Analysing a documentary

 - Little Pyongyang 

I decided to analyse 'Little Pyongyang' as it is in the biography style which is a documentary style that I have the opportunity to be able to make. Little Pyongyang, focuses on the life story of a refugee who was finding it hard to adapt to his home life in London, he expresses what it was like integrating into British Culture as well as what his life was life growing up.

 The opening starts with a 2minute and a half master interview that zooms in from a mid shot to a medium close-up.Which is continuously throughout the documentary filmed from the same angle. A shallow focus is used with a plain background so that we are focused on the speaker being the man. The audio is diegetic and is undisturbed by background noises so that it is clear however it is translated with subtitles as the original dialect is not in english. 

Scene 2,  same use of colour is used to make an easily non disturbed transition. Title is presented in transition on the can. Diegetic audio is continued listening to the dialogue of the person being interviewed, with a voice over. Cut away shots from the main story, can be used when the audio is not matching/ syncing with the person talking this idea helps smooth out the continuity of the documentary.The shot then returns to the master interview of the man talking. 

 

Scene 3, We transition, to a mid-shot establishing the mans work and his day to day life. We hear the now non-diegetic dialogue overlaying the story that is being shown.Multiple quick cuts to establish the area the man is in. In the first clip we see the man in costume establishing that he works in the building behind him being B&Q.We are shown a mix of mid and close-up shots of the mans daily life including him shopping with who we can assume is his wife. 

Scene 4, The next shots present his family with mid shots as well as close-up shots of the wife preparing food for the family. By showing the home we are invited into his personal life as the viewer giving a more personal insight to the mans life, it also shows the audience that they are a working-class family as we get to see the living conditions which by the mise-on-scene we can see is working-class though the fact that there is a box in the back corner holding folders etc that seems it has been sitting there for a while. In these scenes we can hear the non- diegetic voice over of the man speaking.  With the plain subtitles being presented in English as the main language of the original documentary is Korean. The audio has been made during production it is not post production. In the middle of the shot of his daughters and wife there is a quick transition back to the master interview zooming out of the mans face from a close-up shot with shallow focus before another quick jump cut to his wife's hand laying traditional Korean food on the table with a close-up shot with shallow focus for a smooth transition. 

Scene 5, The scene shows the family enjoying their family dinner, with the only sound that can be heard which is the diegetic sound of cutlery hitting the bowels as they are eating, we can also hear the sound of the family chewing.The family dinner is presented in multiple shots including, mid-shots, over the shoulder shots and close-ups shots of the family eating, we can also hear a diegetic example of a family conversation.This scene allows the audience to be taking part in their day to day live, giving the audience a sense of participatory culture, it allows the audience to sympathise with the mans story. A jump cut is used to transition back to a close-up of the mans face in the master interview setting. Foley is used to increase the sound of the chewing on the table we are taken back and forth between these two scenes with the addition of post production non-diegetic music playing in the background.

Scene 6, Much like scene two same use of colour is used to make an easily non disturbed transition, showing cut aways to different items form the master interview. Non-diegetic audio is heard of dramatic music to build up the tension of the documentary. Cut away shots from the main story, can be used when the audio is not matching/ syncing with the person talking this idea helps smooth out the continuity of the documentary, we then come back to the master interview. 

Scene 7 comes back to the master interview with an extreme close up shot zooming out from the mans face. The diegetic dialogue can be heard again. When then jump with a quick cut transition to a table presenting sea food with use of a mid shot at symmetrical placement of mise-on-scene then after with a birds eye view zoom in shot of fish. The scene continues like this jumping between the master scene and close-up shots of the food.

Scene 8, uses the camera technique rostrom using a small zoom into an old image, after a jump cut away from the main master interview. Over the top we can hear the mans non-diegetic dialogue with the same use of subtitles at the bottom of the shot. We then jump back to another big close-up shot of the man talking with a different new camera angle. Non-diegetic music plays loudly over the shot of the master interview.

Scene 9, In scene 9 we are transitioned to a different type of shot and scenery, we are shown a low angled close-up of the man in his car, the shot is in shallow focus and we can hear the diegetic sound of the street around him as he gets out of the car. A quick transition is used to show the man inside of a building with close-up shots of him/his hands looking through news papers. The non-diegetic sound of the over the top dialogue from the interview can be heard.

Scene 10, In scene ten the master interview location is changed to the man being interviewed in what can be assumed to be his living room.A quick cut is used to show the man talking using the master scene method, the dialogue from the man is diegetic. The camera shot is hand held as the camera is shaking, in a mid-shot.The rule of thirds has been used in this scene as he is positioned to be in the first left side of the third. A jump cut is then used to show a mid shot with a different higher camera angle with the man in the left continuing to use the rule of thirds.  A jump cut is then used again to show a close up of the mans face from a side angle. 

The final seen i will be talking about scene 11, we are shown a mid-close up of the man at an event, we can hear the diegetic sound of the man on the phone as well as the diegetic sound of the children in the background. We are taken through quick cuts back and forth of the event and its food to relate back to scene 3. You can tell the event is a celebration by the lights and stage, and it is an important event as everyone is dressed up for the occasion e.g the man is wearing a suit.Quick cut are used to show different angled mid shots of his family enjoying the event. Joyful, upbeat non-diegetic music begins to play. Shallow focus is used throughout the scene to focus on the individuals being presented. The documentary ends with a quick jump cut back to the man in the pink master interview setting.