Performative Mode: Director Is a Major Participant Who Interacts with Other Subjects on Camera

Documentary Film Analysis

“Documentary”: Film Techniques

Performative Mode: Director is a major participant who interacts with other subjects on camera.

Archival Footage: Footage used which has not been filmed by the director.

Voice Over Narration: An off- screen narrator.

Selective editing/parallel editing: Creates a montage=Manipulating the placement of footage to help “sell” the director’s thesis.

Masked Interview: Subjects on screen are seen answering questions when the question is unknown to the audience.

Ambush Interview: An attempt to get subject to answer questions without warning.

“Long Take” A sustained camera focus on a subject to illustrate change.

Devices of sound: Use of music or other sounds to convey a more emotional appeal.

Juxtaposition: Framing, editing, or synching subjects or elements together, usually to create contrast or irony.

Gestalt closure: Sequencing images and narration to make the audience assume conclusions that may not be factual.

Appeals: Logos: Logical /Ethos: Using reputation or Credentials /Pathos: Emotional

Procedure:

1)  Keep a list of the techniques handy while you view the film.

a.  View your film and take notes on what techniques are being used.

b.  Pause occasionally to reflect on what the director is trying to tell you.

2)  Not all films will allow a scene selection menu. Make note of the “time” of specific scenes in the film so you can watch them again to analyze them. Example: 20:42-24:00 Min.

3)  View the film three times.

4)  Begin to construct your thesis statement:

Example: In the film Roger and Me, director Michael Moore implies that Roger Smith, chairman of General Motors, is personally responsible for the economic decline of Flint, Michigan. He constructs his argument using ambush interview techniques, voice-over narration and by staging interviews with controversial people.

Provide a brief summary of the film.

5)  After your thesis paragraph, write at least 6 paragraphs analyzing what film or persuasive techniques are being used. Explain how they connect to the director’s thesis.

6)  Write a conclusion paragraph that provides an overall impression of whether or not the director presented the subject fairly.

Paragraph model: Parallel editing montage: Cutting several shots in sequence to create logic or closure.

1. Identify technique: Parallel editing Montage

2. Provide example of the technique (describe a scene).

3. Summarize and state what reaction the director was trying to achieve from audience:

4. Connect to Logos/Ethos/Pathos appeal?

Documentary Film Analysis Rubric:

_____ States director’s thesis and effectively summarizes film.

_____ Breaks down analysis of the film into rhetorical or cinematic techniques. (Better explanation=Higher score)

_____ Explains how these techniques are used to support the director’s thesis. (More detail & explanation =Higher Score)

_____ Explains why the director may have chosen these particular techniques.

_____ Explains whether the director was biased toward the subject, or whether it was approached objectively. (Concluding paragraph)

_____ Shows signs of careful organization and proofreading.