This week we are assigned to read selective  chapters from the textbook, "Making Documentary Films and Videos ", written by Barry Hampe, in preparation for the upcoming movie documentary class assignment. When reading through assigned chapters I gained insight and perspective into the details concerning the creation process of a movie documentary. The book touches on various aspects of the process itself, like the details concerning the script writing, ethics, and visual captions of the art piece. In the book the chapter that I found really interesting was chapter 13, where the author described the type of reality that a camera  creates to be a type of manipulated perspective that is edited to fit the vision that the "director" has for the project. It is interesting to think of the fact that an objective piece of technology can be used to create subjective pieces of media tailored for specific audiences. When reading this section, I also found it relatable when the author discussed the new technology that is used as an additional way to alter the type of reality that audiences receive. In relation to the ethics and credibility points that were addressed in the book it was interesting to see how they applied to a visual production like this. From gaining consent from the people within the production to the ideas and titles within the background of the video as well. It was a different way to look at the overall basics  of ethics and examine how the specifics are applied in this type of visual and audio production. Aside from the aspects of the ethics and camera perspectives that are covered in the book it was also interesting to learn about the type of visual mediums including in documentary. However the visual concept of B-roll is not only used in documentaries, but in various forms of mass media as well. Getting to understand what B-roll is, allows me to see how it can be used in the real world, and how sometimes it is seen as a "filler" with no true purpose. Rather a collection or singular image that barely correlates to the topic at hand that is currently being introduced. However when used in the correct format and style the concept of B-roll could provide helpful visual clues and descriptions. Through these assigned chapters, I have been introduced to some aspects that form a documentary. I hope to utilize this newly acquired knowledge efficiently and effectively in the movie documentary assignment.

 

 

 

Works Cited:

Barry Hampe. Making Documentary Films and Videos. Holt Paperbacks Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2007.