- purpose of documentaries - to document i.e. report with evidence something that has actually happened. It can show this by using actually footage or reconstructions. The facts that make up a documentary are mediated.
- types of documentaris - 6 main types
- Fully narrated - an off screen voice over is used to make sense of the visuals and anchor their meaning e.g. natural history documentaries
- Fly on the wall - origins in cinema verite (truthful). The camera is observing real life as it happens and the participants are unaware of the cameras prescence.
- Mixed - using a combination of interview observation and narration to advance the narrative.
- Self-reflective - when the subjects of the documentary acknowledge the presence of the camera and often speak directly to the film maker.
- Docudrama - re-enactment of events as they are supposed to have happened
- Docusoap - a whole series containing occupation based characters. It also has a multi-strand narrative.
Codes and Conventions of Documentaries:
- handheld camera - capture actuality footage where necessary
- actuality footage
- cutting
- background music
- voice over - links everything together, in standard english, age and gender are relative to either audience or subject, emotionaless (statement of facts), all questions are edited out during interviews, music used is relevant
- interviews - CU or MCU is conventional, stationary camera, eyeline roughly 1/3 of the way down the screen, framed to left or right of shot, no background noise
- credits
- subtitles of the interviewee
- still images
- tracking
- mixed
- single-strand
- varied camera angles to keep audience entertained
- archive material - from a variety of sources e.g. films, TV progs, newspapers, magazines, internets, music vids, still photographs
- panning
- steadycam
- establishing shots
- POV shot - sometimes used to position the audience in the action
- still images (slow zoom)
- mise en scene - anchors their relevance to the subject
- graphics - used to translate where necessary. title is unique. name and relevance to subject or their role of the interviewee is usually 2 lines and anchors who they are and their relevance to the subject.
- narrative structure - open/closed/circular, single strand, most documentaries are non-linear
Narrative Structure:
- construction of reality - edited, camera work (hand held, tripod)
- gatekeeping - controlling the flow of information and selecting and subjecting the info
- open V closed - open is when there are loose ends, and there are unanswered questions remaining. closed is when all questions are answered and there are no loose ends. open in a documentary either has an answered or unanswered question which leaves the audience to make up their own minds about the answer. closed in a documentary has a clear start middle and end.
- single strand V multi strand - single strand has 1 narrative while multi strand has more than 1 narrative e.g. a soap
- linear V non linear - linear is when a documentary follows a chronological order, and non linear is where time is disrupted e.g. flashbacks and flashforwards
- circular narrative - start and end of documentary are the same so the audience gets exposition of the arguements. documentary does not answer the question and leaves the audience to make up their own mind
THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT:
TYPE OF DOCUMENTARY: mixed
THEMES: Religious, good & evil, the power of the media
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: Single strand
CAMERAWORK: close up of religious figures on church, wide shot of area where the nun was killed, long shots of setting, tracking forwards of fan following car, wide shot of crowd responding to Manson, hand held camera when interviewing.
MISE-EN-SCENE: Police men investing follows narration, Marilyn Manson dressed dark, teenagers sat in room casually smoking – friends of the 2 killers, rain in long shot for dramatic effect, rock concert – young people dressed gothic.
SOUND: voice over, translation, sound of nun being beaten and stabbed, drumbeat represents heartbeat of when nun is being killed, religious music – spiritual, violin when prosecutor is speaking – dramatic effect
EDITING: cutting, slow motion, juxtaposition – religious music behind images of audience at Manson’s concert - gothicA
RCHIVE MATERIAL: news footage of policemen giving statement and finding evidence, footage from Manson’s concert.
GRAPHICS: credits, title of programme, subtitle of persons name who is being interviewed
MARKETING MEATLOAF
TYPE OF DOCUMENTARY: mixed
THEMES: music industry, marketing
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: voice over – sarcastic tone, non linear, single strand
CAMERAWORK: low camera angle, handheld camera, zoom on camera equipment being used during an interview, steady cam filming celebs, zoom on artists performing, POV shot – audience positioned as being part of the process, zoom in on Virgin Records logo, camera focuses on the name ‘Meatloaf’ throughout, close up of LP cover
MISE-EN-SCENE: man in suit – important, chairman of Virgin records dressed casually, chromakey
SOUND: voice over – non diagetic, non diagetic intense music when narrator is talking about Meatloaf, dark music – juxtapositioned with album covers, non diagetic – Meatloaf’s own music
EDITING: dissolve – super emposed into Meatloaf, fade from outside to inside Virgin Records, cut aways, stills of texts
ARCHIVE MATERIAL: footage of celebrities and screaming crowd, footage of music award ceremonies, footage of Meatloaf being interviewed and from one of his concerts, clippings from newspapers, clips from Top of the Pops, clips from the news, footage from David Letterman
GRAPHICS: title sequence – musicians introducing themselves, subtitles showing interviewees name and position
THAT THING
TYPE: mixed
THEME: video games, making games, gender representation
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: closed, single-strand, non linear
CAMERA WORK: close up of producer, medium close up - tilted frame and big close up of the inventor of the character, hand held cam, POV, tracking - someone walking in
EDITING: face of man being interviewed in computer screen - tilted frame, speed up of filming people testing game, chromakey, cutting - main editing feature
GRAPHICS: name and role on screen in font sans serif and no capital letters, credits
MISE EN SCENE: chromakey - blue/green screen, backgrounds where of extracts from the game, projection behind interviewee
ARCHIVE MATERIAL: tomb raider computer game, clips of Angelina Jolie interview, footage of Lara Croft game being played, Nike advert
9/11 FAKER
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-9-11-faker
TYPE: mixed - narrator and interviews
THEME: tragedy, terrorism
NARRATIVE: serious toned voice over
CAMERA WORK: closed up of barbed fence of ground zero to show intensity, steady cam when filming all interviews shows that it is personal between interviewee and audience, wide shot of people being interviewed, long shot showing the whole of NYC
MISE EN SCENE: interviewees in natural settings e.g. office, at home, setting for interview usually calm and relaxed and not much going on in background
SOUND: end of opening sequence there are screams which represents the effect the terrorist attack had on the public, dramatic music when describing tragic events, non-diagetic sound of voices in an office behind voice over - juxtaposed with office setting, voice over reinacting womans statement of her tragic event at 9/11, voice over of extract of womans email
EDITING: cuts - linking scenes together
ARCHIVE MATERIAL: actuality footage of the events which happened on 9/11, footage of a press conference, actuality footage of journalists
GRAPHICS: still images, name and subtitle under interviewee, opening titles, credits
THE HOSPITAL
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-hospital
TYPE: mixed
THEME: health, obese teenagers
NARRATIVE: voice over, single strang
CAMERA WORK: handheld camera used when filming opening sequence, mid close up during interviews of interviewee, handheld camera when filming surgery scenes, wide shot when operarting, close up of surgeons face and a handheld camera is used, POV shot looking through door, handheld camera used throughout footage of documentary, interviews - talking directly into camera as if they are speaking to audience
SOUND: intense music in opening sequence when filming the hospital, piano music - relaxing and calm, some questions heard during interviews, upbeat music during surgery - ironic, slow sad music - juxtaposed with voice voer speaking about upsetting situations
EDITING: cuts between scenes
ARCHIVE MATERIAL: no archive material used
GRAPHICS: opening titles, credits, interviewee name and position at hospital
Running order:
- inheritance - scheduling of programmes immediatley after a popular programme - to inherit audiences
- pre-echo - scheduling before a popular programme
- hammocking - placing programme between two popular programmes
