Final Project

1000 word commentary

My EPQ idea/inspiration came from my own personal attachment to the topic and the charity CRY (cardiac Risk in the Young). My idea is to create an awareness/ informative video around my chosen topic. I am passionate about the need to enhance the awareness of diagnosed heart conditions to others following the sudden death of my 15-year-old cousin in 2015. After the sudden loss, my family has undergone regular medical checks and diagnoses in heart conditions, allowing us to understand the risks and put preventable measures into place. I think it is vital that the risks which are associated with young sudden cardiac deaths are shared, allowing people to become more knowledgeable and reducing the risks to others.

In order to begin my video, I needed to conduct primary and secondary research which would enable me to include correct information throughout. In the first instance, I got in contact with the paramedic who helped assist my cousin the day that she died. I asked him to answer a selection of questions which I hoped I would then be able to include within my video. However, despite several requests for an interview and a few sent emails asking for certain bits of information, I did not receive the responses needed and I was unable to wait any longer, which was disappointing. Following this, I was also able to get in contact with the head fundraising officer, Ben Robinson from the charity CRY. He was able to forward statistics and information on to me to include within my video, allowing me to share correct information, reducing the chance of this being misleading to the audience.

As part of my research which I conducted before the production of the video, I completed a number of textual analysis of other awareness videos such as the British Heart Foundation. This was a vital aspect of my research as it enabled me to develop a wide knowledge around the typical characteristics which individuals would expect to see within the videos such as the choice of having a personal anecdote throughout.

As part of the video, I hoped to include a personal perspective, enabling it to become more sensitive and hard hitting to the audience. I hoped that by including personal stories in the video, it would be more engaging to the audience, making them aware of the seriousness and severity of what is being said. I initially wanted to include aspects of an interview with my Auntie and Uncle (the parents of my cousin), however, this wasn’t something that they wanted to do as it would be too emotional and difficult for them. After deciding who and what to include within the video, I made the decision to ask my mum to be a part of it. I wanted this as my mum has also been diagnosed with a heart condition, meaning that she was able to symbolise the importance of the charity, CRY and how they help and support individuals through diagnosis and family bereavement.

When confirming my decisions for my chosen topic for my EPQ, I knew I wanted to create a video rather than a dissertation. Especially as I knew I wanted to produce an awareness video informing individuals around the risks of un-diagnosed heart conditions. I hoped that by creating a video it would improve a range of skills such as communication and planning as it would be accessible to a wider ranged audience instead of an investigation like the dissertation.  

Instead of including a face to face/ voiceover interview, I made the decision to just include text on the screen. My thoughts were that anybody could watch the video and understand my mum’s answers/ what she is saying, however, if I had included a filmed interview, people may not have understood the rationale and the relevance my mum had to the interview. I knew from the beginning that I wanted everyone who watched the video to get the same thing out it, whether they had any background knowledge around the charity/ condition beforehand. I didn’t want to limit any of the viewers.

I aimed to create an awareness video which would symbolise the importance of the topic and be hard hitting to the audience however I didn’t want to signify the risks too much as this would create a sense of panic to the audience.

In order to ensure that I completed the project on time, I set myself strict criteria to meet. When beginning the project in September, I set myself a basic overview of how I hoped that my project would plan out over the upcoming months. By having the month by month plan which I followed, it made it challenging when something didn’t go as planned, such as not receiving a reply from the paramedic.

When the time came to begin the production of the video, I imagined that this would be straightforward and simple. Having completed AS media studies, I already had basic experience when referring to video production and the filming aspects, however my knowledge around the programme premiere pro is still very basic. I decided to go around the info graphic approach when creating my video as I researched that most individuals are visual learners, meaning that the audience would be able to appreciate and understanding the meaning of the video to the full extent. As I began my production of the video on premiere pro, I researched how it was possible to create graphics. As I was working to a strict time period, this wasn’t going to be the most simplistic route which I could choose. I decided to research websites and programmes which would enable me to create graphics which I could include within my video, the website ‘Canva’ enabled me to do this.

If I was to do this project again, I would definitely begin the research sooner allowing me to complete a wider variety of textual analysis of other awareness videos, meaning that I would have developed a greater understanding of the key characteristics which are included throughout informative/ awareness videos. Secondly, another aspect which I would do differently if I had the chance is to improve on my communication skills. I believe that when communicating with the paramedic, I feel I could have been a bit more assertive and persistent in asking for my questions to be answered and set clear deadlines for him to feedback.

Evaluation

Presentation

Here is a link to my power point which I presented

I presented the final piece on Thursday 2nd May 2019 to peers, senior members of staff as well as governors. I found this difficult as presenting things in front of people isn't a strength of mine. As a result of this, I found I was extremely nervous. This was evident to the audience as I rushed through the presentation not spending enough time on each section. 

From the presentation, I received really good feedback, some suggesting that the video should be shared towards a wider audience to increase the awareness. However as a result of me feeling nervous, some feedback was 'to have more confidence in speaking and expand on the points that I was saying'. 

After doing the presentation, I feel more confident in myself when speaking in front of individuals who I don't usually speak to. I feel that since completing the presentation, this has prepared me for the future especially wanting to go to university, this is because the skills that I have learnt are transferable for the chosen university course and for future life. 

Canva

Throughout the production of my video, I originally wanted to create the video through the programme premiere pro. However, when I began doing this, I found that it wasn't as simplistic as I expected, and I found that I wouldn't be able to achieve what I wanted. 

From doing my research and looking for a variety of websites and programmes which would enable me to create graphics. I found 'Canva'. This website enabled me to create graphics and infographics which I could then include within my video via premiere pro. 

Questions sent to the paramedic

Following the paramedic, Chris' reply, I have sent him the following questions for him to answer. Once I have received the replies from him, I will include the responses within the video. Hopefully as well as Chris' replies I will have also included responses from my mum, auntie or uncle showing a variety of different perspectives on how the diagnosis of the condition has affected them. Within the video, I hope to include primarily just facts and statistics with a small proportion of the awareness video being interviews, this is because I want everyone to receive the same from the video and not just be targeted at a smaller audience. 
I have included the email I have sent to Chris with the questions; 

Hi Chris, 

Thank you for your reply, as part of my video I would like to include some of your responses to the following questions

1. How did you first learn about this condition? 

2. Why did you decide to study this condition further?

3. What did you learn from studies?

4. How would you explain the condition to someone who is unaware of it?

5. What could be done to further help individuals to understand this condition and help those who are already affected? 

Thank you for your help, and I look forward to hearing from you

Email to the paramedic

On Wednesday 6th March I emailed the paramedic which provided his help and support to my cousin. My aim from the email was to ask for his authorization to include him and his responses within my video. From sending the email to the paramedic, Chris. I received a reply from him saying that he was happy to be involved within my project. 

Dear Chris, 

I am a student at Tupton Hall School currently doing my A-levels. I am participating in the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) and doing this around the topic of of creating an awareness video about the heart condition ‘Brugada’ and the ways in which the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) supports this. 

My idea was stimulated after the sudden death of my cousin, Bethany Mycroft in 2015. I am aware that this is also close to you after the medical support which you provided on the day.

I am hoping that as part of my video I could interview some individuals amd get different perspectives on how the condition has affected them. I understand that you also completed a dissertation on around this topic. I am interested in your research findings. 

I respect that this may be a serious and emotional topic to you and you may not want to be part of the video. If this is something that you are interested in and you are willing to help me, please let me know so I can email you some questions, allowing me to include your responses within my video. 

Yours sincerely

Textual Analysis Of Other Awareness Videos

I have analysed well known awareness videos and studied which characteristics and techniques have been used within each. 

This is the 'Shelter 9million voices' awareness video. I have chosen this one as similar to the diabetes and CRY they don't include actors. Within this video, they use fast cuts between one statistic to the next, this can imply that they are trying to symbolise how fast homeless issues are growing within the UK. The use of background colour within the video suggests a naturalistic approach to the topic which can symbolise the importance of the video and that it may be sensitive for some individuals. 

I have included the Cardiac Risk in the Young's awareness video. They have included facts and statistics which emotionally affects individuals reading/ watching this as they become so informed by what is being said. This video doesn't include any well known music which people can refer and associate to however they regularly use diegetic sound throughout, such as the heartbeat. This can represent the naturalistic view of the video, keeping it plain and getting to the point. 

This is the diabetes awareness campaign video. This is an awareness video which decided to take a different approach. The use of the illustrations makes it engaging to a wider range of audiences. The video is an easy way to educate yourself of the risks of diabetes and how the condition itself is created and managed by individuals. It highlights the symptoms of the condition which individuals can refer to if in in doubt. This video in specific has not included any factors of humour, this can relate to the more educational use of the video and not meant to be used in an entertaining yet educational way. 

This is the British Heart Foundation's awareness video. Techniques such as Mise en scene adds to the narrative of the video. The producers of the video included factors of humour throughout to allow them to maintain the attention of the audience. The choice of the well known song in the background enables the video to be easily remembered by the audience, this is a significant factor as the three individuals throughout the video are teaching the audience the key signs of a cardiac arrest. 

The screenshot above is from the awareness video of the charity MIND. Throughout the awareness video the technique of synthetic personalisation has been used. This is reinforced through the use of extreme close ups. This technique has been used as it allows the audience to feel like the video is directed at them, they are being told someone's story in hop that they understand that it is nothing to be ashamed off. The use of hashtag throughout the video (#inourownwords) is an engaging way to communicate with the audience. The Mise en scene of the video is seen to be very basic, this shows that the charity is wanting it to focus its awareness video on the topic and nothing else.

How will i use this research in my video? 
I have chosen to go for a more informal tone. I have decided to create a video which will be more informative to the audience than entertaining or emotive. I wont be including the interviews but using them as examples of personal experiences and what they think people need to know about the condition. It is clear that the condition is rare however, can be alarming and sensitive to the audience. My aim is to communicate the facts in a correct manor and not create any alarming news to everyone. 

Key Information About The Charity

The fundraising manager at the charity emailed me a list of specific facts which they include within their awareness videos and fundraising materials. 

• Every Week in the United Kingdom, at least 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die of un-diagnosed heart conditions 
• 80% of young sudden cardiac deaths occur with no prior symptoms 
• CRY has now screened over 175,000 young people since the charity was established 
• 1 in 100 individuals whom have experienced a CRY test have identified a less serious cardiac problem which could cause problems later on in life

Key features of awareness videos

Using the website https://reasondigital.com/insights/seven-components-to-create-the-best-charity-video/ they include many key aspects which make the most successful awareness video.

• create an emotional connection 
• use facts and statistics powerfully 
• Have a clear call to action 
• shock the audience

I will hopefully be able to implement all these specific factors within my charity video. 

My plan for the video is to create an emotional connection with my own family experiences and how the charity (Cardiac Risk in the Young) has helped and supported individuals who have experienced their own tragedies. 

The charity have emailed me some facts and statistics which have been Included in their professional awareness video, short facts which enable individuals to remember them easier and make it have much more significant impact amongst them.

The choice of facts which I am including will hopefully outline the call to action to the viewers, highlighting the importance of seeking medical assistance out if something isn't quite right. And understanding the importance of the charitable screening events which the charity regularly puts on seeking out the symptoms of the individual. 

Response From the Charity

I recently emailed the fundraising manager at the charity. I have attached below the response from the individual. From the response I can now begin my research and the production of my awareness video as I now know that the charity is fully on board with supporting the task. 

Hi Ellie-Mae,

Thank you so much for your email and for your interest in helping to raise awareness of the charity.  I am so sorry to hear of your reasons for discovering the charity, but so grateful to you for choosing to be so proactive in your cousin’s memory.  We are so grateful to you for your support and would be pleased to do whatever we can to help you with your efforts. Could I confirm that your cousin’s name is Bethany Mycroft?  The fundraising and awareness you have raised as a family in her memory is fantastic and you have created a lasting legacy to her.

I think a good starting point is for me to send you some of the videos that have been created that we use regularly to explain CRY as a base for you to start from.  I have attached a sort of CRY fact sheet that has the links as well as some stats about CRY that will hopefully be of use.  We focus on four key areas with our charitable work which is Awareness, Support, Screening & Research and we try to base how we promote the charity with these four key areas.  You are correct about it being a fine line between being too alarming, but making sure people take notice and we are always keen to see how others feel this can be implemented so we would be keen to see what you come up with.

I will of course be happy to help with any questions you might have or ideas you might want to discuss at any point and please do let me know if you require any materials to help you. 

Thank you for your interest in promoting CRY and I look forward to helping however I can.

Kind regards,

Ben

E-mail to the charity

I decided to e-mail the charity CRY, explaining what my EPQ topic is and what I hope to achieve at the end of the project. Throughout the e-mail, I have explained why the charity is close to myself and my family. In their response I hope that they explain what factors they look for within an awareness video and medical notes around the heart conditions allowing me to include correct facts and not any misleading information. 

Below I have attached the E-mail which i sent the charity:

To whom it may concern,

I am a student at Tupton Hall School who is beginning the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification).

My idea for the topic is to create an awareness/promotional video for your charity, CRY or an informative video about the condition. I do have some previous experience with filming and editing through my Media Studies A-level. The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young is something that is very close to myself following the sudden death of my cousin from the genetic heart condition your charity raises awareness of. My family and I have taken part in many fundraising and awareness raising events such as many screening events (raising nearly £69,000) and I hope that by creating this video I will raise awareness to more people my age around the risks underlying the heart condition.

In order for myself to effectively create an awareness video I was hoping that by getting in contact with you, you may be able to tell me which aspects you look for within a video to ensure that it is accurate without being alarming and can represent the condition in a way which does the topic justice. Alternatively, I would like to discuss with you the finer medical details around the condition to ensure that I do not misrepresent the condition.

If you could forward this email to the relevant person who may be able to help or collaborate with this project, I would be most grateful. I look forward to hearing from you

Yours sincerely

Ellie-Mae Topp

Initial idea

My initial idea for my EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) is to create a video creating awareness or a campaign video for the charity CRY(Cardiac Risk in the Young) . I have chosen this charity as my family work closely along side them after the sudden death of my cousin. since the loss within my family, we have held many fundraising events such as screenings for the younger people (raising nearly £69,000). My aim is to create awareness for 14-35 year old for undiagnosed heart conditions. 

I will aim to  produce a campaign video for the charity, needing me to contact them and ask them if this is wanted and what they would to see involved throughout the video. However I do understand that this may not be needed/wanted. In this case the campaign video will turn into a awareness video, including facts and statistics and medical knowledge allowing me to include correct and not misleading information.

Month By Month Plan

In order to complete this project to the best of my ability and display my time management skills, I have decided to create a month by month plan enabling me to keep on track and not fall behind. Throughout the topic I have referred back to this plan enabling me to know when I am falling behind and understand key tasks which also need to be completed. Once completing each task, I have analysed where aspects may not have been as successful as they could've been and to think how this would be different if I was to do this again. 

October 
Within October I hope to begin communication with the charity CRY and start liaising with the head fundraising officer, Ben Robinson. This will enable me to get their insight into my topic and understand the most appropriate approach to take to allow me to create the most effective awareness video to the audience. 

November 
I hope to have began my textual analysis of multiple different awareness videos such as the diabetes campaign video as well as the shelter video. Completing this, this will allow me to understand the key characteristics of the videos, allowing me to learn how to highlight significant information without raising too much concern. 

December 
The main task which I am aiming to complete by the end of this month is to begin thinking of questions which I can send to the paramedic. I have decided that within my video, I want to include an interview with the paramedic showing a variety of perspectives on how sudden death affects a range of people. Since becoming in contact with the paramedic in December and when he agreed that this was something he would be interested in, I was unable to get a response from him with the answers to the questions. As a result of this, I found that it would be as effective to include an interview with my Mum as she also suffers with the same heart condition. 

January 
I aim to watch multiple videos on YouTube on ways to develop my editing techniques via the software 'premiere pro'

February & March 
In order to make the video an awareness video, informing the audience, I need to complete secondary research, such as using a variety of websites such as the NHS, allowing me to access verified information around the conditions 'Brugada'. 

April 
I aim to begin the production of the video in this month as the deadline is early May so I hope that by beginning the video production this will enable me to spend more time on this, allowing it to be completed to a higher level. I began creating the video end of March, beginning of April. However, I believed that since completing the A2 media course and having previous experience on software such as premiere pro, I would be able to have a head start and understand what I was doing. I found that it wasn't as simplistic as I expected and therefor had a set back as I was unsure what online program would allow me to create this. I found that after a large amount of research that 'Canva' was the best option. 

May
As we are presenting the videos on the 2nd May, this time will be spent ensuring that I have included all the relevant information.