Documentary Proposal (The Silent Kids)

For my main task I will produce a five minute long extract from a documentary exploring the major issue of child abuse. The reason why I have chosen child abuse is because I feel that it is an issue which is overlooked by many people who do not know enough information about the subject. My aim is to not only shock my audience into thinking about child abuse, but also provide them with the knowledge to start getting involved with the various charities and organisations whose aim it is to bring child abuse to an end. I am aiming my documentary at young adults (18-30 year olds), this is because this is the age range where you are most likely to have a child.

My documentary will be called ‘The Silent Kids’. I think this is effective because it is truthful in meaning. Most children who have been abused stay silent about their trauma and bottle it all up. The documentary will contain interviews, reconstructions and powerful cutaways. I hope to provoke a big reaction from my audience by using a combination of several techniques.

To start my documentary I want to include a mix of short quotes and messages relating to the issue of child abuse in a short 30 second long introduction. I will use quotes like “I told my mother at about the seventh year of therapy that I had been abused sexually by my father, she hung up the phone on me.” In between the quotes and messages I will show short clips of a child in distress. The introduction will end with a bold title appearing. Most of the clips will be shown using a black and white effect, this will give the impression that the clips are like a flashback or a memory. Hopefully this effect will create more authenticity.

I also want to include 3 interviews in my documentary. I will show two interviews with victims of child abuse, preferably one female and one male. The reason why I will use one person of each gender is to show that girls are not the only children at risk. I will also interview an expert on the issue. I would like to interview a representative of a large organisation. In this interview I will use a tilt shot to give a sense of authority and expertise to the interviewee. I will use 3 cameras so when it comes to editing I can show the emotion on the interviewee’s face whilst also showing the interview generally. Again, I will do this to provoke a sad/angry emotion.

As well as the interview itself I would like to recreate one of the interviewee’s stories by using a reconstruction. I aim to create a fictional story that will seem very real and believable. The reconstruction will feature a little girl who is defenceless against her father who beats her. The reconstruction will be very powerful and emotive. I will use sombre music to add to the overall effect. I will aim to make the reconstruction the highlight of my documentary. Here is a picture of the scene i would be looking to achiece in my reconstruction:

The documentary will also feature many cutaways in-between the interviews, reconstructions and other parts. I have devised a list of possible cutaways which I feel will add to the overall feel of the extract:
•Images of abuse
•Exterior shots of houses
•Crying girl
•A man walking up stairs
•A door being slammed
•Reflection in a mirror of bruised girl
•Girl running away

I think my documentary will be received in a positive way. Why would anyone be for child abuse? Hopefully, my documentary will raise awareness of the issue and help put an end to it.