Place for Paedophiles

This documentary conducted by Louis Theroux that took place at Coalinga State Hospital, a hospital specifically for Paedophiles.   The documentary itself is very interesting, but I want to analyse the way that Louis asks questions and the editing of the footage.

Questions and Voiceovers

The scenes are initially set with various interesting shots such as a Shot of Security Guard walking towards camera in Silhouette or a shot of a curved mirror, not really showing much subject matter. Louis then sets the scene with a voiceover. The voiceover overlays often shots of various scenery, such as a hallway in the building, or just a long open road leading to the area. Footage used is often shots used to set the scene and state where we are in the story, whether just a shot of the night sky to convey that a day has past, or a shot of the area where the next interview will be conducted. This footage is often followed by Louis walking to the next room or area to interview people in a different scenario. For example, Louis walks into a basketball court and has a small 10 second conversation with one of the people participating in the game, shortly followed with a different location and setting.

Louis’s questions are very simple and often seem very blunt, though his tone is always sweet and unassuming. For example, “do you find you’re still attracted to small children?” to a man who received a full physical castration, and “How could you have thought that molesting that child was something that was ever okay to do?”. He occasionally asks closed ended questions followed with “why”. Such as “Do you like it here?”. Louis focuses on the responses, and stays very silent as the person he is interviewing. Often there’s about a 3 second gap after every question has been answered before Louis reinitiates the    conversation. There’s also very occasionally music playing in the background, particularly in the establishing shots.

The entire Documentary seems to be the reoccurring structured sequence of

1. Establishing Shot (Either panning, moving backwards/forwards or still)
2. Voice Over of what’s next with walking implying time has passed
3. Interviews

And though not directly related to the filming process,

4. Revisits and Shows the growth of characters we’ve empathised with

Camera Work

The Camera work is quite simple, it follows the characters being interviewed with what looks like a handheld Camera, often looking up at the characters. The camera work is often wobbly, seemingly not overly professional, but showing what needs to be shown very efficiently. The lighting and contrast of the people being filmed is good through most shots, having the face and their expressions very clear and easy to determine. The characters are positioned on the right side of the screen looking left or the left side of the screen looking right, particularly when there’s a conversation between two characters. (Usually Louis and somebody else) There looks like there’s two cameras, occasionally skipping to a different view, but often the camera will literally follow the conversation back and forth. It’s really quite easy to follow, and there’s very few cuts. Often the questions and conversations that Louis are have don’t sound rehearsed at all, but he always gets the message and his question across efficiently.

Overall, Louis Theroux conveys his documentaries in a very simple and easy to follow manner, not using overly complicated language or impressive camera work. The success in his technique is his simple and unassuming/unbiased ways of interacting with his interviewees, as he comes across very unjudgmental, and just another person, which puts his subjects at ease.

How does a Camera tell a story?

Film Form

In the dark knight, Youtube movie analyser Nickolas Dobbie looks over the camera angles and techniques used by director Christopher Nolan and cinematographer Wally Pfister. In this analaysis we look at the scene where Batman is Interrogating the Joker as he’s held in captivity.

As the scene begins, the camera is planted behind the Joker, already showing the Jokers position of power, as the camera slowly zooms into Gordons face, we see that the words that the Joker says really have an effect on him. The Joker wins the confrontation, and Gordon leaves

However, the confrontation changes once Batman enters the scene. We initially see someone out of focus behind a closeup of the joker, both facing the same direction.

Camera angles look up on Batman and Downwards on Joker which presents the power dynamic of the two characters. Though, as Batman sits down opposite the joker, they are shot close up as equals.

I noticed that again, a huge amount of emotion is purely conveyed through the eyes, as mentioned previously by Tony Zhou.

Screen Direction is a technique to show continuity in film, usually the screen is shown from left to right, like that of a book.

I’m not sure I necessarily agree with it, but Nicholas argues that the joker changes from being presented on the left side of the screen to the right to confuse the audience on who is the antagonist and who speaks truth. But I really don’t think having a character on a particular half of a camera shot really has that much power to dictate the way we analyse characters moral standpoint.

When Batman grabs the Joker and lifts him into the air, the camera switches to being handheld. This conveys the wild unpredictability of the actions that are about to unfold. The Editing becomes faster giving the audience less time to think about what’s going on.

When Batman has lost complete control, we go to the scene of the Joker in a Dutch tilt, “twisting the scene into madness”

, and during the scene that batman is attacking the Joker, Batman’s fists are presented in the middle of the camera shot.

Showing us the extent to which Batman holds an advantage over the joker, purely through physical strength, and we find out that that is not enough.

The scene and camera work communicates that despite the fact that Batman has his enemy in captivity face to face with all his strength, he still does not have the power. Which creates a very interesting dynamic of knowledge over strength.

-Nick Dobbie

Where to find visual Comedy

Jacques Tati

Visual Comedy is something of a lost art nowadays. Most comedy is on just characters talking.

To create a comedic scenario:

• Modes of Find a way to make the character struggle to do something they need to do.
• Interrupt them from getting from point a to point be. Taking advantage of objects and the world around you

Tati’s greatest gags are based off this. The key to make a visual gag is to have it being exaggerated, he only used sound to really sell the gags, rather than the make the gag. Sound can bring life or personality into an object or location.

Little Tich and his Big boots was a funny example of Visual Comedy.

Tati was first trained as a mime artist. He stated If you’re going to exaggerate something, you’ve first got to have something. You want to exaggerate everything you’re doing for the art of humour, often delivered Deadpan.

Tati’s humour is often based on humour or things often overlooked in life, like the way people act in a traffic jam, yawning and picking their nose, not really paying attention to the outside world.

The three key parts of visual comedy are

1. Props
2. Sound

Angles

You may see something from one angle, but once the angle is changed, it’s not what you thought it was. Set up a situation, cut away for a moment, and then bring it back. A gag needs space and time to forget about the setup so the punchline can hit all the better.

Observation is very important, often the smallest thing can end up being the funniest

– Andrew Saladino

(The royal ocean film society)

Louis CK and the art of Non-Verbal Communication

Comedians mostly talk, and that’s their main way to communicate. Louis CK makes a lot of gags about the lag of an easy communication, not understanding what other people are trying to say.

When Louis CK can’t communicate, the scene is edited to have focus on Louis’ face, and he will convey his emotion with things like his “not-face”

Close up shots of facial features can really communicate a lot of emotion and feeling of the situation.  Louis points out that instead of constantly yelling or talking, we should focus on body language.

-Luis Azevedo

The Art of the Gag

Buster Keaton, is a silent comedian, his work is shown through lots of other work, he focuses on al comedy. He told his story strictly through action.

Back in the day, most stories were told through title cards, he focussed on gesture and pantomime. Keaton believed each gesture done should be unique.

“Every single fall is an opportunity for creativity.”

Visual gags work best from one particular angle, and it’s difficult to find the best angle. An angle with a car driving off with a wheel not attached to the car can be viewed from an angle either showing the car, or one showing the wheel and Keaton’s face.

The rules of this world

• World is flat and governed by one law
• If the character can’t see it, the audience can’t see it either.
• The gags are about human movement in the flat world.

The Grand Budapest Hotel used a lot of this skill, Keaton found humour in geometry, showing what is going on through circles, triangles etc.

A lot of the humour is designed to play like magic tricks, and part of the fun is trying to guess how it’s done.

Impossible Gags

Break the rules of the world, and started calling them cartoon gags. For visual comedy, you have to keep your mind open for improvisation. 50%  of Buster Keaton was in his mind before the picture, and the rest is through improv.

Buster Keaton said to “Never Fake a Gag” The only way to convince the audience that what was happening is real, was to actually do it.

– Tony Zhou.

(Every Frame a Painting)