Caitlin Greene
May 9, 2012
Elements of Film
The Documentary
Film
Documentary
filmmaking can be an extremely powerful tool in forwarding thoughts, opinions,
passions and causes. Documentaries
are all about filming reality in a way that allows others to be able to project
themselves into the lives and stories and others and see a world they might not
have seen otherwise. A good
documentary can change one’s life and thinking forever; it can cause someone to
find a life passion; it can ignite a passion for a social cause that in turn
changes the world. Documentaries
are an important art and the elements that go into the film are what make it powerful. A good documenter knows what questions
to ask, what shots are important and what music score will make each scene as
powerful as possible. In this
paper I will outline some of these elements that go into making a great
documentary and the ways in which documenters utilize these elements.
The
first aspect of a documentary that we will explore is the knowledge of the
documenter in what shots the movie will need to be the most powerful and the
determination to get these shots no matter the cost. Getting the right shots for a documentary involves both
determination and luck. In many
cases documenters stumble upon brilliant shots that could not be planned. Raw emotion cannot be planned and that
is what makes it strong. Powerful
shots are sometimes happenstance but determination is a big part of what gets
shots that are needed for these movies.
Often times the stories being told are stories that are not approved on
by the subjects and therefore an amount of risk goes into the filming of the
most shocking and powerful shots.
Documenters must have vigor for their film that gives them the resolve
to take the risk to get the shots that will ignite the passion into the
audience. Without this
determination the film cannot excite the audience in the way that is needed to
make the film a success.
In the documentary
The Cove, the shot that makes the entire movie and made it the powerful
movie it was took months of preparation and planning. This movie dealt with the dolphin trade in Japan, and because
the money from the dolphins is such a large part of the economy of very
powerful people it would be a difficult task for the documenters to get a shot
of the hidden and protected cove in which the mass slaughter of dolphin was
taking place. The makers of the
movie knew the consequences they faced if they were caught filming the cove but
their determination and resolve pushed them to get this powerful shot. The crew snuck into the guarded, fenced
off area in the dead of night and planted cameras all around the perimeter of
the cove as well as underwater cameras and audio. These cameras caught the first ever video of the slaughter
that was taking place in this cove every year. The shots of the blood red water and panicked dolphin
trashing around desperately trying to escape their immanent fate tightens the
skin and sends chills down your spine.
A shot like this could never had happened if the crew were not determined
to bring this cause to the public no matter the consequences. This shot alone got the attention of
millions and furthered the cause of stopping the dolphin trade around the
world.
In
contrast the film Knuckle was a story stumbled onto by the director, Ian
Palmer. This documentary is a
powerful story of two travelling Irish clans that are in a bitter feud that has
been furthered by generations of bare-knuckle street fights. Palmer’s discovery of this story was
purely happenstance when a friend of his offered him a job filming the wedding
of a Quinn McDonagh. Palmer heard
of the feud for the first time then and became enthralled. He began filming the fights and the
story of the feud unfolded in front of him within 12 years of his filming. The film demonstrates the intensity of
the family connection in Ireland and how the prorogation of violence can
continue throughout generations to a point were no one knows what the violence
is for they just know that the other clan is their enemy. Palmer’s stumbling onto this story
started as pure luck and became an excellent story with a strong message.
Another
important element that goes into making a great documentary is the ability of
the documenter to know what questions to ask to elicit the emotion they need to
have the audience connect with the story and subjects. A documenter cannot be afraid to ask
tough questions but at the same time must be able to connect with the subject
in a way that allows them to trust the director and feel comfortable divulging
intimate details that they may have never admitted before. This is not easy and takes a certain
type of personality. If the
documenter can connect to their subject the subject will be more relaxed and truthful
on camera. This truth will be
conveyed to the audience and in turn cause the audience to better connect to the
subjects and therefore the story.
In
the film Facing the Habit, Magnolia Martin is able to earn the trust of
heroin addict and former millionaire Dave. Earning this trust allows Martin to gain an intimate view
into the life of a drug addict before, during, and after treatment. The trust earned by Martin ensures that
Dave is comfortable sharing every bit of his life and therefore can tell the
real life raw pain of addiction.
In the film Dave reveals stories, struggles and his most vulnerable
moments to the camera and gives the audience a rare insight into the world of
addiction.
The
score or soundtrack of a documentary is often overlooked but is a crucial
element to making a film. The
right score can make the shape, mood, pace and emotion of a film. When scenes are paired with music that
cause a visceral response the scene is much stronger and more effective in
conveying the emotion of the situation to the audience. The relationship between the composer
and the filmmaker is very important to the film. The documenter must be able to explain what they want to
show in the scene and the composer must be able to compliment that creative
vision with the score that will best demonstrate the emotion.
Man
on Wire is an excellent example of successful use of score to portray
emotions in a documentary. Every
scene in this movie is perfectly matched to the situation and gives the film
extra emotion. One scene in
particular has an excellent use of score.
In the scene in which Philippe Petit is explaining his emotions when
first seeing the World Trade Centers the score conveys a feeling of nervousness,
hopelessness but at the same time an excitement. Petit says he felt as if his dreams were crushed when he saw
the height of the tower, impossible, impossible he says but he had an
unexplainable feeling to touch the tower.
This music adds to the drama of the scene and almost makes you feel what
Petit was feeling. Throughout the movie the music is composed perfectly in line with the situations and give the film added drama. The scene below is another great example of the musical pairing in the movie. The music is loud and dramatic giving the viewer a feeling of trouble and uneasiness as the police officers are waiting for Petit to exit the tightrope.
Having
the right shots, asking the right questions and matching your film with the
correct score are three crucial elements that can make a documentary
powerful. When documenters are
able to utilize these elements successfully the product is a film that can
change lives and minds. Documentaries that portray the story successfully can bring
their audience into the story in a way that allows them to empathize with
people that they have never met and would have never thought of empathizing with. Documentaries tell the reality of
worlds that some people would never be to expose to otherwise and therefore they
have the ability to open minds.
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