Synopsis of Initial Documentary Research

March of the Penguins 

Directed by: Luc Jacquet
Produced by: Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud, Emmanuel Priou
Release date: January 26th 2005 
Production Company: National Geographic Films, Wild Bunch, Canal+, Warner Bros. Entertainment 
Rating according to IMDb: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Box Office: $127,392,693

March of the Penguins is a documentary which follows the annual journey that Emperor penguins make; as they march in a single file to their traditional breeding ground. Here we follow the struggles they face in order to protect not only themselves but their eggs through extreme weather conditions and predators. I believe the target audience of this documentary has a different variety of people within it. One being people who are considered to be animal lovers this is due to the fact there is masses of jargon given by the narration. Throughout there are many fascinating establishing shots which show the conditions of the environment in which the penguins live in. Another type of audience can be both males and females of different age categories as although it is factual it is considered to be  an entertainment.

 March of the Penguins is classed as a factual documentary due to this the shot range is diverse, so we see a great number of extreme long/ long shots to emphasis the authenticity of their origin. Throughout the duration of the documentary Morgan Freeman is the narration this called 'The Voice of God' as he is not visible himself but we here him vocally. The use of this technique creates a dramatic effect as it describes the daunting journey the Emperor penguins are going through. A non-diegetic soundtrack was used during focal points of the documentary, both positives and negatives. For example when we see the hatching of the eggs and the survival of the offspring upbeat happy music is played; whereas in contrast during extreme storms and the loss of lives a more dramatic atmosphere is created in the audience though the use of sound. 

1D One Direction: This Is Us

Directed by: Morgan Spurlock 

Produced by: Morgan Spurlock, Simon Cowell, Adam Milano, Ben Winston

Release date: August 20th, 2013

Production Company: Tristar Pictures

Rating according to IMDb: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Box Office: $68,532,898

This documentary looks at the lives of One Direction members: Niall Horan, Zayn Malik,Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson during their rise to fame fromtheir humble hometown beginnings and competing on The X Factor, to conquering the world and performing at London's famed O2 Arena. I believe the target audience intended for this film is very much similar to the democratic of the band. From previous videos of the bands fan base at concerts and signings we see the audience of the band is primarily dominated by girls; as we see them fantasize over the boy's looks and  appearance. We see that most of the audience are in fact young girls this can be due to the fact this is stereotypically the age where pop music is the craze and this is the genre of the music the boys produce. Due to the bands fan base being strongly built up of young females this could rationally be the similar target audience of this film. 

All five members of the band are shown in  positive light throughout the documentary though different techniques including representation, editing and narrative. This gives the fans/viewers a positive insight to the boy's home lives, personalities and behaviours which provide a more personal touch with the viewers as they are seeing more to them rather than  appearing on stage performing which is the norm for the band. As a viewer we were provided with much complication footage which showed home videos, and interviews with the boys close family/ friends. This gives the viewer a background of what their life was like before fame and provides them with more knowledge and information about their idols lives, this creates a personal touch with the viewer which is a positive technique. Throughout the documentary the boys fame, fortune and success has been made greatly emphasised by the camerawork used. For example there were many establishing shots which accentuated the size of the stadium to present how many fans and support they have gained from their fortunate success from The X Factor. The actors performance of the boys show how grateful and privileged they are to be in the position they are today.


Supersize Me

Directed by: Morgan Spurlock 

Produced by: Morgan Spurlock

Release date: May 7th 2004

Production Company: Kathbur Pictures, Studio On Hudson

Rating according to IMDb: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Box Office: $29,529,368

This documentary shows Morgan Spurlock examining the influence of the fast industry. He goes on a personal journey and explores the consequences of his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food fir one entire month and discovers why America as a country is considered to be obese. We follow Spurlock as he visits three different doctors as they conduct health checks on him e.g. blood tests/ pressure and warn him that the harm and danger this experiment could do to his health. Throughout the documentary we see how Spurlock deteriorate physically, mentally and emotionally. We also gain an insight of other people's thoughts and feelings about the fast food industry through interviews and how it is believed that fast food chains indoctrinate children from an early age through the use of advertising their products.

I believe the target audience could be aimed towards anyone as every single person on this planet consumes food and this is the subject matter. A large number of people eat fast food on a regular basis especially Americans where statistics show that one in four people are considered to be obese. This documentary appears to be very factual and is able to make people aware of their fast food consumption and could leave to improved health and fitness levels, which makes the documentary influential. The use of this technique contributes greatly to the success of the documentary in my opinion. Through the use of interviews and contact with medical assistance helps increase the success of this documentary as it makes it appears as more credible as there are people featured who are considered to have high intelligence and wealth levels e.g. doctors and lawyers.

TT Closer To The Edge

Directed by: Richard De Aragues

Produced by: Steve Christian, Marc Samuelson 

Release date: April 22nd 2011

Production Company: Isle of Man Film, CinemaN

Rating according to IMDb: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Box Office: $2,036,488

This documentary follows the annual TT race, which takes place in Isle of Man; it focuses on particularly biker Guy Martin. This footage gives the viewer an up close and personal view of the race itself but gives a dramatic and tense build up to the race as we see the participants prepare. In my opinion I believe that the target audience to this documentary would be bike enthusiasts (stereotypically males), however I myself found it quite exciting to watch when I have no interest in this particular sport whatsoever; infact if anything I found it to be dangerous and life risking.

The cinematography used throughout this documentary was amazing and really captivated the attention of the viewer. A variety of interesting shots were used throughout the documentary, which followed the TT race. One shot, which was used regularly, was an areal shot to show the positioning of the racers as well as the layout of the track. Another shot that was used quite frequently was slow motion, which made this extreme sport appear to be more ‘relaxing’ so the viewer is not panicking at the high speeds the racer is exceeding. Also throughout the documentary there was talking head interviews with the bikers, who shared their experiences with the viewer about what it is like to be a racer and what risks you have to prepare to take. This technique brings a personal touch to the documentary, which makes it seem more authentic.

Combined together these techniques made the outcome of the documentary very successful in my opinion and exciting to watch, even if you aren’t interested in that field.