Critical evaluation

I am the researcher for our project, as researcher I found contacts, locations, stories as well as information about the contacts and stories so we turned up to interviews well informed.

Pre-production

Our pre-production took a lot of time to get going, once we had decided that we were going to go with the homeless idea for a short time we had three stories on the go at once. I had to research and contact 3 separate groups of people (one for each story) as we were struggling to get responses back from people. 
I think over all this was a lack of communication and planning in our group, we didn't sit down together as a group enough, this led to me having to make google docs so everyone knew who had been contacted when and what (if any) response we had. This meant that other people in the group were left with nothing to do
In our pre-production we assigned roles to people based off of their strengths, this meant that as we were already comfortable in the roles we were doing there was no learning process that needed to happen.
Another strength we had was we were organised, between us we had multiple google docs with contacts and research links, a group chat we spoke in daily and met up with a least one other member of the group (when not in uni)  to catch up on what we had done.

Production

Our production went ok, I became ill for a week and had to sit out of filming the conference in the Marriott Hotel bearstead. 
This meant I didn't have an input into the footage that was filmed and therefore we ended up with 1 hour and 45 mins worth of GV for a conference that we couldn't get an interview for. 
This then meant that we had to book a last minuet interview with the Police commissioner, however the answers we got from him were really good.
When we went to film Dogs On The Street we weren't able to film any homeless people as they didn't want to be on camera. This resulted in us having to do a bit more last minuet filming to get shots of homeless people and their dogs. But the shots we got were good and we were able to use them in our edit.
Our anchor filming went really well, I had contacted Charlotte and given her the script before hand so she knew her lines off by heart, this meant we had quick filming and got everything we needed from her. 

Post production

Post production went good, I managed to finish the trailer for the show within a day after designing a logo to include in it. 
I set up our Youtube channel before we did anything with graphics I designed before we did any editing so that it could just be uploaded straight away.
Zak did our main edit and for someone who isn't very experienced in editing he did really well, with a few minor problems but we were able to help him as a group. However a last minuet editing issue has meant that some of our graphics had disappeared, this meant that we couldn't fix it in time for the deadline even with Ferg. We now have to show a lower resolution version of the film and while it doesn't look as good (text is difficult to read etc) we still have a final product.

Over all

Overall I think that we worked really well together, we were well organised and due to assigning roles to skill level we were able to come out with a good end product. 

Things to work on personally

I do think I did good research and was good at finding people and locations to interview at because it's something I really enjoy doing. I did like doing the graphics (logo design etc) as I'd never done it before and enjoyed the trust my group put in my skills.
  
Next time I'd like to try and work on my time management, I gave myself a lot of work research wise and wanted to help everyone with what they were doing which put me under more pressure making me ill. Next time I'd try and stick to what I have to do and when I don't have too much to do then help other members of my group. 

Things to work on as a group

As a group I think if we worked together again we'd have to work on our communication skills as shoots were being half planned by one member when the rest of the group was told nothing about it.

Filming timetables

October 10th 2017
Filming at the Marriot Hotel in Bearsted Maidstone

October 19th 2017
Studio filming anchor in Maidstone studio

**Filming diary**

Our filming day started in the afternoon, we booked out lecture room 2 with Laura as well as; the green screen, clip mics, 4K camera and arri lights.
Our presenter arrived at the studios at 1 O'clock, she had been given the script before hand so she could get accustomed with the lines, this allowed us to film quickly and efficiently. We had taken the precaution though of having another script on set so that she could refer to it. Over all filming went well, we were able to get it done quickly and got the shots we wanted as well as others so we could have a choice when it came to editing.











October 22nd 2017
Filming at the DOTS (Dogs On The Street) station outside London Charing Cross police station

**Filming diary**

We filmed with DOTS on the 22nd outside Charing cross police station.
We helped them set up their stall and then proceeded to film hand held and got shots for cutaways. Due to the hectic nature of the event we had to wait a while to get interviews with the dog trainer and the










October 24th 2017
Filming Police Commissioner of Maidstone

**Filming diary**

For our filming with the police commissioner lasted until 4:30, we filmed quickly and efficiently as we were aware that we had very limited time in the police headquarters so we went there knowing the shots we wanted.

Story development

Initial idea
My initial idea was to do a news piece about child beauty pageants, it would look into the mental health effects on the children. The idea rested on interviewing winners of the pageants and their parents as they are more likely to give an interview as their likely to be older then children still competing.

Rethink #1
When we came together as a group we decided to go with Zak's idea of homelessness and went with "The effects periods have on homeless people". We did research and started to contact people to be included in the story, however after receiving no replies and not having another way to take the story we had to cut it and rethink.

Rethink #2
We then came up with Homeless veterans as a story as Maidstone is an army town, we again did research into it the subject and contacted various people who could help. However we either received no replies from people or they weren't able to help us as homeless veterans aren't an issue in Kent. So we had to rethink.

Final idea
Our final idea was "How pets benefit the mental health of homeless people", we found a lot of research about the subject and charities that were willing to take part in filming and highly interested in what we were doing.

Recce

Recce for conference at the Tudor Park Marriott Hotel

Photos from Tudor Park Marriott Hotel website

Photos from Tudor Park Marriott Hotel website

We did a recce for our first day of filming at the Marriott Hotel, because it would've be difficult for us to be able to get in before hand and recce the location we had to do it quickly before filming as well as look on their website at pictures of the conference room we could be using and the general area. 

Potential hazards that we identified were;

Trip hazards from wires and tripod legs

Being in walk ways 

We also had to be aware of the amount of people who would be there as this could cause a problem with people who didn't want to be filmed and there for limit our angles.

Recce for Lecture Room 2 Maidstone Studios

We did a recce of the lecture room so that we could plan out where we want to set up things like the green screen and camera.
We also had to take into account that as it was lecture room 2 which is adjacent to the communal room for the entire course that we'd likely have a bit of noise coming through. As well as this the window in the back meant that if anyone turned the light on in there it could be a distraction as well as change the lighting of the shot so we would have to ask if people could stay out of that room for the filming period.
Potential hazards include;
Trip hazards from wires, trip pod legs and chairs 

Recce for on location shoot for DOTS

Google image

Google image

We were unable to get to London before filming to do a recce of where DOTS would be setting up one of their static stalls. I went onto google to at least get an idea of location, it turns out the location had a road on either side as well as being on a high street so there would be a lot of general noise of people walking. As well as this we'd have to consider things like people walking into shot, because we didn't have there permission we'd have to blur faces to avoid identification.
Potential hazards would include things like;

Trip hazards from wires and tripod legs

Being in walk ways/in the way of the general public

Being near busy roads and a busy police station 

Recce for conference room Maidstone Police Headquarters

As this was a last minuet shoot we weren't actually able to recce the room we'd be filming or the outside areas. We were escorted around and supervised the entire time of filming.

We did a quick one when we got there and noted a few potential hazards and filming issues;

Lights, the lights in the conference room were very yellow as well as one of them was flickering messing with the lighting for the shot.

The table in the room was rounded meaning our shoot wouldn't look level.

There were a lot chairs in the room which posed as trip hazards along with the usual wires and tripod legs.

There was a large flat screen TV in the room so we also had to take extra care to not knock it at all.

Outside there were busy roads which both altered the sound as well as was a potential safety hazard for the crew.
There were trip hazards for things like tree roots, edges of curbs, wires, bags and tripod legs.
As we were filming in a function police headquarters we had to be aware of sensitive information if any that couldn't be filmed, as wells as people in general who don't want to be filmed.

Research into the effects pets have on mental health

As our story was about the effects that pets have on the mental health of their homeless owners I did some research into homeless pets, looking at charities and magazine articles.

The connection  
(1) The connection is a homeless charity in central London (the busiest in central London, last year having over 40,000 visits), they help thousands of people every year to move away from and stay off London's streets. They provide a range of services that help people address their homelessness, and make necessary steps away from the streets so they can re-enter society.
(2)The connection website helped to address questions that we had about our topic including;
Why do homeless people have dogs?
Their answer="Dogs provide companionship...they also provide protection when people are sleeping out"
and
How does being on the street affect dogs?
Their answer="Dogs on the street are generally less healthy. It’s not the right environment for a dog. It’s busy, they don’t relax properly or get the same amount of exercise. We really encourage people to get their dogs checked out because they do have more health issues when they’re sleeping out"
The connection work's with Dog's Trust who already has a homeless dog's programme where they provide; micro chipping, vet appointments, injections and spaying all for free.

The Trusty Paws Clinic
(3) The Trusty Paws clinic both provides amazing learning opportunities and raises awareness of homeless dogs.
Trusty paws run once a month drop in centres with vet treatment is carried out by vet students (under supervision of a qualified vets), their clinics with local charities in Glasgow, London and Liverpool. 
At the clinics they provide: 

• Vaccinations
• Microchipping
• Flea/worming treatment
• Dog food, blankets, toys and more supplies
• Referral for advanced veterinary care

After calling her we found that Ruby was actually based in Scotland and she would have to get into contact with the London base to see if any of them could do an interview. 
**We never got a call back from Trusty Paws**

DOTS (Dogs On The Street)

The founder of DOTS (Michelle)originally started providing essentials for homeless dogs by raising awareness and collecting donations via Twitter.
It's the first independently run project staffed by volunteers that PROTECTS, CARES & SUPPORTS street dogs in; 

• the Borough of Westminster
• Camden
• Shoreditch
• East and parts of North London

For a lot of people on the street their dog is their only companion, a lot will choose to feed their pet before them self. The static street dog care stations provide; dry/wet dog food, treats, collars, leads, blankets, dog coats etc. Every dog met at the station gets registered with DOTS, they'll wear a dog tag with their details on and get a unique number so that "any other professionals can call for any care history we have provided."

**We were lucky enough to be able to film with DOTS in London while they had on of their static stations**

University of Kent
(5) Research from Helen Carr:
"Argues that there is more to be said about the power of animals in relation to homeless people. For instance, she suggests that the donations of food provided by domiciled people to homeless people can be understood as political because it demonstrates sympathy with another species and because it suggests that we all share responsibility for the situation that homeless people find themselves in"
(6) Professor Helen Carr (expert on housing and social welfare) did a talk back in 2016 coinciding with Cardboard Canterbury. Contact?


**LINK TO AN ARTICLE WITH DOTS ON THE METRO**
**LINK TO AN ARTICLE ON GOOD** (Discussing why homeless people need their pets)
**LINK TO AN ARTICLE ON GET LEASHED MAGAZINE** (discussing whether homeless people should or should not have pets)
**LINK TO A VIDEO ABOUT A VET WHO TREATS HOMELESS PETS FOR FREE BBC ** 

Mental Health Foundation
(8) Dogs are good at encouraging owners to get exercise which is highly beneficial for people suffering from depression, as well as this just by stroking a pet gives the owner a chance to relax and be calm. By caring for a pet you also have a purpose and are rewarded with their love/loyalty, making you feeling valuable and needed.
Walking pets can lead to conversations with other dog owners, people who are social with other people are mentally healthier.

8 physical and mental health benefits of having a pet
(9) Benefits to mental health;

• Sociable, walking your dog can encourage people to talk to each other and from there help you make connections with each other.
• Stop loneliness, not only are pets a companion themselves they also encourage you to make connections with other people. "A 2009 study found that pet-owners over the age of 60 who lived alone were four times less likely to develop clinical depression compared with people who didn’t have pets."
• Helps you manage long-term mental health issues, pets can be a really important source for support for those managing long-term mental health problems. They don't judge you and are a distraction from symptoms/experiences.
• Reducing stress, "Research from Buffalo University in New York found that pet owners reacted less to stress – and recovered from it much quicker – when their pets were present. And that’s not all – another study took 48 people with high blood pressure and high stress jobs. Researchers measured how they responded to stress before the test. Then, some of them bought a pet and six months later researchers again measured their response to stress. The results were interesting: after 6 months pet owners had less of a physical response to stress compared with those who didn’t have a four-legged friend."

**This research helped me to understand the importance that dogs hold within the lives of people living on the street both in a social and psychological sense. It allowed me to empathise with the owners of the dogs more as it really is the only constant in their lives.**

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) The Connection "Who are we?" https://www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk/who-we-are/
(2) The Connection "Homeless dogs" https://www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk/all-about-dogs/
(3) The Trusty Paws Clinic "About us"  https://www.thetrustypawsclinic.co.uk/about-us
(4) DOTS "About us" http://dotslondon.co.uk/
(5) University of Kent "The role of animal companions in the lives of the homeless" https://www.kent.ac.uk/law/news/index.html?view=2220
(6) University of kent "Homeless people and their animals" https://www.kent.ac.uk/news/kentlife/8044/homeless-people-and-their-animals
(7) Good "Why the Homeless Need Their Pets" https://www.good.is/articles/homeless-people-pets-bias

(8) Mental Health Foundation "Pets and mental" https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/pets-and-mental-health

(9) Articles "8 physical and mental health benefits of having a pet"

https://www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/health-information/fitness-and-exercise/8-physical-and-mental-health-benefits-of-having-a-pet-article/

Script development

Rough script ((Written by Danny))

Script version 1

"LEAD IN (10 Secs):

Today:
With numbers as high as 874 and growing, today we explore the growing homelessness crisis in the Medway area and the issues they face finding homes or dealing with life on the streets.

(Slow zoom in, ending on MS))

RUN OPEN

(30 Secs)

Hello and welcome to Short Attention Span News, tonight we’re looking at the care afforded to some of our most marginalised and vulnerable.
Twenty-two thousand one hundred people are recorded homeless in the South-East of England and with ever rising house prices and rapid benefit cuts that number grows every day. XX XXXX is at Homeless Care’s Maidstone conference, discussing what kind of support is being offered to Kent’s growing homeless.

((MS))

REPORTER AT CONFERENCE, TEXT: BEARSTEAD

Thank you XXX, I’m here at Tudor Park hotel where we’ve heard of hope for a better future for Kent’s homeless. But with the upcoming winter months being some of the toughest for people with nowhere for the night and Brexit seeing an increasing number of families losing their jobs and their homes, what’s being done to ensure any ‘at risk’ people in our community are given a safe place to stay?

CAMERA PAN TO INCLUDE JOHN LITTLEMORE
I’m here with John Littlemore, Head of housing for Maidstone Borough Council – Mr. Littlemore, in 2016 a report from shelter found the number of people living in temporary accomidation in Maidstone to be 234 the 6^th highest in Kent. Where does that number stand these days?

And how are you coping with that change in numbers?

Thank you Mr.Littlemore.

I now turn to Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link. Mr. Henderson, with Brexit seeing many families at risk of losing their jobs and potentially their homes – what is being done to try and prevent Kent’s homeless crisis becoming any more urgent?

BACK TO STUDIO

CUT TO STUDIO:
Thank you, XXXX.
And now to XX, XXXX who is looking into The Homeless Period’s petition to help get homeless women access to free sanitary products.

(Shots of homeless women, sanitary products)

For one week a month, the challenges of living on the streets gets exponentially tougher for women all over the country. With limited or no access to sanitary products of any kind, women are forced to use scraps of whatever they can find or go without. With serious repercussions to their physical and mental health and men being granted access to razors and condoms through government support then why are our most vulnerable women being forced to suffer?

I spoke to XX XXXX from Homeless Period, a charity asking just that.

INTERVIEW WITH REP:

-How can people help?
-Sign the petition, get donating! Crowd funding.

-Your campaign got raised in Parliament last December – what progress have you seen since then?

-Onwards and upwards.

With the need for sanitary products so high, I decided to visit a local foodbank and bring a large donation for local women in need and find out just how useful this service is.

TAKING PERIOD PRODUCTS TO BANKS, INTERVIEW HOMELESS WOMEN: Q’s: How useful are these services? Where would you be without them?

With the harsher winter months close approaching, Kent’s ever growing homeless population are more vulnerable than ever. But with your help their hardship can get a bright spark of hope this Winter. Thank you and good night.

CLOSE"

Re-write by Zak

"LEAD IN (10 Secs):

Today:
With numbers as high as 874 and growing, today we explore the growing homelessness crisis in the Medway area and the issues they face finding homes or dealing with life on the streets. 

(Slow zoom in, ending on MS))

RUN OPEN

(30 Secs)

Hello and welcome to Short Attention Span News, tonight we’re looking at the care afforded to some of our most marginalised and vulnerable.
Twenty-two thousand one hundred people are recorded homeless in the South-East of England and with ever rising house prices and rapid benefit cuts that number grows every day. XX XXXX is at Homeless Care’s Maidstone conference, discussing what kind of support is being offered to Kent’s growing homeless.

((MS))

REPORTER AT CONFERENCE, TEXT: BEARSTEAD

Thank you XXX, I’m here at Tudor Park hotel where we’ve heard of hope for a better future for Kent’s homeless. But with the upcoming winter months being some of the toughest for people with nowhere for the night and Brexit seeing an increasing number of families losing their jobs and their homes, what’s being done to ensure any ‘at risk’ people in our community are given a safe place to stay? 

CAMERA PAN TO INCLUDE JOHN LITTLEMORE
I’m here with John Littlemore, Head of housing for Maidstone Borough Council – Mr. Littlemore, in 2016 a report from shelter found the number of people living in temporary accommodation in Maidstone to be 234 the 6^th highest in Kent. Where does that number stand these days? 

And how are you coping with that change in numbers? 

Thank you Mr.Littlemore. 

I now turn to Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link. Mr. Henderson, with Brexit seeing many families at risk of losing their jobs and potentially their homes – what is being done to try and prevent Kent’s homeless crisis becoming any more urgent? 

BACK TO STUDIO

CUT TO STUDIO:
Thank you, XXXX.
And now to XX, XXXX who is looking into The Homeless Period’s petition to help get homeless women access to free sanitary products. 

(Shots of homeless women, sanitary products)

For one week a month, the challenges of living on the streets gets exponentially tougher for women all over the country. With limited or no access to sanitary products of any kind, women are forced to use scraps of whatever they can find or go without. With serious repercussions to their physical and mental health and men being granted access to razors and condoms through government support then why are our most vulnerable women being forced to suffer? 

I spoke to XX XXXX from Homeless Period, a charity asking just that. 

INTERVIEW WITH REP: 

-How can people help?
-Sign the petition, get donating! Crowd funding. 

-Your campaign got raised in Parliament last December – what progress have you seen since then? 

-Onwards and upwards. 

With the need for sanitary products so high, I decided to visit a local foodbank and bring a large donation for local women in need and find out just how useful this service is.

TAKING PERIOD PRODUCTS TO BANKS, INTERVIEW HOMELESS WOMEN: Q’s: How useful are these services? Where would you be without them? 

With the harsher winter months close approaching, Kent’s ever growing homeless population are more vulnerable than ever. But with your help their hardship can get a bright spark of hope this Winter. Thank you and good night. 

CLOSE

SOURCE: SHELTER (DEC 2016)

Medway total homeless 874

Maidstone total 272

SOURCE: KENT ONLINE ( DEC 16)

More than 3000 face homelessness last Christmas, 150 sleeping rough

Nov 2015, Julian Boughton found dead in tent near River Medway

22,100 people are homeless in the South East.

46, also known as Jules, well known around town, regularly visted Day centre for 8 years.

Often seen each Tuesday at market in barker Road with Staffordshire Bull terrier, Dexter.

Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb said: “Shelter’s founding shone a light on hidden homelessness in the sixties slums.  But while those troubled times have faded into memory, fifty years on a modern day housing crisis is tightening its grip on our country.

“Tens of thousands of people in the South East will face the trauma of waking up homeless this Christmas. Decades in the making, this is the tragic result of a nation struggling under the weight of sky-high rents, a lack of affordable homes, and cuts to welfare support."

**Our script had to be changed slightly due to topic changes, our story for this script was originally based around interviewing charities who help homeless women with their period and the hygiene around that. Due to not receiving any response from these charities we changed our angle to mental health and the benefits pets have on people's mental health.**

New script version 2

Script version 3

Script version 4

As well as using this version of the script for audio, we used it as a shot list of what we wanted and how we wanted it to look.