Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Archive Footage for the Documentary


After a assessment by my college lecturer it was highly recommended for my best interests that I included some archive footage into the documentary, whether these were to be home videos, personal photographs or images taken from the internet. I was shown a previous students coursework to gain an understanding and idea of how to correctly incorporate the said archive footage into my film coherently so it blended in efficiently with the interview being conducted and was related to what was being said (for example one of the girls mentions her past so it would be an appropriate moment to include photographs from when she was younger) as this would aid the viewer in identifying specific moments in her life that may have been a contributory factor before she developed her anorexia. It may also create an element of sympathy as a whole due to the audience witnessing the dramatic consequences of how an evil illness to put it frankly could strip an individual of so much potential and their life.







These specific images are required when the girl is offering flashbacks into her past when her anorexia was at its most dominant and prelavant within her physical frame. The photographs provide a shock factor to the target audience as they will be able to see with their own eyes how much her illness consumed her, removing the pride and feminine features she once displayed. Realistically they emphasise the severity of the condition and by using these photographs in particular I will be most certaintly broadcast my intended message of how this mental illness is not a 'phase' but is a serious, life taking condition that requires a sensitive but mature mind to fully understand. They may allow the viewer to become more aware of the signs therefore easily identifable should they have concenrs about theit own family members.




Displayed above are the photographs required to highlight to the audience how this individual had a life and was healthy before her illness consumed her completley. It allows a reflection and contrast between the two unique sets of images (healthy and anorexic) to truly illustrate how devastating this condition can be and how much of a person it can remove, evidently she is almost unrecognisable in these images and I believe it will hit home to the viewer the disturbing changes anorexia can bring about physically to a person.





As an extra incentive and to create another vital area of interest for my target audience to engage with my lecturer recommended not only to add my own personal photographs of archive footage into the documentary but of celebrity cultures as well. This would greatly highlight the field of starvation within the mega popularity world where famous individuals are constantly battling to be the 'thinnest' of women in the movie making industry itself. In a particular frame of my documentary 'The Girls Who Wouldn't Eat' one of the intervewees mentions how she was influenced significantly by the media subculture to diet because 'everyone else was doing it in magazines'. I feel this further justifies the major issue my documentary focuses upon - how others (especially celebrities) can influence us in a negative way and due to her exposure this specific woman interviewed developed an eating disorder partially because of her competition to strive to be the 'thinnest' of the celebrities. This teaches a valuable moral point to the viewer, importantly how much the media actually revolves around our lives and how we are so easily warped into its malicious ways. Referencing to these magazines in the documentary shows the audience how dominant this industry is and how moreover it can lead to the development of serious life threatening illnesses.I feel this notion may make the viewer more aware of the negative implications surrounding the media world, whilst also teaching them protective mechanisms in particular to try and avoid this type of coverage so as not to be influenced in a negative fashion.



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