Digital Literacy and Information Fluency.Animal Planet Documentary!

1. The Purpose of the site and series

• The Purpose of the site is to let us know about Mermaids that have been criticized for giving the impression of being an actual documentary, when in fact much of the material was made up, and that the scientists shown were actors. Publicity for the program included a website falsely claiming government seizure of the site's domain, and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put up a rebuttal to the program. Shiffman, D. 2013
• http://ew.wikipedia.org/wiki/mermaids. The Body- Found.(Press release).

2. The Process
1. Script your story idea. You will need to have a script, or you can't have a film. While thinking of an idea, make sure you write something attractive to your viewers. For example, If you're giving the script to someone who likes drama, add lots of drama.
Comedy, add comedy, etc.
2. Watch documentaries. Once you have worked out what style of documentary you are going to make, analyze similar documentaries to identify conventions. Make sure you pay attention to the documentaries narrative structure, as this is where most amateur documentary filmmakers go wrong.
3. Write a treatment.

• Summary of documentary.
• Goal/purpose of film
• Outline your script so that you can make sure that it has all of the good short story components. In your outline describe each section of your film, for a short film the outline does not need to be longer than 300 word.
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• 4.  Priority scenes. From your outline identify priority scene

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      5. Develop character motivations. Characters without motivation or a personality aren't really characters
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      6. Include a dramatic event in the narrative. One that involves all of the character. 

• 7. Storyboard individual scenes

• 9. Show the finished product to friends, family, teachers, etc
• 10. Be prepared. Brainstorm the worst things that could happen during making your documentary and how will you deal with these. Remember to look at both technical problems and story problems
• 11. Get ready to shoot it. Choose the equipment, something that can record video. There are many choices. This process might take months or even years, but you have to keep looking. Make sure your video recorder works with your VCR or editing equipment
• 12. Learn a few features, and review how your recording device works. Learn how to start and stop recording, fast forward, rewind, playback, and anything else that you might need. Save the special effects for your second or third project
• 13. Choose a subject -- what you want to make a film about. Remember, you'll need to complete the project. Think about who, what, and where you'll shoot. Form a basic idea for a story and if you're having trouble, read short stories for inspiration
• 14. Type out a script. Make sure to develop your characters with different personalities; your movie won't be interesting if everyone acts and talks the same
• 15. Draw out a storyboard, illustrating the shots you plan to use. Don't worry about following the storyboard perfectly. It's just a good idea to get your thoughts on paper and a great way to see if you can communicate an idea "visually" rather than needing the actors to verbally communicate the concept. The viewer is watching first and listening second
• 16. Find people who aren't busy and are willing to work hard on your film.Provide food for your crew. They'll appreciate it and be able to hang around longer
• 17. Create a schedule. This will keep you focused on your project.
• Get a diary.
• Identify what days you and your crew is available.
• Jot down priority scenes.

Film interviews early on
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18. Shoot your footage. If you want to highlight your pet, you can shoot video of your pet eating, sleeping and playing and perhaps put it to music. If you are under a tight time pressure, consider using a second camera as this will enable you to be twice as efficient.

19. Interviewing.

2. • Plan questions. The easiest way of doing this and keeping focus is to write who, what, when, where, why, how, and then brainstorm questions around these.
   • Subject must be comfortable around the camera and open and honest.
   • Talk to them before filming, you could talk for half an hour or more to make the subject comfortable around you
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1. 20. Keep a diary. Keep a diary where you write how the filming went, what mistakes you made and how you could avoid these next time and ideas for what to film on other shoots
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2. 21. Log footage. Before you proceed to editing your film watch all your footage through, writing notes on every shots stating if it works, are there technical problems. This will save you a lot of time when editing
3. 22.. Edit your film. Many cameras edit in limited ways and some have special effects. Learn how to "cut" pieces of your footage together and put music or speech over your video. Check your camera's manual or use a software package like iMovie to make your final cuts. One way is to use your VCR or DVD burner to make copies for friends and auditions. If your film is digital, you can also output your final edit to a readable format to send via email. Also if your film is in digital format you can upload to YouTube or another video sharing site. Check up with the website's video formats to see if you can upload your movie.
4. The Public's Response

• Describing them as "half-human, half-fish sirens of the sea," the post goes on to describe the various appearances of mermaids in folklore, from cave paintings to The Odyssey. However, NOAA comes to the final conclusion that "no evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found." The agency says the post came in response to several requests from the public after Animal Planet aired a special called Mermaids: The Body Found that claimed to paint "a wildly convincing picture of the existence of mermaids." Heller, J. 2013. The New Evidence Pulls In highest Animal Planet Rating Ever. Available Online [www.ibtimes.com/mermaids-hoax-documentary-new-evidence-pulls-highest-animal-planet-ratings-ever-128535.