FRANKENSTEIN- A MODERN MYTH

BY CLAUDIA O’HARA

DOCUMENTARY TYPE

• Frankenstein a modern myth is shown in channel 4 and is a mixed documentary. It uses achieve footage, observations that are introduced by narration. It also uses interviews with people who are relevant to this particular theme.

• The theme of this Documentary is horror because it is associated with a novel written in the horror genre, but there is also the theme of Frankenstein and the life and work of Mary Shelley.

• It is a non linear documentary, the reason being it doesn’t follow an order in time process, but it is a closed documentary as everything is revealed with nothing left to question. It is also single stranded because it is focused only on one theme.

CAMERA WORK

• Medium close ups are used frequently. This shot is a medium close up at the beginning of the documentary which gives a brief outline to the documentary. Also with the shot being in black and white it goes with the theme throughout the documentary as this is a recurring colour.

• There is a cutaway when a interviewee is speaking. This pans up the diagram of the human body, so as the interviewee is speaking this gives a little more insightful to what they are talking about.

• This establishing shot sets the scene for where the famous events take place in one of the Frankenstein films.

INTERVIEWS• This interview is set up in a conventional way although the shot type is a medium shot and not a close

up. However it does follow most codes and conventions; rule of thirds and not looking directly at the camera.

• This interview set up is conventional as it follows the rule of thirds. As the conventions of a interview set up is that the shot type is usually a medium close up or close up, and the interviewee isn’t looking directly at the camera.

• This interview isn’t as conventional as there is two people within the frame and the shot types are different as these types are medium shots, and the interviewee is looking at the camera.

MISE EN SCENE

The setting of this interview is in a science museum and interviewee is a historian of science, with the location of the interview this then reflects the point being made by the historian of science.

The location of this interview is in a rehearsal room for the Frankenstein play that they are both featuring in. The clothing that they are wearing is rather casual and isn’t set up like they going to be in an formal interview, so they would just wear what they usually wear as they would more than likely be practising in these clothes.

ARCHIVE MATERIAL

This screen grab of some archive footage of Mary Shelley’s ‘lover’ illuminates the idea of the time that it was taken in. Also with the footage being in black and white it shows that it is rather dated

This image is also in black and white which shows the age of the film, 1931. The graphics on this image show what film this is from, the date and producer.

This image of some more achieve material is added when someone during the interview is talking. This image illuminates what the interviewee is saying, providing exposition.

With the footage of the slaves this portrays the time it was written in and also highlights the idea of how at the time of slavery, when Frankenstein was written, it reflects slavery and what it was like at the time.

SOUND

This is taken whilst a male no the narrator, is telling a story. This story on this image in non diegetic as an off screen narrator is talking over the background.

This is taken as non diegetic sound has also been used. The music that has been placed in the scene sets the mood to being dark. A narration has also been included and the music is still in the back of the frame- so the effect has been the same throughout this part.

The non diegetic sound within the documentary occurs when a voice over which is telling the preface of Frankenstein- giving an insight into it.

EDITING

Within the documentary there is the use of cutaways quite frequently during interviews. This image is an example of a cutaway during an interview with Danny Boyle, a director, who is talking about a play that he is directing. The use of the cutaway illuminates the idea which Boyle is discussing.

These three images come before the main title with the idea of montage editing. This then gives the audience an insight to what happens within the documentary. With the use of the fire and electricity is relevant what is happening and the middle image Mary’s ‘lover’ so this shows that there will be a bit of him mentioned.

GRAPHICS

The title screen of the documentary gives it the gothic effect in the way that the background image is dark with the use of lighting- which connotes electricity which is used within Frankenstein. The font for the title itself is distorted and looks like it is put together, just like Frankenstein.

The graphics on this image is the name of the women who had written Frankenstein. As she had written a very long time ago there wouldn’t be any images of her so a portrait of her has been used.

The graphics shown on this page shows the audience clips of various different versions of Frankenstein there have been and been reacted.