Aileen Wuornos: A Biography (A&E)

TYPE
This is a mixed documentary. It includes interviews, archive footage, narration and observation.

THEMES
Death, violence, the death penalty, the nature nurture debate

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE 
The documentary follows a linear narrative. First establishing who Aileen is and what she did in the beginning.   The middle  discusses her childhood and events that occurred which would eventually result in the killing of 7 men. Te end then focuses on Aileen’s execution.

CAMERAWORK
we are often shown close-ups of Aileen’s confession as the camera pans down, as though we are reading it. The close up gives us a further, and sometimes intimate relationship with the serial killer, but the dark lighting that often surrounds the shot creates a sinister tone.

When the narrator tells the viewer that Aileen admitted to murdering 7 men, the camera uses an extreme close up and the lighting becomes lighter around Aileen’s letter where she had handwritten ‘7 deaths’. This reinforces what the narrator is saying and emphasis the barbaric nature of Aileen’s crimes.

All interviews are shot in a mid shot, emphasising the importance of the interviewee.

MISE-EN-SCENE
There is a shot of a jail cell, where lighting is used to cast a cell-shaped shadow across the room,  emphasising the theme and dark nature of crime, a basis of the documentary’s topic

When the narrator discusses where Aileen grew up, the camera uses an establishing shot of a street in Michigan. The street is baron, implying the vulnerability of the community after the crimes of Aileen.

Interviews are conducted in the interviewee’s natural environment, making us feel that they are comfortable and what they are saying is the truth, with no restrictions.

SOUND
The film has 2 narrators. One being a stern, calm male voice, informing us of important facts and knowledge needed to fully understand the documentary, but also the voice of an actress, who speaks as the voice of Aileen Wuornos, giving us a more ‘intimate’ insight on her life and crimes and also anchors meaning.

The music at the start is very chilling and consists of only a piano using high notes. Creating an eerie atmosphere, relating to the heinousness of Aileen’s crimes

When the narrator discusses how Aileen was a beautiful child, the music changes to a string piece, the melody of which is soft, emphasising the beauty and angelic potential of Aileen.

The actress playing Aileen in the documentary says ‘let me begin my confessions to you with when I was a child’ At this point the piano music begins to change into a lullaby like tone. Creating a childlike atmosphere, relating to the narrative.

EDITING
After the male narrator says that Aileen’s was convicted for seven murders, a photograph of all of these men, smiling flashed through rapidly. The emphasis the cruelty of Aileen’s actions, that these men, who lived happy lives, were taken from the world so easily, and so quickly.

After this, we are shown archive footage of Aileen in court, where she says that if she were let free, she would kill again. This is cleverly selected to create a biased opinion against Aileen, perhaps to make us feel uneasy and relieve us now she’s dead, or , as she is crying at this point, empathise with her and allow us to realise her mental instability.

ARCHIVE MATERIAL
The film uses archive material of Aileen’s trials and pictures from her childhood. This is used to either reinforce what the narrator, or an an interviewee is saying or to anchor meaning.

GRAPHICSThe graphics used to introduce the interviewees are small and plain, so not to distract the viewer from what they are saying.

That Thing: Tomb Raider

THEMES 
Gaming, feminism, the role of women in the media and it’s change.

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE 
At the start the audience is introduced to the character of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider gaming franchise. The middle of the narrative focussed on the success both the game and the character has had and how the character of Lara Croft has become a feminist icon and rose in pop culture cultivating in many fans bringing her from the virtual world into ‘reality’. The documentary also focuses on the release of the motion picture of the same name starring Angelina Jolie, and whether this was a good or bad idea, and whether this would carry the franchise to new heights. The end, although summed up the documentary’s exposition that Lara Croft has become a major figure in pop culture, but was left open as to whether the film was a success in box office or with avid fans of Lara Croft.

CAMERA WORK 
A Canted Angle was used in several interviews to make it seem as though the audience was playing a video game to engross the audience and feel entertained whilst they were being informed.

There were several Mid-shots in interviews with the creator of Tomb Raider, to highlight his importance, yet an extreme close up in the interview with Angelina Jolie, mainly because she is a bigger star and more recognisable, but is also playing Lara Croft in the movie and so is a ‘real life’ Lara Croft, who is, herself, the ‘star’ of the documentary.

Several panning shots were used to slowly capture the physical attributes of Lara Croft in the game. This emphasises her forward sexuality.

There was also a mixture of Extreme close ups of people’s hands playing the Tomb Raider game, showing the importance that the gaming community has to the ‘Lara Croft’ product.
There was also several panning shots of website entrees, notably letters written to Lara Croft, emphasising how in-demand Lara Croft is, that people have begun to see her as an existing person.

In each of the interviews, the interviewee was placed to one side, while the green screen of game footage could clearly be seen to entertain the audience and also fully understand what the interviewee is saying.

 

Many interviews took place while the interviewee was playing on the tomb Raider game, highlighting its mass effect on the video gaming community.

Several interviews were also shown on a computer screen, which is relevant to the theme of gaming, and is also aesthetically pleasing to the audience and makes a change to the original way of showng an interview.

SOUND 
We could hear a lot of game footage sound, notably the over-sexual sounds that Lara makes in the game when jumping or climbing to reinforce the impact of her sexually played character. This was also created through using Lara to ‘speak to the audience’ in such a way e.g. at the end when the character said ‘Thank you Boys’

There was also some non-diegetic background music which related to the topic being discussed, notably when an interviewee spoke of Madonna as a feminist, one of her songs could be heard.

EDITING 
There was a section, cleverly edited at the beginning when several interviews were inter-twined around game footage of Tomb Raider. An interviewee would offer an adjective(s) to describe the character of Lara Croft, it would then cut to a sexually orientated pose of Lara, and then back to a complimentary interviewee and back to game footage repeatedly until the documentary began. This is entertaining and original in conducting interviews, yet also highlights the popularity of the character.

Also, when the creator of the game spoke in the middle of the documentary, it would cut to a clip of Lara Croft answering him s though they were having a conversation, reinforcing this idea that Lara Croft is becoming more and more of a living entity in the lives of avid fans.

ARCHIVE MATERIAL 
Game footage was used to demonstrate the game demographics but also to emphasise Lara Croft’s sexuality. Film footage was also used to create this effect.
The interview with Angelina Jolie was likely to have archive as the low budget documentary would not have been able to afford to interview Angelina in person.

Also, in one interview, a man was speaking, where game footage was playing behind him, and this same footage was projected across his face in a green lighting, making it seem as though he was game footage, again both visually pleasing and entertaining, but also relates to the documentary topic.

Marketing Movies

TYPE 
This was a mixed documentary as a mixture of narration, interviews, cutaways and archive footage was  used.

THEMES 
The documentary features themes such as, marketing and how to do it successfully to different audiences, notably the film ‘Mouse Hunt’.

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
The documentary follows a Linear. The Beginning shows us several ways of marketing, both successfully and unsuccessfully. The Middle follows the marketing of Mouse Hunt and how films can make money other than cinema tickets and DVD sales. I.e. Merchandise. The end is left open as to whether the film Mouse Hunt’s marketing campaign was as successful as previous films’.

CAMERAWORK 
Several interviews were filmed using a close up or a mid shot, fitting their face in the frame perfectly, highlighting their importance.

There were several panning XCU shots of merchandise that was related to the film the interviewee was talking about. Highlighting just how many products could be produced through one movie, and the profit it could make.

MISE-EN-SCENE 
All mise-en-scene was relevant to the topic of the documentary in the background of interviews. The green screen would often be pictures related to the movie the interviewee was talking about. This is visually pleasing to the audience and so that they are 100% certain on what the interviewee is talking about. There was also a consistency in the green screen images used between the people being interviewed so we could keep track of who it was that was speaking.

There were many shots of merchandise that were all carefully considered to enhance the exposition and relate to whatever the interviewees were discussing.

SOUND 
The narrator seemed official and presented himself as the voice of god. As this was an educational documentary, this was important as the narrator seemed knowledgeable and forced the audience to listen.

EDITING 
The documentary was cleverly edited. In  a section where an interviewee states that ‘The Lion King’ made more money in merchandise than in ticket sales, the documentary cut to a section of the film, ‘The Lion King’ when Simba  and Nala gasp in astonishment. This is entertaining for the audience, relevant to the topic and emphasising how much of an achievement this in and how successful this can be.

When each interview finished, the next image swiped across the screen, this makes it aesthetically pleasing  to the audience and is a change to the simple cu. Also, all of the interviews had cutaways and were sectioned throughout the documentary to avoid boredom in the audience.

ARCHIVE FOOTAGE 
Disney Films: Lion King, Little Mermaid

Movie Trailers: Rugrats
Premiers
Mouse Hunt film

GRAPHICS 
Between each section of the documentary a small animation of a stick man holding a film board is seen introducing it. This again adds an aesthetically pleasant element to the educational documentary.

Codes and Conventions of Documentaries

From the documentaries we have studied. We have noticed a few codes and conventions that make up most, if not all, of these products.

Interviews in which the interviewee never looks directly t through the lens of the camera
Cutaways
Archive Footage
Graphics introducing each interviewee
Commentary
Music bed
Mise-en-scene is considered for interview i.e. Green screen
Clear Narrative: Beginning, middle and end
Exposition
People
Follows a theme (s)
CU/MS/ MCU shots in interviews
Ambient Sounds
Conflict unfolds the narrative
Rule of thirds followed in interviews
Plain white graphics so not to distract viewer from interviewee
Never hear the questions being posed
Experts in the field used to interview
Vox-pops
opening titles
SFX sometimes
Based on truth
Variety of Camera Angles
Clearly sectioned Narrative
Evidence is supportive
Continuity kept throughout
Lack of special effects- not needed
Montages
Shot reverse shot.

Documentary Brainstorm

In our Media Groups, we listed possible themes/topics that our documentary could be based on:

Copyrights

Email to NATIONAL RECORDS
To whom it may concern,
        I am writing to request permission to use the 1950 recording of Gracie Field's "If I knew you were coming Id've baked a cake" which was released under your record label. The track will be used for an educational documentary that will only be viewed by an examiner and will gain no financial profit.

Email to McVITIES

To whom it may concern,
     I am writing to request permission to use the origional 'Full Moon' Jaffa cake advert for an educational documentary. The advert will only be viewed by an examiner and will gain no financial profit.

Email to BBC

To whom it may concern,
   I am writing to request permission to use the track "The biscuit rap" from the TV programme two pints of lager and a packet of crisps: When Jannet met Johnny. The track will be used for an educational documentary that will only be viewed by an examiner and will gain no financial profit.

Blank Questionaire