Documentary Commision Lecture

Documentary Commission

TODAY’S SESSION •  INTRODUCTION TO FACTUAL PROGRAMMING AND THE DOCUMENTARY GENRE •  Ideas and Angles •  Research •  Pitching docs •  Ideas Lab & discussion •  Screening –  Dreams of a Life

WHAT IS FACTUAL PROGRAMMING? •  Factual is the over-arching term for non-fiction programming and filmmaking •  There are many varied genres, devices and formats within factual filmmaking •  Each have their own conventions (habits/cliches in style/format/ delivery/content/edit...) •  Fictional and factual programmes borrow from each other’s style and treatment


CONT… •  ALL films – fictional and factual - are CONSTRUCTED to some degree.  i.e. whether it is in the pre, production of post production stages – human intervention is unavoidable •  So how do these interventions affect the treatment of ‘REALITY’ and ‘TRUTH’? (Representation) •  Different genres of factual programmes, in particular documentary films,  involve different degrees of intervention

TRUTH AND CONTROVERSY •  In 2007 the BBC’s reputation was seriously damaged by revelations of ‘fakery’ •  Competition winners in particular had been ‘faked’ (e.g. Blue Peter and Radio 1) •  The BBC were eventually fined £400,000 by Ofcom •  This led to more revelations and a complete review of the BBC’s handling of competitions and factual programme making •  The spectre of fakery has reared its ugly head again in 2016 with the BBC’s natural history unit accused of faking parts of it’s Human Planet series, in breach of it’s own Editorial Guidelines :  •  http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/feb/19/bbc-to-make-fakeryprevention-training-mandatory



FACTUAL GENRES •  Factual programmes can be divided into a number of genres: •  CURRENT AFFAIRS •  NEWS •  DOCUMENTARIES •  REALITY TV •  FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT (aka ‘Fact Ent’) •  THE LINES ARE BLURRY!

 CURRENT AFFAIRS •  Current affairs programmes take an in depth look at  the current issues of the time. •  There are many types of current affairs programmes covering most topics covered in news: •  Investigative •  Consumer •  Political •  Health •  Social affairs •  Crime •  Business and Finance

FACTUAL FORMATS •  There are many formats available for factual programming.  These include: •  Multi camera observational e.g. Big Brother/One Born Every Minute •  Presenter/reporter led e.g. Panorama •  Magazine – e.g The One Show •  Authored – e.g. Michael Palin films/ITV authored travelogues e.g. Joanna Lumley •  Discussion/debate – either in a studio or on location.  Live, as live or recorded.

CONVENTIONS ž Style – shooting and editing – different factual genres utilise different conventions in terms of style  ž Structure - varied according to style and content ž Format – varied factual formats e.g. Studio discussion panel show a la Question Time. ž Shots – e.g. hand held ‘wobbly cam’ shots accepted norm adding to ‘realism’  ž Commentary – in late 1960’s comm-free or minimal comm in vogue – allow viewers to impose own views on material shown


CONT… ž Narrator/Presenter/Reporter e.g. Dignified male ‘voice of authority’.  In vision/out of vision ‘voice of god’. ž Music e.g. Classical music – “serious” film ž Experts – used to add ‘intellectual weight’ and authority to a film and its arguments ž Conventions are often subject of satire – exposing the established methods by which stories are told but possibly also limited.

Documentary Script

Script

script original made bye Zak

Script edit

Pix	Sync/Comm	Time
Montage of children in sex-ed class On screen text - ‘Current British sex-education claims “it involves teaching children about … sexuality. It doesn’t promote … any particular sexual orientation.” Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sex-and-relationship-education’	Music
On screen text - ‘Yet over half of secondary school children have not discussed LGBT+ relationships in the classroom. Source: Stonewall Chief Exec Ruth Hunt.’
TITLE: ‘The Birds, The Bees and The Rainbows.’
Lead up to int w/ Skye
Interview in vision	SYNC - Introduces self. (Name, sexuality, gender, pronouns.)
	SYNC - Recounts poor LGBT+ representation from secondary education. Discusses bullying and whether better sex ed could minimise it.
	SYNC -  How poor representation affected realizing and accepting identity. Where they found the information.
On-screen text: It's basically as if trans people don't exist within the concept of sex, nor LGBT people at all. The only couples that we talk about are cis straight ones. [It’s] crushing because it feels like there's no space for you in the world.  - Libby (14, Non-Binary)
Sequence to introduce Molly and parents, Debbie and Darrell - Molly doing homework, Debbie and Darrell prepping dinner etc
	SYNC - Molly - Introduces self. (Name, sexuality, gender, pronouns.)
	SYNC - Explains recently had sex-ed and topics covered. Explains LGBTQ+ rep is poor.
Actuality of Darrell fixing Debbie’s hair And interview in motion	SYNC - Darrell and Debbie - Do they think it’s appropriate for children to be learning about LGBTQ+ issues. Would they feel able to answer questions from Molly?
On-Screen text: With schools unable to answer questions and parents sometimes unwilling, some people turn to the media and internet sources for information.
	SYNC - Chloe -  Introduces self. (Name, sexuality, gender, pronouns.)
	SYNC - Felt sex-ed was pointless and turned to tv/internet for information. Struggled with identity because of poor ed, similar to parents and friends.
On-screen text: Images from the media are often heteronormative and rely on stereotypes to quickly tell audiences about a character. TV footage of stereotypical homosexual characters, powerful men and sexualised women.
Actuality - Teachers teaching a class of secondary school teachers.	SYNC - Teacher - Introduces self. (Name, sexuality, gender, job role.)
	SYNC - It’s a struggle to keep immature students interested, staff aren’t always appropriately qualified.
Actuality - Students discussing work in group.	SYNC - Students - Explaining their understanding of gender and sexual diversity and where this information came from.
	SYNC - Students discussing how comfortable they’d feel asking about LGBTQ+ issues and whether they’d fear judgement from classmates.
Actuality - MGSDC Rep speaking to a group of students	SYNC - Sex Educator - Introduces self. (Name, sexuality, gender, job role.)
	SYNC - Explains work the organisation does. Discusses the need for sex educators and why school sex ed is failing students.
On-screen text: In countries such as X, policies are Y and statistics are Z
	SYNC - Introduction of self, country educated in and experience with sex-ed and it’s discussion of LGBT people.
	TALK TO GREEN REP ABOUT HOW NEW LAWS REPEAT OLD MISTAKES AND WHAT THEIR PARTY WANTS TO DO.

Contextual Documentary

Steve James

Quote

(On Harlan County USA) There've been many documentaries over the years that have powerfully impacted me. I think this one came along at the time when I was more interested in being a feature filmmaker than a documentary filmmaker. So it came along at the beginning of a process of moving from an interest in feature film to documentaries, and that's where my career has taken me. It came along at the right time for me. It helped me see, "Ah, this is more what I want to do." There's something very alive about this film. What it's about and the degree to which the filmmaker courageously put herself into a situation that she was not from. You don't have to have known her history to know that she was an outsider. She had the courage to go into a situation, spend the time there, and really try to understand it. You feel that all through the movie. In many respects, she became a template for the kind of filmmaker I want to be.

Storyline

He began a film, a search, to discover not only what had happened to Stevie over the past ten years but to understand the forces that had shaped his entire life. Part way through the filming, Stevie is arrested and charged with a serious crime that tears his family apart. What was to be a modest profile turns into a intimate four and half year chronicle of Stevie, his broken family, the criminal justice system and the filmmaker himself, as they all struggle with what Stevie has done and who he has become.

        

       

Link to site of info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0334416/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_9

Documentary Gires

Gires is a gender identity research and education society that helps individuals with understanding and helping people who are a LGBT person.

(Although GIRES works with a number of major organisations, it never loses touch with the needs of the individual gender non-conforming people and their families, whether members or not, who seek its help every day. Each gender non-conforming individual faces the challenges of being themselves within families, education, the workplace and social settings, where they may experience discrimination and even violence. In the UK, around 650,000 people, 1% of the population, are estimated to experience some degree of gender non-conformity. Most of them are as yet invisible. However, information via the internet, stronger laws, more support groups, increasingly responsible media reporting and improving healthcare are contributing to rapid growth in the number of gender non-conforming people confident in being visible, especially among the young. The growth rates of those seeking medical care are +20% p.a. among adults (who currently account for the majority cases) and 50% p.a. among young people. This growth looks set to continue. About 26,000 individuals have so far sought medical care, in general practice or specialist centres, but a further 100,000 may do so in the near future. GIRES and the other support groups receive a stream of requests for help from individuals with a wide range of needs, for instance: a child not being allowed to use the appropriate toilet in school; a wife who has just learned that her spouse intends to change gender role; an employee intending to undergo transition at work; a patient being denied proper gender reassignment treatment.)

Growth in number seeking medical help – Now +20% p.a.

The Gires company this is what they put as how they help people with who are going through deling with and are a LGBT person.


http://www.gires.org.uk/whatwedo#Top

Documentary Goverment Form

 Sex and Relationship Form

This is a Government form talking about the way and how the government dose with children when talking about ( Sex and Relationship Education Guidance) is what the form covers and tells teachers on how to go about it with different ages.






https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283599/sex_and_relationship_education_guidance.pdf

Documentary Idea

Ideas

So me and group which includes Danny Lewis, Victoria Simmonds and Zak Wilkins we have gone through multiple ideas.






From transgender and what they went through growing up but we decided to go with sex education within schools and how they teach it and have they included how to deal with different situations such as transgender, non binary etc.

Martin Scorsese - Director Choice

Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese

Born November 17, 1942, in Flushing, New York, Martin Scorsese is known for his gritty, meticulous filmmaking style and is widely considered one of the most important directors of all time. Scorsese's passion for films started at a young age, as he was an 8-year-old pint-sized filmmaker. In 1968, he completed his first feature-length film, Who's That Knocking at My Door?, but it wasn't until he released Taxi Driver nearly 10 years later that he skyrocketed to fame for his raw formula of storytelling. He proved that the film wasn't a fluke with a string of landmark films, such as Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Mean Streets.

Directing Credits

Taxi Driver

Goodfellas

Raging Bull

The Departed

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Trademark styles

Often martin Scorsese uses diagetic music which is an interesting thing for a director to do from my opinion i find it a nicer way of connecting to a character or scene when you no what they are listening too such as the scene where Iris and Sport dance together.

Tracking shots are a favourite thing for martin Scorsese such as his most famous and most noted tracking shot the scene in Goodfellas Going thought the kitchen of the basement of the copacabana night club to the main part of the restaurant to there table.

Intro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBguadhAX_

Middle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UneHDzMhbbw

Ending

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq4ucbgrV6U

http://www.biography.com/people/martin-scorsese-9476727#synop