Genre Planning

Purpose of documentaries: to inform and entertain
To document i.e. to report with evidence something that has actually happened. It can show this by using actuality footage or using reconstructions. The facts are mediated (undergo the creative process). They use media to heighten emotion, for example dramatic reconstruction.

Six Main Types of Documentary
1. Fully Narrative: An off screen voice over is used to make sense of visuals and anchor their meaning. e.g. natural history documentaries.
2. Fly on the Wall: Origins in cinema verite (truth), the camera is observing real life as it happens and the participants are 'unaware' of the cameras presence.
3. Mixed: Using a combination of interview, observation and narration to advance the narrative (and actuality, reconstruction archive material)
4. Self Reflexive: When the subjects of the documentary acknowledge the presence of the camera and often speak directly to the film maker.
5. Docudrama: A reinacment of events as they are supposed to have actually happened. Elements of a fictional narrative.
6. Docusoap: Most recent founded in UK. Whole series about a number of characters, usually occupation based. E.g. Airline follows a storyline – multi strand narrative.

Construction of Reality
-edited
-camerawork (hand-held used because tripod stifles cameraman in event)

Gatekeeping
Controlling flow of information, selecting and rejecting information.

Narrative Structure
Open vs closed
Open - when there are loose ends or when unanswered questions remains e.g. soaps. Raises questions, presents evidence and then leaves audience to make up their own minds about the issue. Did Manson influence three girls to kill a nun?
Closed - When all questions are answered e.g. Finding Nemo – clear end.
Single Strand vs Multi strand
Single – one narrative
Multi – more than one narrative thread
Most documentaries are single strand as they don't want to confuse audience.
Linear vs Non Linear
Linear – follows chronological order
Non Linear – is when time is 'disrupted' and events do not follow order of time e.g. flash backs and flash forwards.
Circular Narrative
Goes with open. Exposition of argument goes back to question at beginning and leaves audience to answer it.

An Analysis of “The Devil Made Me Do it”
Type of Documentary:
Mixed
Themes:
complex – religion, good vs evil (binary opposition)
Levi-Strauss – clear conflict, power of media and music (Manson) can influence the behaviour of young people?
Narrative Structure:
Single strand – number of themes explored
Open – question which is main theme is not answered
Non Linear 0 Manson is interviewed at beginning. Compilation of scenes from programmes however it does follow chronological order of crime but programme does not.
Camerawork:
Close up/medium close up of interviewees framed either to left or right apart from couple sat on couch. Conventional lighting reinforces Good vs Evil – careful attention – low angle signifies power. Lighting signifies two sides to artist. This strengthens the impact.
Slow pans across town – day and night – we saw nothing this is to give impression that was deserted. Shots of deserted streets.
Lots of shots of religious iconography (statues of angels and Christ) Christ shot in low angle matched Manson's low angle. Good vs Evil.
End of programme – busy streets, teens sat around drinking, cars speeding. Direct contrast of picturesque town at beginning.
Camera positions as an observer in a room – not part of press conference. Filming through viewfinder of another camera – neutral in argument. Puts distance between documentary person and other people filming Manson – motives are different.
Marilyn Manson gig – also observer
Camera almost spying on police scene looking through glass.
Hand-held actuality footage so cameraman can react quickly to action
Tracking backwards from solicitor.
Mise en Scene:
Interviews – reflecting something about life or occupation (police sat at desk. At the front of it was a police cap)
Two shot of couple in living room on couch – residents of girls
Contrast between quaint old fashioned town and noisy 'modern' town
Religious iconography
contrast between Manson and persona and scene in McDonalds
voiceover – narrator, male, young, standard English – no clear accent
voiceovers used to translate Italian into English
Translation with Italian accent to anchor that they are watching an Italian person. Age and gender matched visuals.
Music reflected subject matter/mood
religious music – choral
sound effects used e.g. heartbeat, whispering
Manson music
Editing:
cuts – most common edit in documentary, don't want to distract audience from information
cross cutting
montage – at the beginning from later on in the show, teaser of what is coming up
fade to black and fade from black used to signal end of scene or to take us from one location to another
creates pace – slow pans of deserted streets, at end, shots became shorter – cuts quicker frenetic pace
Archive Material:
Recordings from time of murder
news footage
Manson's music video
news report
Graphics:
Lyrics to words of Manson's songs
dates and day of week
Title of programme (gothic overtones)
what happened to girls after documentary was made

An Analysis of 'Marketing Meatloaf'
Type:
Mixed
Themes:
How audiences can be manipulated by the marketing.
Narrative Structure:
Single strand
linear
factual documentary
Binary opposition – ugly V pretty (beauty and the beast)
Camerawork:
low angle of radio city music hall – establishing shot
P.O.V shot into press conference – audience positioned as being part of process
Handheld effect
Still images – close up of pictures and pans across to keep the audience interested
Mise en Scene:
Meatloaf performing at a concert in background
CD as background
logo
Meatloaf in recording studio
costume – code of attire connotes authority
Sound:
Voice over narration – plain exposition direct address commentary/description – non diagetic
sinister, dramatic, orchestral soundtrack
sinister music talking about CD – non diagetic
diagetic/non diagetic Meatloaf music
Editing:
cuts
fades
montage – keeps focusing on name Meatloaf brand
jumps from marketing room to long take of production to show that it is being created
shot-reverse-shot – dissolves
Archive material:
Grammy Awards
Brit Awards
Press Conference
Behind the scenes on video
newspapers
Top of the Pops
The news
Graphics:
Magazine article template
Slow motion
An Analysis of 'That Thing' – Lara Croft
Type:
Mixed – variety of content
Themes:
Representation of gender
Feminism
Popular culture – how it has changed through documentaries
Narrative Structure:
Closed
Single strand
Non linear
Camerawork:
Interviews – middle close up, close ups, big close up tilted frame of interviewee
handheld of men playing computer game
P.O.V and tracking of someone walking into cyber cafe
zoom
panning – to make it interesting and sustain interest
Mise en Scene:
Chromakey
Backgrounds all the way through were of Tom Raider
Projection behind interviewees
projection over interviewees
inventor put in tilted frame on computer screen
Sound:
Music from game
Ray of light – Madonna
male, young voice over, standard English – elements of slang
Editing:
cuts most common
fast motion – P.O.V shot to make it more stimulating
montage of interviewees putting in with the same subject
Archive Material:
Footage of game
footage of film
websites
fan forum
interview of Angelina Jolie – filmic
Nike advert
Graphics:
Sans serif/white
lower case letters – modern
persons name and link to programme

An Analysis Baby Beauty Queens
Type:
mixed
Themes:
Money
Narrative Structure:
Binary opposition rich vs poor
Camerawork:
extreme close up of face
pans across make up
pans from sky to field – establishing shot of countryside
extreme close up of painted fingernails
extreme close up of lip surgery
close up of mum interviewed
hand-held to catch information almost instantaneously
slow camerawork signifies pace
reflection in camera
close up of mum and daughter, Tyler doing make up
hand held of computer screen
tracking backwards
Tyler takes up half of left screen, mum comes into focus on right
pans up from legs to face
pans across computer screen
mid shot in seatbelt in back of car “and so far Madison's been a bit of a passenger”
mum driving in car P.O.V shot
close up of “The Royal School of Music” badge
low angle of church
low angle of Pam
close up of till £257
pans up trophy, wand and tiara
Mise-en-Scene:
pink bedroom when 'Madison' is interviewed, teddy bears and ducks – childish toys
Madison's mum interviewed in workplace – beauty salon action shot. In uniform to anchor she is at work
picture of girl and mum
smashed up windows, block of flats
school
Sound:
Woman, middle aged narration standard English
innocent 'baby' music, slow almost 'mobile' like
choral music when houses in countryside are shown
mum and girl both narrate over slow panning extreme close up of face
could hear question “would you ever have anything else done?” because girl gave a simple answer “probably not” kept in, as vital to documentary
rock n roll choir
tense music when in changing room
Editing:
Cuts most popular – not too distracting, keeps focus on subject of documentary
dissolve in
fast cuts creates frenetic pace when in changing room before show
dissolves from trophy to wand to crown
Archive Material:
Graphics:
white, no capital letters, small
what has happened since pageant.

This link will take you to part 1 of Baby Beauty Queens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVHgXgRPVis

An anlysis of 'America's Toughest Prisons'
Type:
Mixed
Themes:
sexuality
Narrative Structure:
Camerawork:
establishing shot of prison in low angle
tracking forwards along prison cells
quick hand-held zoom onto tattoo
close up of tattoo
pans across railings P.O.V shot of prisoners
hand-held a lot of the time
tracking hand-held forwards following guards P.O.V
pans up windows – dirty, black
slow zoom in onto pictures
long shot of man in window. Black from the shadow of the sun – looks powerful
pans up from someone holding identity card picture to cell mate P.O.V shot
close up of drawings
prisoner holding identity card, comes into focus when camera zooms in
low angle of 'Crowder' a prisoner who never leaves cell because he is scared of becoming a victim low angle of father
tracking backwards downstairs
P.O.V through window
Close up of sign “sit down when shots are fired”
close up of messed up 'shot-box'
low angle shot of clock
Mise-en-Scene:
prison guards in uniform, background of prison cells “the Round House”
prisoners interviewed in cell – bars in way
prisoner's girlfriend interviewed in living room
Sound:
British middle aged man - documentary
American accent anchors location
low, tense music
“nearly half of the buildings have been closed down or condemned”
quiet piano music when visiting family
Editing:
blurring out people's faces
dissolve anchors how long prisoner has to wait
cuts
Archive Material:
black and white photos of prison guards and brown photo of prison – signifies history of prison
Graphics:
Barbed wire for title
subtitles – speech unclear. Shifts from different sides of the screen when different person speaks.
Text at the end informs audience of what has happened to the prison after the documentary was made.



Codes and Conventions of the Documentary Genre
Narrative Structure:
single strand theme running through – central to topic
binary opposition can be used
Camerawork:
varied shot types and movement to keep the audience interested
handheld camerawork is used for actuality footage where necessary
Interviews: close up or medium close up is conventional. Big close up or extreme close up can be used
stationary camera (tripod)
eyeline roughly 1/3 way down screen
framed to left or right of screen
establishing shots used
pan and zoom are used when filming still images – slow zoom
P.O.V shot sometimes used to position the audience in the action
Mise en scene:
Behind interviewees is either relevant to subject e.g. chromakey or anchors their job or relevance to subject
Archive material:
From variety of sources e.g. films, t.v. Programmes, newspapers, magazines, websites, music videos from other media and still photographs
handheld camerawork
Graphics:
used to translate were necessary
title and credits. Title is unique (like a magazine) and creative
name and relevance to subject or role of interviewees – usually two lines. Second line may be in italics – anchors who they are
credits – usually scrolling off screen and all archive material is credited
Sound:
voice over used to link everything together – there to hold structure together, standard English. Age and gender are relative to either audience or subject. Should not create sides – neutral. Emotionless voice-over – statement of fact voice – impartiality
do not hear questions bring asked – edited out
music used relevant to subject
interviews – no background noise
audience most clearly hear what is being said
Editing:
questions are edited out
editing creates pace
cuts most common edit – dissolve is used
no editing effects used unless relevant so it does not distract the viewer
cutaways are used frequently – relevant to what is being talked about
fade to and from black sometimes used to convey passage of time or end of chapter.

Running Order
Inheritance – scheduling of programmes immediately after a popular programme – ot inherit audiences
Pre-echo – scheduling before a popular programme
hammocking – placing programme between to popular programmes.