A work,such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner and often consisting of actual news films or interviews accompanied by narration. Or in simpler terms: A nonfiction story told through moving images and sound.
Elements of Classic Documentary
The Tease
Elements of Classic Documentary
- Events are not staged to create a sense of fictitious reality - reality is captured by the filmmaker
- Subjects represented are real, not fictitious "characters" or "protagonists".
- We are made aware of the camera, of the act of filmmaking in the documentary.
- Attempts to explicitly argue a point of fact.
- Argument made in the film is supported using visual evidence
Elements of Fiction Film
- Obscuring the camera to create "natural"flow of story-creating a believable reality using various film techniques.
- Film centers on the actions of a protagonist
- Story is about protagonist's struggle to pursue desire.
- Story takes place in linear, continuous time that is consistent connected to a fictional reality - you don't feel "disjointed" sense of time
- A closed ending with absolute, irreversible change.
Docos: Essential Elements
- Images: people, places, things, text, etc.
- Sound: narration, voices, music, sound effects, background sounds.("nats").
- Edits: The integration of images and sound.
Images+Sounds+Edits=Style
You strike a balance based on what you wish to communicate:
- Fast edits and loud music to convey action.
- Disjointed images and unusual pacing.
- Straightforward editing for a journalistic feel
The Documentary Team
- Executive Producer
- Producer
- Researcher
- Writer
- Cameraperson
- Editor
- Talent
What We're Gonna Talk About
- Story structure
- Video technique
- Scripting technique
- Editing technique
The Tease
- Allows viewer to focus on what the film is about
- Introduces one or more principal characters
- Establishes setting/location critical to the story.
- Presents a conflict/set up a problem/asks a question
- Sets the tone for the film
- Sucks in the audience - hopefully
- The main plot; the meat of the story
- Get to know the characters, what they're doing and why they're doing it.
- See the action unfold
- The body usually makes up 80 percentage of a documentary
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