RESEARCH: Britain through a lens

Notes from part 1 of British Documentaries video

Click here: Britain through a lens

British documentaries:

 

·        BBC 4 documentaries- Britain through a lens

·        Black and white

·        Montage at start

·        Real life footage

·        Recreation footage

·        1930s and 40s, group of filmmakers inspired to change country through films about real life

·        How British documentary was born

·        Listen to Britain (1941)- early masterpiece of British documentary- presented as authentic truth- did not use any voiceovers (thoughts not made through tones or words)- propaganda film- encouraged brit to stay together during war time

·        Films lift hearts, art took many years to learn

·        John Grierson- ‘I want to use the cinema as a pulpit.’- to educate and share info to humanity- Documentary about the empire- applied to gov for funds

·        Drifters (1929)- no thrilling plot or love story- filmed real fishermen on real boats. Put it on general release, it was a sensation, ‘a masterpiece’- PR coo for important industries

·        Time and money started to be put into documentaries

·        Brit was behind times before this

·        Became popular as new and gov spotted that they could control certain narratives through this

·        Was a group but Grierson kept close leash on them

·        This is a documentary about documentary movement

·        Part 1 of the film – would have an ad break at end