SOAPSTONE – Clip 1 – Things to watch for:
DOCUMENTARY FILM ANALYSIS PRESENTATION
Ben RosenbergAndy KostkaRyan DinCarl Ostrenga
SOAPSTONE
Speaker
A group of War correspondents and war historians
Journalists and military personnel with experience with war
Interviewees: Richard Harding Davis,Martha Gellhorn, Edward R. Murrow, Ernie Pyle, Walter Cronkite, Andy Rooney
Occasion
Made in response to increased importance of war correspondents during the 21st century
Audience
People interested in Journalism, people interested in history, specifically war history
Purpose
To highlight the importance and sacrifices of early war correspondents
Subject
Documenting the risk journalists put themselves at to make war visible to Americans at home
The lives and experiences of several important war correspondents during the late 19th early 20th centuries
Tone
Evocative
Tense
Informative
Poignant
Clip 1
Things to watch for:
--Cut away of the different events interviewee is talking about
--Diegetic sounds and non-diegetic instruments
--Cut ins of interviewees
Visual Track
-Cut-away to war footage b-roll
-Cut-in a-roll of man reading primary document
-B-roll of bombers and troops marching
-Cut-in of woman discussing war
-Cut-away b-roll of media in recent war
-B-roll of 9-11 footage
-B roll of WWII bombings
-B roll of Soldiers marching.
Audio Track
-Non-diegetic music to fit the sad setting
-Diegetic sounds: guns shots, yelling, talking
-Non-diegetic sad string instruments
-Diegetic noises in B roll such as planes flying and bombs dropping
Text Track
-There is no text track for this clip because Ives wanted to avoid any distractions between the interviews and the correlating film
Clip Analysis
This clip introduces exactly what will be covered within the documentary with a dramatic tone right off the bat. Interviewees are introduced.
Clip 2
Things to watch for:
--Eerie reading of tense writing
--Non-diegetic music creating tense atmosphere
--Still photos used to not distract from the non-diegetic words
Visual Track
-Still picture of city bombed to dust
-Still photo of woman holding baby
-A-roll of interview with lady reading chilling article on events in the city
-Footage of bombers over city
-Cut in on interviewee
-Still photo of journalist
Audio Track
-Non-diegetic sad music
-Non-diegetic ominous music
-Diegetic talking in interview
-Diegetic sounds and air raids and people shouting
-Diegetic noises in B roll footage such as explosions, bombs and artillery firing.
Text Track
-There is no text track for this clip because Ives wanted to avoid any distractions between the interviews and the correlating film
Clip Analysis
This clip helps the viewer to really see how close the reporters were to warzones and intense comabt. It also shows the horrors they had to retell in the magazines and newspapers at home.
Clip 3
Things to watch for:
--Tense non-diegetic music
--Cut away of different events
Visual Track
-Cut away footage of different events the interviewee was talking about
-Primary footage of interview: shows how dangerous reporting really is
-Cut in of women explaining the dangers of reporting saying that one of their own had died on the job.
Audio Track
-Non-diegetic tense music to correlate to the scenes of war
-Diegetic sounds of gunfire and planes flying throughout the sky
-Non-diegetic voice of narrator talking about journalist’s mission
-Diegetic journalist describing his frightening experience
-Non-diegetic interview over bomber footage
Text Track
-There is no text track for this clip because Ives wanted to avoid any distractions between the interviews and the correlating film
Clip Analysis
This clip captures a novel experience for war correspondents: flying in a bomber over a war-zone.
Film Synopsis
This episode of "Reporting America at War" begins with a montage of footage of war correspondents and interviews on the importance of war journalism. The film then goes on to describe the origins of the war correspondent by describing important aspects of the career of journalist Richard Harding Davis and his experience in the Spanish American war. The film then goes on to describe impact Martha Gellhorn's and Ernest Hemingway's writing during the Spanish Civil War. The film moves on to World War II with descriptions of Edward R. Murrow’s blitz time reporting from London England. Continuing with World War II, Ives focuses on depicting the journalism work of Ernie Pyle, Walter Cronkite, and Andy Rooney - three major media influences during the 1940s. At the end of the film there is an analysis on the evolution of the role of journalist during war times focusing on modern day reporters covering modern day conflicts in the Middle East (Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan)
Documentary Mode
Includes characteristics of both obervational and interactive modes
For example:
Emphasis on monologs and dialogues
No definite argument; letting the audience decide
Unobtrusive camera work