Thelma’s Gypsy Girls(Episode 1)

After analysing this documentary I have come to the conclusion that it is a docusoap. A docusoap includes; • Observation • Voice over's• Informal interviews

A docusoap is also a documentary series. ‘Thelma’s Gypsy Girls’ ran for 6 episodes, therefore since the programme includes all of the above it would be classed as a docusoap.

Type of Documentary

ThemesThere are themes in this documentary however not that many have been represented in this first episode of ‘Thelma’s Gypsy Girls’. I could only spot two themes, these were;

• Different cultures – the Gypsy’s live a different way to other people around them. They live in caravans while someone like Thelma lives in a big house.

• Money issues - Thelma experiences money issues when she is moving to a bigger venue, it cost a lot more than she thought to buy and do up the place.

Narrative StructureThis documentary is a single stranded narrative. This means that there is one main storyline. That storyline is about Thelma hiring 10 Gypsy girls to train for 6 months at her dress making shop and at the end of the course one of them will be able to get a permanent job at Thelma’s shop.

There are binary oppositions used in this programme with the Gypsy girls and Westernised girls. They act very different. The Gypsy girls are loud and don’t have much respect for the workspace while the Westernised girls are respectful and get on with their work.

CameraworkLots of different camerawork is used throughout the programme. When Thelma finishes talking about how the Gypsy girls live the camera cuts to different Gypsy girls doing their everyday routine; cooking, cleaning and looking after the children. This gives the audience an idea of how they live.

During interviews mid shots and close ups are used. It depends which one is used because it could signify how they are feeling or is linked to what they are talking about. The person is then positioned to the left or right of the screen. Different interviews switch sides to keep the audience engaged.

Camerawork

An over the shoulder shot is used when a builder is sitting down talking to Thelma about the cost of her new venue for work. This shot is used so the audience can hear what he has to say but also see Thelma’s reaction as that is important.

Close ups of different items which are making the dresses are used, this anchors that the programme is based around dress making. We see people using a sewing machine, cutting material, string unwinding and some gluing diamonds onto a dress.

Mise-en-sceneThe Gypsy girls wear very colourful clothes, they like things which stand out therefore they stand out in the crowd.

The background of interviews usually relates to what they are talking about, however since they are informal interviews the person is just asked questions where ever they are. Although the topic is usually about dress making, they are in a studio full of dresses so it is easy to be placed by a related subject.

SoundA male voice over is used thought this documentary which pushes the narrative forward. He speaks in Standard English.

There are adverts in this documentary, therefore when the programme’s adverts come on a little fun tune fades the documentary out along with the title of the documentary. This is to keep the audience entertained. The tune sounds good and fits in well with theme of the documentary. Below is a screenshot showing how the documentary parts close.

EditingThe male voice over used was added in post production.

One shot Thelma is talking about how her life used to be, the camera then cuts to images showing the audience what she was like. This gives the audience a feel of where she has come from and that she has been through a lot to get to where she is now.

EditingWhen people are being interviewed, the questions are kept in so that the audience knows what the person answering is talking about. This was their decision to do this, they may have decided to cut the questions out however then the answers would not have made sense.

A part in this documentary, Thelma is talking about moving to a new/bigger venue to carry on her dress making. As she is talking the camera cuts to what she is talking about (people moving stuff from the shop into a van), although her voice carries through to a voice over. This is to keep the audience informed in what is going on but still hear Thelma.

Archive MaterialThe archive material includes;

• The dress making

• We see the Gypsy girls at their home

GraphicsWhen people are being interviewed a pink ribbon appears on the bottom left of the screen. This tells the audience who they are, (if they work in the factor) what they do or (if they are one of the Gypsy girls) how old they are. This lets the audience know more about the person talking.

GraphicsAlso at the bottom of the screen the audience will sometimes see the month and year. This lets the audience know how far into the project they are as it is only for 6 months.

This only other graphic seen is translation across the bottom of the screen, this is sometimes used when Gypsy’s are talking to make sure the audience knows what they are talking about.