Documentary Research
Documentary Genres:
Reflexive
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Observational |
Participatory |
Expository |
Reflexive
The reflexive documentary is concerned, not only with the subject matter covered, but also the ways in which the programme itself achieves that coverage by reflecting on the production process itself. By constantly drawing attention to processes of construction and by questioning the documentary's traditional claims to truth and authority, it refuses to offer a single viewpoint from which to make sense of the chosen material. This can be achieved by explicit acknowledgement of the camera and crew, by deliberate juxtaposition of sound and image that seem to undermine one another. Occasionally, the reflexive documentary works by introducing stylistic or reconstructed elements self-concsciously borrowed from fictional film or television.
Observational
The observational documentary refuses the interpretative framework of a narrator, preferring to allow the visual material to tell the story itself as the events happen. It creates the impression that events are unfolding naturally in front of the camera and that the audience is being given unmediated access to the material. The documentary makers will also attempt to remain invisible and unobtrusive, only observing and never interfering with the action of the events.
Participatory
The participatory documentary takes on the opposite style utilised by a observational documentary. The filmmaker is foregrounded in the participatory mode, making it explicit that the film is made from their point of view. The filmmaker is often the central character in the film with the emphasis on their interaction with the people that they meet and these people's reaction to them. Techniques include the filmmaker's voiceover, hand-held camera, and an emphasis on informal interviews.
Expository
The expository documentary is probably the most familiar to audiences. The aim of a expository documentary is usually to inform the audience about a place, an event, a person etc with which they are not familiar. Expository documentaries will often develop an argument throughout the film itself. One of the conventions a this type of documentary is that it is not objective. The traditional techniques of this genre of documentary include the use of voiceover narration, commenting on the images seen and explains what is happening directly to the audience.
Foo Fighters: Sonic Highway
"Foo Fighters Sonic Highways is an American TV documentary series created for HBO by Dave Grohl. The documentary was made concurrently with the Foo Fighters' upcoming eighth album Sonic Highways. Grohl described the project as "a love letter to the history of American music". The series debuted on October 17, 2014."
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Analysis Of The Camera Work Present In Foo Fighters: Sonic Highway
While researching the documentary entitled Foo Fighters: Sonic Highway I focused on analysising and understanding the director's use of the camera. Studying the different uses of camera angles, along with the frame composition of the shots. My first impressions of this documentary were that it was a very artistic and stylised. It was evident that a great deal of dedicated time and considered effort was spent producing the documentry. This was likely partly because it was created by and directed by Dave Grohl the band leader, and therefore, a strong sense of passion shone through.
The documentary opened with the audience being introduced to each of the band members. The opening scene took place in a car, which was logical because the idea of the documentary is of the band's journey recording in different cities across America. The shots in this scene were handheld and gave off a very realistic impression. This is likely to suggest to the audience that, from the start, the footage they are too see throughout the documentary is very real and nothing is faked for the sake of the camera. This idea is further backed by the use of fish eye lenses in many of the scenes within the studios. The use of such cameras also expresses a sense of realism because it seems as if the cameras are almost hidden or security cameras. Thus the audience believes that the cast are unaware of the cameras and so expect to witness real and unpolished moments of these artist that would usually not be seen. After the brief introductions to the band members, the documentary continues with establishing shots of the city of Chicago. All of these establishing shots are fast moving tracking or panning shots, which seems to give the impression that Chicago is a busy and fast moving city. The composition also focuses heavily on the grayscale and achromatic sights of a city which fits with the rather stylish grayscale colour scheme of the documentary.
The camera work during the interviews is very effective and engaging. Most of the interviews open with a wide shot with the interviewee in centre frame. The wide shot is effective becomes it opens up the rest of the frame to indicate unspoken details to the audience. The use of mise-en-scene during these wide shots are effective because the subject is in a room that reflects who they are and what they do. Examples of this include the interview with the band's sound designer, which was shot in the studio with the mixing desk in the background; and the interview with a blues artist surronded by their instruments and memorabilia. During the interview, the wide shots become less frequent and the director adopts more medium and close up shots. This brings the audience both physically closer to the subject, and perhaps emotionally closer aswell. Throughout the documentary, there was also a noticable use of a very shallow depth of field that very effective at focusing the audience's attention what on the director's chosen subject.
The documentary opened with the audience being introduced to each of the band members. The opening scene took place in a car, which was logical because the idea of the documentary is of the band's journey recording in different cities across America. The shots in this scene were handheld and gave off a very realistic impression. This is likely to suggest to the audience that, from the start, the footage they are too see throughout the documentary is very real and nothing is faked for the sake of the camera. This idea is further backed by the use of fish eye lenses in many of the scenes within the studios. The use of such cameras also expresses a sense of realism because it seems as if the cameras are almost hidden or security cameras. Thus the audience believes that the cast are unaware of the cameras and so expect to witness real and unpolished moments of these artist that would usually not be seen. After the brief introductions to the band members, the documentary continues with establishing shots of the city of Chicago. All of these establishing shots are fast moving tracking or panning shots, which seems to give the impression that Chicago is a busy and fast moving city. The composition also focuses heavily on the grayscale and achromatic sights of a city which fits with the rather stylish grayscale colour scheme of the documentary.
The camera work during the interviews is very effective and engaging. Most of the interviews open with a wide shot with the interviewee in centre frame. The wide shot is effective becomes it opens up the rest of the frame to indicate unspoken details to the audience. The use of mise-en-scene during these wide shots are effective because the subject is in a room that reflects who they are and what they do. Examples of this include the interview with the band's sound designer, which was shot in the studio with the mixing desk in the background; and the interview with a blues artist surronded by their instruments and memorabilia. During the interview, the wide shots become less frequent and the director adopts more medium and close up shots. This brings the audience both physically closer to the subject, and perhaps emotionally closer aswell. Throughout the documentary, there was also a noticable use of a very shallow depth of field that very effective at focusing the audience's attention what on the director's chosen subject.
Louis Theroux: America's Most Hated Family In Crisis
"A 2011 BBC documentary film presented and written by Louis Theroux, who revisits the family at the core of the Westboro Baptist Church. It is a follow up to 2007's 'The Most Hated Family in America', also written and presented by Theroux. But he returns to the Phelps family to find that several members have left the cult, and that they are being sued."
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Analysis of Participatory Conventions in LT:AMHFIC
Doctor Who Extra
"Doctor Who Extra is a documentary series created by the BBC as a complement to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The 10 minute show is made for release on BBC iPlayer on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. It is also available on the BBC Red Button service and the BBC YouTube channel."
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Michael Jackson's This Is It
"Michael Jackson's This Is It is a documentary–concert film directed by Kenny Ortega that documents Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for his final concert series scheduled to start on 13 July 2009, but canceled due to his death eighteen days prior on 25 June. The film consists of his rehearsing musical numbers and directing his team, and additional behind the scenes footage including dancer auditions and costume design."
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Document Analysis of The Narrative In This Is It
Please Subscribe
"Please Subscribe is a feature-length documentary that gives an exclusive look and explores the phenomenon behind of some of the most influential and unique content creators currently taking the world of online entertainment by storm. It never aired on Television or in cinemas. It had a worldwide release "
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Katy Perry: Part of Me
"Katy Perry: Part of Me is a 2012 autobiographical documentary film on Katy Perry. It was directed by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz and released in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Ireland on July 5, 2012. The film features interviews with Perry and her loved ones documenting the trajectory of her life, containing various clips from her childhood and teenage years as well as her career and personal life."
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Presentation Analysis of Sound in Katy Perry: Part of Me
Educating The East End
"Educating the East End is a British documentary television programme broadcast on Channel 4. Its format is based on the BAFTA Award-winning 2011 series Educating Essex and the National Television Award-winning 2013 series, Educating Yorkshire. It follows the everyday lives of the staff and students of Frederick Bremer School in East London which is a comprehensive secondary school."
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Voiceover Analysis Of The Editing In Educating The East End
Transcript of Analysis
My research focused entirely on the editing while I researching the Channel 4 TV Documentary series Educating The East End. The technique I thought was incredible effective and very entertaining was the use of a montage to open the episode. This very fast paced montage gave the audience an insight into what is to come in the series. The audience is instantly engaged by a most interesting montage because through this editing technique, the producers are able to display so much excellent footage without worrying about giving it any context; thus allowing the audience to soak up a variety of different aspects of the documentary without having to watch past the first five minutes.
After the audience witness this brief taster of the episode to come, the pace slows abruptly after the titles. The cuts get longer and the audience is witness to a selection of establishing shots of the school where the documentary is set. This was effective because after the music induced, face cut, action filled montage, the audience can being to start connecting with the characters chronological. The establishing shots also make it evident that the scene is set at the beginning of the day. The editing within the first scene acts with similar intentions as the establishing shots themselves. The first scene is a very good indication of how rest of the episode is edited. The audience is intruded to the use of formal interviews, interjected with relevant cutaway, along with scenes observing dialogue between, for example, a teacher and a student. During scenes of dialogue, the editing follows the speed of the conversation. If the conversation is heated and fast paced; the editing too will witness a high frequency of fast cuts cutting back between the subject engaged in the conversation.
After the audience witness this brief taster of the episode to come, the pace slows abruptly after the titles. The cuts get longer and the audience is witness to a selection of establishing shots of the school where the documentary is set. This was effective because after the music induced, face cut, action filled montage, the audience can being to start connecting with the characters chronological. The establishing shots also make it evident that the scene is set at the beginning of the day. The editing within the first scene acts with similar intentions as the establishing shots themselves. The first scene is a very good indication of how rest of the episode is edited. The audience is intruded to the use of formal interviews, interjected with relevant cutaway, along with scenes observing dialogue between, for example, a teacher and a student. During scenes of dialogue, the editing follows the speed of the conversation. If the conversation is heated and fast paced; the editing too will witness a high frequency of fast cuts cutting back between the subject engaged in the conversation.