Questionnaires:

Responses during the screening session:

(Questions are in written black and the answers are in red)

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SHIRLEY KIRBY’S A2 PRODUCTION

FEMALES

Age 16-18 What genre do you think this is? Social Realist (?) How informative is it-what have you learnt? How many children were orphaned. What we can do it make it better for them. Did you enjoy watching it? Yes! Cute! Did you find this professional looking? Yes, good home footage from POV’s ~ Very effective What was your favourite part? The interviews with the adopted children What would you change about this production? The font/text – looks quite simple Summarise this production in one word: Touching

Age 16-18   What genre do you think this is? Documentary How informative is it-what have you learnt? The adoption process from children in China Did you enjoy watching it? Yes Did you find this professional looking? Yes, although you could make the titles more proffesional and impressive reather than simple font What was your favourite part? I really liked the shots at the Chinese event with the dragons interviews with Chinese children What would you change about this production? I would make the structure of the documentary sharper Summarise this production in one word: Emotional

Age 19-25 What genre do you think this is? Documentary How informative is it-what have you learnt? Very informative, personal story Did you enjoy watching it? Yes Did you find this professional looking? Yes. Camera shake due to the film made in a doc style by real people and real life. What was your favourite part? The clips of the everyday family scenes. Shows how we can intergrate. What would you change about this production? Voice over linking the film together through the different parts Summarise this production in one word: Personal

Age -15      16-18      19-25     26+ What genre do you think this is? How informative is it-what have you learnt? Did you enjoy watching it? Did you find this professional looking? What was your favourite part? What would you change about this production? Summarise this production in one word:

MALES

Age: 26+ What genre do you think this is? Documentary How informative is it-what have you learnt? Very informative. About adoption for China and that many people do it Did you enjoy watching it? Yes- very interesting and informative Did you find this professional looking? Yes. Looked authentic What was your favourite part? The music was very good It was authentic What would you change about this production? - Summarise this production in one word: Identity

Age: 16-18 What genre do you think this is? Documentary   How informative is it-what have you learnt? It’s moderately informative 150,000 adoptions   Did you enjoy watching it? Yes   Did you find this professional looking? Yes   What was your favourite part? The interview with Helena What would you change about this production? Some of the camera work could be framed better   Summarise this production in one word: Good

Age 16-18  What genre do you think this is? Documentary How informative is it-what have you learnt? Many children are adopted from China   Did you enjoy watching it? Yes Did you find this professional looking? Yes   What was your favourite part? Story of Lin What would you change about this production? Nothing   Summarise this production in one word: Informative

Age 16-18   What genre do you think this is? Documentary How informative is it-what have you learnt? Very- about Chinese adoption Did you enjoy watching it? Yes Did you find this professional looking? At times, the angles do not fit What was your favourite part? The bit with the lady talking What would you change about this production? The sound-music overlapping Summarise this production in one word: Lovely J

Screening Presentation

Today in class we each showed the students and a few teachers our productions. While they were watching mine, I asked 10 people (5 male and 5 female) to fill in a questionnaire that I made with questions about their opinions of my documentary. Although this group of people were not really part of my target audience, I feel that their feedback still have very valuable comments.

Editing Update 6

I have re-arranged the order of a lot of the shots, it now starts with the main characters introducing themselves to the camera. Then some photos will be presented and then there is interviews with the characters about themselves. The ending is a few more photos and the characters talk a little more before some group photos are shown.

(Insert print screen)

Quotes

I think I will put these quotes in during the editing part of production.

 "I was ADOPTED,

which is a politically correct term for:

being clueless about one's own origins.”

― Jodi Picoult

“Adoption is grief in reverse.”
― Jody Cantrell Dyer

“My family didn't HAVE to love me,

they CHOSE to love me.”
― Charlene May

MAYBE:

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.
-Oprah Winfrey   

 

Adoption was a bumpy ride — very bumpy. But, it was worth the fight.
-Mariska Hargitay

Funding!

 BBC, Open University and iTunes

A mother of an adopted Chinese girl has spoken to me about Open University and their connection with The BBC with Professor Robert Winston. I did actually have a previous interest, particularly in a longitudinal series that Open University are still doing partnered with The BBC. Thirteen years ago the BBC set out on an ambitious project; to follow the lives of 25 children after their birth at the turn of the millennium.  However, currently the episodes are no longer available to watch online.




Also she sent me a link which is where there is a documentary called International Adoption that she was chiefly involved with. It is only about 2 minutes long and is currently available to download for free and can be found on iTunes.








https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/international-adoption-for/id380232100
^Here is the link that she sent me.


Because of these real life examples in England, I think if my documentary were to really be funded and distributed these would probably be the organisations that I will decided to work with.

Things I almost forgot about

Some additional pieces that I might include:

A long time ago when me and my brothers were first adopted, we were asked by our social worker to draw what we thought we understood about what was happening, this was our Life Story Scroll. Only a few years ago, I decided to take pictures of the scroll we had drawn on and I've only now just remembered that we did it. It contains mainly drawings by us and our foster sisters and the were captions written by our foster mother, care worker and ourselves.
Here is one photo taken from it:

I also found an article that my parents still have, from when we were initially put up for adoption. I actually don't remember this being taken, but I might include this, thus demonstrating an example of how some people may have been adopted.

Final Filming

I have finished all my filming!

I have now got several interviews and one is of some children where their mother was asking them the questions, I originally planned on filming them indoors but it was too noisy so I had to shoot outside. It was difficult to get lighting done that well because of how quickly it now gets dark due to it being wintertime.....

But I'm confident that the dark lighting won't have too much of an effect on my project.