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.
.
