Documentary Modes-Game Night

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOQux9Tw2Qw

The Poetic Mode documentary that I created is an abstract film in which I experimented with the power of focus. The theme of this video is how hard it is to focus on what is truly important when one is bombarded by loud voices and interrupted by unwelcome visual images. There is no concrete story to this film because I wanted it to be more about feelings and thoughts. I think that this mode is a great way of expressing ones feelings without being boxed in by a set storyline. However, poetic mode can cause problems to arise when it comes to making evident the filmmakers intended theme.

The Expository Mode documentary was about a game called Betrayal at House on the Hill. I chose to narrate the different aspects of the game while it was being played. I tried to be as factual as possible so as to help anyone who doesn’t understand how the works. The theme of this video was simply to instruct on how to play a specific game so as to persuade my audience to want to play it. The difficulty with using this mode with this theme is that it doesn’t really express how I feel about the game—it doesn’t really persuade anyone to play the game. It was also difficult to explain all aspects of the game within the time constraint that was given. However, this video was very effective in its instruction because it couples spoken language with visual images so as to help the audience better understand the game.

The Observational Cinema Mode documentary was of my friends and I playing Monopoly Deal. The camera is more focused on the cards on the table then on our faces because that is where the game is played—where events unfold. I wanted to show how my friends and I play this game and how fun it can be. However, because my friends and I knew that there was a camera there it was harder to behave as we would normally. We are affected by our surroundings and therefore cannot pretend a camera isn’t there if it truly is. This caused me to have to cut out several strips of my original film. Thankfully when the camera was set down on the table we were able to focus more on the game and therefore act more naturally. I think that this mode of film is a great way to show the way people do things and go about life without “hamming it up for the camera”.

The Personal Voice Mode documentary was done from my point of view about how fun playing games can be. I think that society has turned from being physically active to being technologically active, and that technology is the source for everything—fun, news, etc. I was able to better convey the theme of persuading my audience to play games, to go and do something. However, my view are not facts and can seem “snobbish” which may cause many to not want to watch it.