Transport Accident Commission
CONNECTING THE DOTS
BLM 1: The genre of documentary film-making.
The term documentary film is applied to non-fiction works and focuses on instruction, historical record and/or informing the viewer of significant eventsthat involve public debate. Documentary film has become an increasinglypopular genre, both in feature films and television programmes.
Documentaries became popular in the 1930s and 1940s and were usedby authorities as a way of persuading people to a particular point of view.An extreme version of such films was Nazi propaganda, which presentedsupposedly factual events in a particular light that was designed toproduce a specific response from viewers. These films were not objective(fair and balanced) and, in fact, deliberately presented a subjective(biased) view in such a way to distort the truth.
It would be dangerous to assume that all documentaries are objective.It is almost impossible for a film-maker to be entirely objective for thefollowing reasons:
- Many documentaries use re-enactments, which involve interpretationof factual events that often reflect the director’s opinion or historicalresearch and evidence. This version of events may vary from whatactually occurred.
- The use of camera angles, editing, music, sound and lighting canaffect how viewers respond to events, even when the actual realityhas been filmed. Keep in mind that even a news report with directfilming can produce a response from us as viewers that reflects theopinions of the reporter rather than a true version of events.
- The use of voice-overs can also influence our interpretation of whatwe see on the screen.
AusVELS 10 English 1
Transport Accident Commission
BLM 2: Filmic devices.
A filmic technique is a device used by a director to produce a particular response from viewers.
It is important to develop the skills of interpreting filmic techniques, which arevery different to printed text. You will also need to develop an understandingof the metalanguage used to analyse the purpose of the film. These deviceswhich we call directorial choices are designed to produce a particular response in the viewer in the same way that the structure of the written wordis used by writers.
When examining the documentary, the main factors to examine areas follows:
- The genre. In what ways is Connecting the Dots typical ofdocumentary film-making as a genre? Are there any ways in whichit is different to other documentaries you have seen?
- Cinematography is the use of camera techniques to influencethe way in which we view events on the screen. For example,a head shot or extreme close-up is used to invite the viewer intothe emotional life of the person. This technique is often used indocumentary film-making to extract a response from the viewer.When watching film, also look for camera angle, which can greatlyaffect our perception of people, especially in an interview:
- If a person is filmed from a high angle, the audience is effectively‘looking down’ on them, which gives us as viewers a sense of powerand the person being filmed as appearing disempowered.
- For a low angle where we are looking at the person, the reverse isthe case. The person is more powerful in the eyes of the viewer.
- Setting is the physical scenery captured on camera. This alsoincludes the clothes being worn by the people on screen.
- Music is used to generate an emotional response from viewers,which could range from fear and suspense to tears of joy.
- Sound involves the use of sound effects, such as a person running,breathing heavily or tyres screeching on the road.
- Lighting can also create a particular mood for the viewer.In documentary film-making, look especially for dim lighting thatcreates a sense of menace or an outdoor scene using natural light,which can suggest hope and freedom.
Editing of the film can also be used to create a particular response.This relates to how the film has actually been constructed. This is importantwhen watching a re-enactment of real events. Editing can also include thedirector’s use of archival film, such as a home movie, which is designed toadd a sense of authenticity to the documentary and produce a particularresponse in viewers.
AusVELS 10 English 1
Transport Accident Commission
BLM 3: Finding examples of filmic devices worksheet.
Filmic device / Example / What message does this convey to the audience?Cinematography:
camera angle (Head shot)
Cinematography:
camera angle (High angle)
Cinematography:
camera angle (Low angle)
Setting and costume
Music
Sound
Lighting
Editing
BLM 4: Creative/imaginative writing task.
Write a 400 to 500 word reflective piece as an adult looking back at a tragic incident that occurred in their community 20 years ago. This incident shaped relationships on a permanent basis. The incident must be one of significance; it could be a fire, a car accident, a flood or the death of an important person in that community.
VH / H / M / L / VL / NS10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 0
1 / Quality of written response (structure, detail)
2 / Creative voice in the writing
3 / Control of mechanics of English
(spelling, punctuation)
4 / Contributions to class discussions throughout the unit of work.
Key to Allocation of Grades / Grade
A+ / A / B+ / B / C+ / C / D+ / D / E+ / E / UG
40-37 / 36-33 / 32-29 / 28-25 / 24-21 / 20-18 / 17-15 / 14-12 / 11-9 / 8-6 / 5-0
Teacher’s comments:
______
Signature: ______
BLM 5: Expository mode writing task
Write a 500 to 750 word piece exploring one of the following:
1. Life is very different in a country town compared to the city.
2. Sometimes friendship and loyalty can be deadly.
3. Road trauma is one of the most significant issues facing society in the 21st Century.
VH / H / M / L / VL / NS10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 0
1 / Quality of written response (structure, detail)
2 / Creative voice in the writing
3 / Control of mechanics of English
(spelling, punctuation)
4 / Contributions to online blog discussion
Key to Allocation of Grades / Grade
A+ / A / B+ / B / C+ / C / D+ / D / E+ / E / UG
40-37 / 36-33 / 32-29 / 28-25 / 24-21 / 20-18 / 17-15 / 14-12 / 11-9 / 8-6 / 5-0
Teacher’s comments
______
Signature: ______
AusVELS 10 English 1