The Thin Blue Line

The Thin Blue Line directed by Errol Morris in 1988. The film use 'restore crime scene' to record a case involving the killing of a police man in texas 1976.  A homeless people is accused of killing the police man. Director Errol Morris interview the suspect Adam and three witnesses. Via different people to describe the case in different angles. Morrison help Adam clear his name. The thin blue line is between justice and totalitarianism. In the narrative perspective, Morris have not shown a result to the audience but to interview different people in the case. Audience could notice changing inside of each people. In the end of documentary, director use criminal psychology to analyze criminal. Harris is criminal in the case and he is a cold blooded murderer. 

I pick a first scene of crime in the film. From 5:18 to 7:27. I statistic the shot number, shot size, camera movement, contents,sound and length. Basically, camera movement usually use static shot. Because this is a documentary need to performance more natural, it is not use camera movement to express characters' emotion.

Overall, the scene express a intense emotion to use many extreme close-up shot. Detail can make a the crime more intension. In addition, different angles shot can make audience to know the environment more comprehensive.

 For example, a high angle shot introduce surrounding environment. It is a great angle to restore the character relation. 

This documentary is a reflexive documentary and Errol Morris is a advocator of the reflexive documentary. Errol Morris's documentary not only portray social issues, but also to comment on the reliability of documentary making itself.

Reference:

IMDb. (1988). The Thin Blue Line. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096257/. Last accessed 20th Jan 2016.

About phase 1 feedback and interview structure

I got phase 1 feedback last thursday. Via supervisors give me comments, I need to do more analysis of film and television practitioners. I want to evaluate shot and cinematography of documentaries so I need to know film grammar. I already to watch some television documentaries and documentary films. In addition, my documentary fuses characters of reflexive and observational documentaries. Because I want to present a part of the social and historical of process and transition of cafe racer.

About real Health  & Safety and ethical implication for this project, I will change my shooting plan, for example  I will not attach GoPro camera to motorcycle. Because it is allowed on the street. I will use some found footages. As supervisor said: ' it is a opportunity for you to show comprehensive understanding of professional practice.' Simultaneously, post-production is a important thing I need to improve in this term. 

About interview, I make a structure of interview. I read 'Documentary Storytelling' by Bernard, it is talk about decision a casting that is a very important thing, offering a means of adding complexity and balance to the overall film. Because you need to make a suspension and filmmaker do not want to audience have a same issue in a same perspective. 

I make a interview a proposal.

Interviewee: older cafe racers, young cafe racer, culture acceptor  in China.

What is cafe racer in your mind? 

Why do you like cafe racer?

How do you know cafe racer? (parents or friends...)

Can you talk about your motorcycle?

Why you  like cafe racer than large displacement sport motorcycle?

Can you share some interesting things ?

About Chinese cafe racer and owner of the Ace Cafe shop some special question.

Why you want to open a Cafe shop about Cafe racer?

It is a niche culture, how do you know that?

About methodology

l  Outline the research, creative and intellectual methods you will employ to develop your research project.

My project will appear these methodology in the below.

Firstly, Six genres of documentary will understand their different and visual components of documentaries need to be analyzed. Researching visual structure, component of visual structure, how define the visual components influence documentary more attractive. This represents to research visual components and to do method of comparative analysis can generate different visual effects. Secondly, the research method will be both the inductive and deductive. This represents qualitative and quantitative data will reflect how visual design of documentary influence audience instead of traditional science educational film. Basically, the quantitative method examines the visual design influence whether it is effective. Making a genre of documentary list and which types of space are used in each genre of documentary. How many space structures are used in the documentary? To understand why the genre of documentary use the type of space mostly.

In addition, documentary authentic definition is a controversial topic, audience need a real image or reflect real happening. Thus, to search some books will understand process of documentary and shot ways. The historical data are more reliable or a real story with dramatic visual effect. Thirdly, the research strategies include interview, case study, and method comparative analysis. The first research will be based on the visual story and sample. A visual component of film is a complete system. Thus, different elements compose different visual effects. For example, setting up space is an important aspect, because space selection directly influences documentaries authenticity. Furthermore, case study will improve comprehension ability about visual design able to support documentaries integrity. Meanwhile, six genres of documentaries analyze their visual space and count each space type. Analyzing films shots will help me understand the sequence of shots and reason. The research project needs to interview people who watched my documentaries. Moreover, how to casting is a significant subject in the research, because it depends on your viewpoint of works.

'Carol'

Today, we go to Broadway to watch 'Carol' directed by Todd Haynes. Therese is a clerk work in Manhattan department store. When she met Carol, Carol changes her life. Carol is an alluring woman but she live in a long term unhappy marriages. She's husband is a workaholic to some extend. They do not have too much emotional contact.An encounter, She deeply attracted by Carol. 

The film maker is a man but he  knows what is two girl's love in that era. They love each other but they cannot accept at that time. In the start Carol lost her gloves on the counter and she said:' What a strange girl you are, flung out of space.' Until one day they like elope to take a trip Carol told to Therese, 'My angel, flung out of space.' Emotional scenes are quite good, from eyes contact to love scenes, to express exquisite emotion and realistic sexual passion.  In addition, the film use narration interposed to tell story. The beginning and end of the film has good correspond, after they  separated, they met each other firstly. In the scene of they meet again, I notice many minor details, Therese's friend appear on the floor that is bokeh  filter but I notice he go upstair and walk to the bar counter. Thus it can be seen, the filmmakers are very careful for each detail. Moreover,  the film completely express 'the price of salt'.

References:

IMDb. (2015). Carol. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2402927/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. Last accessed 4th Dec 2015.

From 'Senna' to my documentary about Café racer

I watched senna again this week. The film is directed by Asif Kapadia. It is a documentary for Brazilian formula one driver Ayrton Senna who won the champion 41 times and 3 times championship before he death at age 34. Many people call he 'racing prince'. Unfortunately, his tragic death at Imola in 1994.

The film has not express the any death hint, via Senna's  footage to storytelling about his racing career. From kart to formula one, he joined Lotus team in the Europe. Alain Prost and Senna are competitor on the field. However, the film have not comment too much in the aspect, just realistic restore the circumstance. If people do not understand formula one, he would be noticed the death information in the end of the documentary. However, the documentary not only give us storytelling but also leave a spiritual inspiration for Senna. 

In the documentary, filmmaker shooting competition of Senna, there are many deep space used in the race scene. In addition, the documentary have not using controlled situation to shooting the documentary.  

Nevertheless, I want to shooting the controlled situation in my documentary, because I want to restore the past scene. Using go pro attach in the motorcycle as first-person perspective that can emphasis sense of speed. And via track shot to shooting two Café racer racing in the street.  Interviewing two or three Café racer, record them story. One young Café racer, one old Café racer and one middle-aged Café racer. 

References:

IMDb (2010) Senna, Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424432/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1(Accessed: 2rd December 2015).

Robey,T. (2015) Senna, film review: 'fascinating', Available at:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/8553429/Senna-film-review-fascinating.html (Accessed: 2rd December 2015).