I brainstormed some ideas of what the documentary I was making could be about then as a whole class we came up with some more ideas together. Some of these ideas were: -
Religion, Racism, Homosexual Rights, Political Correctness, British Society - Under-age Drinking & Sex, Education Fees, Recession, Internet, Science, Sport, Hair, Teachers, Music, Fashion, Parliament, Tattoos, Animals, Modern Teenagers, Sandwiches, Football, Clothes, Pens, Global Warming, Stereotypes, Copy Cat Killers, Drugs, Media Influences, NHS, Food, Labels, Senses, Army, Psychology, Police, Royal Family, Toys, Nature, Motorbikes, Masculinity, Concerts, Unsigned Bands, Crime, Smoking & Superheroes.
When we began to decide on which topic we should chose to do, we had to think logically whether it would be a good subject for a documentary.
Homosexuality - We thought this would of been a good topic to do as every individual has their own opinion on the matter and it's a subject which has been discussed more over recent years however we came to the conclusion that this documentary would be too controversial and regards to interviews, people could lie about the answers for many different reasons e.g. They don't want to seem homophobic
Smoking - We chose this as our topic because smoking affects everyone and we could retrieve much information about this however because smoking is portrayed as "bad" and we couldn't give an unbias view, this would turn the documentary into a one sided documentary.
Pets - We thought this would be a good topic as the majority of British people own a pet and although we could discuss different aspects of this, we couldn't find a central question to work around the documentary.
Online Shopping - We finally decided on this as our topic as it would contain both sides of whether online shopping is a good thing or a bad thing therefore it would leave it unbias. Also it would be much easier to find someone to interview on the topic.
This was a mixed documentary as it incorporated a formal voice over, numerous amounts of archive footage, interviews with expertise and scientific reconstructions. The main theme in this documentary was the battle between Religion vs. Science, even more specifically Evolution vs. Intelligent Design teachings in school.
At the beginning of the documentary, it explained the theory of Charles Darwin’s evolution and the religious attacks on it and their explanation of how they think the world began. This was done to give the viewers some background information on the conflict these two subjects have had in the past. In the middle, this is when a conflict arises as it begins by showing a previous court trial of a man named John Scope who got arrested for teaching evolution in school and then it explained of a court case in recent years of parents suing a school board as they wanted to teach intelligent design in Biology therefore promoting religion in science. These two were the main focus for the middle narrative as it shows how both events are relevant yet at the same time opposite to each other; this could have been done to remain unbiased to the viewer. At the end the conflict is settled as the judge rules intelligent design “no more scientific than creationism”, this ending slightly leans more to the scientific side of the argument however it also has opposite views to keep the documentary neutral.
The most frequent camera shot used in this documentary was a shot of the road which could have been done by using a steadicam in a car. This shot could represent the on going struggle between religion and science and how this debate will continue for many years, the road could connote time passing and how both issues have progressed over the years. Also when introducing a person, they film the subject from far away then change the camera from deep focus to shallow focus to show this persons importance so the viewer keeps their attention on him. They also use low angles of religious extremists, this could be done to show the power that the person holds and to make the viewer feel vulnerable and weak to them. They also use an extreme close up on a pair of dice to show the significance of the dice to the metaphorical concept they are making.
When the interviewers are being interviewed, relevant mise-en-scene is placed in the background e.g. When the science lecturer was being interviewed, there was a picture of blood cells, these blood cells could connote science. At the beginning of the documentary an American flag is shown which then cuts to an image of a cross, this could have been done to show the religious connotations that American upholds. When interviewees are being interviewed, it is done mainly in their own homes as this is portrayed as their comfort zone to make the documentary feel less formal. Various cutaways are used to coincide with the subject matter e.g. when they’re talking about Darwin’s theory of evolution, they show footage of his book “The origin of species” being printed off in vast amounts.
Throughout the documentary, there is a dark and gothic music bed played, this could have been done to blend in with the theme of religion. Natural sound is used from interviews and the background within the setting e.g. the trains behind them. Although interviews were used within the documentary, it consisted mainly of a voice over narrating the conflicts between the two issues. There is also a juxtaposition within the music as it cuts from having a low key music bed to playing an upbeat anti evolutionary song, both of these types of sound have suggestions of a religious undertone but in completely different ways.
Editing is used rather unconventionally within this documentaryin one cut, they turned the archive footage black and white and slowed down the action possibly to evoke the significance in the scene for the viewer. When explaining a theory, they try to clarify a point by reversing the action as they reverse dice to show the chance of probability, this was done so that the viewer fully understands the concept they are presenting because continuing with the documentary.
This documentary relied mainly on archive footage, as the basis of the documentary was about a court case that was several years ago. They use few clips of President Bush’s speeches when he mentions God and religion, this could have been used to relate to the audience as the majority would recognise him and the stereotypes that belong to America. They also use photos of the John Scope case in court when the judge gives the verdict of him, this was shown as this relates strictly to the modern case. Graphics were kept at a minimum for this documentary, a basic clear font was used to introduce the name and the occupation of the person being interviewed and this same font was also used to introduce a new setting as no establishing shots were used. At the beginning the documentary is introduced by blue streams of light to introduce the viewer however this quickly contrasts when the background changes to black to show the name of the documentary, this could have been done to intrigue the audience into continuing to watch.
This was a mixed documentary as it included a voice over which lead the narrative throughout the documentary, interviews with experts from both perspectives to insure that the documentary didn’t become bias and various cutaways that involved archive footage was used that was relevant to the subject matter.
There were apparent themes all the way throughout the documentary which included: - The weaknesses of technology, How the internet invades our privacy and public rights within the website.
At the beginning of the documentary it informs the viewers about Google such as the background and history of the website such as who were the creators of it and what it has to offer. There are several interviews with the expertise to answer the most asked questions about Google such as: - How the search engine works and how does it make its money when they receive none through the users. In the middle, a conflict arises asking such questions as how can such a big corporation sustain an objective view and they discuss the privacy rights of the public’s personal information due to such applications like Google Earth or Gmail. In the ending, the documentary presents both opinions to the viewer leaving it open ended for the audience to make up their own opinion on Google.
The documentary used a variety of camera angles in the introduction however throughout the documentary, only basic close ups and mid shots were used for the interviews. In the introduction, there were quite a number of zooms used to focus on well known signs such as “Welcome to San Francisco” this could also be classed as an establishing shot to let the viewers know where the documentary is taking place. There were a numerous amount of close ups of well known internet manufacturer headquarters such as Apple & Yahoo however a pan shot was used in a car which panned and then froze on a shot of Google headquarters, this shows the significance of how Google is the main theme of the documentary. There were also several high angle shots over the Google headquarters of everyone socialising with each other, this was probably done to show the vast amount of people working for Google, this shows how much power Google maintains. When talking about some one from a different location or a completely new setting altogether, using Google map, they would zoom out of the area they were originally in and then pin point the next area and zoom in on that.
In the introduction, there are several clips of San Francisco and clips of random American people doing activities, they probably used this footage to inform the audience as to where the documentary is being taken place. They also show clips of major software companies e.g. Adobe, Apple etc. these were used to show the viewer Googles rivals. Several clips of the site are shown to the viewer such as certain things that the website provides or various words being typed into Google, this is to familiarise the viewers with the website layout and how it is relevant to what they are speaking about. Although certain things are placed behind the interviewees to coincide with what they are speaking about, when they move into a close up, all that is in the background is black, this could have been done so that the viewer focuses on the person and the information they are giving. The overall Mise-en-scene shows that the target audience is young adults, this could be because Google and the internet has only been popular in recent years so the older generation might not be interested in it as much people who have been more familiar with it.
The target audience is also clear with the music they use as the song they chose at the beginning was Goldfinger – Superman, which is an upbeat ska song because of this it was also used to keep the audience’s attention to make them want to continue watching. A music bed of upbeat techno music is played throughout the documentary; this type of music was probably chosen to blend in with the subject matter as the documentary is about technology. Even though the documentary is informative not emotive, when the expertise are expressing their different opinions, there is a significant change in music; when Google are expressing their views, the music is upbeat however when there is a different opinion against them, the tone of music changes into very dark and sinister music, this was probably done to change the atmosphere of the documentary to side the viewers.
Fast takes were used mainly at the beginning of the documentary; cutaways were no longer than 3 seconds however at the documentary unfolds the takes get slower due to the information being told. At one point the editing is jittery almost as if to mimic a photocopier when discussing the view of an online library. Not that much archive material is used in this documentary as the progression of the internet and Google has only been in recent years however they use footage of internet clips of music and trailers. They also use clippings from newspaper and magazine articles showing the “birth” of Google.
Instead of usual basic font for the graphics, they “typed” the name of the person in Google then their name and occupation would come up with several photos of them to introduce them briefly to the audience, if a person had appeared a few times, their name would appear in the search engine at the top of the screen.
This was a mixed documentary as it included a small part of narration heard through a voice over. It also included interviews with game experts and celebrities relevant to Lara Croft e.g. Angelina Jolie. They used footage from the game and from the film as evidence to back up the claims that they were making.
The themes of this documentary were feminism and post feminism as originally the Lara Croft character was supposed to be represented as a female hero however she gradually became more sexualised and turned into a sexual symbol. Other themes were how the media can influence and have effects on people as it showed how people became greatly affected by the game. There was also a conflict between reality and fantasy as they preferred the fantasy version (Bustier with an unrealistic waist) to the body of a natural sporty woman.
The beginning is giving the viewer an introduction to the character Lara Croft and then the game itself. There are several interviews with experts explaining how successful the game turned out to be and the importance of the first female action character and how they didn’t expect that it would be more popular with the people not aimed as their target audience. They use a numerous amount of statistics as evidence for their claims. In the middle, it begins to show conflict relating to Lara Croft’s appearance as her figure becomes more sexualised for every sequel that is made; this raises questions such as is this really ethical to change an action character into a sexual fantasy, even though the game animators try to deny these allegations, in some of the cutaways you can hear Lara Crofts character make sexual noises and it shows some of the more inappropriate camera angles used. Another issue raised was a conflict between the fans and the movie as they believed that Angelina Jolie would dictate Lara Croft’s character and make the character more apart of her image when the reason why the Lara Croft character was so admired and sexualised was because her character was perceived as a blank slate. This documentary is perceived as infotainment because even though it’s informative, it is shown in a light hearted informal way. The ending concludes with how the game turned out as such a surprising success and how Lara Croft was celebrated as a character by men and women even if it was for different reasons.
The documentary uses fast canted angles in the introduction, mainly to entice the audience to carry on watching and to keep their attention. They also used canted angles of Toby Guard the maker of the game and of Angelina Jolie, possibly to make them stand out from the rest of the people being interviewed. Big close ups are used during interviewers to show the interviewee importance to make the viewer believe that everything they say must be true. There are also several over the shoulder shots of people playing the game and action from the game.
They use a variety of relevant cutaways throughout the documentary such as: - Actual game footage, film footage and footage of people playing the game. The documentary is filmed in a very dark setting and the interviewees are filmed against a blue screen to make it look like they are part of the computer game as they have blended into the setting, this could be a representation of the escapism the game can bring. Toby Guard (Maker of the Lara Croft) and Angelina Jolie (Played Lara Croft in the films) are the only interviewees who are filmed in good light as the lightning is much brighter so that the audience can realise their significance.
Music beds are continuous throughout the documentary, including a song from Madonna however they especially use techno music as this is to relate to the theme of the documentary as it’s about game technology, even though they work with the natural sounds such as the interviews, a music bed is played constantly through it. They also use sound from the actual computer game, which they use as evidence to show the sexualisation of Lara Croft as they use the audio of her moaning in the game.
There wasn’t that much editing used within this documentary as the documentary was quite short however overall the documentary was quite fast paced using many fast cuts throughout to show the information they wanted to in a limited amount of time. The archive material that they used was mainly from actual footage of the game or clips from the Lara Croft film, this was done so that the viewer could understand more about what the expert were talking about.
In the documentary, basic graphics were used to introduce an interviewee, as they placed their name and who they were to the side of the screen; however the graphics became much more detailed as the documentary went along. The documentary used a laptop screen that a man was on to show certain fan websites and archive footage.
The Music Biz was a mixed documentary as it had a voice over that lead the narrative, interviews with expertise and archive footage which included music videos from several performers; this was used as evidence to show his success. The themes were clear within this documentary; the main theme was about marketing and campaigning of music videos. This theme was split into different related themes such as: - The importance of a Christmas No1, High expectations of music, Difficulties managing money within a music video and the resurrection or a comeback of a performer.
In the beginning, they introduced the case study of Meatloaf and the resurrection of his music career. They start to explain about the production of his new single and the money costs that it will take to create this comeback. This began to raise questions such as whether all the money that the marketing managers put into his career will pay off in the long run, so in short will he be successful or not. This primary question doesn’t seem apparent at the start as the managers are enthusiastic about the project whilst the media claim that Meatloaf is ‘just a washed up artist’. Therefore this makes the viewers want to continue watching to see whether marketing campaigns can actually reform a dead career. The middle represents a conflict as the managers show a struggle with costing as the music video was a lot more expensive then they first thought which even results in one member of the production team having to remortgage his own house to help pay for the cost of the music video, which shows how much faith they are putting into it for an increasing payout. The end shows that all of the marketing teams hard work paid off as Meatloaf’s musical return was a success which was proven by his single “I would do anything for love” remained at number one for eight weeks. They believe that the key to his success was that he went around the world to promote himself and he did numerous interviews and concerts, this is why the village people were unsuccessful with their ploy to come back as their record label had to do more promoting than the actual band did, this made the band receive a negative image to their international fans.
One of the most used camera shots were the basic medium shots used for the interviews. Several zooms were used to focus at the right person/place e.g. a zoom was used across a lake to focus on the Virgin Media headquarters. Pan shots were also used between Meatloaf and the director to show the power struggle between them. They used a very unconventional technique as Meatloaf actually talks to the camera and the camera nods in response which makes the documentary almost turn into a self reflective documentary. Another unconventional technique is when Michael Bay is being interviewed in his boardroom, they do one long take around the room when normally they use 2/3 cameras to capture it.
Blue screens were used during the interviews so that the documentary makers could place promotional articles and posters of Meatloaf in the background whilst the interviewer was being interviewed. It also showed Meatloaf on location in LA, shooting his music video and then in London promoting his album either though he was struggling to market his product. Also it shows footage of Meatloaf when he appeared on Good Morning Britain & O-Zone as these were popular slots at the time.
The sound used in the documentary was mainly natural sound that came from the interviews. There was no music bed used within this documentary, the only sound which was placed was the actual soundtrack from Meatloaf. The only sound effect used was the heartbeat played in the background when there was a conflict of whether the amount of money will be paid back to them.
There wasn’t a lot of editing involved in this documentary; there was a shot reverse shot between Meatloaf and Michael Bay which showed the power struggle between the two. Dissolves were also used instead of cutaways; it dissolved from person to person. Many cutaways were used to prevent jump cuts, these cutaways included such things as:- The music video “I would do anything for love”, Press conferences, Around the world shots, clippings from newspaper articles.
This documentary consisted mainly of archive material; it was mainly used for cutaways when people were being interviewed. They used a variety of music videos relevant to the subject matter to show the success that comes from good marketing campaigns, they used artists such as: - Take that, Mr. Blobby and The Village People. They used footage from Tops of the Pops 1993 introducing Meatloaf before he played his hit song. They also showed footage of different award ceremonies that Meatloaf was present at.
Graphics were used when introducing a new interviewee with their name in white font over a grey banner, this was done to make the person’s name stand out and they also showed the logo from which company they came from, this was done to make it look more professional so the viewer can trust the information that was being said. Other graphics which were used were articles and people were superimposed onto a background magazine, although this sounds pretty acceptable nowadays, the documentary was done in the mid 90’s so this would appear more exciting and new to the viewers.
This was a mixed documentary as it contained a mixture of interviews, archive footage and a voice over. Interviews were of marketing experts; these experts were used so that the audience could feel that they could trust the information that was being given to them. Archive footage such as people being filmed in the cinema and footage of film merchandise were to keep the audiences attention and it was used to visually explain what the voice over was talking about. A voice over was also used throughout the interview to lead the narrative.
The major themes in this documentary was about how marketing is a key element in promoting and selling a movie. It shows how merchandise greatly affects how successful a movie is as this is shown when they explain how the merchandise of Lion King made the film extremely more popular than before the merchandise came out. It showed a variety of merchandise to appeal to both children and adults as it’s shown with the Jurassic Park merchandise as they had lunch boxes for children yet mugs for an older audience. Another theme was the importance of the target audience and how different strategies such as different trailers can appeal to not only the target audience but also reach out to new viewers; this is shown at the end of the documentary as they show two trailers for “Mousehunt” one aimed at children and one aimed at adults, and it shows the differences in appealing to these audiences.
The narrative structure is consistently clear throughout the documentary as the beginning explains why marketing is important to every film in wanting a successful movie, so straight away the meaning of the documentary is apparent. The beginning shows a variety of clips to coincide with the subject matter such as footage of merchandise, interviews with experts and clips of people going to a cinema theatre. The middle shows a conflict as it discusses a problem with bad reviews and questions posed such as when films doesn’t hit right with the audience. The case study “Mousehunt” shows evidence of a marketing scheme in process to show how marketers develop their advertising. At the end of the documentary it shows “Mousehunt” two trailers to show how to appeal to different audiences however this could be seen as a manipulative way to go and see the film and because “Mousehunt” was a then recent film, it is leaving the film opened ended as the audience doesn’t know whether “Mousehunt” will be a successful film or not.
Due to the fact that this documentary was strictly informative not emotive, basic camerawork was used and there wasn’t a variety of camera angles in the way they filmed. Close ups of the interviewee were used to show their importance. When filming merchandise, many pan shots were used to show the extent of how many products are involved in one particular film. During one of the interviews, the interviewee talks about a certain film and as this is happening, the camera slowly shifts from deep focus to shallow focus on the relevant poster in the background to show visually what the interviewee was talking about. There were close ups of money being handed over in the cinema, this is to emphasise that the successfulness of a film relies on the public.
They use a variety of cutaway shots such as footage of the box office, people gathering outside a premiere & film sets to show how the visuals and the information relate to each other. One of the main obvious uses of Mise-en-scene was during the interviews as they placed relevant posters behind the experts whilst talking, to show that the background explained the subject matter for every different interviewee. It also shows a variety of shots of London and the majority of the footage is mainly British as the documentary was placed on BBC 2 therefore only British viewers would be watching.
They had a constant music bed throughout the documentary and it included upbeat music at various points to keep the viewers attention to show the documentary as light hearted instead of dull. Once again because the documentary was informative and educational, they didn’t need to use sound to evoke emotion, they just used the sound which was there like the movies clips or what was necessary to cover blank audio however they did use the sound of the interviewee over a new set of visuals to keep the audiences concentration.
Editing is slightly overused in this documentary and they also used a number of unnecessary fades and dissolves in between shots and at various points in an interview which looks amateur because instead of this, the film makers could have easily put cutaways in to make it look more appealing to the audience. There were several cuts between the action of interviews and the footage of the premiere, these cuts were used to anchor meaning on what the experts was trying to say.
This documentary used a variety of archive footage for different purposes; they used trailers to provide evidence of successful movies in the past. When talking about the film “Mousehunt” actual scenes from the film were used to support what the interviewer was saying e.g. a certain technique which was used or conversation about the film in general. Footage from previous premieres was used to show the importance of marketing schemes and to coincide with the subject matter.
Graphics were used appropriately throughout and it also helped with the structure of the documentary because they split it into different chapters which made it easier for the target audience to understand as it became self explanatory. The documentaries graphics were very colourful however they only used white graphics to introduce the experts.
The documentary “The Devil Made Me Do It” was a mixed documentary; this is because there was a compilation of such elements such as: - A voice over was used to push the narrative forward so the audience could understand the story which was being presented. Reconstructions were used to evoke empathy within the audience and more importantly to add drama for the viewer to keep their attention. Interviews were also used as this was supposed to represent the evidence through the interviewers recollection of the event. There are several themes running throughout this documentary such as: - Murder due to an innocent nun being involved in an unexplained killing, Religion as their town has heavy religious connotations and the occupation of the victim, Music as the documentary at certain points is focused around the controversial singer Marilyn Manson to make the audience shocked. One other main theme is the media and how they can have an effect on the public by persuading them to belief certain things.
In relation to the narrative structure, at the very beginning of the documentary, it sets up conflict between Marilyn Manson fans by portraying them in a negative light as they show the fans rebelliously swearing at the camera and with religion; this is shown through shots of the quiet town. It also goes into detail about the case of an unsolved murder of a nun which uses emotionally evoking reconstructions which progressively gets the viewer interested in how this conflict will progress.In the middle, this is where the story increases in depth by showing the speculated influence of Marilyn Manson; this is possibly because they need to find truth and reason through the unexplained therefore using Marilyn Manson as a scapegoat. The middle focuses more on the youths and a cause behind their actions, which includes more interviews from experts and supposable “evidence” which backs up their claim that Marilyn Manson is responsible for the death due to his shocking music. At the ending, it shows a sense of equilibrium as the murderers go to prison as Manson is officially free from the responsibility the media was pushing on him and it shows the town even though they haven't forgotten about the dreadful case, the town goes back to normal.
A variety of camera angles have been used in this documentary to portray a specific meaning and to provoke different emotions. There are several low angle shots of Marilyn Manson to show the power that he holds whilst high angles shot are used on the fans to make them look vulnerable, weak and impressionable in comparison to him. Regarding to the town, few establishing shots are used, particularly at the murder scene and also crane shots are used over the town to make the town look isolated, to show the viewer that “This is only a small town” and what happened to it was unexpected and unjustified.
.
Canted angles were used in reconstructions to make the viewer feel uncomfortable creating a sense of empathy for the nun, as if it were themselves who got attacked. A high angle shot was used on a graveyard to dramatise the situation as if to point out several deaths when only one death is in question. A close up was used whilst interviewing an expert woman, this was done to show her power and significance and to show that she is important.
In regards to Mise-en-scene, setting and appearance was carefully chosen to make the audience believe a certain thing e.g. The expert woman was power dressing as she was pictured wearing a bright red suit, this was done to make her stand out from all the other people and the mise-en-scene merges in with the sound to further this opinion about her as she said how "She would not buy the CDs" giving the audience a perceived idea of what she will be like.
The interviews that took place were done in their own environment to make them seem more relaxed however this conflicted with footage of the murder scene. They also showed pictures of Marilyn Manson fans wearing heavy make up and Gothic attire to make them look as if they are imitating Marilyn Manson as he is their role model however not all his fans dress like this as they probably only intended to dress up like this for the concert. This documentary addresses and wants the viewers to believe that Marilyn Mason fans are stereotypical rebellious teenagers and the reason for their anti social behaviour is due to Marilyn Manson. The reason why they initially blamed Manson was due to the fact they found his lyrics in the girls diaries however pictures of Freddy Kruger, the villain in Nightmare on Elm Street was also shown yet no blame is being placed on the film industry.
Sound effects and a music bed were used all the way throughout the documentary and the main use of sound was natural ambience from the interviews. One of the more emotive ways they used sound was during the reconstructions as they used non diegetic sounds to dramatise and shock the audience. This was shown mainly in the reconstruction when the innocent nun dies. They used effects such as stones being thrown, heartbeats and repetitive stabbing; these would make the audience fully empathise with the nun therefore creating deep negative emotions both for the nun and the murderers. There was also a conflict between the religious music and Marilyn Manson’s music that was played throughout, in some scenes, religious music would be played when Marilyn Manson was getting interviewed yet it was also played in the background when the priest is driving to see the killer in prison.
Many long shots and establishing shots were used during the voice over, as it was the voice over that was pushing the narrative, not the visuals. Reconstructions are usually done in one long take; this refers back to wanting the audience to feel as if they were actually witnessing it for themselves, this is why eyeline match is used, this is when the audience will see what the character on screen is seeing, this is shown through a canted angle when the nun collapsed. During interviews, cut away shots of relevant images are used to keep the viewers attention. During the Marilyn Manson concerts, shot reverse shot is used between him and the audience and match on action is used.
Even though there was live footage of concerts, archive footage was also used when he was imitating the Pope, this footage was used to coincide with the religious connotations of the documentary. Marilyn Manson’s music videos were carefully used and various controversial imagers were selected to create a bigger shock for the viewers who haven’t been associated with him before. The nuns’ funeral was used to evoke a sense of emotion and anger within the viewers and to constantly remind them what the focus of the documentary is about. Footage from the Columbine Shooting 1999 was used mainly because it was such a shocking memorable event that people can remember the distraught it caused. This event showed the involvement that Manson was caused in and how they blamed him for teenage violence once before.
The title of this documentary was written in a religious gothic font, this gives the audience an inkling that the documentary will be about religion. The white graphics at the bottom of the screen are basic, just so you don’t steer away from the subject. Subtitles were also used whilst Manson was singing to make the audience shocked at the words he was using and singing to the teenagers.
The purpose of a documentary is to document an event which is done by using evidence; this evidence could be shown in the form of actual footage, voice overs or reconstructions of the event to construct meaning. The definition of documentaries is rather problematic as there are numerous amounts of documented footage which may resemble the truth yet they can become frivolous.
John Corner 1995 – “What distinguishes documentary is the portrayal of the recorded sounds and images of actuality”.
Giving a factual account of the event doesn’t necessarily mean it was actual footage because some of the documentaries can be partly staged using actors; this is done to evoke the audiences’ emotion.
Documentaries are very constructed as everything is planned from the Mise-en-scene down to where the interviewee is placed. The documentary doesn’t necessarily have a structured analysis of the subject, it could also be descriptive to let the viewer decide their own opinion on the matter yet this is rare as most documentaries are quite bias and are made to influence their views.
Documentary is a broad category of moving pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, in 1926, John Grierson defined the word documentary by “The creative treatment of actuality”. A documentary was made for cinema viewers not for the TV to show them different walks of life which was not possible for them back then.
Housing Problems (1935) is both a propaganda piece and a document of optimism. With its iconic image of new flats rising behind an old row of slum terraces in Stepney, it shows what has been done to improve living conditions by the most 'enlightened' local authorities and planners, and provides an exhortation to others to follow suit. Rather than merely asserting the necessity of new housing, it uses the voices and stories of working class men and women to demonstrate the slums' dreadful conditions, and the benefit of the new estates.
Its method was ordinary people talking straight to the camera about their lives. It was an innovation in documentary, though to a modern viewer the rehearsed words sound stilted. A more serious note of condescension might be gathered when the narrator tells us that slum-dwellers 'quickly respond' to their improved living conditions by becoming more hygienic themselves.
This sort of documentary was government invested as it was intended to boost morale in the time of war to practically say “Everything will be alright”.
Scheduling a documentary is important and the positioning is rather tricky as they want the majority of their target audience to view their programme so they may show it on a particular time of the day. Panorama can command a prime time slot because they are about big events that have affected many people, such as Margaret Thatcher as the majority of the UK population in the 1980’s were affected during her political reign.
Most documentaries try to give a balanced view leaving the viewer to make up their own minds however on certain matters such as anorexia or crime, it is important to show different opinions yet give a direct negative message to not glamourise the subject so the problem doesn’t worsen e.g. Showing the positive side of crime could lead to an increase in crime rates. Other documentaries are emotive or sensational to gain a bias opinion e.g. Richard Dawkins faith schools.
British documentaries are renowned for their investigative journalism which normally opposes the view of the government or society. Authenticity is important so what is being presented must be true & it is impossible to capture all events in a raw state so some footage must be faked. They need an amount of creative control; a person with creative control has the authority to decide how the final product will appear.
“Truth is what you actually come away with at the end of seeing a film. I mean it’s your truth that you’re seeing. Everybody who makes a film is putting their own truth on the screen” Diane Tammes - Film Maker.
There are a range of sub genres that fit into the term documentary however this includes a lot of creative involvement which people argue that it’s taking over the true documentary despite arguments about this, all documentary makers agree that there must be elements of recorded images and sounds.
Current affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast. Current affairs are halfway between a documentary and news, it varies from a couple of minutes to half an hour, any longer than this, is a documentary. Social problems and weighty issues are discussed and they often sensationalise the issues to make them more appealing to a broader audience.
John Corner suggests that there are 5 central features to a documentarywhich were Observation, Mise-en-Scene, Interview, Exposition and Dramatisation.
Observation – This is normally a reconstruction as they pretend that the camera is unseen and ignored. These reconstructions are mainly done to show the viewer what apparently happened so they gain more knowledge and understanding of the topic. The camera turns into the eye witness therefore it's like the viewer are becoming the eye witness to the scene. This is why observation works because it turns into a witness to the entire event.
Interview – TV documentaries rely on interviews however interviews can sometimes contrast with observations. There are two ways in which you can film an interview, Sometimes pictures are usually dubbed over the interviewee to make more sense of the documentary as it shows relevant content, it's also used to engage the audience and keep their attention Another way is the interviews are full flowing yet because the film maker doesn't want the audiences attention to drift, the interview is shown in segments in various points of the documentary.
Dramatisation – Every documentary uses this. It is shown as the audience is the eyewitness as it appears to take place naturally in front of the camera, this is closely linked in with reconstructions yet these are based primarily on fact.
Mise-en-Scene – This tells the story as the documentary progresses and this allows the drama to unfold which advances the argument of exposition. The Mise-en-scene is shown most through two important factors - the people and the setting. If the documentary is about religious matters and they were to interview a priest, they wouldn't interview him in his own clothes, they would interview him in his religious attire to show who he is supposed to represent, although this type of construction is based on stereotypes, it is done so that the audience can relate and understand why they are there. Setting is also a major factor when being interviewed as the background has to strictly relate to what the person is talking about to avoid confusion and picture the scene.
Exposition – This is the line of argument, what it is trying to say to the audience. Description and commentary is used. It can either be one of two themes plain & direct (their own opinion) or indirect & hidden (They want you to make your own opinion).Less documentaries are choosing this indirect approach as audiences are relying on the media to tell them what to think instead of choosing to make their own thoughts on the matter. The narrator tells the audience what to think, however this can also be done by an observational sequence. However documentaries that rely on this fake observation generally have weak expositions.
Current affairs have a shorter deadline and move fast as events are topical and are ever changing and needs to relate to modern times however documentaries take months to complete as they are generally ongoing matters e.g. War/Religion . Current affairs are known as infotainment due to “The publics’ right to know” which is they believe that the public shouldn't be hidden from certain subjects as the public has much rights as experts and to find the truth in a situation whereas documentaries gain authority from higher connections that they have.
Documentaries rarely question the deeper organisation and fairness of society however documentaries have resulted in changes of law and legislations; an example of this was Ken Loach’s documentary ‘Cathy Come Home’ in 1966 on the BBC was a hard hitting documentary about the living conditions of homeless people which resulted in improved living conditions for the homeless such as building homeless shelters and opening the publics eyes to the struggle of their real lives.
“It is critical that film makers be rid of the fantasy that the documentary can be an unproblematic representation of reality and truth can be conveniently dispensed and received like valium – Dennis O Rourke
Ideas of truth and reality are conflicting at times as they attract counter claims of lies. Corner believed evidence rather than truth as recording technologies only record traces of the physical world. This can be used as evidence of actuality or reality, this evidence supports exposition. Sometimes only one side of the story is played out with a witness that fights for one side. People have come to believe that a documentary represents the transformed world we live in yet documentaries are the first to be cut when money is tight. The most popular documentaries contain Sex, Violence & Law and Order as people have their own personal conflicting opinion on these subjects, however controversial documentaries aren’t popular with TV networks as they offend advertisers therefore they don’t want to be associated with them.
A documentary is a three way process, they need to know these three pieces of information to start a documentary – Who is the documentary aimed at? Who are in this documentary? Who will want to view their documentary?
Documentaries are aimed at societies victims as society feels the need to protect the people who can't stand up for their own rights; this is why they use humans as their evidence in their expositions. Big Brother is loosely connected to this point through the use of stereotypes as the people that are portrayed through these aren't necessarily true. If the audience watches something that they don't agree with, they will feel the need to help and protect them e.g. Big Brother racial scandal of 2007
Types of documentaries
Fully Narrated – This is known as the direct mode as it uses a total off screen voice over, this is usually referred to as “The voice of God” as it shows a sense of authority as if everything that has been said is complete fact and also because the voice is narrating every action that is going on the screen. This type of documentary are normally used when making nature documentaries.
Fly on the wall – This is also nicknamed cinema verite; this type of documentary is almost always observational with no commentary or narration used. The camera will normally convey the scene of a chilling event because cameras usually affect the behaviour of their subjects yet because they don’t know they’re being filmed, they act differently. It has become extremely popular over recent years for catching out professionals that don’t do the work that is suggested. The process of editing used will provoke more meaning to the viewer e.g. If there was a worker who didn’t do as much work as they should of, dissolves could connote passing of time.
Self reflective – The subject acknowledges the presence of the camera as they speak directly to the film maker. Critics say that self reflecting documentaries can be quite confusing as it draws attention to the presenter rather than the subject matter of the actual documentary.
Mixed – This documentary could be a mixture of all different types of documentary such as interviews, observations and narrative. For example - The voice of God would adopt a more modern news report style whilst a journalist could be speaking into the camera at the same time as visuals are used to anchor meaning whilst the action continues.
Docudrama – A re-enactment of an event as it was supposed to happen. Elements of argument and expositions are combined with fictional narrative, although it is based on fact, it can be misleading and dangerous due to this creativity. For example the Hillsborough 1996 documentary made people believe that the whole reason this incident happened was due to poor security.
Docusoaps – This has been a phenomenon of recent years as it shows the daily lives of people from a range of different jobs such as Airport & Cruise liners. Many dispute that these are genuine documentaries as they are aware of the presence of the camera therefore they would act different, yet they are enormously popular and low cost to produce.
Planning
The topic of the documentary is very important. You should already have a pre knowledge of the subject so that it’s easier to include and influence the documentary from your own life experiences, however it is most important not to have strong emotional attachments to it as this can cause the documentary to become bias.
Visuals
You need to plan what visuals will be shown in your documentary and whether there are certain pieces of evidence that can be used to back up this view. Also you need the documentary to contain a fair mixture of action based pictures and archive footage to show that the documentary you’re presenting is not just based on opinions, but hard facts.
Interviews
Interviews can be literally held anywhere however the setting will generally affect the meaning of it e.g. If the interview is being taken place at the persons home, it shows a more relaxed informal atmosphere yet if it was taken place in a town centre because of the crowds of people, it gives the interviewee a sense of anonymity and this unusual setting usually adds drama to the documentary. The setting is also important for the answers they give as due to this anonymity in the crowd, they could be more likely to answer honestly and within a home environment because they are more comfortable in their own setting, this could make them more likely to answer more personal questions due to the professional set up. When interviewing the person, it is important to start off with clear factual questions and then begin to ask for more personal detailed answers, this is done so that the interviewee can form an increasing trust with the interviewer.
Vox Pops
These are normally light and humorous and produce a sense of relief from hard facts. Due to the editing process of vox pops, many people will be interviewed so they can be edited quickly together to create a montage of answers; this is why the majority of vox pops take place in street interviews as it would be too time consuming to go to many different peoples houses.
Narrative Conventions
Documentaries rely on traditional conventions of narrative structure as it has a definite beginning, middle and an end. The central questions are always posed at the beginnings so then conflict can be offered. The middle section is always complicated and compelling which usually includes people and their opinions on the matter. There is often a blockage as well, which is when the viewer thinks that the documentary is close to ending therefore they continue to watch to see the conclusion however at the end, the exposition is clearly apparent and it has no doubt in what it says, although there is usually a conflict between different beliefs and opinions, if the film maker wants to bring about a clear message then this conflict will be slightly bias towards their views, if not the closing argument will be presented with two strong views for the viewer to decide it’s own opinion on the subject.
