Formal Proposal

Topic
The chosen topic for the documentary is Halloween. We aim to explore the origins of Halloween from the pagan ritual and all hollows eve, then to express how it has been developed into a consumer holiday for dressing up and eat treats. The plan is to express how the supposed American holiday has become a festival in its own right and how it is only really popular within younger generations.

Type of Documentary
Expository as it will mainly be characterised by ‘voice of god’ narration. The voice over will anchor the meaning to the images. Usually expository documentaries are based around a problem which needs solving therefore the basis of this documentary will be the discovery of the development of Halloween. Understanding that documentaries are rarely ever pure of a specific style, there will also be hints of observational. This will be shown through clips of trick or treater’s and also people shopping for Halloween treats, costumes and decorations.

Channel and Scheduling
Through use of intended target audience feedback, the most popular and relevant channel to schedule such a documentary would be channel four. This is because it already shows similar styled documentaries such as ‘Dispatches’ and ‘Witch hunters’. These are both informative and observational. The scheduling was chosen to be 9.30 on Halloween night. This is because it is a one off documentary to entice viewers through the relevance of the occasion. The time 9.30 was chosen as it was past the water shed enabling a wider range of footage and considering the topic is seen as scary. The show scheduled in this time slot usually is ‘Darren Brown’ which receives a very similar target audience to which we aim our documentary. Following the documentary is ‘Peep show’ which receives a young adult target age.

Target Audience
16-28. It is a wide range because we understand that different age groups feel differently about Halloween. This age group of young adults are more likely to be watching T.V at the chosen time and through questionnaires feedback they are the age’s group most interested in the theme of documentary.

Primary Research Needed
Questionnaires for audience feedback. Interviews required; a professor or sociology, a local vicar that knows about pagan rituals, a person who thinks they are a witch, an interview with the manager of a fancy dress shop, an interview with a large chain store manager, an elder person who can talk about how they remember Halloween, and some teenagers and their views on Halloween now.

Secondary Research
Achieve footage from the following things: Hocus Pocus (film), Scream (film), Halloween (film), Casper (film), The Simpsons (TV special), Night of the living dead (film), dawn/Sean of the dead (film), and Psycho (film). There would also be footage of bats, owls and the moon. Other secondary research needed is information from books or the internet about the origins of Halloween for the narration.

Narrative Structure
The narrative structure of the documentary will be linear as it will go through the change of Halloween from the past when it was All Hallows day and a pagan ritual, through to the present and how it has become a consumer holiday.

Outline for Content
The documentary will start with a montage of different symbols of Halloween to introduce the audience to the genre and theme. Then the professor of sociology will explore the origins and about the witches and all hallows day. After which the religious aspect will be incorporated through an interview with the vicar, there will also be the interview with a pagan and someone who believe in spells and witchcraft. Moving on towards how Halloween is currently and there will be interviews with the shop managers and cut aways of different fancy dress costumes and people celebrating Halloween.

Resource Requirements
Equipment needed: Camera, Tri-pod, voice recorder.
Props needed: Mirror, pumpkins, cats, black rose, candles, newspapers and magazines with Halloween related covers, Suit for presenter, church bell, chocolate apples, lanterns, spiders, ladders, and religious symbol i.e. cross.
Locations needed: Graveyard, outside a church, an office, ASDA, fancy dress shop, Land a Liverpool city street to film the public.