Storyboard basics

These pictures are a basic section of the storyboard that conveys what we are going to create in our documentary.

Abstract

This is an abstract shot that is a small portion of the ideas that, as a group, we are trying to create. Using unconventional shots such as this will add a sense of disbeleif to the documentary whilst hopefuly keeping the audience in suspense.

The Importance of Lighting

In a video that I have recently posted (8/12/09 13:35) we have used a dramatic form of lighting that is a convention of the documentary genre. We such lightining being used in interviews that are shedding light on a dark or tabooed subject, Crimewatch on BBC often use this technique of lighting to disguise a victim that does not want to be in the public eye, it is also regularly used in a series called the Whilstblower where it protects interviewees identities.

Using this simple and effective technique in our documentary will add dramatic effect as well as coinsideing with this style of documentaries conventions.

Initial Filming/Editing

This is a clip represents the style of documentary we are trying to create, this particular scene is dark and serious which is portrayed by the lighting used in the interview. At first we had a slight hold up in editing as the software has been updated from last year therefore we were unfamiliar with the new editing tools. The gruop is pleased with the outcome of this initail stage of filming and we have become more confident in using the new editing software, we have more ideas in the pipeline that will be filmed and edited very shortly.

Jungle Siege

I have recently watched a very well produced documentary on the National Geographic Channel, Jungle Siege is part of a series called 'Banged Up Abroad' which follows Brits that find themselves in difficult and even life threatening situations in foreign countries. In this particular episode Major Phil Ashby (Ex-Marine) is at the mercy of Colonel Boa, a vicious Sierra Leone militant, and his child soldiers. The situation is made particularly dangerous due to Major Ashby's role in Sierra Leone, as a United Nations representative he has been assigned to disarm the Militants. As the documentary progress it becomes clear that Major Ashby is not welcome due to his objectives and skin colour, being a UN representative means he is unarmed and has no way of defending himself. One evening his base is attacked by Colonel Boa and his soldiers, Ashby and other UN officers find themselves hiding for their lives. Ashby is aware that its common practice for the militants to eat humans that they capture. Ashby plans a daring escape with his comrades, after tracking through African Jungles for a week with dangerously low levels of water he finally leads his team to another UN base over 80 miles away.

The documentary not only had an entising storyline but there were shots that broke documentary conventions, a lot of the action scenes were edited and filmed like a drama, for example, there is a shot where Ashby is running from the militants and the director has decided to use a handheld camera that follows him through narrow streets, it really involves the audience in the action, this is an unusual trait for documentary makers. There were however parts of the documentary that were very standard such as the interviews being filmed from on one side of interviewee and exact time and dates graphics on screen.

The link below will take you to the NatGeo video player, there are episodes of 'Banged Up Abroad' which are filmed in a similar way:

http://www.natgeochannel.co.uk/video/

Early Developments

We have begun filming very basic shots such as close-ups and long shots. Experimenting with shots has proved to be useful as we have altered shots that were included in the story board, they now appear more representative of documentary conventions, the shots have also developed due to testing our initial ideas that were bought up in the planning stage, refering back to the storyboard has enabled us a smooth transition into the more pratical side of the project. At this rate we aim to have the majority of filming done within the next two or three weeks.

Teenage Driving Opinions

It is poor drivers who like to show off and act hard who give young drivers like me a bad rep, and even worse a disgracefully high insurance premium. Why is it so unfair for young drivers trying to get insured?
Joe, Nottingham

I've seen a few seminars about young drivers and road accidents and it really hurts people when they see them but there aren't enough seminars.

Jordan, Dunfermline

I had the opportunity to live in England for 3 years during my military career. I saw first hand all the car meets and young driver antics. I also saw a complete LACK of Police to even try to hinder these actions. Cameras do NOT work, REAL cops need to patrol and enforce laws like speeding and racing. Many people were able to speed at will at any speed because there was no fear of being caught/suspended

Phil, Seattle, WA

a 1.1 litre car is able to go plenty fast enough to kill anyone limiting power wont help; neither will increasing the age at which the driving test can be taken, the ones that want to offend will do so, licence or not. Even the alternative, a scooter is just as likely to get someone killed, especially as they are not limited to road use (children's play areas are quite popular too). Education and discipline are the answer.
Steve Curtis, Bath

I think the age at which people are allowed to drive should be raised. I have three daughters aged 21 and over. My eldest two began to drive at over age 25. That seems more reasonable to me. But we need decent public transport too, so they can get about safely. These accidents are very sad.
Yvonne , Bexhill on sea, East Sussex

Source: BBC

Drive Alive Request

We have contacted, by e-mail, an organisation called Drive Alive that specilaise in seminars about safe driving, they have useful statistics and information about teenage driving that would be a great help to make the documentary realistic and therefore more effective in the message we want it to deliver. We are curently awaiting a reply, when this information is obtained it will help to move the project forward.

Storyboard

We sat down in a group and began to brainstorm ideas for the project, ideas were written and sketched on paper as a brief outline of what shots we wanted to acheive.

Once this stage was completed it was possible to create a storyboard in more depth on the Apple Mac's iMovie, by takeing still pictures we were able to import them into the software and place them on a time-line. iMovie enabled us to edit the pictures ways that would not be possible without the software, for example, text can be added to the still pictures in order for the audience to understand what is going on, pictures can also be edited with effects such as distortion, exposeure and zoom.

The group is now looking for archive footage that is relavent to the project.

Feature Length Documentaries

An Inconvenient Truth:

'An Inconvenient Truth' is a unique and rare style of documentary making. The feature film consists of Al Gore addressing an audience in a lecture/seminar style. Gore's presentation identifies the danger of global warming and the iminent threat that earth faces.

The presentation is broken down through the use of archive footage of Al Gore's life and images of earth's changing environment. The use of this footage gives the audience a better overal idea of the presentations meaning and purpose, it also enables Gore to back up his claims with physical eveidence. Archive footage makes the documentary more appealing to the audience because it stops the documentary being dull, this is important because the way in which the documentary is filmed and edited is not very entertaining, however the subject and the way in which it is presented is compelling.

Documentary Conventions

Archival Footage and Photographs
Archival materials include old photographs, newsreel footage, and even shots from fiction films. For example, The Atomic Cafe makes exclusive use of archival footage from the 1940s and 1950s to spoof American's Cold War fear of an atomic bomb.
Talking Heads
Talking heads are people interviewed to explain or comment on the text's subject. These people usually are shown in their offices (sometimes with a wall of books behind them) or in their homes.
Handheld Camera
A wobbly camera is often attributed to documentary. As cameras became more portable and more affordable, filmmakers did more on-location shooting, and keeping the camera steady was somewhat difficult when it came to following the action. Steadicam, a camera stabilizing system, aids in correcting what some perceive as a problem. The fiction film The Blair Witch Project makes use of the jiggly camera as a means of reinforcing its documentary-like style.
Voiceover Narration
Voiceover narration occurs when a voice is heard on the soundtrack without a matching source in the image. In other words we hear the voice speak but we cannot see the speaker utter the words. The voice often explains or comments on the visuals. Early documentary made extensive use of this convention, including Pare Lorentz's When the Plow Broke the Plains and The River.
Re-enactments
A re-enactment stages real events that already have occurred. Sometimes they include the people who experienced the events orginally, but more often they incorporate actors playing parts. Most documentary filmmakers shoot events where they actually occur.
Real People
For the most part, the people we see in a documentary are real people.

Sorce: http://www.documentarysite.com/study/documentaryconventions.html

Documentary Research

Weird Weekends:
Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends is a television documentary series, in which Louis Theroux gives viewers the chance to get brief glimpses into the worlds of individuals and groups that they would not normally come into contact with or experience up close. In most cases this means interviewing people with extreme beliefs of some kind, or just generally belonging to subcultures not known to exist by most or just frowned upon.

Survivalist:
In Idaho, Louis meets military enthusiasts and right-wing patriots who are preparing for a global catastrophe, including trips to survivalists' store Safetrek and a mountain refuge for conspiracy theorists called Almost Heaven. Louis also visits the Aryan Nation Church and helps to build a straw-bale home. The episode focuses on the survivalism movement and communities formed around it. The fact that several self-proclaimed survivalists were also hippies and environmentalists is a recurring theme.