DOCUMENTARY NARRATIVE RESEARCH

Charlotte Martin

NARRATIVES/HOW IS A STORY TOLD Like most documentaries, there is an ultimate genre and theme of the documentary as a whole which is given away by the title, for example Keeping up with the Kardashian’s is based upon the lives of the Kardashian family. In reality shows like this there is a different story and basis every time but originally is based upon the same type of thing each episode.

Each documenter has their different ways of telling a story whether that is by the transitions they use, the type of characters or narratives. The major necessity for a documentary are different camera angles and shots, possibly some music that fits well with the current theme/emotion and typically telling the story in different parts and ways.

16 & PREGNANT I chose this particular documentary as I like the way the story is told, the documentary starts off with the opening of a journal, which looks like a typical young American girls diary where she stores all her secrets, immediately targeting the audience of young people. There is a sketch type picture in the journal that soon turns to the real life of the current pregnant young girl, the sketch really shows the feelings of the girl due to her love hearts drawn later on with the father of the child, like this is her gossip.

16 & PREGNANT After this her childhood is shown as she still lives at home playing in the swimming pool with her friends whilst relaxing and playing with floats. A voice over is used to tell the story as the girl explains how she got pregnant and the current whereabouts of her life so far. Old pictures are shown within this of her old life before the pregnancy, the internet is involved to meet up with the father of the child as it was a one time ‘hook up’, this type of slang targets the audience.

The whole basis of the show is based upon a girls journal and journey of her pregnancy which is very personal and the story is shown in a very creative, childish way.

24 HOURS IN A&E This combination of the observational and interactive types both forming in this documentary is how I would like my final coursework to be told like. The story starts off with sounds coming from the hospital machines (the beeping being at the same time the digital clock goes up each second). The time shows the start of the day, at this time starting from midday. This then soon fades into the scene of the helicopter showing the action from a camera being on the ground and looking at the helicopter landing on the ground with the patient needing the treatment inside.

24 HOURS IN A&E The story carries on as there are cameras in the corners of the rooms shown, almost acting like security cameras- this shows the observational side to the documentary as the staff and everybody involved are ignoring the fact they are being filmed. There are also close ups of machinery and different typical things you would see in a normal hospital, creating a real and natural approach on a normal day on the ward.

24 HOURS IN A&E

The main purpose of this story is told by a voice over briefly explaining the accident whilst the patient is being rushed into the ward. There is music that sounds intriguing yet is subtle which fits nicely with the normality this documentary is aiming to possess. As well as this music there is ambient sounds surrounding the scene involving babies, machines and light chatter which is common for hospitals. The outside of the hospital is shown to set the scene and there is a shot from the perspective of the gurney wheel showing the dramatic side to the accident, with dramatic music also to add tension and wonder.

24 HOURS IN A&E There are a few Ariel shots to tell the story also of the patient on the gurney. The interviews with the staff are next told in the story which explains in more depth yet more simply what exactly is wrong/going to happen to this particular patient. The staff look directly into the camera. Close ups of the girls face and the staffs reactions are shown to represent the pain and seriousness, with the slight hint of saddening music in the background to show the hospitals nature environment.