An Investigation into Documentaries
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Wednesday 29 September 2010
Monday 20 September 2010
Research: Short documentaries- Favourites and Influences
After thinking more about the concept of my short film, I decided to focus my research more on short documentaries or factual short films, rather than short films with a narrative (such as About a Girl.)
I began my research by searching for some documentary style and factual short films for inspiration. These are some that I found:
Roz & Joshua
This is a film I found on the 'Tres Court' film festival website. It is a factual film about a woman named Roz who is trying to secure custody of her son Joshua, now that she is out of prison. I spoke about this film in my presentation; I thought it managed to create a serious and poignant mood, even though it was less than 3 minutes long. The black and white effect sets the tone immediately, a good technique as short films have very little time in which to make an impact. Whilst I'm not sure it would be right for my film, it fitted in well here. I also liked the use of both interviews to the camera, but also voiceover over the action.
24 Hours in London
This is a film I found on the Virgin Media Shorts website, which Ms Casson prompted me to go on. Whilst it is very different from the type of documentary I will be creating, I still found it very interesting to watch. I really liked the time lapse techniques used. Although the premise of the film may seem quite flimsy in a way; just filming 24 hours in London, it was actually very interesting to watch... the pace of London seemed very overwhelming!
Sundays
Another film that I found on the Virgin Media Shorts website, this was a documentary about what ordinary people did on a Sunday. Whilst I didn't find this documentary as interesting as the others in terms of content, I liked the technique of using both interviews to the camera and voiceovers (as seen in Roz & Joshua.) The documentary had a more light hearted tone than Roz & Joshua, so the lighting was brighter.
Whilst I liked all the documentaries and could learn something from all of them, I thought I'd try and refine my search and try to find some documentaries that would be more similar to mine; maybe even some specifically about autism.
I began by looking at the Three Minute Wonder section on 4od. Three Minute Wonders were what first gave me the inspiration to do a factual short film. I managed to find some good documentaries focused on one person as a main subject, which is what mine will be.
The first one I watched was a documentary called 'Norman' I liked the way the documentary used a combination of voiceover and interviews to the camera, a technique I definitely want to use in my own work. I also thought it was interesting how they also used photographs as well as film, something I may consider doing in my own project. The documentary used the same technique as 'Roz & Joshua'; making the footage black and white to instantly create a more serious mood. I'm still undecided as to whether I think this technique is appropriate or not for my documentary.
I also watched another documentary from the same 'Juggling with Homelessness' series called 'Jamun' 'Jamun' uses the same techniques as 'Norman'; such as being in black and white, mixture of voiceover and interviews, use of photography etc. Another thing I liked about these documentaries is the lack of narration, which I think would've spoiled the mood of the piece. Instead of using a voice narration, they use text on the screen instead, which can make more of an impact.
The three minute wonder documentaries were particularly relevant as they both focused on people who had special needs.
From my research into short documentaries I have discovered many common techniques and features of short documentaries. At this moment in time as I do not have my footage I am not entirely sure which techniques I will use in my own film, but have found many techniques that I would like to use. I found that many documentaries use text on screen as opposed to narration when any background information needs to be expressed. This technique is particularly good for short documentaries, as I feel that a narration can spoil the mood of the piece. I will most likely use this technique in my film. I am also very sure that I will use a mixture of voiceovers and interviews to the camera in my film. I am still undecided as to whether or not I will have my footage in black and white or colour or a mixture of the two. Whilst is it very good way of immediately setting the tone of the piece, I think I will need to review my footage after I have shot it and decide then.
I began my research by searching for some documentary style and factual short films for inspiration. These are some that I found:
Roz & Joshua
This is a film I found on the 'Tres Court' film festival website. It is a factual film about a woman named Roz who is trying to secure custody of her son Joshua, now that she is out of prison. I spoke about this film in my presentation; I thought it managed to create a serious and poignant mood, even though it was less than 3 minutes long. The black and white effect sets the tone immediately, a good technique as short films have very little time in which to make an impact. Whilst I'm not sure it would be right for my film, it fitted in well here. I also liked the use of both interviews to the camera, but also voiceover over the action.
24 Hours in London
This is a film I found on the Virgin Media Shorts website, which Ms Casson prompted me to go on. Whilst it is very different from the type of documentary I will be creating, I still found it very interesting to watch. I really liked the time lapse techniques used. Although the premise of the film may seem quite flimsy in a way; just filming 24 hours in London, it was actually very interesting to watch... the pace of London seemed very overwhelming!
Sundays
Another film that I found on the Virgin Media Shorts website, this was a documentary about what ordinary people did on a Sunday. Whilst I didn't find this documentary as interesting as the others in terms of content, I liked the technique of using both interviews to the camera and voiceovers (as seen in Roz & Joshua.) The documentary had a more light hearted tone than Roz & Joshua, so the lighting was brighter.
Whilst I liked all the documentaries and could learn something from all of them, I thought I'd try and refine my search and try to find some documentaries that would be more similar to mine; maybe even some specifically about autism.
I began by looking at the Three Minute Wonder section on 4od. Three Minute Wonders were what first gave me the inspiration to do a factual short film. I managed to find some good documentaries focused on one person as a main subject, which is what mine will be.
The first one I watched was a documentary called 'Norman' I liked the way the documentary used a combination of voiceover and interviews to the camera, a technique I definitely want to use in my own work. I also thought it was interesting how they also used photographs as well as film, something I may consider doing in my own project. The documentary used the same technique as 'Roz & Joshua'; making the footage black and white to instantly create a more serious mood. I'm still undecided as to whether I think this technique is appropriate or not for my documentary.
I also watched another documentary from the same 'Juggling with Homelessness' series called 'Jamun' 'Jamun' uses the same techniques as 'Norman'; such as being in black and white, mixture of voiceover and interviews, use of photography etc. Another thing I liked about these documentaries is the lack of narration, which I think would've spoiled the mood of the piece. Instead of using a voice narration, they use text on the screen instead, which can make more of an impact.
The three minute wonder documentaries were particularly relevant as they both focused on people who had special needs.
From my research into short documentaries I have discovered many common techniques and features of short documentaries. At this moment in time as I do not have my footage I am not entirely sure which techniques I will use in my own film, but have found many techniques that I would like to use. I found that many documentaries use text on screen as opposed to narration when any background information needs to be expressed. This technique is particularly good for short documentaries, as I feel that a narration can spoil the mood of the piece. I will most likely use this technique in my film. I am also very sure that I will use a mixture of voiceovers and interviews to the camera in my film. I am still undecided as to whether or not I will have my footage in black and white or colour or a mixture of the two. Whilst is it very good way of immediately setting the tone of the piece, I think I will need to review my footage after I have shot it and decide then.
Sunday 19 September 2010
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Tuesday 7 September 2010
Proposal for Advanced Portfolio
Name: Amy Scott
Title of Brief: Written brief for my short film
Outline of ideas: My short film will take the form of a documentary about living with a sibling with autism, with the main focus being on my brother Matthew who is diagnosed with severe autism, profound learning difficulties and ADHD. I aim to give an insight into how autistic children behave and how their diagnosis affects the rest of their family.
Auxiliary Products: Poster for the film, film magazine review page
Target Audience: (age, gender, socio/economic group) Like many documentaries, the content will be suitable for anyone to watch, therefore it will be aimed at anyone who has an interest in autism; either on a professional or personal level. It will be mainly aimed at people who do not have much experience of children with autism as it will hopefully help them gain a better understanding of the condition, but it may also be of interest to people who have an autistic member of their family as they may want to see how my experiences compare to their own.
How will your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? What is your inspiration? My idea is based upon the series of '3 minute wonder' films which are often shown before prime time shows on Channel 4. My film will follow conventions of documentaries such as the style of filming and the use of either a voice over or clips of people talking directly to the camera. I believe that what will make my product unique is my subject matter. In my experience of documentaries about autistic people, I haven't seen any that have included a child like Matthew, whose limited speech and unpredictable behaviour make him a challenging subject matter. Also, I haven;t seen any which focus on what it is like for the siblings of people with autism.
How will your main product and ancillary texts compliment each other? Whilst documentaries are not normally marketed in the same way as blockbuster films may be, they are still promoted, especially if they are appearing at a film festival. The poster and magazine review page with give the audience more of an idea about what the documentary is about and will make it seem more accessible, as some people are put off watching documentaries as they are stereotyped as being boring. Marketing it in a way similar to a film may change people's view.
How will you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Title of Brief: Written brief for my short film
Outline of ideas: My short film will take the form of a documentary about living with a sibling with autism, with the main focus being on my brother Matthew who is diagnosed with severe autism, profound learning difficulties and ADHD. I aim to give an insight into how autistic children behave and how their diagnosis affects the rest of their family.
Auxiliary Products: Poster for the film, film magazine review page
Target Audience: (age, gender, socio/economic group) Like many documentaries, the content will be suitable for anyone to watch, therefore it will be aimed at anyone who has an interest in autism; either on a professional or personal level. It will be mainly aimed at people who do not have much experience of children with autism as it will hopefully help them gain a better understanding of the condition, but it may also be of interest to people who have an autistic member of their family as they may want to see how my experiences compare to their own.
How will your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? What is your inspiration? My idea is based upon the series of '3 minute wonder' films which are often shown before prime time shows on Channel 4. My film will follow conventions of documentaries such as the style of filming and the use of either a voice over or clips of people talking directly to the camera. I believe that what will make my product unique is my subject matter. In my experience of documentaries about autistic people, I haven't seen any that have included a child like Matthew, whose limited speech and unpredictable behaviour make him a challenging subject matter. Also, I haven;t seen any which focus on what it is like for the siblings of people with autism.
How will your main product and ancillary texts compliment each other? Whilst documentaries are not normally marketed in the same way as blockbuster films may be, they are still promoted, especially if they are appearing at a film festival. The poster and magazine review page with give the audience more of an idea about what the documentary is about and will make it seem more accessible, as some people are put off watching documentaries as they are stereotyped as being boring. Marketing it in a way similar to a film may change people's view.
How will you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
I will use a video camera and editing software such as iMovie and photoshop in the construction stage. I will primarily use the internet in my research, using video websites such as YouTube to watch existing short films for inspiration and other film related websites like IMDb to find out other useful information. My blog will be an important part of my planning as it will keep all of my work in one place. My evaluation will most likely take the form of a Powerpoint presentation or even a video presentation.
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