Hi Blog! Long time no see!!
Senior year has been quite the experience... however A-Level has certainly been a highlight. When I heard that we were entering the documentary unit I was immediately filled with excitement. As a future reporter, documentaries mean a way to tell people's stories, which is my favorite thing to do.
But before we go deeper into my documentary production, lets take a look back at the research part of the unit, and the activities we did to prepare us to produce our own docs.
We began by watching 2 episodes from the Netflix docuseries "ABSTRACT"
he purpose of the series Abstract is to highlight designers in all different types of mediums, delving deep into their influences, processes, and challenges. Interviews are the main technique that run throughout the episode, the interviews are mixed in with B-roll, so many times viewers are just hearing voiceovers and not seeing the subject. The B-roll is often staged and shot very cinematically, adding a stylized effect to every episode. Regarding auditory techniques, throughout the show music is often used to develop and emphasize tone. The series focuses on telling the story of one designer per episode. There are two seasons of it, and there is no consistent arc between episodes, each episode is a standalone. The series does not need to be viewed in order as each episode is a profile on a different designer and does not relate to any other episodes. The effects of the organization pattern on the audience are that audiences may choose specific episodes they are specifically interested in, making them feel in control of the content they ingest.
The next documentary we watched was called "American Promise"
American Promise followed 2 African American boys throughout their years as students at the Dalton School, a prestigious New York City private school. When doing an analysis assignment for this documentary I learned a new term, verité, a style of filmmaking aiming to capture real and authentic moments.
Watching this documentary showed me what true verité filmmaking looks like. One example of this is the raw moment where Idris talks about his race and how it affects his relationships with girls at his school. The interview is filmed in Idris' bed, he is laying down casually and rambling. The shot is very tight on his face and highlights his expressions as he talks. At moments he looks away and thinks about what to say, he stutters through his words and the shot zooms in closer into his face. The shot also shifts a few times as it is handheld and the cameraman is moving the camera, showing the “truthful” feel of the interview. Another scene which shows this is Seun’s father speaking at their son's funeral. The scene shows him speaking, clearly emotional, talking to each one of his children about what they mean to him. The camera pans to each child while he talks to showcase their reaction in the moment.
Next up we watched the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.
This piece had an interesting shift of perspectives. Watching it really showed me the power of how using various visual and auditory techniques can change the view on something. Here is an excerpt from my analysis: The shift in portrayal of Guetta is shown through multiple techniques. The film starts with cherry picked interviews, b-roll, and music, showing Guetta as an excited and motivated man, with a passion for filming and a love for the world of street art. Interviews talk about him positively, most noting his videoing and the way he was willing to do anything for the artists. As he gets deeper into the world of street art and starts a relationship with Banksy, Banksy even refers to him as a friend. However, as Guetta starts changing the film does too, interviews start shifting into mostly just Banksy and Guetta. B-roll focuses more on just Guetta and shows a clear change, he turns into someone obsessed with success.
Finally we got the choice to watch any 2 OpDocs from the New York Times, and then we had to analyze them.
I began by watching "Roaches Lullaby"
Watch here
My analysis:
This documentary follows 3 New Yorkers who have roach infestations in their homes, and how they use different techniques to deal with it.
The B-roll gave a firsthand look at the subjects’ roach situations. In the B-roll they go around their homes to common areas where they find roaches and show how they kill them (or fail) to the camera. The shots are handheld and pretty close up for the majority, immersing audiences into the moment, while also helping them understand the gravity of the situation.
The doc features indirect interviews, and sounds more like people ranting about their problems than an actual interview, this technique is used to convince audiences that the subject is just speaking freely. The interview shots, like the B-roll are handheld. Cohesively, the entire documentary follows the same style of tight, handheld shots. I felt slightly disgusted when watching this documentary, as I would react when seeing a cockroach in real life. This is because the close up b-roll made me feel like I was the one dealing with the issue, it really immersed me into the story. However, there were definetely were humorous moments. The three subjects all had funny personalities which came across through the interviews.
I enjoyed the moment where the woman subject compared her situation to being in a war. I also really liked the song, even though it was unexpected, I feel like it was a good end to this piece.
Then I watched "Christmas Every Day"
Watch here
My analysis:
This documentary shows the lives of 2 pre-teen sisters from Alabama who are “influencers,” specializing in makeup and clothing videos.
The documentary uses a lot of B-roll to tell the story. Multiple times throughout the doc there are montages of videos teen influencers have posted, showing examples of the girls’ videos, as well as examples from other preteen content creators. Other B-roll shots are very wide, still shots that last on the screen for a while. One example is an extreme wide shot of the two girls jumping on a trampoline, which lasted for multiple seconds. I think the length of the shots is used to make audiences think and digest what they’re seeing.
As for interviews, the documentary used indirect interviews, of both the girls and their parents, the interviews are done very casually as they’re getting ready for the day or laying in bed. This technique is used to make the conversation seem less like an interview to audiences, and more like the subject is just speaking freely. The clothing and makeup in the documentary also works to show the bigger picture. When the girls are filming videos they usually have on full faces of makeup and a pre-picked outfit. These outfits are usually elaborate and not normal for everyday wear. When the girls are not filming and are just being themselves we see them in more normal clothes. On the trampoline shot we see the girls in normal fall clothes, with natural or no makeup on, this makes them look younger and more like children.
I really enjoyed this documentary, I think the cinematography was beautiful, and the subject matter was unique and interesting. I was intrigued from the very first shot, a pre-teen girl making an unboxing video, seemingly ecstatic to be opening the package, then switching emotions as soon as the video ended. This made me think about “influencer” culture, and how so much of what we see online is fake. Additionally, the documentary made me sad, even though the girls don’t completely understand it at their age, they aren’t having a normal childhood, and the pressure of constantly being watched could have lasting effects on them.
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