult due to weather - being that there profession is an outdoor nature - and their busy schedule so I would have to factor this into my planning to be sure.

With this project I plan to achieve a high grade, and to ensure I do this there are a few things I can ensure I stick to. I must ensure that I demonstrate a deep understanding of the topic through in-depth research and reflect this through my documentary making sure it is well-structured, planning to stick to the 3 act structure. Also, ensuring that my b-roll is high quality and visually engaging showcasing my my knowledge and ability to use different angles and movements for certain effects and tones in my piece. And time management, ensure that I can plan my days out well and stick to the written deadlines and my personal ones to ensure my work remains not rushed and well thought out. Finally, using my peers to help give feedback to refine my work as my point of view is not always what is best when I put my project out to the public, so being able to refine my project through feedback from multiple sets of eyes. 

in my project, constantly evaluating and analysing my progression ensures that I can take a step back and review my work and see what I can improve and where I can go next by making milestones for myself. To do this I will keep a progression journal to track what I am doing each week of the project, overviewing my accomplishments and my challenges. I will also seek feedback from my peers and my teachers. This will help me identify areas for improvement and give a fresh experienced perspective.

The final output of my project will be a 10-20 minute documentary about 'The Farming Fight'. It will include interviews from farmers, farm shop owners and experts as well as local people to gain the opinion of people my audience can resonate with. It will feature footage of rural landscape, farming practices and farm animals, coupled with voices and piece to cameras to compliment my well researched narrative. The documentary will be designed to engage inform the audience and d=raise awareness to the farming daily challenges. 

IIH Impact

For my third idea, I would like to a radio documentary on my invisible disability IIH (Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension), a condition I was diagnosed with after experiencing extreme headaches and if I hadn't alerted anybody I could have lost my eyesight. I want to pursue this as I have learnt how rare my condition is and how little people know about it, also how it affects me in my day to day life but people on the outside wouldn't notice. It is important because it highlights the need to take healthcare seriously and also how important hidden disabilities are and how many people we pass in our day to day lives could be suffering and raise awareness to this. I hope to educate and impact my audience to understand what it is like on my journey through my knowledge of broadcast and media. Alongside this I hope to achieve a distinction for my work. To achieve this, I will display a powerful piece through strong interviews, audio samples and my strengths in presenting. 

I think a radio show works well as we are talking about how it isn’t spoken about and it is a hidden disability and behind a radio station, you are hidden. Plus, with radio you can catch people any time of the day where ever they are and welcome them into my story. This has become quite relevant as the media and modern age are breaking down the stigma around hidden disabilities and giving people the voice to speak up and express what they need. I have worked in the radio studio before, when doing unit 5 where I took on a majority of the roles as being a co-presenter and producer. This project focusses mainly on planning as everything is live, so what happens on that day is down to what I prepare beforehand. This will require me to develop my understanding of how to use the radio station and how to create links. My performance skills will be a skill I develop throughout the project.

From this project I hope to achieve a sense of accomplishment for not just me and people with IIH but other people with chronic issues to allow people to understand us more and what we have to endure on a daily basis and be apart of the groups that help to ease stigma and stereotypes around chronic illnesses and people with them, especially within the younger demographic who potentially have to fight a little harder to have our voices heard.

On the other hand, within my academic journey, I hope to achieve a distinction to allow me to progress onto my next path to university to further my studies as a journalist and hopefully guide me into my career aspirations of being a TV reporter for a company such BBC, Sky and ITV.

I believe with the ever continued growth of social media, especially through platforms such as TikTok, people with chronic illnesses and other disabilities are able to be more vocal and express their advice, and despite still receiving hate and trolls are becoming more united and accepted within modern society and that shows how relevant this project would be in todays society as it may help open doors into other forms of media beyond Instagram and TikTok, into more influential presence like Radio and TV.

The main difficulty with this project is equally the interviews and learning to use the radio studio equipment. To gain a high grade in this project, I think I will have to start at the foundations as I am coming into radio for the first time despite being producer for unit 5 and make sure my product is powerful and educates. I will have to include links and engaging content and a feature.  As I mentioned previously, I have a keen interest on presenting so I am always looking to develop these skills in many different forms. But as mentioned prior, the knowledge and understanding of my condition is slim, especially within my area which makes it difficult to source interviews, which I believe will be my biggest challenge within this project and will make it very ambitious to achieve.

The main skills I will be drawing from are my skills in previous projects in radio and the feedback I have received from then allowing me to develop on those already identified points. I also have a great understanding of the planning that goes into a radio project, especially if it is live where you have to ensure every second is accounted for so your project sounds smooth running and not "jittery" and despite the fact my project will be a radio documentary, so it will be pre-recorded I will still stick to these planning styles as it helps you stay organised especially with radio features and guests/interviews. Other skills I will be utilising is skills within research, developing from my FMP understanding what best pieces of information to use and how to reword it to fit my audience and show atmosphere so to keep my audience entertained. 

Alongside this there are skills I am hoping to improve on and gain such as my skills with the physical radio set. In past products I have typically had someone else working the deck within the group so I understand my skills are rudimentary but for this project I want to excel at the uses and controls of the radio deck to allow me to use it to my advantage and elevate my product. I can do this via researching videos online and learning tips and techniques and also having tutorials with the staff at my college who have a broader understanding and allow me to have practice and hands on learning.

Having been diagnosed with this condition in October 2023, I had already gone through as many sources as I could find to understand myself better and understand how my life would be altered and had most of these sources saved to my phone, and I had joined forums for people with my condition in the UK for if I had any questions or needed any insights. Much of the information came from independent creators who were advocating for the advancement into looking for cures but also NHS websites. These combined would be great for my to source from as it can give both a professional and personal look into the facts and the statistics, all worded different to allow my audiences to fully understand without feeling like it has turned into a medic show.

For understanding my target audience YouGov doesn't have enough statistical information to provide me with an idea of who my audience would be, this furthermore reinforces my knowledge on how little this condition is known and recognised, showing the need for my project further. But from other research methods, I do believe the target audience for my product will be primarily female ages ranging 20-50. This is because it is a very female dominated condition which affects those age ranges the most. I also think it will connect with people of similar age bas myself who are active on social media about chronic illnesses and are trying to spread awareness about them.

Throughout this whole project, I will continue to monitor my progression and how well I am doing in the project, including areas that need more attention and focus and areas that are already up to date and I can trust I have put in my best work. This will help me make sure I am on track and not feeling overwhelmed by my work. And as previously stated I hope this project is placed on my website to continue building my portfolio so having a monitored journey path will allow other people to understand what steps I took to create this project and what I have knowledge within but also allow me to reference it in the future is there's skills and techniques I want to replicate or improve for future projects.

As previously mentioned, when I was originally diagnosed I joined many online forums for people in the UK in similar situations as myself. This would be a great way to market my project, get advice on what my target audience would like to see and give feedback on what I can do to improve from an alternate perspective and also share my project to once completed as they are like minded and want to spread awareness and break stereotypes.

This project links nicely with my progression plans as I aspire to be a presenter in journalism and my aims to get there is going through university furthering my studies in journalism which in turn will also allow my to build up my industry connections and I hope this project will get me there. 

To achieve that I hope to get a distinction from this project and I know to do that, I can reflect on my past radio projects and their grades and look at my written improvements and prioritise them. In addition, to achieve a distinction I know that I will need engaging content and a variation of segments in my product through research and trial and error in practices to make the best product I can within this.

To evaluate my progression throughout this project, I believe the best thing I can do is split the evaluation into two; the project as a media product and the project as someone who is speaking on behalf of a whole demographic. This means I can ensure I am hitting the right aims and excelling in my journey through this radio documentary. For the media product half, I can conduct one on one meetings with my teaching staff who have deep understanding and knowledge on what I need to succeed, I can also publish short mock ups of my project in different styles and see which my peers prefer and their opinions on it. For the topic of my product, I can continue to refer to my online forums and get advice and showcase what I have developed and understand how different people interpret and evaluate my project so I can take away the findings and improve.

The output of my product will be a 20-30 minute radio documentary with different outlooks and perspectives within it through media engagement and interviews, highlighting the differences that people with chronic illnesses and IIH go through daily and the stereotypes that are outdated, achieving to come out with a distinction at the end of my product to get me into university.

Proposal

Pitch Presentation