Conventional Modes of Documentaries

Observational Mode:

In the 1960s, the cinéma vérité style of observational filmmaking gained attention. These types of films used portable equipment (which was new technology in the 1950s) to put the filmmaker “in the thick of things” as events took place.

This mode of documentary uses the observations of an unobtrusive camera to create direct engagement with the everyday life of subjects.

Observational documentaries are often associated with ‘fly-on-the-wall’ type documentaries. They appear to have been filmed in ‘real time’, as if the camera has happened upon events while those involved are seemingly unaware of the filming going on. The filmmakers correspondingly attempt not to interfere in what is underway. The audience does not hear their questions and does not see them. There is no voiceover telling the audience  what to think or what conclusions they should draw.

Expository Mode: 

The primary purpose of the Expository mode is to make an argument. This is the model that is most often associated with documentary in general. The conventional expository documentary follows a structure that is grounded in a series of assertions backed up by evidence. These assertions are portrayed through verbal commentary from a voice-over narrator, while images provide the evidence. This form is often associated with wild life or historic documentaries, in which the viewer might feel in need of objective information and evidence provided by images. The audience is unlikely to be ‘empowered’ by this kind of approach, finding itself in a subordinate role listening to the version of events that the filmmakers choose to prioritise.

Participatory Mode:

This mode primarily captures the interaction between filmmaker and subjects. These films usually take the form of a series of interviews or other forms of even more direct involvement from conversations to provocations. Participatory documentaries follow the concept that it is impossible for the act of filmmaking to not influence, or alter the events being filmed. What these films do is emulate the approach of the anthropologist: participant-observation. 

Not only is the filmmaker part of the film, the audience also get a sense of how situations in the film are affected or altered by their presence. The filmmaker steps out from the role of voice-over commentary and becomes a social actor like any other. The encounter between filmmaker and subject becomes a critical element of the film. 

Reflexive Mode:

All filmmaking practices the manipulation of reality, no matter how much it may try not to. Reflexive documentaries (similarly to the participatory mode) expose the filmmaker, their character and opinions, and even the process of filming itself. Reflexive documentaries don’t see themselves as a true and objective portrayal of the world; instead they draw attention to their own constructed nature, as well as the fact that they are representations. How do documentary films represent the world? This question is central to this sub-genre of films. They prompt us to question the authenticity of documentary in general. It is the most self-conscious of all the modes, and is highly skeptical of realism. The reflexive mode is often defined by a series of characteristics; the film itself is created based upon the making of the film, including the filmmaker’s research and pursuit of knowledge and the filmmaker’s relationships with the subjects they film change the nature of the story being filmed.

Poetic Mode: 

Poetic documentaries offer a subjective view of reality as seen fit by the director. This abstract approach to documentary filmmaking emphasises visual associations, tonal or rhythmic qualities, description, and form. These films often bear a close resemblance to experimental and avant-garde film. This mode follows several conventions such as flouting continuity editing and usually lacking a narrative or diegisis. Composition, colour corrections and a non diegetic soundtrack become the fundamental instrument in conveying the emotive meaning of this mode of documentary. 

Performative Mode:

Performative documentaries aim to portray subjective experience and emotional response to the world, rather than seek objective ‘truth’ or ‘realism’. They are very personal and unconventional (compared to more traditional documentaries), perhaps following certain conventions of the poetic mode and experimental films. The performative mode might include hypothetical enactments of events designed to allow the audience to experience what it might be like to possess a certain specific perspective on the world that is unfamiliar. Often, various conventions, many borrowed from fiction or avant-garde films, are used. Performative documentaries often link up personal accounts or experiences with larger political or historical realities.

Moodboard

I have created a collection of images in order to visually convey the overall tone and atmosphere which our product will follow. The chosen images all feature cinematic qualities, such as their composition, which connotes a strong sense of dynamics and energy, also contributed towards by the warm colours present in the photographs.

Social Media Research

The image above is secondary market research providing information on what percentage of users consist of different age demographics. Our key demographic which our target audience falls into (18 - 24) is represented on the bar charts in orange.

Although many similar products (short films) engage in online promotion through the use of Facebook - due to its large number of regular users (900,000,000) - this may not be the most effective method of reaching our target audience, as the key demographic represents only 16% of these users.

In order to effectively appeal to our target audience and persuade them to view our product, it would be ideal to reach the demographic on a social media platform which they identify and are familiar with. The chart above suggests that Instagram and Tumblr are ideal formats as the key demographic represents a majority of the users. If our product is discovered by a potential viewer who is part of our target audience on either of these formats they are more likely to identify and relate to the film increasing the likelihood of them viewing our film.

For this reason, online promotion of our product should primarily take place on Instagram and Tumblr due to the large presence of our target demographic.
However, promoting the product on Facebook should also be taken into consideration as it both serves as an effective means of reaching potential viewers outside of the key demographic and although our target audience is a minority, 16% of 900 mil still represents some 140 mil users, more than the total amount of users on both Tumblr and Instagram.

Film Postcard Initial Draft

Our group created an initial draft of the design of our film's postcard. The design features a photograph of Kamel (star of the documentary) holding a skateboard over his head with dominant paralanguage, silhouetted against a sunset in the desert.

This photograph effectively conveys information regarding the subject matter of our documentary in a visually engaging manner which is likely to appeal to members of or target audience. Certain information - such as the identity of the featured skateboarder - is withheld from the audience in order to create a sense of ambiguity in order to persuade viewers of the postcard to watch our film.

Whilst specific details are not conveyed through the image, we have ensured that aspects of the film which are key in appealing to our target audience are clearly communicated to our viewers. The setting of desert dunes within the image communicates the geographical location of our film, further reaffirmed by the bold, setting sun, which is a distinct trait of the middle eastern region.
The subject matter of skateboarding is represented by the skateboard held by Kamel in the photo, whilst the emotive and personal narrative is indirectly conveyed to the viewers through Kamel's solitary situation within the images composition.

Other details regarding the films production is also communicated to the audience through the use of title blocks, where information such as the production company, title of the film, directors and a brief synopsis can be easily accessed by the audience.

Film Title

Joe and Ceri Beth designed a title block for our film which serves the purpose of appealing to the target audience in multiple ways. The minimalistic and neat design reflects the cinematic style which we aim to achieve in our product. This style connotes professionalism, which would likely appeal to members of our target audience, who have a high standard for media products of this genre due to the age demographic which they fall into.

The black and white colour scheme will be continued throughout the films website, generating a sense of cohesion and allowing viewers to easily identify various different elements of our product across different media platforms. This will aid in achieving synergy and creating a strong brand image.

Narrative Analysis

Todorov's theory suggests that over the discourse of any given film, the narrative will follow a 5 stage pattern. I will analyse and compare the narrative of the film 'Redbull Perspective' with Todorov's narrative theory.


Redbull Perspective:





1: Equilibrium:
 Conventionally, the audience will be introduced to the narrative when it is at a stage of equilibrium; at this stage the text, its settings and characters will often connote tones of satisfaction and balance. In the instance of 'Red Bull Perspective' the audience are introduced to the narrative by shots of various skateboarders, paired with a voiceover of professional skateboarders explaining their enthusiasm for the activity. This introductory scene appears to follow Todorov's narrative equilibrium theory as the subject of the short documentary, skateboarding, is represented by the director in a manner which emphasises its positive aspects.

2: Disruption:
 In this stage of Todorov's theory, a confrontational issue is usually introduced to the film. In the case of this film, the vertical park bench serves as a representation of the hardships encountered when skateboarding. This information is indirectly conveyed to the audience through shots of the professional skateboarders bailing, which are the first unsuccessful attempts shown by the director within the discourse of the piece. These clips disrupt the overall positive tone of the films narrative prior to this scene, following the conventions of Todorov's Theory.

3: Recognition:
This stage involves characters within the diegesis of the film becoming aware of the disruption to the narrative. This stage is signified by the director of 'Red Bull Perspective' through an interview with pro skater Ryan Desenzo on the topic of the disruption (the vertical park bench) where he states "it made it a lot more difficult to get over, it was crazy with the short run up with the bungee". He recognises the difficulties faced in accomplishing his frontside 180 over the bench, which suggests that the director has followed the conventions of Todorov's theory.

4: Attempt to restore order:
According to Todorov's narrative theory, the recognition of a disruption to the equilibrium of the narrative will be followed by an attempt to remedy it. In this instance, the skaters restore order by landing various tricks of great difficulty over the bench, such as Sheckler's backside 180 kickflip, which is the last trick from the spot in Arizona shown to the audience by the director.

5: New equilibrium:
The final stage of Todorov's theory suggests that after an attempt to restore order by the films characters, a new equilibrium will be reached. However, it should be noted that this 'new' equilibrium features a different tone to the previous as the disruption has permanently effected the dynamics of the discourse. In the case of this documentary, Sheckler's backside 180 kickflip over the bench signifies the restoration of order and a return to a new equilibrium, which manifests in the following scene in the warehouse, which has been edited in a montage style showing only successful attempts and disregarding the 'true' chronological order of which the events took place. This represents an equilibrium through the positive connotations of the imagery and soundtrack. This equilibrium however, is unique compared to the introductory equilibrium, achieved through a less nostalgic tone present due to the lack of voice over narratives as seen in the initial example.

Whilst this new equilibrium is reached halfway through the film, another disruption occurs whilst the characters are skating the bank, where the film then appears to follow this structure once again, eventually concluding on a new equilibrium.

Focus Group

We interviewed a focus group consisting of members of our target demographic (16 - 20 age group) both male and female, asking for their opinions after viewing 'We Are Blood'. However, it should be taken into consideration that whilst the members of the group fall into the demographics of our focus audience, they do not all fit the psychographic as only Kareem Alsaady (far right) actually partakes in the activity of skateboarding.

When asked how they thought the film appealed to the viewers, the group agreed that the sense of connection with the skaters achieved through the implementation of informal interviews evoked an emotive response which was highly appealing.
Aside from this the visually appealing qualities of the style of filming of the tricks were also found to be highly effective.

The focus group also agreed that the films introduction was a vitally important part of the discourse, as it set the overall tone of the text, allowing for the documentary to continue to meet the audiences expectations, increasing its appeal.

In terms of editing, the shots of skateboarding have been cut together so that they match the tempo and beat of the non diegetic soundtrack. The focus group stated that this was an effective means of editing as it generates a dynamic tone which works in synergy with the overall uplifting atmosphere of the film.

The responses provided by the focus group are invaluable as part of production of our own documentary. The feedback praising and critisising certain aspects of 'We Are Blood' will donate us insight into what the audience expects from a media product of this nature, allowing us to make a more effective piece.

Website Analysis

Link to website: http://www.weareblood.com/

The website for the documentary film 'We Are Blood' makes use of certain conventions in order to create an effective layout for its website. I will likely make use of these conventions when designing one for my own product.

Questionnaire Summary

Our group conducted an online survey to investigate the specifics of the demographic information of our target audience and their preferences in regard to media products.

The survey revealed that of our 50 responses, the vast majority (86%) were from the 16-20 age group, with a much smaller portion being 10-15 (10%). 

This data suggests that in order for our product to be successful we must target the 16-20 age group through conventions and representations in order to appeal to them.

By presenting the narrative involving skateboarding to the audience following the form and generic conventions of documentaries, we will likely be able to appeal to the target audience as suggested by the information from the second graph above. Although only 60% stated that they often enjoy conventional documentaries, another 34% stated that they occasionally enjoy them. By breaking certain conventions of documentaries our product may be able to more effectively appeal to a larger portion of our focus audience.

The surveyed audience further confirmed this through the data collected on their preferences in the features of a documentary. The bar chart above shows that the two most favoured qualities amongst our audience are a unique storyline and unique aesthetic. In highly conventional documentaries our target audience may not have access to these two gratifying qualities. By abstaining from the inclusion of large amounts of factual information - in favour of generating a unique and stylised tone and conveying an emotive based story - our product is likely to be far more effective in appealing to the target audience. 

An unconventional approach in regards to interviews within our product also seems to be favoured, as a large percentage of our respondents preferred a casual interview and an even larger preferred voice over moving images. 

Interestingly, the audience was near evenly split in regards to whether the subject of the narrative would be better as being a place or a person. In order to appeal to both sides our product will aim to provide both an emotive based narrative when representing a persons subjective experiences, but also provide the audience with some information on Doha.

Unsurprisingly, our target audience, comprised mostly of 16-20 year olds, preferred to view documentaries on an online format and discovered most of them through social media platforms. 

In order to successfully market our product to this audience we must gear our campaign towards social media platforms and other online formats. 

Soundtrack Analysis

The documentary 'Children of the Sun' makes extensive use of its soundtrack in order to both appeal to its target audience and convey meaning.
Diegetic sound is present throughout the entirety of the film, manifesting predominantly in the distinctive sounds given off by the skateboards. These sounds, such as the rolling of wheels on concrete, the snapping of a tail off the ground and the grinding of metal trucks against ledges and rails are all generically conventional to media representing skateboarding. This aids the product in appealing to the target audience of skateboarders, through the unique and recognisable natures of the sounds. By including these diegetic sound effects, the director is also able to build a stronger sense of cinema verisimilitude, producing the effect of immersing the audience and achieving a higher entertainment value.
The soundtrack of the film also includes sounds taking place outside of the texts diegesis.
These non diegetic sounds are implemented throughout the movie as a means of building the films atmosphere, as well as conveying information to the audience.
Interviews with local skaters near the beginning of the piece carry on over various establishing shots of Krygyzstan and its populace. The narrators dialogue in this instance mainly addresses the nations history, explaining it's place in the soviet union. This appeals to the viewers cognitive senses, by offering new information on a likely unfamiliar territory.
Finally, a non diegetic musical soundtrack is incorporated by the director in order to influence the mood of the conveyed representation. The upbeat music sways the viewers perception of skateboarding in Krygyzstan to being positive through its implied meaning, allowing the director to effectively convey a message to the audience.