AOB2

Film Language and Narrative Structure:

Etre et Avoir

1. There is a variation of shots used, when filming outside, the main shot used is a long shot, they used this because it shows the remoteness of the filming location, and allows the viewers to get an idea of the context of the location. But the main shot used when inside is close up shots and mid-shots, they are used so that the atmosphere of the classroom is seen, and by using these shots it allows the viewers too see the quietness of the class, and its surroundings, sometimes long shots are used so that the whole of the class are in the shot, this shows the minority of the classroom and how small it is, it also shows the range of pupils in the school, and the different range of levels that they are at.

The sequence lengths in this documentary are longer than in most documentaries, and also they are very simple and calm, this is very reflective of the culture where Etre is set. This is also reflected in the length of the shots as there lifestyle is very linear as is the narrative structure of this documentary.

The form of the film is like the style in which it was made. The creativity and artistic style of the director. This can range from things such as German Expressionist style, or Hollywood studio style in the thirties. Film making is considered as an art form. As it allows people to express what they want, and to put across the points they want to. In Etre, the director has a very simplicity to his work, this is what makes it so interesting, even though it is a very slow documentary incase of the shots etc. This is what makes it so interesting and stylistic.

In other documentaries that i have studied, Etre is completely different, the majority of the documentaries are very upbeat in order to immediately grab the audiences attention, but Etre is completely the opposite, it almost relies on the audiences interest in the topic and the information of the documentary. The way in which it is filmed is as so it is perfectly normal behavior from the class, this is so there are no "lies" and nothing is hidden behind the eyes of the director. Many directors of documentaries edit in bits here and there that happened at completely different points in time in order to put the story across the way in which they want, for example in the documentary Kurt and Courtney, he edits the Lawyer smoking a joint in the car on the way to court, when in actual fact it was at two different points in time.

In Etre the director doesn't do this.