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Analysis 2

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To prepare for Project 2, you will be looking at documentary films and techniques. For a series of short documentary film trailers we will review in class which may include the following— Nanook of the North, The Kid Stays in the Picture, The Prisoner, Waltz with Bashir, Baraka, The Corporation, and Looking Back by Emile Bokaer, —answer the following questions.

For A, select two of the documentary trailers viewed in class to contrast two different approaches to documentary filmmaking (see list below). Your responses can be brief, but should be thoughtful and should answer the questions with clear examples that someone who hasn’t seen the film in a few years can understand.
For B, C & D, view one full length documentary.
For all answers, consider the following methods present in the films as you compare, contrast or describe the documentaries:

  • Voice-over in first person
  • Filmmaker present in the images
  • Journalistic mode: third person voice-over (reporter) or written titles (informational)
  • Methods of direct cinema (generally observational camera)
  • Methods of abstract or non-verbal non-narrative cinema

A. Content (trailer)

  1. In one sentence, describe the central subject of the documentary trailer.
  2. What provides information to the viewer about the topic of movie? List the types of footage and visual and sonic elements of the documentary.
  3. Pick three moments from the film trailer that stand out to you. Why are they important?

B. Structure (full length)

  1. Choose one documentary film and view the whole film. If you were to break it down into three to five sections, what would be the parts? Describe them briefly (one sentence or less each).
  2. Looking back at how you divided the documentary, what happened at the transition points between each section?
  3. Is the documentary narrative or non-narrative? Or do you see it somewhere in between? Why?
  4. In either case, how does the documentary structure the images so that they are understandable?

C. Cinematic Style (full length)

  1. Describe the cinematography of the documentary, including use of movement, framing and depth, and qualities of light, dark, and color.
  2. What is the pace of the editing? Are many shots held for more than 10 seconds? Note if those shots are interviews.
  3. Do sequences move forward in terms of a straightforward narrative or presentation of clearly progressing images, or is there an alternative pattern to the arrangement of shots?

D. Documentarian Stance (full length)

  1. From your answer to the question about “what provides information” (A2), what are the perspectives offered about the topic during the documentary? Is there any way to determine the goals of the filmmaker from the presentation of information? Explain.
  2. From the following descriptive terms (from Erik Barnouw’s book Documentary), what one would you select for the person (or people) responsible for this documentary: reporter; prosecutor; promoter; observer; poet. Explain your choice with examples from the movie. If you think that two terms are necessary or if you want to use a similar noun not on this list, do so, but explain your choice.
  3. From our discussion of the ethical issues often faced in documentary filmmaking, do you see evidence of proper or improper methods or approaches in the filmmaking?

—Adapted from Moving Images

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