In a documentary their are always code and conventions that are regularly used. They tend to stick to these stereotypical conventions, in order to make it a successful documentary.
Codes and Conventions:
-Reconstructions
-Evidence
-Establishing Shots
-The interviewee is placed at one side of the a camera
-Their shoulders and heads are only shown in interviews (talking heads)
-Answers to questions
-The eyes are usually a third down the screen
-Mise-en-scene is used effectively
-Sound effects
-Experts
-Variety of camera angles
Title of programme: The Devil made me do it
Type of Documentary:
This was an investigatitive documentary, as it looked into the influence that Marilyn Manson has on the younger generation. Especially after a group of young girls killed a nun due tot he fact they were trying to do what the 'devil' told them; which in this case is Marilyn Manson.
Themes:
One of the strong themes in this documentary is rebellion, they focus a lot on how the girls feel the need to rebel against the constrictions of society. Another would be, religion mainly the contrast between satanism and christianity. The producer focuses greatly on the influence that Manson has on the younger generation, and whether the advice he gives is acceptable. The documentary also questions the reasons why someone would kill a nun for no reason. The documentary also loosely looks at music, celebrities, morality, and youth culture. Throughout these genres, Manson is focused on greatly.
Narrative Structure:
The documentary follows a circular narrative structure,this is a narrative that has certain plot points repeated. This is very effective as we do not forget important points. For example Marilyn Manson is repeated, in order to back up points for reasons why the girls would kill. The documentary starts off with Marilyn Manson's influence and history. It then changes to the murder of the nun, the murder is expalined in detail. We then move on to the days leading up to the court date and then the trial. However, certain parts are looked back on.
Camerawork:
The cameras paticularly focus on Marilyn Manson, so there are many close ups of him. There is also extreme close ups of his distinctive features, such as his eyes and make up. When they interview Manson, they place him at the right of the camera and he is not lookin into the camera. He is in fact talking to someone sat to the left and behind of the camera. This is very popular in interviews as it makes the shot look more professional. There is much contrast between shots, for example the cutaways may show a religious image of beauty but then contrast it with a satanic type picture of Manson. We also get some point of view shots, for example the nuns viewpoint. This is done to cause empathy and better understanding of the subject. Tracking shots are also used when following Manson, many of these are done with hand held cameras. This adds a more personal touch as we feel we are there with Manson. Some shots are covert, these are mainly high angle shots from buildings. This reflects the investigative genre.
Mise en Scene:
There is a lot of focus on Manson's make up and costume. They focus greatly on Mansons black and gothic clothing, the shows him as quite an unsual person compared to the clothing of everyday life. His make-up is one of his trade marks, there is much focus on his eyes as one is dark and one is white. This creates the illusion of an supernatural being, in this case Manson aims to create a satanic like image.He seems more down to earth becuase he isn't wearing as much make up, or far out clothing. Darker lighting is used on Manson, perhaps to higlight his darkness. His concerts are routinely showed, these have very dark lighting. The scene is very eerie. Yet they also try to show the positives aswell as negatives of Manson, they show him in a more normal way when he is interviewed.
Sound:
There is much use of non diagetic sound in this piece. For example the music used when on Manson changes greatly compared to when describing the murder. The music on Manson is louder, darker and quite scary. The music changes immediately when the reporter is talking to the father of a girl, the music is serious and is italian themed. The music is very emotive and evokes empathy. It is very thought prevoking and makes us question things. Diagetic sound is also used as we have people talking in interviews. The most used diagetic sound, is that of the screaming fans at Manson's concerts.
Editing:
There are many cutaways used to reflect a point being discussed but also to show the contrast (good and evil). Most cutaways are repeated. Parts of the conversation is cut off, for example we don't hear the question being asked to Manson. This is a techniques used in many documentaries. The pace of the documentary is very slow when talking about the murder but then changes to fast pace when on Manson.
Archive Material:
The reporters footage is archive, it is used to show the news footage from the time of the murders and trial. This is so that the documentary can reflect back.
Graphics:
When the people are being interviewed, there name is put underneath them sometimes with their profession. This is done in black and white, maybe to show contrast (good and evil). This helps to reinforce their point.
Title of Programme: Loose change
Type of documentary:
This is an investigatitive documentary, it is very informative and reflects back onto the 9/11 bombing. It is quite historical as it looks back onto the events of the day, yet it also informs us about their conspiracy theory. It suggests that the bombing was done purposely in order to make money.
Themes:
The main theme focused on is 9/11 and the events that happened before and on the day of 9/11. Another is conspiracy theory, this video explains that they believe 9/11 was done purposely by the american government. They also look at the government and what they keep a secret from the general public. The economy and terrorism is also looked at, as the producer believes that 9/11 was a not a terrorist attack and was in fact a government plot to help the economy. Demolition is also a theme, as there is much focus on the demolition of buildings and destruction in general.
Narrative Structure:
The documentart follows a linear narrative structure, as it goes from beginnig to end. The whole piece is narrated. The first 6 minutes is important documents. It starts off by telling us about the conspiracy theory, it then tells us what happened before, on the day and after 9/11. There is also interviews from experts.
Camerawork:
Civillian reporter footage is used a lot in order to show us the point of view of people involved in the 9/11 bombing. We also have reporters fotage, this is hand held first person footage as we get to see things in the eyes of the people there. The interviews follow the normal rules, we see the person on the right side of the camera but not talking to the camera. There is also the use of computer generated images. When being shown documents, the camera pans and tracks. The camera also zooms in and out on important parts.
Mise en Scene:
There is not a lot of mise en scene. The setting is only really mentioned, which is New York City. Mainly the twin towers on the day of the bombing.
Sound:
Non diagetic sound is used the most in this piece. We have a voice over throughout, narrating to us. The music used is ver modern and contemporary, yet it also fits in with the tone of the documentary. There is also a repetitive drum loop throughout, perhaps to cause tension and cause intrigue. There is also examples of people alling from the plane. The diagetic sound is that of the plane flying and crashing, this makes us realise that it is real.
Editing:
When looking at the important documents at the beginnig, the rest of the screen is darkened and important parts are highlighted. Parts are also circled to show importance. The voice over is used throughout. Shots fade in and out, this is to show connection between images. Cross hairs are also used, to zoom into important parts of the building.
Archive Material:
Once classified pictures, blue prints, articles, and aerial photos are shown, this adds factual importance. There are many videos of destruction, such as the plane crashing and demolition of buildings. Reporter and civillian footage is used, this adds a personal touch. All types of media are used like, recordings, CCTV footage, reprter and news footage and newspaper articles.
Graphics:
There is the use of black and white writing. Some show names of people, yet some show dates and times.
Title of documentary: The Meth Epidemic
Type of documentary:
This documentary is investigatitive, it looks into the police's efforts to stop the meth epidemic spreading to far.
Themes:
The documentary looks closely at the drug culture, paticularily the meth epidemic. They look at the contast between meth and crimes, this is another theme. Drug abuse would be another as they look at the effects meth has on society and the individual. They look a lot at drug trafficking in areas, and how it gets into the country.
Narrative Structure:
This documentary follows a linear narrative structure as it reaches the conclusion that meth is harmful. The narratve follows the police and we get to see police searches as they try to prevent the meth epidemic. They also look into the effect on people's health and the effect on children born to 'meth heads'.
Camerawork:
There is focus on the flashes of police sirens, which indicate danger and crime. There is also a close up of a computer with the meth website on, this is done to try and help people get more information if they needed. When the people are interviewd they are put to one side of the screen, this makes it look more professional. Parts of the screen are blurred, and only the important part is focused on. Cutaways are repeated to back up a point and also to keep costs down, these are only loosely associated to the subject. There are also extreme close ups of meth addicts using a hand held camera, this gives the more investigatitive feel to the documentary.
Mise en Scene:
The lighting is darker on the meth addicts and lighter on the recovering meth addicts. This represents the light that they have entered. The meth addicts are shown in dark light, with a torch being shined on them. The policemen are shown in a good light, they are shown as heros so most of the time they stand out. The documentary is set in portland, it mainly focuses on the station and town. The props used is sudafed, there is a sort of reconstruction of a person buying sudafed and then putting it into bags. The actors used are mainly professionals, for example Gene Haslip. The setting behind these professionals is very effective, one is shown in a workplace the other is shown in a beautiful place. This contrast greatly to the meth addicts background. The images of the Cartel's (drug traffickers), are shown on a mesh with traffic behind them. This could symbolise prison.
Sound:
There is the use of both diagetic and non diagetic sound. Emotive music is used to evoke empathy. A voice over is also used to narrate the subject. Serious music is also used to change the tone, and create a more professional tone to the documentary. Police sirens are also used as a sound bridge, this indicates danger. There is also interviews done to back up their point.
Editing:
A voice over is put on to narrate the piece. Cutaways are used effectively, they help to change subjects. The persons name is also put underneath when the person is talking, their profession is also included.
Archive Material:
There are images taken by police in the past of how people have deteriorated due to meth. This helps us understand the effects of meth. We also see the meth website.
Graphics:
There is the name of the person and their profession, this adds a professional touch.
There is also the title and credits.
Title of Programme: My Fake Baby
Type of documentary:
This is an investigatitive piece and looks into the resons why women feel the need to have fake babies made.
Themes:
The main theme focused on is babies, but in paticular fake babies called reborns. They also interview women obsessed with love and attention. It questions whether people with reborns are insane or normal. It also looks into how reborns are made, and the women who make them.
Narrative structure:
It is a linear narrative as it goes from beginning to end. It starts off with the woman who sells reborns. It then look at the women who buy reborns and how they treat them as real. We follw them in their lives with their fake babies. They question whether its insane or just a hobby. They also remenis into the past, looking at the time when the women decided they wanted a reborn.
Camerawork:
There is a lot of close up and extreme close ups of the reborns, this is so we can see how realistic they are. At the beginning there is a close of a child parking sign, this shows how the women treat them as real babies. There is a mid shot of the baby in the trolley, in comparison to close ups of real babies. The camera uses close ups to show the reaction of people. When showing normal life, a long shot is used so we can see most things. The image of normal life is sometimes blurred to show the difference between their world and reality.
Mise en Scene:
The props mainly used are the babies, these are state of the art dolls made to specification. The lighting is darker on the reborns at the beginnig, which makes them seem evil but then changes to natural. The actors used are mainly the women who buy them and the men that live with them.
Sound:
Lullaby music is used when focusing on the baby. Yet sinister music is used at the beginnig when looking at the babies being made. The music changes from happy to serious a lot. There is a voice over which narrates the documenatary. The music used is usually piano and is relaxing.
Editing:
There is a voice over. Cutaways are used to relate to the subject, for example pictures. The documentary swaps greatly between interviewees to show comparison.
Archive Material:
There is none.
Graphics:
The title is put ver the image of a baby and then fades to a black background.
Title of Documentary: Britian's Whitest Family
Type of documentary:
This is an investigatitive piece and follows the lives of Albino children in Britian.
Themes:
They look at the stories of Albino children and the lives they lead. It paticularily focuses on their isolation from society and the problems they face, from bullying to health.
Narrative structure:
This is linear narrative. It starts by showing us the lives of Albino children and the problems they face in life. It looks at their bullying stories and how they cope. It also explains the health problems they have, which means they can't have certian job. They ask whether they would change it if they could.
Camerawork:
There is close ups and extreme close ups of the features of Albino people. For example extreme close ups of their white feature sre used. The interviewees are put on one side of the screen. Two shots are used to show the likeness between albino children. A long shot is used to show them in crowds, which shows their difference.
Mise en Scene:
The actors used are children to show their inncoence. They also look at their parents and hwo they feel. The setting is where they live, it focuses on how they cope with their difference. The lighting is darker at the beginning, when they highlight the problems they face.
Sound:
The sound is emotive, and is usually violin. It changes however to cultural music to show where they are from, this stops when the albino person says where they are from to create shock. A voice over is used to narrate, but we also hear the voices of the interviewer. We hear traffic and people talking in different languages.
Editing:
Their names are placed underneath when they are interviewed. A voice over narrates and cutaway and fillers are uses, such as pictures.
Archive Material:
NONE
Graphics:
Black background with white writing, symbolic as they stand out in society.
Video of Britians Whitest family documentary:
Title of programme: 9/11 The Falling Man
Type of documentary:
This is an investigative piece that looks into the controversial picture of the falling man from 9/11. It gives information about how they came to their conclusion.
Themes:
One of the main themes in this piece is 9/11; the documentary looks into the events surrounding 9/11. Another is desperation, it looks into the reasons why someone by jump from the tower. This contrasts with the heroic pictures involved which shows the celebrated pictures that represent hope.
Narrative Structure:
First it starts off with showing us the controversial image of the falling man; this piece follows a circular narrative. At first the documentary follows the narrative of continuity editing; it starts with before the event, and looks into event and the aftermath. This particularly focuses on the terrifying image of the falling man. It shows a contrast between individual images and videos taken by the general public and the media. This thus gives us a factual story of what happened on this day.
Camerawork:
Throughout this documentary there is a contrast between archive images and videos, in contrast to original interviews. The interviews follow the conventional camerawork of rule of thirds, a convention typically used in all documentaries. This means that the interviewee is placed either at the left or right of the screen and usually just their head and shoulders are shown, so that we can see their facial expressions as in this piece it is imperative. The archive images usually show an artistic or unique image to shock the audience. Many seem to be a close up, to show the detail.
Mise en Scene:
This does not have a lot of mise en scene included; the lighting is effective in a sense. The images of death and destruction seem to be highlighted with a darkness, which shows their seriousness. The heroic images seem to be much lighter, and in some cases seem to have a noticeable glow, which may signify their American dream or hope to achieve a patriotic image for America. However, the falling man image seems to be an image which does not follow this rule. The image of the falling man is something that is separate to this rule; it is light and seems graceful and almost beautiful in a sense. The actors used are real people which highlight the reality of the event; they add the facts and opinions which individualise the documentary. The setting takes place in America alone, mainly New York. It shows the lives of the people affected by this destruction, which therefore means the American people.
Sound:
There is both the use of non-diegetic and diegetic sound, the music is emotive when talking about the 9/11 incident. The music is very serious, to show the seriousness of the subject. The real life music is used when the interviews are shown; this is so we can receive both the facts and opinions of the people involved. The sound of reality is also shown with the videos of the general public from the tragedy. Voiceover is also used to add a narrator to the piece.
Editing:
A voiceover is put onto the piece in order to add a stimulus to the text that will keep the audience interested. A voice over is put on to narrate the piece. Cutaways are used effectively, they help to change subjects. The person’s name is also put underneath when the person is talking, a convention regularly used to make the piece look professional.
Archive Material:
A lot of archive material is used in this piece, particularly the favourite and controversial images from the time. We also see videos from the general public, the media and news programmes shown around the time. Included also is the names read out from the memorial day, with the image of the falling man and other shocking images.
Graphics:
The graphics are very basic; the title consists of a black background with white writing. Maybe to show seriousness and to show the contrast between opinions of the falling man image, it can also suggest the target audience.
Comparative Documentary Analysis
I intend to compare two documentaries, in this case my chosen two: 'My Fake Baby' and 'Britian's Whitest Family'. 'My Fake Baby' is a documentary about women's obsession with small babies. It informs us about a woman who makes babies for older women that are no longer satisfied, as they need something to mother. This was shown on Channel 4 in the evening, a peek time when people will be coming home from work. 'Britian's Whitest Family' is a documentary about albino families, with main focus on the children in the family. This was also shown on channel 4 in the evening, in order to appeal to an older audience as the topic is more serious.
The opening sequence of 'My Fake Baby' immediately introduces us into the topic, although at first we are tricked. We see the image of a woman and 'baby' coming out of a car, parked on parent child parking. At first we asume that the child is real as it look so life like. We are then told that the baby is fake in order to introduce us to the topic. The music is very lullaby like and is very calm, and the lighting is very natural. This is extremely different to the documentary, 'Britian's Whitest Family'. We are immediately introduced to the topic as we have examples of albino children. They say words which people call them, bullying words. This is done to create empathy, but to also shock us. The wrods are delivered in a harsh way, and the lighting is very dark around them. Although, both are very different they both include different conventions in order to signify things. For example the darkeness around the albino children is done to show how they feel different in society.
The target audience of 'My Fake Baby' is mainly adults, at the age of 25+ as these are the ones that are more fmailiar with family life. The documentary immediately attracts the audience by introducing a baby, this attracts women as it is something that women tend to be interested in. It is also intriguing as we are unsure whether the baby being carried is real, this sense of mystery make us want to watch more and find out. 'Britian's Whitest Family' attracts the audience in a more harsher way, they show the children using words that people call them. This is done to evoke empathy, but the use of examples of albino children from diferent backgrounds is very intriguing. It makes us want to watch more.
'My Fake Baby' is investigatitive, and we follow the lives of women that have 'reborns' or are planning on getting a 'reborn'. There is a lot of focus on things related to babies, for example a parent and child parking sign or a baby seat. This is to make the babies seem as real as possible at the beginning. However, this is just at the beginning of the documentary. As the documentary progresses, there is much focus on the fake qualities of the babies. For example: such as an extreme close up of a crack in the head of the reborn. There is also a lot of hand held camera work, a Steadicam is used so that camerawork looks more professional. Hand held cameras are used to follow the women around, as this is an investigative piece. There is also a lot of focus on the unusual personalities of the women and their need for love and attention. There are also lots of interviews in this documentary, this is done to give us an insight into the characters. Talking heads are used in the interviews, which is a usual technique used in most documentaries.
'Britians Whitest Family' is also investigatitve, it informs us about albino families. There is a lot of focus on the children of the families, this is in order to get a younger audience and perhaps evoke empathy. Bullying is the main theme of the documentary, they try and use long shots in crowds to use the difference between albino children and normal people. This is again to evoke empathy, but to also show their contrast in society. This is only done at the beginning, the beginning focuses on the negatives where as the ending focuses on them finding there-selves. This follows the stereotypical viewpoint, that things must have a happy ending. The lighting at the beginning is different to that at the end. At the beginning the lighting is dark, and at the end it is natural. This is done in order to follow the story line of negative to positive.
I have found that both documentaries try to focus greatly on the personalities of the characters, this is done to create a relationship or bond between the characters and the target audience. This will then make people want to continue watching,as they will feel compelled to continue to watch. This is a very good technique to apply to a documentary. Both documentaries focus a lot on the lighting, darker lighting is used at negative moments and natural light is used at positive moments. This is again done to fit into the story-line. Although give their point across well, i think both need to include interviews with the general public. Maybe to show contrast in opinions on the subject. I fell this would be a good addition to both documentaries. The mise en scene in both documentaries is used to the best of their advantage, particularly props. This inspired me to try and use props, backgrounds, lighting and general mise en scene effectively in my own documentary. This really helps the audience to better understand the subject.
'My Fake Baby' follows a linear narrative, as we look into the lives of women and their 'reborns'. It is told in a way that is simple and easy to understand. Their is use of a disequilibrium in the documentary, this is when the women discovers that the reborn is damaged. The tone of the documentary changes, yet there is a re-equilibrium which makes the documentary return back to its focus. An enigma is used at the beginning, to cause confusion and interest into the documentary. At the beginning, we are shown a baby but we don't know if the baby is real or fake. The documentary ends by tying up the loose ends, we discover how the women properly feel about their babies. 'Britians Whitest Family' follws a linear narrative also, as we see the lives of the albino children from hating themselves to becoming more comfortable. Their is no use of a a disequilibrium, the documentary starts off at a negative but then ends with positives. Enigmas are used also, we are at first not told what background the children come from. This is done to shock and to cause interest.The documenary concludes with the children coming to a positive about their albino features, they come to accept it and realise it is not all bad. In fact it is a 'gift from allah' that they can't give back, the interviewer asks them the question 'if they could take a pill that made you normal, would you take it?' to which they all reply: no.
In conclusion both documentaries are simple yet effective, the narrarive is told in an easy to understand way. Yet, both use mise en scene to their advantage, both to evoke empathy and to shock the audience. I also feel that both have the same type of target audience, both try to reach out to the older generation. The tone of the documentaries are very serious, this reflects what type of audience they want. Both documentaries were also shown on the same channel, this is channel 4. Channel 4 are well known for showing documentaries, although we don't know the time of when the documentaries would be on; i would imagine that they would have both been scheduled to play in the evening. This is to attract the older audience, that is just settling down from work. Both documentaries are very well organised, both follow the linear narrative. This keeps things simple and un-confusing. Both documentaries were very interesting. I found 'My Fake Baby is interesting, because it touched on a subject that i did not know about. It gave me information but it also intrigued me, as i believe every documentary should. However, i feel that their should have been more focus on the reactions of people around them; real life opinions would give contrast to the fairytale of 'reborns'. 'Britian's Whitest Family' also interested me. It gave us an insight into a subject that i didn't know a lot about. The information was delivered in a harsher way, but this is what made it so intriguing. However, i feel that again they should have shown reactions of people more. It would have been interesting if the interviewer, asked people on the street; what they thought of albino children.
Documentary Notes:
Each documentary has a different topic, however all have the same function and that is to give information to the viewer. The documentary can use archive or original footage to keep their documentary interesting. Most include voice overs in order to add a familiar stimulus to the documentary. Documentaries tend to have a biased view to try and influence the public into their view, and they use archive material and true facts to back this up.
History:
Documentary film intended to document some aspect of reality, which is continually evolving and seems to have no clear boundaries. The word documentary was coined by Scottish documentarian John Grierson in his review of Robert Flaherty's film Moana. Grierson’s principles of documentary were that cinema's potential for observing life could be exploited in a new art form; he believed that instead of acting out reality we should instead observe it. Pare Lorentz defines a documentary film as "a factual film which is dramatic." Many say that documentaries stand out from the non fictional cinematic films, as they present the facts of real life.
Documentaries can be split into 6 different categories:
1) Poetic documentaries
These first appeared in the 1920's. They did not focus on continuity editing, but but focused on images and patterns. The documentary seemed to be very lyrical and impressionistics.
2) Expository documenteries
These have a biased view and try to persuade the reader to their point of view. To do this they usually use a omnipotent narrator, usually someone noticeably intelligent. For example David Attenborough An example of an expository documentary is loose change as the voice over tries to convince us that 9/11 was a conspiracy.
3) Observational documentary
Observational documentaries focus on life un effected by life. This is usually done on light weight and proffesional equipment. An example could be David Ateenborough who observes nature and life in many different ways without getting involved with their habitat:
4) Participatory documentaries
This brings voicover into real life. Instead of a voicover there is a participant observer. Instead of an fly on the wall observer, they take a more immediate role, more like an actor. An example could be bear grylls, who steps out infront of the camera and gives a running commentary of what is going on around.
5) Reflexive documentaries
These documentaries don’t see themselves as a transparent window on the world;instead they show representations of the world. They make us question the authenticity is also question. It is the most self-conscious of all the modes, and is highly skeptical of ‘realism.’
6) Performative documentaries
Performative documentaries to give personal accounts or opinions in back up to the facts. For example a past president may give his account of his past decisions. However they may focus on ethnic minorities or certain socail groups such as homosexuals.
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