Frankenstein Documentary

Type of documentary and narrative structure

The Frankenstein documentary is a mixed documentary. This is because there is a variety of content used through out such as interviews, narration and observations.

The narrative structure of Frankenstein is closed as there is no unanswered questions . It is a single stranded documentary as there is only 1 narrative running through out. It is non linear as the narrative structure does not follow chronological order and jumps from one time to another in the interviews.

Themes and camera work

The themes used throughout the documentary are the interpretation of text in different eras, as well as religion. There is a slight theme of feminism used in the documentary also.

The camera shots used during the interviews are quite conventional like close ups and medium close ups. The framing of the interviewees also follows conventions as they are just off centre in the camera shot. There are different camera shots used through out the documentary such as over the shoulder shots to keep the audience intrigued and interested.

Mise-en-scene

There is artificial lighting used in the interviews which help highlight the interviewees and give off a natural feel of ambient light. There is an interview with someone outside of a church which can link in with the theme of religion. There is an interview in a library full of books which can link in with the original copy of Frankenstein which is what the interviewee talks about. There is an interview with the director of a Frankenstein play backstage of a theatre which also relates to Frankenstein as it is a popular play.

Editing and sound

In the editing of the interviews, we don’t hear the questions being asked which follows the conventions on an interview. There are a lot of cut away shots used in the documentary such as somebody reading the original copy of Frankenstein. These are used to avoid jump cuts and keep the audience entertained. There isn't a lot of effects used and it is kept simple for the audience.

A voice over is used with a simple, male accent in standard English so it is easy to understand. Music is played in the background all the time during the documentary so nothing is silent or boring for the audience.

Archive and graphics

The archive material used in the documentary varies from the use of a black and white film from the original screening of Frankenstein to a used photo of the writer of the book of Frankenstein. There are a lot of archive material in black and white to show how old the story is.

The graphics used in the documentary follows the conventions as it uses simple fonts for interviewees names in a white colour. This is so its easy to see and understand.