Documentary Analysis One

Documentary Analysis One – ‘Andrea, Queen of Mantas’

In order to understand the different techniques that are used in the production of a documentary, I will be analysing the mise-en-scene, sound, cinematography and editing of a recent documentary that was shown on BBC One. The title of the documentary is ‘Andrea, Queen of Mantas’ and was both produced and directed by Mark Woodward. The intentions of the documentary are to both entertain the audience and educate them on a specific breed of ocean creatures. Throughout the documentary, Andrea Marshall, a marine biologist that specialises in Manta Rays, provide interesting facts, figures and her own personal experiences. She is also accompanied, who provide an informative voice over. The first opening title sequence (Figure 1) clearly depicts that the institution which is broadcasting the television show that is about to follow is the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). This is shown by the BBC logo that is centred at the bottom of the screen. The genre of the documentary is also clear due to both the title that is in the center and the background photo. The use of these tells the audience that it is going to be based around something factual and to do with nature. Al Lethbridge was responsible for choosing the appropriate music that was to be used not only for the opening sequence but for the rest of the documentary. Picking the right soundtrack is crucial as it helps to carry the documentary through and also implies genre, engages the audience and also acts as a bridge between interviews and voiceovers. Not only this, but music is able to change the mood of the audience even provoke empathy. During the opening sequence, a brief clip of a piece of score music is played, this same eerie and very nature influenced music carries through a lot of the documentary. Cutaways play a significant role in successfully filming a documentary. The cutaways must relate to the topic and also be engaging. An example of this is the cutaway used directly after the title sequence (Figure 2). Straightaway it suggests the topic and genre of the documentary, this is because it shows a scuba diver observing and taking pictures of a Manta Ray. The score music that was introduced during the titles also carries through the cutaway, both are then joined by a voiceover that introduces the marine biologist Andrea Marshall and explains her first encounter with Mantas. The voiceover also informs the audience of Andrea’s background, the goal she is trying to achieve, what it is that she wants to overcome and exactly what the documentary will be about

Framing an interview correctly is extremely important when both planning and filming a documentary. The cameraperson needs to be able to portray the interviews identity and purpose all in one shot. The rule of thirds is generally used as a template for anyone wishing to frame an interview correctly. As you can see in Figure 3, the cameraperson that filmed this interview has also used the rule of thirds as a rough guide to character positioning. Also, the interviewee is not looking directly at the camera lense, this suggests that there is also an interviewer and adds a more ‘question and answer’ style to the interview. The location in which an interview is filmed appears to strengthen the importance of the interview and also adds a sense of identity to the interviewee. In Figure 2 we can see that Andrea Marshall’s interview is by the ocean and the ocean takes up the majority of the background. This flows well with the genre and topic already established previously in the voice over In Figure 3 we can clearly see once again that the rule of thirds has been used as a basis of the character positioning. Also, relevant props are present in the image. The world map in the background connotes that Andrea Marshall is well travelled, educated and interested in topics relating to the earth. The laptop in the foreground shows that she is currently studying or typing up the information that she had collected earlier on in the documentary, before this interview. Choosing the right mise-en-scene can make the difference between successfully portraying someone and not. In order to represent someone in a certain light it is essential to get the location right, their clothing and any props that may be used. For example, if Andrea had been dressed in a suit, sat in an empty dark office, then what she is trying to communicate verbally would not match up with the way she would be communicating to the audience through other dress code etc. Editing together a documentary or any other type of video needs to be done in a way that successfully communicates the message that you’re trying to get across to the audience, and also to successfully engage them. For example, certain techniques would be specific to a documentary and not a horror film. Within a documentary, it appears that it is important to provide the audience with many cutaways, but these must flow together well and must be in sync with the voice over/soundtrack. In Figure 4, two images have been brought together in order to show two different things at once. At this point in the documentary, the voice over is telling the audience the migrating patterns of a specific breed of Mantas. Rather than just

show the map, the editors has shows the Manta swimming underwater in the background. This engages the audience as it is providing several different engaging things. The editor has also used cross fades between some of the cutaways so that the image steadily changes, rather than make a harsh change and coming across as very blunt and fixed. One thing that wasn’t present in this documentary was titles for each individual that was talking. Although I expected to see this technique used, I assume that the reason they were absent was because the documentary mainly revolves around one person, and when this one person interacts with others, the voice over clearly tells us who they are. An example of this is when Andrea Marshall visits a fellow marine biologist with whom she is familiar, the voice over gives the audience a brief description of his name and title. In conclusion, from closely studying this documentary, I have found that it is not just one specific thing that makes a documentary successful, but instead it is a number of different areas all working closely together that allow a person to create a documentary that will be enjoyed by its audience. I have also found that certain things need to be adapted to suit a type of message that you are trying to put across, and that not every technique will be successful for every documentary.