Research

Title: Half Man, Half Tree

Narrative Structure: Linear, single strand, closed.

Type of Documentary: Mixed

Themes: Health, abnormality, the way human’s judge

Misenscene: - Dark lighting signifies a daunting atmosphere
- The village that the man lives in
- Hospital
- Families (shows he’s a family man)

Sound: - Voiceover – Male, middle aged
- Upbeat sound for opening scene.
- Soft slow music – to show emotion and sadness.
- Sound of children – Joyful, playful person.

Editing: - Cut
- Fade to Black
- Cutaways of circus performances > man showing of his wart ridden body (His job)
- Slow camera movement – creates pace and emotion to relate to topic of the documentary.

Camerawork: - Handheld – to follow actuality footage.
- Close up’s on action
- Interview set in natural habitat – home (comfortable/ relaxed)
- Interview in CU or MCU
- Panning across body (warts)
- Zoom across body (warts)
- Establishing shots of hospitals/ home (village)

Archive Material: - Footage of body through machine in the hospital
- Other people in circus with skin conditions (photos and videos.)

Graphics: - Opening credits
- Translations on screen
- Closing credits


Title: Marketing Meatloaf

Narrative Structure: Closed, single- strand, non linear.

Type of Documentary: Mixed, Factual

Themes: Marketing – audience manipulation, Music industry.

Misenscene: - Authorised attire (suites etc)
- Cameras
- Fans
- Paparazzi
- Interviewees are placed in front of a setting that anchors what they are talking about.
- Rock and Roll images
- Still images

Sound: - Dramatic soundtracks
- Direct address from voiceover
- Meatloaf’s music – non diagetic
- Diagetic dialogue – discussion
- Voiceover was very sarcastic which is unusual.

Editing: - Dissolve (interviewee) to superimposed (brought forward) onto meatloaf
still image.
- Fading from one shot to another
- Crossover text
- Cutaways – to link and anchor

Camerawork: - Handheld – to follow
- P.O.V shots used from audience observation
- Interviews to left or right of camera
- A lot of camera focus on brand and name of meatloaf
- Pan over magazines and CD covers

Archive Material: - Brit Awards
- Concerts
- News reports
- Top of the Pops
- YMCA music video

Graphics: - Magazines
- Newspapers
- CD /Album covers


Title: That Thing

Narrative Structure: Closed, single strand, non-linear

Type of Documentary: Mixed

Themes: Iconography, representation of gender, feminism, popular culture.

Misenscene: - Game/ film footage behind interviewees
- Chromo key (blue/green screen)
- Black projection – behind interviewee
- Computers link to context (inventor inside computer screen)
- Front projection – over interviewee

Sound: - Laura Croft voice/ noises
- Voiceover – male, young, standard English
- Angelina Jolie voice
- Gunshots
- Music (techno)- from the game/ soundtrack
- Music – Madonna > link to interview

Editing: - Superimposed imagery (man over game footage) – Chromo key
- Fast motion
- Cutting
- Montage of interviews

Camerawork: - Big close up’s, MCU, CU all used on interviews (interviewee positioned left or right of screen)
- Tilted Frames for interviews
- Handheld – panning across people playing video games
- P.O.V and Tracking – walking through the room of computers
- Zoom in and out of game
- Pan used across still images

Archive Material: - Game footage
- Film footage
- Websites/ forums
- Angelina Jolie interview
- Nike advert

Graphics: - Name on interviewee (lower case lettering) / Subject matter etc >> all linked to programme (Sans-serif font)
- Name of programme
- Internet sites
- Credits


Title: The Devil made me do it
Narrative Structure: Single-strand, open, non linear

Type of Documentary: Mixed – interviews, actuality footage etc


Themes: Religion, good Vs evil (binary oppositions), spirituality, power of the media.
Misenscene: - Interviews
- Contrast shots of Manson and what he stands for – e.g. McDonalds
- Local people from the Town
- Coffin and Hurst
- Girls diaries – evidence
- Friends sitting on bed, relaxed and smoking
- Memorial service

Sound: - Whispering voices of the young girls
- Heartbeat sound (drums)
- Translator voice
- Eerie music / Church music – set the scene
- Violin solo
- Italian voices (age and gender matches visuals) comes on after English translator – deliberately
- Manson music
- Voice over – young, male, emotionless, standard English

Editing: - Cutaways
- Manson’s music added between clips to remind audience of him
- Slow motion
- Mansion music – credits at bottom of screen
- Montage of clips
- Fades
- Juxta position

Camerawork: - Handheld
- Panning, Zoom – to signify evidence
- Crosscutting
- P.O.V – following action
- Cutaways – links images to storyline
- Mainly close ups on interviews
- Wide shots of locations (establishing shots)
- 1st Manson interview – in low angle to show power and the lighting is half dark on one side of face and light on the other half of his face to show he has two sides to him.
- Shots of religious iconography
- Slow pan across town day and night to show deserted atmosphere.

Archive Material: - Concert footage
- Evidence clips from talk shows
- American News footage
- Nun’s funeral and memorial service on News.

Graphics: - Subtitles of lyrics to songs
- Description of what happened to the girls – at end of show.
- Name/ Relation of interviewees
- Dates and days of week to anchor when the scene took place.
- Title of programme / Closing credits


Title: Wounded

Narrative Structure: Single Strand, Linear, closed

Type of Documentary: Mixed

Themes: War, Danger, Health

Misenscene: - Hospital, Nurses, Doctors, medical equipment
- Military based equipment
- Interviews are recorded, mainly, in the individuals working environment e.g. Hospital/Homes/At war
- Airport – showing the relations flying over to see the patient.
- Interview setup’s are not very professional due to the subject matter being serious and emotional

Sound: - Opening sound (actuality) following action – can hear wind and footsteps.
- Big bang (explosion) over black screen- signifies something bad has happened.
- Voiceover – Male, young, emotionless.
- Quiet, slow beat when dealing with a sensitive scene – suspense and hope.
- Loud, fast beat when at war – danger, creates curiosity.
- Voiceover of interview is put over clip when describing what they are talking about.

Editing: - Match on action
- Cutaways of medical clips, e.g. surgery
- Cuts
- Creates pace

Camerawork: - Handheld – follow actuality footage as it happens
- Interview with nurse, mother, solider, family members of patient – positioned left or right of camera
- Close up shots and Medium Close ups used.
- Long, wide shot of locations (establishing shots)
- Zoom on interviews and still pictures.
- Interview setup’s are not very professional due to the subject matter being serious and emotional

Archive Material: - Pictures of soldiers at home and at war.
- Handheld camera showing soldiers at war in Afghanistan
- Pictures of injured soldiers.

Graphics: - Opening credits
- Names of hospitals
- Closing credits

I researched stories about sweets on the internet, one of these was a news paper article taken from the BBC in Scotland. I took this research just incase any of our documentary was based on sweets in the news; here is one piece i found:

>Pupils at a primary school in Lanarkshire have taken their fight to be allowed to sell sweets in their tuck shop to the Scottish Parliament.
A group of primary seven youngsters from Knowetop school in Motherwell said a ban on schools selling sweets and chocolate was "very unfair".
They have lodged an e-petition on the parliament's website and are calling for a change in the law.
Education bosses said healthy eating policies were helping tackle obesity.
The petition has been organised by a group of primary seven pupils who, as part of a citizenship programme within the school, have been looking at the role of pressure groups.
It stated: "Our tuck shop, which was run by the pupils, sold Fairtrade sweets and drinks as part of our schools involvement in supporting the Fairtrade movement.
Longer run this.
"We have been taught at school that sweets are a healthy part of a balanced diet and would like to be given the chance to develop a responsible attitude towards this."
The petition, lodged on the Scottish Parliament website last week, went on: "Buying sweets in our tuck shop is a more easily controlled and safer environment than our local shop.
"Parents know what is in our tuck shop but not what we would buy in shops."
It is estimated that more than a third of children in Lanarkshire are obese by the age of 15.
Graham Patrick, head of facility support services, which provides tuck shops to some North Lanarkshire schools, said legislation meant the council had to provide healthy foods in schools.
"Hungry for Success, the Scottish Government initiative, says crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks and so on should not be offered in school tuck shops," he said.
"As a result, we took the decision to withdraw such snacks and drinks from school tuck shops."
He added: "Understandably, some children are disappointed by that decision."

Website Link >> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8266385.stm