seek to produce understandings of the world - are about ideas
seek to inform, persuade, bring about social changes, to educate
referential relationship between sounds and images of documentary world and the socio-historical world
produce an interpretation of the external world - may involve a personal exploration of the issues
make assertions about the world beyond the text e.g. 'these things did happen'
construct an argument from these assertions about the world - interplay of argument and evidence
"A documentary is a representation, a social and culturally based construction which uses strategies such as selection and juxtaposition of images, sounds and words" (p.36)
2. The ways that documentaries function as discursive practices:
Richard Kilborn and John Izod:
the documentary has to speak to its audience in a way that can be understood
more than chronicling or a record of actuality - also an act of transformation - 'documentary discourse' - 'As a text, a documentary transforms events, people and places in the historical world' - 'story' into 'discourse' - "...the process of transformation involves a series of choices, each of which has implications: semiotic, cultural, political, ideologcial etc. That is, the process of transformation is central to the process of interpretation, which in turn is central to the process of making a documentary."
3. The importance of the context of production and the context of reception and the ways this can produce various readings of the material; how references to other texts (intertextuality) affect our reading of this text:
Documentaries are:
- representations that are socially and culturally based constructions which uses strategies such as selction and juxtaposition of images, sounds and words
- read in particular ways by audiences who come to them with particular sets of expectations
- need to be seen in a number of contexts - the historiographic background - when it was produced? Who produced it?
- The ways in which audience understand documentary texts will be "at least partly determined by what they know of, and think about, the historiographical, political [and public broadcasting] contexts in which the texts are produced and consumed." (p.37)
- we read the text in the context of related texts or documentaries on similar issues or other non-documentary texts, public debates; can we compare with these, consider what references/sources are used, left out
4. Ways that form (structure) and content function to position the viewer:
"Narrative structure reflects choices made. These choices reflect historiographical and ideological assumption, such as the centrality of individuals as subjects of history. There is also an assumption...that history is dicontinuous, not a seamless chain of cause and effect" ( p37-38)
analyse starting point of particular narratives - "The point at which a narrative thread begins is significant, as is any resolution" (p38)
What period does it cover? What geographic region? Who are the major figures? What themes are developed? What is being claimed here?
Structure:
may include historical records such as letters, official documents, paintings, drawings, lithographs, photos, ethnographic film, fiction film; and frequently - footage shot specially for the documentary, narrator's voice over - often from a 'Voice of God' perspective - appears to be all knowing; statements from eye witnesses or participants in the events - may be used instead of a voice over - offering number of perspectives on events rather than single perspective, sound effects, music; may use actors performing exerpts from written historical documents (douc-drama) - to some extent "disrupt the realism of the text, as they are composed and performed in a formal tableau style, with the actors speaking direct to camera".
Structuring Discourses or Themes - provide coherence - consider how themes are raised and developed; what incidents, events, indivuals used to exemplify themes
Elements of Unity and Coherence - visual elements, visual motifs, imagery & meatphors, Voice of God narration (links sequences and historical epochs), music
As Argument - what are the arguments of the text; How are these made evident? How does use of music, voice and performance determine how we read the credibility of the witnesses?
Point of View - all films and tv programmes incorporate some point of view, put from a particular perspective, a position of knowledge. Consider What is the point of view? How is it established? (eg subjective point of view shots, direct forms of speech 'I', relationship of visuals to voice over, Who gets to speak? Who controls the discourses of the text? What is the position of knowledge/truth?
Realism - a mode of film and tv production, seeks to foreground story rather than discourse - there is an assumption that content is more important than form; the images seek to verify the claims being made, if only metonymically or metaphorically; a linear structure & a rejection of overtly personal point of view (POV)
Representation - how events, people, geography represented - implicitly or explicitly
Reading intertextually
Sequence analysis - consider the opening sequence and how it establishes the next phase of the narrative & argument, how it introduces the key themes, the key players, the location, the visual & aural elements, tone and POV
Metaphor - visual metaphors which serve function of making abstract ideas concrete, creating moments for reflection in the flow of the narrative and the argument, adding to a sense of visual coherence. Need to consider recurrence of any metaphors, pattern to the use of visual metaphors, images used, when they are used, what do they seem to represent? Do they assist the argument and how? Do they assist in creating emotional responses in the audience? Do metaphors seem to run counter to the explicit argument?
Narrative/structure - what are the main narrative sequences? Consider how the narrative progresses from one sequence to the next? what is the main point being made in each sequence? Where does the narrative begin? How is it established? Does it end with some form of conclusion or turning point? What is implied about historical development by the narrative structure? What is the narrative based upon eg. a particular incident, an individual etc
Representations of... How are the people represented in the text, in the images? what is the purpose of each representation? How do the images position us as readers...do they exhibit a particular POV, a particular social or cultural perspective from which the world is assumed to make sense? What assumptions are taken for granted in the representations?
Audience positioning- background research - What devices (e.g. articles in newspapers, magazines, trailers, summaries on the web site, video covers, CD cover, academic articles etc) are used to seek to position the audience in relation to the material in the programme? How do they construct particular ways of understanding the text? How do they draw attention to particular themes or responses?
Reception of the documentary by audience - significant factors include spectator's prior views and interests, their emotional and intellectual engagement with the documentary and with other texts that may influence their responses. There is often very little evidence upon which to base nay claims about how individual documentaries are received by audiences unless websites developed to provdie online chat/response by people to the programme/documentary. ....Note the titles of each chat session. How do these set the agenda for discussion? Do they cover the main issues in your view?
Performance issues - where sequences are performed by actors in the witness sequences - are they credible? How do you make this judgement?
Debate - is there any debate in the press on the issue of the documentary?
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