I began my research on Youtube on documentaries of Oman, to see what had already been created and what wasn’t touched upon yet. The idea of creating a documentary on the city of Bahla, was one I thought I could really make interesting and stand out as Bahla is known for its spirits and black magic and I had not yet come across any documentaries based on this aspect of Bahla, I want to be the first!
Myth links in well with my documentary, as the black magic and spirit stories may not be true, and just used to scare people away from coming to visit the city. Within my documentary, I will portray the aspect of weather we should believe in the stories, or if they are just made up, and allow the audience to decide on this after watching the film.
Myth links in well with my documentary, as the black magic and spirit stories may not be true, and just used to scare people away from coming to visit the city. Within my documentary, I will portray the aspect of weather we should believe in the stories, or if they are just made up, and allow the audience to decide on this after watching the film.
Documentary Research
Myth Theory:
There are four basic theories of myth. Those theories are: the rational myth theory, functional myth theory, structural myth theory, and the psychological myth theory. The rational myth theory states that myths were created to explain natural events and forces. Functional myths are what you call the kinds of myths that were created as a type of social control. The third myth theory is the structural myth theory. This theory says that myths were patterned after human mind and human nature. The psychological myth theory is the forth myth theory, which states that myths are based on human emotion.
Rational Myth
The rational myth theory states that myths were made to better understand natural events and forces that occurred in the everyday lives of people. This theory also explains that the gods and goddesses controlled all of these happenings of nature. Examples of this type of myth are creation myths from different cultures. Creation myths explain how man was created and explain what the gods and goddesses used and what actions they took to create humans. These myths also tell what substances were used (if any) in order for man to exist. The existence of man is a natural event but creation myths give other explanations.
Functional Myth
The functional myth theory talks about how myths were used to teach morality and social behaviour. It states that myths told about what types of things should and shouldn’t be done, and the consequences for those wrong doings. The functional myth theory also states that myths were created for social control and served the function of insuring stability in a society. A story about a tribe who rebelled against the great serpent, Degei, is a good example of a functional myth. This story is about a tribe who learned many skills from heir great serpent god, Degei, and then become Defei’s workers and servants. Two chiefs of this tribe were sick of working for him and tried to defeat him; they were too weak for Degei. Instead of winning their freedom, they were killed in a great flood caused by Degei. This myth is trying to say that you should not be lazy because if you are, they you will regret it.
Structural Myth
Structural myths are said to be myths based on human emotion. These types of myths show the two sides of the human mind; the good side and the bad side. They show the divided self and the duality of human nature. Myths about Hercules show how the human mind can be both good and bad. Hercules did both good and bad things. One of the bad things he did was (in ‘Jason and the Argonauts’) he stole a broach pin from the treasure chamber of the god Talos. This sin caused his friend to be killed. Hercules knew that his friend was killed because of his sin, so to make up for it; he vowed to tay on the island until his friend was found.
Psychological Myth
The psychological myth theory states how myths are based on human emotion and that they come from human subconscious mind. Cultures all around the world had similar fears, questions and wishes which, to them, were unexplainable. That is\n the reason that psychological myths were made; and that is why there are archetypes shared between cultures. Archeypes are general forms and characters used by all cultures. Some archetypes found between cultures are having a sky god (Zeus and Oleron), a sea god (Poseidon and Olokun), and an agricultural god (Orisha-Oko and Demeter). Thee archetypes are examples of how people think alike when it comes to things that are to them mysteries and fears.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it appears that man created myths for quite a few reasons. These reasons include explaining the unknown, natural events and forces, to show the duality and pureness of human nature and the human mind, and to help societies\n maintain order and remain stable.
Source: http://research-papers.com
Analysis of a TV Documentary
LIFERS
Channel 4 Documentary: LIFERS
Channel 4 documentary following the life of men in Gartree prison in Leicestershire over six months. Who are in there for a range of murder crimes in the UK. Presents feeling and thoughts from the prisoners on the crime they committed, how they cope and live.
Shown on channel 4 at 9pm, targeting mature British Audience, as it’s based on a serious topic, edited in ways of being more serious and sympathetic.
Voice overs:
Channel 4 documentary following the life of men in Gartree prison in Leicestershire over six months. Who are in there for a range of murder crimes in the UK. Presents feeling and thoughts from the prisoners on the crime they committed, how they cope and live.
Shown on channel 4 at 9pm, targeting mature British Audience, as it’s based on a serious topic, edited in ways of being more serious and sympathetic.
Voice overs:
- They used a formal male voiceover, with an informative tone to narrate, from the beginning to introduce the program. There is no presenter involved.
- To attract viewers, they used news reports over the clips to make it seem more real and dangerous, making the documentary serious.
- Fly on the wall, to capture everything within a certain room or location, to show how intense prison really is.
- Use hand held as they are constantly on the move, following the prisoners from each location and follow what they are up to.
- While questions are being answered, the clips switch with a sound bridge to demonstrate what he is talking about
- To show main body language which is represented from head to arm
- Represent bad conditions in which they live in and to show more detail for the audience
- “700 inmates which 85% serving life sentences” – use of voice over to show shocking statistics without distracting what is shown on the screen.
- Use of natural lighting throughout the prison, as it wouldn’t be realistic for light equipment to be used.
- Recapping over actions he did – violin, soft music is played to emphasize the emotion and create empathy with the audience.
- During the title, ticking music is heard, creating tension and emphasis the wait to leave prison
- Sound bridge of the ticking music to soft violin so the audience feel calmer and relaxed to introduce prisoners.
- A photo of one of the prisoners as a child – audience feels sympathy as they feel that the prisoner was not always bad.
HOW TO GET A LIFE: ARE WE ALL ADDICTS
BBC Three: Cherry Healy – how to get a life, are we all addicts?
This documentary looks at people’s addictions to certain legal drugs for pleasurable circumstances. Shown on BBC three at 9pm, targeted towards youth in the UK through their editing and presenter.
Voiceover:
This documentary looks at people’s addictions to certain legal drugs for pleasurable circumstances. Shown on BBC three at 9pm, targeted towards youth in the UK through their editing and presenter.
Voiceover:
- Throughout the documentary, voice over by the presenter who straight away gets personal with the audience
- Clips and images are shown while a voiceover to support the episode of what the series is about, to get a better understanding and to attract the audiences
- Fast forward, they make it seem as though everything is moving fast to go along with the statement told, also with deep focus on the main object of the clip to show a rush
- Done with presenter, showing how they react with each other, creates a personal bias on the interviewee. – also making it a calmer and relaxed setting
- Written in text on the screen accompanied by a voiceover by cherry with an internet supportive clip underneath to get with the subject
- Natural lighting is used throughout as the equipment wouldn’t fit in the locations of the documentaries
- First establishing shot play Rizzle Kicks – possibly to attract young audience
- Second establishing shot plays LMFAO – also to get a feel of the location
- Background music is upbeat and quite electronical which is common on BBC Three documentaries
Similarities and Differences
Interviews:
Interviews:
- Both documentaries have an interview with a professional to get factual information on their topic
- Both use different style:
Lifers uses a close up shot accompanied by text on the side to inform the audience on who it is.
Whereas How to get a life, uses Cherry in their interview with a voiceover stating who it is Credits - Both of the documentaries have visual similarities, by having a black background with text on top, while sliding upwards, accompanied by music that suited their documentary
Presenter - BBC Three documentary used a well-known presenter of the channel throughout the episode and series as she was used as a participial observer of their research, making the atmosphere more relaxed and dun throughout. However, lifers only have a formal male narrator, Stephan Mackintosh which created a more intense atmosphere.
Titles - Lifers had a black screen with white text fading on to and getting bigger on the screen accompanied by ticking sounds creating intense and symbolizing the wait to release while using a black font which seems quite harsh.
- Whereas How to get a life, was quirkier and fun, featuring the presenter in the titles. They wrote the text onto objects which is quite eye catching accompanies by upbeat music to create a light heated atmosphere with their audience – attracting youth as an audience.
Bahla Research:
Youtube Videos:
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At 16.55 - Bahla is mentioned - 18.28
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Online Research:
Bahla is a town in Ad Dakhiliyah, Oman. It is famous for its ancient fort and its pottery.
The town is 40 km away from Nizwa and about 200 km from Muscat Capital.
The old Bahla Fort with its 12km (seven miles) wall is the oldest fort in Oman. The fort owes its prosperity To banu Nabhan tribe who ruled Oman during that time. And is now undergoing reconstruction sponsored by UNESCO.
All area rounded by the old wall is called Bahla Oasis and it is listed as an old area. Bahla pottery is famous throughout Oman, and is in great demand from tourists. A short distance beyond Bahla lies the Castle of Jabreen. This massive three-storied was built during Al Ya'rub dynasty in the mid-17th century. It is a fine example of Islamic architecture with beautiful wooden inscriptions and paintings on the ceilings. Bahla is also famous for Black Magic.
The town is 40 km away from Nizwa and about 200 km from Muscat Capital.
The old Bahla Fort with its 12km (seven miles) wall is the oldest fort in Oman. The fort owes its prosperity To banu Nabhan tribe who ruled Oman during that time. And is now undergoing reconstruction sponsored by UNESCO.
All area rounded by the old wall is called Bahla Oasis and it is listed as an old area. Bahla pottery is famous throughout Oman, and is in great demand from tourists. A short distance beyond Bahla lies the Castle of Jabreen. This massive three-storied was built during Al Ya'rub dynasty in the mid-17th century. It is a fine example of Islamic architecture with beautiful wooden inscriptions and paintings on the ceilings. Bahla is also famous for Black Magic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahla
Books Research:
Below is a list of books I underwent within my research phase.
Name: Oman A Seafaring Nation
Author: N/A Year of publish: 1979 Publisher Company: Ministry of Information & Culture Oman Media: Paper Back Review: Not only is this book dated back, it was only based on Oman and its Sea Life, nothing relevant to my area of study. Name: Oman, UAE & the Arabian Peninsula
Author: Walker J Year of publish: N/A Publisher Company: Lonely Planet Review: This book was helpful as it had Bahla as one of the categories to visit within Oman. It included locations in Bahla, such as the Bahla souq. Name: Oman & the United Arab Emirates
Author: Callan L / Robinson G Year of publish: N/A Publisher Company: Lonely Planet Review: This book was helpful as it had Bahla as one of the categories to visit within Oman. It included locations in Bahla, such as the Bahla souq. |
Name: Craft Heritage of Oman: Volumes 1&2
Author: Richardson N, Dorr M Year of publish: 2003 Media: Hardback Review: This book was very good when it comes to learning information about Oman and its culture and Heritage, however, it did not include specific information on Bahla or Black Magic. |
Planning:
Music:
Music for my Documentary is very essential, as it is one way in which the theme is sent across.
Not instrumental
Instrumental - Could be used for interviews
0- 1.04 Good intro, calming however after that it goes into a fast beat.
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Instrumental
Classic instrumental music
Instrumental - good for filling when interviews are not taking place.
Good for the INTRO
Peaceful arabian instrumental music |
Happy
Not instrumental Instrumental - good for the opening of the documentary
Upbeat - too jolly.
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Speed Sketch
1) Drawring and Filming:
Drawring and lightsource:
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2) Editing:
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Codes and Conventions of Film Posters
IMAGE:
Film posters alwats contain a main image. which is what the audience, passer-by's and people see when the poster catches their eye. These can be either stills from the film, character shots but they always contain some type of iconography to reveal the film's genre and something about the film. Images on posters portray the narrative of the film, so they have to be clear.
Below are two different posters for film. the one on the left is the official UK poster, which is an image of the main character. The fetahers on the top reveal that there is something bird like in the film and the woman's face is cracked like china. this reveals something about the character's fate in the film. The one on the right is a drawing special edition poster. The drawring shoes a ballerina but inside a drawring of a swan.
Film posters alwats contain a main image. which is what the audience, passer-by's and people see when the poster catches their eye. These can be either stills from the film, character shots but they always contain some type of iconography to reveal the film's genre and something about the film. Images on posters portray the narrative of the film, so they have to be clear.
Below are two different posters for film. the one on the left is the official UK poster, which is an image of the main character. The fetahers on the top reveal that there is something bird like in the film and the woman's face is cracked like china. this reveals something about the character's fate in the film. The one on the right is a drawing special edition poster. The drawring shoes a ballerina but inside a drawring of a swan.
TITLE:
Film posters nearly always have the films title on it, because if not, no one will know what the film is called and would be able to find out more information.
There are a few expectations of this when it comes to teaser poster (when the film hasnt been made yet but the film had already generated a lot of talk) or because the film is so well known, that it doesn't need the title.
Film posters nearly always have the films title on it, because if not, no one will know what the film is called and would be able to find out more information.
There are a few expectations of this when it comes to teaser poster (when the film hasnt been made yet but the film had already generated a lot of talk) or because the film is so well known, that it doesn't need the title.
An example of this is a poster for Batmans 'The Dark Knight Rises' whch doesnt feature the films title just the date of release. The film distribution could take this risk with this movie because it was pretty certain that the film would get an audience as there had previosuly been films before. The impact the poster has without the title is that the film is still recognisable and the images shows the symbol of Batman made from the skyline of the buildings and having it being a extreme low angle shot, to show it 'rising'.
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DIRECTORS, PRODUCERS AND ACTORS
Usually the director and producer of the film is displayed, especially if the director and producer are well known and are the main selling point of the film (e.g. big name directors like Steven Spielsberg or producers like Tim Burton). If it is a big name director/producer, then the name is big on the poster, if not then it is still visible but not obvious.
The actor of the film are listed either at the top or bottom of the poster, or at random points of the poster if the film genre can get away with random arrangements. If the film has a small cast, then only the main actors are on the poster, but if the film has a well known cast, then usually all of the big names are on the poster to sell the film.
Usually the director and producer of the film is displayed, especially if the director and producer are well known and are the main selling point of the film (e.g. big name directors like Steven Spielsberg or producers like Tim Burton). If it is a big name director/producer, then the name is big on the poster, if not then it is still visible but not obvious.
The actor of the film are listed either at the top or bottom of the poster, or at random points of the poster if the film genre can get away with random arrangements. If the film has a small cast, then only the main actors are on the poster, but if the film has a well known cast, then usually all of the big names are on the poster to sell the film.
Director:
At the top of the film poster The magnificent seven, it shows that the director is already well known and that his directed films are known. It is placed at the top to show that it is a creation of his and therefore, is more then likely for it to be similar to previous films he has created. Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are well known actors, so by advertising that they are in the film attracts audiences who have previously liked some of their films. as they are known for quite a range of different films, audiences know that they should be expecting another great performance from them both |
QUOTES, RECOMMENDATIONS AND RATINGS
Once a film have been screened to critics, the promotion team of a film can re-create posters or re-cut to include postive reviews, ratings, feedback and recomendations.
Once a film have been screened to critics, the promotion team of a film can re-create posters or re-cut to include postive reviews, ratings, feedback and recomendations.
This extract of a review uses a mix of different words, to show the impact that the film had on this reviewer. the words 'Gut-wrenching' and 'Nerve-jangling' show that the film has an effect on the person's emotions as well as hint to an important 'Climax'.
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Dictionary definitions Extraordinary: exceptional in character, amount, extent, degree
Intoxicating: Exhilarating; exciting Materpiece: a person's greatest piece of work as in an art. |
This quote is from a well known magazine in the US called Rolling Stone Magazine. The magazine is dedicated to music, liberal politics and popular culture, so it is well known enough for people to take notice of the quote.
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This is from the prestigious UK film magazine, Empire. As it is from a well known company and nearly always reliable source in film critics, this is an important quote to help sell the film.
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AWARDS:
Similarly to reviews and postive feedback, if a film is still be advertised during awards season when the team or actors are nominated for awards, the trailers and posters can include these details. If a film is nominated for an award, it must mean is a considered a well recieved film so audiences would be more intereested in seeing it. Likewise, if an actor in the film or a member of the production team has previously been nominated for a prestigious award or even won, this could be included in the promotion. |
TAGLINES:
In film trailers, posters and other promotions, taglines are used within them all to emphasise a point about a film as well as hint to what will hapen in the film for audiences. Taglines aim to be memorable for audiences, so that they think of the tagline, they therefore think of the flm. somtimes the tagline for a film is a line tha is mentioned or repeated throughout the film. e.g. - The Dark knight. |
DATE, RATING, EXTRA INFO:
Film posters need dates on them so that audiences who see the poster know when they can see it in the cinemas (or buy it on DVD if it is a DVD poster). There are different types of dates posters can use, they can be precise and use the exact date, or put the month, season or a simple 'coming soon' if the film is still in production. The dates of the film depends on how well known the film is before it comes out and whether or not the promotion company will benefit from relasing psoters months prior to the film's release or only a few weeks before. One of the most important parts of a film poster is all the small print information which contains the name of the director, producers, actors, soundtrack, production company, screenplay and much more, as well as the rating, a website link to find out more and sometimes images of the production companies of the film. The information on psoters is very small, so attention is not diverted from the image and other parts of the poster. |
Most posters have to show their rating on the poster if it is near the films release, especially if it is a well known film. Most often though, these ratings are American ratings.
FILM THEORIES AND FILM POSTERS:
ROLAND BARTHES: MEDIA THEORY The action/proalretic code is the idea of little actions that do not particularly raise questions, which creates tension and builds suspense for audiences to gues what happens next. This can be used in film posters, especially phychological thriller posters, as little parts of the poster may not straight away raise questions, but it could have an impact on the film. When a text is not being fully explained, it is considered to be Barthes Hermeneutic Code, as audiences want to find out what happens as so far everything seems to be a mystery. this is very applicable to film posters, as audiences so not have the whole story, so they are curious to find out more. The Enigma Code pushes audiences to ask questions about the film's plot, which they can do from seeing sneaks of a film's plot in film posters. The semantic Code and Symbolic Code look at symbols and connotations and meanings of symbols. |
http://www.slideshare.net/Nnadinee/film-poster-codes-and-conventions
Documentary Websites
Channel 4 is a UK based production company/ channel that has an official website. Similarly to Oman TV Website, but more developed and organised compared to the Omani one.
http://www.channel4.com/ National Geographic's website was much different to previous channel website. Its layout and content was very unique and clearly aimed at a specific target audience. However, the idea of having 'Photos of the day' is a good idea that I may include in my own website creation.
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