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In preparation for creating my own 2-3 minute documentary, I thought I would first look to other short documentaries. What I found here, was an incredible diversity in the structure; all had similar timeframes, all focussed on people as their subject, painting a portrait of their lives as it were, however, they were all vastly different and played with conventional documentary techniques to create pieces as unique as their subjects.

OFFLINE DATING from Samuel Abrahams

Mirroring the style of television documentaries, Offline Dating follows the presenter/subject throughout the day as he searches to find a date in real life, showing his trials and errors. Contrasting with My Mom’s Motorcyle, this film has little to no script, and little planning in regards to the other participants, who are met on screen, and interacted with for the first time all in front of the camera.

 

Hotel 22 by Elizabeth Lo from Short of the Week

This is a beautifully crafted film, documenting the 24 hour bus route in Palo Alto, where the homeless have been taken refuge for years. It does so whilst employing no interviews of any kind, and interestingly, they aren’t necessary. The story tells itself through the visuals, and occasional interactions of the passengers. It also features some impressive cinematography, using a still, mounted camera to capture moments of silence and stillness, at the end of the film especially, to reflect the hardships the passengers face, as they are isolated from society and help.

 

Copycat from Charlie Lyne

This short documentary is a fully found-footage film, whose story is told through a unique combination of narration and subject recording, wherein the narration is used to link together pieces of the original interview recording. This strange combination can be a little jarring at times, but it’s a very unique way of putting together a documentary piece, and is a resourceful way of connecting interview clips into a coherent whole.

My Mom’s Motorcycle: My Rode Reel from Douglas Gautraud

This is an example of a fully scripted documentary, which also interestingly is a self-focussed, self-reflective documentary. The film is centred around the narrator, his connection with his grandfathers, and by extension, an older time and his search for the authenticity that came with it.

 

The Bowler from Sean Dunne

The editing is the main thing to be noted in this piece, as it sets the fast pace of the film, in line with the subject’s speech pattern. The film’s colour grading and general tonality also reflect the subject’s character.

 

The Heat from Chris Eversole

This film is a combination of found footage and original recordings. Following the remarkably uplifting story of a forensic psychologist turn mum turn boxer. It’s a great example of the way in which simple, unimposing music can be used to enhance the tone of a film, used here to afford the film a reflective, optimistic tone.