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Shooting script :

Interview Plan / handout sheet :

I am a student at Hills Road Sixth form college in my final year, and as part of my Media Studies A level coursework, I am producing a short documentary on homelessness in Cambridge. 

The main aim of my documentary is to try and demonstrate that homeless people are not defined by their label or situation, and that every individual has a story worth sharing.

By providing an opportunity for people to hear real stories, I hope to challenge some stereotypes, and prejudices in society. 

I believe that often the media may misrepresent some individuals, and by producing this short documentary I would like to give the control to the individuals themselves, and allow them to construct their own representations and convey their own stories.

Setting up questions:

How would you describe yourself? (Name, Where are you from?)

( What made you come to Cambridge? )

Who is the most important person in your life right now? (friends, family)  Tell me about them.

How do you think your friends would describe you?

Turning Point:

Tell me about a significant moment in your life.

What has been the hardest challenge you have had to face?

Can you describe a turning point in your life?

What impact did that have on you? Did it change you in any way?

Concluding:

What do you think is the main misconception about homeless people?

Do you feel supported by your community? Do you receive mainly kindness or judgement?

What advice would you give your younger self?



I sectioned my interviewer's script into 3 sections, establishing, main, and concluding questions; to provide some structure and direction for each interview. But I was inclined to allow the individual to direct the interview, and discuss whatever they wanted to. However, during the interview I did stress the 'Can you describe a turning point in your life?' and 'Tell me about a significant moment in your life.' In order to fulfil the brief, and create a structure to my show.


In terms of a script, I refrained from producing a script for my characters, as they were not actors. Instead, I produced an interview plan for my interviewer to conduct; I used open-ended questions to provide my characters with the freedom to answer questions in different ways. I believe that by using a loose plan for the interview it will provide me with more authentic and realistic material; which will conform to the conventions of Channel 5's factual shows. I intend to maintain a casual, and relaxed tone to my interview throughout; to ensure I get authentic material from the individuals.  



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