The Creative Decision Making in a Documentary Production

In Tracks, the story takes place entirely within a modern subway station, in which multiple people from different locations, including a homeless girl (played by Gabbe Albert), a professor

A documentary demonstrates an interpretation of the truth by attempting to persuade an audience to side with the makers to endorse their interpretations of issues and events. In the instance Bra boys; Blood is thicker then water, directed by Sunny Abberton, the Bra Boys gang is viewed as a imitation of a prodigious brotherhood gang of surfers that are victims from occurrences and backgrounds opposed to a gang that dispute with the law by an act of violence. The Bra Boys have interpreted issues and events by emphasizing the importance of family, belonging, brotherhood and multiculturalism. The use of presenting constructed footage and personal interviews endorses viewers to see the Bra Boys from a positive light, boys who are role models to

Firstly, it is important to understand how the documentary form is best suited to illustrate the film’s theme. In order to do this, one must have an overview of the documentary style of filmmaking. Documentaries concern themselves with the “exploration of

Alfred Hitchcock’s film North by Northwest (1959) is famed as a classic man-on-the-run thriller, following protagonist Roger Thornhill as he flees across state lines in a mad dash to save his life and unravel the mystery to his extraordinary predicament. However, mid-way through the film Thornhill’s quandary is further complicated by the introduction of Eve Kendall, a beautiful yet mysterious woman he encounters on a train during his escape from the authorities and people trying to kill him. During the dining room scene on the train, Hitchcock expertly uses the camera to convey the characters thoughts and feelings. Interestingly, in a film that has several sequences with complicated cinematography and editing, the dining car scene is

The long take begins with an alarm clock waking up a couple, sleeping out on their balcony. As the camera moves from window to window around the courtyard, we see a few brief snippets of characters’ lives. And finally, the audience sees inside the apartment that has been its point of view all along. Mise-en-scene, framing, and cinematography

In this film, Singleton employs a more pared-down and the construction of an effective scene for a fast shoot in a natural lighting. An example is the shoot picture whereby Tre is seen looking into the streets. The camera revolves to catch him as he moves the child from being run over by the moving cars in a wide shot. The camera then cuts Tre returning the child to her junkie mom in one shot. The third shot is depicted whereby Tre is passing along the car full of gang members with one showcasing a pistol from the car and threatening to shoot him.

Images are a complex communication tool – the intention of the creator and the interpretation of the viewer may not be harmonizing. While Bra Boys seeks to criticise their infamous reputation as an anti-social and law-breaking gang, the construction of the documentary has reinforced that dominant representation of the surf group. Sunny Abberton’s documentary of dissent, Bra Boys (2007) is constructed to critique the dominant representation of the notorious societal group – “Bra Boys” by telling the story from the point of view directly from the underbelly of Maroubra itself. The

Establishing Shots- The movie begins with a few establishing shots of skyscrapers and streets crowded with people giving the impression that the location of the film is in New York City. Also, establishing shots are used to show where most of the action will be in film. For example, Andrea is seen walking from her apartment to the bakery to the subway then finally in front a large building. In a high angle shot, Andrea looks vulnerable and nervous for her interview with Miranda. There is an establishing shot of the lobby of the building named Elias-Clarke Publication, where the Runway office is located in. Also, this uses the “outside in” method where the action of movie starts from the outside then

In the beginning of the film, James begins by using the indirect interview technique with William and Arthur to appeal to ethos. The interviews are conducted in both of the boys homes in order to show the viewers the poor conditions they are living in. The interviews also illustrate the similar backgrounds and culture that both the

The beginning of the film invokes a tone of war. The camera pans over a winding road as ominous nondiegetic music creates the feeling of dread. The appearance of a winding road creates the feeling of travel or a faraway land. The events that occur in this space seem isolated. As

The first shot after the opening sequence was one of a bird's eye view, a bird's eye view shows a map like perspective building rooftops, bridges, roads and a canal. Tykwer sets the distant scene with this but does not need it to define a certain place, as the film needs no area to make it complete. It was used for only a short period of time and makes a good start for the next effect.

“The documentary tradition as a continually developing “record” that is made in so many ways, with different voices and vision, intents and concerns, and with each contributor, finally, needing to meet a personal text” (Coles 218). Coles writes “The Tradition: Fact and Fiction” and describes the process of documenting, and what it is to be a documentarian. He clearly explains through many examples and across disciplines that there is no “fact or fiction” but it is intertwined, all in the eye of the maker. The documentarian shows human actuality; they each design their own work to their own standards based on personal opinion, values, interest and whom they want the art to appeal to.

The first scene of the movie opens with long shots and tracking shots of multitudes of Brazilians streaming and forcing their way in and out of the Rio de Janeiro train’s doors and windows scrambling for sitting and standing spaces, juxtaposed with cut edits of medium

The next shot is an establishing shot, showing the street where the main character, Leister, lives. Its fall/autumn time and the trees are bare or dying, possibly indicating and foreshadowing a death later on in the movie. Also the streets are very linear, all vertical and in uniform, as it were.

The scene starts with an over the shoulder establishing shot of the town that Kiki will be staying in, this is done to give the audience an idea about the size of the place and also allows us to see the town from Kiki’s perspective - imposing but exciting.