Documentary Analysis 2

Title of programme: The marketing of Meatloaf part of the ‘Music Biz’ series on BBC Two

Type of documentary

Mixed documentary

Themes

Marketing of music

Creation of an image for a band or singer

Power of the media to influence audience behaviour

Narrative Structure

Non Linear

Closed

Single Stranded

Camera work

Interviews – framed to left or right of the screen – MCU or CU – eye line 3^rd of the way down – interviews were conventional

High/low angle used

P.O.V shot – walking into the bookies/walking around the Brit awards

Extreme CU – CD/Magazines

Handheld camera used – behind the scenes footage

Filming the media at the Brit awards – separates them from the media

Pan/Zoom – Radio City Music Hall

Tilted frames

Mise-en-scene

Chromakey (Blue/Green screen) – used throughout interviews – is archive/actuality and is related to what the interviewee is talking about

Sound

Voiceover – sarcastic – male uses Standard English - calm and clear delivery. Actuality footage is also used to complete the voiceover sentence and it integrates with the footage.

Meatloaf music used under the voiceover and other footage

Dramatic build up of music

Background sounds – classical/dramatic – juxtaposition with the meatloaf images and sounds

Editing

Interviews dissolve in and out

Cut between three interviews and links them together. Crosscutting between interviews to construct the narrative.

Videos play then freeze for the interview (Chromakey) – as not to distract the viewer

Cut from behind the scenes then cut to the finished clip so we could see what they had filmed (cross cut)

Slow motion used

Image flipped in the edit – bad changes the construct of reality – do not do this

Archive Material

Used all the way through – party as Chromakey background in interviews

Magazine Covers

CD Covers

TV Clips

Music Videos – Meatloaf/Mr Blobby/Village People

Chat Shows

Award Shows

Newspaper headlines

Top of the Pops Clips

Graphics

Title Sequence – moving image in magazine covers

Series logo – ‘the music biz’ alongside the interviewee name on screen and job –anchored their relevance to the programme

Serif font –white – to the left or right of the screen in capitals and italics

I picked this image as the programme was about the marketing of Meatloaf.