Genre Research for Documentary

 Before I get ahead of myself, I wanted to delve deeper into the genre that I have chose to surround my portfolio project around. Although my class had a lot of time dedicated to studying documentaries, I wanted to understand more in depth what details and characteristics I should include within my documentary for my portfolio project. We had already discussed documentaries such as American Promise (2013), Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010), and were even introduced to the concept of episodic documentaries (which is something that I should be knowledgable about since my portfolio project is an excerpt from an episodic documentary.) Therefore, I wanted  my documentary research to be primarily surrounded by episodic documentaries since we had discussed it in class before, however, I want to be more knowledgable about what should be addressed and specific conventions that it may include.

Episodic documentaries consist of episodes that include an entire story with a beginning, middle, and end. They may have effects such as cliffhangers to keep their audience engaged throughout the series. Other conventions may include the episodes building upon each other, varying interviews of what is happening in that specific episode (a variety of subjects would be included within the series), consistent visual style, personal stories, fast paced episodes in order to receive the entire story, evolution,  and many other aspects that I could include within my documentary for my portfolio project. 

                                                            Episodic Documentary Examples

Chef's Table (2015)

Chef's Table is an episodic documentary series that stars a different highly acclaimed international chef each episode. Chef's Table includes the insight into the unique lives of these successful chefs, their talents for creating cuisine, and what inspired them to create their notorious dishes. Examples of chefs that have been featured on Chef's Table are Massimo Bottura with his restaurant Osteria Francescana, Dominique Crenn with his restaurant Atelier Crenn, and Grant Achatz with his restaurant Alinea. Some episodic characteristics within this documentary include a self-contained narrative, a deep dive into each different chef per episode, high quality cinematography, and a variety of philosophies that the chef's have towards the concept of cooking.

Our Planet (2019)

Our Planet is a documentary that covers and captures the beauty within our ecosystem while also including the environmental damages that earth is enduring. Featuring 8 different episodes, Our planet contains incredible cinematography and stunning shots of wildlife in their habitats. Each episode contains a different setting within the environment. For instance, it may discuss forests, deserts, oceans, and a variety of other places existing in nature. Different episode titles include Forest, High Seas, Grasslands, Deserts, and more in order for viewers to understand that each episode discusses a different topic and has a beginning, middle, and end. Some episodic features that our planet contains are stunning visuals, poignant storytelling, and a wide range of themes.

After doing a more in depth look into what features may be included within an episodic documentary, I believe it will allow me to have a better understanding of some effects and conventions that I should include within my own portfolio project. By using the knowledge that I have since gained, I will be able to begin storyboarding what I want to be featured within my episodic documentary.