Before starting on making our own documentary doing this particular assignment is crucial. Deconstruction of
any documentary helps discover even the minor details of it. Knowing
this information would aid us during the construction of our project as
observing the tiny bits and pieces cluster and make up the whole thing.
BIOGRAPHY ON ALFRED HITCHCOCK:
Duration: 43 minutes 05 seconds
Anchor: Paul Merton
Official Channel: BBC
The first documentary I have observed is a biography on a renowned personality, Alfred Hitchcock. This biography takes us through the life of Alfred Hitchcock, his experiences, his birth, his education and of coarse his success over the years. This documentary has been delivered to the it's target audience such as Alfred Hitchcock's fans, fans of old films, adults etc, via internet and television (BBC).
This particular clip is a blend of docu-soap and biography documentary. Reason being that the biography is part of a program which describes the history of celebrities in every episode, i.e. the program has several episodes. Other than that , the biography is participatory as an anchor participates in it himself who guides the viewers through out the entire clip and narratives Hitchcock's as a story being told to the viewers; this not only effectively gives the message to the audience but also makes it more interesting as the body language of the person narrating makes the viewers feel like he is directly speaking to them.
The codes and conventions are similar to those of a classic documentary. There is narration, an anchor who leads the story, interviews, mid close up shots on the interviewees, establishing shot of the birth place of the Hitchcock etc. These conventions are similar to those that will be witnessed in our documentary as ours is also based on classic documentary.
The location of the documentary is the Hitchcock birth place. This not only helps define his biography more effectively but also gives a feeling of practically experiencing his life. An example could be taken of the clips taken at the institution Hitchcock studied in when he was young. The anchor goes through the stories of Hitchcock on the places where those stories actually took place. Other then that, the clips from his famous movies are showcased in the entire documentary as to show his work and success that he gained from it. Instead of re-doing his entire life again, it is shown in the form of clips taken from his films which I believe better define the person Hitchcock was.
The soundtrack used in the background is quite strong. Similar to those heard in Hitchcock's films. This particular selection of music makes further covers the elements related to Hitchcock in depth.
What caught my attention the most were the camera angles and the lights of the biography. Although the camera angles used are mostly the ones we see in all the biographies, e.g. the mid shots of the interviewee and the wide shots of the birth place of Hitchcock which establishes the scene etc. but what distinguished it from others were the dramatic shots of the university and the camera closing up on the face of the anchor while he narrates the story of Hitchcock in order to create more impact. Furthermore, the lights displayed during the interviews are dim lights with a strong key light which creates a very dramatic atmosphere. Hitchcock being a director himself, this biography has been produced in a way that the purpose behind is implemented, the strong drama, the serious mood etc. seen in Hitchcock's films are captured in this documentary.
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BIOGRAPHY ON ALFRED HITCHCOCK:
Duration: 43 minutes 05 seconds
Anchor: Paul Merton
Official Channel: BBC
The first documentary I have observed is a biography on a renowned personality, Alfred Hitchcock. This biography takes us through the life of Alfred Hitchcock, his experiences, his birth, his education and of coarse his success over the years. This documentary has been delivered to the it's target audience such as Alfred Hitchcock's fans, fans of old films, adults etc, via internet and television (BBC).
This particular clip is a blend of docu-soap and biography documentary. Reason being that the biography is part of a program which describes the history of celebrities in every episode, i.e. the program has several episodes. Other than that , the biography is participatory as an anchor participates in it himself who guides the viewers through out the entire clip and narratives Hitchcock's as a story being told to the viewers; this not only effectively gives the message to the audience but also makes it more interesting as the body language of the person narrating makes the viewers feel like he is directly speaking to them.
The codes and conventions are similar to those of a classic documentary. There is narration, an anchor who leads the story, interviews, mid close up shots on the interviewees, establishing shot of the birth place of the Hitchcock etc. These conventions are similar to those that will be witnessed in our documentary as ours is also based on classic documentary.
The location of the documentary is the Hitchcock birth place. This not only helps define his biography more effectively but also gives a feeling of practically experiencing his life. An example could be taken of the clips taken at the institution Hitchcock studied in when he was young. The anchor goes through the stories of Hitchcock on the places where those stories actually took place. Other then that, the clips from his famous movies are showcased in the entire documentary as to show his work and success that he gained from it. Instead of re-doing his entire life again, it is shown in the form of clips taken from his films which I believe better define the person Hitchcock was.
The soundtrack used in the background is quite strong. Similar to those heard in Hitchcock's films. This particular selection of music makes further covers the elements related to Hitchcock in depth.
What caught my attention the most were the camera angles and the lights of the biography. Although the camera angles used are mostly the ones we see in all the biographies, e.g. the mid shots of the interviewee and the wide shots of the birth place of Hitchcock which establishes the scene etc. but what distinguished it from others were the dramatic shots of the university and the camera closing up on the face of the anchor while he narrates the story of Hitchcock in order to create more impact. Furthermore, the lights displayed during the interviews are dim lights with a strong key light which creates a very dramatic atmosphere. Hitchcock being a director himself, this biography has been produced in a way that the purpose behind is implemented, the strong drama, the serious mood etc. seen in Hitchcock's films are captured in this documentary.
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