Generic research: The Night Mail analysis

Today we looked at The Night Mail, one of the documentaries considered to be a masterpiece of the British Documentary Film Movement. The British Documentary Film Movement was a group of filmmakers led by John Grierson (who

coined the term documentary after seeing 'Moana' by Robert Flaherty), and the group were influential in film during the 1930's and 40's.

I analysed camera shots, editing, sound and mise-en-scene in The Night Mail. The above picture is my analysis of this early documentary. I found that the main message/purpose of the documentary is to inform the audience of how the postage system worked during that time.

What similarities/differences does it have with contemporary documentaries?

Similarities:

• There was narration throughout the program, just as documentaries that are broadcasted now have.
• There are many cutaways to illustrate the person or narrator's point, to help the audience understand visually what is happening.
• There was quite a few landscape shots, usually to set the scene for the next part of the documentary, which is quite common in cotemporary documentaries.
• Facts and figures are a convention of documentary programs even from seventy years ago, as it helps give evidence for the person/narrators points and helps give the audience perspective.
• In terms of editing, The Night Mail used mainly fades and dissolves which most contemporary documentaries use in transitioning between scenes.

Differences:

• There was no interviews, in terms of vox pops or expert opinion, which most contemporary documentaries feature in them, usually to confirm what the person or narrator is saying.
• It used noticeable foley diegetic sound, which can be used in contemporary documentaries but it is usually hidden better.

Overall, The Night Mail is very similar to contemporary documentaries, but modern documentaries have developed since The Night Mail was created, so there are some differences. However, there are recurring conventions in both The Night Mail and contemporary documentaries, which are evident to be traits of this type of program.