Emails, Phone Calls and Face to Face Conversations

Emails:



Phone calls and face to face conversations:

• Taylor is a friend of mine who becomes under pressure caused by school work and exam stress. I asked her the following questions;

Does being under pressure effect you a lot?
Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)

Her reply: I always get stressed and put under pressure during exam season. I would love to star in your documentary and help by answering your questions. 

• Miss Butler is a psychology teacher and teaches A level students. I feel like she would be able to help me solve the questions as she knows a lot about the mind and how it works. Also, she knows how students react when it comes to exam season which will help me and my documentary's answers. I asked her the following questions;

Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Do you think your psychology teachings will apply good knowledge and suit the theme to my documentary? 
Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)

Her reply: I would love to help you out on your documentary! I feel like my knowledge on the mind of students will solve some of the answers that you're looking for. 

• Prinul is another student who is a friend of mine that becomes under pressure. I asked him the following questions:

Does being under pressure effect you a lot?
Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)

His reply: I wouldn't mind being in your documentary and I will be happy to answer your questions.

• Amy is my oldest sister who deals with some stress at work which makes her feel under pressure. I also asked Chloe who is my other sister about how she dealt with her last job because she was constantly put under pressure. I asked them both the following questions:

Does being under pressure effect you a lot?
Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)

Their replies: I wouldn't mind being in your documentary because I am willing to help you and your documentary.

• Farhana is a friend of mine that deals with being under pressure due to exam stress and workload. She is also doing her documentary on stress as she is effected by it herself which is very similar to mine. I asked her the following questions:

Does being under pressure effect you a lot?
Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)

Her reply: I am more than happy to be apart of your documentary as I am effected by being under pressure a lot.

• I asked my mum, Jackie, to be in my documentary as she has seen me become under pressure and stressed a few time before, so she knows exactly how I react to it. I have also asked my nan, Sylvia, if she would like to be in my documentary because I feel it would be interesting to hear from an older person and their past experiences of how life was like back then when people were put under pressure. I both asked them the following questions:

Both: Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Both: Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)
Mum: What do you notice about me becoming under pressure?
Nan: What was life like back then with being under pressure in your younger days?

Their replies: I would be more than happy to answer any of the questions you have set to help with you and your documentary's answers. 

• I decided to ask a student and a friend, Simran, who is able to deal with being under pressure and learning how to avoid it. I asked her the following questions: 

How do you learn how to avoid becoming under pressure?
Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)

Her reply: Of course I'll take part and be in your documentary! I am willing to help you and other people by hopefully showing them that they can avoid stress and becoming even more under pressure. Thank you for asking. 

• A friend of mine, Damanjyot, is a student who becomes under pressure quite a lot. I asked her the following questions:

How much does being under pressure effect you a lot?
Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)

Her reply: Thank you for asking but I don't feel comfortable talking about this because I feel it's a bit too personal to me. Sorry, but thanks again.

• A student, Billy, suffers from being under pressure due to exam stress and work load. I asked him the following questions:

Does being under pressure effect you a lot?
Would you mind starring in my documentary about being under pressure?
Will you feel comfortable in front of the camera while I ask you these specific set of questions? (the 5 key questions)

His reply: Yeah I don't mind being in your documentary, thank you for asking. 

Contact List

Budget

Initial Ideas

Initial Ideas & Feedback

Rationale

5 Key Questions

What are the key pressures young people face today?

"So, what's got your teen so stressed?  Why not ask?   If you're able to get it out of them, odds are you'll hear them mention something along these lines:   

1.  Academics
2.  Social Pressures
3.  Post-Secondary Plans
4.  Financial Concerns
5.  Family Problems"

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/teen-angst/201109/teen-stress-how-much-is-too-much From this website, I found the main reasons for the key pressures that young people face today. School is highlighted with family, financial problems and social pressures. Some of which I am heading towards to include in my documentary. 

The key findings are:

• Sexual pressures

The impact: Over half of 11-14 year olds have viewed online pornography, with 4 out of 10 believing it has affected their relationships.

What young people want: 75% of young people want sex education that gives them the chance to talk about sex and relationships.

• Bullying

The impact: Half of the children and young people we consulted with have been bullied.

What young people want: 85% of young people affected by bullying want support for as long as they need it so the bullying stops affecting their lives.

• Stress at school

The impact: Over half of the children and young people we asked believe they will be a failure if they don’t get good grades.

What young people want: 82% of young people said schools should prepare pupils for life, not just exams, by teaching them how to cope when life is tough.

• Getting help

The impact: 1 in 3 young people do not know where to get help when they feel depressed or anxious.

What young people want: 83% of young people want everyone who works in schools to know how to spot the signs a young person is struggling and how best to help them.

• Unemployment

What young people want: 72% of young people want unemployed young people to get help to deal with the stress and upset caused by being out of work.

http://www.youngminds.org.uk/news/blog/2256_world_mental_health_day_2014_-_young_people_demand_change From this website, I was able to get facts and figures and more reasons as to why teenagers get put under pressure. The figures are a great help which I would include throughout my documentary as it's more precise, and I also got to found out what young people want. 

How do you know that you are doing too much?

5 Signs your teen may be doing too much:

1.  Your teen doesn't have time to have a social life.

2.  Your teen is staying up late a lot, just to get schoolwork finished.

3.  Your teen is constantly saying things that indicate they're overwhelmed, such as "I've got too much to do." or "I can't get it all finished."

4.  Your teen is an overachiever and freaks out if things are not done "perfectly".

5.  Your teen has a schedule that is busier than yours (school, sports, clubs, jobs, church, etc.).

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/teen-angst/201109/teen-stress-how-much-is-too-much This website told me the main points on knowing if you are doing too much, but aiming from a parents point of view. I would include this information because the teens/young adults are being told directly that there is not much that you could do than what you are already doing now. Hopefully they would then realise that their isolating themselves through having no social life, being tired from no sleep, etc. 

How do people react to pressure?

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms	Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying	Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm From this website, I was able to find the many different symptoms through different headings such as Physical, Behavioral, Emotional, and Cognitive symptoms. This would help me to include this into my documentary as it's broken down into different sections that may help the audience more. Also, the audience will be able to acknowledge their own symptoms now if they don't realise that they are stressing themselves.

10 Signs your teen may be stressed:

1. Poor sleep

2. Frequent headaches and/or gastrointestinal problems

3. Anger outbursts

4. Lack of concentration

5. Increased levels of anxiety and/or panic episodes

6. Overeating/Undereating

7. Increased sadness

8. Social withdraw

9. Irritability
10. Lack of motivation

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/teen-angst/201109/teen-stress-how-much-is-too-much From this website, I was able to get a parents point of view of how to know that your teen may be stressing. This is the sort of information I would include in my documentary because it's very helpful and it highlights the key signs that young people are faced with in their daily life. 

How could people cope with being under pressure?

How do I cope with stress?

There are several things that you can do to help yourself cope.

• Don’t suffer in silence! Feeling alone makes stress harder to deal with.
• Talking to somebody you trust can really help you to deal with stress and to work out how to tackle the problems that are causing it.
• Make a list of all the things in your life that are making you feel stressed– write them down on a piece of paper. Then take each one in turn and list all the things you could do to tackle it. This can help you sort things out in your head. Problems look easier to deal with one at a time than in a big jumble in your head!
• Take a break - do something that you really enjoy.
• Do something relaxing, for example take a hot bath or watch a film.
• Do some exercise. This produces chemicals in your body called ‘endorphins’ which make you feel good!

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/parentsandyouthinfo/youngpeople/copingwithstress.aspx  From this website, I received the basic but effective ways to cope with being under pressure. I would include this in my documentary as a little advice for the young people watching so they can actually benefit from the show.

What are the long term health problems?

1. Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process.

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm I have used this website again because this information provided puts into perspective the whole effects to what stress can cause you if you don't do anything about it. This could lead to serious long term health problems like the chronic stress which depicts how it nearly "disrupts every system in the body". 

Analysing the Competition

The first show I am going to analyse is 'Educating the East End' which is a British documentary television programme broadcast on Channel 4. The programme follows the everyday lives of the staff and students of Frederick Bremer School in East London.

This particular clip that I am going to analyse was the first episode of the series, broadcasted on the 4th September 2014 gaining 3.13 million viewers in the timeslot of 9pm-10pm.

The similarities the show contains with in relation to mine through format and content are the pressures the children have with school and family problems at home. I am going to focus on one girl in particular who has this problem in the programme. At 22:12 where the girl says "my mums really sick" is when we notice that the girl has issues at home and is not coping as well as she seems to be. At 22:23 is when we notice the strong impact this situation has on her through her upsetting facial expression. Later on in the programme at 36:40, the girl is crying and announces that her mum is dying, causing a distressed atmosphere because the pressure is getting to her. This is similar to mine because my documentary is partly about teenagers in school and family problems causing them to be under pressure which is what I am trying to present.

My show would beat this show in viewing figures because my documentary will go into detail on how to solve the issue and also it defines many other situations which isn't presented in Educating the East End. Focusing my documentary on one person will allow audiences to see an impact more as it's only based around one person instead of 4 or 5 which can become too much. Having this will draw audiences to their seats because they will see the outcome of the documentary's aim. My aim is to find out 5 key questions in my documentary but focusing it purely on being under pressure as I do not want to confuse viewers. My whole show will be educational so viewers will learn a lot of facts from experts about the topic, whereas with this show they only show how the pupils are effected and how the teachers solve their problems. This will benefit my target audience as they are learning from my documentary yet will still be able to enjoy.

I feel like my documentary will best appeal to viewers on a Wednesday night at 8pm which is the day before Education the East End is on. Doing this will tell viewers the facts and figures of of what being under pressure does which will help them understand more when they watch Educating the East End more. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educating_the_East_End

This show is called 'How to Look Good Naked' with Gok Wan which is about the stretch marks women get around the body. The format of the show is based on activities designed to build the woman's self esteem. It's broadcasted on Channel 4 having a timeslot of 8pm-8:30pm. The show first aired on 27th June, 2006. The fifth series of the Gok Wan fronted reality series pulled in 1.78m during the 8pm hour. 

This show is similar to mine in the way that the presenter is helping women to become good about themselves again by helping them overcome their problems, just like being under pressure which is what I want to include in my documentary: to help people. The ways in which I would try and beat Gok Wan's get naked programme in viewing figures is basing it around one subject and on one person other than helping a lot of people which Gok does. By doing this I am giving viewers a lot of detail within one concept which will make it become more personal and directed to viewers instead of being bombarded with many outcomes.

I would like my documentary to be shown on a Sunday starting at 8pm. I have chosen this time because it allows more 16 year old's to watch it due to the 9pm watershed rule, and they might wanna learn about being under pressure as they are the ones I am basing my documentary on.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a179794/18-million-get-naked-with-gok-wan.html#~oW98ZdmGnyBBJk

This show is called 'Embarrassing Bodies' which is very much like my documentary. It's broadcasted on a Tuesday at 9pm for 1 hour on channel 4. Their viewing figures is normally on around 3 million, however, increased to 3.5 million on 10 June 2009 at its very best.

The ways in which this show it similar to mine is that people are treated and examined at of their conditions that they have on their bodies. They overcome the problem by being checked at by the doctors of the programme who are also the presenters of the show, and are then sent to get it resolved by a surgeon. 

To beat Embarrassing Bodies viewing figures, I will show clearly how the persons life is effected in everyday life, which the show doesn't actually do because they only have people come on and show their problem that they are having in that particular moment and not showing us how they've dealt with it for so long beforehand... which I think is very important to show the viewers as they get more of an educational visual point of view of how the issue is affecting their lives, something I am definitely going to include in my documentary. By doing this will hopefully boost my viewing figures up more than Embarrassing Bodies as they will understand more clearly on what being under pressure does to you firstly. 

I would like my documentary to start on Wednesday at 8pm which is a day after Embarrassing Bodies. Doing this will make viewers want to watch my documentary as they got a show of what Embarrassing Bodies is like, however, they will realise that more detail is given and more footage of what life is like before being under pressure and how it comes about.

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/ratings/embarrassing-bodies-reaches-record-high/5010410.article