Research One

After discussing our options and doing some research, we have decided to make a serious drama revolving around the recent 'troubles' in Northern Ireland. We feel it is something we could portray effectively in order to capture the audience as we have a great range of locations to use and also a broad knowledge of the subject. We want the audience to feel like they are revisiting those dark times, and hopefully give an accurate insight into how things would have worked within the higher powers of the paramilitary groups, namely the PIRA and the UDA.

We have watched through many videos, interviews and films in order to get an idea of how operations would have been planned out. We wanted to see what background work went into a pre-meditated attack to therefore make our project as authentic as possible. We came across many clips which we believed would help us identify this, and that give us the best possible insight.

Here is a video of the IRA speaking which helped us to understand how this paramilitary would have worked and the type of weapons they would have used. Once again, this was just to help us make the project as realistic as possible.

Music is used in this video in order to build up suspense. The IRA men make their way through the woods holding guns while tense upbeat music is played which is very effective. This is something that we would like to incorporate into our project in order to grab the attention of the viewer straight away and entice them into the storyline. The music in this clip was also effective in the way that it created an atmosphere before the speaker began to actually talk.
Many different shot types are used while filming the men which shows them at different angles shooting targets. This was to show the men in training and also to give the viewer a closer look at the weapons from each angle. When the man begins to speak the camera slowly moves up his body which also is very effective in building suspense as it lets the viewers hear him before they actually see him, it also lets them see his full outfit.

They are all dressed in combat gear and balaclavas, with the speaker wearing sunglasses, a scarf and a beret. This is also extremely effective as it shows the IRA as most people would imagine them, therefore helps fulfils the viewers imagination and imagery of the deadly group. The fact that the speaker is dressed differently to the other men gives him a sense of authority and lets the viewer know that he is in command. All their faces are covered which is to protect them from the law, and avoid them being arrested for being involved in a criminal organisation, this is something that we will bear in mind in our project.

The target audience of this clip would be people who have an interest in the IRA and who want to know what they are about. The main purpose of this would be propaganda, which is why they speak very differently of themselves than the british army would when releasing statements. It was made in the hope to attract new members, while also sending a threatening message to their targets/enemies. The audience expectations of this video would be to get an insight into the IRA and the reason for their extreme use of violence in order to achieve their goals. It would be very educational for the audience. Another audience expectation from the IRA's point of view would be to draw in new members, and also to strike fear into the British. The type of company that would distribute this film would be a documentary film production company.