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Wednesday 20 November 2013

Research Diary (updated)

Websites

Website 1: 

http://www.mind.org.uk/

The title of this page is called: About Anxiety And Panic Attacks. 

Quote: Basically this quote is coming from someone with anxiety, it gives people an idea of what it feels like to be going through Anxiety or to have an Anxiety Disorder. It gives their perspective on what is happening to themselves and the psychical effects impact on the person.

Was it useful? I think it is useful because it isn't just factual, it actually gives an example of a situation making the quote relevant and easy to understand as it is written in 1st person narrative. I wouldn't have thought the quote was biased as it is a personal experience of someone so they aren't talking to persuade people, they are talking to inform people and allow them to relate. 
    "I’m walking to the village shop, then the earth shifts to one side, my heart’s hammering as if it will explode, my vision is blurred  and my hands are sticky with sweat. And I’ve no idea why."
Section: 

  • In this section you get a bit of an insight to a big question asked about ALL mental health issues not just anxiety.
  • You get given reasoning for why it could be happening
  • It provides some answers which could help young people suffering to understand or to understand why someone they know could be suffering. 
Was it useful? This is useful as the target audience (young people) can get a further understanding as to what it is like and why it could happen. The information is factual so it is informative for my documentary because it gives a valid piece of data yet it is easy to understand. It isn't biased because it is informative rather than a person's opinion or perspective like the quote. 

Website 2:



  • This section is basically 'What' mental health is
  • It gives examples of mental health conditions and gives shocking and rather upsetting insight as to how this can affect a person's life. 
  • It made me realise that the issue of Mental Health is a lot more important than I had previously thought when it mentions that 1 in 4 people could suffer, it would shock people and it makes people sit u and take notice of the situation. 
  • It states that it is common and that it could happen to MOST people.
Was it useful? It is useful to refer to in some parts, I would like to mention about the fact that it happens to 1 in 4 people as it would shock people and teach them that it is important and common. I think it is slightly biased as it categorising people and shocking them into believing it however I still feel that the information is valid given the nature of the website belonging to a Mental Health Charity. 

Quote: The quote is basically pointing out that a lot of people stereotype about mental health and the importance that the media has regarding mental health and how the media doesn't promote healthy images for teenagers or anyone to base themselves on.

"There are many misconceptions about mental illness, often fuelled by images we see on television and stories we read in the media."

Was it useful? This quote is slightly biased by blaming the media for misconceptions about Mental health but I think it is relevant as a lot of people stereotype so it is an important factor to point out. It is easy to understand as it is a simple sentence but it sums up what part the media plays in mental health. 

Analysing Documentaries Similar To Your Own (or with similar topics)

Documentary Title: Stay Strong
Director: Davi Russo 
Plot: This documentary is about Demi Lovato (a singer/songwriter/actress and TV Judge) it follows her life, her journey into rehab, it talks about her bipolar, her bulimia and her self harm. It talks to fans, family and Demi herself throughout the documentary. 

The Documentary is in Observational mode, it flashes through interviews and archive footage. I liked when she was talking in an interview and her voice carried on (like a voice-over)but there was something else happening on screen. I think it looks really cool when this happens. About 2 minutes in there is a montage of images from things on her tour and things related to music. I would like to do that in mine if possible. She continues her voice over whilst this is happening on screen and I would like to do something similar in my own. There is a soundtrack playing quietly in the background of the documentary in some parts, I want to play music in mine but barely any sound effects because it is a documentary and it is supposed to be realistic and serious. In her house they film her looking down, tilting the camera to follow her eye-line I think this could be really powerful in mine on the topic of mental health as it could be emotional and shocking, I think I could do something creative with it. Quite often in the shots throughout the documentary the depth of focus changes, drawing focus on people in the foreground, another technique I am thinking of using in my own. There was some cool flashing thing where there was text and an image on screen saying 'stay strong' and it flashed and faded back into the documentary which is something I'd like to try out.


Books 

Book 1: Chicken Soup For The Teenage Soul (the real deal challenges) -written by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Deborah Reber. Published June 6th 2006

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MvW5SrHc0LcC&pg=PA57&dq=mental+illness+teenagers&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yfqNUrD1KaG57AaouIDwDg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=mental%20illness%20teenagers&f=false


Section:


  • This section is aimed at stigma and the stereotyping that mental illnesses get. 
  • It talks about eating disorders and how despite what some people may think that they are are just as common in boys as they are in girls. 
  • It states some of the reasons which could cause eating disorders, for example low-self esteem, trouble at home or being the victim of bullying. 
  • It also has a website for more information on eating disorders. 
Was it useful? In my opinion it is useful as it addresses stereotyping and gives information on reasoning. I think that the information is valid as stereotyping always happens especially in our generation however the information could be slightly biased as it is not factual it is written by a person stating their personal opinion.

Quote: 
This quote gives an actual definition of the word: Isolation. Then compares it to a different outlook on the word giving us fact and opinion mixed into one. I think quotes like this are important to have in my documentary as they are personal opinions AND factual text.

"Even though Isolation is technically defined as being 'separated and apart from others', that's not always the case. Sometimes we can feel isolated even when surrounded by thousands of people."

Was it useful? I think it is useful because it is personal opinion which is always important to have yet it has fact included which makes the information valid. It is easy to understand and it won't be biased as it has factual information backing up their opinion on what Isolation is.



Book 2: Stigma And Mental Illness -edited by Paul Jay Fink and Allan Tasman. Published in 1992


Section:




  • This section again focuses on stigma in a social aspect it gives the idea that perceptions of people suffering from mental illness are negatively enforced by things seen in the media.
  • For example on television or in headline news when murders happen they are by 'a former mental patient'
  • It gives a percentage of people that are considered 'dangerous' on TV showing that a massive 77% of mentally ill people are seen in this light by the media. 



Was it useful? I think this section is useful because it gives a bit of quantitative data and gives a figure which is important to back up my points and use as good information in my documentary. The information is slightly biased by blaming the media and using persuasion to talk about the unimportance of reporters and the media. 

Quote: This quote just is a starting point to the way in which I want my documentary to go in. It sums up what the documentary will be about and the importance of understanding and how stigma can affect things. 

"For centuries misunderstanding, prejudice, and stigma have been directed toward those suffering from mental disorders."

Was it useful? This quote is useful as it is valid and to the point. It isn't biased it is factual and gives information in a small and concise way. It is easy to understand and I think it would be a good way to open my own documentary.


Newspapers

Newspaper 1: The Guardian -Thursday 31st October 2013, Article Written by Sarah Boseley.


Section:
  • This section focuses on the opinions of the political party: Labour and how they feel about Mental Health Services.
  • A health secretary says on a conference that mental health is the main thing that remains unaddressed.
  • He accuses the government of cutting money going to mental health services 
Was it useful? I think it was useful in some ways as it gets a more professional outlook on the issues regarding mental health. However the source is biased as it is; from one person's view and his opinions. The source is valid as it is very recent in the news. It is somewhat easy to understand as it breaks down Burnham's points in an organised way. 

Quote:  Basically this quote gives statistics on suicide and prescription rates. It gives data from 2010 and 2011. This could be used to show the seriousness of Mental Health and how it impacts daily life in a big way. 

"The suicide rate is increasing, Burnham reports, rising from 11.1 to 11.8 deaths per 100,000 population between 2010 and 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Antidepressant prescribing is also rising; there were 4,000 more prescriptions between 2010 and 2011, a 9.4% increase in a year."
Was it useful? It is useful because it gives data that can be analysed and used to my own advantage. It can highlight the issue in a big and shocking way. The data isn't biased as it is secondary data and it is based on reports people have done. The information could be slightly less valid as it is from a few years ago but it remains an important statistic to focus on. 

Newspaper 2: BBC News - 6th November 2013, Article Written by Helen Briggs.


Section:
  • In this section the source gives examples of depression in other countries.
  • It talks about how Depression is classed as a Disability. 
  • She states that it is a big problem and that people need to show more awareness for the illness and come up with more successful ways of treating it. 


Was it useful? I think it is useful as it furthers my own ideas and it gives factual information and more statistics. It is slightly biased as it is a person's opinions on the issues rather than factual data in some parts. It is easy to understand and the information is recent so it's quite valid. 

Quote: The quotes are talking about how little mental health is addressed and the issues with treatment or diagnosis being smaller than most. 

"It's a big public health challenge and a big problem to be reckoned with but not enough is being done.
"Around the world only a tiny proportion of people get any sort of treatment or diagnosis."
Was it useful? I think it is useful to point out that it is not addressed but it may not always be relevant to my documentary. It is easy to understand as it is simple and isn't a lot of information. The information is slightly biased but it is needed as it is opinion not fact. 

Questionnaires:

Questions:
  1. Do you watch documentaries?
  2. If no, why not? If yes, what do you watch?
  3. What do you know about Mental Health? (What is it?)
  4. What are the names of some mental illnesses? (list any you know below)
  5. Do you think it is important for the issues of mental health/mental illness to be addressed in education  schools/colleges ? (Explain your answer)
  6. Have you watched any documentaries about Mental Health? If so what did you learn from it?
I got a few responses to these which will help when making a Treatment to target my audience. I asked teenagers as I am focusing my documentary on teenagers with Mental Illnesses and their views, the social stereotyping and stigma. From the questionnaires I found that although my target audience watch documentaries, the type and topic of ones they watch varies. My target audience already know a lot of different names of Mental Illnesses however they also feel that is is an issue that isn't addressed fully and that it should be taught in schools/college to raise more awareness and reduce stereotyping/stigma. 

Personally I prefer using Primary Research as I like my ideas to be hands on and to do the research myself. I like finding out personal opinions and then using facts to accompany them and I feel only primary research can accomplish that. I like finding qualitative data more as you get to know your target audience on a more personal level as you get audience responses and you learn about their reactions which helps you to know what type of things they'd like to see in your own productions. 

1 comment:

  1. You need to explain what is better for you, primary or secondary research, and qualitative or quantitative data. You also need to make sure you have gotten the names and titles of all sources, along with years of release.
    All material gathered is focused on the topic of the research, and you have thoroughly summarized the information and you have selected and reviewed highly relevant and well-targeted materials from a wide variety of different sources.
    the treatment is detailed with good language and specific examples, but
    there is the odd few punctuation and grammatical errors where you have not read it carefully enough.

    ReplyDelete