All the research shown on this page will be in relation to my short film, which will try and conform to the conventions of a musical documentary. The research is here as a log to show where I got my inspiration from, as well as where I found out the conventions for the different types of documentary. This post shows real media models I deconstructed to show what works and what doesn't.
If you have any corrections or feedback to give me, please don't hesitate to comment at the bottom!
I am going to create a short film in the genre of documentary. The word 'genre' comes the French term "kind" or "class" and is used to classify works in most fields. It is used to denote a certain kind of experience to a specific audience, for instance a film classed as a comedy will promise the audience a funny and laughable experience. A short film can be described as a moving image narrative which conveys its plot in five minutes or less.
The genre of short film I initially chose was Horror, however after some research and reading I decided I wasn't as experienced and knowledgeable in the Horror genre as I would like to think, and I would probably not have made a successful film. More importantly, however I think I was more excited at the prospect on recording a documentary on a band whose music I like and whose members I respect individually. As a result, I decided to make a Documentary on one of my favourite bands instead, Slowyear, who are a local band from London.
(To read more about Slowyear, please visit the planning page.)
A documentary, by definition, is a moving picture narrative which is intended to document some aspect of reality for the purpose of instruction or entertainment.
Traditional aspects of a documentary include:
- interviews
- footage relevant to the subject
- narrator/voice over
- statistics
- biographies and primary information on a certain topic
Notable documentaries that have received acclaim in recent years include Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me, which received attention after its release due to its portrayal of fast-food chain McDonalds.
Super Size Me featured a narrative led by Spurlock, as he was the prime character and spoke directly to the camera as well as doing the voice over. I think this worked well for his documentary as it blurred the lines between audience and host, and it felt like a much more personal portrayal of a film. I don't think I particularly want to achieve this feat- I don't want my documentary to feature anything about me as I'd rather it provide a personal insight in to the band and I have nothing to do with the band. However, it has shown me a way to guide the narrative and journey throughout the film and as a result I have encouraged the band members themselves to not hesitate to speak directly to the camera in between interviews and shots.
Super Size Me featured a narrative led by Spurlock, as he was the prime character and spoke directly to the camera as well as doing the voice over. I think this worked well for his documentary as it blurred the lines between audience and host, and it felt like a much more personal portrayal of a film. I don't think I particularly want to achieve this feat- I don't want my documentary to feature anything about me as I'd rather it provide a personal insight in to the band and I have nothing to do with the band. However, it has shown me a way to guide the narrative and journey throughout the film and as a result I have encouraged the band members themselves to not hesitate to speak directly to the camera in between interviews and shots.
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| Director, writer and actor Morgan Spurlock |
I plan to narrate my documentary by featuring little or no captions and no voice over from myself. I want to convey a personal insight in to the band and I want to blur the lines between the short films audience and the band themselves. The narrative is led by the band members themselves, as they repeat the questions and answer interview questions in full sentences to refrain from using captions.
Moreover, I'm doing a documentary based on music, which is a different genre completely. Acclaimed music documentaries (or rockumentary, as they are as sometimes referred to as) include Sonic Youth's tour documentary 1991: The Year Punk Broke which follows the band on tour in Europe, featuring performances from the tour and guest features from other band members such as Kurt Cobain from Nirvana and the members from Dinasuaur, Jr.
The term 'rockumentary' refers to audio or moving picture narratives depicting a documentary with the subject matter being a rock band or musicians.
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| Acclaimed 'rockumentaries' from the last 20 years |
The aspects of a conventional documentary that I plan to include are:
- interviews
I feature interviews with all four members, but more in-depth with three out of the four. This is due to time constraints and the like, but also because the three other members (rhythm/lead guitarists and bassists) are more involved in the lyrical process and the like. However the drummer does feature an interview, just it isn't as in depth as the others. The interviews feature questions about the bands influences, aspirations, and the state of the music industry and whether mainstream success appeals to them.
- footage relevant to the subject
The 'subject' in this example is Slowyear, and my documentary features footage from rehearsals, three of their first gigs (a house show filmed in the bassists living room, a headline show in Kingston, and a support slot with American Emo band Saves The Day) and footage of re-recording and mixing vocals in vocalist/guitarist Adam Banbridge's bedroom. I also feature footage from in between gigs and the band hanging out, and the journeys between the gigs. The footage in this area also shows the band and their relationships with one another.
- narrator/voice over
Narrator and voice over are not included in my documentary because I think that places too much emphasis on the voice, who tends to be the movie maker (e.g. me). I disagree with this on my movie, as I feel like the film should be strictly about the band it's portraying.
- statistics
The statistics I feature are the amount of gigs the band have played, when the EP was released, their discography and songs, and the money they have spent recording the EP.
- biographies and primary information on a certain topic
This is shown through the interview process directly through the band, as they discuss their personal journeys directly with the camera.
Black and white is used frequently in the genre of 'rockumentary,' although I wouldn't argue it being a convention. Black and white could be a common use in 'rockumentary' due to the nature of the genre itself targeting subject matters (such as the first few years of the career of a now popular musician, the emergence of a new genre of music or the sudden popularity/commercialism surrounding a once 'cult' genre of music) which occurred before the widespread use of colour photography/cameras. Thus, footage recorded in this time period (pre-90s) tended to be generally black and white.
Alternatively, modern 'rockumentaries' may strive to look as 'authentic', in a sense, as previous successful 'rockumentaries' once did. They may also use it in a stylistic manner.
These are some example short films about music that gave me inspiration for my short film. They are not all in the music documentary genre, but they are all non-fiction and feature bands and musicians. However, they're all classed as short films as they are shorter than 30 minutes.Black and white is used frequently in the genre of 'rockumentary,' although I wouldn't argue it being a convention. Black and white could be a common use in 'rockumentary' due to the nature of the genre itself targeting subject matters (such as the first few years of the career of a now popular musician, the emergence of a new genre of music or the sudden popularity/commercialism surrounding a once 'cult' genre of music) which occurred before the widespread use of colour photography/cameras. Thus, footage recorded in this time period (pre-90s) tended to be generally black and white.
Alternatively, modern 'rockumentaries' may strive to look as 'authentic', in a sense, as previous successful 'rockumentaries' once did. They may also use it in a stylistic manner.
Title: Lives of the Artists: Gallows
Date: 2010
Director: Ross Cairns
Brief plot outline: The documentary follows Watford Punk band Gallows as they take part of the acclaimed Vans Warped Tour, which lasts 10 weeks and visits just about every state in the USA. It features interviews with all five members and clips of their performances.
Establishing Shot: Out of focus shoes, moving.
Establishing Shot: Out of focus shoes, moving.
Music: This being a music documentary, music is vital. However, during much of the shots of the background and the interviews with the band members, a slow classical piece of music is heard in the background. This goes with the slow-pace of the film, and this is juxtaposed with Gallows' style of music and footage of their live shows. There is also music heard which is being performed live by the band.
Camera: The short film is composed of close ups/long shots of many different objects in the background, some which have little to do with the band themselves but more to show how far away they are from home and familiarity. This includes the outside of their tour bus, the band walking in an empty car park, sunsets, and an American family on their porch. When the band themselves are being interviewed, they're shown in a dark room, in a medium long shot. Their faces are somewhat hidden in the shadows and their names are shown in the center bottom of the screen.
Additional Comments: The documentary is purposefully slow-paced and is even accompanied by a classical music piece to slow it down further. Most of the shots of the band are shown in slightly slower motion, and the camera shots all transide smoothly in to one another, with little to no jump cuts or other fast editing cuts. It works really well artistically and is one of my favourite short films.
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Title: Relentless Energy Short Stories: The Pit
Date: 2011
Director: Dave Depares
Brief plot outline: Using footage from several high profile Hardcore shows, including Gallows, Trash Talk and Cancer Bats, this documentary features interviews with musicians and fans and raises the question, why do people mosh and stage dive at Hardcore, Punk and Metal shows? Includes interviews with Lee Spielman from Trash Talk and Liam Cormier from Cancer Bats.
Establishing Shot: Two main establishing shots, both being dictionary definitions of the terms "crowd" and "surf" to introduce the topic.
Establishing Shot: Two main establishing shots, both being dictionary definitions of the terms "crowd" and "surf" to introduce the topic.
Music: It features several Hardcore songs at some points, but generally the music is folk, and classical. It is used to contrast with the violent nature of the mosh pits shown in the footage.
Camera: The camera and editing of this video is consistent, with fast paced footage leading the action and jump cuts used also.
Additional Comments: I think it's very successful in giving insight of moshing and crowd surfing, but sometimes the point it's trying to convey gets muddled up. At points I feel like it's specifically about crowd surfing, and at others I think it's about general gig etiquette. I think the director should've further pigeon holed his question and based his narrative on a more specific (or broad) question, but made it clearer what point he wanted to make.
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Title: Last Witness: Recording Diary
Date: 2011
Director: Sam Bailey
Comments: This isn't a music documentary but more of a promo shot. I put it here because I think the shots and editing are done very cleanly and give a good representation of the band. The close ups and out of focus shots are done very successfully and it is clear that the band are recording. The instruments are the main focus point of the director which is a difference from most other promo videos which concentrate on the band or their image as opposed to their actual music. There is a strong use of extreme close ups of instruments and silhouettes of band members, emphasizing the importance of the music and the image of the band.
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This is my favourite music documentary and I've analysed it in closer detail. This will be me my real media model that I will use to compare my finished film to. It's my favourite film due its simple yet stylistic edits and its medium-pace; it's not too fast or slow and tells a great story.
Title: The Road: Frank Turner
Date: 2011
Director: James Henry
Brief plot outline: Similarly to the Gallows short film, it follows Frank Turner on a US tour. It features interviews in which he talks about why he tours, why his music is so important to him and his passion for playing live.
Establishing Shot: The establishing shot is a low angle shot of the road, presumably shot from the perspective of a moving car. It sets the scene for the rest of the movie, as it's in black and white and it introduces "the road," which connotes travelling and touring.
Establishing Shot: The establishing shot is a low angle shot of the road, presumably shot from the perspective of a moving car. It sets the scene for the rest of the movie, as it's in black and white and it introduces "the road," which connotes travelling and touring.
Music: The music in this film is very minimal and can very much be described as "background" music. It compliments Frank Turner's frequent voice over and sound bridges, as you rarely see him directly answering questions. His music is heard also from the live footage, and is extremely significant in showing why he's touring and why he loves doing what he does as much as he does, as his music features lyrics that are insightful and relatable. The crowd are often heard singing his lyrics along too, which is very significant and shows his popularity and impact.
Camera: The film is shot using close ups of Frank Turners face whilst he speaks and sings, including long shots of Turners' stage shows showing the crowd. The film is shown through a series of close ups of stage items, Frank himself and instruments with voiceovers from Frank answering questions. There are many shots of him actually being interviewed, which cut to shots of him laughing elsewhere and other close-ups of his face. There is generally a small amount of footage of him actually talking/answering questions, but there is a lot of live footage, some of which has been slowed down to emphasise certain elements of his live show like the crowd participation, and other footage which runs at real time and gives an insight in to his live shows, from an audience members perspective. There are many close-ups of his body and emphasise on his tattoos on his chest and arms- this could perhaps connote the physicallity of his journey on "the road" and the difficulties of being on tour.
There are many shots that stood out to me further, which are deconstructed in more detail below.
Camera: The film is shot using close ups of Frank Turners face whilst he speaks and sings, including long shots of Turners' stage shows showing the crowd. The film is shown through a series of close ups of stage items, Frank himself and instruments with voiceovers from Frank answering questions. There are many shots of him actually being interviewed, which cut to shots of him laughing elsewhere and other close-ups of his face. There is generally a small amount of footage of him actually talking/answering questions, but there is a lot of live footage, some of which has been slowed down to emphasise certain elements of his live show like the crowd participation, and other footage which runs at real time and gives an insight in to his live shows, from an audience members perspective. There are many close-ups of his body and emphasise on his tattoos on his chest and arms- this could perhaps connote the physicallity of his journey on "the road" and the difficulties of being on tour.
There are many shots that stood out to me further, which are deconstructed in more detail below.
Interview Questions: Although the interviewer of this film is never heard, we can assume what the questions he or she has asked are based on Franks answers. The questions they asked include:
- Do you make any sacrifices whilst on tour? Do you ever regret it? Do you ever feel homesick?
- Is it had to adapt to a life on the road?
- Do you enjoy life on tour? Is it ever difficult?
- Do you have any fears or phobias?
- Who inspires you? Why?
- What does music mean to you? What appeals to you about music?
- How important is punk rock to you?
"Who'd have thought,
That afterall,
Something as simple as rock'n'roll can save us all?"
I think this song and these lyrics nicely sum up what Frank Turner stands for and what his songs are about. This was a very good use of sound and live footage to end the short film on a high.
Additional Comments: This documentary doesn't really have much going on within it, but it features an interesting interview with Frank Turner and gives us a deep insight in to his music and his biggest passions and why he loves touring as much as he does. I think it works well due to its simple nature, especially in its camera angles and minimal sound. It doesn't feature much music and it isn't complicated- it's simple, black and white and doesn't try to be something big. It's an intimate portrait of a lonesome touring singer-songwriter and tells a very good story through its camera use and sound.
I have been deconstructing film posters in the music documentary genre to get inspiration to create a poster for my own documentary, and so I can see the conventions of a music documentary and conform (or go against) current typical conventions.
Notes:
- 'Punk's Not Dead' by The Exploited, a Scottish Street Punk band formed in the late 70s
- 'Never Mind the Bollocks' by the Sex Pistols' artwork features the band logo in the same style as used in the above film poster. It conveys a "collage" effect, with some letters bigger and others smaller and perhaps connotes the DIY ethic that is associated with punk rock.
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| The actual full-size film poster |
"Why is there so much pink in the poster? Pink frequently connotes femininity/homosexuality."
The answer to the question lies deep in the Punk rock subculture itself, as many Punks wanted to subvert common and gender stereotypes, and thus frequently challenged societies views on homophobia and "masculinity" and "femininity". Many male punks cross dressed, wore dresses on stage, wore make up and even piercings that were generally associated with females (i.e. nose, ears). Equally, many female punks also challenged gender stereotypes by shaving their heads in to numerous different styles and wearing large cut up shirts, trousers and Doc Martens.
As a result, it seemed natural for Punks to pick up on the colour pink and to try and associate it with something that isn't femininity, or rather societies view on femininity. Punks were frequently seen sporting large pink mohicans and other items of clothing.
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| Female Punk fashion, including shaven heads and mohawks |
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| Broody Dalle of American 90s Punk Rock band, the Distillers |
Other examples of movie posters include American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock and No Direction Home which is Martin Scorsese's famous Bob Dylan documentary.
This is the full size poster for American Hardcore:
American Hardcore was released in 2006 and features interviews with many prominent figures within the modern Hardcore community and also musicians and others that are often considered pioneers of Hardcore. It shows the rise of Hardcore Punk and the conflicts within the scene as a whole, and shows the violence that often erupted between 'Punks' and 'Hardcore Kids'.
The trailer is shown below. It features snippets of footage of old gigs that were considered legendary by many hardcore fans and interviews with important musicians from the era, like H.R. from Bad Brains and Keith Morris from Black Flag and Circle Jerks. The USP is clearly identified as exclusive interviews and footage and it promotes itself to it's target audience of hardcore and punk fans of all ages, including 16-24 and 30/40+. It appeals to an older music fan base because those older fans were likely to have lived through the music scene depicted in the film itself. The younger fans it appeals to are teenagers who are fans of modern genres that were directly influenced by the initial 80s Hardcore Scene, and want to see where they started.
Martin Scorseses' No Direction Home was acclaimed upon its release in 2005 however it is set in July 1966. It was a strange time in Dylans career as he had at this point "retired" from touring due to a motorcycle accident.
This is the full size poster for No Direction Home:
"How does it feel,
To be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone?"
Interestingly, the above clip that I embedded from YouTube has now been banned due to copyright claims and regulation in the UK. To view the video, please try the link below:
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I have used inspiration from various sources to develop two draft ideas for my SLOWYEAR poster. The below design is my initial design:
I think this design looks more cinematic: I took inspiration for this poster from two different posters, both blockbusters and not 'rockumentaries'. The posters I took inspiration from are Trainspotting (1996) and Transmission (2003).
I like the use of many images on the poster as the band have four members and action shots of each member could be very effective in portraying the image of the band and signifying the genre of the film.
My other idea is more simple and features potentially only one of the band members on the cover, but even then his face wouldn't be shown. The below design puts emphasis on the amplifiers and the speakers, and also the TOM drum which is placed in the centre with drumsticks on top. This design is shown below:
I got inspiration for this idea from the front cover of UK Hardcore band THROATS' self-titled album, shown below.
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| Throats EP, released in 2010 |
The base image itself doesn't focus on the image of the band or the image the band is trying to portray: only one band member is shown in the photo and he has back to the camera, and is shown adjusting or fixing something. The fact that there isn't any emphasis on the individual band members and they're collective image is important as it connotes that it isn't important to the bands sound and the message they are trying to put across- and I'm trying to capture this similar message with my SLOWYEAR poster.
Although I got my idea from a CD cover and not so much a movie poster, I think the message it puts across is equally important and I want to put it across that SLOWYEAR are a band that are about the music and not image. Obviously the band themselves and their image are crucial to the narrative of the documentary, their sound is supposed to be the unique selling point of the film.
Below is the first draft image of my actual poster, constructed on Adobe Photoshop. I still haven't added the main base image at this point:
I have also done a mock up draft of the cinematic cover without a picture to show my process. It is shown below:
Also, I haven't put the age rating or launch date on these posters as of yet as they are still early versions. This isn't something I have neglected accidentally, but something I have refrained from doing until everything else is perfected.
At this stage, I think I prefer the initial idea and not the cinematic one. But I will take my feedback in to account and alter it to fit the mould that would suit the film better.
In January 2012, halfway through this course, the movie poster for Keira Knightley's newest film A Dangerous Method began appearing on tubes, buses and billboards all across London, England. Coincidentally, it appears to be very similar to the final Slowyear poster! I thought this was interesting and thought I'd include it in the blog to show how perhaps poster designers sometimes get influenced by the same things whilst designing. Interestingly though, this film is a completely different genre to my film, showing how the choice in pictures of a poster can completely change how a poster is seen.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011), distributed by Columbia Pictures
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| Empire Magazine, February 2012. Scanned picture, hence the awkward quality |
- Clever use of three colours – blue, yellow, black. Connotes coherency and cleanness, easy on the eyes. White is also used as a background colour, very simplistic double page spread. The colours yellow and blue are also featured in photo, furthering the coherency. This could help integrate the photo and text
- Blue is used as the title 'IN CINEMAS,' in the top left. This is the name of the feature, and to make this clear, it is written in block capitals. Blue is also the background in pull quote, the title header in the “film fact box” and “verdict”. All three colours are picked and chosen by the editor and alternated between.
- Yellow is used in the block lines, which contrasts with the blue institutional information, and is also the text colour in the pull quote which again contrasts with the blue and brings it further to the attention of the reader. It's the background colour in the “film fact box”.
- Black is the block text colour of the main article, and it is featured as part of the block lines which surround the article and are used artistically. Black is used to balance the other colours and keep it easy on the eyes.
- Black text is aligned left and runs freely to the right. This is seen quite often in magazines however I don't personally like it as it looks messy. It isn't concise. Indented paragraphs are also obvious, every paragraph begins with a space.
- Only one picture is used, and it is one of the main characters of the film looking back and not directly in to the camera. The picture is dark, which I think looks stylistic however others can see it as messy or pointless, because not enough emphasis is placed on the girl herself. The pictures run off the page. It's clearly a still from the film.
- “......” ellipses used to signify the beginning and end of article. I think this is pointless – adds nothing to the page and looks unprofessional.
- Two clearly different fonts used in the article – main font used in the article text and headings. Bold, sans-serif font, simplistic. Other font used is in italics and it is typically used to show institutional information.
- First text seen begins with “rape, chrome dildos, emotional scars-” eye-catching title. Plays on the fact it's clearly shocking.
Lady in the Water (2006), distributed by Warner Bros.
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| Empire Magazine, 2006 |
Avatar (2009), distributed by 20th Century Fox.
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| Empire Magazine, 2009 |
