Documentary Analysis

1.The Music Biz

Type of documentary-
• Expository
• Voice over is total anchoring
• Interactive
• Informative about music

Themes-
• Music Industry
• Meatloaf as a specific example

Narrative Structure-
• Clear start about the music biz as a product
• Develops to be specifically about Meatloaf
• End happily with him doing well
• Moves on to village people

Camerawork-
• Low angle establishing shot
• Building pan down
• Expository shot
• Pan across press room
• Point of view shots of equipment
• Hand held to make you feel there (press pass)
• Talking head is not looking at camera
• Establishing shot of virgin head quarters building
• Pan around table
• Mid to big close up (connection)

Mise-en-scene
• Busy looking at make it seam like your there
• First 5min or so is at an awards ceremony
• Rock n roll life style
• Studio- music
• Album covers

Sound
• None diegetic sound of people in time
• Voice of god male- links with target audience
• Diegetic buzz from crowd and others in background
• Meatloaf songs in background
• Heartbeat
• Interviews

Edit
• Cross fades
• Cut aways of meatloaf
• Dissolved images behind interview
• Cut away to videos
• Filmed sheet of graphics

Archive material
• Premiers
• Press conference
• Grammy/brits
• Photographs
• From other programmes
• TV programme about meatloaf
• Past meatloaf videos
• Album covers
• Making of video doc
• Top of the pops like clips

Graphics
• Magazines with videos clip in
• The title
• Brit awards logo
• Names at bottom
• Virgin records in back
• Picture of spinning disk

2.Daredevils- The Iceman
Channel 4 9-10pm

Type of Documentary
• Expository

Themes
• Temperature
• Mental strength

Narrative structure
• Linear of his process throughout the training and how he prepares mentally

Camerawork
• From under ice- follows him under water
• Tracking- deer
• Tracking through snow- him running
• Talking heads
• Tracking him through the town
• Night cam of him in street and in canal
• Close up of breath to how cold air
• Close up on eye- determination
• Establishing shot of polish house were they are going to stay

Mise-En-Scene
• Frost
• Male voice of god
• Tall trees
• Interview with expert – he’s wearing many layers
• Ice
• Amsterdam
• Dark in town and inside canal
• Tor talking heads its wither his house (with awards in background) or laboratory for scientist
• Clips of meat in a freezer

Sound
• Quick paced music like fast heart beat
• Heart beat gets faster
• Eerie music
• Music is diegetic and continuous
• Wind SFX

Editing
• In time to music
• Cut aways of molecules of sand, mountains
• Flashes with music- negative
• Night cam used
• Face focused through flame

Archive Material
• Other stunts he’s done (ice endurance)
• Mountains
• Clips of him on the top of a mountain
• People ice skating
• Fire
• Tram
• The moon- sunrise across the mountains

Graphics
• Daredevil headline
• Names and job titles of interviewees
• Subtitles other language
• All fonts misty like ice

3.The Family- The Pierced Ear
Thursdays 9-10pm

Type of documentary
• Observational
• Docusoap

Themes
• Family
• Relationships
• Sibling rivalry
• Homework
• Piercings

Narrative structure
• Linear- Starts with the morning meals ends in evening

Camerawork
• Close ups on different family members when their names are said
• Over the shoulder shots
• Point of view shots
• Establishing shot of house
• Dad at end of the table
• Down angled of teenager coming out of room (child like)
• Establishing shot of house at night
• High angled shot of people coming into house
• Clips from outside looking in with light on in room

Mise-En-Scene
• Family home
• Tidy but not overly tidy- still looks lived in
• Kids dressed like normal teenagers- can relate to
• Mum usually dressed in pj’s – lazy
• All well dressed the rest of the time- money?
• Dad is very alpha male, business like
• Son in bright blue pj’s, skateboard
• Ornaments about the house, wine glasses, family game on wall
• Son wraps around parents at fourteen- mothered over the top clingy
• Dad shown to be the more active parent- more clips of him

Sound
• Voice of god
• Diegetic during opening and between scenes otherwise none
• Over the top music (classical) emphasis
• Music on phone played by son and dad show characteristics

Editing
• Linear
• Cut aways to things the children do as they are spoken about- skateboard shopping doing makeup
• Cross fades between family members
• Cut aways of them all interacting and getting on well like an ordinary family for people to relate to.

Archive Material
• None, nor or there reconstructions. This is due to the style of the documentary

Graphics
• Title
• Subtitles when whispering
• There are little graphics used due to the style of the documentary.

4. Marketing Movies

Type of documentary-
• Educational

Themes-
• Marketing for films

Narrative Structure-
• Linear

Camerawork-
• Cross fades between products and films
• Talking heads
• Close up on posters
• Looking up at people in the target audience
• Pan slowly of film poster
• Pan across of posters
• Close up on age
• Close up of people on computers
• Close up of DVDs adverts and reviews
• Interview with woman not looking at the camera which is authentic

Mise-en-scene
• Film posters blared in background
• Normal people outside looking at pictures
• People interviewed are dressed formally

Sound
• Voice over of interview
• None diegetic sound while clips of mouse hunt premire (engaging)
• ‘Voice of god’

Editing
• Cut aways of adverts
• Animated cut between
• Cut aways to what is being spoken about
• Change focus to poster from man
• Newspaper close ups
• Dissolve to next image

Archive Material
• Article from newspaper
• Film poster montage
• Footage from film
• Trailer
• Clips of film on computers
• Teaser trailer
• At premiers

Graphics
• The three strands
• Advertising animation
• Names and job titles of the interviewees

5. The Devil Made Me Do It

Themes-
• Murder
• Religion
• Brain washing
• Children and parent communication
• Establishment vs. alternative culture
• Power of media
• Satanism
• Influence
• Music/popular culture

Narrative Structure-
• Puppet master
• None linear
• Linear when we meet Marilyn Manson
• Reconstruction
• Binary oppositions

Camerawork-
• Long takes that follow- indicates in direct address
• Long shots of places and mountains
• Close up on cars/people rushing
• Photos, religious iconography
• Reaction shots
• Lots of hand held used
• Lots of point of view shots
• Talking heads
• Head and shoulder shots
• Follow shot of brother
• Close up on clasped hands
• External view of him with fan
• Cut away to establish location
• Framing in concert hands
• Bleary authenticity of tracking

Mise-en-scene
• All the people in the street for coffin
• Use of shadow and light
• Office in background of police- official
• Dark- night shots
• Teenagers smoking, chatting and lounged
• Rain
• Shows woman’s disgust
• Interview with Marilyn Manson is shadowy
• Light at the end of the tunnel

Sound
• Translated voice over
• Soft music
• ‘Voice of god’
• Hear Italian language too
• Cynical music
• Drum beats to girls names
• Whispering
• Heartbeat that gets louder
• Dog bark
• Fades in teachers voice
• Siren
• Church-like music when talking about confessions


Editing
• Cut to graffiti which lasts a while
• Shots for houses with girls talking about religion
• Shots in time with names and bear
• Cuts along with beat
• Cut aways used
• Close ups of newspaper

Archive Material
• Footage of funeral
• Press conference
• Clips from Marilyn Manson in concert
• Music videos of Marilyn Manson

Graphics
• Names of people and places
• Image on computer of person
• Gothic font
• Close of newspapers
• Lyrics