Documentary Ideas and Research
Wilf Mbanga
My first idea was to get an outsiders commentary and opinions on this years Zimbabwean elections. I thought we could try and ask the highly respected journalist Wilf Mbanga, who has been labelled as an enemy of the state in Zimbabwe, and would have a wealth of knowledge about his home country, as well as a unique viewpoint on the tyrannical rule of Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwe has issued a warrant for Mr Mbangas' arrest after years of challenging their corrupt government through his various publications.
I thought this story could make a good documentary as it is quite topical since Robert Mugabe has recently been reinstated for another term as the President of Zimbabwe, a title he has held since 1987 after serving as Prime Minister for the preceding 7 years.
When thinking about how this story would best be portrayed, I thought that presenting it in a short, mediastorm format would serve it quite well. I came to this conclusion as the subject matter has potential for some quite powerful still images which I think would have suited the powerful views and stories that Mr Mbanga has towards the issue. I think that using the Poetic Mode, much in the same way as the ‘The Marlboro Marine’ (see link below) has used it, could really give this subject some depth and emotion.
http://mediastorm.com/publication/the-marlboro-marine
I think that Mediastorm would be a perfect host for such a documentary, as it would be fitting to the audience they already appeal to. The audience would be politically minded who, if they are not photojournalists themselves, have an interest in the craft.
However, with this idea, there are some quite substantial problems, not least of which being that this could possibly endanger Mr Mbanga if not done correctly. As novice documentary practitioners, this would be quite a big subject to tackle without the appropriate experience. I also feel that we wouldn’t have been able to do it justice, as we don’t have the time and resources needed to get any first hand documentation actually from Zimbabwe. This would be important for authenticity, as well as capturing some decent, and hopefully controversial photographs.
Music Schools
Another idea was to look into the gradual decline in people learning musical instruments. Southampton Rock and Pop School has recently been bought out by another Music School called Rock Out. Over the years they had progressively lost more and more students, without being able to find many replacements. The standard of teaching has been consistently high throughout, but the demand for contemporary music lessons has fallen.
Why is this? Could it just be a simple case of bad business organisation and a lack of interest in that certain area? Or could it be due to the mainstream music industry in general for not featuring bands as much anymore, taking away the influence that talented bands had on their audiences? Maybe the concept of a ‘Rock Band’ is now out dated?
Edward Renyard
This idea was to get in contact with Edward Renyard, the College student who threw the fire extinguisher from the roof of London’s Millbank Tower. We would find out how he came to do such a thing and how he feels he was treated from thereafter. We would also see how it has affected his life and what he is aiming for with his future.
Bronies
This topic would venture into the strange world of the ‘Brony’. A community made up mostly by men, who are avid, die-hard fans of the cartoon series ‘My Little Pony’. When paying attention to this community, it seems to have become a bit of a faux-religion after garnering a global fanbase.
Underground/Local Bands
This idea was to use the Observational, Fly-on-the-wall mode and follow a small band gigging around the country at small venues and seeing their interactions with underground music fans and local promoters.
Image sourced from http://www.afronline.org/?p=12874
Image sourced from the Southampton Rock and Pop School Facebook page
Documentary Analysis
The Marlboro Marine
The Marlboro Marine is a very poetic and emotional short media storm documentary that uses a lot of stills to great effect as it makes the audience feel a great deal of sympathy towards the subject.
With the first 2/3rds of this film being shown mainly through stills, the Ken Burns technique is used a lot. The technique focuses the audiences’ attentions and also amps up the effect when the film wants them to feel a certain way.
The story is told by the main subject, James Blake Miller, through a series of interviews with the filmmaker, Luis Sinco, as he follows Millers’ journey to overcome ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’. The narration is used in a similar fashion to the ‘Voice of God’ technique, and for the most part, the images on screen match the narration. Matching the sound and images like this gives the audience some perspective to help them understand and empathise.
The recording of Millers’ voice has an ambient hiss surrounding it. The effect that the hiss has on this film is that it makes the whole feel more real for the audience. It has a far different effect from any recording that would have been done in a radio booth where it is pretty much taken for granted that the outcome would have been rehearsed.
The film makes use of Text graphics that give the story a framework and structure and allows the audience to better understand the history and context of the events.
The final third is made up of a talking head interview with the filmmaker. His experiences show a relationship with Miller that the audience can relate to. Giving the audience something like is what makes a documentary like this stick with its audience.
Perhaps the most important aspect of this documentary is that it opens a door. It isn’t something that people don’t necessarily know about, but it’s something that a lot of people would shy away from and wouldn’t look in depth at.
Lance Corporal James Blake Miller
Image sourced from
Storyville – Blackfish
Blackfish uses many different documentary techniques which all adds to the effect on its audience. However, the most astounding aspect I found with this documentary is that it has a subject that opened a door to something I had no idea about.
With the story being told in retrospect, the use of ‘talking heads’ gives the story some personal context. People who have a close connection with the events give us their emotional insight as they collectively progress the story. The documentary uses these interviews to progress the story rather than using a narrator.
The documentary allows its story to breathe regularly. During these small breaks between the stories, it has montages containing things like news reports, stock video footage and stills that tells us what is coming up in the documentary. To keep the story moving, and also give it the relevant context, Blackfish uses text telling us things like facts, places and people.
When the documentary shows some shocking images, it makes use of the Ken Burns effect by zooming into some of the wounds on the whales.
