![]() ![]() ![]() Three minutes into the film, over a shot of people lined up to vote, the film dissolves back to an aerial over water, then tilts up to reveal mountains. These bring us from 1885 ("Africa carved into colonies ruled by European nations.") to 2003 ("First democratic elections in 40 years."). Over these visuals, with the theme song continuing, the filmmakers add 13 blocks of text that give the viewer historical and thematic context. This image becomes black and white, giving way to carefully selected archival imagery, including footage, a map and stills. Our dear Ranger Kaserka died trying to rebuild this country." As we leave the gravesite, the unaccompanied singing of the mourners gives way to recorded music, and the film cuts to aerial footage traveling low along a river. At the graveside, a man speaks: "Protect us, and help us to account for each day of our lives." In voiceover, we hear another man: "Oh, Congo. The scene is vérité there is no text or voiceover to place us. At the first frame of action, we enter with a group of men in uniform it's revealed that they are part of a funeral procession. Here's an example of an opening sequence, from the powerful documentary Virunga (dir./prod.: Orlando von Einsiedel prod.: Joanna Natasegara editor: Masahiro Hirakubo). What are the top three-to-five bullet points that the filmmaker has used to grab my attention and immerse me in the film, making me want to watch?.It sets out the promise between filmmaker and audience, making clear at least some of the film's rules of engagement, such as what the film is about, how the story will be told, with what elements the story will be told, and why it matters-why this film is worth an audience's time and attention.Īfter you've watched this sequence, ask yourself some questions, such as: But in general, the opening sequence contains the DNA of the entire film to come. The opening sequence, beginning with the film's first frame, may be as short as a minute or as long as 10 minutes each film is different. This article offers a few ways to analyze documentary films as a way of letting those films' creators-the team of people behind the production-teach you themselves. But people who want to create novels or episodic television or documentaries need to figure out how that success was achieved. ![]() Characters are simply alive the flow of ideas and plot feels organic the argument seems well built and earned. In some ways, this is a mark of success, in the same way that people binge-watching a television drama may not take the time to notice how carefully the various subplots were constructed over an entire season, or how readers of a terrific mystery novel race through the pages to find out who did it.ĭone well, craft should feel inevitable, seamless and invisible. Editor's Note: This article is adapted from the fourth edition of Sheila Curran Bernard's Documentary Storytelling: Creative Nonfiction on Screen (Focal Press 2016).Īudiences often respond to documentary work primarily in terms of its content or issues raised. ![]()
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