Research for Documentaries

 Here's my research for the criminal documentaries -intro only-

NETFLIX/YOUTUBE DOCUMENTARIES

Documentaries #1 The Final: Attack on Wembley

1. What is the subgenre of crime-documentary would you categories this as? 

Sports, Riots

2. Who is the target audience?

Football fans, England citizens

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

Phone footages, Interview, Locations

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

Conform

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

• camera: Slow panning, 
• sound: Sounds of breaking glass, flare, people shouting, and the punching sounds
• MeS: Low lighting atmosphere when it highlights the tragedy and the interview, indicating how serious the situation is.
• Edit: Montage clips of riots everywhere

6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

I want to try create a daylight-criminal documentaries as I like to challenge the stereotypical of a  criminal documentaries to be mostly filmed in the night. The daylight-criminal scene may indicates some more severe and concerning crimes have taken place, like school shootings, making it more serious and uncommon cases to most people.

Documentaries #2 Worst Roommate Ever

1. What is the subgenre of crime-documentary would you categories this as? 

Attempted murder, abuse, betrayal

2. Who is the target audience?

People with roommates, Parents, College Students, Young adults

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

Eerie music, quick cuts, statics, in the evening (dusk)

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

Conform

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

• camera: Static, close up shots, 
• sound: Eerie music (ND)
• MeS: Low lighting atmosphere when it highlights the tragedy 
• Edit: Quick cuts of her injured

6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

The eerie music, as it help us create sense of dangerous and serious atmosphere to the clip. Other than that, the quick cut of photos when the victim is at it's happiest time with the suspect and then cuts to the victim's condition after the suspect has done their crimes, making us to sympathize to the victim and to make the suspect appear evil and heartless. 

Documentaries #3 The Fake Genius: A $30 Billion Fraud

1. What is the subgenre of crime-documentary would you categories this as? 

Financial frauds, money swindling

2. Who is the target audience?

People involved in the FTX, Crypto investors, young teenagers who invests in the crypto

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

So many flashes effects that came from the reporter's camera and yellows highlights of multiple articles that makes the tittle stands out, to give audiences an idea of what he did at the beginning and what crime Sam has done.

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

Conform

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

• camera: Random movements of phone footages
• sound: suspenseful background music (ND), News reporter monologues (ND)
• MeS: Low lighting atmosphere when it highlights the tragedy 
• Edit: A flashback of when he was known to be a super rich 30 yo from crypto and fast-forwards to be a big frauds.

6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

At first it is the part when the scene cuts to an article then it zooms in to the title, specifically to the most hot topics/good things that are discussed about Sam, which are the claims that he is the richest 30 years old at the time and the 'fact' that he wants to give his fortunes away. But then, all of that changes into yellow highlights of the crime he did such as: swindling $8 billion of his customer money and one of 'biggest financial frauds' in US history.

Documentaries #4 Deciphering the Zodiac Killer

1. What is the subgenre of crime-documentary would you categories this as? 

Serial killer, terrorizing

2. Who is the target audience?

Parents with children

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

It uses the typical conventions for old unsolved-cases in the 60s: muffled voices which gives us a vintage atmospheric, sketches of the criminal which indicates that investigators has no idea of the criminal's face, and real pictures from the scene for evidence/reports purposes.

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

Conform

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

• camera: Random movements of analogue camera
• sound: Eerie-serious music to add horrors (ND), the killer's voice in a phone call with the investigators(D)
• MeS: Low lightings, formal suited men indicating inspectors and serious matters.
• Edit: Quick cuts of the inspector statements saying they still hasn't figure out the exact motives to this crime.

6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

I really like the analogue camera with all the black and white statics happening, for me it genuinely gives me this uneasy and disturbing feelings of a 'true' crime documentary (i usually watch similar documentary with the same features) . Especially when it cuts to the scene where kids descending from the bus stair, showing us the happy faces they make which it quickly reminds me that the victims were the similar demographics (age) and it does really makes me hate/despise the killer, hoping for him to be soon found and bring to justice. 10/10

Documentaries #5 

1. What is the subgenre of crime-documentary would you categories this as? 

Serial killer, terrorizing

2. Who is the target audience?

Parents with children

3. What typical documentary conventions were used?

It uses the typical conventions for old unsolved-cases in the 60s: muffled voices which gives us a vintage atmospheric, sketches of the criminal which indicates that investigators has no idea of the criminal's face, and real pictures from the scene for evidence/reports purposes.

4. Did this opening conform or subvert the conventions for this genre?

Conform

5. How does it create suspense using the following:

• camera: Random movements of analogue camera
• sound: Eerie-serious music to add horrors (ND), the killer's voice in a phone call with the investigators(D)
• MeS: Low lightings, formal suited men indicating inspectors and serious matters.
• Edit: Quick cuts of the inspector statements saying they still hasn't figure out the exact motives to this crime.

6. What parts of the opening did you find inspiring?

I really like the analogue camera with all the black and white statics happening, for me it genuinely gives me this uneasy and disturbing feelings of a 'true' crime documentary (i usually watch similar documentary with the same features) . Especially when it cuts to the scene where kids descending from the bus stair, showing us the happy faces they make which it quickly reminds me that the victims were the similar demographics (age) and it does really makes me hate/despise the killer, hoping for him to be soon found and bring to justice. 10/10

Self Reflections: Overall this research really helps me alot by giving me clear pictures, ideas, and imaginations about what scenes I will be shooting in the future. This research also gives me some ideas and things that I can implement into our group project documentary, some ideas may need a little extra time to be included as we're also have a very limited time in doing the documentary. But if we're given much more time, I am confident that our documentary will be more refined and much better than what we've done. Aside from that, I am still very proud of my group's hardworking that we've been doing for the past weeks, even there are major barriers, but we still manages our time and do our best to finished it on time.