Audience reserch-the plan

My plan for my audiene reserch is to go to a local mountain biking event and try to describe my documentary to some of the riders and fans to see if they would like to see it and what generally attracts the too watching mountain biking documentaries. Hopefully some of the people I ask will say the are interested in seeing my documentary, and I can ask some questions and find out what codes and conventions of mountain biking videos to see which ones I should use to make my video good and part of the genre. Here are some of the questions I will ask:

1) what age band do you fall into-
12-18

Evaluation 5 The Making of Arrivals - Episode 5 Whistler (7:39)

This video is almost a 'making of' video rather than a documentary. However it does showcase a perfect representation of the riders lives as that is what they are trying to portray to the audience, the actually film crew being documented in this video are trying to make a film that represents the lifestyle of living in Whistler B.C.

The cinematography is very clean and professional looking in this documentary as 'the coastal crew' are a very famous media company specializing in filming bike movies. This particular segment shows just how the riding and lifestyle shots are normally filmed and this makes for some very interesting shots throughout the video, for instance the transition from the camera mans eyes to his camera point of view is seamlessly done and looking very smooth as part of the overall video. The look of this video is very smooth as all of the shots are extremely steady and the pans are all very smooth, this shows that they have obviously used some sort of tripod or runners for their camera's and it has helped make the video look very good. There are a few close up shots of the riders in the mist that have been slowed down, these shots look very good in context of the video however would probably require a lot of skill behind a professional camera to film. Lots of the riding shots have been filmed from the point of view of the filmer, so for my documentary I may try to do a lot of POV shots of the general atmosphere of the events and lifestyle behind the riding. The other shots I will try and emulate is the staged interview room style clips that were edited in throughout the video, the don't look particularly interesting but give a good insight into the rider mindsets.

The editing in this particular video is strange because of the mix of POV and riding and the lifestyle shots, however it does make for a very insightful and entertaining video. The editing for the riding segments is mostly quick cuts from one scene to the other, the only long cuts in the video are during the interview clips where the focus is just on one person for a couple of seconds as they talk about certain events. This smooth but not rapid style of editing makes the video much easier to follow for the audience, it would also be good for a video with more interviews than riding in a documentary style film.

This video completely caters to the audiences expectations of a bike documentary and allows the audience to see how most mountain bike films are actually filmed which is is very interesting to see as not many filming companies show the audience behind the scenes of their videos. 

Evaluation 4 Two wheels of Freedom - Teva (8:15)

This specific film was made by a company called 'Teva' to illustrate to watchers that a bike can actually be 'two wheels of freedom.' The video itself is a collection of footage from two weeks of riding and traveling in New Zealand that has been edited and compressed into an eight minute video about these famous riders adventures.

The riding in this video is extremely well filmed, the opening shot of the video are all slow motion shots of driving and waxing a surf board. These look extremely good with the videos tittles and location of the video fading in and out of each shot. Overall the filming is all very wide angled to try and keep some of the stunning landscape in the back of the riding shots, this is simply to remind the audience where the riders are and how amazing the country is. The lifestyle shots in this video are also very well filmed, the riders are in the focus of the shot and its always clear who is talking. The riding and the lifestyle shots together make for a very fun and entertaining video to watch, the film is also interesting because it allows the viewer to get connected to the riders and feel like part of their journey around New Zealand.

This film looks very smooth and fast because of the short cuts used in the editing process. All of the shots only last a few seconds at the most and this keeps the video interesting as your never sure what you'll be looking at in the next shot. The editing is seamlessly with the music in the background, this is because the music is also very fast paced to try and make the riding seem faster and more flowy for the audience. Lots of the slow motion shots in this film are all edited in time to the music as well. All of the editing is non-continuitous as the video does not tell a story from begging to end, it jumps to and from different points in their trip around the country.

The sound is especially important in this video as it has a running comentary of the riders views and stories of the trip around New Zealand. This is intercut with the music in the background makes for a more interesting video for the audience to enjoy. This video fits into the audience expectations as it has a lot of fast paced shots and a little bit of a comentary on the riders opinions and stories, this is a common trend in most mountain biking documentaries because the audiance get the riders insight into their lives and experiences. 

Evaluation 3 Road to Rampage - Meet the Riders

This is a proper five minute length mountain biking documentary, all about some of the top riders in the sport as they prepare for Red Bull Rampage one of the biggest events of the year. The video shows their riding from previous years on the course and also interviews them about there goals for this year and about how they are generally feeling about their year of riding, at the same time as this their is an overall commentary about the dangers of the sport as a whole and how the rider have placed in the previous years of Rampage.

The cinematography in this edit is really like a standard t.v. documentary, the riders all have a special interview in their homes where it is just there face in shot so the audience can see the emotion and reality of the riders talking about their careers. There are also some of the usual riding shots, like long shots of the tricks and riding and also a lot of tracking shots following the riders as they pack for the various upcoming events. This sort of documentary style film is quite unusual for a riding video as most people come to watch the riding rather than the story behind the riders lives, I personally find this video really interesting as it gives you a very personal insight into how the rider feel about there careers and this specific event.

The editing in this is also very traditional to a documentary on t.v. as there are very long cuts of the riders faces and a small part of their riding, there is still a few minutes of fast cuts of riding and the riders falls and win. However the main part of the film is edited in a very traditional way for documentaries with the long interview scenes intercut with small segments of riding. This style makes for an interesting finish to the video as it stays both informative and exciting for the general audience, it does not really fit into the general codes and conventions of a mountain bike documentary as it is mostly commentary and less riding but the video itself work in the genre as a unique film.

The sound in the entire video is almost entirely diagetic as it is the riders talking in interview, there is only a small part of non-diagetic sound and that is the commentary over the top of the interviews and riding through out the film. Yet again the lack of music is not sticking to the codes and conventions of the genre however it really works for this video as the audience are watching it to find out who the riders are and their specific stories. This is why the sound can simply just be them talking as it really doesn't need and music over the top to take away from the commentary and interviews.

Overall this video is very unique to the genre but it does work for many reasons, the fact there is less riding and more interviews makes the video very informative and gives the audience the story from a very first hand viewpoint. This video however does add to the representation of professional rider in the sport as very chilled out and not as competitive as in other areas of biking. The three riders interviewed in this video all say that winning is not why they compete at these events, this is the general representation of slope-style riders that the audience gain from videos like this, this is a polar opposite of say the world cup riders who are all out to win and dont mind telling the audience that its the most important part of the sport. 

Evaluation 2 Dirty Diarys - 30 days (1:43)

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/267372/

Here is a link to the video, unfortunately I couldn't find the clip on YouTube.

This video is actually a trailer for a full length biking film, however I decided to analyse the trailer as it showcases the codes and conventions of the genre perfectly. The film itself is about a working man who lives in Toronto Canada for most of the year and lives for the 30 days a year he gets to spend in Whistler bike park, the video is mainly him walking through a forest and there are quick shots of biking shown with his commentary almost like he is day dreaming like walking.

The cinematography in this trailer are the main part of the interest while watching the trailer, at the start of the video all we see is a man from the back walking through a forest and this creates an air of mystery for the audience as we have no clue who he is. The riding shots themselves have no clear order or specific filming angle, this is a technique itself as it keeps the audience on their toes as lots of short clips pop up between the walking and the commentary. The shots themselves are all well thought out as their a range of close up shots of his shoes walking on the twigs and leaves on the ground and long shots of his back as he walks further into the woods. This verity keeps the video interesting as it would not be as entertaining to watch if it was all filmed from one continuous angle. 

The editing in the video is quite simple and contentious for most of the film as the protagonist is walking in front of the camera, however there is a lot of fast paced cuts of the riding shots throughout the video. This style of editing makes the riding seem very fast paced as it is a comparison to the man simply walking through the forest on his own dreaming of riding. 

The sound in this video is crucial. The main body of the sound is diagetic of the sound of the forest and the mans commentary, his voice is overlaid over the entire video and adds most of the enjoyment of the video. He is talking about his excitement to get back on his bike after spending most of the year working in the city and being away from the scene that is Whistler. This sort of commentary is really affective as it tells the audience a story and makes the video behind the talking a lot more prominent as we understand the protagonist mind set and views. The only non-diagetic sound in the entire video is a small amount of music in the final riding montage that flows with the fast paced clips and adds a sense of speed to the video. 

The representation in the video is quite strange at the start of the video, the main protagonist appears to be a normal guy just walking and you may expect the video to be about hiking or mountaineering. However as soon as the video is started he explains how nobody understands how being on his bike feels, from that point on the audience know that he is a mountain biker and is dreaming of being back to riding. This adds a unique viewpoint on the representation of the sport as the man is not competitive or bothered about others at all he is simple excited to go and have fun on his bike.

All in all this video is made very well as it grabs the audience with the mysterious intro and also excites them for more riding and maybe more of the mans story of why he cant ride for most of the year. The way the walking shots are filmed also makes the audience wonder why the man is walking and where he is planning on going, this keeps you watching the trailer to the very end. 

Evaluation 1 Brandon Semenuk - Wandering (5:23)

This mountain biking documentary like many others focuses on one rider alone, this makes the video interesting to his fans and creates a lot of interest as people want to find out how professional riders live and ride. This high standard of riding means that the cinematography and editing needs to be of a very high quality as well.

The cinematography in the video is done to focus on the one rider among many, therefore they use lots of close up shots and extreme close ups on the riders face and body to highlight him as the star of the video. The first shots of the documentary are of three men walking through the woods with lots of camera and digging equipment while a mans voice talks over the top about his bike, this means that the viewer does not know who they are focusing on in the video and is the inigma code at the start of most documentaries. Most of the shots in the for the riding segment are all wide angled shots of the rider and keep him as the focus of the video, however there are a few close up shots of difrent parts of the bike at the start of the segment. The first shot of the rider on his own is a close up of the seat of the bike in focus then the depth of field is moved to the brake leaver just before the rider sits down, this sort of shot is very common in most bike films and documentaries.

In the start of the video their is a lot of diagetic sound of rain on leaves and the men walking as the tittles fade in and out, this sound helps get the audience into the setting of the film before the action of the video starts. Then some non-diagetic music comes in as the riding starts. This music keeps pace with the cuts in the editing of the video and can even make the riding seem faster than it is, however the audience will expect music in most mountain biking videos.

There isnt a lot of representation in this video as it is only about one person, but you could say that he is the steriotypical rider as he is wearing full race gear with a jersey and helmet. This doesnt really show how the sport is represented as a whole but does add to the fact that he is clearly a professional rider and has been sponsored to wear a companies race kit.

This video sticks to the audience expectations perfectly, this is done through a mix of cinematography,editing and sounds. They all add together to create a very smooth flowing video that the audience would be expecting to see when they go online to watch them, as most mountain biking videos are quite similar this specific video relies on the style and skill of the rider to make the video stand out from the rest and it works.

First post

I have decided to do a documentary for my media coursework. The documentary will be about mountain biking as a whole, at the moment I am trying to ask the Portsmouth University Mountain Bike Club (PUMBC) if they will let me film them at a regional racing event known as BUCCS.