Social issue brainstorm
The social issue I have decided to contact to make my video is the cause the Military Wives Choir works toward. They have two sides to what they do, one being that they raise money to help local and military aid based charities. The other is social support they bring to the community they are based in. Through the money they raise and support they provide, they create a positive effect on the area, as they work for a good cause and women that are part of military families have their morale boosted through the experience.
It won't be too difficult to cover this issue, due to the connection I have to the MWC. For quite a few years I have lived on an RAF base which has a choir, which my mum takes part in. This gives me a personally positive view toward them and so a drive to make sure they are represented well and make more people aware of the work they do. In addition, this connection means I know a lot of the members of the local choir and so they will be more comfortable if asked for an interview.
As there has been a large amount of celebrity attention through the origins of the choir, with famous singer Gareth Malone helping set up the choirs, there have been a few videos that cover what the choir do. There have also been a few awareness videos created by individual choirs.
Most of, if not all, of the interviews will be with members of the choir, ranging from those who set it up, part of the committee and various other individuals. If possible, it would help to get an interviews from a part of the RAF on base to talk to them about their opinions on the choir.
It won't be too difficult to cover this issue, due to the connection I have to the MWC. For quite a few years I have lived on an RAF base which has a choir, which my mum takes part in. This gives me a personally positive view toward them and so a drive to make sure they are represented well and make more people aware of the work they do. In addition, this connection means I know a lot of the members of the local choir and so they will be more comfortable if asked for an interview.
As there has been a large amount of celebrity attention through the origins of the choir, with famous singer Gareth Malone helping set up the choirs, there have been a few videos that cover what the choir do. There have also been a few awareness videos created by individual choirs.
Most of, if not all, of the interviews will be with members of the choir, ranging from those who set it up, part of the committee and various other individuals. If possible, it would help to get an interviews from a part of the RAF on base to talk to them about their opinions on the choir.
Emails and Permissions:
Other video research
Video 1: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HndnxHxOGEU):
This video is a CBS news report about the choir. It contains an interview with two choir members and Gareth Malone, as well as a detailed overview about the founding of the choir. The interviews themselves consisted of wive's feelings when their husbands are away, as well as how the choir has given them confidence. Furthermore, Gareth shows his opinions of the choir and how inspirational it is to him.
The video effectively gives the viewer the emotion behind the choir, making them feel what they feel through the interviews with the choir members, which adds the personal connection. The footage of a wife alone with her child at home also drives the emotion home on what they feel. The viewer is given all the information they need on the choir's history, as well as showing some performances in practice and prestigious locations like the Royal Albert Hall.
However, it doesn't bring up the charity side of the MWC. It also could have benefited from having the choir members that were interviewed discuss how the choir has helped them cope with their husbands going away on detachment.
Video 2: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAaVh1jzyGA):
Produced by Yeovilton MWC, this video is a montage of this choirs opinions and experience they have had with the group, accompanied by images from their last year.
The video is very effective in showing how much the choir means to each member, displaying how much it helps them, makes them feel welcome and part of a family. The use of not showing each interview also adds the affect of making seem like a collective, whilst also making them individual too through the different stories they tell.
The video could do with footage of their events though, to show how they take their singing seriously as well as enjoying themselves. They do play an instrumental to "Rule the World" which is song that is sung by the choirs a lot, but audio of the choir itself singing could have added more emotion to the video.
What I will draw from this:
In these videos, we don't see the choir as a whole. There is often only one specific side of the choir shown. Neither make reference to the large amount of charity work the choir do, so this is something I will have to mention in my video. I will make sure to use footage, as well as images, of the Benson choir to create a better visual link. Another thing that I should do, is include a large amount of interviews with members of the choir, to get as many view points on the matter as possible.
This video is a CBS news report about the choir. It contains an interview with two choir members and Gareth Malone, as well as a detailed overview about the founding of the choir. The interviews themselves consisted of wive's feelings when their husbands are away, as well as how the choir has given them confidence. Furthermore, Gareth shows his opinions of the choir and how inspirational it is to him.
The video effectively gives the viewer the emotion behind the choir, making them feel what they feel through the interviews with the choir members, which adds the personal connection. The footage of a wife alone with her child at home also drives the emotion home on what they feel. The viewer is given all the information they need on the choir's history, as well as showing some performances in practice and prestigious locations like the Royal Albert Hall.
However, it doesn't bring up the charity side of the MWC. It also could have benefited from having the choir members that were interviewed discuss how the choir has helped them cope with their husbands going away on detachment.
Video 2: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAaVh1jzyGA):
Produced by Yeovilton MWC, this video is a montage of this choirs opinions and experience they have had with the group, accompanied by images from their last year.
The video is very effective in showing how much the choir means to each member, displaying how much it helps them, makes them feel welcome and part of a family. The use of not showing each interview also adds the affect of making seem like a collective, whilst also making them individual too through the different stories they tell.
The video could do with footage of their events though, to show how they take their singing seriously as well as enjoying themselves. They do play an instrumental to "Rule the World" which is song that is sung by the choirs a lot, but audio of the choir itself singing could have added more emotion to the video.
What I will draw from this:
In these videos, we don't see the choir as a whole. There is often only one specific side of the choir shown. Neither make reference to the large amount of charity work the choir do, so this is something I will have to mention in my video. I will make sure to use footage, as well as images, of the Benson choir to create a better visual link. Another thing that I should do, is include a large amount of interviews with members of the choir, to get as many view points on the matter as possible.
my Video Research
Background: The MWC doesn't focus on a particular issue, with most of their being for multiple charities. However, they cause is driven by the things that can go wrong in the military when people are abroad. The social issue they cover is helping military families, whether it be socially, financially or any other needs. They do this primarily through charity singing events that they or others set up, but also provide a way for wives to help each other emotionally cope with other halves going away on detachment. The women who go to choir go for a multitude of reasons. They could be there to support people, look for support or simply just as a place to enjoy singing.
The Issue: The main issue itself is about military life. The difficulties of having a family member constantly away, whether it be abroad detachments or other such things. It can be hard for those left at home, in a number of ways. The emotional strain is sometimes unbearable, especially for younger children. Some other halves have their own jobs, and so are stretched thin looking after their kids and other things. This is all packed along with the worry that there is always the chance that those who go away may not come back. As such, support, whether it be monetary or emotional, is incredibly important.
Other Organisations: There are several other groups that provide aid to military families, such as The Royal British Legion (RBL) and Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), whom also focus on providing financial, emotional and social help to not only military families, but also those whom are in the forces. Both of these organisations have had great positive effect on helping this issue, with various services being provided by tens of thousands of volunteers and staff that aid hundreds of thousands of servicemen/women, veterans and families.
Below are videos that promote what they do:
SSAFA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu4KxEPujFQ
RBL (Channel Page): https://www.youtube.com/user/royalbritishlegion/videos
Famous attention: The MWC's most famous backer is Gareth Malone, whom is a choirmaster that was asked by the first military choir to help them set it up. He obliged, and his efforts help kick start the entire choir community, as well as their foundation. His efforts in this were documented in one of TV show "The Choir: Military Wives", which helped make people aware of the organisation. Some choir members were also called upon to aid singer Gary Barlow create the Diamond Jubilee version of his own piece, "Sing". This helped raise further awareness for the choir and their work.
Government Aid: There isn't aid from the government in any regard. It would help the cause for the government to put some funding into helping pay for the cost of running the various choirs around the world, as their funding primarily comes from subs that members pay.
Affects of the Issue: The issue itself is a national, if not global, one, with thousands of families having to deal with the difficulties of military life. Though my video will focus on how it affects a community (RAF Benson).
Prevention: The issue can be prevented mainly through two ways. One is financial support, as some military families struggle with looking after children whilst other halves are away on detachment. Giving them this aid will help with education, babysitters and dealing with payments for their home. The second is social and emotional support. Seeing family members can be emotionally difficult to deal with for both the parents and the children, so providing mean for them to cope with the stress is important. This can be done through engaging events with other families that are dealing with the same issues.
Bibliography: http://www.militarywiveschoirs.org/
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/
http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/
The Issue: The main issue itself is about military life. The difficulties of having a family member constantly away, whether it be abroad detachments or other such things. It can be hard for those left at home, in a number of ways. The emotional strain is sometimes unbearable, especially for younger children. Some other halves have their own jobs, and so are stretched thin looking after their kids and other things. This is all packed along with the worry that there is always the chance that those who go away may not come back. As such, support, whether it be monetary or emotional, is incredibly important.
Other Organisations: There are several other groups that provide aid to military families, such as The Royal British Legion (RBL) and Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), whom also focus on providing financial, emotional and social help to not only military families, but also those whom are in the forces. Both of these organisations have had great positive effect on helping this issue, with various services being provided by tens of thousands of volunteers and staff that aid hundreds of thousands of servicemen/women, veterans and families.
Below are videos that promote what they do:
SSAFA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu4KxEPujFQ
RBL (Channel Page): https://www.youtube.com/user/royalbritishlegion/videos
Famous attention: The MWC's most famous backer is Gareth Malone, whom is a choirmaster that was asked by the first military choir to help them set it up. He obliged, and his efforts help kick start the entire choir community, as well as their foundation. His efforts in this were documented in one of TV show "The Choir: Military Wives", which helped make people aware of the organisation. Some choir members were also called upon to aid singer Gary Barlow create the Diamond Jubilee version of his own piece, "Sing". This helped raise further awareness for the choir and their work.
Government Aid: There isn't aid from the government in any regard. It would help the cause for the government to put some funding into helping pay for the cost of running the various choirs around the world, as their funding primarily comes from subs that members pay.
Affects of the Issue: The issue itself is a national, if not global, one, with thousands of families having to deal with the difficulties of military life. Though my video will focus on how it affects a community (RAF Benson).
Prevention: The issue can be prevented mainly through two ways. One is financial support, as some military families struggle with looking after children whilst other halves are away on detachment. Giving them this aid will help with education, babysitters and dealing with payments for their home. The second is social and emotional support. Seeing family members can be emotionally difficult to deal with for both the parents and the children, so providing mean for them to cope with the stress is important. This can be done through engaging events with other families that are dealing with the same issues.
Bibliography: http://www.militarywiveschoirs.org/
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/
http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/
Interview and angle Research
Structure: The production will be used to inform the viewer of everything that the choir do, whilst also informing other military bases of what they can do to join or set up their own choirs. This will be achieved through a voice over from one of the choir members talking about the group, as well as interviews with different people from a local choir. There will also be a segment about the contact or website details on how to find a choir, along with where you can find out how to create one.
Sourced Footage: "Wherever You Are" Music Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hR6O7VxKaQ
"Sing Music Video" Music Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ah_Yf7ey1Q
"Fire Fighter Choir 'The Choir'" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bqokpy-aFs
Audio from MWC Benson's "The Lord Bless You" performance - ITunes (from the choir)
"Stronger Together" Audio - ITunes
Ethical Issues: The only issue that will likely come up is filming on an RAF base. You aren't to allowed to film on the base without permission, so I have acquired a permit to allow me to film in the church. However, it doesn't allow me to film in a few other places. An image is below can be found below the emails in a previous section on this page. The main reason permission is required to film here is because the military take issue with footage of their bases being released. Though there would little to no problems that could come out of what I'm doing, it is still necessary to gain this permission.
Other Social Groups: I could contact SSAFA or RBL as they do similar work but just through charity work. They also helped the choir create the foundation they have now. To show footage of a choir doing what they do, I will be filming the MWC in RAF Benson.
Research: See below:
Sourced Footage: "Wherever You Are" Music Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hR6O7VxKaQ
"Sing Music Video" Music Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ah_Yf7ey1Q
"Fire Fighter Choir 'The Choir'" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bqokpy-aFs
Audio from MWC Benson's "The Lord Bless You" performance - ITunes (from the choir)
"Stronger Together" Audio - ITunes
Ethical Issues: The only issue that will likely come up is filming on an RAF base. You aren't to allowed to film on the base without permission, so I have acquired a permit to allow me to film in the church. However, it doesn't allow me to film in a few other places. An image is below can be found below the emails in a previous section on this page. The main reason permission is required to film here is because the military take issue with footage of their bases being released. Though there would little to no problems that could come out of what I'm doing, it is still necessary to gain this permission.
Other Social Groups: I could contact SSAFA or RBL as they do similar work but just through charity work. They also helped the choir create the foundation they have now. To show footage of a choir doing what they do, I will be filming the MWC in RAF Benson.
Research: See below:
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Filmed Footage: The footage I will be filming as cutaway will be the Benson choir practicing, socialising and performing. To give impact to the viewer, the interviews will ask choir members about coping with family away on detachment, which is quite a hard hitting topic.
Interviewees:
Interviewees:
Each person will be asked the same questions:
- How does the choir help on the charity side?
- How does the choir help socially
- What they enjoy about choir
- How the choir helps them (Be it emotionally or financially)
There are a few people that will be asked other questions, such as one individual who has transferred from another choir. They can be asked about that process, and the connection to other choirs. Jo Williams, who organises the Benson choir, can be asked about setting up the group and how others can do the same. Finally, a few people will be asked about coping with when their other halves' away.
The interviews will take place in front of a green screen, with footage keyed into the background of the choir practicing some of their songs.
- How does the choir help on the charity side?
- How does the choir help socially
- What they enjoy about choir
- How the choir helps them (Be it emotionally or financially)
There are a few people that will be asked other questions, such as one individual who has transferred from another choir. They can be asked about that process, and the connection to other choirs. Jo Williams, who organises the Benson choir, can be asked about setting up the group and how others can do the same. Finally, a few people will be asked about coping with when their other halves' away.
The interviews will take place in front of a green screen, with footage keyed into the background of the choir practicing some of their songs.