Analysis of Disney True Life-Adventures: Vanishing Prairie and Winged Migrations - Movie Review Example

Your Full & of Contents Introduction 3 Nature of Documentaries 3 Walt Disney’s Vanishing Prairies4 Winged Migration 4 Critical Evaluation of the Contents 5 Goals and Objectives 5 Role of Objectivity in Film & Voice 6 Cinematic Techniques 7 Mise-en-scene 8 Cinematography 8 Editing 9 Sound 9 Cinematic Strategies 10 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 12 Introduction Documentaries are recorded videos that present an objective reality or a factual situation in an enhanced manner that informs the viewer about the phenomenon in question. Documentaries are not a live telecast of an event as it is naturally. This is because the crew uses various techniques like editing to accentuate and highlight important aspects of the phenomenon (Mitman 111). On the other hand, they are not fiction because they are not a purely created situation, rather a presentation of circumstances as they are The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze and review the technical components of documentaries. This will be done by evaluating theories and ideas about what documentaries are and what make them unique and distinct from other videos. It will go further to critique two documentaries, Disney True Life-Adventures: Vanishing Prairie and Winged Migrations by identifying and assessing how the technical components of documentaries are applied to shape the thoughts and mindset of the viewer. Nature of Documentaries The two documentaries under review, Disney True Life-Adventures: Vanishing Prairie and Winged Migrations are informational. However, they have two separate and distinct themes that set them apart from each other and from other documentaries. The main commonality they both have is the fact that they bring a viewer’s attention to something most ordinary people in society will not even think of - the American vegetation and European birds respectively. These are things the ordinary city-dwelling man or woman will not consider in his or her daily life. Walt Disney’s Vanishing Prairies In the Vanishing Prairie, Disney builds on its competency in animation and credibility amongst American viewers in the early 1950s to present a case for the Prairies of North America. The documentary begins by providing a visual impression of the American Prairies and how it spread through the three main zones of what is now the United States, Mexico and Canada (Eagan 479). This provides the basis for presenting the nature of the flora and fauna which included an emphasis on the bison, elks and other creatures that lived peacefully on the Prairies until Western civilization and the expansion of the United States occurred. The focus of the film was to educate and also entertain the viewers. And at that time in 1954, the graphics and the level of editing that went into the film was phenomenal and was new to many viewers. Some scenes like a live coverage of a buffalo giving birth was absolutely new to most viewers. Hence, the film had a lot of attention. The educational component of the film lies in the fact that the viewers learnt a lot about the need to conserve the environment and the extent to which the American people were depleting the vegetation of the country. Thus, the film commenced by being shown in cinemas around the United States and was later shown in schools and other institutions as a tool for educating the public and giving them insights into what was at stake for the abuse and misuse of natural resources. This laid the foundation for environmentalism and many other social phenomenon that came into vogue in the years of prosperity in America that came after the end of the Second World War. Winged Migration In the other documentary, Winged Migration, there was a quest to present an intimate view of the kind of life and the nature of circumstances amongst migratory birds and how they survive through the different seasons and how they moved. This is much more complicated than just capturing the flight, since the migration process affects every aspect of the birds’ lives. The documentary therefore goes great lengths to provide the viewer with a thorough visual elucidation and presentation of how their lives in their destination point is and how they prepare and actually take flight in large numbers to other parts of the world. Instead of concentrating on facts and figures, the documentary shows a wide array of events and activities that goes to show the actual lifestyle of these birds and how winter affects them. Nature-based documentaries are best presented when they provide a panoramic view of the entire situation and that is what Winged Migration sought to do by combining a wide array of specialized ontological research into practical and critical images that could give the viewer a professional and technical view of birds and Wintery conditions (Sleeth 374). Most documentaries use editing to present an enhanced view of a given situation and context (Mitman 111). Winged Migration therefore brought together views and events of birds on seven different continents through editing which made it appear as one class of creatures in a simplified format (Sleeth 374) Critical Evaluation of the Contents In order to characterize and present the category within which each of the two documentaries belong, there is the need to critically evaluate the contents and the features of the two films. This will provide a logical review and justification of which cinematic strategies were employed. Goals and Objectives The essence of Disney’s Vanishing Prairie is meant to provide awareness of other constituents of the country – the flora and fauna. This includes the presentation of how the animals live in the wild in the Prairies of the United States and how they go through an annual cycle, from spring to the end of winter. This shows the viewer the kind of life and the existence that occurs in these places. This is diverse and a lot of different shots for different creatures in the Prairies are presented in different components. The film was later marketed in bits based on sub-sections of the diverse footage (Ferrarra Para 13) The aim of Winged Migration is to show the world the cycle of life amongst birds and how they prepare to migrate during winter. It shows a lot of different aspects of migratory birds in great detail. Therefore, it is a specialized inquest into the lives of birds and how they are affected around the year. Role of Objectivity in Film & Voice The two films provide two different views of nature with two different approaches. Vanishing Prairie tends to present information about a large number of animals and creatures and the wild through various editing and graphic forms. There are some aspects of the lives of these creatures that were faked and this is shown in what a contemporary viewer might consider to be falsified and misleading views of animals chasing each other and comparisons that are far too remote. So although the information presented in Vanishing Prairie is factual in most accounts and most views, it is apparent that some were extremely presented and they did not seem to be very objective. In other words, some subjective features and enhanced views were presented although other elements like a buffalo giving birth seem to have been genuine, there is evidence of subjective and selective presentation of information. On the other hand, Winged Migration seems to be a factual presentation and account of a professional and objective rendition of information. From nature of the presentations, it appears that everything is captured as an evidence to back a factual state of affairs. This shows that there is more objectivity in the presentation. The role of objectivity in the two videos also shows some degree of the nature of the voice. The voice used in Disney’s Vanishing Prairie is one in which there seem to be some aspect of persuasion. This is because the voice is one that tends to present information in such a way and manner that the viewer is made to accept that there is such a reality so close to him or her. This was to show some kinds of trends and processes that exists which most of the viewers are assumed to know very little or nothing about. Therefore, it can be said that there is a voice of persuasion and a voice of basic information and basic education in the film. Hence, there are many selective and subjective information that are presented to viewers that make the video look a little too enhanced or more like a propaganda video. The viewer is being guided by the voice to accept what actually exists so close by. The voice in Winged Migration tends to be a strong narrative that seems to be complemented by the videos. In other words, there is a presentation of important information about the way birds thrive in their natural habitat and how they are made to move by changing weather conditions. Therefore, it can be said that the information is more objective and it is presented in an unguided manner. It is mainly about building up of information and presenting facts in an impersonal manner. Therefore, the voice, which is one that presents information in a critical manner and explains the images tend to show what actually happens when the birds are in their natural habitat. This gives room for more objectivity and stronger presentation of facts. The viewer’s conclusion and perception of the information does not seem to be of essence to the narrator. On the other hand, it appears that in Vanishing Prairie, the narrator seem to be interested in ensuring that the viewer builds some fascination about the natural environment around him or her. Cinematic Techniques Aside the voice and script, there are some important features of variation that has to do with the technical aspects of the presentation of the documentary. The facts of the two videos show that they both have different ends that they sought to achieve. Vanishing Prairie falls into Disney’s broader strategy of seeking to commercialize its products and achieve the highest level of viewer approval (Mitman 117). Therefore, the documentary was meant to have some elements that could entertain and also give the viewer a convincing plot and sequence. With its advanced tools and techniques in presenting information, Disney had an advantage even 60 years ago in presenting their facts and information in a much more visual and graphic format. Winged Migration on the other hand presented information in a factual manner. The members of the team that put together the documentary are advanced biologists and very learned ornithologists. Therefore, their approach was specialized and focused on the niches and activities that are relevant to the actual migration process. This was captured using cinematic techniques and tools to enhance the presentation of ideas through the videos. Mise-en-scene This refers to everything that appears on the screen when a film is being made and includes the environment, landscape and objects in the film (Grant 130). The Vanishing Prairie captures wide sections of the American prairies and the life-forms that exist on it. This is emphasized by the diversity and the different species of plants and animals that are presented. There are brief and basic views of specific species. In each situation, there are different views and there are also other external comparative features like the Rocky Mountains and other things that are easily identifiable by an average American. There is hardly any scene in Winged Migration that does not contain birds. The movement and normal lives of birds are captured in the documentary. This includes the different features and stages in the lives of these birds and how they live their normal lives in their natural habitats and surroundings. Cinematography The two documentaries make use of various camera works and shot variations that provide a lot of support in the delivery of the factual information. The cameras used in the Vanishing Prairie shows a lot of aerial shots that cover a large and wide area. There are also maps and other aids that are presented in a way and manner that is consistent with the narration. A lot of aerial shots that are dynamic are used in Winged Migration. This includes shots from a moving aircraft that tracks the moving birds and shows how they make short-distance runs and movements. Editing There is a lot of editing and compilation in both documentaries. The editing in Winged Migration shows a higher degree and a higher level of professionalism. There is a lot of cross-cutting that allows an easy and logical transition from one view to another without the viewer having any issues. However, these shots are taken from over 7 continents and are pieced together professionally. For a 1954 documentary, Vanishing Prairies was ahead of its time. However, there are many editing lapses in the video that does not seem to be very professional to today’s viewer. This includes various scenes that are clearly formatted and adjusted to aid the viewer in understanding the scenes. Sound Narrations for Vanishing Prairie continue almost throughout the documentary. It does not seem to stop and there is always something new that is being said. That complements the idea of the documentary being a family feature. On the other hand, Winged Migration went for the first five minutes without any narrations. There are many sections in the video where there were no migrations, but songs and sounds and movements of birds. Vanishing Prairie includes many theme songs that are contemporary and interesting. Some of the songs became popular and were used in other Disney productions. On the other hand, the songs and sounds of Winged Migration sound very formal and oscillate between normal animal movements and classical songs. This shows the scholarly nature of the film. Cinematic Strategies Bill Nichols identified six types of documentary forms that exists: 1. Poetic (Subjective) 2. Expository 3. Participatory 4. Observational 5. Reflexive & 6. Performative (Nichols 174) The two documentaries under review are both expository in outlook. Considering the facts above, it is apparent that both of them are presented through a narrator who provides some kind of omniscient voice that provides an overall panoramic view of what is being done. The images go according to the voice that is presented and this gives a historic account of what has been observed over a long period of time. The films are evidentiary proofs of what is being narrated. However, Winged Migration seems to tilt towards Observational Cinematic Strategies. This is because in observational modes, the documentary presents a window to the world that is being presented in the documentary. There is typically no voice-over and no re-enactment. Behaviors and trends in reality are captured on camera and presented to viewers. Winged Migration goes for many minutes without any narration or voice-overs. The birds are presented in their natural environment and there is little or no re-enactments. On the other hand, Vanishing Prairie seems to have some subjective and artistic expressions in which there is a thorough narration and explanation of the relationship between the images, objects and patterns. This gives room for a subjective rendition of events. Hence, this makes Vanishing Prairie more poetic in outlook than factual. Conclusion The findings of the research show that the two documentaries are aimed at informing and educating viewers on two things – the American wildlife and birds that migrate in winter. The study indicates that both documentaries seek to use the same approach. However, whereas Vanishing Prairie focuses on subjectivity and some form of close guidance and influence of the viewer’s mindset, Winged Migration is focused and factual. They both fall into the genre of expositional documentaries as they both provide narration and guidance. However, the subjective nature of Vanishing Prairie makes it more of a poetic documentary whilst Winged Migration is more of an observational documentary. Works Cited Eagan, David. Americas Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies. Indianapolis, IN: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2010. Print. Ferrarra, Greg. The Vanishing Prairie - 1954. 2015. Web. 28 April 2015. Grant, Barry Keith. Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. Wayne State University Press, 2013. Print. Mitman, Gregg. Reel Nature: Americans Romance with Wildlife on Film. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999. Print. Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010. Print. Sleeth, Emma. Its Easy Being Green, Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Zondervan Books, 2012. Print. Read More