For the narrative style, I felt that it was almost a mix of both human interest and standard. Some of the documentary seemed to focus on Arianna while other parts seemed to focus more on the general community feeling and culture of the area.
The first shot I found interesting was towards the beginning of the documentary. We had just gotten done watching this cute pageant and everything looks like a normal American scene. Then we see Arianna close up in a pool, she's living the life of a queen. The shot then comes out and we see it's an above ground pool at some little house with a motor bike in the yard and an old, beat up deck with some beat up outdoor furniture. It really wasn't the scene I was expecting to see at all after the pageant and pool. It really got me focused on the documentary. Right before this point, you'd probably be assuming this girl is well off and has a nice house. But no sir!
I think the shot that probably connected to me the most and to the rest of the audience (assuming they aren't as familiar with this culture) was the close up shot on Arianna's dad fresh out of the coal mine, although they might've touched up on him a bit, I'm not really sure. But either way, he looks rough and real. His expression shows the hard-working nature and determined outlook to take care of his family. You get dirty with coal. It's not just some simple stroll underground picking up little rocks and putting them in a bag like its Halloween night.
I don't feel like the shots themselves would be much trouble to re-create. It's just the idea and creative thinking put behind it that really makes them so great. Throughout the documentary there were plenty of close ups of faces and reactions to get some emotions in you. I think it was made well and was effective in conveying the concern of the coal business and the issues surrounding it.
No comments:
Post a Comment