Unit 9 - Documentary & Factual Programmes
In this unit I am going to be developing my understanding of particular characteristics of a range of media and communication arts and technology activivites and the contexts within which those activities exist and operate.
Task 4
Task 1
Documentry Timeline
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Task 2
How are Documentaries Funded?
What is the Sheffield Doc Fest?
The Sheffield Doc Fest is a marketplace for idealists to pitch their visions to investors who can provide major funding, sales and distribution platforms. This festival is open to everyone from first-time filmmakers to established creators. It is a great place to go to gain connections.
Why is this festival important?
Gatherings like this are very important to filmmakers as a lot of the time ideas are thoughts of with no ways to execute and make it a reality. This gives them a platform to branch out to investors.
What is the Alternate Realities Talent Market?
The Alternate Realities Talent Market is for discussing new projects and is open to creators of all artistic practices of digital non-fiction narratives. This includes, "video art, interactive, immersive, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, AI, immersive sound technology, games, 360-video, motion comic to live performance, room-scale experience and installation"
What other events are ran at DocFest?
At DocFest, there are many opportunities to watch and present pitches to investors and the BBC, practices in VR and other reality technologies, spotlights of work to inspire creators and impress investors, and meetings with producers.
The Doc Society is awarded up to £1m of National Lottery funds per year to provide funding to the UKs documentary films, along with a dedicated support programme for new, emerging filmmakers as part of the BFI NETWORK. BFI works in partnership with Doc Society to have a strong focus in deepening regional and national opportunities and to enable creators in the UK to tell their stories and maximise the potential of the genre. This is a creative approach to reaching these audiences.
You can also use crowdfunding to finance a documentary. Ways of doing this include using services like Kickstart, or Patreon to gain support and funding from audiences and multiple investors. These are two very accessible websites and are essential for independent creators to make their ideas reality.
Kurt & Courtney - 1998 Documentary
In 1998, a documentary was released, discussing the conspiracies regarding Kurt Cobain's death. During the documentary, the narrator talks about some difficulties in the production and investments made into the creation of the film. The main conspiracy discussed suggested that Courtney was directly involved in Kurt's 'suicide', making it a murder. Courtney was concerned what direction the producers of the documentary would take and didn't want her name to be slurred and her reputation ruined. As of this, it was rumoured that she contacted MTV, the distributor of the documentary, asking to know how she will be portrayed in the documentary as well as to consider cutting funding. Because of her success in her career, she became a powerful person and had the authority to do this if she wished. If this request was accepted, the film would have to stop creation and would never be finished and never released.
This is an example of one of the difficulties a producer could face when creating a documentary about a real life problem or scenario. Having funding cut can ruin the progress of a documentary and cause it to halt production. This would mean all the work that had been done would be for nothing and the film would make no money back from the unfinished project. When creating a non-fiction documentary, having clearance and being sensitive towards certain people or groups is important because of reasons similar to this.
Distribution Models
When selling your documentary or product to a distribution service or network, there are two options. These are to either make your product exclusive to one network, or to sell to multiple networks, to further branch out and get your film noticed and seen. This is called a 'hybrid distribution plan', in which theatrical, festivals, broadcast, educational, non-theatrical and VOD rights are split. The positives of doing this means it potentially enables filmmakers to earn more revenue and also develop a long-term audience. With the only downside being that it will be more work to branch out for the filmmaker. This is a new method of distribution and is starting to become majorly recognised by filmmakers.
Task 3
Characteristics and Contexts in Film
Visual language
Reactive observationalism
Where material recorded is filmed as spontaneously as possible with immediate observaton by the camera - imperfect recordings.
An example of this would be security camera footage in documentaries such as "American Murder, The Family Next Door". In this film, they have taken footage from a smart doorbell security device. This is a reactive observation as the camera quality and frame rate is poor, and the footage was not intended to be used within this documentary at the time of filming.
Proactive observationalism
Where choices are made about what material is to be recorded in relation to previous observation of the camera - recording with purpose.
An example of this would be in the "Everybody's Everything" documentary about Lil Peep. Throughout this film, there are many interviews with different people which have been purposefully set-up. We can see this by the carefully contructed camera angles to capture the interviewee and the surroundings. This also allows space to pan in to close-up shots which will add suspense and drama.
Illustrative mode
When documentaries attempts to directly illustrate what the commentary voiceover is saying. The voiceover and visuals match.
An example of this would be David Attenborough and his documentaries. When talking about certain organisms or actions these living things take, the visuals back up the voice over to make sure the audience understand both visually and verbally.
Associative mode
When documentaries attempt to use footage that has the strongest metaphorical or symbolic meaning to influence the audience to react a certain way.
An example of this is in Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics". In this film, the use of cartoons manipulate the audience into thinking that the usage of drugs is playful, fun, and enjoyable, as cartoons would remind the viewer of their childhood. Doing this will take out all the bad connotations of the psychedelics subconsciously which is why this documentary succeeded.
Verbal language
Overheard exchange
When conversation and dialogue is recorded in a seemingly spontaneous way between two or more participants.
An example of this is an interegation taken from security cameras during the "American Murder, The Family Next Door" documentary. This is a documented recording that never had intention to be included in the documentary and was not created especially for the film. This makes this passage of audio an overhead exchange.
Testimony
The recorded opinions or information gathered from witnesses, experts and relevant participants of a subject.
An example of this is in "The Social Dilemma". In this documentary, an interview takes place where a man shares his opinions on the effects of social media and the way it manipulates people. He is clearly an expert who has studied this subject and developed strong opinions with strong evidence for it.
Exposition
The recorded voiceover or direct-to-camera address by somebody directing the viewer in the context for information or an argument.
An example of this is when gathering information, news people will carry around microphones or audio recorders which will later be used to write up their newspapers or be used as knowledge to report on.
Reactive Observationalism
Proactive Observationalism
Illustrative Mode
Associative Mode
Overhead Exchange
Testimony
Exposition
Bill Nichol's Modes
Observational
This mode is the act of filming a scene without interuption. Capuring the natural movements, clothing, contexts, location, dialogue, and culture. For example, in the film 'Salesman' by Maysles Brothers, all the skinny ties, cigarettes, and oversized bibles are uninterupted aspects of the shots. Leaving the shot untouched, spontaneous, and 'unedited', will create a good sense of realism towards the audience.
Expository
The expository mode captures a reassuring or authorative voice when constructing an argument or point of view. An example of this is Morgan Freeman's dialogue during the 'March of the Penguins' Using a voice like this will make the audience trust what they are saying. A viewer is more likely to listen to and be engaged with a friendly voice. Keeps viewer retention.
Participatory
A participatory mode is when the one being filmed interacts with the filmmaker. Usually as an interviewer and interviewee. This can be a small section in a documentary or the film can rely on the storytelling like in 'The Thin Blue Line' where Randall Dale Adams tells his story to Errol Morris. This a good technique as the audience will get to hear the story first hand from the person who experienced it. This allows the viewer to feel bad for and understand the character/person.
Poetic
This mode uses the arrangement of the footage, depending on the tone, rhythm, and spatial juxtaposition, to influence a reaction from the audience. This is shown in Ron Fricke's 'Samsara' and is a good mode to vary a stories structure. This is a more subconcious mode, as it it known that music with certain tempos or certain colours trigger a response within a viewers mind to manipulate them into thinking what the filmmaker wants them to.
Reflexive
A reflexive documentary is about the relationship between the filmmaker and the audience, rather than the filmmaker and the subject. This mode enforces that if the filmmaker is shown in the documentary, it could change the mood and direction of the storytelling for the audience. Showing and talking about the creation of the documentary links the filmmaker with the audience. A good example of this is in Sarah Polley's 'Stories We Tell'. Doing this will make the audience trust the filmmaker, hense create a sense of relatability from the filmmaker to the audience. This is a great way to influence a viewer into thinking a certain way.
Performative
A performative documentary favours the truth and a personal experiences of the subject to make their film successful. A great example for this is in Marlon Riggs 'Tongues Untied'. Using the truth is the best way to influence a viewer as it would make the audience feel guilt or feel for the character, making the documentary feel more real to the viewer.
Reflection
This week I have learnt about the 6 main documentary modes, enforced by Bill Nichols, and the importance behind each one. I have learnt about:
Observational, being to capture a scene without interuption to get the most realistic outcome. I will enforce this in my own documentary by making sure I gather clips of real life, unedited expreiences of the topic I am talking about. Creating realism in my film will create a bond of trust between myself and the audience, where then I will be more likely to influence their opinions.
Expository, to use a friendly or reassuring voice for the voice over to influence the audience to beleiving the content more. When recording a voice over to my own documentary, I will make sure to include only soothing and calming takes, so that the audience can be comfortable and be able to understand what it is I am saying. Doing this will ensure that I am able to influence the viewer to my intended emotional response.
Poetic, to change the tempo, tone or rhythm to influence the mood. In my own documentary, I will take into consideration the use of tempo and rhythm so that I can create an allusive film. Doing this will reinforce that I create my intended response to my audience
Reflextive, to create a relationship between the film maker and audience instead of the film maker and the subject topic. When I create my documentary, showing how it was created or the hardships during the creation process will emphasise my passion towards the film which will project from myself to the viewer. Making the audience passionate about the documentary will only make them enjoy it further and take it more seriously.
Partisipatory, to interact with the film maker - such as during an interview. When interviewing people for my documentary, I will include myself asking the questions, so that I can directly interact with the film. Doing so will build a strong connection between the filmmaker and the film. Which the audience will feel and appreciate.
Performative, to stick to the truth when telling a story so that the audience can feel empathy towards the characters. I will make sure to stick to the truth during my own film so that empathy is built within the viewer, and also to keep the documentary trust worthy. Making it useful and rewatchable.
I have also learnt about visual and verbal languages in documentaries. These are vital as without these techniques, it will be vastly difficult to create effective visuals and effective voice overs for my own documentary. When I create my own documentary, I will enforce these characteristics so that my film will safely fall into the documentary category, and not drift into a weird abyss of genre - as these are the languages that build a documentary.
These techniques all have different effects on the audience and work in different ways to manipulate the viewer into thinking or feeling exactly what the filmmaker wants them to. Ultimately, making the documentaries more enjoyable for all. As documentaries have many possibilities, researching these characteristics and contexts has enlightened me with the knowledge to create a film that will fall into the documentary category. I understand risks that I will have to take, and problems that I may approach. Including copyright, low to none funding, how to deal with touchy subjects safely and also controversy, - as shown in the Kurt and Courtney documentary.