Exam Question: Spectatorship & Documentary
FM4
June 2015
Spectatorship & Documentary
Q11. 'When watching documentaries, we are just as involved in narrative and character as we are when watching fictional films'. Discuss how far this is true in relation to your own studies of documentary spectatorship.
A Narrative structure and a development of characters is important within film. We as spectators would typically associate a narrative body and structure in a film with a fictional film, one that is completely 'made up' or based around a real event or person's life, that being a biographical film.But an audience do not often connect narrative and character roles with documentary, something that is supposed to be completely true and real. However we know that all media is constructed, thats including Documentary film. this concept allows us to view documentaries as narrative films including characters as they are still telling a story whether its real or not. Audience reception plays an important role when responding to this statement as documentaries rely on the way an audience revieves their film, wether they will think that it is a constructed film made up of a narrative and story or whether its completely real, compeletly based on unexpected and inconvenient truths.
Specific Types of documentary make it difficult for spectators to feel or become involved, or even to believe that they involve characters and a narrative as they take a much more observational approach, influencing the spectators views and encouraging them to believe that the documentary follows no narrative and is filmed exactly how its seen. Undefeated directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J Martin in 2011 follows the lives of a selected amount of individuals. these individuals all coming from a deprived area and school, take on the challenges they face in day to day life and on the football field. Everything about this documentary comes across to the audience as unplanned, unexpected and completely real because of its handheld and personal approach. This in a way disconnects the audience from the narrative but not the characters, as they are presented as real human beings in real situations which is very relatable to an audience as they can easily empathise. While the protagonists in this sports documentary face all of the same challenges, trials and tribulations that characters in fictional sports film would, the audience form a much more real and raw connection to the ' narrative' and 'characters' which still allows them to become involved in the narrative but in a slightly different way to a fictional film.
In contrast to this, The Imposter, 2011 directed by Bart Layton is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to documentary film. The Opening sequence decieves you into thinking that this is a fictional film about a young con artist. its only until after you create this preconception of what the narrative will entail and who the characters will be, that you are jolted back to reality with the introduction of interviews, which of course expose the fact that this is a documentary and is not infact a fictional text or story. This documentary is based very much around the reinactment and recreation of real life events through the use of actors and unconventional filming style etc. the artistic and abstract way in which this film is shot intrigues the spectators, already encapturing and involving them with the narrative the same way a fictional film would. the fact that this documentary doesnt instantly begin with a cluster of real life footage, photographs and interviews, the way in which a typical documentary is conducted means that the the way in which the audience recieves this is very similar if not the same as when viewing and recieving a fictional film and understanding the plot and each character. another contributing factor to the involvment of the audience in the narrative and characters in documentary, the imposter especially , is of course the reinacted scenes. the balance between real life characters and actors allow the audience to gain personal connections with the protagonists involved, but also presents the issues and non fictional event that took place as storylike and fabricated.
In conlusion, i believe that the statement was primarlily true as all film is constructed through a narrative structure and the devlopment of characters even when presenting real life situations, thus meaning that the involvement with the two would be the same as the way in which spectators recieve information from both ficttional and documentary. all spectators will form an opinion or have some sort of connection with the protagonists and their stories, whether its fictitous or varacious.
June 2015
Spectatorship & Documentary
Q11. 'When watching documentaries, we are just as involved in narrative and character as we are when watching fictional films'. Discuss how far this is true in relation to your own studies of documentary spectatorship.
A Narrative structure and a development of characters is important within film. We as spectators would typically associate a narrative body and structure in a film with a fictional film, one that is completely 'made up' or based around a real event or person's life, that being a biographical film.But an audience do not often connect narrative and character roles with documentary, something that is supposed to be completely true and real. However we know that all media is constructed, thats including Documentary film. this concept allows us to view documentaries as narrative films including characters as they are still telling a story whether its real or not. Audience reception plays an important role when responding to this statement as documentaries rely on the way an audience revieves their film, wether they will think that it is a constructed film made up of a narrative and story or whether its completely real, compeletly based on unexpected and inconvenient truths.
Specific Types of documentary make it difficult for spectators to feel or become involved, or even to believe that they involve characters and a narrative as they take a much more observational approach, influencing the spectators views and encouraging them to believe that the documentary follows no narrative and is filmed exactly how its seen. Undefeated directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J Martin in 2011 follows the lives of a selected amount of individuals. these individuals all coming from a deprived area and school, take on the challenges they face in day to day life and on the football field. Everything about this documentary comes across to the audience as unplanned, unexpected and completely real because of its handheld and personal approach. This in a way disconnects the audience from the narrative but not the characters, as they are presented as real human beings in real situations which is very relatable to an audience as they can easily empathise. While the protagonists in this sports documentary face all of the same challenges, trials and tribulations that characters in fictional sports film would, the audience form a much more real and raw connection to the ' narrative' and 'characters' which still allows them to become involved in the narrative but in a slightly different way to a fictional film.
In contrast to this, The Imposter, 2011 directed by Bart Layton is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to documentary film. The Opening sequence decieves you into thinking that this is a fictional film about a young con artist. its only until after you create this preconception of what the narrative will entail and who the characters will be, that you are jolted back to reality with the introduction of interviews, which of course expose the fact that this is a documentary and is not infact a fictional text or story. This documentary is based very much around the reinactment and recreation of real life events through the use of actors and unconventional filming style etc. the artistic and abstract way in which this film is shot intrigues the spectators, already encapturing and involving them with the narrative the same way a fictional film would. the fact that this documentary doesnt instantly begin with a cluster of real life footage, photographs and interviews, the way in which a typical documentary is conducted means that the the way in which the audience recieves this is very similar if not the same as when viewing and recieving a fictional film and understanding the plot and each character. another contributing factor to the involvment of the audience in the narrative and characters in documentary, the imposter especially , is of course the reinacted scenes. the balance between real life characters and actors allow the audience to gain personal connections with the protagonists involved, but also presents the issues and non fictional event that took place as storylike and fabricated.
In conlusion, i believe that the statement was primarlily true as all film is constructed through a narrative structure and the devlopment of characters even when presenting real life situations, thus meaning that the involvement with the two would be the same as the way in which spectators recieve information from both ficttional and documentary. all spectators will form an opinion or have some sort of connection with the protagonists and their stories, whether its fictitous or varacious.
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