2. Analysis
• “That Hing...” is a documentary series
broadcast on BBC Two. This particular episode
focuses on video game character Lara
Croft, who at the time was about to feature in
a major Hollywood movie.
3. Analysis
• This is another mixed documentary with a
non-linear narrative format. It is a single-
strand and closed narrative.
• The major themes are of gender
representation and also the power of the
media, as well as the rapid change of popular
culture in the UK.
4. Camera Work
• A lot of the interviews are done in a close-up
shot, following the standard conventional
framing with their eyeline in one of the
‘Golden Spots’ of the frame.
• During a scene in a cyber-cafe, there is a POV
shot with several extreme close-ups, tracking
and panning shots.
5. Mise-En-Scene
• The mise en scene in this documentary is
notable, particularly in interview sequences.
The interviewee is superimposed onto footage
of one of the Tomb Raider games, and in some
of the interviews, the game footage is being
front-projected onto their faces, keeping it
visually interesting. Interviews with the game
creator are superimposed onto a computer
screen at a slightly tilted angle, further
maintaining the visual interest.
6. Sound
• There is constant use of music in the
background throughout the programme. Most
of this music is fast-paced electronic music
which fits with the video game/computer
theme of the documentary. During one scene
in which Madonna is mentioned, one of her
famous songs “Ray Of Light” is the
background music for the next few minutes.
7. Editing
• The programme generally uses fairly quick-cut
editing, with normal cuts being the most
frequently used throughout.
• There is also a notable use of fast-motion
editing during the POV shot inside the cyber-
cafe.
8. Archive Material
• There is a large amount of archive material used
in the documentary. This included footage of the
three Tomb Raider games which were released at
the time, as well as footage of the then-upcoming
film adaptation. There are also clips from
adverts, magazine covers and website pages that
feature the Lara Croft character.
• There is also an interview with actress Angelina
Jolie which was provided by the film distributor.
9. Graphics
• The documentary follows typical graphical
conventions for documentaries. Each interview is
accompanies by text in one of the lower corners
of the screen, always in a simple white font with
no capital letters included.
• There are also frequent uses of the programme
title “That Thing...” in the graphics, in the
descriptions of the subjects relevance to ‘That
Thing’ which in this case is the Tomb Raider
franchise.
