Over the course of this unit, we have looked at several exemplar pieces to help influence our creative ideas in terms of visually telling our story. Three that have stuck out to me particularly were blackfish, dreams of a life, and Aileen: Life and death of a serial killer. Although the style and story-telling approach for each documentary is different, they all dealt with quite sensitive stories and caused an uproar of attention and stir amongst the audience and the media.
Carol Morley's Dreams of a Life is a documentary centred on the mysterious death of a lady called Joyce Vincent in Wood Green, London. In 2003, Joyce passed away whilst watching the television in her tiny bedsit. Three years later her body is found decomposed into the sofa and carpet, with the television still on and wrapped christmas gifts amidst her living room. Although the story itself is enough to send a chill down your spine Carol does an excellent job of evoking emotion in the audience with her recreated scenes which tend to take course throughout the entire film. Joyce Vincent wasn't an open person with her life and personal issues so finding out information about her life, finding home footage and clips was almost impossible. All Carol had to go off of was the information given by close friends and acquaintances and still Dreams of a life managed to become one of the most disturbingly beautiful stories of all time in england. Personally for me it raised question about the lack of friendliness and community here in england and also did a great job at making my heart throb every time one of her friends burst into tears over the mysterious passing. Her recreation of this mysterious lady also allowed the audience to sympathise with this person who was surrounded by everyone and cared for by few. Technically reviewing it, I love the tone and pace of the documentary, it didn't waste time setting the scene of the story and relaying to you the basics of the character and her fate. In addition, the cool hues bring about the eerie feel/chill that makes the documentary all the more thrilling and sad for the audience.
Nick Broomfield's Documentary about the eccentric killer Aileen Wuornos is one of the world's most talked about documentaries telling the tale of america's first female serial killer on death row. The story starts first with Aileen: The selling of a serial killer, this film focuses on how the media, law enforcement bodies, family and friends abused her rights as an individual being prosecuted and sold her out for her story. In the documentary we learn that her lawyer wasn't particularly qualified and also that she was found to be mentally disturbed, two things which could have drastically changed her sentencing but didn't due to the hidden greed of the masses. Nick broomfield adopts a very active role in this documentary and as an audience, we witness a nurturing friendship between the director and his case study Aileen. Ironically, Nick states that over the course of production of the film, whilst coming into contact with those relevant to the case, he came to realise Aileen was the most honest of them all and he believed the jurisdiction were wrong to but a mentally insane person on death row. What shocked me most about this documentary was the ability for it to make me doubt my personal beliefs and values concerning sentencing, murders and moral behaviour. Instead of being portrayed as the villain she was shown as a victim of extortion which put a spin on her entire story. Instead of a coldblooded killer, Aileen had became a vulnerable woman who had to trust the very people selling her out to her death. Personally, I like this documentary because Nick broomfield serves as a bridge between Aileen and us the viewers. It allows us to communicate with her and see reason in some of her actions/statements. One of the things I liked most about the film were the eerie shots of Nick driving from one point to another accompanied by some thrilling music. It served as a metaphor of the haunting journey to death that Aileen's life had been for twelve years.
Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite Blackfish is a documentary film that will keep you on the edge from the beginning to the end. Not only do you develop a relationship with these strikingly beautifully creatures, you also learn the importance of their freedom and how dangerous they can be when taken away from their natural habitat. Having watched the film twice now, I particularly love the tone and mood of the documentary. The blue hues on the footage are more than fitting for the grim tale and evoke an element of suspense amongst audience.
