Further Research

     Today I wanted to take a closer look at the UFC Contender Series: Next Level. The series focuses on a specific fighter that has come of off Dana Whites Contender Series and is making their transition into the UFC. The Contender Series is a place where people go and fight in front of the UFC match makers & owners for a chance to join the UFC. It is produced in the fashion of episodic documentaries. They usually range from 20-30 minutes each and have two parts for every fighter. They use a combination of achieved footage of the fighters, interviews of the fighters and the coaches, and various shots to produce the episodes. These episodes are also very well edited using many sound and visual techniques. I think these episodes are perfect for me to draw inspiration from.  

    For my research today, I will be analyzing two of the most recent episodes of  Dana White’s Contender Series: Next Level. I think it's important to view the most recent episodes as they are the best produced. The production team at the UFC focuses on developing their productions for every major fight card. Over the years the media the UFC has produced has advanced in technique and overall professionalism.

    Something I really like about these episodes is how well they create a timeline of the fighters journey. This is something I definitely want to replicate within my production. I can't do it to the extent of these productions as I am limited to 5 minutes. I will try to discuss to length of my piece with my teacher. I really think my piece needs to be 7-10 minutes. This way I can fully develop both my interviewees fighting timelines. I can use images and videos of them and show their progression advancing belts. I would dedicate the first half of the production to the timeline of the fighter and the last for their reflection. I am also thinking of using a similar graphic design for the timeline dates and interviewee titles. They are very simple which I really like.

    All the other techniques used I discussed within my last post. These include the use of lighting, establishing shots, and covert filming. I also realized how much hand held shots are used within these episodes. I think I could use hand held shots for shots of the interviewees grappling. Overall today was a great day of research!