Over the past couple of weeks, I have been watching Short-form Oscar-nominated documentaries. One them – Black Sheep – I wrote about last week. But since then I have watched a few more. These were A Night in the Garden, End Game, and My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes. All four of these documentaries widely vary in presentation style, but all well deserving of the nominations they have received. I am going compare these documentaries, and briefly analyze how these films draw the viewer in.
First, Black Sheep draws the viewer in with dramatic reenactments intercut with a very personal interview with Cornelius, the subject of the documentary. The dramatic reenactments are done at an extraordinary quality: Great acting, engaging cinematography, etc. Now, the interview was lit and shot in way so that we can see the vulnerability of the interviewee. This vulnerability plays well into the ultimate themes of the documentary which are Racism in modern England, and how male social standards can lead to destructive behaviors. The reenactments and interview work together to create a story with so much personal tension that the viewer does unable to look away. One example is when Cornelius in the reenactment yells at someone he just pointlessly assaulted, and then the documentary cuts to Cornelius in the interview admitting that he just wanted to be loved. Overall, Black Sheep does an exceptional job at drawing the viewer in and keeping them watching.
Next, A Night in the Garden almost does the opposite of Black Sheep to draw its viewer in. The documentary opens with a date (1939), location (New York City), and vintage footage of riots to set the scene. Then within a minute the documentary goes for a shock image: Vintage footage of a stadium full of American Nazis. At this point, the viewer becomes stuck in a morbid curiosity as they watch the expectedly racist proceedings of this meeting until the credits roll. The themes and message of this documentary are quickly apparent: Nazis did and currently do reside in the United States, and the United States in the 1940s was not the perfect nation that some view it as. The method that A Night in the Garden presents itself is contrary to the slow(er) buildup of themes and messages of every other documentary mentioned in this post especially Black Sheep, but it works just the same to drag the viewer in for its whole runtime.
Third, End Game takes on a subject matter that is not as hotly debated as the topics of the previously discussed documentaries, but is rather intriguing in itself - death. The documentary is shot in a very straightforward and almost clinical way as it tells the story of four groups of people having to deal with death in themselves or a family member. This clinical feeling comes from the attempt of the documentary to be as objective as possible. The objectiveness comes from viewing the four groups from the multiple perspectives of the relatives of a dying member, nurses, doctors, and hospice managers.
Now, the viewer is drawn in, not by the cinematography (which is exceptional in its own right), but by the nature of the topic of death. Death is both a taboo and very personal topic to people in the United States, the intended audience of the documentary. End Game, just like A Night in the Garden, pulls on the morbid curiosity of its viewers, and the relatability of a dying family member. However, the curiosity would not last without a good story. End Game’s editing is designed to have tension — families’ breakdown and fight while coming to closure about their dying family member. This tension is relieved in End Game’s melancholy ending: the hospice owner shares his own realizations about death and describes the funeral process at his hospice. The “story” of the families, and death’s alluring aura attracts and keeps the viewer watching.
Finally, My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes draws the viewer in with its unique presentation: graphics, stop motion, old family footage, and newly shot footage to tell its story. The story, which revolves around the themes of family of abuse is presented with nostalgia and reminiscence. A good example of the documentary using this nostalgia is that the items that were used to build the stop motion graphics were the dad’s items from the 1980s. The narrator of the story reinforces this lighter tone with quips and jokes throughout the runtime.
However, My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes does not just rely on this nostalgia to keep the viewer. There is an effective narrative woven from the narrator’s experience in researching his father. He presents his information in the order he found it allowing the viewer to uncover the story as the narrator did. This method of editing withholds information which produces tension. This tension and the refreshing tone draw the viewer in and keeps them watching for the documentary’s runtime.
Whether its shock, drama, or nostalgia, these documentaries use their own way to draw the viewer in and keep them interested.
Wow! You've put a lot of thought into this!