The initial idea of my documentary is to demonstrate how much of a significance football academies play in keeping kids on the right path and in some cases saving them. I will be telling this story through the BW Pace academy, which is linked to the National League side Boreham Wood. More specifically telling this story through the manager of the academy, Lloyd Doyley. He is a key person who has day to day contact with the students but also holds a big responsibility of guiding and supporting them on and off the pitch. He has lived the experiences of seeing students break through from the academy to the first team but alternatively having to help students who have fell down the wrong path and had to pick them back up again to get them back on track. Lloyd is passionate about the academy and his main priority is to ensure these kids leave BW Pace academy if not breaking through into the first team, then with a future ahead of them. 

Themes in my documentary: 

 

·      The significant role BW Pace academy plays in saving kids 

·      The support and guidance which is provided from the academy  

·      Role models 

·      Helping the players work towards their dream goals of becoming a pro footballer, or leaving the academy with a set future 

·      Ex-students stories (Sorba Thomas) 

·      Drugs and violence (case study of ex-student who went to BW Pace academy and got involved with drugs, who was then later kicked out of his home. Changed his life around with the help and support of the professionals around him at BW to later go onto university to become a teacher.)

 

-Section one: Protecting the under-18s. The involvement of people under eighteen must be taken with due care. There must be consent given by a parent or guardian for their involvement if under 15 and there must be no distress or harm caused to them. 

-Section two: Harm and offence. The participants must not experience any harm or offence, likewise, should the viewers. In my documentary drugs and violence may be briefly spoken about but in a way which portrays how the Pace Academy helps it students stay away from this behaviour. Therefore, if this is discussed it would be justified by context. 

-Section seven: Fairness it is essential that I avoid unjust or unfair treatment to the participants of my documentary. This risk can be minimised by rule 7.3: informed consent. This means those involved know the purpose of the documentary, their contribution, any changes made and aware of any potential risks. 

-Section eight: Privacy. This means not intruding any participants privacy without consent.

 

-Access: I’m an intern at Boreham Wood, so access into the Pace Academy and participants is easily accessible. The documentary will be told through one main character (the manager of one of the Pace Academies) so I need to get informed consent for their involvement. 

-Trust: I already know my subject, however I'll meet up with them prior to filming to build a closer relationship and to discuss the ethics of the documentary. I'll reassure them that I will do no harm and protect. I will also make an agreement with them to see the fine cut and have a say in whether certain material should be included or not. 

-Telling the story with fairness and accuracy: The story will be told as the subject tells it. I have the responsibility to deliver accurate and honest told stories, so I don’t mislead the viewers.

-Locational permission: Working at Meadow Park I already have locational permission to film. However, If I wanted this permission down on paper, I could get the chairman to sign a Location Release Form which gives me permission to shoot on the private property.

-Copy right: If using other artists work in my documentary, I must have their permission. I will meet this by getting them to fill out a content release form which thereby gives me the permission to use their content in my work. 

-Consent release forms: participants/ contributors in my documentary will sign a Consent Release Form to give their consent on paper that they agree to be filmed in my documentary. 

-Interview release forms: The main subject in my documentary will sign an Interview Release Form to give their consent of being interviewed.  

To show how important football academies are in stopping it’s players falling through the net and in some cases saving them. This documentary will be told through National League side Boreham Wood’s Pace academy. 

 

More specifically this documentary will be told through one of the managers of the Pace Academies Connor Smith. He is a significant person to do with the storyline of this documentary. As he has day to day contact with the players but also the responsibility of supporting them on and off the pitch. Connor has lived through the experiences of seeing players break through from the academy into the first team but alternatively having to help players who have fallen down the wrong path. Connor is passionate about the academy, and one of his main priorities is to ensure the players leave if not breaking through into the first team, then with a future ahead of them.

Themes
Themes in the documentary consist of how the academy supports and guides its players by pushing them towards their dream of becoming a professional footballer or leaving the academy with a set future. Role models are another occurring theme, with reference to ex-student Sorba Thomas who was once at the Pace academy and now finds himself playing in the Championship. Drugs and violence is a societal issue which is touched on to showcase how the academy stops its players falling down this path, looking into an ex-student who got involved in this. To then with the help and support of the academy turn his life around go onto university and become a teacher. 

 

This documentary will be told through the manager Connor Smith so interviews will be mainly with him. However, I want to interview other staff members such as the chairman and players.    

 

Research and Access 

Access to the BW Pace Academy is easily accessible for me as I’m currently a media intern at Boreham Wood. 

I need to do more research to think about the style of documentary adopted for the storytelling. Where my documentary is going, the arc of my story. 

 

Road Map 

November- So far I have spoken to the chief executive of the club to get confirmation from him that I would be allowed access into the academy to produce my documentary. After that I spoke to one of the managers Connor Smith to find out if this was something he’d like to help me with and be a part of. 

December- After getting permission to go ahead with my documentary idea from the club and main subject I now want to progress this further by arranging to meet with Connor to discuss this in more depth and outline some of my ideas with him and ethics of the documentary, especially as there will be involvement of players under 18 .

January- If everything goes to plan I would want to start filming in January after the Christmas break.