Here is my research for the documentary project
Conventions I researched;
1. Interviews
1. Interviews
Talking heads (a presenter on television who addresses the camera and is viewed in close-up) and interviews offer audiences with firsthand accounts, recital or personal perspective and outlook. Almost always, interviewees are sat in a stationary chair. Interviewees could be;
- Victims
- Suspects/Accused/Defendant
- Expert opinion (presentation/inclusion of authority figure or expert like officers, lawyers, investigators, judge/judical officer, etc)
- Others that were affected and involved (jurors, family/friends of victim, community, witnesses, etc)
- Old images
- Newsreel footage/news clip
- Surveillance footage of the crime
- Articles, prints, magazines
- Still images (often paired with pans, zooms, tilts to make keep the scene interesting)
- "Voice of god" where narrator is heard but not seen.
- "Voice of authority" where narrator is heard and seen.
- Indirect interview where the subject is seen talking on camera but not interviewer to give the impression of subject speaking directly to viewer.
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2. Archive footage
These are shown to help provide context for the subject and to illustrate past events for the viewer. Another form of this could be observational footage which offers the viewers an immersive experience however is not common depending on the crime. These could be in the form of;
3. Hand-held camera/Shaky camera movements
Not common in the context of a crime documentary however can be used to add realism or to add impression of urgency and panic
4. Voiceover Narration
A voice heard on the soundtrack that explains or comments on visuals. This gives audience context and commentary that acts as a guide to clarify information while also ensuring continuity. Additionally allows filmmaker to include analysis that may not have been clear through visuals alone. Varying types of narration thats seen include;
5. Re-enactments
Not as common in crime documentaries but can be seen in use by investigators to factually recreate a crime scene.
6. Sound/score
Aids in creating an atmosphere and mood, often for suspense before a reveal in information. Sound effects could also be used to dramatize or put emphasis on a moment or action.
7. Mise-en-scene
Will always relates to interviewee, events and the subject/topic being reviewed.
8. Editing
Most often questions by interviewers are edited out and cutaways/inserts are used to avoid jump cuts within an interview. Possibly feature montage editing as a transitional or climactic sequences to evoke a reaction in the audience.
9. Graphics
Graphics can differ from style of documentation however is often seen with titles, places, names of interviewee and their connection to the event and other information to be displayed on screen for clarification and organization.
Sources;
https://www.documentarysite.com/2020/02/01/documentary-conventions/
https://www.factualamerica.com/filmmaking/documentary-film-conventions
Codes and Conventions of Documentary Genre (https://youtu.be/ARfoJUnDfkQ)
Documentary Conventions List - (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oFRIwi7YlmrbZNgJt70uI1SUgv7K4hroPAHF8dPFAXk/edit)
Reflection; As I wasn't an avid watcher of the documentary genre, I was at loss of thought when it came to analysing them thus I first took a look into the conventions to better grasp at what was a common feature that I should look out for. I think this activity helped me to start out and calm my nerves considering I became very overwhelmed when trying to analyse a documentary for the first time without any prior knowledge on it. Therefore, rewinding and beginning with fundamentals definitely was the right move for me.
Analysing 5 Documentary Introductions
1. Tell Them You Love Me (2023)
- What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- True crime
- Criminal psychology (examines mindset and motivation behind actions and impact on victim)
- Who is the target audience?
- Demographic;
- Young adults to adults (aged 20-45)
- Both men and women
- Middle to Upper middle class - people who are able to afford Netflix (streaming services) through subscriptions
- Psychographic;
- Understanding the psychological motives behind perpretrator
- Those curious/fascinated by human behaviour
- Interest in social and power dynamics in relationships between a caretaker and individual
- What typical documentary conventions were used?
- They had used interviews, graphics, archived images (article titles, highlights of a news article, photos of the crime/victim) accompanied with narration of the interview and reannactments (actors to recreate movement of typing on keyboard).
- Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?
- It heavily conforms to conventions set up by the genre based on how the opening frequently uses typical features in the introduction/trailer.
- How does it create suspense using the following:
- Camera
- Static, medium shot of perpetrator/interviewee (additionally subject placed in the middle of the screen) brings viewers attention to the person
- Static shots of the typewriter, builds the theme around the story
- Shallow depth of field on the typing creates a sense of mystery and could be used to hide detail from audience
- Slow tracking of woman walking to build anticipation
- Slow camera movements (often push in) also builds anticipation
- Sound
- Begins low pitch, becomes the foundation to an ominous atmosphere
- Gradual crescendo, helps to heighten the tension and suggest high stakes
- Fast paced, looping violin, aids in anticipation through monotony
- Mise-en-scene
- Slow, appearing (fade in) graphics - title, production studio, etc
- Low key lighting used when it came to perpretrator and victim, lots of shadow to create a sense of danger and mystery
- Black and white filter on archival images
- Edit
- All scenes slowed down, prolongs a scene by drawing out the moment thus builds suspense
- Pacing of scenes were slow, lasting 5 and more seconds each. Draws out each image to enhance uncertainty
- What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?
- For this documentary, I really enjoyed the score of this opening. The layering of different sounds, musical scores, and sound effects like the camera clicks were well put together and made the whole scene feel more intense and heavy. However, beyond that, I had found this opening to be untheatrical and lack the suspense that would make your hairs stand. I believe this may be because of the underwhelming mise-en-scene that focused more on building a theme than a gripping sensation for the audience.
2. Our Father (2022)
- What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- True crime
- Victimology
- Medical crime
- Investigative crime
- Who is the target audience?
- Demographic;
- Older adult audience (25-50)
- Mostly targeting women as the largest represented group (victims) is women
- Higher education level, possible with background in healthcare, science, pharmaceuticals or possibly law
- Psychographic;
- Interest in healthcare, medicine or concerned with medication safety
- Those skeptical with the regulations and systems of pharmaceutical companies
- Interest in exposing unethical practices
- What typical documentary conventions were used?
- Reannactments, interviews
- Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?
- This opening did conform to using typical convention to the genre like interviews, however this was my first time seeing reannactment being done.
- How does it create suspense using the following:
- Camera
- Slow moving push-in of hallway
- Sound
- Begins with silence
- Ringing/high pitch noise follows with static noise to
- ambient noise (clock ticking)
- "Nightmare" "it was wrong" dialouge
- womens voices, never seeing his face
- deep tone?
- Mise-en-scene
- Board with pictures of babies, paired with "experiment" and "sick game" dialouge
- Hallway is empty, dark and barely lit, which is meant to evoke a sense of eeriness
- Low key lighting used as shadows connotes mystery
- Empty/isolated rooms (office, doctors office, etc) to elicit ominous feeling
- Edit
- Long pacing of scenes sets up anticipation in audience.
- What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?
- I enjoyed the editing of the opening. Its use of long pacing made each scene feel more anticipating.
3. Jeffrey Epstein: Flithy Rich (2020)
- What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- True crime
- Biographical crime (focuses on the life of Jeffery Epstein)
- Organized crime
- Who is the target audience?
- Demographic;
- Adults ages 25-50, but possibly also younger audience (18-25)
- No targeted gender
- Higher education level, may have background in politics, law, or journalism
- Psychographic;
- Those interested in politics, social justice and activism. May also be curious on how wealth can buy and abuse power and influence. They're likely to be able to handle or are desensitized to uncomfortablel, dark and complex issues like sex trafficking of minors
- People who value knowledge and truth, questioning those in higher positions of society.
- What typical documentary conventions were used?
- Interview footage/interrogation and pictures of people involved in the crime and victims.
- Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?
- While the opening sequence did feature an interview with the perpetrator, it broke away from typical documentary conventions. By using establishing shots and CGI, the filmmakers created a narrative that emphasized the role of money in fueling and funding crime.
- How does it create suspense using the following:
- Camera
- The camera during the interview remained static, to reduce distracting elements and focus on the prepertrator.
- Sound
- The interview did not have any score, only the prepertrator speaking.
- The score gradually comes alive by the end of the interview, signalling something is going to happen
- Looping notes creates unease and keeps audience on edge
- Low/deep notes were also used as to provoke feeling of danger and or foreboding
- Mise-en-scene
- TV static during the interview is often linked to the unknown and can heighten feeling of fear because of its ambiguity
- A gate is shown closing, implying that an escape is being blocked to build fear in audience.
- Dark and dull colours used because of its connotations of mystery
- Repetitive dialouge choosen, increases audience anticipation
- Edit
- Limited editing was used, keeping pacing long and dragged out.
- Cuts to the question and answer.
- Interviewee was zoomed in after every cut, implying applied pressure and increasing tension.
- What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?
- Personally, I could not find much of this opening to be inspiring. I was interested in how the subject of money was repeated to construct the theme however, nothing else peaked my interest as a result of an absence of uncertainty thus the opening remained underwhelming.
4. The Final; Attack on Wembley (2024) - Shorter analysis
- What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- True crime
- Terrorism and political crime
- Public safety and security
- Event-based crime
- Who is the target audience?
- Demographic;
- Age 17/18+, topic and footage of alcohol and drug consumption
- Global/international audiences but primarily targeting UK audiences, where the event unfolded
- Psychographic;
- Audience interested in sports, football, Euro championship
- Audience curious on what occured during the catastrophe and why
- What typical documentary conventions were used?
- Narration (from actual news), interviews with witnesses, real footage of the day from participants perspective (tiktoks, phone footage, surveillance, etc)
- Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?
- The beginning did subvert from the convention of a crime documentary as they did not immediately set up an eerie atmopshere but instead begun the opening with common themes of peace and celebration.
- How does it create suspense using the following:
- Camera
- Slow push in and zooms on establishing shots of the stadium
- Hand-held cameras for a more chaotic feel
- Close-ups on interviewee to show their reaction (of disgust, shock or concern) helps show audience the severity of the issue
- Sound
- Single. monotonous note that goes on for a long time, hints at an eerie tone that doesn't seem obvious
- Mise-en-scene
- Empty streets and seats builds tension, unusually deserted place may make audience feel uncomfortable
- Edit
- Some scenes were slowed down to prepare audience to anticipate something bad
- Usage of calming scenes in the beginning to constrast to the disarray of the actual event
- What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?
- I enjoyed the way a sense of tranquility and festivity was introduced in the beginning, only to be destroyed and used to constrast the chaos of the event which helped in emphasizing and dramatizing the whole catastrophe.
5. The Pharmacist (2020) - Shorter analysis
- What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- Medical crime
- True crime
- Investigative crime
- Who is the target audience?
- Demographic;
- Adult audiences (20-50)
- Targeting mostly citizens of the USA
- Psychographic;
- Those interested in the usage of drugs, its effects, the possibility of developing addiction and its consequences
- Possibly have background in law or medicine
- People curious and open to learn about corruption- specifically the affects of the neglectful actions of big companies that gear towards earning profit than public safety.
- Empathetic people with high morals are likely targeted.
- What typical documentary conventions were used?
- Archival footage and news (footage of victim (Dan's son), news reports, past interviews of Dan, footage of other victims of the drug), surveillance, reannactments, narration
- Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?
- This opening did conform to most the conventions set up by the genre but it did include behind the scenes of the interview of Dan (interviewee) being casual and making jokes, which is not often seen in the genre to keep a "professional" and serious tone to the documentary. I saw it as a way to develop a connection between Dan and the audience, showing that he was a real person with a real experience and feelings.
- How does it create suspense using the following:
- Camera
- Slow moving pans and drone establishing shots
- Static shots feel empty, makes scene feels inactive or dead thus becomes more eerie
- Hand-held seems more personal, develops a connection with audiences
- Sound
- Long, dragging notes builds anticipation
- Mise-en-scene
- Empty home and pharmacist office, isolated places helps induce fear and tension in audience
- Dark and low key lighting in the basement, hints at something hidden that awaits the audience
- Police lights, the night time, and shadows all imply a sense of animosity in audience
- Edit
- Sequence of scenes focus on Dan's actions to bring his son justice
- Archival footage with emotional dialouge narration and a fast-pace rhythmic score to hype up his actions
- What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?
6. American Vandal (2017-2018)
- What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- Parody/spoof series
- Mockumentary
- Comedy
- Teen drama
- What typical documentary conventions were used?
- Archival footage (news reports, conference videos, student point-of-view) and interview with the suspect.
- Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?
- This opening did conform to conventions of the genre by using typical features of the genre as mentioned previously. These elements acts as a familiar framework that aligns with audience expectations of the crime documentary so audience will recognise the genre however is able to notice the subversion of the serious atmosphere. This was through the inclusion of the interviewers questions and interviewee's responses, which was not often seen in actual documentaries, to make convey an informal and amateur-tone of the production.
- How does it create suspense using the following:
- Camera
- Static close up of accused's eyes could show audience his expression, providing a sense of annoyance, seriousness and exasperation.
- Sound
- The interview has a lack of a score, focusing on the characters dialouge and tone of frustration
- A deep score with a crescendo can be heard that helps develop the serious aspect of the documentary and brings a possible perception of dread.
- Repeating rhythms and notes that increasingly go lower intensifies the feeling of anticipation as if something frightening were to happen.
- Mise-en-scene
- Low key lighting was used as shadows have associations to suspicous characteristics to hint at the character being shady or deceptive. This makes audience fear or doubt the character, thus building uncertainty
- Accused student is shown to be in hoodie and shirt, paired with red, watery eyes, a slouched position, and in a messy/unkept kitchen which paints a narrative of a miserable and lonesome character. This could be used to develop mistrust of the character in audience. However, his certainty and assurance that the crime wasn't done by him causes conflict with the audience's belief, thus keeping them engaged.
- Black and white filter was used to increase ho
- Red spray paint, as the colour stands out from the black and white images has connotations to danger
- Footage and mention of the expulsion of the accused student in school authority/council dialouge displays to the audience the stake of the crime
- Edit
- Overlaying images of the crime to show repetitive act
- Using scenes of the adults reporting and reacting to the crime (stunned, horrified, disgusted, etc) and contrasting them by mixing in students point of view through snapchat videos, instagram posts, etc (finding it humourous, amusing and comical)
- Mention of student's previous vulgar acts on top of classmates opinion/belief of him being the suspect further incriminates the student as well as inviting audience to suspect him as well.
- What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?
- Despite this documentary to be a parody of the genre, I found myself to be more engaged with this series opening than other documentaries I had analysed. This might be
Self Reflection ; I enjoyed getting myself well adjusted to the genre by reviewing different styles of documentaries as it was a new and interesting genre I had yet to explore so I was began my research very motivated but it quickly died off by the second documentary. I found the constant use of conventions boring to watch repeatedly and I had started losing ideas on how to form my sentences to explain my analysis in a coherent manner. My solution for this was to leave my research for a day to refresh my mind and clear it so when I returned, I would be more inclined to do my analysis. But at the end of the day, this research was very helpful in enabling me to expand my ideas on how to create tension and suspense by picking it apart each documentary and then applying it to my own project.