Research

Documentary:

Documentary's are non-fiction TV shows or films that in some way "documents" or captures reality. They are used to spread awareness, uncover truths and inform the audience often the sign of a good documentary is to have someone with zero interest in the subject to be intrigued by the documentary. Michael Renov describes documentary's as a "re-shaping of the historical world" because despite being factual documentary are presented to the audience how the creator wants it to be seen. 

Conventions used in documentary:

Voice-over:

They are often used in documentary's to provide information and an overview for the audience. However voice-over can also be authoritative easily persuading the audience to agree with their
opinion whether its correct or not. For example David Attenborough is famous for narrating nature documentaries. 

Actuality Footage:

This is raw film footage of real life people, events or places which add a sense of realism to the documentary opposing to re-enactments which are sometimes necessary but take away the tone of truth.

Technicality of realism:

This is the use of natural sound and lighting this can be because of convenience and difficulty to move heavy equipment. Also the natural lighting and sound adds to the non fiction tone a documentary wants and conveys the reality of the footage. 

Archive footage/stills:

This is footage or stills that are unobtainable to the film maker it adds authenticity to the film and sometimes essential especially in documentary's about the past which helps to paint a clearer picture. 

Presenter/Host:
This is the person who guides the audience through the story of the documentary they are often used to inform, move the documentary along and can sometimes be biased.


Narrative:
Despite being a non-fiction genre it's important for documentary's to have a narrative because the creators are still telling a story. By having a structured narrative the audience can easily follow the story and it then becomes easier to get to a climax in the film.

Re-enactment:
These are artificial scenes that are created for the documentary to help the audience understand how an event played out. They're often used in crime documentaries because the crime isn't likely to be filmed.  For example in this film there were no cameras filming when the event happened however the scenes are hard to describes it was essential to back up the interviews up with visuals. 

Graphics:

They're used to anchor an image or footage to a time or place they give important information to the audience. Also it shares relevant information about the a person who is being interviewed so that the audience giving a clearer idea of why they are being interviewed where their opinions come from.


Interviews:
Often in documentary's there our interview which can be from witnesses or experts they're used to give a clearer understanding and help to inform the audience. Usually the camera will be set up on a tripod and the interviewee will be framed either to the left or the right of the screen and it is shot in a medium close up or a close up. Also the rule of three is used meaning the eye line should be a third of way the down. Documentary often have experts to help back up research or to help the audience understand the subject in question better. Although sometimes the experts disagree with the documentary's message then sometimes the documentary will go on to disprove them.

Documentary Genre's/modes:

Expository:

This mode of documentary was developed by theorist Bill Nichols and in simple terms it exposes a person or topic. Often it uses a narrator to guide the audiences opinion as they tend to have authoritative and objective tones. Expository documentaries have a purpose to teach their audience by assuming a right answer or opinion to support their strong viewpoint. Editing is key as the final piece needs to maintain the continuity of the objective argument. Because of the biased opinion the research done on the point of view is very well developed. However because the opinion of the film maker is the one that is the subject of the film sometimes their point of view can overshadow true events or facts.
  

Poetic:
It relies heavily on imagery and often contains very little if not any narration the purpose of it is to create a poetic statement. Poetic documentaries are very unconventional and experimental the film makers want to achieve a feeling in their audience rather than uncover a truth. Often the piece is not in linear order instead it follows an order which has the best tone, rhythm or juxtaposition. This mode is very abstract and is like a visual mood board. Disadvantages with this mode is that the theme can be vague and it can sometimes come across as vague leaving the film to feel underdeveloped.

Trail of Happiness

Observational:
This documentary provides a faithful retelling of a story with little narration and music showing the story rather than telling it. It gives the audience a first hand experience to form their own opinions and attempts to show the story from all perspectives. This mode avoids interviews, is unbiased and acts like a fly on the wall. Often this means that the filmmaker can not get the information across that they want and can easily be misinterpreted by the audience.


Participatory:
This is the opposite to observational the documentary involves themselves with the film which means that a presenter is used. The documentary makes it clear that the presenter is taking part and involving themselves as if the audience is watching a diary of the presenters experiences. This allows the audience to feel a real connection to the subject and makes the documentary seem as real as possible.


Preformative:
These documentaries are an experimental combination of styles used to stress subject experience and invoke an emotional response to the audience. Often they use personal experiences compared to large historical or political events. This mode uses a presenter and is very similar to participatory in the way that the presenter is involved except for this mode they observe their surroundings rather than take part. Often they are seen as recorded experiments and manipulate the audience into agreeing with their view.  


Reflexive:
It is similar to participatory as there is often a presenter guiding the film however they attempt to not to explore solely one subject and instead focus on themselves and the act of making the film. This style does not focus on the relationship between presenter and the subject but instead the presenter and the audience. The presenter act as a lens for what you see which means this mode is very self aware that it is a documentary. The difference between reflexive and participatory is that the presenter never gets involved. This mode is very truthful allowing it their audience to make a fair judgement however this means that it is unpredictable and can miss vital information.

Analysis of Seven Worlds One Planet:

Episode Three South America:

The documentary starts with an opening title sequence which is a shot of Earth taking up most of the frame giving the audience an overwhelming sense because the image feels so vast. Paired with the slow paced intense music it gave me a feeling of wonder. Then the titles slowly fade in glowing with a yellow tinge instantly drawing the viewers attention towards them.

As the scene opens we get an establishing shot of the Andes Mountain it's very picturesque as it's an Extreme Long shot the audience can fully view the whole environment. It's proceeds as slow moving shots including low and high angles and extreme long shots and long shots which gave me an overwhelming feeling. From here David Attenborough begins his narration he's a well known documentary maker which increases the popularity of the show. I think David Attenborough is good for nature documentarys because his calm tones and clear voice makes information easy to digest. Compared with a Louis Theroux documentary I watched called Mothers on the Edge where he acted as a presenter and as the voice of god which the film a very personal feel to it as though it was his journey you were following. 

Beginning with a extreme long shot then the shot tightens in on a family of pumas drawing the attention of the audience onto the animals so that the viewers know exactly what the next topic will be. Within this sequence the narration is softly toned and slowed matching the calm tone of the cinematography. A moment in particular that was impressive footage is when they capture a puma cub jumping from a rock they use an eye level angle with a medium shot in slow motion. This shot felt as though the audience is included and appeared very impressive. Also the film makers added environmental sounds such as the wind blowing across the grass it adds a realistic feature. 

As the documentary proceeds the puma has to hunt in a male puma's territory this puma is first presented from a birds eye view at a medium shot while he savagely eats his prey. Simultaneously intense slow drumming music plays over the top which really creates an ominous atmosphere. As this section comes to an ends there's a birds eye view of the cubs eating which is presented in a long shot. Then it begins to widen and tilts slowly upwards ending with a extreme long shot which made it clear to the audience that this story is over. 

Whilst watching the documentary I enjoyed how the footage always supported the narration the relationship was easy flowing and helped the viewer understand the information they were being given. For example whilst describing the movement of the Andes there was digitally made footage showing the scale at which the growth occurred. This made the information more easily digestible for the viewer.

As the documentary proceeded the film focused on a volcanic area despite the music becoming more intense and the scenes more fast paced there was no real variation in the tone of the narrator. The atmosphere created felt very ominous however when David Attenborough spoke in his usual calm toned voice it felt as though it slowed the scene down and made the intensity disappear. I feel that his voice felt out of place with the rest of the scene and to have made his pace faster and tone more intense it would have worked better with the scene.

Also before watching this episode I was informed that there was an editing error when the programme was first aired. The noise of a bird chirping was played over a bear despite this being a small mistake it should have been checked before the episode was released.

Another sequence I thought was partially insightful was when David Attenborough was explaining the impact deforestation had on the Amazon rainforest. The scene first focuses on the ground higher up ground which is hard for people to reach using a drone they sweep over this vast area that is filled with greenery. There is then a complete contrast as the viewer is shown the area of forest that framers have destroyed the ground is visible and brown trees are only slightly visible in the background and the quick cut from the two scenes makes the contrast that much more apparent. The green colouring in the first scene symbolises life and nature compared the colouring of brown in the second which conveys death. The complete juxtaposition of mise-en-scene helps to support the narrators point about how humans are destroying wildlife.

Furthermore a scene similar to this happens when the focus is on fish in a river from a birds eyes view the shot begins to slowly zoom out until a couple of busy roads are visible in the frame slowly traffic noise pollution is filtered into the scene. It appears as a shock to the viewers and shows how this whole habitat has been taken over and almost destroyed by man kind. Also once the shoot is zoomed out to an extreme long shot the river appears so insignificant conveying how this whole environment has been forgotten about. I found these subtle but meaningful messages easily digestible compared to some expository documentary's where it follows as though the audience are forced to share an opinion.

I thought the episode had a very impactful ending the narrator has one last grab for sympathy by the audience. When speaking about the wildlife's chances of survival he says it "will depend on us striking a balance between the needs of humans and animals." I found this line very attention grabbing especially the noun "us" conveying the message of everyone having to do their own bit for humanity.

Overall I found the documentary was very well made it effectively used key conventions such as Voice of God, actuality footage and graphics. In particular I found how narrative was use to be very important each section of the show told a different story. For example the I found the puma segment to resemble the Todorov theory; the equilibrium is the puma's just playing, the disequilibrium comes when when they have no food, the recognition is when the Mother starts looking for food, the attempt to repair is when she begins to hunt and the resolution is when she brings home food. By using this technique it really engages the audience you begin hoping that the Mother will be able to feed her cubs. Compared to other documentaries I've watched this relied heavily on narration which I thought was done very well at no point was the footage boring to watch despite some of it just being of landscapes. The narration helped to keep the narrative moving and provided interesting knowledge. 

Interviews:

The purpose of an interview:

Interviews have many different purposes whilst making a documentary and are very useful for a filmmaker. Most of the time interviews are done before the film is made specifically for research and only help the film maker understand the subject in more depth. Also sometimes these interviews are filmed and add an expert knowledge to the information given in the documentary which inclines the audience to be more trusting of the point of view being provided. Interviews are also a good way for the film to have a more personal or emotional feel for example in the documentary Touching the Void towards the end Simon Yates gives a detailed description of what his thoughts were when thought he was going to die. To add a personal recount within an interview adds a sense of realism the fact that it isn't written or made up and it's how an actual human felt is really overwhelming. Furthermore when a person is being interviewed for a documentary it feels very natural and if presented right can make your audience feel as though they can rely on this person's opinion and adds a sense of truth. 

Informal Interviews:
These are interviews that are not planned and are spontaneous they appear more relaxed and help interviewees open up. the only disadvantage is that the film maker can't prepare questions and has no control over cinematography.

Formal Interviews:
These are interviews that have been planned and are controlled by the interviewer this means the film maker can adjust the background and have control over cinematography. However this also means the interviewee has time to prepare for the questions and their answers might not be genuine.

Question Types:

Closed question:

This is a question in which there is only a short answer most likely it will a yes or no answer often they are used to start an interview because it's usually a simple answer to give. This makes the interviewee feel more comfortable and starts the interview off easily.

Open Question:

These enable an interviewee to speak in more length, give their opinion and discuss their answer by asking open question the interview flows more like a conservation. Overall this makes the interview easier and more enjoyable to watch and makes the interviewee feel more comfortable. 

Leading Question:

This type allows the interviewer to bridge the two topics easily and keeps the interview moving forward without awkward jumps from subjects. Also the question often comes off as biased to one opinion because the interviewer wants a certain answer. 

Multiple Question:

These questions require more than one answer often they cover multiple topics and they also give lots of information and easily allow interviewees to cover lots of opinions. 

Single Question:

This type of question leads to to a singular topic or opinion often they are done in shorter interviewers. 

Direct Questions:

They're used to get straight to a specific point these questions are hard hitting when asking these questions the interviewer wants the interviewee to react whether that is positive or negative.  

Creating an interview:

Planning;
Before conducting your interview it's important to choose a person who is easy to listen to and someone who interests you because if your bored your audience will also be bored. Also it's important that the person you have chosen to interview adds context; for example if your making a documentary on hospital it would be useful to interview staff and patients someone who's opinion will add meaning. The setting of the interview is also important where the interview takes place should give the audience some information about the interviewee for example in Louie Theroux's documentary Mothers on Edge he interviewed the patients at the specialist psychiatric unit which gave the audience the context that the Mothers are ill. Lastly before the interview it's important to plan questions if not you might not receive the information you want it will also help the interview flow.

Setting Up:
To set up the shot for an interview it's important to remember the rule of thirds grid. To set up this shot sit your subject either on the left or right side then position the interviewer on the opposite side of the camera attempting to get as close to the camera as possible. It's also important for the interviewee and interviewer to be at equal eye level. With this framing it appears as though the subject is talking to the camera without looking directly down the lens. While setting up picture a grid on your camera you want the subjects eyes to line up with the area where the lines meet at the top which places their body down the centre of the line. When filming an interview people typically use a close up or medium close up so that you can clearly see the interviewees mood and expressions.  

Conducting an interview:
It's important to make your interviewee feel comfortable ensuring they feel able to talk to you it also makes the interview easier to watch if the subject doesn't look tense. Which means as the interviewer you need to listen to your subject and make them feel listened to it will make them open up more to you. Furthermore eye contact is essential between the interviewer and interviewee it looks better on screen and makes the subject feel heard. While conducting it's important to use your question you wrote previously but equally important to ask follow up questions this makes the interview feel more like a conversation and also gives you as much information as you need. You should try to ask as many follow up question as you can before moving on to the next written question. 

Planning my interview:

In my documentary I'm going to be looking at how the social aspects of pregnancy/parenthood has changed through generations. I think for my first interview I'm going to interview a Mother about her pregnancy although I'm going to film the interview I will most probably use it as research and not include it in my documentary. Not only will it help me try out some questions but also will allow me to improve my interview techniques.For the setting of my interview I want the background to appear homely and very natural to make the audience feel as though the interviewee is a very typical Mum.

The questions I had prepared to ask my interviewee:

• What is your name and how many children do you have?
• How much would you say your partner was involved in raising your children?
• How would you share responsibility's?
• How do you think technology and the internet has changed modern parenting?
• How was the news you were pregnant received by your family and friends?
• What do you think is the biggest difference between your childhood and the one your children had?
•  Did you have any problems during pregnancy or the early stages of child's life?
• Was you nervous to tell your partner and how did they take the news?
• How would you discipline your children if they have misbehaved ?
• What do you think is the biggest change between how you raised your children and parents raise their children now?
• Whats one parenting technique do you think is out dated or your glad that it's not used now?
• Whats one bit of parenting advice you would give a new parent?

Reflection:
My background was well suited I sat my subject in front of a family photo and a sign saying "home sweet home" which gave the impression of a Mum which is exactly what I wanted. The interviewee was well positioned applying the rule of thirds. However my house was extremely dark I added lights that I had at home which helped slightly. I also tried adjusting my white balance however it still appeared very blue. Fortunately I'm only using this interview as research so this colouring problem is something I will need to consider in my interviews for my documentary. I believe my question were good, they allowed my subject to talk and express their opinions. I also believe I was able to make my interviewee feel comfortable and was able to ask important follow up question to get the most out of my subject. I left my interview mainly unedited However I cut out a part in which we were interrupted which is also why it is in two parts.

Research On My Topic:

How has Parenthood changed Through generations:

On a website I found statistics which compared parenting in the sixties to present day I found that the facts helped me to get a deeper understanding the differences between the two generations of parents. Also I found some of the facts quite surprising I wondered whether I could incorporate some of them into my question and get the opinions from the Mothers I plan to interview.

• In 1968 only 7% of parents were unmarried but living together it went to 20% in 1997 and increased further in 2017 to 35%.  
• In 1960 only 9% of children were raised by single parents whereas that has increased to 34% in 2013. The first two facts taught me that there has been a big increase of single or unmarried parents which I'm now interested in why this has changed and if Mothers believe it's a good or bad thing. 
• The average age of first birth in 1970 was 21 now it is at 28. I think this would be a good fact to tell the Mothers I interview and ask there opinions on why it has changed so drastically and whether they think it's a positive change or not. 
• In  2018 40% of men and 33% of women said having children was essential to living a fulfilling life. This fact surprised me because the number was very low and I wondered whether Mothers thought that having a child was fulfilling part of their life or whether that felt after getting pregnant.

Although it has not been backed by any facts a website called ajc pointed out how technology has changed parenthood for the new generation. This is really interested me and was something I hadn't thought about before and is definitely something I would like to discuss in my documentary.

The baby has Landed Episode 3:

The docuseries follows 6 families over the first 6 weeks of parenthood. The series is very observational however it does include interviews. Within the episode there are a lot of informal interviews whilst the parents are trying to do jobs or looking after their children. For example we follow Nigel while he hangs washing, tidy's the house and eats his breakfast before his children get up. This is while they talk about how he fits his job around family life at which point the graphics inform the audience that he is a concrete surveyor which is information the audience hasn't needed before.

A really impactful scene was when the surrogate Mum had to give over the twins the camera first gave an overview of both the babies and the surrogate where they were positioned at opposite sides of the frame. This really highlighted how she was trying to distance herself from the twins. Then the music started its very emotionally toned here we also see the surrogate holding her belly as if she was still pregnant and still possessed that connection to the twins. Then there's a shot of the twins followed by a big close up of the surrogates face where the audience can see her struggle plain on her face. This scene shines a light on to the struggle of the surrogacy process.



Mothers on the edge:
This documentary focuses on Mothers who experience mental illness post natal. In this documentary they often use close up shots so that the struggle on the Mothers faces is clear. The documentary is moved along mainly by Voice over or an interview most interviews appear like informal however I feel this is more to make the unstable Mothers feel safer and relaxed rather than it being a spur of the moment decision to interview that person. Often the voice over adds context and allows the audience to understand the medical status of the women. The camera is obviously hand held through some of the scenes for example often when they introduce themselves to a new interviewee. The movement is slightly shaky allowing the audience to feel an added sense of realism. A powerful scene is when Louis Theroux is interviewing Barbra (a Mother with postpartum psychosis) Louis explains in voice over how she is very confused still. As Louis asks his first she says she feels uncomfortable then asks to be left alone and stands to leave before returning to her seat and saying that she will listen while Louis talks to her husband. The exchange is odd and highlights the subtle confusions that come with postpartum psychosis it's left unedited illustrating the realness of the scene.

Comparison:
The main difference is the modes they really change how the audience experience the intake of knowledge in The baby has landed the series seems to invite the audience into real life situation. Whereas in Mothers on the edge the audience learns as Louis Theroux learns and to me this makes it appear slightly less focused on the topic and more on the presenter.

Book research:

The new family? edited by Elizabeth B. Silva and Carol Smart.

The book presented the fact that "the proportion of economically active women rose from 44% in 1971 to 57% in 1994." this is an interesting fact and has helped me understand a big difference has occurred surroundings women's working lives.

The book also suggests that many of the problems surrounding people home lives comes from the "Husbands resistance towards helping". Although I don't agree with the statement how much a the "Husband" helps has changed and i a topic I want to ask my interviewees about.

 The book also brings o light the nuclear family stating that strong families are "conjugal, heterosexual parents with an employed male breadwinner." Because of this I think it could be very interesting if I could interview either a single Mother or a parent that is homosexual. This contrast would be very apparent then and I could get lots of opinions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Research Essay:

How can creative choices affect our perceptions?

A film maker usually has control over how their audience sees their work using a variety of microelements. By manipulating how a scene is heard or seen you change how it affects emotions. It’s very important how an audience perceives a media piece because it can completely destroy a narrative. For most Documentaries it’s important how a viewer considers a film because it’s up to the filmmaker which opinion an audience should have. Which is also why modes change how a film is seen because the filmmaker has chosen what is seen. In this essay I will be comparing how different creative decisions affect how an audience views a documentary.

Which mode a documentary is greatly determines how it is viewed by its audience theorist Bill Nichols described documentary as the act of “utilising the capacities of sound recording and cinematography to reproduce” the “formation of popular memory” (Nichols, 1991). Meaning that it is how a film maker creates their documentary that influences how it is seen by an audience. For example in the documentary Whitney: Can I Be Me (Broomfield 2017) a reflexive mode was used because the purpose of the documentary was to show Whitney Houston’s life as a whole. It didn’t focus on just her fame or her death, the good or the bad but instead made the singer appear human revealing the side that fans never got to see. Despite not having a presenter it still managed to express multiple opinions through the use of interviews which contained such a variety of perspectives. 

Often with a documentary it’s hard to effectively collate footage and audio that work well together. For example in the book Directing the Documentary (Rabiger, 1987) the author discusses a paradox, in which he wishes to show France but to do so he wants to show Paris, but finds this too broad so will focus on a “representative Parisian”. Then Rabiger comes to the conclusion that the difficulty to show a whole culture in one person he states “how stereotypical are one’s ideas about Parisians?” The overall paradox explains how difficult it is for a documentaire to show one idea through one image whether that is moving or still.

However I believe that the cutaway footage for the film Dirty John the Dirty Truth (Mast, 2019) is a prime example for the effectiveness of footage and audio working well together. For example in a scene where they play audio from a threatening phone call John meehan made to his wife where he describes how he’s going to have her killed. This audio plays over archival photos of John on his wedding day and John with his young children making the sound contrapuntal. The juxtaposition is between how a father figure is viewed as a protector and a loving person whereas the voice on the phone is menacing and calculating. Within the phone call his wife even asks about their children he replies they will be asking “Gosh what happened to Mom”. To be able to use his children to add more fear and consequences to his threat conveys how twisted he really was. The scene really highlights to the audience how manipulative Meehan was and expresses the two sides he showed women. To begin he was really loving, a Father and a successful man then he completely transformed into a monster and the women he supposedly loved became his victims rather than his exes. In his book Documentary Editing: Principals and Practise (Bricca, 2017) He refers to this kind of footage as “Hinge Clips” because “they allow an effortless pivot facilitating the smooth and seamless redirection of the audience's attention.” Which is exactly what this scene in Dirty John the Dirty Truth does. 

Both Whitney: Can I Be Me and Dirty John the Dirty Truth rely heavily on interviews to move their stories along. Interviews are an important convention in documentary making they provide background information and also can help to add a sense of realism. For example in Dirty John the Dirty Truth there’s an interview with a criminal behavioral analyst who helps the audience to understand how John Meehan was thinking and why he did certain things. This interview was a really good choice for the film, as the majority of the other interviews are with his victims they’re filled with so much emotion it starts to make his action appear out of character. Whereas this interview grounds everything she speaks about it like a case and appears separate from the story allowing the audience to learn. 

In Whitney: Can I Be Me I think the most powerful interview was with Whitney’s PA who describes when she found her body. The scene is left more or less unedited and we see really long cuts in which she can no longer talk and just cries. These lingering cuts really allow the audience to see how Whitney affected those around her making her death seem more human. Also at the end of this interview it gets to the press taking photos of her body being brought out of her house. Highlighting how inhumane the paparazzi’s actions are as the audience are shown her human side it’s then reminded how her death was just a news story to most. 

In conclusion every decision made by a filmmaker is in the hope to control how their audience feels.Therefore every creative decision is made to manipulate the perceptions of an audience. Which can be done through the use of multiple microelements, conventions and macroelements all of which make up the structure for a successful piece.  

Work cited:

Nichols, B. (1991). Representing reality. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana Univ. Press.

Whitney: Can I Be Me. (2017). [DVD] Directed by N. Broomfield. Showtime networks, Passion Pictures.

Dirty John the Dirty Truth. (2019). [film] Directed by S. Mast. Herzog and company, LA Times Studios.

RABIGER, M. (1987). DIRECTING THE DOCUMENTARY. 3rd ed. [S.l.]: ROUTLEDGE.

Bricca, J. (2017). Documentary editing. Routledge.