Research
What is a documentary?
Documentarys
A documentary is a film created with the intent to inform using archived footage, interviews or raw footage.
Documentary conventions
There are different types of documentary conventions such as.
Archival footage and photographs. Archival materials contain old photographs, newsreel footage and even footage from fiction films for example majority of documentaries contain archival footage. A documentary's conventions can also include re-enactments which include actors stage events that have already occurred sometimes they use the people who experienced the original experience. For example, crime documentaries are the ones that tend to use re-enactments the most to show what happened and how it happened.
Modes of documentaries:
There are 6 types of modes of documentaries.
Poetic: This mode dictates that a certain tone or mood is depicted throughout the documentary. An example of this is a documentary called "The trail of happiness"
Expository: This is where the documenter speaks directly to the viewer, through the use of tools such as voice over or subtitles. This mode is usually used in nature documentaries, for example, David Attenborough ones such as Blue Planet.
Observational: This mode uses a more 'unbiased' method, through the simple observation of events happening around the documenter without any interference. An example of this mode is a documentary called 'Grizzly Man' which uses this by observing how Timothy Tredwell lives among bears.
Participatory: This mode believes that the documenter has to have a certain level of influence on the footage and facts. This allows a certain level of clear evidence on the documenter's presence affecting events. An example of this mode is a documentary called 'Bowling for Columbine'
Reflexive: This mode highlights constructed scenarios but does not create a sense of realism intentionally to emphasize the point of the documentary. An example of this mode is the Louis Theroux documentary with Jimmy Savill in it.
Performative: This mode is the opposite to observational, it emphasizes the filmmaker's own involvement with the subject. One example of this mode is a documentary called 'Supersize me'
“The Grizzly man” documentary was made in 2005 which was two years after Timothy Treadwell's death.
In the Grizzly Man, the documentary is known as observational as the camera simply observes the events around the filming. The narrator provides commentary and opinions throughout and interviews others for their opinions regarding Timothy’s death and it’s circumstances.
Timothy lived in Alaska for 13 summers alongside bears documenting his life and commenting “bears are good”. Following his death, Warner Herzog appears in the documentary, to display to the audience the type of personality Treadwell had during his time with the bears.
The techniques used in this piece of film that classify it as a documentary include the archive footage (family members, colleagues, past relationships etc.) The use of watching, by creating a sense of realism and bringing an edge of reality, especially as the interviews include close family members describing their memories of Treadwell’s personality. Additionally, the use of interviews allows a doctor to describe to the audience the physical trauma Treadwell suffered, without having to show horrific audio.
Herzog, doesn’t actually dramatise the documentary as it isn’t necessary because we actually already see what actually happens due to the archival footage meaning they do not need to dramatise the death of Timothy and Amie they also maybe trying to avoid dramatising it due to the privacy of Timothy, Amie and also their family members. There are also elements that aren’t used for example the audio of their death. The producers of the documentary also ‘expose’ Timothy allowing them and the audience to make their own conclusion on bears, they do this by telling us about the brutal deaths which are the complete opposite of what Timothy said “the bears mean no harm”
Overall, the documentary tells the story of Timothy and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard (who we don’t see until just before their death), and how their life was lost to a grizzly bear. Hezrog comments that in the final audio during their unfortunate death, you hear Treadwell shouting “Amie run” This really helps the audience connect with the emotions at play, as he has noted on earlier archival footage “I’d die for these bears”. The documentary certainly does demonstrate through Treadwell’s own footage that he was really trying to show that bears deserve protection and mean no real harm unless unnecessarily provoked.
Documentarys
Ballerina (documentary by Natalia Makarova) - BBC2 UK - 1987
HOW CAN CREATIVE CHOICES AFFECT OUR PERCEPTIONS ESSAY
There are many ways in which creative choices can affect our perceptions, for example, the use of modes, conventions, micro-elements, and macro-elements. They can affect how we feel towards something and it also affects how we process what's happening. This essay will discuss the different ways on how those creative choices affect our perceptions and why.
Expository:
Expository Documentary - Uses a 'Voice of God' to show information, this documentary is most normally used in nature for historical form, for example, Blue Planet by David Attenborough. This Affects our perceptions because as its 'the voice of god' it is like its telling us to have these views and its stopping us having our own. (lewis' blog)
Participatory Documentary- Uses the narrator within the documentary either behind the camera or physically in the documentary. This affects our perceptions as it is a direct connection as the narrator is there and is guiding us through the narrative (lewis' blog)
Reflexive Documentary - similar to participatory where the filmmaker will be present within the documentary however they will be aware of themselves being in front of the camera, therefore, they will be more direct to the audience. Louis Theroux is an example of this documentary. Our perceptions in a reflexive documentary are essentially the same as Participatory however it has a deeper feeling as they are including the audience (Lewis' blog)
Observational: Limited narration, the documentary watches from afar and doesn't intervene with what is going on. David Attenborough is another example of this mode of documentary. Observational affects our perceptions by (SlideShare)
Performative: It focuses on the filmmaker's experiences and how it affects them and how it's personal to them This affects our perceptions as it allows the audience to connect with the director/narrator as you can feel sympathy for them so its similar to expository as you're being manipulated to feel that way/ (slide share)
Poetic: Usually time-lapsed or just a montage of images/videos based around the subject. This affects our perceptions as there is no narration just images, it allows the audience to have their own view on the subject.
Interviews:
Interviews can affect our perceptions in many different ways depending on how we view the subject and if the interviewee manipulates us to view something in a certain way. If the interview is formal we may lose interest or have our own opinions on it due to the information given to us, However, informal interviews can also have this affect on us even though there is less footage of what's going on which makes us feel as if us as an audience are there with the interviewer. An example of informal interviews in documentaries are Louis Theroux. Examples of formal interviews would be women behind bars as it is them talking about their experiences, the lighting was also dimmed as it is talking about negative things that had happened
Editing:
Editing is a big way to affect our perceptions as parts of the narrative can be cut out and a lot can be changed around as the director wants to put their points and opinions across, This affects us as an audience as we then see it how the director wants us to see it even though we can still have our own opinions on it, the director is still trying to guide us to have one specific opinion.
Lighting:
Lighting can also affect our perceptions depending on how it used if it's dull we are going to think negatively examples of dull lighting can be found in murder documentaries such as Faking it tears of a crime, The disappearance of Madeline McCann, they use dull lighting to give a negative atmosphere as its a very touchy topic to talk about. however, if it's bright we are going to think positively about the subject this positive affect can also happen if the lighting is a bright colour such as yellow however if the lighting is red we as an audience can also feel a sense of danger.
Shot types:
The different shot types affect our perceptions in many different ways. For example, a close-up shot can help us as an audience take in little details allowing us to get a better understanding of what is happening or somebody's emotions allowing us to have a view on it such as sympathy, anger, happiness or sadness.
The director would use different shot types to make us feel these certain ways depending on the subject spoken about, for example, if it was talking about somebody going missing and they were interviewing the family, they would use a close-up and dull lighting to allow us to feel sorry for the family. However
in this essay I have given reasons to why creative choices can affect an audiences perception In conclusion, creative choices can affect our perceptions through many different ways such as colour and sound which can convey different emotions for different people
HAWTHORNE, L.
Research
In-text: (Hawthorne, 2019)
Your Bibliography: Hawthorne, L. (2019). Research. [online] Lewisdocumentary.blogspot.com. Available at: http://lewisdocumentary.blogspot.com/p/research.html [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
THERROUX, L.
Louis Theroux's worlds most hated family
In-text: (Therroux, 2012)
Your Bibliography: Therroux, L. (2012). Louis Theroux's worlds most hated family. [image] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70279286?trackId=14277281&tctx=0%2C0%2C6d4007f3-6358-4431-9bfd-b03d34c38b81-9160331%2C%2C [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
CALLUMJG
6 modes of documentaries
In-text: (callumjg, 2013)
Your Bibliography: callumjg (2013). 6 modes of documentaries. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/callumjg/6-modes-of-documentaries [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].
FAKING IT TEARS OF A CRIME
In-text: (faking it tears of a crime, 2019)
Your Bibliography: faking it tears of a crime. (2019). [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm4ky777WTo [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MADELINE MCCAN
In-text: (The disappearance of Madeline McCan, 2019)
Your Bibliography: The disappearance of Madeline McCan. (2019). [video] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80195122?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2Cf23323ed930491be1cb135068a51c89790e35509%3A0a2ba1a14114b70fec0acb0474a8b5d2b7579594%2C%2C [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
In-text: (Women behind bars, 2010)
Your Bibliography: Women behind bars. (2010). [video] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80144654?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2Cca704f85-bbb6-4bf4-890e-5f66cfb21b00-362726281%2C%2C [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
I believe my research helped me with my documentary as I understood more of the modes of them which helped me figure out which mine would fall under, I also believe that looking into different documentaries helped me get inspiration with how I was going to film and edit mine.
Expository:
Expository Documentary - Uses a 'Voice of God' to show information, this documentary is most normally used in nature for historical form, for example, Blue Planet by David Attenborough. This Affects our perceptions because as its 'the voice of god' it is like its telling us to have these views and its stopping us having our own. (lewis' blog)
Participatory Documentary- Uses the narrator within the documentary either behind the camera or physically in the documentary. This affects our perceptions as it is a direct connection as the narrator is there and is guiding us through the narrative (lewis' blog)
Reflexive Documentary - similar to participatory where the filmmaker will be present within the documentary however they will be aware of themselves being in front of the camera, therefore, they will be more direct to the audience. Louis Theroux is an example of this documentary. Our perceptions in a reflexive documentary are essentially the same as Participatory however it has a deeper feeling as they are including the audience (Lewis' blog)
Observational: Limited narration, the documentary watches from afar and doesn't intervene with what is going on. David Attenborough is another example of this mode of documentary. Observational affects our perceptions by (SlideShare)
Performative: It focuses on the filmmaker's experiences and how it affects them and how it's personal to them This affects our perceptions as it allows the audience to connect with the director/narrator as you can feel sympathy for them so its similar to expository as you're being manipulated to feel that way/ (slide share)
Poetic: Usually time-lapsed or just a montage of images/videos based around the subject. This affects our perceptions as there is no narration just images, it allows the audience to have their own view on the subject.
Interviews:
Interviews can affect our perceptions in many different ways depending on how we view the subject and if the interviewee manipulates us to view something in a certain way. If the interview is formal we may lose interest or have our own opinions on it due to the information given to us, However, informal interviews can also have this affect on us even though there is less footage of what's going on which makes us feel as if us as an audience are there with the interviewer. An example of informal interviews in documentaries are Louis Theroux. Examples of formal interviews would be women behind bars as it is them talking about their experiences, the lighting was also dimmed as it is talking about negative things that had happened
Editing:
Editing is a big way to affect our perceptions as parts of the narrative can be cut out and a lot can be changed around as the director wants to put their points and opinions across, This affects us as an audience as we then see it how the director wants us to see it even though we can still have our own opinions on it, the director is still trying to guide us to have one specific opinion.
Lighting:
Lighting can also affect our perceptions depending on how it used if it's dull we are going to think negatively examples of dull lighting can be found in murder documentaries such as Faking it tears of a crime, The disappearance of Madeline McCann, they use dull lighting to give a negative atmosphere as its a very touchy topic to talk about. however, if it's bright we are going to think positively about the subject this positive affect can also happen if the lighting is a bright colour such as yellow however if the lighting is red we as an audience can also feel a sense of danger.
Shot types:
The different shot types affect our perceptions in many different ways. For example, a close-up shot can help us as an audience take in little details allowing us to get a better understanding of what is happening or somebody's emotions allowing us to have a view on it such as sympathy, anger, happiness or sadness.
The director would use different shot types to make us feel these certain ways depending on the subject spoken about, for example, if it was talking about somebody going missing and they were interviewing the family, they would use a close-up and dull lighting to allow us to feel sorry for the family. However
in this essay I have given reasons to why creative choices can affect an audiences perception In conclusion, creative choices can affect our perceptions through many different ways such as colour and sound which can convey different emotions for different people
HAWTHORNE, L.
Research
In-text: (Hawthorne, 2019)
Your Bibliography: Hawthorne, L. (2019). Research. [online] Lewisdocumentary.blogspot.com. Available at: http://lewisdocumentary.blogspot.com/p/research.html [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
THERROUX, L.
Louis Theroux's worlds most hated family
In-text: (Therroux, 2012)
Your Bibliography: Therroux, L. (2012). Louis Theroux's worlds most hated family. [image] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70279286?trackId=14277281&tctx=0%2C0%2C6d4007f3-6358-4431-9bfd-b03d34c38b81-9160331%2C%2C [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
CALLUMJG
6 modes of documentaries
In-text: (callumjg, 2013)
Your Bibliography: callumjg (2013). 6 modes of documentaries. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/callumjg/6-modes-of-documentaries [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].
FAKING IT TEARS OF A CRIME
In-text: (faking it tears of a crime, 2019)
Your Bibliography: faking it tears of a crime. (2019). [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm4ky777WTo [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MADELINE MCCAN
In-text: (The disappearance of Madeline McCan, 2019)
Your Bibliography: The disappearance of Madeline McCan. (2019). [video] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80195122?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2Cf23323ed930491be1cb135068a51c89790e35509%3A0a2ba1a14114b70fec0acb0474a8b5d2b7579594%2C%2C [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
In-text: (Women behind bars, 2010)
Your Bibliography: Women behind bars. (2010). [video] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80144654?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2Cca704f85-bbb6-4bf4-890e-5f66cfb21b00-362726281%2C%2C [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].
I believe my research helped me with my documentary as I understood more of the modes of them which helped me figure out which mine would fall under, I also believe that looking into different documentaries helped me get inspiration with how I was going to film and edit mine.
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