Monday, 27 June 2016
Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Documentary Analysis #3: From One Second to The Next
What is the overall theme or
point of the film? What is its purpose? Does
it argue for a position? Does it critique a position? What kind of impact does
it seek to achieve with - and upon - its intended audience?
This short documentary film, titled 'From One Second To The Next', gives a meaningful indication of what the documentary explores through the title alone. From one second to the next; how numerous events could take place in such a short time frame - how one second is not a measure of the importance of a task. However, this film actually uses the phrase in a different context, as it does not refer to the amount of sequences of events that could take place within a second, but rather the significance of a singular event that takes place within a second. One second, you could be living the dream, even as far as living with your family in a lovely mansion, the next, a loved one is gone and none of the niceties or luxuries matter. From one second to the next, an entire system could be brought down.
The film begins with a text slide informing the viewers "over 100,000 accidents a year involve drivers who are texting. The numbers are climbing sharply." From the onset then, the film establishes a firm stance against the focus of the documentary: texting and driving. The film seeks to inform and enlighten through factual evidence as well as sympathy-provoking and anecdotal interviews with families who have suffered the loss of family members to this catastrophic phenomenon. Some people like to blame it on this generation's obsession with phones and technology, but the truth is people will always find something to get distracted by, whether that's phones or newspapers in older generations, etc. All of this must come to an end before someone's life does, which is what this film seeks to deliver.
Soundtrack is melancholic and soft, reflecting the mood of the interviewees. This is further done through the setting, which has an almost cemetery-like quality to it, likely chosen by the directors to subtly symbolise their grief and mourning. The lighting is far from low key, yet the filmmakers manage to cleverly capture the gloom and tortured dread the family members seem to feel through all these components, particularly through NVC; displaying distressed and dismayed facial expressions is an effective way of delivering a message.
This short documentary film, titled 'From One Second To The Next', gives a meaningful indication of what the documentary explores through the title alone. From one second to the next; how numerous events could take place in such a short time frame - how one second is not a measure of the importance of a task. However, this film actually uses the phrase in a different context, as it does not refer to the amount of sequences of events that could take place within a second, but rather the significance of a singular event that takes place within a second. One second, you could be living the dream, even as far as living with your family in a lovely mansion, the next, a loved one is gone and none of the niceties or luxuries matter. From one second to the next, an entire system could be brought down.
The film begins with a text slide informing the viewers "over 100,000 accidents a year involve drivers who are texting. The numbers are climbing sharply." From the onset then, the film establishes a firm stance against the focus of the documentary: texting and driving. The film seeks to inform and enlighten through factual evidence as well as sympathy-provoking and anecdotal interviews with families who have suffered the loss of family members to this catastrophic phenomenon. Some people like to blame it on this generation's obsession with phones and technology, but the truth is people will always find something to get distracted by, whether that's phones or newspapers in older generations, etc. All of this must come to an end before someone's life does, which is what this film seeks to deliver.
Soundtrack is melancholic and soft, reflecting the mood of the interviewees. This is further done through the setting, which has an almost cemetery-like quality to it, likely chosen by the directors to subtly symbolise their grief and mourning. The lighting is far from low key, yet the filmmakers manage to cleverly capture the gloom and tortured dread the family members seem to feel through all these components, particularly through NVC; displaying distressed and dismayed facial expressions is an effective way of delivering a message.
Documentary Analysis #2: Sealine
What is the overall theme or
point of the film? What is its purpose? Does
it argue for a position? Does it critique a position? What kind of impact does
it seek to achieve with - and upon - its intended audience?
The film mainly addresses a demographic
of young males in Qatar when it comes to fatalities of stunt driving accidents. The film seems to take a stance against this sort of reckless driving as evidenced by the constant statistics related to stunt driving deaths in the transition slide, e.g. "224 people were killed in 2009..."
Thus, the film takes an objective approach as it explores
the hidden underworld of reckless driving to understand the reasoning behind such an extreme and dangerous pastime that has resulted in numerous atrocious deaths. For example, some former stunt drivers are interviewed to offer insightful perspectives, as well as non-stunt drivers, police officers for the multi-perspective experience.
Of course, despite its objectivity, the film clearly established a concerned stance surrounding the sport. For an emotional sympathy-provoking effect, the film uses statistical graphics with black-and-red color schemes, associated with death and grief, violence and anger, recklessness and drivenness, which are all relevant to the issue at hand. This colour scheme is cleverly used at the onset of the short documentary to assure viewers that this documentary isn't supportive of the controversial world of stunt driving, considering this is a delicate and sensitive topic of choice.
It is a rather short documentary, only 6 minutes long, and yet won the THIMUN Best Film award due to its effective use of narratives and well-structured and thoughtful approach. The film gives the viewer, regardless of standing, a neutral exploration of reckless driving in Qatar, providing an insightful point of view from a stunt driver's eyes and a victim's eyes, leaving the viewer to think for themselves, and use the cognition to pick a stance, making it a very thought-provoking input since it does not tell us what to think, but rather HOW
The film mainly addresses a demographic
of young males in Qatar when it comes to fatalities of stunt driving accidents. The film seems to take a stance against this sort of reckless driving as evidenced by the constant statistics related to stunt driving deaths in the transition slide, e.g. "224 people were killed in 2009..."
Thus, the film takes an objective approach as it explores
the hidden underworld of reckless driving to understand the reasoning behind such an extreme and dangerous pastime that has resulted in numerous atrocious deaths. For example, some former stunt drivers are interviewed to offer insightful perspectives, as well as non-stunt drivers, police officers for the multi-perspective experience.
Of course, despite its objectivity, the film clearly established a concerned stance surrounding the sport. For an emotional sympathy-provoking effect, the film uses statistical graphics with black-and-red color schemes, associated with death and grief, violence and anger, recklessness and drivenness, which are all relevant to the issue at hand. This colour scheme is cleverly used at the onset of the short documentary to assure viewers that this documentary isn't supportive of the controversial world of stunt driving, considering this is a delicate and sensitive topic of choice.
It is a rather short documentary, only 6 minutes long, and yet won the THIMUN Best Film award due to its effective use of narratives and well-structured and thoughtful approach. The film gives the viewer, regardless of standing, a neutral exploration of reckless driving in Qatar, providing an insightful point of view from a stunt driver's eyes and a victim's eyes, leaving the viewer to think for themselves, and use the cognition to pick a stance, making it a very thought-provoking input since it does not tell us what to think, but rather HOW
Documentary Analysis #1: The Impact of Your Choice
This documentary primarily explores the tragic fate of those on the receiving end of a car crash as a result of reckless driving specifically under the influence - when you're underage.
This dives into the accidental passing of victims of DUI's, from both the victims' families perspective and the perpetrators of such crimes. We see perpetrators expressing regret and remorse over their recklessness and irresponsibility, wishing they could 'take it back.' We also see grieving family members mourning after what they lost - even 5 years later.
The film ends with the mother dolefully remarking that she'll 'never get over it.' This provokes a sympathetic and remorseful reaction from the viewer, as it appeals to the audience's emotions; asking for empathy. This is particularly seen in the grieving mother's facial expressions.
The opening shot immediately establishes the tone of the documentary; grim and somber. A youthful girl is positioned next to a tombstone, the setting being a cemetery. The tombstone and the girl are the focus of the shot: they take centre frame. The lighting is slightly low-key to convey this heavily morose atmosphere. The still nature of the shot further adds to this unsettling mood.
The screen then fades to black, with the dynamic sentence "we make choices" appearing onscreen. This coupled with the previous shot adjoins to deliver a powerful emotional impact on the viewer, forcing the audience to think about the choices they make.
It then cuts to a shot of a lone figure walking in an abandoned area which looks to be some sort of stadium. Despite the fresh bright paint on the tracks contrasting with the evergreen grass, the shot does convey a sense of isolation and bleakness. Perhaps it is the sole subject who takes centre composition, or the dusk time of the day, or the low-key lighting of the shot, but it does not emit a sense of joy. This is confirmed by the following shot which dips into black again to inform the viewer: "that impact[...]". We then see a close-up of what seems to be the perpetrator of the crime, with instances of regret overcoming his facial expressions for the viewer to see. This confuses the audience in a sense, since it provokes some empathy from the watcher on the perpetrator's behalf too, puzzling the viewer as they do not know which side to pick. Viewers often like a clear division of wrong and right; when you empathise with the 'good side' and the 'opposition' you are put in an uncomfortable but insightful position, instead of quickly jumping to the defence of who you may deem wrong - this happens to "people all around us [...]" as the dip-to-black transition states. The transition is especially catchy because of the strong visual contrast between the black background and the white font. The film then cuts to another retrospective interview with the mother where she is seen in a medium-close-up displaying depressive dispirited facial expressions and a slumped body posture. This suggests loss of hope and lack of enthusiasm, which seems fitting. The operatic score builds to a crescendo as the mother begins commenting. The girl from the opening shot appears to empathise with the perpetrator, claiming with a furrowed expression that "it could happen to anyone." We then see the figure from the abandoned stadium sat down next to a rock, which is an unusual position as it obstructs the view of the sorrowed teenager although it can be argued that it is used to symbolise his inaccessibility following the tragedy.
The dialogue throughout the film is quite introspective and reflective, speaking almost exclusively in the past tense. The nostalgic dialogue is often accompanied by grandiose, melancholic yet hopeful background music to represent the loss experienced by every person in the documentary but to an extent - note that as devastating as the death is, this is not a post-event discussion where the traumatised relatives release their emotional heartbreak, but rather at a point where the loss is still painful but no longer overwhelming or all-consuming. The characters are at a point where they are on their way to be at peace with what happened. One character vulnerably remarks that "dying is the easy way out, since the ones left are the one's who don't feel good."
The editing is quite slow-paced in the sense that there are a lot of long takes that linger over the characters' expression, showcasing their inner troubles to the viewer, prompting us to reach an understanding of their grief. This is especially evident with the shots of the mother. The continuity editing is carefully calculated to alternate between shots of the mother, sister, friend, and perpetrator in unravelling the events of the night of the victim's unfortunate death. Every character in the film is in agreement - even the perpetrator of the crime - very clearly taking a stern and disapproving stance on reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. This is reinforced by the constant transitions between frames with text condemning the act, demanding the audience to think thoroughly about their choices, hence the title of the documentary which summarises the content of the film, while still maintaining a certain vagueness that intrigues the viewer.
The camera also makes use of close-ups on the mother to display her emotional distress and state. Through the framing we can see her still-present disturbance over the accident that took what was dearest to her. The speaking characters are equally represented in terms of gender, with two women and two males speaking alternately. All speaking characters appear to be of Caucasian descent as they are mostly relatives of the victim, who was Caucasian himself.
Overall the documentary explores the pain left behind as a result of a loss, and the people affected by it, after a tragic drunk driving accident. The film starts off in a gloomy mood which seems to stay the same throughout, ending with a grim note: "[I'll] never get over it..."
This really makes us think about the horrific consequences a simple decision can result in and how long it takes to recover from it. The font used in the transitions in my opinion lacked credibility and is unlikely to have a successful persuasive effect due to how bland and inappropriate it is. However, I liked how the film despite taking a stance against reckless driving, still manages to objectively offer multiple perspectives on the same event; from the victim's family to the actual offender and how their sentiments and thoughts align after the accident, despite the opposite being true beforehand. This really demonstrates the 'impact of a choice'.
We intend to use a similar technique in our production.
(500-750 words)
This dives into the accidental passing of victims of DUI's, from both the victims' families perspective and the perpetrators of such crimes. We see perpetrators expressing regret and remorse over their recklessness and irresponsibility, wishing they could 'take it back.' We also see grieving family members mourning after what they lost - even 5 years later.
The film ends with the mother dolefully remarking that she'll 'never get over it.' This provokes a sympathetic and remorseful reaction from the viewer, as it appeals to the audience's emotions; asking for empathy. This is particularly seen in the grieving mother's facial expressions.
The opening shot immediately establishes the tone of the documentary; grim and somber. A youthful girl is positioned next to a tombstone, the setting being a cemetery. The tombstone and the girl are the focus of the shot: they take centre frame. The lighting is slightly low-key to convey this heavily morose atmosphere. The still nature of the shot further adds to this unsettling mood.
The screen then fades to black, with the dynamic sentence "we make choices" appearing onscreen. This coupled with the previous shot adjoins to deliver a powerful emotional impact on the viewer, forcing the audience to think about the choices they make.
It then cuts to a shot of a lone figure walking in an abandoned area which looks to be some sort of stadium. Despite the fresh bright paint on the tracks contrasting with the evergreen grass, the shot does convey a sense of isolation and bleakness. Perhaps it is the sole subject who takes centre composition, or the dusk time of the day, or the low-key lighting of the shot, but it does not emit a sense of joy. This is confirmed by the following shot which dips into black again to inform the viewer: "that impact[...]". We then see a close-up of what seems to be the perpetrator of the crime, with instances of regret overcoming his facial expressions for the viewer to see. This confuses the audience in a sense, since it provokes some empathy from the watcher on the perpetrator's behalf too, puzzling the viewer as they do not know which side to pick. Viewers often like a clear division of wrong and right; when you empathise with the 'good side' and the 'opposition' you are put in an uncomfortable but insightful position, instead of quickly jumping to the defence of who you may deem wrong - this happens to "people all around us [...]" as the dip-to-black transition states. The transition is especially catchy because of the strong visual contrast between the black background and the white font. The film then cuts to another retrospective interview with the mother where she is seen in a medium-close-up displaying depressive dispirited facial expressions and a slumped body posture. This suggests loss of hope and lack of enthusiasm, which seems fitting. The operatic score builds to a crescendo as the mother begins commenting. The girl from the opening shot appears to empathise with the perpetrator, claiming with a furrowed expression that "it could happen to anyone." We then see the figure from the abandoned stadium sat down next to a rock, which is an unusual position as it obstructs the view of the sorrowed teenager although it can be argued that it is used to symbolise his inaccessibility following the tragedy.
The dialogue throughout the film is quite introspective and reflective, speaking almost exclusively in the past tense. The nostalgic dialogue is often accompanied by grandiose, melancholic yet hopeful background music to represent the loss experienced by every person in the documentary but to an extent - note that as devastating as the death is, this is not a post-event discussion where the traumatised relatives release their emotional heartbreak, but rather at a point where the loss is still painful but no longer overwhelming or all-consuming. The characters are at a point where they are on their way to be at peace with what happened. One character vulnerably remarks that "dying is the easy way out, since the ones left are the one's who don't feel good."
The editing is quite slow-paced in the sense that there are a lot of long takes that linger over the characters' expression, showcasing their inner troubles to the viewer, prompting us to reach an understanding of their grief. This is especially evident with the shots of the mother. The continuity editing is carefully calculated to alternate between shots of the mother, sister, friend, and perpetrator in unravelling the events of the night of the victim's unfortunate death. Every character in the film is in agreement - even the perpetrator of the crime - very clearly taking a stern and disapproving stance on reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. This is reinforced by the constant transitions between frames with text condemning the act, demanding the audience to think thoroughly about their choices, hence the title of the documentary which summarises the content of the film, while still maintaining a certain vagueness that intrigues the viewer.
The camera also makes use of close-ups on the mother to display her emotional distress and state. Through the framing we can see her still-present disturbance over the accident that took what was dearest to her. The speaking characters are equally represented in terms of gender, with two women and two males speaking alternately. All speaking characters appear to be of Caucasian descent as they are mostly relatives of the victim, who was Caucasian himself.
Overall the documentary explores the pain left behind as a result of a loss, and the people affected by it, after a tragic drunk driving accident. The film starts off in a gloomy mood which seems to stay the same throughout, ending with a grim note: "[I'll] never get over it..."
This really makes us think about the horrific consequences a simple decision can result in and how long it takes to recover from it. The font used in the transitions in my opinion lacked credibility and is unlikely to have a successful persuasive effect due to how bland and inappropriate it is. However, I liked how the film despite taking a stance against reckless driving, still manages to objectively offer multiple perspectives on the same event; from the victim's family to the actual offender and how their sentiments and thoughts align after the accident, despite the opposite being true beforehand. This really demonstrates the 'impact of a choice'.
We intend to use a similar technique in our production.
(500-750 words)
Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Introduction
Hi, I'm Mariam.
I will be researching, planning, and shooting a short documentary film this academic year of 2016-2017 along with fellow group members Jack and Sanaz. We plan to send the finished product to the Thimun Film Festival within this year.
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