'Educating Essex'
Broadcaster: Channel 4
 

Educating Essex is an observational documentary set in a school environment. It follows the school life of GCSE students and teachers at Passmores School.


Each series consists of seven episodes and each episode focuses on different issues within the school, shown from both the students and teachers perspectives.


There are a range of different techniques used to give it a documentary feel. They use a number of interviews with the main characters in the episode, asking them their opinions on the issues shown at that current time. The interviewer is occasionally heard asking questions so its easy for the viewers to follow and understand what the characters are talking about. 
Another technique used is a fly on the wall camera approach. The characters never directly address the camera apart from in the interviews which helps to give the impression of observation.
The editing is very basic which creates a realistic approach. By using a range of different styles of fancy editing it could cause the behaviour to come across as staged, much like a drama.


The five minute part documentary that I am going to be producing is going to be similar to 'Educaing Essex'. The same focus will be on students in an educational environment. I will also be taking the observational type documentary approach but I will incorporate some different documentary techniques to those used in 'Educating Essex'.