Textual Analysis - Freeling

As a passionate skateboarder and filmmaker when I came across this documentary I was amazed by the concept behind the video, the imagery and story that was portrayed through the documentary. The director Andrew Lovgren takes a very artistic approach to the filming using a lot of slow motion and natural lighting which results in a greater viewing pleasure. The documentary cuts between interview footage and images of the skateboarders cruising through the city. I wanted to use this technique in my documentary film as I was using a lot of dialogue from interview footage. The concept of this video is similar to that of what I had wanted to do, however had taken a different approach to what "freedom" meant to them. The atmospheric music adds to the epic nature of the film and the emotions that the skateboarders are displaying about their sport. It has a big positive effect on the way the audience views the film and the emotions they feel towards the topic and the people within the film.

The use of the soundtrack also has a big impact on the overall feel to the documentary it gives the film an almost dreamlike atmosphere and focuses the audiences full attention on the skateboarders moving through the city. The use of slow motion throughout also adds to the slow paced relaxed atmosphere, giving the audience time to reflect on the words of the voice over and the interview sections.

Textual analysis - "Portrait of my Father"

I found this short documentary when browsing through the web at various video sites and began watching it and sat completely engrossed throughout the whole video. This may not be a high budget, big name type of documentary but the techniques and camera work that are used are done so in a very artistic and precise way so that audience become entirely involved into the story and emotions of the main actor. 

The opening scene introduces photographer Brendan Klems, the film's narrator, telling his account of his life and story. The black and white slow motion imagery straight away sets the scene to be an emotional and intimate relationship between the audience and the character. The soft ambient background music also has a big impact on the audience and creates a 'feel good' atmosphere for the rest of the film. Throughout the majority of the first section the voiceover of Brendan is the only audio present. This focuses the audience's attention onto that and that only, which is used extremely effectively in this film. You, as the viewer, can relate directly to it and be involved with the character. As the story of Brendan's dad enters the narrative the imagery of his old photos and the soft mournful music in the background causes an emotional response from the audience. The use of the old print photos and seeing the emotion on the faces of Brendan and his mother and hearing it in their voices brings out the reality of the film and this is portrayed in an artistic and gripping away which further draws the audience into the story. The shots during this reminiscent section are very elongated to give time for the audience to think and reflect on the images they have seen. The use of the voiceover continues throughout the whole film and tells his story and as he begins to tell the audience of his current photography work, the music changes and becomes more upbeat and the overall mood to the film becomes more positive and uplifting. The ending of the film displays a number of black and white images much like during the intro which concludes the story and gives time for the audience to reflect on what they have seen and the emotions they are feeling. 

Although the film involves a very emotional and difficult topic of loss and grief, the cinematography and use of the monologue makes it stand out from many documentaries I have watched. It creates an intimate relationship between the audience and the characters which is very difficult to do but in this case is used extremely well.

Textual Analysis - Don McCullin interview by Alfred Dunhill

This spectacular black and white portrait interview was filmed by photographer David Sims as part of an Ad campaign for Alfred Dunhill, a British luxury goods brand. It celebrates the lives of men who have accomplished extraordinary things throughout their lives and was aired across 2011 and 2012. The use of lighting and framing of the shots throughout this film make it stand out and unconsciously grab the audience's attention which is why the short film has a big impact and is an exceptional form of advertisement. In each of the adverts the opening scene is a short statement or quote which sets the scene for the interview and draws the audience straight into the interview. This technique is used extremely effectively within these short films. The framing of the shots and the use of extreme close ups on the face and hands of the individuals shows the emotion of their faces and exposes them completely to the audience, this creates an intimate feel throughout the whole piece. The lighting and use of black and white effect makes the definition of the persons face stand out and create an arty, stylish image to match the style of the Alfred Dunhill products. The video is simple yet extremely effective and one of the main reasons for this is the sound. Sound plays a huge role in the viewing satisfaction of the audience, therefore the use of only dialogue throughout causes the audience to focus on the person speaking and nothing else, this is very beneficial to the effect it has on the audience. The cuts and editing within the film vary in speed, however in general the shots are quick and display a range of angles to keep the audience engaged. Some of the shots are held for dramatic effect or to reflect on what is being said in contrast to holding a shot of the same angle which could cause the audience to feel bored. Overall I was impressed by the quality of the final production and the simple yet effective techniques used to keep the audience engaged and wanting to watch more. It first came to my attention when it popped up as a Youtube advert and immediately drew me in to watch the full version. Before this occasion I had never been interested by these pop ups and so it was uniquely effective.

Touching the Void - Textual Analysis

Touching the Void is a documentary film brought out in 2003 which recalls the true life events of Simon Yates and Joe Simpson's near fatal attempt to climb Siula Grande (6,344m) in the Peruvian Andes.
The documentary begins with extreme close up shots of the ice and climbing equipment cutting and hitting the ice this gives the initial impression to the audience of the harsh conditions they are facing and what type of climbing they are doing is. They is also a strong use of diegetic sound of the wind whistling and the ice cracking and breaking to reinforce these extreme weather conditions. In contrast to this it then cuts to a close up shot to the face of a man who we then find out is Joe Simpson. There is no external sound other than his voice which grasps the audience’s attention and allows them to focus on what he is saying. He introduces the task that they had to face and as he describes the scale of what they are about to do, low pitched bellowing music begins to fade in to highlight the danger of their climb. The scene then moves to an establishing shot flying over the mountains displaying the vast landscape and scale of the mountains they are attempting to climb. The titles sequence then begins over the establishing shots of the mountains, as they emerge onto the screen there are also non diegetic sounds of wind blowing to accompany the moving titles.

As the main feature then begins we are introduced to each of the men involved with the climb all displayed with the same close up shot of their face for the interview. The following scene cuts between the interviews faces and the establishing shots of the landscape as they explain why the decided to embark on this task and what they were getting themselves in for. The voiceover bridges across the whole scene and gives an outline of what is happening. As new issues and dilemmas are introduced into the story the music will gradually build up to build suspense. As the scene develops and the climbers put them into more dangerous situations the music builds into a fast tempo and there is a strong use of diegetic sounds of the ice smashing and wind whistling to give it a harsh affect. They finally reach the summit of the peak and there is a panning shot from the top giving the viewers an idea of the landscape and what they had achieved, there is also operatic music playing to reinforce is grand, epic scenery.

To split the documentary into parts, each day is separated by a title that highlights what day of the week it is and gives the audience am idea of the time scale of the events happening.  The two climbers then proceed to travel back to the base of the mountain; the scene continues to cut between the interview situation and the real life scenes to tell the story. But as they get further down the mountain problems begin to develop. Joe Simpson walks out onto an overhanging piece of ice without knowing and falls through. During this scene there is no music just the non-diegetic sounds of him moving in addition to this the camera angles and extreme close ups of his feet and the snow around him so you as the audience are aware that something is about to happen. As he falls through the ice there is complete silence which draws the audience’s attention to what is happening. He then lands on the snow below and breaks his leg which is identified through the exaggerated sound of the leg breaking during impact. The music then builds again and he cries out in pain to show to the audience that he is in serious danger and could die if he is stranded there. As Simon his partner realises what has happened he comes up with a plan to lower Joe down the mountain via his rope. However as he begins to lower Joe down further and the music stop to highlight that something significant is going to occur and to grasp the audience’s attention. It then develops as he loses sight of him and he ends up leaving him hanging over a crevasse on the mountain without knowing. There is a strong use of close ups shots of the two men to show their emotions and close ups of their equipment they are using as that is the only thing holding him up. The shots continue to cut from the real life events to the interviews to show the direct comparison of the emotions of the people and the story of the events that happened.

Due to Simons lack of knowledge of what had happened he made the bold decision to cut the rope as he believed that Joe had died due to his broken leg. As Joe lands in the crevasse he is surprised to still be alive and the 1^st person camera angle gives you the viewpoint of his emotions in that situation and the dark and harsh conditions he was surrounded by.  He then realises he is going to take the risk of lowering himself to the bottom of the crevasse. During this scene there is no non diegetic sounds or music only the diegetic sounds of his climbing equipment on the ice and verbal pain he expresses due to his broken leg. However he discovers an opening at the bottom and emerges out onto the side of the mountain.  Soft orchestral music is then played to highlight the great sense of achievement he as a climber has just achieved and the camera uses slow panning shots of the surrounds and atmosphere to show the contrast to being in the crevasse and the vast landscape in front of him. The daunting truth then comes to realisation for Simon though as he realises he has to travel across this vast landscape in order to get back to the base camp so he begins the impossible task of dragging himself back to where he started. Throughout this scene there is a strong use of an electronic and almost hypnotic sound as Simons body begins to die from the cold and the injuries he has. Quick cuts to images of flowing water show the audience the contrast to the situation he is in and the tantalising nature of all the ice around him although he is extremely dehydrated and dying. There are also a strong use of extreme close ups and hand held footage to display his emotions and gives the audience a sense that they are with him.

The scene then progresses to the point where he is lying in a pile of rocks not knowing to the whereabouts of his position and at this point he is on the brink of dying. During this scene they use flashing images of death and use non diegetic evil sounds of creepy laughs and gloomy music to show to the audience that he is going to die at any point. The scene then cuts back to the viewpoint of Simon in the interview and he begins to describe a piece of music that he had in his head at this point. However this piece of music is juxtaposition to the events happening and changes the whole feeling behind the scene and brings a sense of hope to the situation he is in. The non-diegetic sound of Simons interview describing the events continues throughout the whole scene to keep the audience in touch with how he was feeling and create a more personal relationship between Simon and the viewers. He is then reunited with his team members and the credits conclude the documentary.  The credits are accompanied by soft piano music and a montage of photos displaying the real life events of the expedition. The soft music give the audience a chance to reflect of the film and events they have just witnessed.