How To Make A Successful Documentary?

PERSONAL RESEARCH

As I have been thinking about my approach to documentary filming I wanted to do some research on what is considered a successful documentary and if there are guidelines you should follow to achieve this.
I simply googled what makes a successful documentary and decided to expand on some of the results I came across, and the points I thought were most important.

The Story
The key point that I saw on most of the websites I looked at, was the focus on having a good story that engages the audience. The idea of producing something emotional came up a lot, but at the same time as long as you are making something the audience can engage with, you are already on the path to success.
I do agree with this, I think that if you don't have a well thought out story, or how you want to present your ideas then you wouldn't really know where to start. Complimenting this would be knowing what sort of approach you want to take, which really depends on what you intend to feature in your documentary. For example, if you want to question someone about their beliefs or something they feel passionate about, you might want to feature more direct interviews and questionings, however if you're simply focusing on someones life you would want more focus on the things they do, and following them around in their day to day errands.
I also believe that the story is the glue that holds the whole thing together. You can film and edit it really well, but ultimately if your footage isn't engaging then you won't attract an audience.

Methods of Shooting
Personally, I think this can be personal to your own documentary based on the story you are telling. If you are interviewing one specific person throughout, you might want more footage of their personal life, where they live and what they do on a daily basis, to engage the viewer with them personally. However, the method of how you choose to film your documentary can come with personal flare, as everyone will have their own approach to how they want their work to be shot and displayed.

Editing
This is a very important part of making any film, as it's when all the footage really comes together and you have a final look at how your work is going to be presented. All documentaries feature a certain element of editing that makes them stand out as documentaries. For example, you don't tend to have background non diagetic music whilst you're displaying your footage. Also, it's more clean cut and hard hitting, the shots can also be more personal, some seeming to take an interview style. When looking at the documentaries made by Louis Theroux, I noticed that he has his own style of editing that makes his films flow, but also keeps a personal relationship with his audience.

These were the main elements I was interested in when doing some research. I want to make sure I am prepared for when I begin filming, so I can just begin to get on with filming and developing my story. I know that I won't have the perfect footage in the first filming process, so I intend to do a few rough edits first of all to make sure I improve before I submit a final edit.
I also want to develop my ideas further with my group so we can make sure we know exactly what we want to do before we even think about filming.

The websites I looked at:

http://www.documentarytube.com/articles/what-makes-a-good-documentary-film

http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/making-documentaries.html

https://www.videomaker.com/article/f16/14803-how-to-make-a-documentary-part-1-story-development

http://www.raindance.org/5-simple-mistakes-documentary-filmmakers-make/

Louis Theroux - Assessing Style

PERSONAL RESEARCH


As I have been brainstorming ideas for my own documentary, also with my group, I decided to take a look at one of the documentary filmmakers I admire, Louis Theroux.
I have watched most of his documentaries, as they are all available on Netflix, and I wanted to do some further research into his original style.

Louis Theroux's documentaries have an original style, as he chooses a rather friendly approach and really delves into the world of those he is interviewing. He doesn't really give much of an opinion on the things they tell him, and chooses to stay as much on the outside as possible, merely capturing the way people choose to live their lives, not giving his own personal input. I feel that this makes people trust him more, as they don't feel like he is judging them or wanting to change them. He has been acknowledged for the friendly approach he takes, and questioned on whether he thinks that the people in his documentaries see him as a friend, and what sort of risks this imposes on him.

I watched an interview with Theroux, where he discusses one of his more recent documentaries, Drinking To Oblivion, and what it was like to film. He also discusses how he likes to approach his films and some other recent projects he has worked on.

Louis Theroux interview on Peston On Sunday

I also read an interview published by The Guardian regarding Theroux himself and some of his work. I found a particular part of the interview, at the end, which I really liked:

"I’m still wondering how he does it, though; like the show he made with a little fascist child who was calling people faggots. I’d want to sit the kid down and try to change him, to intervene. “No, I go in to tell stories, to reveal the truth and to try to understand. Not to set people straight,” he says. “I don’t go into this with the agenda of saving the world.”"

This quote shows how Theroux views his work, explaining that he just wants to reveal the truth. I think this is a really important thing to remember when making a documentary, that you don't want to go in and try and push your opinions onto people as that will make their attitude with you less casual and they might be more reserved. One of the best things about Theroux, in my opinion, is his attitude with the people he speaks to and includes in his documentary. The fact that he is so calm and casual with them, makes them want to speak to him. Even in their body language you can tell they are comfortable inviting him into their lives, meaning you get a more natural and accurate depiction of their lives and what they are like as people.

I know when working on my own documentary, I want to try and capture the natural emotions and opinions of the people I interact with because I think if you give people an impression that you're judging what they're going to say, or that you think their opinion is wrong, then they will be less likely to be honest with you and will come across more reserved or as if they are holding something back.

I also looked at another clip where Theroux discusses some of the problems he has encountered when filming with some extremists, that he might not share the same views as. This was interesting to me because he likes to be neutral and not try and give too many opinions, so watching him talk about how he dealt with it was intriguing.

 Louis' Most Memorable Moments - BBC Brit

Louis Theroux is one of my favourite documentary filmmakers, so looking at his style was very influential for me. I want to continue to look to his work for guidance, but still develop my own style.

Thinking about documentary

As I need to start planning ideas for my documentary film I will be making in a group, I wanted to write down some initial thoughts I've been having regarding this just so I've got something to work from.

Key points I want to focus on:

• Keep it focused - develop a really detailed idea that has a lot of footage to work with, making sure you stick to a clear theme so there isn't any confusion in what you are trying to portray
• Consent and comfortable - making sure that the contributors are comfortable with what you want to film, and aware of what you will be speaking to them about; this avoids the awkwardness of them misunderstanding what you are expecting, and makes them more comfortable with talking on camera knowing the limitations
• Professionalism - keeping yourself organised and having a clear outlook on what you want to achieve with your documentary
• Clean editing - having an understanding of how you want the film to come together as a whole, adding to the professionalism
• Understanding the audience - making sure the footage is interesting and engaging for an audience, always relating back to the original idea and title to keep people wanting to watch more, making all ideas to the point
• Interesting and individual - adding my own personal touch to keep it original and different to the work of others, but also making sure the footage is interesting and doesn't go off in a different direction that isn't totally relevant
• Confidence -  having the confidence to try new things, approach people and having faith in my own ideas so that I am not afraid to try things out, or don't shut ideas down too quickly, trial and error, things can always be eliminated during the editing process

I have watched a lot of documentaries by Louis Theroux, so I want to do some further research into his work and why it inspires me, as I take a lot from his style of filming and the personal level he reaches with the people he interacts with.

I also want to discuss my ideas with my group and see how we can all develop our individual points into one documentary we'd all be happy to make.

I am mainly thinking about working with students, as I feel it's easier to get an insight into their lives and reach them on a more personal level, being a first year myself. There are also a lot of ideas regarding the student lifestyle which would be interesting to document. I have also been thinking a lot about the immediate idea of being a first year, and the struggles that come with it, which would be engaging for an audience that are wanting to go to university, or for other students to look back on and remember the struggles and memories they made in their first year.

Flash Workshop

Today we had a workshop learning how to professionally use the photography studio, working with the lights in relation to the camera, and generally learning how they can benefit us to take more professional photographs.

We looked at;

• lighting and flash lighting
• linking the lights to each other using the 'cell' button, so they all flash at the same time
• all the different types of shades on the lamps, such as the 'beauty shade' and 'soft box'
• using a light meter to measure the light so you can tell what settings to have your camera on
• using a trigger to attach to the camera and light so once you take a photograph the light flashes in accordance
• placing of lights to get professional shadowing on a models face
• using a reflector to bounce the light and be able to adapt more for your photograph

I found this workshop really helpful, as I've never got to control professional lighting myself during a shoot, but it is something I have always wanted to be able to do.

Learning how to control the settings on the lights was useful because it is a variable that can make all the difference when you take your photographs.

We were set a task of taking a professional photograph, with a slight shadow on the left side of the models face, which we had to achieve through the placement and control of the lights.

using professional lighting and a reflector to achieve shadows on our models face

(professional images to follow)

The Lens Workshop

Yesterday we partook in a workshop all about camera lenses, how they work and how they have been adapted for different cameras.
It was interesting to look at the development of SLR and DSLR cameras, in relation to how all the different lenses work with them.

As a group, we created a camera obscura in the photography studio, which was interesting to see and look at. We also had a chance to create our own mini cameras using lenses we had brought along and attaching them to a makeshift camera to reflect an image from outside, using just the lens and natural light from the window.

I worked in a group with Nina, Luca and Junaid. We used a camera lens that Junaid had brought along, and build a camera around it. The picture below shows what it looked like from the back. We placed tracing paper inside the box for the image to be projected onto, and then as the image was being projected in a circle, we cut a circle out of the back to stop unnecessary light getting in the way and not making the picture appear as bright.

the box we build to support our lens

the lens and camera from the front

to get an image projected we have to face the lens outside to gain the natural light 

The images above show how we built the box around the lens. In order to get an image from outside projected onto the tracing paper inside, we have to place the lens to face natural light in order to be able to see anything. Then, whatever the lens is focused on outside, that is what we see being projected onto the tracing paper.

the projected image inside the box

This particular image shows what is projected, and what it looks like. As there is no mirror to transform the image, it appears upside down. However, you can see from the use of natural light it appears bright. We had to make sure the tracing paper was placed accurately in order for the image to be in focus, which we found through trial and error.

I think this workshop was really useful to gain a better understanding of how lenses work, and the importance of knowing how to use them in order to take better photos. I really enjoyed making the camera obscura and having a go at making our own using the lenses. It was really interesting to see the images being reflected so easily, and I will definitely have a go at making my own pinhole camera and attempting to capture some photographs using it.

Portraits Research Task
Our research task was to find a photographer previously unknown to us and look at three examples of their work that stand out to us aesthetically, related to the theme of portraiture. 

Ellen Von Unwerth

• Born in 1954 in Frankfurt, Germany
• A photographer and director who specialises in erotic femininity
• Worked as a fashion model for ten years before deciding to move her work to behind a camera
• Focuses on fashion, editorial and advertising photography, many focusing on one subject with a portraiture feel

I found Ellen Von Unwerth through looking in a book called Image Makers Image Takers - Anne Celine Jaeger.

Her images are described as 'instantly recognisable' with their combination of sensual and feminine themes. Her pictures have appeared in countless magazines and have also been used in many advertising campaigns. Ellen Von Unwerth has also published several books.
In the book Image Makers Image Takers, the section on her work is purely an interview about her profession and the things that inspire her, which was very interesting to read and learn more about her as a person and what her influences are.
The equipment she uses is Nikon and Contax cameras and Kodak Tri-X film.

Interview with Ellen Von Unwerth from 2012 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation

I found this interview with Ellen so interesting because its an extended chat with her about her life before she became a photographer, and how she got involved with the industry.

 Image 1: 'Keira Knightley'

Keira Knightley taken by Ellen Von Unwerth

When I first found this shoot Ellen did with Keira Knightley, the first thing that came to mind was female empowerment. This particular image stood out because of the way Keira Knightley is standing with her hands on her hips signifies her confidence within herself. The fact that the image is in black and white just draws attention to her eyes, as there is a slight darkness around them contrasting with the pale white of her face. It also makes the shadows on her cheekbones more visible, giving her face a soft but structured look.


View the whole shoot here: http://2bmanagement.com/ellen-von-unwerth-keira-knightley/

There is also another shoot for Vogue Italia of Keira Knightley, with images taken by Ellen.



Image 2: 'In Great Shape' for Italian Vogue 2006

In Great Shape taken by Ellen Von Unwerth 

I managed to find an interview with Ellen regarding this shoot in the first book I found her in. She talks about how she is inspired by old silent movies and the dramatic effects they use to play their roles without words. When she shoots editorial she wants to create images that make people want to live the story and be apart of it.
I love this image because not only are the three models beautiful, the way they are photographed together makes this whole idea of femininity stronger, and the empowerment of women as a running theme throughout her work.
Once again the photograph is black and white, however this time there is a slightly more grey tone, opposed to harsh black fill, which compliments the image as it softens the girls and makes them appear more angelic.




Image 3: Line Brems for Italian Vogue

Line Brems taken by Ellen Von Unwerth

I wasn't intending to use another image that was from a shoot for Vogue Italia, however I wanted to look at some of Ellen's colour photographs, and this one in particular stood out to me.
Firstly I love the pose of the model, the way she is looking off to the left allows you to see her facial structure and beauty in a different light to if she was looking directly at the camera.
The fact that the model is topless not only adds some vulnerability to the image, but the fiery colour of her hair an makeup instantly made me think of her as powerful and strong.
I really like that the background is plain with the focal point on the model, as it doesn't distract your eyes from her.

See the whole shoot for this issue here: http://2bmanagement.com/vogue-italy-line-brems-emma-stern/


Preferences on her art
Ellen Von Unwerth has specified in interviews that her preferred method of shooting is with a film camera in black and white as it has a more 'dream like quality'. She also like how its more 'graphic and timeless'.
Shooting mostly females, she takes from her experiences of being a model to make the girls feel more uncomfortable, and allows them to have a more playful approach to the shoots.

"I love girls who have a personality, even if they are not the most beautiful, they always have something. They need to have a little devil in them. The more they move, the more I love it."

Being a female photographer this allows her shoots with women to be more intimate and fun, giving them more comfort than being photographed by a male. Being a model before she wants to change the seriousness that is considered the only way to conduct photoshoots and allow her models to have more fun with what they are helping to create.

Influences and Inspirations
I found an interview with Ellen discussing how she conducts her fashion shoots, which gave me more of an insight into how she likes to work and what she can be influenced by. 

She also talks about her influences from silent movies and how she collects them in the interview for Image Makers Image Takers. Talking about how she loves old 'naughty pictures' and Bettie Page, this inspires her to look at her shoots differently which gives her a different approach.
Photographers that inspire her are Helmut Newton, as his women are very strong and he takes strong photographs. She is also inspired by Jacques-Henri Lartigue due to the charm and lightness in his pictures.
In an article I read called Dark with a Happy Twist, a conversation with Ellen Von Unwerth, she discusses her series Revenge and how it is influenced by Helmut Newton. The series resembles a movie in still images, featuring eight young women who are subject to bondage by their evil stepmother and her staff. The images deal with mostly love and jealousy. The photographs show the influence of Newton through their use of capturing submission, similar to a series Newton did on bondage and fetish photography.


To get an insight as to why these photographers might inspire her work and provide influence, I looked into the work of Hemut Newton.

Monica Bellucci by Helmut Wilson

White Women / Sleepless Nights / Big Nudes by Helmut Wilson

Fetish Photography by Helmut Wilson

All of these photographs feature women models, similar to the work of Ellen Von Unwerth. They're also all in black and white, which creates an obvious link between the two photographers works. You can easily pick up on the different styles however. I wanted to look at many different shoots by Helmut Wilson, which is why I chose to look at three photographs that are different, showing the variation yet consistency in his work. I think these images are instantly more powerful due to the fact that they are in black and white, bringing them a more dramatic effect instantly.

The dramatic approach to his work is something I'd like to build more on in my own photographs. I'd also be more open to shooting in black and white after looking at Helmut Newton's work with comparisons to Ellen Von Unwerth's, as they display a good use of contrasts between the two colours, but also including the greying shadows to add more dramatic effect and draw your eyes to key areas.

My Reflection

Although I may have not known about the work of Ellen Von Unwerth before this research task, she is definitely a photographer that will inspire me in my future work. I love the aesthetics of her portraiture and the way she shoots using film and black and white colours. 

The way she manages to bring a dramatic aspect to her images, but still allowing for a playful and fun approach is something I would want to do myself, making the images more natural but still effective. 

Although I haven't always chosen to shoot in black and white, after looking at the work of both Ellen Von Unwerth and Helmut Newton, I think I would be more confident to try it out, even if the first few attempts aren't completely what I'm looking for.

These artists have inspired me to think about black and white as a good way of capturing the most important aspects of portraits, really drawing attention to the models face and features.

Bibliography for my research:

• Image Makers Image Takers - Anne Celine Jaeger (book published October 2010)
• Dark with a Happy Twist, a conversation with Ellen Von Unwerth - Border Crossings 23 no1 {i.e. 2} 18-27 My 2004 (from Art Fulltext) http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=35316972-ee66-4dbb-862e-0989eb3cf50d%40sessionmgr4008&hid=4212&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=505082579&db=aft
• Newtonian Physiques: the photographic world of Helmut Newton - Border Crossings; October 1998, Vol. 17 Issue 4, p30-41, 12p
• http://2bmanagement.com/ellen-von-unwerth/ - Ellen Von Unwerth Management Page
• http://2bmanagement.com/ellen-von-unwerth-keira-knightley/ - Keira Knightley Photoshoot by Ellen Von Unwerth
• http://2bmanagement.com/vogue-italy-line-brems-emma-stern/ - Line Brems and Emma Stern for Vogue Italia Photoshoot by Ellen Von Unwerth
• http://www.flare.com/culture/photographer-ellen-von-unwerth-dissects-her-work-and-style - Ellen Von Unwerth dissects her work and style
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnmirFAczvE - Ellen Von Unwerth In Fashion Interview
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7OKVHndrnQ - The Secret World of Ellen Von Unwerth
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5btvpBsP60 - Celebrity Photographer Ellen Von Unwerth Backstage Interview

    

Sound Testing

Today we had a workshop on using the boom microphones along with the film cameras. I worked in a small group with my classmates Nina, Junaid and Luca as we went out to test out the quality of sound that the microphone would pick up when it was windy.
Everyone had a go at being in charge of the sound. We all had a role throughout the recordings, with one person controlling the camera and another controlling the sound, the two left over people could be recorded talking before we switched round.

We wanted to experiment with sound by moving the microphone around for each video to see what would affect the sound most.

(Most of these sound test were just us rambling on about random things, but its not about what we said, its about the quality of the sound)

Sound Test 1 

I was videoed talking in this particular video. Luca operated the sound. For this video we chose to have the microphone held above my head. As it was quite windy we weren't sure if the microphone would pick up my voice as clearly as it did. However we didn't have any problems with the sound and you can hear me clearly.

Sound Test 2

The microphone was held in the same place as the first video for this, once again proving that it could cancel out the sound of the wind and still pick up Junaid's voice clearly.

Sound Test 3

For this video, we held the microphone lower down to Nina, which is why she sounds really loud. This didn't meet the sound requirements so it wouldn't usually be allowed. However, you are still able to hear her clearly without too much background interruption. You can't really hear the people behind the camera responding to her very well.

Sound Test 4

In this video you can hear the trees rustling a lot behind Luca. We also tried to swing the mic over to the others behind the camera when we asked him questions, which showed the variation in sound. 

Sound Test 5

The microphone was held over the camera for this interview, meaning it was further away from Luca. When you watch this video in comparison to some of the earlier ones, you can tell it is much quieter but also in some ways nicer to listen to, as his voice sounds less harsh because the microphone wasn't held so close.

Sound Test 6

In this video we held the microphone closer to the floor, so it picked up some rustling from the leaves blowing. We also had it moving from side to side, showing how when it was further away from us the sound would get really quiet. This was a good way for us to show the variation in sound and how having the microphone closer to the people talking makes them sound clearer.

Sound Test 7

We changed location for this final sound test. As we shot this under a cover from the wind, there is less background noise which meant we didn't need to hold the microphone as close to the person talking. However, you can slightly hear the trees blowing from the wind in the background but it doesn't affect the sound of the speech so much.

Outcome

From these tests we not only learnt how to operate sound alongside using the camera and filming, but we also discovered what is the best way to record sound, and how much you have to think about, such as your surroundings and what background noise you might be picking up without even realising. I definitely feel more confident about recording sound with a boom microphone after this workshop and I think I would be able to do it again without any problem. I would like to get some more practice to get better at understanding the best conditions to record sound under.