Kim Longinotto

Kim Longinotto makes observational film documentary’s. however she likes people to know she is filming. She tries and avoids screen time as it may distract the viewer from the messages she is trying to present. She focuses on stories of women who have been victimised by traditional societies.

Michal Moore

Michal Moore specializes in documentary’s that are personal to him. he often features in his documentaries and goes on quests to entertain his viewers and discover the truth. His documentaries are often loft wing and can be controversial to some. Moore uses comedic effect to get people to remember his movies and take home the messages he is trying to get across.

Nick Broomfield: Broomfield features in many different types of documentary however he is most known for his participatory types of documentary where he tries to uncover the truth for himself and the camera. he is often the main character and has a chaotic type of filming with the use of handheld cameras. he is not afraid to ask serious hard hitting question even if they put his own life in danger.

Michael Moore: Sisters in law differs from Michael Moore’s work due to Moore’s comedic approach to educating the audience through him preforming while sister in law doesn’t try to come off with a specific tone but uses raw footage to speak for itself.

Kim Longinotto: Sisters in law matches with Kim Loninotto’s other work as the documentary focuses on feminist messaging as well as using observational techniques to tell the peoples story.

Nick broomfield: Sisters in law isn’t similar to Nick Broomfield’s work as Broomfield himself gets heavily involved in what is shown on screen being performative in scenes as well as interacting with and interviewing people shown in the documentaries.

cinematography: zoom ins are used throughout the documentary to capture the peoples reaction in greater detail informing the audience of how the situations on screen effect people on a personal level.

mise en scene: mise en scene is used to show poverty within Cameroon. This is shown through the lawyers office where it is seen to be messy with papers everywhere, people using branches to clean and old outdated computers. The lawyer seen is meant to be a big figure within the community so by showing her office like this it shows how everyone would be in poverty.

sound: only diegetic sound is heard throughout the whole documentary to prevent severe mediation making the footage taken as authentic and realisctic as possible.

editing: each case within sisters in law isn’t all shown at once but edited into 10 minute sections be fore showing another case and continuing the first later. This mimics A and B plots seen in fiction film which the director has said to want to replicate to be more connected to the people seen within the documentaries.

cinematography:

The use of whip pans creates a sense of tension and energy in the courtroom as the camera pans between the defendant and the prosecutor. The whip pans create a sense of verisimilitude as it shows the cameraman has no idea of who is speaking next. the whip pans also make the footage look raw and natural due to the fact that they are sometimes quite messy especially with a handheld camera

sound: Other then the piece of music that plays at the start of the film. most of the sound in sisters in law is diegetic sound such as speech from the characters and other noises such as the gavel banging. At the start of some scenes the sound is quite messy, for example, at the start of one of the scenes in the courtroom there is mumbling going on from some of the audience. This increases the verisimilitude and believability of the documentary for the viewer as had these sounds been edited out in post the scene would be hyperealistic

mise en scene: Due to kumba being a town of low income at the time the movie was filmed The mise en scne of the town is untidy and unorganised. in the state prosecutors office there are big stacks of paper against the wall and a fan of the desk due to there being no air conditioning. in the courtroom the walls are very plain and dull and the floor is hard and unappealing. However The state prosecutors still dress formally and smartly which means they take pride in there job and respect it.

editing: The editing in sisters in law is very minimal and simple. there are little to no special effects added on afterwards to try and keep the film as real as possible. The only bits of editing we see are simple cuts in the film to switch to different scenes and the only text we see on screen is the title, where the film is set and the names of new people.

An example of a dream/vision-like twist is in Beau is Afraid (2023) directed by Ari Aster. Towards the conclusion of the film, as Beau is sailing away in an attempt to escape from the chaotic events he’s just experienced, the surrounding (seemingly outdoors) area suddenly lights up to reveal that he is trapped in an Arena, in which he is then put on trial.