Documentary processes - Jonathan Farrow-White
Documentary Mode
This Mode portrays its subject in an abstract, subjective form that emphasises visuals and narration to fit the mood of the documentary, rather than a chronological, structured approach.
The Expository Mode;
This mode is the type that we associate most with documentary because it directly addresses the audience with the voice of god effect. It does this to anchor the narrative or point to the audience. This is most commonly used with war documentaries and nature documentaries.
The Observational Mode;
With the advances in camera technology in recent years, this has created a new documentary mode. This then enables documentary’s to observe its subject in a non-intrusive manner, thus creating a fly on the wall realistic feel.
The Participatory Mode;
This mode is when the filmmaker has directly engages with the subject/topic.
The Performative Mode;
This mode is quite similar to the participatory mode as the filmmaker plays a big part of the document. It is often autobiographical, and it follows the filmmaker as they try something new.
The Reflexive Mode;
This mode shows an active consciousness of the process of documentary filmmaking and the audience has as much of an interest in the construction of the film as they do in the films content.
Forceville theory of ‘Source-Path-Goal’ allows us to get a better understanding of the concept of a journey. This theory can be loosely based to Todorov narrative theory of the 3 different elements to narrative; equilibrium, disequilibrium and reestablish equilibrium. This theory can be applied though all elements of media. However, in this case Forcevillie looks at in more detail of how people interact with their own personal journeys within the media text, and how curtain circumstances and events can change their point of view or outcomes on their own personal journeys. This allows us to look at real life aspects rather then a scripted or storyboarded text. However, I feel as if this is the best way to deliver a documentary, weather this be from the primaries point of view or the filmmakers.
Source-Path-Goal Schema
Codex
Snapshot
A codex is a recorder that captures high-resolution media into a digital format whilst incorporating moving image and sound together.
A snapshot is the ability to save a photo that you are editing on Photoshop before you have made any changes. This makes it easier to edit photos and have a back up just incase.
Moiré
Moiré’s occurs when two patterns from fabric, hair, architecture etc. The camera sensor interprets the light through the bayer interpolation filter and as a result. It creates a new third “wave” pattern. There are effective ways to remove moiré’s, such as editing the image though postproduction with software and plug-ins. However, this may reduce the quality of the image. The most effective way of removing moiré is change the camera to the subject distance or focus because of over loading the sensor resolution. Another way to remove moiré is to always shoot in RAW, not JPEG due to the more pixels, the less moiré the sensor will pick up. On the other hand, this depends on what type of camera that you use.
http://www.ishootshows.com/2012/04/09/understanding-moire-patterns-in-digital-photography/
Let it Breathe
As documentary goes its main goal is to educate. However, with the over use of facts, interviews and figures, it can be very over whelming for the audience. Letting the documentary breathe allows the audience to relax and allow them time to reflect. This can simply be a cut away shot or even still images for anything up to 5 seconds.
Synergy
Synergy is the merging of two or more media texts to help advertise and promote another media text. This could be anything to posters, memorabilia, trailers, books, etc.
Ken Berns Effect
The Ken Burns effect is a simple but yet every effective documentary technique. The effect consists panning and/or zooming over a image or still to give a little animation with film. This allows the image to be of importance/interesting then just adding a shot. Ken Burns wasn’t the first to develop this effect. However, he is certainly is the most widely regarded.
http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/tech/diy-ken-burns-effect/
Six Qualities of Documentary
Emotional content – Where the primary has an emotional story that the audience can feel a connection with.
Relative Content – This allows the audience to be able to relate to the content.
Empathy and Quizzical Thought – This is the documentary version of a cliffhanger, it leaves the audience questioning after the documentary has finished. .
Shock and Expectation – main goal is to shock the audience but yet still able to educate at the same time.
The Voyeur Image – This leaves the audience in a state of realism, as they believe what they are looking at is real. However, every documentary is staged to certain degree.
The Surreal – This is a way to open the door to the audience to something new
Three Modes of Photography
1.The Decisive Moment – images are taken without thought of reason or meaning, just a momentary still of reality.
2. Modern Staged Manipulator – where the image is staged with the use of actors, sets, etc. With no sense of capturing the events as they happen, more inventing the moments for defined reason.
3. Social-Voyeur-Artist – adding a new definition on “everyday” events using defined contexts, generating discourses about those moments.
Vietnam syndrome is effect during the Vietnam war that hit America, when a vast majority of the general public was against of what American troops was doing in Vietnam of the basis of what photographers was taking of the war and being published in the media. As a result of this exposure to the war, it cause scandals, protests and riots.