Documentary

**Part 1**
Complete the following questions on a new page on your wiki titled "Documentary".

Navigate to the National Film Board website called Behind the Camera.

With your documantary partner answer the following questions based on the information in the website:

__**What is a Documentary?**__ - To document a subject in order to preserve knowledge - To reveal something about the subject - To allow the viewer to experience what it's like to be the subject (whether it's someone diving out of an airplane or a homeless person) - To advocate on behalf of the subject
 * 1. What are the four goals of a documentary?**

One appeal of the documentary is that it lets the viewer participate in another world. Sometimes the reality that documentaries show is messy and complicated, with fewer simple answers than fictional films generally reveal. But this is why documentaries are vital: they open our eyes to aspects of the world that we may never have thought about.
 * 2. According to the website what is some of the appeal for the viewer of a documentary?**

//**Expository documentaries**//
 * 3. Briefly summarize the 6 modes of the documentary.**

Expository documentaries are what most of us think of when we think of documentaries. They address the audience directly to present reality's surface. They often use narrators to guide us and to interpret what we are watching. The expository documentary is like an essay: it presents information, and can prove a case or persuade us of an interpretation of events or conditions. The case might be stated outright or implied. In Nanook, Flaherty made a case for the Inuit hunter's humanity and courage in the face of hostile nature.

//**Observational documentaries**//

Some filmmakers in the 1960s became disenchanted with the form of expository documentaries. In particular, they disliked the narrator, generally a male, whose booming commentary they derided as "the Voice of God." These directors were looking for a style of documentary that did not place a narrator between the film's content and the audience. They wanted the documentaries to be more self-explanatory, and they wanted the subjects to speak in their own words, with less interpretation.

//**Reflexive documentaries**//

Documentary filmmaking is an art form so, as real as it may appear, it is artificial. Expository documentary may try to hide the camera's presence to focus outward on the illusion of realism. Observational documentaries sometimes reveal the fact that there is an interviewer and a camera crew - in the case of cinema vérité, the filmmaker actually intrudes on the subject. Reflexive documentary acts on the premise that the audience knows that all filmmaking arranges and manipulates the illusion of reality, so it exposes the filmmaker, his character and opinions, and even the process of filming itself. The film "reflects" the process of filming. Often, these documentaries are constructed around the making of the documentary itself, as they chronicle the filmmaker's process of searching for the truth and pursuing evidence.

//**First-person documentaries**//

The first-person documentary is largely a video format, and most examples have appeared on television. The filmmaker uses the documentary form to examine his or her own situation, as an instrument of self-revelation or self-discovery. One dramatic example documented a filmmaker's search for her birth mother. She chronicled her struggles by speaking to the camera and interviewed others as well. The other interviews often presented alternative views to her own interpretations of events, so the video treated tensions about what was true that the filmmaker tried to resolve in the course of the taping. Ultimately, the film shows the actual search for the mother, and the filmmaker's new understanding of herself.

//**Poetic documentaries**//

In the poetic documentary, the aim is less to present an argument or idea as to reveal something extraordinary about the world. For the poetic documentarist, the camera and editing suite are primarily artistic tools. They emphasize the "creative," or artistic, aspect of Grierson's definition of "the creative treatment of actuality." Like other visual artists, the filmmaker allows the audience to see the world with new eyes, sometimes by rearranging or enhancing what we can normally see, sometimes magnifying our view or editing images in extraordinary rhythms.

//**TV Hybrids**//

Documentary techniques have had an impact on feature films and on television. When fictional film or TV directors want to create an illusion of gritty realism, they will often use the hand-held camera and unsteady motion of observational cinema, even though they are filming professional actors in highly scripted scenes. If you watch television critically, you will see documentary-like cuts incorporated into titling sequences and other parts of fictional stories.

Documentary films, like all types of media, are created by people, so they reflect the attitudes, ideas, interests, even the prejudices of the filmmakers. They also come from particular places and moments in history, so they tell us something about the societies and even the technologies of the time.
 * __The ABC's of Documentary Cinema__**
 * 1. How do documentaries "...reflect the attitudes, ideas, interests, even the prejudices of the filmmakers."**

Long Shot (LS) is taken from some distance from the action, often using a telephoto lens. Filmmakers also distinguish between Medium Long Shots (MLS) and Extra Long Shots (XLS).
 * 2. Give five examples of types of shots that refer to the size of the subject within a frame.**

A Medium Shot (MS) is closer to the subject. If the subject is a person, a MS might show him or her from the waist up. A Medium Close Shot (MCS) would tighten the frame, including only the upper torso and head.

Close shots (CS) or Close-ups (CU) are even tighter, framing the head and maybe the shoulders of a person, while a Big Close-up (BCU) or Extreme Close-up (XCU) frames part of the face to capture a strong emotion. All of these labels apply to framing objects as well as people. Directors and directors of photography all have slightly different definitions of these shots.

An Insert or Cut-in is a close-up detail that is inserted in a longer shot. It imitates the way that the eye (and the mind) focuses in on a detail within a wider scene. A Cutaway shot takes the viewer away from the main action, such as when an interview subject mentions something and the film leaves the face of the person to show what he or she is speaking about.
 * 3. What is the difference between a cutaway and a cut-in?**

When the camera looks over the shoulder of one person to look at another, it is called an Over-shoulder (O/S). In television interviews, you may have noticed that the attention often alternates between the interviewer and the interview subject. When the camera reverses like this, it is called a Complementary shot. Filmmakers sometimes use complementaries to shift the view from a character (in close-up, for instance) to what he or she sees. Such a cut puts the viewer in the character's own point of view. It can be a very effective technique.
 * 4. Decribe the relationship between an over-the-shoulder shot and a complementary shot.**

According to tradition, the term MOS, meaning "silent," came from German directors in the early days of Hollywood, who said "mit out sound."
 * 5. What does the audio term "MOS" mean and where did it originate?**

__**Preparing to FIlm**__

//"It is extremely important for us to be clear about what we're trying to say, why we're trying to say it, and then work out a way to say it. Half of what a documentary is can be more about your attitude to the subject than the subject itself."// (Michel Grigsby and Nicholas McClintock, "The State We're In." Dox. 6, 6-10)

since documentary filmmaking is such a slow, complex process, filmmakers also choose subjects that mean something to them - something that's worth the investment of their personal time and emotions. Canadian filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin has made many films about aboriginal life, from the role of women in Native societies to such political events as the standoff at Oka, Québec in 1990. She began with the realities of Native life she saw and experienced as an Abenaki woman and pursued her concern for aboriginal issues to worldwide acclaim. Alanis Obamsawin's films are very personal, and her position allows her to get very close to her subjects and build strong relationships, resulting in powerful films.
 * 1. How will your attitude about a subject contribute to the content of the film?**

A documentary should make the audience want to weigh the evidence on the screen and make judgments. The filmmaker does not have to state his or her point of view directly. The film can be didactic - making a deliberate argument - or it can show both sides of the story and still remain effective. Often when a film is too biased, it loses its audience. A film that does an excellent job of remaining focused, yet demonstrating several points of view is Discordia. This film introduces three people, two from opposing sides of a conflict and one who is somewhat in the middle. We are never sure of the filmmakers' own point of view but we have a strong understanding of the events that take place and the players that are involved.
 * 2. Why might it be important for a filmmaker to be clear about what he/she is saying and why he/she is saying it?**

Like other documentary artists, Obomsawin understands that showing people in action and interacting with each other (and the camera) make the best documentary subjects. Viewers enjoy watching people they can identify with. When that identification occurs, we become interested in the larger issues that affect others' lives.
 * 3. Why is it effective to show people in action and interacting with each other?**

The filmmaker will always have a point of view. How it is expressed to the audience is the important point in determining the success of the documentary. It is a matter of balance, sensitivity to the audience, and fairness to the complexities of the subject itself.
 * 4. Why is it important for a good documentary to have a clear perspective?**

Part of the research is to explore the things, the places, and especially the people that are potentially parts of the film. Scouting locations, taking notes about what people say and interviewing experts and/or people concerned with the subject are all a part of the process. The best approach is to really dive into to the subject. If the filmmaker stays on the periphery, the film will reflect that: it will only scratch the surface. Filmmakers learn to be assertive and make efforts to get the whole story, while remaining sensitive and empathetic with their subjects. 6. How can your audience enfluence your approach to your documentary?
 * 5. What kinds of things can a documentary filmmaker do to research a topic?**

Pre-interviews are particularly important. One, they provide information and opinions from different perspectives that reveal the conflicts, the contradictions, and the plain facts that are necessary for a documentary.
 * 7. Why must a filmmaker clearly organize his/her approach before filming?**

If the film depends upon interviews, the filmmaker can also film the pre-interview as a kind of audition. The interviewer will ask general questions (saving the meaty, controversial topics for the real filming) to see if the interview subject has a lively on-screen presence. Does the interview subject speak effectively in front of a camera, reveal personality, fit a 'side' of an argument well, or convey emotion strongly? A film can live or die by the quality of interview subjects so this step is crucial in research.

//"By creating a plan, the filmmaker organizes his/her general vision, using ideas suggested by research, to formulate a more precise structure for the filming - even a list of sequences to be shot.//"

Most people who are familiar with fiction films or animation know about storyboards. On a storyboard, the director (and others) draw out a movie shot by shot, as a kind of comic strip. Notes describe dialogue and sound as well as camera movement. Storyboards work best for fully scripted films, where the director has a very particular vision. Documentary filmmakers rarely use storyboards. The exception is a documentary that includes re-creations, like a docu-drama, where the filmmaker may use a storyboard just like a fiction filmmaker to ensure that the sequence comes out exactly as planned.
 * 8. When might a documentary filmmaker use storyboards?**

More commonly, the documentary filmmaker will create a shooting plan that describes the sequences as a preliminary guide for shooting. Some filmmakers also explain the purposes of each sequence, or what they will contribute to the development of the film's story.
 * 9. What is a shooting plan? What must be considered in creating a shooting plan?**

__**Essentials**__
 * 1. Describe the following jobs with regards to documentary film making:**


 * Director** - In the descriptions in Behind the Camera, the director has often been called the "filmmaker." The reason that filmmaker is a useful term is that today's documentary artist often takes on more than the traditional director's role of the past. With video equipment more common today, the filmmaker may act as camera operator and even editor, too.

In traditional documentary terms, however, the director is the person who comes up with the concept, visualizes the plan, conducts research (sometimes with one or more research assistants), and supervises the filming. If there are interviews, the director is generally the interviewer (whether on camera or not). The director also oversees the post-production work, though the actual editing is often given to an editor, whose special skills and fresh eyes can make the best use of the footage.

Contemporary documentaries generally come out of the tradition of auteur filmmaking. The auteur is the artist whose distinct vision is stamped on the entire production. The film reflects the passion and insight of the director-auteur.


 * Assistant Director** - On larger films, there may be an assistant director to maintain order on the set and make sure actors are present if there are re-creations or other dramatizations. The assistant director combines the functions of on-set production manager and script coordinator. The assistant director also writes down the shooting schedule, in collaboration with the director, and insures that various aspects of the production are taken care of, from food to equipment and studio rentals.


 * Production Manager** - The production manager draws up the detailed budgets and the shooting schedules and manages them for the duration of the filming. In smaller scale films, the production manager might also fulfill the role of line producer, who coordinates all of the finances and scheduling during the actual shooting. Otherwise, the production manager, line producer and producer keep in touch to make sure that budgets and schedules are followed.


 * Camera Operator** - The camera operator sets up the shots under the director's supervision. The camera operator has to work well with the director and understand the purposes of each shot. It is a highly skilled position and an intuitive one. The director may use hand signals or touches to guide the camera operator to move the camera frame to change the centre of attention or to zoom in or out to capture the emotion of a speaker. In this age of hand-held camera, the camera operator must also be intuitive about where the action is, and responsive enough to adjust to changes in the scene. The rapport between the director and the camera operator is very important in realizing the director's vision of the film.

In some larger production, an assistant camera sets up the camera, keeps it clean, loads film and operates the clapper board—the famous piece of hardware that records the scene and take number when the director shouts "Action!" The assistant camera would also keep the report sheet on each take, so that the director and editor have a written record of the shots for reference.


 * Sound Recordist** - Changes in technology from film to video have affected the way that sound is recorded. For film, sound is recorded separately, on tape, and synchronized and mixed at the editing stage. Although video technology does allow direct recording in camera, the Film Board generally uses a double system, in which the sound is recorded separately on digital (DAT) tape. The sound recordist does the taping and either operates the boom or directs the boom operator to manoeuvre microphones to capture the sound.

The sound recordist also attends to recording the ambient sounds of the setting, including the neutral aura of the environment (called the room tone, buzz track or presence) that can be mixed into the final sound at the editing stage to prevent gaps in the soundtrack. The sound recordist may also record other environmental sounds that ultimately get mixed into the soundtrack, adding to the realism of the final film.


 * Gaffer, Best Boy, Grip** - Placing lights can bany documentary shots. This is the gaffer's job. Instructions usually come from the camera operator, based on the quality of the shot they are trying to achieve.

The best boy assists the gaffer by positioning cables.

The grip moves equipment on the shoot. This specialist also builds scaffolds, does other carpentry duties and lays the track for a moveable dolly, when necessary. A more specialized grip, called the dolly grip, actually moves the camera (with the camera operator) on the dolly, skilfully hitting the marks to put the camera into the necessary position for the shot.


 * Picture Editor** - One of the most important roles in the postproduction phase is the editor's. The editor reviews all of the footage, carefully selecting the best shots and builds the film from the many pieces. The editor creates the rhythm and movement of the film, builds the scenes into a complete 'story,' and generally makes the most out of the footage that has been shot. The famous Russian pioneer of documentary, Dziga Vertov, said, "It is not enough to show isolated fragments of truth on the screen, separate images of the truth. These images have to be organized thematically in such a way that truth results from the whole." The editor is the one who gives the documentary its final organization in a way that gives it conceptual shape and emotional impact.


 * Foley Artist** - Another specialist who might be necessary is the foley artist. This is a specialist who creates sound effects in the studio for anything that's not recorded on location. The crunch of footsteps in studio "snow" may be more realistic sounding than the real thing recorded in a mushy field.

__**Shooting The Documentary**__ The shooting schedule plots out when and where the different pieces of the documentary will be captured. Like other films, documentaries are not necessarily shot in order. The pieces of film are put in sequence at the editing stage, so the shooting schedule puts the shots in the order of convenience: all interviews with one person can happen at one time, even if they will appear throughout the finished documentary. Shots in locations close to each other are scheduled for the same day.
 * 1. What is a shooting schedule?**

The shooting schedule also takes into account the need for crew and equipment. Shots tha the entire crew are scheduled on consecutive days, if possible, so that they are not paid to stand around waiting for work. Likewise, the shooting schedule coordinates equipment rental to avoid waste.

Interviews inolve preparation. In the planning phase, the filmmaker will pre-interview the subject and refine questions for the interview. It is important that the interviewer not tip his hand with the actual interview questions, so that the on-camera interview has some elements of spontaneity. The interviewer should be very clear what he or she wants from the interview but should also be open to discovering new information.
 * 2. What is the purpose of a pre-interview?**

The filmmaker also has to decide where to do the interview. It may be in a place that makes the subject comfortable, or one that is significant to the film's content. The filmmaker may actually want to use the location to create a mood for the interview subject - maybe even some tension.
 * 3. How can location contribute to the impact of an interview?**

The filmmaker has to decide if the interviewer asking the questions will be part of the final cut. If not, then the filmmaker will have to work with the interview subject to make sure that the answers are complete and can stand on their own. The filmmaker may have to ask the subject to repeat and rephrase answers to create workable takes. The interviewer will have to do this naturally and rephrase questions in such a way that the subject remains at ease and spontaneous, even when repeating points. An easy way is to ask the interviewee to rephrase the question at the beginning of his or her answer.
 * 4. What can an interviewer do to avoid having their questions appear in the documentary?**

It is also common practice to frame the interviewee at the third right of the screen for half the interview and at the third left for the other half to create some variety in the final edit.
 * 5. What is considered common practice in frameing the interviewee**?

In other interview formats, more people might be in a session. The filmmaker and camera operator may move between subjects to follow the conversation. Camera placement and movement are important to follow the flow of conversation and to keep the audience from becoming confused. Communication between filmmaker and camera operator is very important in a case like this.
 * 6. What other shot should a filmaker gather during an intervi**ew?

There may be times when the interviewer is a part of the filming. Reflections on Suffering records an interview between a doctor and patient. The film explores both the patient's discovery about what she has learned from her pain and what the doctor learns from the patient.

__**Putting It All Together**__ A log is made of the rushes, indicating the reel of film or tape, time in and out of each scene, and a description of the shot, using the abbreviations like "WS (wide shot) of town," "CS (close shot), man's hands holding hoe handle," and so on. Other notes might indicate the emotional quality of the shot or particular usefulness. Having a shot log helps the editor to locate individual shots in the confusion of footage. The notes, sometimes colour-coded or otherwise marked, help to focus the decision-making.
 * 1. What is the purpose of the Shot Log?**

Many filmmakers make transcriptions of all of the interview material—a time-consuming effort, but useful in the long run. The editor can photocopy the transcript, mark the most effective sections, and cut and paste them into a paper edit of the film. The editor can note shots that will come between interview sections, show where cutaways can replace the talking head, and begin to visualize the use of the rushes to tell the film's story.
 * 2. What is the benefit of making transcriptions of all the interviews?**

As the name implies, the rough cut is a preliminary version of the movie. The editor assembles the footage in the most effective way to structure the message so that it is understandable and dramatic. The most effective structure might be a narrative treatment that follows a chronology, or a "problem-solution" structure that presents an issue, outlines various approaches or angles on it, then resolves on some kind of answer. The structure must complement the content and engage the viewers' minds and emotions.
 * 3. What is a "problem-solution" structure?**


 * 4. What is the purpose of the Rough Cut?**

The rough cut is the first test of the movie. It is the first glimpse of the product that a close circle of viewers get to see and evaluate. The director and editor sit with the test audience to watch their reactions and listen to their comments. This is a tense moment for the filmmakers. Is the film dramatic? Are there revealing contrasts that contribute to dramatic tension? Does it drag in places? Does the structure make sense? Can they follow the narrative line? Does it resolve in a satisfying way?

A long series of changes usually follows the review of the rough cut. The entire film may be re-edited, with new shots substituted and whole sequences reordered. Generally, films will be reduced in time, with those shots and sequences that did not contribute to the entire effect eliminated. Sometimes, the director has to lose some favourite sequences because they were not necessary. If you have watched the cut scenes from feature movies on DVD, you will see that many pieces fall by the wayside in the late stages of editing.
 * 5. Typically, what types of shots are cut from the final product?**


 * 6. What are some elements of good and bad narration?**

Narration may become a part of the final product as well. It may be sparse, simply setting the scene and introducing the topic, or it may reappear throughout the film. Good narration allows the viewer to make decisions for him or herself, but it focuses attention on what is important in the film. Bad narration gets between the viewer and what is on the screen and tells them what they should feel. Well-written narration can help to bridge the gap between scenes, adding to the speed of the transitions.