Documentarties Analysis

Please and Thank You
http://www.4docs.org.uk/competition/view/349/Please+%26+Thanks+%28+Best+Version+%29    

This is an REFLEXIVE MODE documentary because it acknowledges the constructed nature of documentary and flaunts it, conveying to people that this is not necessarily "truth" but "a" truth. 

The narrative of this documentary is making an awareness that younger people do not say please and thank you often and that they generally have less manners than adults. This is portrayed by asking the public their opinions on the matter. 


This documentary is constructed by asking the public their opinions on what they thought on the matter. The camera was in one position which was focused on the individuals that were being questioned.

The purpose of this documentary is to make people aware of the little things such as saying please and thank you, is still important but isn't used often. It has been produced to make people think, whether they're polite or not. I think the purpose is to try and change peoples manners and to try and make them aware of their behaviour towards other people and generally.

The audience for this documentary is for anyone. Younger people may rebel against this documentary because it contradicts itself by asking older people about what they think about younger people and their manners, but they're complaining about the customer services that they get in shops, when majority of the time these people do not fit in under the young people category. It also doesn't ask younger people what they think about manners in general and about adults manners.

King of Laughter 

http://www.4docs.org.uk/films/show/5/King+of+Laughter

This is an EXPOSITORY MODE and PARTICIPATORY MODE documentary because it "emphasises verbal commentary and argumentative logic" and often using a narrator. It also welcomes direct engagement between filmmaker and subject becomes part of the events being recorded.

The narrative of this documentary is making an awareness of older people and their laughter. The story behind the documentary could be that older people do not laugh as much as younger people but the laughter is always there, it just needs to come out.

This documentary was constructed by focusing on one person, this was done by attaching the camera to the individual which then captured and tracked his face expressions and movement. This was probably done to show how often this man actually laughed. The documentary included close ups of people talking but the speech wasn't in sync with the movement of the lips.

The purpose of this documentary was to make people think about how often they generally laugh. For example it can help people realise that they're married to their job or they're anti-social so they don't get many opportunities to laugh. But this documentary shows that laughter can always be there no matter what life style a person has or where a person is. I think this documentary was produced to show people that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The audience for this documentary is for anyone. I think its directly aimed at people who think that they're life could be better and for people who aren't very happy with their life. It shows how someone has come over their depression of life and it works.