Documentary Theorists

Michael Moore
Bowling for Columbine - 2003
Farenheit 9/11 v- 2004
Sicko - 2007

Left Wing filmmaker
Appears in his films
Clear bias against capitalism
Bowling for Columbine - capitalism create fear for profit
Confused narrative, all over the place
Emotive but irrelevant points
Finishes on a low, manipulates you into fearing the system, if it was a narrative film would've finished on K-Mart banning the bullets



Nick Broomfield
Broomfield shows everything but doesn't really shape into a narrative - shows his investigation to make it genuine, not to make points.
E.g. in Bowling for Columbine - argued against guns, racism etc. but didn't focus on the event

Asif Kapadia
'True fiction' narrative structure, coined by him

Sightseers

Directed by Ben Wheatley
Jump cuts
J Cuts


How would we apply feminism to this? Research: Male Gaze


Interesting juxtaposition between typical British tourism and serial killing
Feminist approach to film:
Tina plays the part of the defeneless woman. In fact, this point is reinforced by her childlike attitude, sheltered background and naive outlook on the world. This shows a patriarchal theme. However, subtle hints, combined with the ending of the film, point to the opposite. Chris follows Tina's suggestions and wishes, not instructions, portraying the stereotypical view of women and their role in the household. However, all these suggestions have impact, and are self serving to her. For example, suggesting Chris writes down his murders connects him to the crimes while giving her an alibi, which ties in aptly with her possibly planned 'suicide' trickery, leading to Chris' death not hers. It all suggests to Tina planning out the trip, with the end goal being murder, contrasting with her spontaneous murder of the runner.
Chris encompasses hyper masculinity - aggressive, domineering etc. Oppresses Tina.
'She was getting married' criticizing Tina for killing Chailey. Sees himself as almost a heroic figure, especially with the dream sequence. But gets attacked by the woman, predicting.
'Chailey' as a name, chavvy, slaggy names - criticizing women and their way of life she deems lower than her - contrasts with Tina's knitting and reserved life. Tina doesn't have a go at Chris for kissing Chailey, 'stand by your man' logic.
When Chris goes off, Tina instantly resorts to cooking for him. Traditional women role.
The mundane life of caravanning, combined with showing him plugging in, the toilets and shower etc. immerse us.
Men have the idea that the wrong they do serves a purpose, while women do wrong when they lose their temper, but subverts this at the end.
Debatable who is a muse to who. Creativity is tie to nature, and as the film progresses nature shown becomes wilder in landscape and weather.
Chris murders to gain control, Tina murders to lose it/Chris murders to feel empowered, and so can't escape what he resorts back to, while Tina goes to escape.
Comparing the first and last images of Tina - at the start, she's hiding behind a door, timid, not even the first person shown. Compared to at the end where she's smiling, standing high up - more confiden. Gone by being affected/controlled by someone to affecting/controlling someone


Research Sightseers
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Talk about the fact that it's British, not Hollywood. It's therefore less stylized, key elements are more expressive than Hollywood. British films also focus on themes of British Realism more (Martin Scorsese says social realism is Britain's greatest gift to the world), which is derivative of Italian reaism. Seem to like to link in to 'ideology' in a different way - binary oppositions, ideaology of the tine etc. British film ideology tends to be more critical of society, cynical
Talk about Ben Wheatley and his desire to include elements ofgothic horror in a contemporary context - ie Hammer Films, which he sees as traditional British films
Postmodern setting - more realistic approach on Bonny and Clyde. Ie Natural Born Killers
Get in narrative themes of feminism, love and relationships - immediately go from honeymoon stage to old married couple, having sex all the time to when his friend gets in the way and damage their relationship to sitting outside the caravan in the rain like old people, also shows women in the relationship approaching power then being pushed back down. Violence theme - solution of problems, relatively little repercussion, easy
Number of different ideological frameworks for how to look at the world and in the films, got to look at the films through themes. The ideology that we look at it through and comes out of it is feminism. Ie women are oppressed in patriarchal societies
Narrative contrasts the almost primitive violence of Chris and the idea of serial killing with the mind-numbing boringness of reality
WE ATTACH ONE IDEOLOGY TO EACH FILM

Documentaries

Some documentaries as entertainment and education when they're just entertainment - i.e. Undateables. Real life imitating art


Good documentaries to watch:
Grizzly Man
Supersize Me
When We Were Kings
The Act of Killing
Spellbound
Sicko


The Future is Unwritten


Amy
Features a lot of intertextuality (referencing other media), i.e. having celebrities on it to talk about her. Doesn't rely on prior knowledge of people, unlike The Future is Unwritten.
Focuses on personal life not music to create an ideology of tragedy - mediation


Amy Vs The Future is Unwritten
Amy felt constructed, attempts to add verisimilitude


Lift




Purely negotiated reading, not lead down any path.


What we take away from a documentary is not what we see, but what we feel and think about, how it effects our outlook, which is the opposite of narrative film.


It's arguable that we can only capture our own reality for documentary - as reality depends on the perceiver. This brings up the question 'can documentary show the truth of a situation?


John Grierson - documentary is the creative treatment of actuality (what's actually happened)





















































Not easy to get an accurate representation of someone in 30 minutes, people are a lot more nuanced than that


History
Pre 1900: films that showed events taking place
1920s onwards: the romanticized form of documentary. Staged scenes, director controlling action
1940s: propaganda documentary


So ideology is present, even when someone is trying to represent 'reality' - we all define our own reality


Night Mail
Made in 1936 - documents overnight delivery
Huge work of artistic merit, but how accurate? Some studio use and set ups means it's not accurate
As time has gone on, the need to inform and educate has been, to some extent, overtaken by the need to entertain
Cinema Verite
Relies upon technological advancements

• Small crews - in modern documentaries there's usually camera/director, sound/editor and presenter
• Portable equipment
• Quiet equipment
• Cheaper film stock

Traditionally, gives the opportunity to follow an individual/group through a situation, without interviewing ir obviously intervening, filming a large amount of footage
Edited into the finished product
How much of this is 'real'? How much is the creation of the editor
Modern Age
Rise in digital technology
Everyone has a camera - we have more footage of every event
Also can switch from different types of footage with digital editing where we couldn't before
Change in form from verbal to visual
Editing is now the most important aspect - where ideology is formed. Process of focusing, organizing (putting them in order to create narrative) and selecting material (where does the camera want us to look)
Media being used is documentary film - the way we work  within its limits and how they affect the way we choose our material is called mediation, which = ideology


How does this use of technology - clips, assist Kapardia in getting his preferred reading across for Amy?
Broomfield shows everything but doesn't really shape into a narrative - shows his investigation to make it genuine, not to make points.

Trial Exam Feedback

What went well:

• Introductions
• Focussing on answering the question
• Film knowledge generally good (those who had clearly done extra research really shone out here)
• Timing
• Analysis was generally good with some exceptions

Even better if:

• Theories (narrative, binary oppositions ideology etc.)
• Key Terms
• Use of key elements of film form
• Sometimes too descriptive as opposed to analytical
• Wider reading needed

Beasts of the Southern Wild Production Context

• All non-professional actors local to South Louisiana - no star persona - believability, verisimilitude
• Scavenged for parts for props from area, e.g. Wink's house made out of a submerged bus - goes with theme and setting of film
• Used practical effects for everything except final scene with Aurochs - got a bunch of university students to make it
• All location shooting, no studios - makes it more realistic and believable
• A lot of these techniques used by Italian Neo-Realism
• Cut out multiple scenes, including:
• Scenes where character's talk about Hushpuppy's mother - where she it etc - as they felt that the mystery was more powerful
• Scenes showing the relationship between Wink and his friends (Jean Baptiste, Juarez etc.), Hushpuppy and the girl group - they decided that it took away the focus from Wink and Hushpuppy's relationship
• Scenes showing characters preparing to leave the Bathtub - adds ambiguity to the ending (ie where are they walking to?), adds to spectatorship

Ideology in Shaun of the Dead

Binary opposites:
Living vs Dead
Adventurous vs Mundane
Change vs Stagnation
Living vs Surviving

Are we really living? Should be content with our lives, what matters is those closest to us
Repetition leads to apathy
In our own bubble

Made by and for Generation X - late 60s until mid 80s

Linear narrative - progression of Shaun - no one else changes as a character
Parody of zombie films so has to follow same chronological order

Fear of technology - Shaun is still a child due to technology

Films with stronger ideologies tend to make deeper connections to the spectator. How far do you agree? Refer to Shaun of the Dead and Trainspotting

Intro
Example of ideology and it's effects + another related example - Shaun of the Dead
Example of ideology and it's effects + another related example - Trainspotting
Example of ideology and it's effects + another related example - Shaun of the Dead

Example of ideology and it's effects + another related example - Trainspotting

In this essay I will evaluate the concept that the stronger the ideology, the more it connects with the spectator, using two contemporary British films - Trainspotting (1996, Danny Boyle) and Shaun of the Dead (2004, Edgar Wright).

At first glance, Wright's Shaun of the Dead appears to be a simple comedy-horror film. However, upon closer inspection, SOTD's ideology pulls into focus the lives, and quality of life, of everyday people in contemporary Britain. The characters, in particular the protagonist, Shaun, represent the average 20-30 year old in mid-2000 Britain. The target audience - people of similar age and societal position who live similar lives, can therefore relate to the characters easily, and as a result receive the ideology behind the film, easily as well. One of the implicit binary opposites (Strauss) in this film is Adventure vs Normality. For example, at the end of the film Liz (Kate Ashfield) plans with Shaun (Simon Pegg) to go to the Winchester later that day, even though previously in the film a major catalyst of the story revolves around her hatred of the Winchester. This represents a changing of perspective in the character, where thanks to the previous fantastical/adventurous events (the zombie apocalypse is a common fantasy) she has reevaluated her life and has come to the conclusion that it's the 'normal' aspects of her life - a normal pub, average boyfriend etc., that she values the most. This is further shown by Shaun requesting two sugars in his tea for the first time in years and Liz remarking 'ooh adventurous' - people can find 'adventure' or a break from normality in their life through their average lives. An ideology such as this resonates with the target audience who can be assumed to fantasise of escaping normality, as it shows them the value of their everyday lives, as it's being clearly shown to them with the lives of the characters. As a result, with this example I agree with the statement that films with stronger ideologies make a deeper connection to the spectator, with the caveat that more implicit ideologies require a specific target audience to fully appreciate and relate to the meaning.

A prevalent idea in modern society is that we as a society have numerous dominant ideologies, which are reflected in the laws and rules we follow. For example, the Good Samaritan concept, laws surrounding theft, drug abuse, violence etc all reflect what we as a society believe. However, Trainspotting challenges this concept with the ideology that there's an undercurrent of depravity in our culture - everyone's morally reprehensible. The overdose/Perfect Day scene summarises this perfectly. Even though Renton (Ewan McGregor) is clearly close to death, the taxi driver literally leaves him in the gutter upon getting to the hospital, dragging him unceremoniously out onto the ground and taking his pay before leaving. Despite the fact that the film draws attention throughout the film to the mercenary mindset of the heroin addicts, showing a normal civilian like a taxi driver - someone everyone in the audience has interacted with, in a comparable light to the addicts it paints a picture that everyone is the same; apathetic to all others, selfish, ruthless. Not only is this counter to the dominant ideology of society, it goes against the core of the spectator's assumed beliefs. I think that this creates a deeper connection with the spectator, as it forces them to call into question their own beliefs and values and compare them to those presented to them.

However, there are some examples which would lead me to disagree with the statement. E.g.

Trainspotting was the first film since the 1960s to present British working class people/culture to the wider audience, as prior to this Richard Curtis-esque films were the norm - Four Weddings and a Funeral etc. Middle class London. This Boyle goes beyond the idea of showing a different aspect of British society, he actively follows an anti-English/anti-London ideology. For example, Renton, in his 'It's shite being Scottish' rant the English as 'effete'. The word summarises the Curtis perspective of England perfectly, showing the stark contrast between the reality of being working class in Scotland in comparison to the typical London lifestyle shown in British film. This would be relatable to a large portion of the target audience, as they would also be working class and possibly disillusioned with their county's representation as they don't relate to it either. In addition, the use of the word 'effete' shows Renton is a different light, as it's a relatively obscure word assumed to only be used by the educated. It shows the spectator that even the portrayed demographic, working class Scottish and addicts, aren't as they seem, going beyond the stereotype of uneducated, useless etc. Another example of the anti-London/English ideology is Renton's opinion of his move to and real estate job in London. The montage introducing the move is similar to a travel advert (something Boyle aimed for), making London appear idealistic, fun, positive. However, Renton describes London and his job there as 'cheating, scamming, fragmenting, breaking... there was no such thing as society and if there was I had nothing to do with it'. Such a description is directly comparable with what society assumes (and what is shown in the film) is the lifestyle of a heroin addict. The comparison shows that regardless of the position in society, and regardless of whether it's in Edinburgh or London, there is still lying and cheating and stealing, which contributes to the anti_ ideology, as it shows that although London is shown romantically the middle class lifestyle associated with it is still as negative as that of a heroin addict. I think that this would create a deep connection with spectators as they relate to the characters and their position in society, and seeing the other half of society being described as worse/equivalent to them would create a deep connection. This is evident by the 'Cool Britannia' culture that was prevalent at the time, and that Trainspotting kcik-started the 'heroin chic' trend of the late 90s.

In conclusion, I agree with the statement, however it only applies to the target audience as they're the ones that can relate to the deeper ideology as it applies solely to them.