Social

Action
Research
booklet
Contents
Task 1: Brainstorm on social issues
Task 2: Research on other action videos
Task 3: Research on own video
Task 4: contact details and angle for own production
Task 1:
(this should have been done in the idea process you now need to write it down for
example you looked into an issue and didnt like it, or your realized it was too
difficult these ideas need to be noted now)

Your brainstorms should cover:

The issue
The effect the issue has on community
How easy it would be to cover the social issue
What has been done to cover this issue before
Rough idea on who you can interview

Idea 1:

Our first idea was to produce a social media video foe the Rainbow Childrens
Centre in Henley. The Centre will be closing down in March and we wanted to
investigate why. We knew it was going to be a problem for the women as without it,
they cant get support and closure from the professionals that work there.

After getting in touch with the Rainbow Childrens Centre, we had to decide against
the idea as they simply couldnt give much private information away. I also think we
would have been pushed for time as it may have already have closed by the time
we wanted to film.

It will be quite easy to cover the social topic because the issue itself does not take
long to enquire and gain information from. They have a website, therefore it was very
easy to get in to contact simply over email and phone call.

I dont think a lot has been done to over the issue before, resulting in it closing down
due to low income. The reason for this is that a lot of Henley mothers do not work in
the day so no one has spoken up about it.

If we had gone ahead with the interview, we would have gathered information from
the women who work for the Rainbow Childrens Centre, and the mothers who do
work in the day and cant make the meetings.

Idea 2:

The Independent Shop Issue

Our second idea is to raise the issue happening in Henley-on Thames over the
decrease of independent shops. Today, Henley is filled with coffee shops, charity
shops for example Starbucks, and other chain shops for example Pizza Express. This
has left the people who own an independent store to close down, as they cannot
afford the rent.

The community of Henley are massively affected as what was once an old English
rowing town is becoming commercialized, overcrowded and the residents are left
with nothing to do.

For example, the owner of what was Hubbledays in Duke Street, claimed the store
was no longer profitable because too many customers now shop online. He also
went into to say that he could not afford to simply be a show room full of products
that the customers would look at, and then find a cheaper version online.

Thats not the only problem the diversity of Henleys retail offering is in decline and
that makes it a less attractive destination.

We have more charity shops and coffee shops than ever before. Customers from
elsewhere say its harder to justify visiting because they can no longer find everything
they need here.

Also, the sudden closure of the skate park has left a lot of teenagers suddenly having
nothing to do. Their only option is hang around town and sit in places like Starbucks
and not pay for anything, which causes mayhem for Henleys posh image.

Its very easy to gain information considering we all attend Henley College and have
several frees within the day that we can travel to town. We know a lot of people who
work in these shops and would be happy to share their opinion on the matter.

Nothing has been done about covering this issue before, but I know after speaking to
people that we all have the same opinion pretty much.

I think we can interview the owners of small independent stores for example the
woman who runs Hot Gossip. There is teacher at Henley that weve been told has a
very strong opinion and who would be happy to be apart. To get a real insight to
how the public feels, we will put together vox pops in the street.
Task 2:
Compare 2 social action video similar to yours
(look at LO2 Brief on website for guidance on what should be covered)

Social Action Video 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdvBlaQX6Vs

This video starts out with some cutaway footage of Glasgow

town. This gives viewers an idea of where the video is taking
place and what the video is about.

There is voice over narrating over the top with background

music. This is effective because its enough to keep the
audience entertained but doesnt drown out the voiceover
out.

The interviews are backed up with b roll footage of the

place, which breaks up the interview, and the audience can
focus on the sop as well as the interview.
Social Action Video 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPmhqXhgazw
This short video starts off with cutaway shots of a British
shopping center.

The interviews are only short and with one camera.

However, have a interesting view point by the author of a
declining high-street.

There are also hand held camera shots of cutwaway

footage/.
Task 3:
Your research should focus on:

Background on the Social issue itself:

Henley-on -Thames is a town located in the heart of the river Thames, starting out as a
rowing town. However, as of the last 5 10 years I would say Henley has become a lot
more commercialized to meet demands to build chain stores. Not only this, but the
improvement of technology has made it easier to find something cheaper online, so,
many stores are losing out on profit. Therefor, the independent shops are closing
down due to not making enough money.

Henley has seen a rise from 9 to 25 empty shops on its high street, and in the index of
areas with the most empty shops compiled by analysts Experian, Henley has gone
from 690th out of 1,000, to 188th in the space of a year, reported the Daily Telegraph.

https://www.fashionunited.co.uk/news/leads/henley-town-on-retail-critical-list-
200908037520

http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/council/100464/councillors-fear-losing-
independent-retailers.html

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186360-d2333020-r180303352-
Little_Nellies-Henley_on_Thames_Oxfordshire_England.html
1. Little Nellies
2. Spirited wines
3. Auvergne
4. Ashworths mens store
5. Noa Noa
6. Hubbledays
7. Jeweler Precious Love
8.Daltons Estate Agents
9.
Is there already a social action group to try and prevent the issue? Yes / No

What drives us a group even more is the fact that there arent any current social
action groups taking place. If we go ahead, we will be the first and only ones to try
and prevent this issue, hopefully opening up a gap for others to step in and do
something.

If there is: Who is involved with the group? What effects has the group had on the
community? How has it helped certain individuals? Does it already have an action
video to help its cause? (up load these if there are)

Are there any famous people involved in trying to prevent the situation?

There are currently no famous figures doing anything to prevent this issue in Henley.
However, there are many online forums about the future of independent shops which
is the closest I could find to anything remotely public.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/the-elevator/12053724/advice-for-
independent-retailers.html

This picture is taken from the Telegraph as a general question about the UK
highstreets as a whole. Obviously, it is no celebrity, but the telegraph can get
hundreds and hundreds of reads. Therefore, can equally get the same impact.

Is there government backing to prevent the situation? Should there be? What could
they do?
The government is not backing this issue in Henley. Until it becomes a bigger problem
then I think the government will have to step in and help. I think the government
could be less restrictive to what shops they desire for Henley. Listen to what the public
want for Henley and instead of shutting independent shops down, help to see if there
can be a way to resolve them.

How does the issue effect the community / nation / world?

The issue will ruin the community if it continues.. Although Henley is making money
elsewhere, the people left behind are not profiting and have to closed down their
stores. Many jobs are being cut and places are just being left vacant due to the large
following of chain shops. Families are losing out on money, and no job can ruin a
family. Many of Henleys residents have lived in the area for years before the town
started to change, making it unrecognizable now. The community has nothing to do,
there isnt anything social for them anymore because things are taken up by coffee
shops.

The issue effects the nation as highstreets all over the UK struggle with this issue and it
is on a much bigger scale. The chain shops have changed the way the nation shops
and now with the internet taking off we can purchase things online, therefore more
profit is being lost from the independent stores.

Look at statistics on the social issue

http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/assets/Appendices%20Feb%2009.pdf

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3515673/Number-new-
independent-retailers-rising-smallest-record.html
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/oct/25/britains-high-streets-under-strain-
as-15-shops-close-every-day

What can be done to prevent the issue from happening?

I think the oweners of the independent shops should concentrate on advertising their
store, whether on social media or across town. There should be a discount sale that
will attract both old and new customers. I think the shops could look into lowering
their prices as that is a common issue with residents, leading them to shop online.

In terms of the government, they should listen to the public and watch out video. To
get them to listen, a petition should be put together on websites like change.org.
The more people we get talking the better, so thats why we want to interview a
variety of different people with their own unique stories and opinions.

Task 4
Contact details and angle

Informative, educational or change of attitude?

Discuss why and how you will achieve this.

The informative information will come from the knowledge our group have provided.
For example, the issue itself and the reasons for it. We will also look into the statistics
and the impact on chain stores.

The educational aspect will come from the public. Our vox pops will educate the
audience as these are a real person who have either been affected or know
someone who has an opinion on the matter. Hopefully the information will be
different to what we gathered to show a range.

I think we can change attitudes by informing and educating the audience. The
audiences are most likely going to take action if there is a way they can join petitions.
As there is strength in numbers and the more people who sign it, the more it will
encourage everyone else too.

List of found footage you can use and reference where it has come from

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2maQLa2SpVQ A peek inside Central

Stationers (stationery supplies or office supplies store) Camden High Street.
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPmhqXhgazw Highstreets hidden
problems
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPmhqXhgazw The decline of the British
Highstreet
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8dXt6Euy4 New Cosham Cake Business
Hopes To Stem High Street Decline
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce1oj_llwug Shop owners fight back to beat
the economic gloom
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GV_dYEEbgA Henley-on-Thames by Drone -
The Royal Regatta Town
7.

What ethical issues will you have to overcome or be careful documenting?

There are several ethical issues that we could face.

Firstly, we needed to grant information to use screenshots of information for our

narrator. This was why I emailed the south oxford district council to ask if I could use
some of their notes on the Henley-on-Thames health check.
In terms of the content, we think that we could be copyrighted for the brand use of
Starbucks when we go to compare a chain shop to an independent shop. We could
overcome this by seeking permission from Starbucks letting them know that we plan
on filming not only one of their cups, but film inside the shop too.

We plan to layer our social action video with music, and we will make sure they are
licensed downloads so that they are definitely available to use.

Everywhere we are filming is on public property such as the town centre and in
alleyways. The only place we will need to get permission is if we are standing outside
a shop or want to film some inside of a shop in which case we will ask the shopkeeper
beforehand. We will also warn the members of the public that we are speaking to so
that they know they are going to be videoed.

Another issue is that the town council are likely to be subjective when we ask them to
talk about what is going within the town and they are likely to get defensive, which
could make it harder for us to talk to them and gather information.

List of social action groups you could interview. Can you follow a volunteer or
member of the project?

In our project we want to follow independent shop owners as we are going straight to
the source.

Research on the subject: Research around the subject? Information that you need
to know BEFORE you interview people

Henley-on -Thames is a town located in the heart of the river Thames, starting out
as a rowing town. However, as of the last 5 10 years I would say Henley has
become a lot more commercialized to meet demands to build chain stores. Not
only this, but the improvement of technology has made it easier to find something
cheaper online, so, many stores are missing profit. Therefore, the independent
shops are closing down due to not making enough money.
Henley has seen a rise from 9 to 25 empty shops on its high street, and in the index
of areas with the most empty shops compiled by analysts Experian, Henley has
gone from 690th out of 1,000, to 188th in the space of a year, reported the Daily
Telegraph

The community of Henley are massively affected as what was once an old English
rowing town is becoming commercialized, overcrowded and the residents are left
with nothing to do.

For example, the owner of what was Hubbledays in Duke Street, claimed the
store was no longer profitable because too many customers now shop online. He
also went into to say that he could not afford to simply be a show room full of
products that the customers would look at, and then find a cheaper version online.

Thats not the only problem the diversity of Henleys retail offering is in decline
and that makes it a less attractive destination.

We have more charity shops and coffee shops than ever before. Customers from
elsewhere say its harder to justify visiting because they can no longer find
everything they need here.

Also, the sudden closure of the skate park has left a lot of teenagers suddenly
having nothing to do. Their only option is hang around town and sit in places like
Starbucks and not pay for anything, which causes mayhem for Henleys posh
image.

Its very easy to gain information considering we all attend Henley College and
have several frees within the day that we can travel to town. We know a lot of
people who work in these shops and would be happy to share their opinion on the
matter.

Nothing has been done about covering this issue before, but I know after speaking
to people that we all have the same opinion pretty much.

I think we can interview the owners of small independent stores for example the
woman who runs Hot Gossip. There is teacher at Henley that we have been told
has a very strong opinion and who would be happy to be apart. To get a real
insight to how the public feels, we will put together vox pops in the street.
What shots / cut a ways / footage will you need to film in order for the social action
video to have impact?

We will set up shops in Henleys town center for our cutaway footage. We will also
use one camera and no tripod for our street vox pops. We want to create a raw
unprofessional set up as we think this is more effective. Filmmakers such as Louis
Theroux uses this all the time.

We will film b roll footage of the inside and outside of shops. This will be done on a
mixture of tripod and no tripod.

Our interviews with independent shop owners will be set up professionally. We will
include a multi camera set up, for a more visually aesthetic viewing experience.
This will be filmed using a tripod.

Interviews
Contact details

Name: Lorraine

Position: Owner of Hot Gossip coffee house

Involvement in action: Our first interviewee on the topic of her business

What can they discuss in the video? Their business and whats it like running an
independent store for so many years

Where can they be interviewed? In either of her shops upstairs downstairs and hot
gossip
Phone number: 01491 414070

Email address: n/a

Name: Gillian

Position: Owner of Boatique

Involvement in action: Shes our second interviewee

What can they discuss in the video? The recent sale of the shop and whats its like
selling an independent in Henley

Where can they be interviewed? In Boatique

Phone number: 01491 410840

Email address: n/a

Name: Jane

Position: Owner of The Willow Basket

Involvement in action: She is our third and final interviewee

What can they discuss in the video? She can discuss her new health food
independent shop and

Where can they be interviewed? At the Willow Basket

Phone number: n/a

Email address: n/a