Analysis 2_CaitlynS

A. Content

Trailer 1: Nanook of the North:

1. The central subject of this trailer is the culture and way of life for the Nanook Aboriginal group.
2. Visual elements that tell the viewer the topic of the trailer is the B-roll of the aboriginal people interacting and living. It shows how they transport their goods, entertain, play, cook, hunt, etc. The music that overlaps the footage also helps give the viewer a strong sense of their way of life as it is very exotic.
3. Several moments that really struck me from the trailer was the clips of the aboriginal people interacting with their dogs. The scene conveys that the dogs are not only helpful tools but also good companions. The next scenes that really stuck with me was the lapses of footage of the dogs outside in the cold, recording them until they froze to death. What really made those clips stand out though was when it cut to a man sleeping comfortably, sheltered from the storm, framing just his face. I think that these scenes are what draws the audience to actually want to go out and watch the film to better understand their culture because our culture would classify that as inhumane.

Trailer 2: The Prisoner or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair

1. The central subject of this trailer is the American Military’s mistake of accusing journalist Yunis Khatayer Abbas of plotting to assassinate Tony Blair.
2. Visual elements that help give the audience an understanding of what the film is about are the clips which include Abbas’ ordinary life before the Iraq war, the clips which include him getting arrested, but also the graphic drawings that help explain what the journalist went through although he was an innocent man. The music gives the sense that the film is a mystery, trying to uncover the truth as to why Abbas was accused of plotting to assassinate Tony Blair.
3. The first scene that I thought was striking was the actual footage of Abbas being actually arrested, as he is taken out of his home in the middle of the night in just his pajamas. The next footage the I found to be rather interesting that would possibly compel an audience to watch the actual film is all the b-roll of the war to show how intense Iraq became once troops came in imposing this stress and anxiety on civilians instead off making them feel safe. Lastly the the graphic animations that they include of Abbas are intriguing because although they do not have footage of the torture that he went through, they were able to recreate it to help tell the story.

B. Structure: Virunga

1. If were to break this documentary down into five parts I would categorize it like this: •Introduction: Where the documentary clarifies the setting and environment and what is at stake. •Problem: Introduces what has been impacting their environment and way of life such as the war and big companies trying to exploit the land and hinder the wildlife for oil. •Action: Shows the people of the land trying to fight back whether it be the rangers, regular civilians, military, or reporters. •In light of things: Shows the progress they are making in protecting their land and way of life. • Conclusion: Ends by showing clips and interviews that recognize they still have a ways to go in fighting for their land and rights but also recognizes the progress they have made trying to ensure they save their environment and way of life.
2. The transition points often included b-roll that showed wildlife and nature or the people interacting.
3. I would say that the documentary is non-narrative because their is no narration that is included explaining the story. However, the interviews help narrate the story and create a nice flow so that the audience can understand how all the clips and footage are tied together to create a cohesive documentary.
4. Some of the b-roll and images used to tie the interviews together seemed irrelevant to some of the interviews. However, they repeated the utilization of scenic b-roll throughout their transitions to organize the video and help clarify again and again their cause and the land and wildlife that they are fighting to protect.

C. Cinematic Style

1. The movement of the documentary is paced accordingly. The interviews are properly cut to share the correct amount of information about the story. The B-roll is properly cut so it gives the sense of the land, it is not rushed and it is also not too long. The framing utilizes the rule of thirds but also focuses on the interviewee and the surrounding environment they are in to give a better sense of the character. The footage also uses similar qualities of natural light and their is not too much contrast so that all the clips flow really nicely. I would not describe the lighting of the documentary as dark though.
2. The B-roll in the documentary typically lasts shorter or longer than 10 seconds according to the surroundings and interactions that the film needed to highlight to give the viewer a better understanding of the story. The interviews however were typically longer than 10 seconds as they needed to share valuable and pertinent information that was crucial to the documentary.
3. The sequences move forward in narrative sense, yes. They introduce new players in the story to help make sense of the different perspectives that are having an influence and impact on protecting their environment and wildlife. And when need be, the sequences include past interviewees to make the story flow.

D. Documentarian Stance (full length)

1. Again, they give perspectives of rangers, wildlife conservationists, reporters, civilians, etc. The filmmaker clearly wanted to demonstrate the roles that these people are playing in such an important fight and convey how important it is for all of them and that it does not just impact one person.
2. I would say promoter. Although each interviewee has different affiliations as to why they want to protect the environment and wildlife, they all share a common message. They are telling why it is important to them and why their land should not be exploited and sharing what they are doing to help the cause. This is promoting to the audience what this fight exactly means to them and why others should think it is important too.
3. I do not think their are any improper methods in terms of ethics within this documentary. The film itself stays true to the story they are trying to cover along with the players who are influencing the story.

• Saved: A2