Today is been a day of structure.  We  spent our Lectorial learning about the structure of narrative and story telling and this weeks reading was also (unsurprisingly) based on the structure of stories.  Particularly, we are looking at documentary and how one would arrange their own documentary to engage the audience, allow a coherent flow and to ensure it is “satisfying dramatic forms”.

Michael Roemer (philosopher and filmmaker) suggests that the protagonist will be the most fascinating character who contests the world.  The protagonist will give you insight to the story.  In the form of a documentary the hero character takes shape in someone who is facing a struggle to achieve a goal.  This goal becomes of personal interest to the audience through dramatic tension.

Drama also tends to have a structure made up of 3 acts.

  1.  The establishing scene (characters, setting, situation, conflict)
  2.  The complications are escalated which is hindering the protagonists actions to complete his/her goal
  3. The situation climaxes (intensifies) or there is a confrontation- it will then resolve whether that be happily or otherwise

This structure can be used when shooting a documentary to establish “how would we handle the problems and conditions those people encountered?”  It isn’t that far removed form everyday life– it’s problem solving.  If you have a fight with a friend there is conflict and more often than not, you will want to resolve this.  It’s like “a family pet figuring out how to open the back door.”  “Dramatists call this cycle of character/problem/escalation/crisis/resolution the dramatic curve or dramatic arc.”  This is endlessly useful as a filmmaker as you can see where the action is moving and decide what to shoot and how to shoot it based on this action.

Filming a documentary is complicated and changeable.  Planning will usually go out the window if you are trying to record in one day.  Things happen, life gets in the way and plans change.  So, using this dramatic curve, even in research will give you a broad idea on how to film the documentary.  Once you find the peak of your dramatic curve, the rest of the action will fall into place.  Although, once again it is hard to manipulate your documentary into this dramatic curve if your are not using the 3 Act structure.

It is possible to have a sort of ‘mini-climax’ throughout your film.  These are called ‘beats’.  These are small moments of realisation within particular characters.  The other actors or subjects aren’t always necessarily aware that a beat has occurred.  Your subjects could be fighting and arguing until something changes– whatever that change may be is the beat.  This realisation often results in the character changing their path to an alternative course of action.

 

Extract from Michael Rabiger, 2009, Directing the Documentary, 5th Edition (Focus Press) pp.283-291