Research: Documentary Theorists

After carefully considering my options regarding my advanced portfolio I believe that I am going to complete an extract from a documentary. Over the next months I will be watching lots of documentaries and analysing the different aspects of them to fully understand the codes and conventions of the genre as well as key elements used to add to the professionalism.

John Corner

When researching I discovered a theorist named John Corner. He named 5 features of a documentary which he stated were observation, interview, dramatisation, mise-en-scene and exposition.

Observations - he believed that observations were used to make audiences become a part of what is being shown almost as if it was from their POV. Observations could anchor meaning and understanding to the documentary.

Interviews - he believed that documentaries rely heavily on interview to support views or contrast opinions. They could be used to further emphasise a point or if an interview with an expert opinion could show a more educated view.

Dramatisation - he believed that building arguments or creating more harsh contrasts of views would add an extra exciting element to the documentary and build drama encouraging audiences to watch the documentary.

Mise-en-scene - this is always a very relevant aspect with any media product. The mise-en-scene has to be carefully considered to fit with the genre and theme of the documentary. For example, if the documentary was on a sad subject which could upset viewers, the background may be darker to suit the subject. Low key lighting may be used.

Exposition - this refers to the section of the documentary which explains the theme and is emphasised through the use of interviews and cutaways which are supported by voice overs.

A quote from John Corners report titled 'Television Documentary and the Category of the Aesthetic (2003)'stated that

'Documentary portrayal is often drawn to a literalism of representation, its composition, framings, angles, lighting, colourings and movements designed to engage a kind of unselfcoscious, realist assent'

Steven Barnetts

He theorised the theory which he named 'Disneyfication'. This theory refers to the need for TV channels to show programs which they know would receive high ratings rather than documentaries which would cause more questioning. He believes that documentaries have been dumbed down for audiences to appeal to a wider demographic because it is now the norm and it tends to be cheaper.

I found an article relating to Barnetts theory about how broadcasters desire for 'bright, safe, glossy and formulaic guaranteed ratings successes' https://www.theguardian.com/media/1999/oct/25/mondaymediasection.broadcasting1

Research: The Night Mail

I analysed the documentary The Night Mail linked here . The documentary was from 1936 about the railway train around London, Midland and Wales delivering post. It is based on the the poem by W H Auden of the Night Mail. It was directed by Harry Watt and Basil Wright and has become a classic, now considered a masterpiece of the British Documentary Film Movement. I used similar techniques to when I analysis TV drama extracts - looking for sound, camera movement, editing and mise en scene and the impact all these areas have together.  

Production: My Chosen Brief and Initial Ideas

7. An extract from an original documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes, together with two of the following three options: 

• a radio trailer for the documentary; 

• a double-page spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary; 

• a newspaper advertisement for the documentary.

After deciding on my chosen brief I have begun to brainstorm some potential ideas taking into account my personal interests as well as the brief but also existing documentaries. 

• Educating Essex style documentary - this idea could potentially work as I could explore how our school Southend High School for Girls runs and film the different aspects of it in the same way the shows such as Educating Yorkshire ran. This would be easy to film as I could film in and around school and ask different teachers opinions and interview them as my expert opinions. There is a link to the style I am considering here.

• Wedding style documentary - having a personal interest in event planning/wedding planning and being a fan of shows such as Say Yes to the Dress, Four Weddings and Don't Tell the Bride I would enjoy doing a documentary extract on something similar. I could potentially go to ask to film in a wedding dress shop or ask a wedding planner however access to this may be more difficult and would take more planning. I could explore the different styles of wedding dresses available or how the wedding planning process works. A clip from Say Yes to the Dress is linked here. 

Research: Review of Previous Coursework

When viewing previous pieces of coursework some used the codes and conventions typically associated with the genres - for example, a vintage fashion documentary featured a variety of shot types which made the extract more aesthetically pleasing and made the piece look more professional and well shot. They used cutaways which could reinforce narration by showing clips or photos on screen. The use of facts and figures helps emphasis the point being made and again is in the typically codes and conventions of documentaries. 

When viewing the music videos, it became clear that the need for dedicated personnel is necessary for the video to look professional and again follow the codes and conventions. The use of visual effects adds to the video and breaks up the different show types making the video more interesting to watch - such as coloured spirals etc on screen or editing over the top of footage. Like the documentaries, the use of a variety of shot types helped bring the whole piece together and made it interesting for audiences to watch compared to if just a few shot types were used.