Amy

Question 1

How does Kapadia label his style of filmmaking?

Answer 1

True fiction

Question 2

How does Kapadia construct his narrative?

Answer 2

Through the use of a variety of archival footage sources and a lack of a guiding VoiceOver. It also uses a number of interviews from Amy’s family, friends and colleagues to develop an insight into her troubled life. Captions and the use of her music, alongside a score are also used.

Question 3

What did John Grieson say about the documentary?

Answer 3

‘the creative treatment of actuality’

Question 4

What is objectivity?

Answer 4

Unbiased and balanced but tend to lean towards one side - hear from multiple stories

Question 5

What is non-fiction?

Answer 5

Conveys information about real world/events rather than using imagination

Question 6

What is construction?

Answer 6

Carefully constructed to create a particular meaning, context and time

Question 7

What is truth?

Answer 7

Factual, quality and state as true

Question 8

What is reality?

Answer 8

Presenting a version of the event that actually happened

Question 9

What is cinematic?

Answer 9

Visual aesthetic/style of narrative

Question 10

What documentary techniques are used in Amy?

Answer 10

Actuality footage, archival footage, use of still images, voice over narration, archetypal characters, contrasting characters, interviews, montage, jump cuts, frankenbiting, confessional monologue, dialogue, captions, music, ambient sound, establishing shots, pop shots, and reaction shots

Question 11

Does gender play a part in the way you interpret the film?

Answer 11

Kapadia has positioned us to feel sorry for Amy as she represented as a damsel in distress. She is defined partly by love interests and her relationships with men - music focuses on this

Question 12

How has Chris King edited the documentary to show a connection between Amy’s professional and personal life?

Answer 12

As her fame increases, her personal life and health declines

Question 13

Which of Nichol’s 6 documentary modes does Kapadia use?

Answer 13

Expository, poetic and reflexive

Question 14

What does Broomfield say about his style of filmmaking in an interview?

Answer 14

He doesn’t know too much beforehand/lacks knowledge on the subject and he is an investigative journalist

Question 15

Which of the 6 modes does Kurt and Courtney fit in?

Answer 15

Performative and participatory

Question 16

What are Longinotto’s approach on how she makes films?

Answer 16

Observational style, lets the subject have control over their own stories, reveals truth behind ordinary scenes and the camera is her eyes.

Question 17

What type of observational filmmaking does Longinotto make?

Answer 17

Cinema verite (real cinema) - to avoid aiming for a preferred reading

Question 18

What does the study on Longinotto’s work make you realise about Kapadia’s style?

Answer 18

Perhaps he is less truthful, melded in the way he believes everything played out, editing it in a cinematic way compared to Longinotto’s observational style. But if he used Longinotto’s style - mss out on personal messages, public and tech to blame and deeper insights

Question 19

How does Kapadia differ from Broomfield?

Answer 19

Lack of participation from filmmaker, alignment with Amy, learn more about her. K as perhaps manipulative as there is no transparency in process

Question 20

How far were the digital voiceovers important in Amy?

Answer 20

Very crucial in understanding Amy’s story and the impact of everything on her downfall.

Question 21

What did Kapadia say about the digital voiceovers?

Answer 21

‘The emotion is carried in the voice. That process made the trust a lot easier to build whereas if you’re filming, people are guarded in a a different way’

Question 22

What is the impact on the spectator of digitally added lyrics on screen?

Answer 22

‘maybe [spectators] didn’t realise how personal the content really was’, made it personal to Amy and reposition use to see her as an amazing songwriter