Modes of documentary
John Grierson’s definition of what a documentary is, ‘The creative treatment of actuality’. This represents that documentaries are used to entertain whilst presenting fact (whilst often being biased) manipulating the audiences’ views on the subject presented.
The research of these film modes are useful for me when thinking about when I create my very own documentary, as it allows me to see and think about what documentaries are out there whilst thinking about what modes they fall within.
Documentaries don’t have to fall into one single mode, rather documentaries often fall within multiple modes, as an example, the documentary ‘Hanging on’ is a blend of the modes: Expository, Performative, Reflective and maybe more.
Framing for Meaning
Framing is an important part of film making and studying, as the use of different framing conveys different emotions and present the narrative. As for example the use of a close up is to be up close and personal with the subject, if being a person or animal, it presents the emotion upon their face. This is contrasted with long shots, creating distance apart from the camera and the subject, amercing the character to the surrounding.
Pan’s Labyrinth Context Research
Researching the context around a film is important when studying films, as understanding the historical, political and more contexts will create a wider understanding of the meanings represented within the films itself.
Especially in film studies as an A Level, when writing up essays, context is one of the 3 main structures within the essay, this is used to present that you have a broader understanding to the film and implications behind the film.
Genre Analysis of Pan’s Labyrinth
Del Toro’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ is a Dark Fantasy film however it uses conventions of War films, Blending the two contrasting genres, with one being based on fiction and one being based on reality.
Del Toro uses these conventions of War films, such as the war between the fascist leader and the Rebels. Which is a very realistic genre tackling the real conflicts with reality. This opposes the overall genre of Dark Fantasy, as within this sub-genre of fantasy, it presents fictional creature, resembling the sort you would find within a fairy tale. This being a fictional based genre. Del Toro uses this effect of conflicting genres to creature the point of view of Ofelia’s character, and how her childlike wonder may alter the reality of war around her.
Mise-en-scene in The Captains feast
The Captain’s Feast establishes the nature of the fascist ruling class in rural Spain and the attitudes and values of Captain Vidal, the villain in the film. The feast is a scene of indulgence, greed and power. Vidal is a fascist brute, he is proud of his reputation and dominates the scene. The guests are hypocrites and prove to be arrogant, callous & heartless. Carmen, seems out of place and is represented as fragile, elegant, cowed and intimidated by the other guests, we also get the impression that Vidal views her with contempt.
These are ideas are communicated in the mise-en-scene, as with each one of the characters are well dressed in formal yet dated outfits and uniform presenting how important they may be and the overall importances of the meal. The lighting throughout is a warm and homely orange tone coming from the fire at the head of the table contrasting to the sinister meaning of the scene. With the proxemics the captain is position at the head of the table presenting the power he holds over his people, with Carmen placed next to Vidal in her wheelchair conveying the power difference between The Captain of the fascist rule in Spain and a middle classed citizen standing out from the crowd.
Genre Poster
Reflection:
Drawing this poster with my partner we were told to grasp the recipe (the repertoire of elements) and put the ingredients (macro features & iconography) together to create a film poster of our randomised genre. Without any words or verbal hints, I believed we achieved this using pieces of the main corpus of the genre’s chosen, for the audience to guess the genre quick easily. As that’s how iconography works, to display a taste iconic features from what to expect within the genre, for some example in the genre of disasters there is always the disaster itself, such as an earthquake or a tsunami.
outline your corpus and add in trailers for these – consider what ARE the conventions / RoE for the genres you have considered
A Great Film
Reflection:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a great film, being one of my favourite films of all time. The director Michel Gondry uses the film to display the emotional connection between two and more people, as he plays with the narrative, starting the film from the end working its way back, till it all comes full circle at the end. Also with the stars chosen Gondry goes against typecasting with actor Jim Carrey most known for his comedy roles, whilst this film presenting him with a more sorrow filled role.
I could not recommend this film enough to people looking for an emotional watch, as this film manages to convey these emotions with many conventions, such as the cinematography, body language and emotional performances.