Initial Research

March of the Penguins
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Release date: 9th December 2005
Production companies: National Geographic Films, Bonne Pioche, Wild Bunch
Intended target audience: This is intended for all adult audiences, as an informative piece of media. It may also appeal to adolescent audiences.

Synopsis: The documentary follows a colony of emperor penguins through their hardships through out the Antarctic year. Showing their long march to the breeding grounds, survival through the harsh winter and the perils of raising their young.

Documentary narrative & representation techniques: The type of documentary is Direct Cinema: showing the natural lives of emperor penguins in chronological order, with minimal interference from the crew.
All narrations can be reduced to binary opposites, for example: predator vs. prey - krill, fish, squid -> penguins -> leopard seal.

Effectiveness: This documentary is effective as it succeeds in informing the audience about the penguins lives. This is done through narration (by Morgan Freeman) over each scene of the penguins, describing and explaining exactly what is going on at that point.

For example in this picture we can see the penguins marching to their breeding ground, this is narrated over, explaining that they have many  hardships to come, and that some die before they reach the breeding ground. This is effective as it causes the audience to begin to feel sympathy for the penguins. Especially in this shot as it shows the great distance that the penguins have to travel.






TT3D: Close to the Edge
Director: Richard De Aragues
Release date: 22nd April 2011
Production companies:  Isle of Man Film, CinemaNX
Intended target audience: This intended for all adult audiences as an informative piece of media. It may also appeal to adolescent audiences.

Synopsis: The documentary follows the month building up to the TT as well as the week full of races. Focusing mainly on Guy Martin and why he and others continue to risk their lives in the worlds most dangerous motorbike rice on the Isle of Man.

Documentary narrative & representation techniques: The type of documentary is Talking Heads & Compilation: This shows interviews with racers and other that take part of the race as well as a compilation of old footage and images of the racers during and after the racers. Narration has also been used to inform the audience of what is going  in certain points  of the documentary

Effectiveness: This Documentary is effective as it gives the audience an incite into the lives of the racers and behind the scenes of the TT. It also informs the audience of what happens before, during and after the TT, allowing them to see all aspects of the races. The effectivness is achieved through a mutlitude of interviews, narration and following Guy Martin around.