Question- Films sometimes defy classification as ‘documentary’ or ‘feature film’: some documentaries use techniques derived from feature film and some feature films use techniques drawn from documentary. Discuss how and for what purposes, at least one feature film uses techniques of documentary to create parcticular effects. In the feature film The Truman Show there were certain techniques which were drawn from documentary and used in the feature film to create a parcticular effect. The Truman Show is a story about a man who has grown up his whole life in the spotlight- (he has been a star since the day he was born after being adopted especially for the film, although he never knew it) and when Truman (the main character) finds out his whole life has been a setup, he desperately wants to escape. He doesn’t want his life to be a stage show anymore. By using techniques such as characterisation (protagonist and antagonist) and music, these techniques which are also drawn from documentary film were able to create a parcticular effect on the viewer- it made the movie not only seem more interesting (by creating emotion etc), but also made the audience determine who the good and bad characters were and therefore enjoy the film more- (it allowed them to determine the sympathetic and unsympathetic characters).
Music was one of the techniques used in The Truman Show which was drawn from documentary to create a particular effect. Music in documentary films is used to create mood and emotion- for example if a suspenseful moment was going to come up, there would be use of eerie music to add to the effect of increasing the audience’s suspicion. This technique is also present in The Truman Show and is used for the exact same purpose- for example, when Truman and his “best friend” are sitting on the bridge talking about how long they have known each other etc and how they would never lie to one another, there was very soft, slow music which added to the softness and serenity of the scene. The Truman Show shows the viewers how they add music to certain scenes and make it seem more emotional- because the story is based on the life of Truman, he doesn’t actually know himself that his life is a script and when there are emotional scenes (which he thinks are real), the viewers are made to see how film makers persuade the audience to feel emotion through the use of music, by adding it to such scenes (ie. the filmmakers of the Truman Show demonstrate to the real audience- us- that to add sadness to a scene all they need to do is to add a bit of soft music).
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By using music as a technique in the film, it creates emotion in the viewers and allows them to be sympathetic toward Truman- not only does he not know that his whole life is a setup, but his supposed “best friend” lied to him and told him he will always be there for him etc which makes the audience feel angry.
No one should be adopted as a baby to star on a show which stops them from enjoying a normal life- that is if they don’t know about it or agree to it first. Characterisation is another technique which is evident in documentary and used in The Truman Show to create a parcticular effect. By sorting the characters into both protagonist (good) and antagonist (bad), it allows the audience to decide who they should or should not sympathise with. The protagonist in the feature film The Truman Show was Truman- he was portrayed as the good, innocent character because he was taken away from his parents as a baby to star on a show that he didn’t even know about (let alone get a say about it).
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His whole life he has grown up thinking he was living a normal life, until one day when he realised that wherever he went it was always the same routine aswell as people in his life being very predictable -an example of this was when him and his wife were sitting in the car and Truman predicted what coloured car and bike was going to come around the corner next etc (they were just circling his block).
When this idea became more apparent to Truman, the audience sympathise with him- not only did he not know that his life was a tv show but also, the film makers had the power to control his destiny (he got no say as to how his life was run) and the audience was made to see how unfair it was that someone’s life could be run (or taken) by film makers for so long.
By having a protagonist ic character in the feature film, it creates the sense of unfairness in the viewer and they are made to feel sorry for Truman for not being able to live his life to the fullest (due to people running it for him) and also for the fact that his life was endangered everytime he attempted to leave the island to find freedom (aswell as his love in Fiji).
Antagonists were used in the feature film The Truman Show to create a parcticular effect. Both documentary and feature film use this technique so the viewers can see who to not sympathise with-the antagonistic character is the “baddie” or “evil” character in the film and is usually the one causing conflict toward the protagonist (the good one).
For example, in The Truman Show, the antagonists were the producers and film makers of the Truman Show- because they were seen as being the ones responsible for Truman’s unhappiness in his life, and for making his whole life a tv show the viewers are made to see that they are cruel- no one should be taken away as a baby to star in a show that they don’t even know about etc. Truman never really got to live life freely or as he wanted to- it was the antagonists in which scripted and set out his life according to people’s wants (what they wanted to happen / make them watch the show to keep high ratings etc) and in the process caused alot of unhappiness in the protagonists (sympathetic characters) life. By having an antagonist character, it creates the feeling of anger in the viewers and make them seem unsympathetic toward them, especially when they are causing disturbances to the lives of the sympathetic characters.
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Overall, the techniques which were present in The Truman Show were those also commonly used in documentary film. By using techniques such as music and characterisation (protagonists and antagonists etc), it allowed the audience to feel more involved in the film (ie more interested toward it) and also created more emotion- the technique of music contributed to this. The viewers were therefore evoked during the film to feel sorry for Truman for being adopted as a baby to star in a show he never knew about and grow up his whole life in the spotlight etc. and feel anger toward the producers of The Truman Show for scripting his life out for him.
