Before attempting to even begin the onslaught of filming my documentary, I believed it would be highly beneficial for me to conduct some background research into how professional mainstream documentary styled footage is presented in the worldwide media industry this present day. As posted previously I have already deconstructed several unique documentaries to gain insight and inspiration in how to construct my rationale idea, however only a few of my selections actually demonstrated the use of handheld footage or a 'Point of view' perspective with the camera - this technique is critical for the filming of my documentary as I would like to use footage the eating disorder patients have filmed themselves or by employing the cameraman to 'follow' subjects without the use of a tripod, essentially this makes the filming more disorientated yet believable as the audience will be authentically able to connect with the situation displayed for them as it will appear to be acting to 'real life' rather than a staged event.
This is why I decided to watch the 1999 movie 'The Blair Witch Project' as the entire film is constructed through the use of a handheld video camera which the characters carry with them without fail throughout the continuation of the plot. The videoing style of choice moreover guaranteed the film instant success despite being filmed on a low budget, as previously a horror had never been commisioned like this before. In the clip I have inserted above we immeditelly get the feel of the atmosphere in the tent in the first few seconds - we can identify with the heavy breathing of the actors and the realistic forest environment it is set in, the handheld point of view footage allows us to adjust ourselves and creates a believable setting we find ourselves immersed in. The actors portray 'ordinary people', allowing us as the audience to directly with the characters involved as they are of a similar status to us, furthermore the actors chosen for the story are indeffintly not as well known as more famous individuals in the market place, making the occurances that happen to them more authentic as it would be harder to relate ourselves to a famous actor who's status makes the roles they take more associated with their name rather then allowing the viewer to see them as a portrayal of a normal citizen who we would expect to stumble across in the every day locations we are familiar with. This is an aspect I have took highly into consideration as the use of 'real people' in my documentary (no actors or semi professionals will be included). I am hoping this will allow my audience to form a relationship on screen with these individuals as they are no different from the viewers themselves - they are all unique, normal people who are having a difficult time with a devastating illness (anorexia nervosa) which I am hopeful will elict sympathy. When deconstructing the footage itself it comes to attention how grainy the hues and saturation is - this is understandable as this particular scene was filmed during the night, despite this knowledge I wouldn't want my documentary filmed where it is unclear in some scenarios what is actually occurring, in case it makes it difficult for the audience to interpret what my characters are doing - this would likely deter them from watching the rest of the footage which would be detrmimental. To avoid this happening it would be safer and more reassuring to film during the day or if the location is naturally dark, then to set up a multitude of lights to alter the brightness of the room which would be satisfactory.
There is no visible editing enhancements in the 'Blair Witch Project' this is obvious when the film is attempting to be as an authentic experience as it can possibly be for the viewers - the students themselves would not have had time to edit the footage if they mysteriously 'disapeared' so the way the movie is designed by having continuity throughout the way the events are staged allows us to follow them up until their final moments. This does not necessarily apply to my own documentary as the consistency of the editing would not effect the overall serious tone I am attempting to replicate in my footage, as long as the audience can see the severe consequences of an eating disorder through their own eyes then the fact the shots don't follow one after the other doesn't effect the content in a negative manner.
Another point of interest is the sound quality of this movie - like the colour saturation it can also be described as 'grainy' and slightly muffled at time because of the lower quality equipment it was filmed with and not a traditional Steadicam. I think its important for the viewer to be able to fully understand and interpret what the subjects are saying as this could make it harder for them to connect with the patients stories if they can't fully grasp what has happened to them. In the 'Blair Witch Project' the crackling sound adds to the horror premise as it creates tension amongst the audience as the disoreintation in the sound creates the illusion of panic as they are unsure as to what is happening to the characters on screen. This would not be appropriate for my documentary as what was stated previously it is essential for them to have a clear viewpoint of what is going on, that is why it would benefit me more to use a higher standard of recording equipment for the POV shots as a cheap handheld camera would not give me the effect I desire.
This screenshot I extracted from the movie is in the opening credits when information about the three students is broadcasted to the audience as a 'preview' of what is to entail before the film has began. I noticed adding screen text to give details about the footage was used in many of the health orientated shows such as 'I'm a child anorexic' and in the movie 'Supersize me', now that I have observed this editing in a multi million dollar product I am decisive that I will use this technique in the opening of my documentary to keep within the conventional terms of other products of the same genre as it appears to be a popular strategy to entice the audiences attention.
Here I stilled a frame in 'The Blair Witch Project' and enhanced it as much as I could to emphahsise the grainy footage I spoke about previously. This was taken during a 'pursuit' scene when the characters were fleeing from an unseen force which explains the poor quality of this piece of the production. This is not a desirable effect I want to replicate in my own product as it is vital the viewer can observe what is unfolding at all times as this would make it easier for them to connect with the sufferers of the illnesses stories more thoroughly and deeply. To avoid this incapacity it would be critical to obtain a decent quality device and test it before the filming begins to ensure it would produce the effect desired.
This is footage taken directly from the introduction of the movie when the forensic investigation team record the evidence of what was left of the missing students belongings (which includes the camera they operated with) The piece of equipment shown here (taken from the students backpack) is semi professional and would be difficult for me as a college student to obtain easily - due to budget cuts and availablity. It would be possible to hire out technology such as this from another campus, being able to safely acquire it and cover money expenses could prove difficult though. I am tempted to use an ordinary video camera that is typical amongst regular families, being compact in size and swift to operate (this kind of camera can be seen in the film 'Cloverfield) however I am discouraged by the quality as it would not be of as high a standard as the footage created for the 'Blair Witch Project'. Budgiting is something I will have to deeply consider before I begin my primary task.
My final image was captured in another fleeing scene through the woods to show how decrepit and blurry handheld footage can be seen. None of the patients will be running in my documentary so this will make it easier for the cameraman to keep blakacned and level with the steadiness of the equipment, hopefully allowing it to be clear but still 'jerky' (to personify the realism) Too much wavering can cause severe disoretination of the picture on screen, this is appropriate for a horror film like 'Blair Witch' which districbutes a panic, danger element that is typically seen in this genre. Moreover this effect would not justify with the serious note I am aiming to create for my own documentary as the awkwardness of the frame would not emphasise the severity of an eating disorder if my audience cannot distinguish what is on screen appropriately enough.
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