Documentary SWOT Analysis

Below is my SWOT analysis, where I will touch on my perceived strengths and weaknesses, as well as look at the opportunities and threats there are with regards to my media product.

Strengths

In terms of my strengths, I see myself as very able and capable when it comes to producing a documentary, as well as media products in general. I am good with clients, have experience in producing documentaries and when it comes to working on a project completely by myself, as I am with this documentary, I have always been sufficient to the demands of my project and had no problem carrying all of the weight of the work on my own. Also, I wish to compose my own soundtrack for this documentary and with music production being my most notable skill, I plan to apply this to my work. I have been praised for my attention to detail and adding seemingly almost gratuitous B-Roll clips to my work, which has played a key role in pacing and seamlessly keeping the video ticking. Editing is after all, the silent art. A job only noticed if done badly. I am also good at plan B's, or even plan C's et cetera, because I have never been in a situation where a plan fell through and I was unable to recover. I assume that such eventualities shall occur during the process of producing this documentary, which is why I already have ideas in place as contingency plans, should I for whatever reason be unable to proceed with my initial idea(s).

Weaknesses

I have my weaknesses, time-keeping is something that I certainly can have trouble with, also being organised in general. I have been known to lose out on opportunities due to lack of preparation, however as stated earlier, I always have a back-up plan and usually they work just as well as they have been carefully considered. I am not the best editor, motion graphics and pacing videos are aspects of producing a documentary that I can see myself struggling with. While documentaries do not have much need for motion graphics, it is worth mentioning that I am not the best at making a video look more interesting.

Opportunities

Seeing as my documentary is focused on local and smaller efforts at sustainability in our communities, I see an array of opportunities on the horizon, with myself conveniently being situated in the town of Glastonbury, a place which has a very liberated and creative culture with many people in and around the area being interested in sustainability and looking after our planet. We have shops like 'Earthfare' on the high street, a whole-foods shop which attracts a lot of "hipsters" and the culture that goes along with it. I live in an area that is full of people who are committed to living more sustainability and so I feel privileged and almost spoilt for choice when considering my selection of interesting people and organisations to look into for this documentary. It is also worth mentioning, that with the climate emergency more prominent than ever on our news channels, our shops and the world in general, people are becoming wiser to the dangers of global warming and so, it is far easier in the modern day to find individuals interested in making a difference with regards to climate change than for example, ten years ago.

Threats

When it comes to threats, working with clients can always be risky due to the fact that at any time for whatever reason, the plans with a client can fall through and this is why backup plans are important, as relying on other people can be challenging and you never know what might happen during the course of production. There is also the threat of not getting enough footage for the documentary, as such a media product requires substance and information, which I shall have to venture after myself and include in the documentary. Filming will include interviews, activities and conversational intervals and this is all crucial to composing the documentary, so that there is enough footage and content for it to be considered a good standard of work.