2. TYPE OF DOCUMENTARY
‘A Different Brain’ is a mixed and fly on the wall documentary. It consists
of Louis going to see individuals who have been in a serious incident
that's affected their brain and how it has affected their life. He follows
the life of four different families and uses a semi structured interview to
find out his findings however, he also observes their life style. Moreover,
he talks to the camera as well as narrating by using a voiceover however,
it does not follow a chronological order as he goes back and forth to
different families on different days.
3. THEMES
Throughout this documentary there are many themes explored. Firstly,
disability was the major theme present. It illustrated how an accident can
affect an individuals life drastically and how the damage to the brain can
affect an individual on a day to day basis. Another theme I noticed was the
need for the injured to always needing a parent/guardian with them at all
times. This could portray that those who have been in accident cannot take
care of themselves anymore and do not have the ability or strength to do this.
This conveys how these families need to ensure that the injured are catered
for. In addition, another theme that was noticed is memory loss. Those who
had been in the incident do not remember much about what happened to
them, how long they was in hospital for and even to this day why their life has
changed. This shows how the damage to the brain can affect an individuals
life aspects hugely. For example Natalie states ‘I don’t even know what
happened to me’.
4. NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
Louis Theroux takes control of partly narrating the documentary
however he uses the rule of thirds quite a lot as he interviews the
individuals however he doesn’t look directly at the camera which goes
against the codes and conventions. Additionally, the documentary is a
multi strand order in which it goes back and forth to the same families
however on different days. This evidently shows how it doesn’t follow a
chronological order and is not linear. Furthermore, the documentary is
single strand (life after an incident which affects the brain) which allows
the audience to stay focused and not get confused with multiple
different ones topics.
Voiceover
Interviews
5. CAMERAWORK
Throughout this documentary many shots types are used such as; two shots, close ups, mid
shots and medium close ups. The use of the two shots could link into the theme of the injured
needing a parent/guardian with them. This could show how it relates to how the interview
process when Theroux asks the interviewee questions and another shot is used (medium close
up) when the interview takes place. In addition to this, the use of the close ups could link to the
seriousness effects to brain damage and memory loss which could also have significance to
themes. This could illustrate the seriousness of the situation and attention and care is needed
at all times. Furthermore, mid shots could have been use to show links between personal
identity which could be used to compare and contrast the effects between all of those who
have ben injured. Theroux also uses the rule of thirds throughout as when he is interviewing
the individuals he does not look directly at the camera.
Medium close
up
Close up
Two shot:
rule of
thirds
Mid shot
6. MIS-EN-SCENCE
The use of mis-en-scence throughout this documentary could relate to different topics/themes.
Firstly, the medical experts code of attire is smart; the man is wearing a suit and tie which could
imply the seriousness of the situation and how he has to help to ensure the injured are receiving
the support they need. Theroux also wears a shirt throughout this documentary which could
illustrate that he has the hierarchy over the people he is interviewing which could be a
stereotype of an interviewer. Moreover, he visits a hospital which could show the significance of
health and being taken care of as these people need help and guidance to ensure they're living a
stable lifestyle. Additionally, the interviewees code of attire consists of their casual clothing
which could symbolise the comfort in their own home so they don't feel pressured to answer
the questions formally. Furthermore, the use of props such as family photos in the hospital
could make the room feel more at home, comfortable and friendlier.
Medical expert
Hospital
Interviewer
Interviewee
7. EDITING
Throughout this documentary the use of cutaways and zoom in was
evident throughout various points. The use of cutaways could suggest the
transition onto the next interview or scene that Theroux wanted to
achieve. Moreover, the use of a zoom in could illustrate the importance of
what is being said to allow to documentary to be more clearer and focus on
that certain topic. This also doesn’t take up too much time in the
documentary which could be what Theroux was trying to achieve.
Two different
cuts
Zoom in
8. SOUND
‘A Different Brain’ is partly narrated but mostly interviewed with the
camera on screen. The narration part is done by Louis Theroux himself
and it follows his journey between the four families he is investigating
for his documentary. He narrates from behind and in front of the
camera. The opening non-diegetic music in the background is quite
mysterious which could imply the reasoning to Louis wanting to know
the answers to life after an incident and how it has affected some
peoples lives/brains. Moreover, there is sound effects used throughout
which has relevance to the scene. For example; the sound of seagulls
when they're at the beach. Additionally, the non-diegetic classical music
and peaceful music start playing when Theroux comes to the end of
interviewing. This could suggest that he is still spectacle and curious
about the situation however, doesn’t want to ask too much at once. It
could also imply that he wants the interview to end peacefully on a good
note. Furthermore, the use of the diegetic voiceover could connote that
Theroux doesn't want to take up much time on the documentary so use
a voiceover to narrate parts of the documentary.
9. ARCHIVE MATERIAL & GRAPHICS
Throughout this documentary the codes and conventions are challenged as there is
very little use of archive material and graphics used however there is evidence of some.
Archive Material: this is used throughout various points in the documentary when the
injured are showing Theroux what they looked like and how their life was before their
accident. This acts as a source of evidence from events from the past. However, there
was no evidence of any statistics or facts at any points in this documentary which
challenges the conventions.
Graphics: this is used at the beginning of the documentary before it begins which is
known as a title sequence. This allows the audience to be aware of what the
documentary will contain. This again challenges the conventions as it is only used at
the very beginning of the documentary.
Archive material
Archive material
Graphics
10. THEORIES
Theories that can be linked to the documentary:
o Propp theory- Hero vs Villain Theory: Hospital/Doctor=
Hero and the brain incident=Villian.
o Hypodermic Needle Effect could be linked as the
audience are being brainwashed with what they are
seeing and being told from the documentary.
