Kurt and Courtney.1998 by Nick Broomfield Part 1

Nick Broomfield

Nick Broomfield studied Law at Cardiff, and Political Science at Essex University. He then went on to study Film at the National Film School, under Professor Colin Young.

Nick first got interested aged 15 when discovering his love for photography on a foreign exchange visit in France. "A great way to strike up conversations, and a great excuse to ask questions about the World around you". He made his first film WHO CARES about Slum Clearance in Liverpool, while at University, by borrowing a wind up Bolex camera, and shooting it on short ends.

Professor Colin Young at the NFS had a great influence on his work encouraging participant observation, as well as introducing him to the lovely and most talented Joan Churchill. Together Joan and Nick made several films, JUVENILE LIAISON, TATTOOED TEARS, SOLDIER GIRLS, LILY TOMLIN and more recently AILEEN: LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER. They also have a son together.

Nick was originally influenced by the observational style of Fred Wiseman,and Robert Leacock and Pennebaker, before moving on largely by accident to the more idiosyncratic style for which he is better known. While ?making DRIVING ME CRAZY in 1988, a film hopelessly out of control, Nick decided to place himself and the producer of the film in the story, as a way of making sense of the event.

This experiment led to a sense of greater freedom, from the confines of observational cinema, and led to a more investigative and experimental type of filmmaking. ie THE LEADER THE DRIVER, AILEEN WURNOS, KURT AND COURTNEY, BIGGIE AND TUPAC.

Studying Documentary Types

In class we watched four documentaries by four different documentary makers- Robert Flaherty, Louis Theroux, Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield. This task really helped as we had to decide which documentary mode each documentary fitted in to.

The first documentary we watched was by Robert Flaherty, his documentary fitted in to the poetic form. It had an artistic flare to it with no narration, Robert Flaherty himself wasn't involved in the actual scene and because of these reasons it fitted in with this type of documentary.

The second documentary we watched was by Louis Theroux, I put this documentary in the form of participatory and reflexive. I thought it was participatory as he becomes directly involved with the issue being addressed. It was reflexive as he is in front of the camera and he gives some narrative guidance.

The third documentary was by Michael Moore, I thought his documentary was mainly observational, as he aids the audience of their understanding of the process of construction. Also the use of new equipment, making it easier to move around. To some extent his documentary had a poetic form in it, the way in which the black and white photos flow as a slideshow with subtitles and slow music.

The last one we watched was by Nick Broomfield, I put this under expository as he was exposing issues and it was also reflexive as he was analyzing Kurt Kebains life.

Documentary Forms

Reflexive- In which the film-maker acknowledges their presence- they are in front of the camera and give some narrative guidance. To aid the audience in their understanding of the process of construction in film so that they could develop a sophisticated and critical attitude.

Poetic- In which an artistic narrative is constructed- sometimes the topic is more human interest rather than current affairs led. This mode of documentary film tends toward subjective interpretations of its subject(s). Light on exaggeration, documentaries in this mode forsake traditional narrative content.

Observational- Being there as events unfold- these documentaries tend to follow a person or event and document their journey as it occurs. The camera remains as unobstructive as possible, allowing the audience to make up their own mind. "new, light equipment made it possible an intimacy of observation new to documentary, and this involved sound as well as image" (Burnouw 1993). The move to lighter 16mm equipment and shoulder mounted cameras allowed documentarians to leave the anchored point of the tripod.

Expository- An analysis and exposition of a person or topic - For example Michael Moore exposes society to forms or political corruption. This mode's emphasis is on rhetorical content, and its goal of persuasion. Narration is a distinct innovation of this type of documentary- it holds the weight of explaining and argueing a film's rhetorical content. This mode collects footage that functions to strengthen the spoken narrative.

Participatory- The participatory mode welcomes direct engagement between film maker and subject(s) - the filmmaker becomes part of the events being recorded. The film maker becomes directly involved with the issue being addressed; he becomes a character in the film; his impact on the events in the film are shown.

Louis Theroux Interview on the BBC Breakfast Show - Miami Mega Jail (20/5/11)

It is interesting to see what Louis says about his work and the way it effects and touches other people. He has his own website where he talks about the documentaries he produces. The way he advertises his work is interesting and as people reading it, it would make you want to watch it. He says: So we have a new show coming up this Sunday May 22, the first installment of a two-parter entitled Miami Mega-Jail. It’s about life in one of America’s toughest and most violent jails, in particular the two floors of the Main Jail in which many of the most volatile and unmanageable inmates reside. Some of you may recall that we made a documentary about San Quentin prison a few years ago. Believe it or not, what we experienced in Miami was even more extreme. Unlike prisons, the inmates of jails are mostly pre-trial. They have not been convicted and are technically innocent. Something about this atmosphere of uncertainty, as well as the sheer scale of the place (7000 inmates), makes it all the more chaotic and volatile – at least, in the areas reserved for problem inmates.  On the fifth and sixth floors there are up to 24 men per cell and a gladiatorial code exists in which inmates are expected to fight to prove themselves. We taped the two episodes over the course of a couple of months, starting late last year. I’ll post a bit more about it when I have time. That’s it for now!

Louis Theroux, and the Nazis

In class we were given the chance to watch one of Louis Theroux's documentaries, 'Louis Theroux and the Nazis'. This documentary fascinated me and Louis Theroux made it possible to see how some people lived and the certain views they had on things. This documentary in particular showed the racist views some people had on others and they weren't afraid to show it. They openly showed signs of hate for these people for example showing the Nazi symbol on their cars, tattoos etc and at times I was made to feel very uneasy. With Louis Theroux himself being a Jew, at one point in the documentary he visits a family and they openly say if the camera wasn't there, he'd beat him up and leave him on the street. This is just one example of the pure disgust I felt for these people being interviewed. In my opinion it is wrong the way in which they teach their children to believe in such horrible things and because the children are only young, they think it is right. The mother who is interviewed throughout the documentary says at one point if one of her daughters was to bring home a black boy/man, she would disown them. This just shows us how strongly they felt about their race. Throughout the whole documentary, it is all filmed on a hand held camera, not once is a tripod used. The filming itself its necessarily done well but it is effective the way in which is captures the key points. At some points in the documentary you can see Louis feels uncomfortable and at times has to bite his tongue however, having said this, he is not afraid to ask questions and to have his own opinion on each situation. The people who are interviewed all appear to be living in their own little bubble, their beliefs are very strong but you can tell from the way they are, they are a very close knit community. The documentary is done a very clever way as some parts are almost narrated where we get to hear Louis' point of view about the situations. Another thing in which works well is the establishing shots that are taken before each new person or location is introduced, which allows us to feel part of his journey. Blackouts are used to break up the awkwardness between scenes and when a scene has come to an end. Towards the end of the documentary, Louis visits Mexico with Tom, who is known as one of America's most racist men. There visit is interesting and what amazed me the most was when Tom introduced himself, he openly said he was a leader of the KKK in California and he was racist. This is something in which Tom is proud of and doesn't appear to be afraid of what anyone else thinks. Having watched this documentary, Louis Theroux has inspired me and I am curious to see what other work he has done.

Louis Theroux, and the Nazis

Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends

A clip from Louis Theroux's Miami Mega Jail

Louis theroux

Louis Theroux is a BBC television presenter best known for making documentaries that investigate fascinating worlds and lifestyles.
Over more than fifteen years, using a gentle questioning style and an informal approach, he has shone light on some of the world’s most intriguing beliefs, behaviours, and institutions by getting to know the people at the heart of them – from the officers and inmates at San Quentin prison to the extreme believers of the Westboro Baptist Church; the male porn performers of the San Fernando Valley to the medical regime in one of America’s leading centres of mental health for kids. Recently he made a two-part series on Miami county jail and a special on America’s private menageries of exotic animals.
In the course of his career, Louis has scored a number of journalistic scoops. His series of celebrity profiles, When Louis Met…, took viewers inside the world of the charity fund-raising eccentric Sir Jimmy Savile; the media guru Max Clifford and his client Simon Cowell; and most famously Neil and Christine Hamilton, who found themselves the subject of rape allegations during filming and allowed Louis and his director to continue to stay with them and document the ensuing media onslaught.
Louis graduated from Oxford in 1991 and started out as a print journalist the following year, working for Metro weekly in San Jose and then in New York for Spy magazine. He got his television break from Michael Moore, who hired him as a writer and correspondent for his ground-breaking satirical show, TV Nation.
In 1995 the BBC signed Louis to a development deal. He came up with an idea for a documentary series that would follow him as he immersed himself in off-beat lifestyle, called Weird Weekends.
Over the years, Louis has kept true to a way of working that is uniquely his own: by charming his subjects, he’s able to offer rounded portraits of some of the world’s most psychologically gripping issues, while always resisting easy judgements. Louis has won two BAFTAs, an RTS award, and a Bulldog award, not to mention numerous nominations.
Louis also continues to write for print publications. In 2005 he published a travel book about a few of his adventures, The Call of the Weird.

The public tell us what they think of Michael's Moore's work

Michael Moore's 'Sicko' Trailer

Fahrenheit 9/11 Trailer

After coming across Michael Moore's farenheit 9/11, I was shocked. I love the work of Michael Moore, the way in which he talks about serious subjects and turns them in to comical clips is something in which is very unique about his documentaries. He makes good use of archive footage and subtitles throughout his work, making it clear to the audience at all times exactly what is going on. He uses background music that has a humour about it, this enables to audience to understand that he is actually trying to be funny. He uses voice overs which work nicely. Farenheit 9/11 was a massive hit. Moore quite openly makes fun of George Bush, as shown in this clip at the very end where George Bush himself is playing golf.

Michael Moore

Michael Moore was born in Flint, Michigan April 23, 1954, but was not raised there. Contrary to popular belief, he was actually raised in Davison, Michigan. He studied journalism at the University of Michigan-Flint, and also pursued other hobbies such as gun shooting, for which he even won a competition. Michael began his journalistic career writing for the school newspaper "The Michigan Times," and after dropping out of college briefly worked as editor for "Mother Jones."

He then turned to filmmaking, and to earn the money for the budget of his first film Roger & Me (1989) he ran neighbourhood bingo games. The success of this film launched his career as one of America's best-known and most controversial documentarians. He has produced a string of documentary films and TV series predominantly about the same subject: attacks on corrupt politicians and greedy business corporations. He landed his first big hit with Bowling for Columbine (2002) about the bad points of the right to bear arms in America, which earned him an Oscar and a big reputation. He then shook the world with his even bigger hit Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), making fun of President George W. Bush. This is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. Michael is known for having the guts to give his opinion in public, which not many people are courageous enough to do, and for that is respected by many.

Mark Dolan

Mark Dolan is an English writer, comedian and presenter.

He is well known from his Channel Four show 'Balls Of Steel', however, recently he has been involved in a new project/documentary known as'The World's... And Me'.

He explores the remarkable worlds of some incredible people(Poetic/Observational/Reflexive/Expository).

• The World's Smallest Man And Me
• The World's Tallest Woman And Me
• The World's Fastest Pet And Me
• The World's Hairiest Person And Me
• The World's Cleverest Child And Me
• The World's Most Enhanced Woman And Me
• The World's Strongest Child And Me
• The World's Biggest Child And Me
• The World's Most Identical Twins And Me
• The World's Fattest Families And Me
• The World's Richest Teenage And Me
• The World's Strangest Plastic Surgery And Me
  

A Level- Introduction to Documentary- Advanced Portfolio

For the next and final year of A Level media, we are researching and creating our own documentaries, which can be on whatever we choose.

We are researching well known documentarists such as Nick Broomfield, Michael Moore and Louis Theroux, the variety of stories they have retold, the different audiences they have targeted, how conventional their documentaries seem and finally the different purposes their documentaries have created.



PURPOSES:
Documentaries are created to either:

• Record, reveal or preserve
• Persuade or promote
• Analyse or interrogate
• Express views or opinions

There are four types of documentaries

• Reflexive
• Poetic
• Observational
• Expository

1. Reflexive: In which the film maker acknowledges their presence - they are in front of the camera & give some narrative guidance.
2. Poetic: In which an artistic narrative is constructed - sometimes the topic is more human interest rather than current affairs led.
3. Observational: Being there as events unfold these documentaries tend to follow a person or event & document their journey as an important events occur.
4. Expository: An analysis & expository of a person or topic - for example Michael Moore exposes society to forms or political corruption.