2. Different types of documentaries- Poetic
Poetic documentaries first started to garner popularity in the 1920s
as it is often a non linear documentary with a lack of a clear
narrative, opening it up to interpretation. These styles of
documentaries often rely on juxtaposition of things such as images
and sound to create a mood or tone. A poetic documentary often
shows the audience an abstract and subjective representation of
reality achieved through emphasised visuals and a narrative that fits
the mood of the documentarian or through a documentary rather
than the linear and logical organisation films followed prior to the
introduction of this.
3. Different types of documentaries-
Expository
Similarly to poetic documentaries, expository documentaries
started to become popular in the 1920s as it has a clear
authoritative narration/voice over with the usual goal to educate
the consumer. There are many typical production elements in an
expository documentary such as interviews, illustrative visuals,
some actuality, graphics and photos and a “voice of God” narration
track. Using scripted narration, it connects the story elements
together and can unpack an argument. In an expository
documentary, the audience are not encouraged to interrogate the
images and narrative independently.
4. Different types of documentaries-
Participatory
With a participatory documentary, it will have a clear relationship
between the film-maker and the other people/subjects. The film-
maker is frequently an on-screen presence, asking questions and
expressing their own opinions. Documentary film makers like Louis
Theroux or Michael Moore as they use this method of film making
as they follow the subject around to break down their barriers and
often get them to drop their public persona and admit or discuss
things they would normally keep to themselves.
5. Different types of documentaries-
Observational
This style of documentary originated in the 1960s and it took the
criticism the consumers had with the other documentary styles and
decided to take advantage of smaller cameras and faster lenses to
shoot in low light and attempted to film with as little interruption as
possible. The audience are usually neither conditioned by
manipulated visuals or a guiding visuals and instead are able to
come to their own conclusions through images that are
observations that have been subtly recorded.
6. Different types of documentaries- Reflexive
This style of documentary originated in the 1980s to provoke
audiences to question the authenticity of documentaries. They
challenge assumptions and expectations about the forms of
documentaries themselves. These documentaries often focus on the
process of making the film along with how and why they are
constructed in a certain way.
7. Different types of documentaries-
Performative
A performative documentary is personal and focuses on much more
subjective ideas. The filmmaker shows a larger, social, political or
historical reality through their own perspective. The performative
filmmaker becomes a personal guide who shows their experience
and tells it with raw emotion.
8. My decision
After much consideration, I have decided that I will be focusing on
the gaming culture as it is one of my main passions. The question I
want to answer in my documentary is, “how is God Of War a prime
example of how gaming culture has evolved?” With this, I will be
discussing the stark contrasts of the original 2000s God Of War
games with the more recent God of War games and how there
differences signify a change in the gaming culture as a whole. To
ensure I follow the brief, I will make sure the documentary focuses
on the attitudes towards gaming and how it has changed over time
along with the technological advancements of gaming have allowed
for it to become a more main stream and accepted form of media.
9. God of War documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJZWKBDXXFY
Due to the fact my ideal documentary linked to gaming culture would be focusing on God of War as an example, I decided it would be in my best interest to
research into any existing God of War documentaries. I found a documentary which is called “God of War - Raising Kratos: Full Length Feature | PS4.” I decided to
watch this documentary to understand the codes and convections of a God of War documentary and to also further my understanding of the God of War franchise
and how it was created. One of the first things I noticed was the amount of usage of archived footage of the God of War games. Using this, I can see that I will need
a lot of archived footage for my documentary. Moreover, there was a heavy amount of non-diegetic sound in the documentary with background music and some
Kratos (the main character) dialogue spread throughout the documentary as a way to transition into a new point or a new area.
IMAGE HERE
Here, a low angle is used whilst being interviewed which conveys a position of power and how confident Santa Monica studios were with the momentum from
God of War and God of War 2. In addition, there were a plethora of interviews scattered throughout the documentary which is something I could potentially do in
my documentary or at the very least, switch locations in between the archived footage and the in person footage. Also, there is a part in the documentary where
the subjects are sitting around a table and just casually talking about the game. This makes the documentary more informal and makes it feel more down to Earth
which makes it more engaging to watch. Using this, this is something I could potentially implement in my documentary with my own unique style on it.
Moreover, this documentary showcases the low points in the franchise which gives more authenticity and makes it more believable. Using this, I know that it isn’t
a bad thing if I wanted to show the negative side of the gaming industry as long as the overall message of the documentary is morally acceptable. This is important
as this will allow me to produce a high quality documentary that won’t bore the audience.
10. God of War research
With the most recent God of war game (God of War: Ragnarök) releasing on the 9th November,
2022, this brings the sixth instalment to the God of War franchise, and God of War: Ragnarök is
the most successful game in the franchise gaining 5.1 million units in the first week. From this,
it broke another record by being nominated 14 times at the BAFTA Games Awards and won 6
awards which include: the best narrative, best score and music, best audio design, best
performance (Christopher Judge as Kratos), best innovation in accessibility and best
action/adventure. From this, the areas where the player base thought were the best and
discussed the most were the narrative, the score and the performances. The reason why this
game performed so well was due to the overwhelming positivity in regards to God of War
(2018) as that game won game of the year that year, this made an ecstatic fanbase eager to find
out how Kratos and Aterus’ story continues. This is significant for my audience due to the fact
that I can discuss the overwhelming success of God of War: Ragnarök in relation to how the
gaming industry has drastically changed.
