Initial Research File

My Topic - Is it time for the UK to legalise marijuana?

Research 

Earlier this year there was speculation on whether the UK government were going to legalise marijuana.  200,000 British people signed the petition to legalise marijuana but the government ignored their pleads and stuck to their decision of banning marijuana.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States (SAMHSA, 2014). Its use is widespread among young people.
However, the number of young people who believe marijuana use is risky is decreasing. 
Users can mix marijuana in food (edibles), such as brownies, cookies, or candy, or brew it as a tea. A newly popular method of use is smoking or eating different forms of THC-rich resins 
For example, a study showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing cannabis use disorder lost an average of eight IQ points between ages 13 and 38. 
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana

Medical Use

Dr David Casarett spoke about his experience using medical cannabis in an article on www.npr.org.
Cannabis helped relief his back pain.

www.cancer.org
Studies have shown that marijuana has been helpful treating nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy.

Daily Mail
Mike Cutler who is 63 years old claims to have cured his cancer that was formed in his liver by using homemade cannabis oil inspired by a popular series called 'Breaking Bad'.


Feedback:

I asked an 18 year old female her views and about her personal experience with cannabis.

1) What are your thoughts on marijuana?
   
     Answer: I like it very much.

2) Have you ever tried marijuana before?

Answer: Yes

3) How did make you feel?

Like I had no worries and I was on a cloud.

4) What do you think of young people having easy access to marijuana?

Answer: It's a bad thing because they use it unlawfully.

5)Have you heard of medical marijuana? What are your thoughts on it?

Answer:  idea

6) Do you think that the UK should legalise marijuana? Why?

Answer: Yes, it will reduce the use of illegal growing and people will come off it because they will get turned off.

From her responses, I've gathered that she believes that people will lose the desire to smoke marijuana because the thrill of getting caught will be no more.


I asked a 17 year old girl her opinion on marijuana.

1) What are your thoughts on marijuana?

Answer: I personally don't think it's bad but I don't believe it should ever be made legal.

2) Have you ever tried marijuana before?

Answer: No

3) Why haven't you tried marijuana? 
Answer: It doesn't appeal to me.


4) What do you think of young people having easy access to marijuana?

Answer: It is what it is. 

5)Have you heard of medical marijuana? What are your thoughts on it?

Answer: Yes, I think it should be used to help certain conditions. 

6) Do you think that the UK should legalise marijuana? Why?

Answer: No. 

Interview Questions 
Is Marijuana a gateway drug to other drugs?
Do you know the side effects of taking marijuana?
At what age did you become aware of 'weed'?
Was it a normal topic spoke about in your secondary school amongst your peers?
Is it something that appeals to you?
Why do you think it's become more popular over the years?
How does it feel knowing that young people aged 16 and under are beginning or have been smoking marijuana?
Do you want to legalise weed in the UK? why/why not?
Do you believe that medical marijuana is a good enough reason to legalise it?

I want ask open questions in my documentary so viewers get an open perspective about the topic but also become aware of what people think about the subject.

Why Should We Create this Documentary?

It's a subject that a lot of people know of but not in detail. People need to know statistics and the affect it has on people, good and bad. If is illegal how does it get into the country and how do people get away with smoking it in public? There are a lot questions to be asked and it's a very popular subject. The documentary would consist of interviews, so interviewing the MPS, general public, doctors and users of the drug, but also key information and facts that people many not such as the use of medical marijuana and how it helps a lot people with dealing with chemotherapy. This documentary is not about persuading people to pick one side but making them weigh the pros and cons of marijuana and helping them understand the topic better. An educational programme for youth and adults.


Statistics 

Around 1 in 11 (8.8%) adults aged 16 to 59 had taken an illicit drug in the last year. However, this proportion more than doubled when looking at the age subgroup of 16 to 24 year-olds (18.9%).
Around one-third of adults had taken drugs at some point during their lifetime. Of 16 to 59 year olds, 35.6% had reported ever using drugs.

What time should it be aired and what channel? 

BBC Three is a great platform as this is normally where documentaries are broadcasted but also it reaches a youthful audience. My ideal target audience is 16-24, I want to educate them on the subject as I feel that this particular demographic group are the main users of the drug and they need to know the facts and have an idea about the governments concerns.
The programme should be broadcasted at 9pm as that is the time younger children should be in bed by but also when a lot people tune into TV.

Assignment 2

What is a brief?
A brief is a descriptive a set of instructions and information given to a person or a group of people to follow. There are a number of different briefs that could be given to people such as a contractual brief or informal brief etc.

A contractual brief is a legal document written and created between the employer and client. The layout and format are both simple and easy to read which reduces confusion and uncertainty. A contractual brief is most commonly used in the creative media business as this document is descriptive; the document mentions time frame, pay deadlines and the job requirements. The document is great in the media business because large sums of money are involved in the process and this enables to them to know what they're getting themselves into. A disadvantage of the brief would be if the media company produced the products to their own standards and the client thought it they didn't follow the brief properly and not to their standards they would be able to take legal action and could result in bad feedback and reputation for the company as they are not completing projects accordingly.

Below is an example of a contractual brief.

The example shows that it is formal and descriptive. It's detailed enough for the employee to understand. The introduction allows them to know about the company and what they want to do. The list of requirements are what the client requests, so a set of instructions. The terms below show the legal side of the document, letting them know the terms and agreements. 

Another brief is a negotiated brief. The negotiated brief is when the client is open to ideas given by the employee. It is most commonly used when the client doesn't know what they want or what to improve the brief. An advantage of this is that certain points in the brief are up to discussion and can be negotiated it is not liked by multiple people leading to a more successful product. But a disadvantage could also be that the time gets wasted negotiating issues that don't need changing and the production time is then delayed. 

Below is an example of a negotiated brief.

The Informal Brief. This a brief that is not also documented but verbally expressed. It can be also written in a text or email. It usually a short discussion between the client and the company talking about the requirements and needs of the product and make an agreement. This is an advantage because if is talked about verbally there is more of understanding on what the client wants meeting the standards easily. But the disadvantage weighs out the advantage because there is not written documentation there is no proof to say that the client hired the company which means that they could fail to pay.  

The Formal Brief. This brief is well set out and structured and have great grammar and punctuation. The document is well detailed but should also be thoroughly explained. To make it look professional it may have the clients logo. It is a very open brief and contains information to be able to produce the product. An advantage of a formal brief is that could be a creative platform for the media company as the brief is open to negotiation because the client is open to ideas. A disadvantage would be that the media company could have issues with the brief as they may not believe that the client has given them enough information to complete the project to their standards.

The Commission Brief. This brief allows a large media company to hire a smaller media company to do the majority of the work and then the larger company pass down to the client after the product has been made. The brief isn't usually negotiated between the client and the media company but instead between the two media companies involved. This partnership works out because both media companies get paid for their work and the smaller media company could also get the royalties.  A big disadvantage would be that conflict may occur as there are two media companies involved they may have different ideas and contributions.

The Competition Brief. This brief is when the client puts out a brief publicly so it can be accessed by all media companies and it's up to them to follow the brief and it's requirements to produce a product. It is seen as a competition because all the media companies that create a product are against each other to get the client. The client has a major advantage because they only have to pay the winning company and have a lot choices to pick from. But a disadvantage of this is that none of the products submitted by the media companies meet the requirements meaning that they don't have an end product.

Socal Action and Community Media

What is social action and community media?
Social action is addressing a topic that is never or hardly spoken about and makes people aware and the opportunity to do something to help make a change. Any group of people despite geographical location, interests and identity create a form of media. For example, a community could create a documentary on abortion.

The purpose of social action and community media is to inform and educate people on things happening around them or all over the world on a media platform. This can help encourage viewers to do something to help as many topics are able to be changed if large numbers of people get involved and fight for it. For instance, Comic Relief started of Sudan in 1985 and through the years many brands and charities got involved and helped fight poverty and social injustice by raising money in different ways. From celebrity endorsements to marathons, the great British public get involved in anyway they can. Every year Comic Relief is broadcasted on BBC One and on the show viewers watch quite a few stories from people suffering in Africa and Asia but also her in the UK. Comic relief also show how the money they raise every year helps the people they give it to and this encourages people to donate money as they see a difference that something little as £5 can do to them. Comic Relief is one of the biggest social action campaigns.

Comic Relief like to get celebrities to raise money doing fun and sport activities but also like people to know what and who they are raising money for. Comedian John Bishop went to talk to people who have a hard life in the UK, some women and men were in a abusive relationships, or being trafficked by their own parents and homeless. Using comedian John Bishop as the presenter showed that although he was a comedian these situations were not funny and should be taken seriously by viewers.

Close up of the items connate that
children live in this environment 

When he went to a women's house who had been abused and ran away from that situation with her children. It's clear to see that her children must be under 5 as a number of insert shots are added when they are talking to clarify that there are children living there.

Most of these people had their faces hidden to protect their identity but we as viewers were able to see how uncomfortable they felt talking about themselves because of their movements. There were many jump shots to




Throughout the clip we see John Bishop often reacting to the stories being told by every individual and as a viewer watching that, it makes you feel empathic towards the individuals who have had to go through what they have been through and John's facial expressions express that.

Reacting Shot / Close up to show his facial expressions. 

Long Shot to show his surroundings

A lot of topics are discussed on daily basis, topics such as abortion, sexuality and religion etc. But other things are left unspoken such as Female Genital Mutilation. I had never heard of Female Genital Mutilation until I was introduced to Cruel Cut broadcasted on Channel 4. This documentary educated me and lot of other people on the taboo subject and made me want to help stop it happen.
 How did Leyla Hussein, the presenter of Cruel Cut, make me feel this way?
She spoke about her experience in graphic detail and how it affected her life and how it still does. Other woman also spoke about their experiences, they were all so different but it all came back to the same result and the suffering they are still experiencing because of female genital mutilation. Leyla also presented viewers with statics, more than 24,000 women are at risk and over 66,000 women are living with the consequences in the UK alone. Throughout the show Leyla tried in many ways to get people in higher positions to listen to her campaign but she wasn't successful as they didn't take her seriously or was not interested in the topic. Leyla knew what she had to do to get them to listen and that was to get the public involved and she did by setting up a petition. Over 10,000 signed and that got the attention of the government and even got a response. The government have made is clear that female genital mutilation is considered as child abuse and it is in fact illegal but also they have chose to fund a new study into the prevalence rates of female genital mutilation and has joined forces with NSPCC and the metropolitan service to provide a FGM helpline. Leyla Hussein has made a change by addressing the subject and fighting to make a difference and she did that in 2014. This is what social action and community media is about.

The clip showed Leyla Hussein interviewing her family on Female Genital Mutilation and how it affected the family as the same experience happened not only to her sister but also her mother. Her mother and sister spoke about their experiences. Leyla and her sister asked their mother open questions to which her mother give a detailed response that kept viewers interested. Throughout the clip, many close ups and mid-shots of their faces were shown while they spoke about their experiences and it showed how it affected themselves but also how their family members felt listening to it. The brother was the only one who couldn't speak from first hand experience but he give his opinion on the subject and the community who are known to in force FGM, so there was a variety of discussions and opinions.This whole clip subtly encourages people who have been through FGM to speak to their family and friends about the subject as they may not be the only ones going through it.

The interview was intimate and personal which was very raw and emotional, it made viewers emphatic and moved them and that was the whole purpose, the whole purpose of the documentary is to make people want to do something to change what happens to women all around the world. As I said Leyla Hussein made a change in the UK.

Close up shows how they felt while their mother was speaking about her experience.

Establishing Shot shows us location

This establishing shot shows viewers her surroundings, as this shot is shown there is a voice over of Leyla speaking telling viewers that she's back home going to speak to her family about the subject. As viewers we get a glimpse of her childhood home.

Close up shows relationship

The shot above is a close up of Leyla and her mother seeking comfort from each other by holding hands as they discuss FGM, it shows their relationship and the subject is quite difficult to speak about and how they are dealing with it.

In conclusion, both subjects get people emotional and eager to make a change but in different ways. Comic Relief is about raising money in order to help others but The cruel cut documentary is about the public signing a petition to stop FGM. This is what social media and community media is about, making a change and helping others.

Interview Analysis

Jade Goody was interviewed by Davina Mccall on Big Brother after her eviction. The main purpose for the interview was to get information on what happened between herself and another contestant called Shilpa Shetty as Jade potrayed herself as a bully. Davina was asking Jade open questions and getting her to explain situations that viewers wanted to know more about. Jade would answer a question that Davina asked and Davina would ask question relating to her response. The interview was informative as it informed the viewers in detail of what Jade was actually thinking and doing when speaking to Shilpa the way she did.

I would say that Davina was active listening and didn't try and build a relationship with Jade as her main concern was to gather information on the situation for the viewers. She was very direct with her questions and made sure she got the answer she required by asking the same question in a different way.

Cruel Cut

1. How effective is this documentary? Consider the techniques and conventions used as well as the way in which the campaign is conveyed to the audience.

 Straight away the presenter caught viewers attention by graphically explaining her experience of female Genital Mutilation. Viewers immediately felt empathic for her as she explained her experiences and then she got other women to talk about their experiences where we saw women of different ages and races talking about a similar experience, which was shocking.

What the presenter done was smart as she started with herself then other women showing that she wasn't alone in the subject, as the programme went on we heard the complications of genital mutilation such as being infertile, which again made the viewers empathic. This documentary targeted not only women but also men and it was clear that she wanted to educate both genders as she interviewed a group of religious boys on their views of genital mutilation and they all said that it was ok and a good thing until the presenter, Leyla Hussein, showed them graphically what women go through and immediately changed their opinion.

Leyla Hussein interviewed everyone that was relevant to the topic, not just members of the public but doctors, MPs and other professionals. This gave us a variety of opinions and views making the programme interesting but also causing a debate on whether it is right or wrong for women to go through genital mutilation. Making it into a debatable topic gets people talking about, which of course makes people aware.  She also asked open questions which led to descriptive answers which is a great technique as we get to hear detailed opinions and views. 

 

2.  What is your personal response to the documentary?
I found the programme very hard to watch in all honesty. I was so emphatic toward the presenter and other women go through this for obvious reasons, first of all the pain but also the humiliation of being forced to have this done themselves. I think the presenter was very brave to talk from experience but also commendable as not many people, like myself, knew this even happened. She educated us on the subject. I was really moved when the women who went through genital mutilation wasn't able to conceive a baby because of what had happened to her, I just like it wasn't her fault and she was being punished for it, it was really sad. Leyla, the presenter, first educated all of us on the subject and then started a campaign to stop it happening which is really honourable.

Abortion - My Views

In the summer, BBC Three broadcasted an hour long documentary about Abortion and the people of Ireland's views. It's not secret that Ireland, as a country, is against abortion as it is a catholic country. The programme was both sided showing people who are campaigning for abortion and others campaigning against abortion. We also saw stories of a woman who had to through their pregnancy even though they knew the baby wouldn't live and another woman who had to travel to the UK in order to get an abortion, paying £1,000 for the procedure, accommodation and travel. The consequences for women who do get an abortion is that they get jail time.

The documentary was effective because it should viewers two sides of the topic and left it up to them to decide what was right and what was wrong, it was their own personal preference. It made people think of their choices and an insight on how different the UK was compared to Ireland.

I see the argument on both sides but my personal opinion is that women should have a choice on whether they keep the baby or not. It's not fair to not give them an option, although I know it's killing life but the women knows what situation she is in and if she's mentally prepared to bring up a child.  During the documentary I was really empathic towards the woman who had to keep her baby even though she knew it was dead. The country wouldn't allow her to have an abortion even though they knew the end result, it's unfair and heart-breaking.

For a religious perspective I do see the problem, essentially God should be the one who to decide whether a person lives or not as he is the one who gave us life. I am 95% pro abortion as there can be a lot of complications with pregnancy or the timing is not right and you know you shouldn't put another life in that situation. I'm also 5% against abortion from a religious perspective.