Genre analysis media

BY M E G A N M ATT H E W S

GENRE ANALYSIS.

DIFFERENT DOCUMENTARY TYPES

• Fly on the wall – covert filming, from the perspective of a ‘fly on the wall’; hence the name. Cameras are unnoticed by the subjects

• Fully narrated – total voice over, the ‘voice of God’• Mixed – combination of interviews, observation and narration• Self-reflective – the film-maker is on camera, subjects are also aware of

camera.• Docudrama – real life, reanacted scenes to dramatize.• Docusoap – following the lives of people, etc.

Fly on th

e

wall

Docusoap

Fully narrated

MixedDocudrama

Self-

reflecti

ve

JOHN GRIERSON. (1898 -1972)

The creative treatment of actuality

In 1930, he coined the term “Documentary”

He was part of

the General Post

Office

He coined the term, when writing a review.

OBSERVATION IN DOCUMENTARIES.

Covert V. Overt

This would be when the subject is unaware of the camera, such as a fly on the wall documentary; this would allow for completely natural behaviour

This would be when the subject is aware of the camera, such as a self-reflective documentary when the subject speaks to the film-maker.

This is how the subject is shown, whether they know and how this effects the documentary.

A docusoap would also be filmed this way, however many have negative connotations of bad acting – possibly due to the subjects not feeling natural on camera

INTERVIEWS

• Interviews are used to break up the soundtrack, as any music playing will often stop during interviews.

• Every style of documentary uses interviews; some more so than others.

• Interviews assist in the exposition (see next slide) by including key aspects of Mise En Scene (See slide 7)

Mixed documentaries often use them.

As noted in The Devil Made me Do it.

EXPOSITION

The main line of argument that each documentary has.

Each documentary has a line of argument, which each aspect adds to. E.g. interviews are chosen because they

prove their argument.

The general themes of the documentary are linked to the exposition.

For example, The

Devil Made Me Do it

has themes of

religion with an

exposition of

demonic influence in

the media.

MISE EN SCENELiterally translates to everything in the scene.

In interviews, the person being questioned may be given props – such as a cigarette, to create a representation of the way the director wants them to be perceived.

The lighting will depend on situation, but this will be used perhaps in docudramas to re-enact dramatic events and create tense atmospheres.

They may be given particular clothing to wear, as again the director may want to represent them in a particular way – depending on the style of documentary, however this is unlikely as it’d lack credibility.

DRAMATIZATION

• This would be most common in docudramas and docusoaps – especially docusoaps as they don’t consist of much sustainable informative data, it’s mostly entertaining.

As they follow a group of people around, meaning it’s about their lives.