Genre analysis

The purpose of a documentary is to document an event, which needs evidence. In a documentary you usually see actual footage, but reconstuctions can be used. This is a definate for a documentary as it is key for inbetween cuts. Adding a voice over is also a definate as it add meaning to the documentary. The definition of documentary is problematic. In present day there are numerous accounts of documentaries. Some of these represent elements of the truth, though some may have different ideas.

Giving a factual account of an event does not always need to include actual footage, as some documentaries are staged, using actors and sets to evoke meaning and feelings for the audience.
- John corner 1995.

It is important to realise that even in a documentary a high level of construction takes place. A documentary does not always have to analyse, it can also be descriptive.

John Grierson and his team of GPO's defined the documentary. (the creative treatment of acuallity)






Documentaries were also used to boost morale and lift Britain in the wartime, not to mention all previous wars and disasters around the globe.

The schedule of a documentry is vital, and the positioning is tricky. You need to make sure that the documentary will fit in between the two programmes before and after, and make sure that it is relevent to them. Also documentaries tend to be emotional or sensational to try and create a bias opinion from the viewers. Others offer a balanced viewpoint leaving the viewer to decide.

In all documentaries, authenthicity is important. It is impossible to capture all events in their natural state therefore some elements will be faked.

Truth is what you actually come away with at the end of seeing the film. i mean its your truth that your seeing. Everybody who makes a film is putting their own truth on to screen.
Diane Tammes, Film maker.

Current affairs programmes can easily clarify this point.
Current affairs programmes are on a shorted deadline that most documentaries (a documentary may take months to create) and also have more fact as the points are more up to date and topical.
C.A.P are aiming to provid info-tainment.
The public right to know is the main reason for making a documentary.







Interviews
There are several different ways to show a documentary, there may be a full flowing interview that is just continually played, or there may be segments of interviews shown to keep the interview feeling fresh and to prevent the audience from getting bored. Dramatisation allows the audience to be a eyewitness to dramatic events making it more exciting, this may be based on facts and a reconstruction or the reconstruction may be some fiction. Mise En Scene allows the drama to unfold and can be used to advance the arguement of exposition. Exposition is the line of arguement and is the description and commentary within the documentary. The reason for the documentary may be direct, plain, indirect or hidden. Documentaries that rely soley on observation may be problematic however narrators may tell audience what is done through observational sequence. Current affairs programmes can also pose problems as they have to be produced quickly as the events are topical and the may can be lost and there is therefore a short deadline. This is problematic as documentaries can take months, and are there to inform whereas current affairs documentaries are there to info-tainment. The main reason for documentaries is the publics right to know and this therefore means that documentaries gain authority from the democratic process.

John Corner of liverpool decided on the centeral elements of documentary. He said that-
-Observation
-Mise en scene
-Interview
-Dramatisation
-Exposition

were the key factors for a sucessful documentary. Most documentaries contain some observation. Usually the programme makers pretend that the camera is not seen. Documentaries rely heavily on interviews which can contract with the observations seen. Sometimes still animations, photographs and drawings are dubbed over the interviewee to anchor meaning to what is being said. The interview should also be full flowing.

You always need to remember that the audience is an eye witness to the dramatic events. the drama seems to take place naturally infront of the camera, which is not actually happening. Along with this Mise en Scene comes to be a vital part, as things such like the background, colour, clothing and type of person should link in to what the documentary is focusing on. This advances the audience.

Exposition is all about the point of view of an arguement, and is made up of description and combined with commontary. This is all about what the documentary is trying to create and say to the audience. It can be plain or direct, indirect or hidden. Then you could say that a documentary using only reconstructed footage and avoiding archive can be weak.

Documentaries have been known to to result in change of law and legislation. Ken Loach's 'Cathy come home' from the BBC in 1966 shows this.

Narrative Conventions
This relies heavily on the traditional conventions of narrative. There must be a definitie beginning middle and end to a documentary and the central questions of the documentay can be posed at the beginning of the documentary. The middle should be complicated and compelling, this will normally focus on the people within the documentary and their opinion. The middle may present a problem and a blockage where t he documentay is about to come to a close and something stops it. This is where the exposition is fully apparent and a resolution is offered. At this point the audience is in no doubt and the conflict between people in the documentary is entirely apparent, this is where the narrative convention is used to highlight conflict.

When planning a documentary the topic is of key importance, people may use their own life experiences and influences from their daily lives. Manageable topics are the best as they allow ideas to flow easily. Newspapers, magazines and notice boards are all sources of ideas for documentaries, simple is always good. A basic knowledge of the chosen topic is helpful however a strong emotional attachment to the subject is not neccesasarily a good thing. Only narrowly focus on the topic, don't be too broad with what the documentary is saying.
On the visuals there must be evidence and action based pictures included within the documentary. Archieve footage may also be included and this can be based on facts. Interviews can also be filmed anywhere, if the documentary is meant to have an informal feel then the interviewees home is a practical place for the interview to take place. The setting will affect the meaning of the documetnary and the meaning of the documentary for the audience. Setting can add drama to the documentary and it is best to begin the interview with relatively factual questions and then move onto more detailed questions.
Vox pops are essential to documentaries, they add interest and can be made to be light and humerous, this creates a sense of relief from the hard facts used witin the documentary. Vox pops can be done on the street interviewing the public about the chosen topic.

Documentaries can be a direct mode of address or may vary to using off screen voice overs that match well with the visuals on the scree, nature documentaries often use this. The camera is used to convey chilling events and the camera can affect the behavior of the subjects. The process of editing creates meaning within the documentary.

Fly on The Wall Documentaries
These type of documentaries draw on cinema verite, they are almost always observational documentaries and the cameras are left to left to record the subjects without interference. An example of this is the Roger Cook Reports.

A mixed documentary approaches an interview in an observational and narrative based documentary and this helps to advance the argument. The narration is often done in a modern news reporting style. Self reflective documentaries such as Louis Theroux acknowledges the presence of a camera, and those speaking often speak directly to the film maker. The documentary maker is talked to while stood behind the camera. This type of documentary can be said to be confusing as it draws attention to the film makers.

Docudrama
A docudrama is usually about an event that is supposed to have happened, and is done in the style of a re-enactment. Argument and exposition is combined with a fictional narrative and it is all usually based on fact. At best these documentaries can be misleading and at worst the docudrama may be dangerous.

Docusoap
Docusoaps is a phenomenon of recent years, they usually follow people in their different positions and jobs within society, for example they may be filmed in the airport or on cruiseliners. There is some dispute on whether docusoaps are actual documentaries. These types of documentaries are low cost to produce and are enormously popular.
Steven Barnett commented that docusoaps have dumbed down real issues of documentary and chosen to win ratings with friendly rating topics.

When planning a documentary the topic is of key importance, people may use their own life experiences and influences from their daily lives. Manageable topics are the best as they allow ideas to flow easily. Newspapers, magazines and notice boards are all sources of ideas for documentaries, simple is always good. A basic knowledge of the chosen topic is helpful however a strong emotional attachment to the subject is not neccesasarily a good thing. Only narrowly focus on the topic, don't be too broad with what the documentary is saying.
On the visuals there must be evidence and action based pictures included within the documentary. Archieve footage may also be included and this can be based on facts. Interviews can also be filmed anywhere, if the documentary is meant to have an informal feel then the interviewees home is a practical place for the interview to take place. The setting will affect the meaning of the documetnary and the meaning of the documentary for the audience. Setting can add drama to the documentary and it is best to begin the interview with relatively factual questions and then move onto more detailed questions.
Vox pops are essential to documentaries, they add interest and can be made to be light and humerous, this creates a sense of relief from the hard facts used witin the documentary. Vox pops can be done on the street interviewing the public about the chosen topic.

Marketing movies.

Marketing movies was shown on BBC 2, and the documentary is mixed, as it uses a voice over, interviews and also uses archive footage. The theme the documentary looks into is how to market films, the target audience, and how the target audience helps sell a film. From the beginning it was fast paced editing to draw the audience in and make it look exciting. The middle of the documentary shows how marketing audiences can make more money and how this can help the films. It also shows the stages of mouse hunt. At the end of the documentary it shows you the two trailers made for mouse hunt and leaves the audience to decide, and it also makes you want to watch the film.
Throughout the documentary the camera was more or less static, and it used lots of close- ups and mid shots to show the importance of their role in the movie marketing industry. Also there was a deep focus, changing into a shallow focus of the poster- as the interviewee was talking about it. There are also panning shots to show all of the merchandise, which is effective as somebody was talking about it and how much money is made from it. Many high angles of London are shown to show its importance, as well as a zoom in the archive footage on Jonathan Ross to show his importance.
Mise en scene is important as it has to be relevant to what is being said. Marketing Movies did this well as during the interviews they included posters in the background as it is clearly relevant. The interviewees also dress smart in suits to show their importance. The documentary picks a target audience of Britain, and you can tell by the voice over being spoken in an English accent and many cut away shots of London. The sound involved in a documentary is key, but marketing movies does not utilise sound very well. There is much diegetic sound included, such as the interviewee’s voice, and the loud sounds at the premiers. The non diegetic sounds used didn’t really link in to the documentary as they were all up- beat and fast. The documentary could have used more sound effects from the movies that they were discussing so it could link in more.
The editing was fast and used shorter cuts at the start, to draw the audience in, whereas during the interviews longer takes were used, and relevant cut-a way’s created meaning for the audience. The archive material used was limited, and only really used clips from Mouse hunt. The graphics were simple and effective, and were all relevant to the documentary.

Lara Croft- That thing .

The documentary is mixed as it uses interviews, and lots of archive footage such as game and film footage. The theme discussed- is Lara croft an icon? The documentary also looks into the gaming world and how the media influences it. At the beginning of the documentary there are gamer’s interviewed and video footage of the actual games. The main bulk of the documentary gives different opinions on how during the games Lara Croft was given bigger breasts in the second game, and shows the kick up made about this. Towards the end of the documentary, it shows how successful the game was and how this had a great impact on the money made from the films.
Mostly through the sequence it was a static camera to concentrate on the importance of the interviewee’s, but also you see panning shots across people playing the game, which is relevant to what the voice over is talking about. There was also a canted angle shot to shows the importance of the creator of the games.
There were many factors of mise en scene used that created meaning during the documentary. In the background of the interviews there were video games being shown to give the audience a better idea on what the speaker was talking about. Also throughout the documentary it had an effect of a dark, greenish tint to try and make it look like an actual game, which didn’t work very well. All factors of the mise en scene were centred on the computer game which was a big bonus. Sound also played a key role in this documentary and was used well. From the game different sound effects were used such as gun shots and tigers which show what the game is all about. Also the films soundtrack is played through the interview

The Devil Made Me Do It

The genre of this documentary was a mixed documentary, this is because there was a voice over guiding the audience through what was happening, observation was used to prove points that were given and also they used reconstruction was used to dramatis the programme.
The themes that run through the documentary touch on a lot, there is the murder of the nun who lived in the town who hadn’t heard of a murder since WWII, about different people religion and beliefs – God and the devil, teenagers and youth rebellion and also about how the media can have effect on a crime.
It first shows Marilyn Manson fans and the way they act at concerts. Then It goes in to the hard hitting story of the nun who was brutally murder in her home town by three teenage girls, the way in which they use the camera to entice the audience; they use a canted angle with the camera on the floor down a dark alley way. This is a representation of how the nun would have been so makes the audience feel like the nun. They use sound effects to make it really dramatic, such as: heart beat, phone ringing and the girls talking and what they said to the nun while she was dying.

The middle takes the audience through how the police found out that the three teenage girls did it and how they linked this to Marilyn Manson as the girls seemed to have a ‘fixation’ with him. Also shows you how Marilyn Manson acts at concerts and how so many young people are brainwashed by his songs. This documentary is balanced as it gives Manson a chance to let him have his say, but in doing so they always have the camera on a high angle to him, to make him look superior and make him look like a puppet master which may sway the audience.

In the end it leaves the audience to decided if the girls were influenced by Manson or they were just cold hearted murdered. We also find out about what the girls are doing now, a black screen with white writing on telling us how many months the girls had to serve and that two weren’t sorry but one was, this may make the audience forgive that girl.

Many different camera shots were used during the documentary and these are either because it helps to influence the audience such as the women who had a close-up when she spoke which makes her seem important. Or the programme was just trying to get a shot such like when they used a handheld camera when trying to get a shot of one of the girls getting in the car and speeding off. This worked well though because it added to the frantic atmosphere.

The different styles of mise-en-scene where used as where the murder took place the programme actually went there which makes the audience feel like they are part of it. The women who seemed important wore a red jumper to show her importance and that she maybe could be power hungry. They were also on location at Marilyn Manson concert and it showed how his fans wore the same make-up and dressed like him, which shows the audience that he has such a big influence on his fans.
Editing was used in many ways in this documentary, a lot of cutaways were used to show the audience evidence or to back up a piece of information, and it also helped the audience to keep up with story. Match on action was used right in this documentary especially when the Marilyn Manson concert was on we got to see what he was doing and then the reaction of the crowd and of the women watching it for the investigation.
Archive footage was used a lot in this documentary when they showed Marilyn Mason music videos of him cutting himself and the Columbine student killer and how they was linked to Marilyn Mason. Also footage from the trail and the nun’s funeral, but the nun’s funeral might not have been real and could have been a reconstruction.
The graphics used where very simple so they wouldn’t take the attention off the person talking. They were white small plain text and came up on the bottom left.

The Music Biz.

This documentary was a mixed because it used different types of media such as photos, interviews and achieves footage. The different themes used where about Meatloaf trying to make a comeback, how to market a product and how much it cost and also about how important the Christmas number one is to get.
The narrative structure use is set out in a clear beginning, middle and end. The start of the documentary has the opening titles of a magazine and people talking about music as if they were on the front of the magazine. Then it shows us about Meatloaf and how he is trying to make a comeback. The middle shows conflict between ‘Virgin’ as they have paid out so much out for they video and promoting him, some even had to re-mortgage their houses; and then at the end we see all the money being paid off and Meatloaf was number one for 8 weeks.
http://sleevage.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/meatloaf_bat_out_of_hell.jpg
The camera work in the documentary are very simple, mostly of people being interviewed just had mid-shot them with a steady cam so the audience can concentrate on what the person is saying. But there is one place in the documentary with bad continuity as they broke the 180° rule by swapping where he was sat making his watch being on the other wrist. There were many panning shorts of the people in the boarding room to show the audience how many people this takes to do make a CD. There were many zooms when they were on location so that they didn’t get in the way of filming they zoomed in so we could see what was happening.
Mise-en-scene in the documentary was used a lot, the interviews where done with a blue screen behind them so they were able to have videos of meatloaf playing behind them so this linked in well with the documentary. They also showed the village people promoting the song so they would be Christmas number 1. Also they had the set of where they filmed for the music video, ‘I would do anything for love’ and that included a lot of make-up and costumes as an audience we see that Meatloaf like to perform his songs and not just sing them.

Different types of sounds were used, diagetic when the people were being interviews and then non-diagetic sounds for the music over the documentary which where songs that would have been in the charts at that time (1993). They also used sound effects of a heartbeat when building up to the comeback of Meatloaf.
Editing had loads of relevance to the documentary, cutaways were used to support what people were saying and to break up the interviews. There was a lot of fast pace editing to show the conflict between the different music business and artists to try and get to be Christmas number one. Also affects were used like dissolve to break up between shots, instead of doing this they could of use a cutaway to make it flow better.
The different archive footage used where music videos of people who were fighting for Christmas number one to show the audience who Meatloaf was up against. Also The Grammy’s were shown to see if Meatloaf would win any awards and to see if his hard work would pay off.
The graphics they used looked very old fashioned, they came up in a grey box with the logo of the programme at the left hand side and had white text with the person name, what job they did and who they worked for to show their importance.

The Falling Man

The falling man is a documentary about a falling man from the world trade centre- 9/11. The documentary is mixed, as it contains a voice over, archive footage, interviews and graphics. The themes looked into in this documentary is the controversy caused by the falling man, and what happened. The documentary also looks into the falling man and tries to find out who he was. At the beginning of the documentary, you see the image of the man falling with the narrator speaking about the day, and how controversial this image was. Then you see interviews of people who escaped death and people who were involved in the event. The middle looks further into the picture, and what it meant to people, and what effect the newspaper “ the morning call” had on the image, showing it bigger and on its first page. It also showed the story of “the falling man” and how professionals tried to discover who he was. The end saw a woman give her view on the falling man, and what he symbolises.

The camera shots in the documentary are mixed, as there is a range of different shots to evoke meaning and draw the audience in. The camera always seemed to be shaking, almost like you were in the world trade centre. Also you see tracking shots of “the morning call” newspaper to show how many people saw the image of the falling man. There were close ups during the interviews to show the importance of the people who were being interviewed. There were also extreme close ups on the falling man image, trying to get the audience to see what he looked like and this keeps the audience watching. Zoom ins and zoom out are also used, ineffectively as they didn’t make sense, on the funeral of the falling man.

The mise en scene included in the documentary was basic. All the interviews were held at home, to give people such as Jaqluine Hernandez the comfort of her own home, and also in offices and the working place to give the idea of that a terrible attack could happen anywhere, and how average office workers were effected by the crashes of 9/11. The interviewees in their working place all wore smart, working clothes, and relatives were all dressed in black, so you know they were supposedly related to “the falling man”. The graphics were also very basic. They were all in black and white, which were only there for a quick overview of who is talking, what was being shown, or a location. This was to enforce the actual footage of the documentary and not to take the eyes of it. The location was either at the bottom left, or bottom right to make it simple.

The documentary consisted of much archive footage, including hand held footage from the event, news footage from the day, pictures of people involved such as fire men, police men and victims, interviews of people who had lost and trying to find there friends or relatives, and the picture of “the falling man”, and much more. The archive footage gives the viewer a sense of sympathy, and also puts the audience in the event. This was used effectively and was all in order of the events before, during and after. Sound also linked in with this as you could hear screaming from the day, and the voices of people looking for their relatives of friends. There was also a bed of music placed over the voice over to create eerie feelings and to show what a disaster 9/11 was. The bed of music changed with every interview or shot, giving a real sense of emotion. The editing was very simple. Mostly cuts and fades. At the start, the cuts and fades were fast to keep the audience interested, and during the middle the pace decreased to make the viewers listen to every word.

The Rise and Rise of Kurt Cobain

The rise and rise of Kurt Cobain is a documentary from VH1 looking at the times of his life that could have been significant to his death. The documentary is mixed as it contains interviews with some of his friends, a voice over and archive footage such as photographs and music videos. The beginning of the documentary gives you an insight of who Kurt really was and how he lived, his interests, and his parents divorcing. The middle shows the growth of Nirvana and what Kurt Cobain turned to, to handle the stress and fear of journalism. The end of the documentary asks the question “why did he take his own life?” and what he created in this world.

The camera work is simple. During the interviews you either see a close up or mid shot, which just shows you the type of person being interviewed. During the part where they discuss Kurt wanting to join the navy, there a few different types of shots including a zoom out, extreme close ups and pans. This gives the audience a feel of what Kurt Cobain wanted to get into. Also when showing the diaries from his flat, there are zoom ins on certain words of importance. When showing you Nirvana live, the footage is archive, but is always shaky. The mise en scene is simple and in the interviews, all the backgrounds are black, apart from archive footage of an interview with Kurt, which was on a sofa looking comfy. This shows the audience that this person is centre of attention. The graphics were all simple, so they didn’t take anything away from the documentary. They were all white and positioned in the bottom left of the screen. The editing was always quick and upbeat, to reflect on Kurt Cobain and how his life was like this, but all were cuts.

The sound on The Rise and Rise of Kurt Cobain consisted of a voice over. Also throughout the documentary nirvanas songs were played, when relevant to what an interviewee was talking about or when the narrator was talking about a certain album or song. This gave the documentary more of an upbeat feel. The documentary is full of archive footage, and this is effective, as it is shows Kurt’s true journal, his drawings, and video ideas.