This is my research for my documentary project
#1 The final attack on Wembley (Netflix)
1, What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- sports crime documentary
2. Who is the target audience
- all ages with both male and females targeted, but niched towards sports fans in general, as well as people who live in England
3. What typical documentary conventions were used?
- police were involved
- surveillance through phones from people who were in the situation
- interviews of the victims and doer
4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre
- yes it did conform to conventions of this genre as it consits of multiple interviews with the victims or people involved and the real situation itself included.
5. How does it create suspense using the following
- camera: random movement to show panic, medium shots of the people talking to raise up the stakes
- Sound: loud diegetic sounds of whats happening ( broken glass and punching sound effects), suspenseful music playing in the background.
-Edit: quick cuts to show commontion within the area
- mis-en-scene: Smoke, violence, drunk people, police
6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring
- probably the editing technqiues they used, the way it was like a miracle moment of England reaching the finals with a slow pace demonstrating the glorious event then as things spike up the pace gets faster with quicker cuts
- Real footage from the actual scene makes it more surreal and realistic , amkes it more dramatic as it shows the audience that its a serious matter.
#2 Worst roommate ever (Netflix)
1, What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- Vioelence, murder attempt type documentary
2. Who is the target audience
- Both genders though probably from ages 17+ as it involves violence, people who has trust issues
3. What typical documentary conventions were used?
- A nightime setting was used
- Dark lighting
4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre
- yes it did conformed to the conventions
5. How does it create suspense using the following
camera: Extreme close ups of the face to indicate the perpetrator and raise up the tension, low angle shots of the entrance just to show the dangers within the house
Sound: multiple suspenseful sound effects, discordant sounds
\Mis-en-scene: Pictures of the past that shows the event
edit: fast paced edits of photos presented on the screen
6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring
- Real pictures of the perpetrator of the event shown in a slideshow manner
- Pictures of her dying makes it emotional and believable.
#3 The Tinder Swindler (Netflix)
1, What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- Violence, murder, suicide
2. Who is the target audience
-People at ages 17+ maybe leaning towards females as presumably more women are involved. Possibly as well people who would like to start online dating.
3. What typical documentary conventions were used?
-Close ups on faces to raise up the stakes, crimes were presented at a dark setting ( night time). In the first 1 minute and 20 secs of the opening it shows a happy side or the beginning of the story. From the multiple documentary openings I have watched most of them have this convention in them. A switch up plot as well which after the happy scenes or before the crime happened, the bad things start to appear using different conventions such as mentioned dark-colored mis en scene and suspenseful music buildup.
4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre
- Yes it does conform
5. How does it create suspense using the following
Camera: Close ups on the women being interviewed to increase the tension as they are talking about the scene. It also shows how as the plot progresses the camera starts to move closer towards her face. I feel like this is used so that the audience can understand the people's emotion more deeply as if they were involved.
Mis-en-scene: Rainy weather, dark lighting, police lights. All apart of a usual convention towards a crime scene. This documentary conforms to its conventions as the mis-en-scene used are similar. Especially involving police.
Sound: The establishing shot at around 1 minute 30 seconds the music changes to a non-diegetic suspense beat. This makes the fast paced scenes more thrilling to the audience, as well as the constant rising crescendos to build suspense makes it even more uneasy.
Edit: Shakes and quick cuts to indicate fast action. Loads of the evidence from the crime scene were used in the cuts. This makes it more authentic and unique as each crime documentary has their own evidences. Making it seem more realistic and appealing to the audience.
6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring
- How it differentiates the bright side by showing luxurious moments from in cam footage from their ombile phones, fun activities, fancy buildings and cars to then a switch up to a night setting where everything turns upside down. Music intensifies and the cuts becomes more suspenseful.
#4 The ripper (Netflix)
1, What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- Murder, sexual assault
2. Who is the target audience
- Women at the ages of 18+, people who live in England in general since that is where the crime happened.
3. What typical documentary conventions were used?
-Dark setting, dark lighting, footage of the real event, the crime mentioned in newspapers.
4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre
- it did conform to the crime elements such as its mis en scene being dark and scary and the music used. However similar to the raincoat killer, the plot begins instantly with the crime itself. This is again one of the different openings I have watched since the plot usually starts with an introduction which then leads to the climax.
5. How does it create suspense using the following
Camera: It uses multiple close shots of the setting with a slow pan, I think this is used to give the audience a better understanding of the environment to build suspense and anticipation. It also indicates the movement of the human eye, making the audience feel that they are within that setting which further increases the stakes.
Sound: A classic diegetic sound used is the police siren which in multiple crime documentaries, this is the usual convention showing that it conforms to it. What I noticed as well is that the non-diegetic music starts to crescendo as the convesation becomes more serious, this is a good feature that I can use to further build up the suspense as it reaches the climax.
Mis-en-scene: dark lighting, dark setting. Night usually symbolizes danger and unknown territory or in this case it can show the hidden aspects of human nature, in this case its the murdering side ( bad, evil).
Edit: An anelpsis of the event via pictures or old video tapes is used after the interview. This is a good way to give us audience more context on whats happening since the interviewee's doesn't really mention it.
6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring
- The use of slow motioned panning shots really pumps up the tension in the scenes, which makes me realise quick cuts isn't the only option to build tension.
-The choice of sound is key as the music within the opening is an amazing element that makes the scene intense
- The use of real footage makes me feel more intrigued, this will become a very good feature to add to my project.
#5 The Raincoat Killer (Netflix)
1, What sub-genre of crime documentary would you categorise this as?
- Murder, a serial killer
2. Who is the target audience
- Maybe koreans could be internationally as well, people of age 18+ to both genders male and female.
3. What typical documentary conventions were used?
- An establishing shot with a pan the documentary instantly begins with this shot to introduce the setting. Interviews of witnesses or people who know or involved in the crime were used, seen most in documentaries.
4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre
- While it did conform on elements such as its mis en scene with the dark setting and etc. The plot seems to subvert the convention. From the research I have done, most of the plot starts with a positive atmosphere, bright sunny mis-en-scene with long shots and happy memories. Setting the mood before surprising the audience with the switch up. This documentary however, starts of instantly with the negative side. I find it unique how they're straightforward, I believe it is because the country sees it as a massive problem and it doesn't deserve to have a positive side to it. Though I think this gives the audience more sympathy towards the victims and makes them more aware.
- Another part which it subverted is that its slow paced. Usually, conventions of the documentary includes the crime scene though at a faster pace with flashes of light and panic music making it more fast paced. As well the cuts are much quicker with each scene being shorter and shorter. Though in this documentary the whole opening is slow paced, I think it makes us the audience more on edge since the tension builds up gradually making us anticipate on what might happen next
5. How does it create suspense using the following
Camera: Medium shots, over the shoulder shots of the interview. This makes the audience feel like they are immersed with the conversation this can create a sense of anticipation and mystery, wondering what will they talk about next.
Edit: As mentioned the documentary was slow paced the whole intro making the suspense build up slowly generating a sense of curiosity. However the documentary also features a blurring effect, this is to let the audience know what to focus on. Such as the interview between the criminal and what seems to be a police officer, the background elements was mostly blurred during the over the shoulder shot from the criminal's point of view. This allows the criminal to stand out more drawing our attention to the conversation.
Sound: Intense music and detailed diegetic sounds such as fingers tapping makes the scene more intense. I think this would help increase the anticipation and unease of the situation, making it more ominous.
Mis-en-scene: This is what I like about these crime documentaries is that they provide real evidence of the actual crime scene such as in the end where it flashes of all the evidence towards a couple of seconds makes it more exciting to watch. It also makes it more authentic. As well the use of formal clothing and professional clothing such as suits and police atttire adds the seriousness to the atmosphere.
6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring
- Instead of using real footage of the crime, the documentary made a replica of the criminal doing his crimes. This is a very helpful inspiration as a student I wont be able to have real life footage of me and my friends doing a real crime. Instead I may be able to create a fake scene though displaying the crime. Such as what the documentary did with the criminal digging something up .
Self reflection: Since most of the documentaries are found on websites that require paid memberships, it was a huge problem for me to find the video that has the opening. My only sources were youtube and tiktok to find the opening. This then consumed most of my time, it also reduced my will to work as I got lazy and became hopeless. To fix this I borrowed my friend's netflix account to watch the documentary openings. Doing these researches really gave me a huge picture on the possible ideas that we can develop, such as the idea of having interviews or recreations of the actual crime. This research blog really helped me give an idea on where to start.
