Documentary Analysis

The Music Biz - Meat Loaf

Type of documentary

This documentary is a mixed documentary, it is a mixed documentary as it uses a variety of different footage this includes interview,

observation and archive footage. A narration is also used.

Themes

The main themes of this documentary are as followed:Meat Loaf himselfThe music industryThe marketing industryThe image creation of Meat LoafThe power of the media

Narrative Structure

The narrative structure is closed as all questions are left answered. It is single stranded as it is just about one topic - Meat Loaf. It is also non

linear as it jumps backwards and forwards through the story of the reinvention of Meat Loaf.

Camera WorkThe interviews are conventional as they are framed with a left or right alignment to the screen and shot in medium close up.

One of the interviews is filmed in profile which makes it 'look wrong.'

Camera Work

The actuality footage used is shot using a hand held camera this makes the audience feel included

in the action and makes the audience feel like a voyeur.

Mise-en-scene

Chromakey is used extensively in all of the interviews apart from Meat Loaf's. Chromakey is used in the background of the interviews and is when images are projected onto a blue or green screen behind the interviewee. The images behind the interviewee are always relevant to the topic that they are talking about.

Sound

A voice over is used in this documentary the voice over voice is a male that uses standard English. This voice over is not conventional in

some ways as the narrator almost sounds opinionated and sarcastic but in this documentary

worked as it fitted the topic and style of the narrative.

The sound that is used is always relevant to the topic that is being talked about for example when they talked about the village people Y.M.C.A was

played.

Editing

Conventional editing is used for the interviews as you can't hear the questions the interviewee is

asked only their answers.Fast motion was used outside HMV this means

that the pace was sped up. This gives the audience a sense of urgency.

Dissolves were used at the end of interviews, this is when the chromakey was dissolved out and the

interviewee remained on the screen.Slow motion and montage editing where also

used.

Achieve Material

Different types of achieve material was used such as the following:Magazine and newspaper clippingsTop of the pops clipsDavid Letterman clipsClips from the Brit AwardsClips from the GrammysClips from Noel's house partyClips from music videos

Graphics

The name of the programme is used next to the graphics. The graphic are a white italic font that stands out the graphics tell you the name of the interviewee and the relevance to the topic. They also tell you the location of any important places

or events.