Documentary- David Attenborough- Deconstruction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3Xrc-gJFXY
In this documentary there is the use of reconstruction to make
it clearer to the viewer as its something that cannot be filmed.The
dark background allows the concentration to stay entirely on whats
being shown and explained.
Documentaries generally use voiceovers to explain what is
happening. This makes it more interesting than either just the
moving images or just talking into a camera. This is how sound is
used in documentaries.
In this shot, David is talking directly to the camera which is a
common technique in documentaries. This is so that the audience
feels directly involved within what is being said. In these nature
documentaries especially, the direct talking usually takes place in
the environment relevant to the explanation.
This is another example of where moving images and designs have
been edited in rather than filmed. This shows a timeline to help
the audience understand the context of what the documentary is
about. The bright colours allow the audience to become more engaged
and attracted to watching the documentary.
In this sequence images of bones have been superimposed onto the
original film in order to show the audience exactly what he means.
This is because the primary aim for documentaries is to educate or
make people aware of a certain topic.
As documentaries are educational it is important that they
consider portraying a second opinion so that all the facts are
believable, especially if the secondary opinion comes from an
expert. Interviews with experts can make the documentary more
appreciable.
In documentaries, especially nature-based ones such as this one,
it is important to use establishing shots to educate the audience
on where the events are taking place. They also use this technique
in order to show off the beautiful landscapes of the Earth. This
means that a secondary aim of documentaries can be said to be to
expose different aspects of certain topics. It is also important
that a documentary uses a variety of locations to keep it
interesting for the audience. This may involve fast paced editing,
like shown in this documentary, to display a quick movement from
place to place without boring the audience by dragging out one
location.
This documentary uses a range of interesting shots that will
will engage the audience. This may include the shot or the
mise-en-scene. For example, this is an interesting shot due to it
being both a close up and a long shot as there is content in both
the back and foreground. The mise-en-scene of dinosaurs is already
going to engage audiences.
This scene begins with a tracking shot walking through a lab
consisting of dinosaur heads which engages the audience ready for
the upcoming interview which another expert. Documentaries often
use tracking shots as they tend to follow a specific story or
person.
It then transitions into the interview shot which, different to
the previous one, shows both the expert and the interviewer. This
is different because the expert is talking directly to the
interviewer rather than the camera.
The documentary ends with another establishing shot in order to
cue the end title sequence, which is identical to the opening title
sequence. This allows the documentary to be concluded clearly. This
final establishing shot consists of a voiceover that concludes the
whole show.