Research

What is documentary?

A documentary can be written and visual and consists of or based on official documents using pictures or interviews with people involved in real life events to provide a factual report on a topic to an audience. A genre of a documentary will usually fit in at least one of these categories:

Expository Documentary:

In this type of documentary, the narrator speaks directly to the viewer - this is because expository is a form of authoritative commentary. During these scenes, the narrator displays a strong argument and point of view, often to persuade the viewer into agreeing with the argument. The voice-over in these documentaries is often referred to the 'voice of God' - this is because you often can not see the narrator but can hear them. This voice over makes it easy for the audience to understand, which could make the audience feel educated but at the same time could make them feel ridiculed by this voice of god. However, on the other hand, as the narrator is speaking directly to the viewer, it could make the audience feel like the are a part of this documentary and feel that they are being interacted with.

Participatory/ Interactive Documentary:

Also known as a web documentary or multimedia documentaries are different from the traditional forms -video, audio and photographic- by applying multimedia tools. These multimedia tools are a combination of photography, text, audio, video, animation and info-graphics based on real time events. This documentary effects the audience through entertainment purposes, for example, the use of multi-media tools such as video, audio and animation can be entertaining and fascinating to the audience - although this mostly depends on the topic and tone in which these tools are used.

Observational Documentary:

Capturing the spontaneity and inhibited flow of life and other events as they happen. This can be continuous and often adopts the visual language of fictional film. Observational documentaries are often seen as the opposite of Expository documentaries - this is because being observational is a neutral stance compared to the persuasive language used in expository. Voice-overs and music (which are technical and symbolic conventions) are not used in this type of documentary. These are often not filmed with a time-frame as they are lived or in real time. These documentaries can provide the audience with entertainment and education (again, depending on the topic). This is because the observational aspect of these documentaries means that the film maker is not in them and there are no voice overs, this documentary form is to educate the audience on real life events only.

Reflexive Documentary:

The main convention of a reflexive documentary is for the film maker to acknowledge their presence in front of the camera and they also provide a narrative in the documentary. A good example of a film maker who does this is Louis Theroux - many people say that he has a controversial methods when making documentaries but is also known for having casual interview styles. Reflexive documentaries are very informative and educational as they are describing events that happened in the past. These types of documentary can also have a positive and negative effect on the audience depending on the topic. As well as this, the tone can change along with time lines and events that take place in this documentary. One of the easiest elements used to convey the tones to the audience is music - as well as this, the music usually fits in with whatever time zone the documentary is talking about.

Performative Documentary:

This is the direct opposite of a observational documentary. In these documentaries, the film maker often has self involvement with the subject - this allows a more immersing feeling to the documentary. The "Super Size Me" documentary is an example of a comedic performative documentary that entertains their audience as well as the audience being educated subconsciously - for example, while being entertain by this man who aims to eat all this food, we are being educated about the changes that his body is going through.

Poetic Documentary:

Largely based on being light and rhetoric and aims towards interpretations of a subject. 

Interview Techniques (and some example questions)

During interviews the interviewer commonly looks for information, emotion, research and sometimes interpretations on a certain topic that the interviewee can provide them. It is important that the interviewer is questioning a person that knows a lot or can give relevant information about the topic;  the interviewer can gain knowledge, facts and insights about first hand experiences that they might not have been able to experience themselves.

There are two types of interview techniques, these are formal and informal. A formal interview has a professional set up where the film maker has the control. Everything that is been shown is deliberate and planned before the interview takes place, all the interviewer has to do is answer the questions. Whereas, an informal interview is unprofessional and has a causal tone to it - almost like a casual everyday chat. Opposed to a formal interview, the interviewee participates as they are describing the topic to the interviewer, for example, whilst the interviewee is talk about painting, they could be demonstrating to the interviewer the techniques they use whilst painting.

There are many forms of questions that could be asked during an interview, these are:

1. Open Questions - this is where the answer requires more than a yes or no answer, this question rhetorically asks the interviewee to describe and detail the subject as much as they can. It is also important that the interviewer gives them enough time to answer full. (What do you know about being a Police Officer?)
2. Closed Questions - opposed to the open question, this one only requires and simple yes or no. This question is good for getting facts and could lead on to another question. Usually, the interviewer will start with these types of questions. (Have you ever been in trouble with the Police?)
3. Single Questions - this question is directly related to one topic, this means that the interviewee can not change the subject easily or avoid the question. This type of question is used in "vox pops" which means 'voice of the people' and is where an interviewer and camera crew go out in public and ask random people their opinion of a certain topic. (What law did you break?)
4. Multiple Questions - used to receive lots of information about one or more topics. It is important to limit a multiple question to two or three questions each time it is used as the interviewee will become confused. (How where you found guilty of breaking this law and is there a possibility that is was a misunderstanding?)
5. Direct Questions - a question which is used to get straight to the point and usually starts with "do you..." or "did you...", this questions can be positive or negative impact on the interviewee as they are often used when trying to expose someone. (Did you know the consequences of breaking this law before you committed it?)
6. Leading Questions - this is used when the interviewer wishes to move on to a new topic, however it is important that you do not do this too fast as the interviewee might become tense due to the changing of topics too quickly or might have some more useful information on the previous topic that they want to share. (Now that you've suffered those consequences, would you do it again?)

Analysis of Two Documentaries 

Biggie & Tupac 

 (Broomfield, 2002)

Made in 2002, this documentary filmed by Nick Broomfield talks in detail about Christopher Wallace (Biggie Smalls) & Tupac Shakur (2Pac) and the events leading up to and after their deaths. During the documentary, Broomfield and his team interview police officers that where involved with the investigation at the time of the rappers' deaths (Tupac's death 1996 & Biggie's death 1997). As well as this, we see clips taken from older interviews with Biggie Smalls and scenes from an Award Ceremony where the rivalry between East Coast and the West Coast was broadcast to the public - this included Snoopy Doggy Dogg, Suge Knight and Danny Boy. Biggie and Tupac where childhood friends until a dispute between them involving affairs and arranged/ planned murders. One of the main people Broomfield tries to interview is Russell Poole - a former Detective, who, while investigating the murders of Biggie and Tupac uncovered evidence which suggests that there where dirty cops who where in favour of the rappers' deaths. During the meeting with Poole's Chief to warrant full probe into finding dirty cops, he was ordered to "not investigate any further". When Poole was approached by Broomfield, he was only allowed to say: "On the advice of my attorney, due to ongoing litigation, I can not make a statement to you" until later, when he went behind his layers' backs and revealed the truth about the case.  

This documentary is categorised as reflexive as it is discussing and exploring events that have already happened in the past, as well as this, Nick Broomfield makes himself known to the audience and is clearly getting involved with the events that are displayed in the documentary.  At the beginning of the feature, Broomfield talks about Tupac and Christopher during their childhood, who they where as people, what they did for a living and briefly outlined that there was a "misunderstanding" between the two that lead to being "deadly enemies". Later, Broomfield goes into more detail relating to the rivalry between the East and West Coast - this is also when we learn about the dirty cops that where supposedly involved in their murders. In more depth, including Broomfield's tone of dialogue during the documentary, the film is extremely tense and at times awkward when speaking to relations to the victims and people involved - however, I think this is due to the situation and the topic still being sensitive. 2Pac and Biggie Smalls where two very well-known rappers and many people looked up to them, at the same time, perhaps the people involved with their deaths where actually people who cared for them (which is what Broomfield was trying to shed light on). This documentary aims to get an emotional response from the audience. It does this by including emotional interviews between the people involved and Broomfield, an example of one of these emotional encounters is with Mark Hyland (the BookKeeper) in which Mark begins crying over the mistakes he had made and the guilt he felt. As well as this, another convention of this documentary is the reliance Broomfield has on the information he is given by others. For example, constantly trying to get an interview with Russell Poole as the information the man has could be essential to discovering would murdered Biggie and Tupac. 

A Grand Night In: The Story Of Aardman

Made in 2015, this documentary was directed my Richard Mears and talks in detail about the events and memorable moments of the famous Aardman company and their creations. Aardman Animations is set in Bristol, where they began their journey to fame through the use of stop-motion clay animation techniques. Aardman was founded by Peter Lord and David Sproxton in 1972, their name comes from their first nerdish Superman-like character which was shown in a series for deaf children "Vision On" aired on BBC. Some of their most famous works are: Chicken Run (2000), Wallace & Gromit: The Cure of the Were-Rabbit (2005), Flushed Away (2006) and Early Man (2018).

This documentary is categorised as a expository but could also be participatory as the narrator is the 'voice of god' but at the same time there are interviews included. 

Documentary Related to my Project

This documentary describes the events that occurred in Michael Peterson's household one evening. It is a true crime performative documentary. I can infer that this is a performative documentary through the way the main subject (Michael Peterson) re-creates and walks the audience through the events that happened at the time of the murder.

In the documentary there is background music that is used whenever someone is not talking or when a  reenactment is happening. The music itself has no dialogue and is comprised of mainly violins in slow melodies.

The interviews with Peterson's family members where in formal as they do no abide by the rules of thirds, as well as this, you can also hear the questions that the interviewer is asking the victims. In these interviews with Peterson's family, the tone is deep - this conveys to the audience the seriousness of the loss of their mother whilst conveying that the family members are adamant that their father was not the murderer. Furthermore, there is clear hesitation in some of the interviews that shows how personal this investigation is; the interviewer tries to make the interview relaxed by sitting in a chair near the interviewees and speaking softly (not pressing the questions too hard and doesn't suggest that Michael Peterson is guilty) as not to upset the interviewees.

Re-created footage of the accident and audio from the actual phone call to the police was used in this documentary to support information and facts as well as to show the witnesses argument to the audience - this is done to convince the audience that Peterson isn't guilty, however footage from interviews and court cases suggest otherwise.

Visual text is shown in this documentary to show the audience the dates that events took place and to ask rhetorical questions to the audience. According to Blumler & Katz' Uses and Gratifications Theory, this is done to engage, educate and capture the audiences attention by having them think about possible answers to these questions while they are watching - this makes sure that the audience does not loose interest and turn off the program.

Two Videos Related to my Documentary Project

(Channel, 2017)

This first video shows how paintbrushes are made in the 21st century. This process is long and includes types of metal such as nickle plated brass to keep the hairs together and stop them from falling out. As well as this, the handle of the brush is significantly different from older ones as they used to be bones, feathers or sticks but are now instead made from materials such as oak wood and Burch. This video will be useful in my documentary as is shows the difference between the old and new paintbrushes as well as showing how they are made - it also gives me a lot of information about the materials that are used in making these paintbrushes too. 

 (Haven, 2015)

This video shows how to make a paint brush out of a feather, this type of paintbrush would have been used years ago to do all the fine detail in paintings with aspects such as ivy leaves and vines. Instead of using big industrial equipment like in the first video, this man demonstrates how to make these paintbrushes with only a fire, some wood, a pair of scissors (or a sharp tool), a shell and a feather. This outlines the difference in types of paintbrush and how they are made. This video will be helpful as I could use it to make my own paintbrush to demonstrate to my audience what paintbrushes used to be like before they had equipment that made them. 

RESEARCH ESSAY

"How can creative choices affect our perceptions?"

Mise-en-scène, editing, cinematography and sound are all examples of creative choices that are used to represent specific aspects of film, through using these creative choices an audience perception can be altered depending on what the film making wants them to perceive.  

Firstly, the theorist that came up with the modes of documentary was a man named Bill Nichols, he believed that there were six documentary types: expository, observational, participatory, performative, poetic and reflexive. Each of these modes has a particular trait that makes them different from one another. For example, observational and expository documentaries are often viewed as the opposite of each other as there is a neutral stand point in an observational documentary, but an expository documentary seeks to persuade the audience towards one end of an argument. The theorist explains that the “characteristics of a given mode function as a dominant in a given film... but they do not dictate or determine every aspect of its organization.” (Bill Nichols, 2001) This suggests when making a documentary, the film maker does not have to use only one mode of documentary – though, it becomes complicated if the film maker uses more than two modes. Different types of documentary affect the audience in different ways, for example, an observational documentary can make the audience feel multiple emotions during the span of the entire film – this is because it will often explore many subjects and address certain topics that are heart-wrenching – it does this because the documentary aims to explore the spontaneity and inhibited flow of life.  

Secondly, Mise-en-scène is classed of everything that is seen on camera and how it is arranged on the screen. Composition, sets, props, actors, costumes and lighting influence the believability of a film in the eyes of the viewer. Not only this, Mise-en-scène is also used for aesthetic purposes in film making, for example in movies that are representing mid 20th century, the sets will be dimly lit, the actors will be dressed professionally in suits and dresses (depending on the time period) and the footage will be black and white. This immerses the audience and makes the film more believable. 

Thirdly, sound can affect the tone, make scene more tense and introduce characters to the audience. In documentaries, music is often used when interviewees and the film makers are not speaking. Sound-cues are often used when something significant is happening or when a compelling piece of evidence is shown to the audience. As well as this, voice overs are classified as sound. The voice overs are known as “the voice of God” can be educational to the audience but at the same time belittling as it appears as though the narrator is speaking down to the audience. 

Furthermore, the way that all these techniques are edited can largely affect and make the audience perceive the film in different ways. The film maker decides how the footage is edited, this includes the type of shots, the length of shots, cuts and transitions. All of these aspects are important when the film maker is deciding the tone, for example, if the documentary has a very serious tone and topic, the cuts will be quick and aim to make the audience feel tense. As well as this, the type of shots used will mainly be close ups to allow the audience to see the subject in detail as well as making the audience feel awkward and tense due to the proximity and the invasion of space.  

This documentary was made in 2017 by John Gomez and it is a reflexive documentary that talks about the struggles of people who are suffering from stuttering. It is a very emotional documentary that impacts the audience by interviewing a diverse group of individuals. The way that the documentary is edited conveys to the audience the tenseness and seriousness of this disability. As well as this, the aspect of showing the professional interviews on screen makes the audience feel on a personal level to the individual that is speaking. From the start of the documentary, the audience knows that it is a serious topic using personal stories and the information that is given about the disability itself. The music used in this documentary picks up only when someone is not talking – this makes the audience subconsciously aware that it is polite to not be talking when someone with a speech disability is talking. 

Representation in media is used on a wide range as equality is very important in films – it is important that people do not become offended or feel that they are being stereotyped. It is the main aspects that are classified as representation are: gender, age and ethnicity/ race. These creative choices affect our perceptions as people start to believe that certain groups of people cannot do or achieve certain things, as well as this, they also start to stereotype people into groups based on their looks or personality – although this may not actually be true. 

To conclude, the use of creative choices in media products such as documentaries affect our perceptions in both positive and negative ways. I think this as an expository documentary can be persuasive in many ways; in some people's opinion this can be falsely persuasive or a negative opinion. Furthermore, the sound and camera shots can affect the audience’s perception as they are very good ways of describing tone and emotion – the use of low camera angles and tilted shots can make the subject look distraught, scared, lonely, lost or hurt. In the end, the way that creative choices are decided is by the film maker(s) and it is important that they take time to analyze each aspect and understand what their audience is wanting to receive from their finished product. 

How does being creative help mental health?

Doing a crative thing such as art produces stimulation in your brain which releaves strain. This lack of stress leads to you being happier, healthier and improves mental health. As well as this, art can reduce anxiety and boast self-esteem.