Specific genre analysis - Pro Gamers | Syndicate the Superstar Streamer

This documentary is an observational documentary that follows the story about the success of a Youtube gamer called Tom.The running length of this documentary is around 3 minutes which is less time as my documentary is going to be and is produced/distributed by channel 4. The narrative of this documentary follows a linear structure and also uses various clips from the documentary as a introduction to the person being documented. This documentary has also used montage and cross cut editing in effect with the narrative.

The documentary uses a linear narrative as it follows the life of a YouTuber gamer, in which the clips used in the documentary have been set in order of the dialogue setting. In the montage clips, the clips are used as a response to what the gamer is describing in the dialogue which gives the audience a better idea about the narrative and so then follows a linear structure.This has also been used for the cross cutting, in which when the gamer is describing something in the interview, the camera then cross cuts to a different location where he is still describing what is going on in the non-diegetic voice over.

Using cross cutting adds more detail to the narrative and gives the audience a more coherent idea into what life is like for a successful YouTube gamer. The camera has gathered a series of clips from different locations so by combining together creates a more in depth narrative to show the audience of Tom's fame and success. For example, at the beginning of the documentary, Tom is being interviewed (MCU) and in the dialogue mentions how he built his own house out of the money he earned from gaming. The camera then cross cuts to a new location of a house (LS), in which the camera shows various shots of the house he built whilst he goes on to talk about it in the non-diegetic voice over.

Montage editing is a good way to show a variety of clips collected that relates to the topic in a short space of time. It is the technique of putting together separate sections of film to form a continuous sequence which shows the audience more of a variety about the lifestyle of being a famous gamer.

This documentary follows the conventional structure expected. It includes;

Titles and credits

This documentary uses the same text font, colour and background in both the titles and the credits and other titles used. The font is in big, white capitol letters which make the letters stand out on the screen and the titles use an animated sequence in which uses pixels to morph from the person being interviewed into the titles in which make the titles look digital and modern, and relates back to the subject of gaming which is associated with being modern and digital. The background is black and purple and is also animated, but the white typography stands out on the black background which stands out to the audience.

Interviews

Documentaries use interviews to inform the audience about a certain subject in which is described from people who are experienced in this topic area. This documentary has used a range of shots in the interviews for this documentary including medium close up's and have interviewed two people in this documentary, one of them is the YouTube gamer Tom and the other is the gaming director of the gaming festival. The interviews have also used "talking space", in which in the talking space provided in this interview you can see an office environment in which is associated with computers and technology which relates to the topic of gaming;

 
 MCU





MS 

CU






To obtain information about the subject, the investigator asks questions to the person being interviewed. In this documentary, you can't hear the investigator ask the questions however we can interpret from the interviewees response what they're being asked;

- How many followers do you have on social media platforms?
- What have you done with the money you've earned from your success?
- What is your name and what do you do?
- How did you achieve your fame and success?
- What is it like being recognised at gaming festivals and events?
- How long do you spend at these events?
- What are these events like in comparison to the past?
- Why do you think video games have become so popular?  


There are a total of 8 questions in this 3 minute documentary, which ideally is around the number amount of questions I will be asking in my short documentary which is slightly longer at 5 minutes.

Soundtrack/ incidental (non-diegetic) music

The incidental music used for this documentary is funky and upbeat, which has been created according to the mood of the documentary. It has a modern, upbeat sound which is suited to the documentary topic as video gaming and YouTube are modern concepts and also very digital, in which the incidental music gives off a very digital sound. The music is continuous and unchanging throughout the documentary, in which reflects on the mood created by the documentary. The mood is also reflecting on the gamer way of life which is seen as busy and stylish and the upbeat funky music then further reflects upon that.

 A range of clips relating to the documentary topic

Other than just using medium close up interview shots, this documentary has used a range of shots and locations to look into a pro gamer YouTuber star. They have used a range of camera angles and shots in order to show this to the target audience

This medium long shot has placed the pro gamer in the centre frame, in which yo can see the crowd in front of him. The importance of placing him in the centre frame shows he is the "centre of attention" (the main focus) which signifies his importance. The crowd in the background of this shot further supports this as it further shows his importance and tells the audience how successful he is as a YouTuber to attract an audience of that size.

This is a long shot, in which the pro gamer has been placed in the top corner of the screen. This shot shows game footage, in which the camera has put the pro gamer in the corner to get a reaction shot and also so the audience can still see the game being played. The purpose of this shot is to show the audience more about what pro gamer's do and also shows them what kind of games he plays as well to get a better idea about the lifestyle of a pro gamer.

This mid shot shows a price list for merchandise. Within the mis en scene, the audience can see the logo for Syndicate (the pro gamer) as well as the sub title "price list" and the listings for t-shirts and posters. The purpose of this shot is to tell the audience more about the success of the pro gamer, in which tells the audience more about his success. Merchandise is often associated with big brands or films/movies in which this tells the audience of syndicates success if he can afford his own merchandise.

This medium long shot shows a crowd of people. We can assume that these people are waiting for Syndicate as the camera then cuts to a mid shot of him taking photos with fans. This then tells the audience more about his success as its a shot of his fans waiting to meet him, which further tells the audience more about his personality and that he must be a nice guy if people dedicate their time waiting around to meet him. 

This medium long shot has put the pro gamer in the centre of the frame which once again shows that he is the centre focus of the shot. The man on his left is a security guard, in which we can see from his costume that he is wearing a black suit and tie and carrying a radio, all in which are iconic to the look of a security guard. This further tells the audience that the pro gamer is important and successful as he has his own security guard, in which people with security guards are seen as important as they need protecting.

This long shot is of a giant flat screen TV. it has put the TV in the centre frame, in which dominates the entire frame to show the audience how big it is. Big screen TV and technology are associated with being expensive, in which the purpose of this shot further tells the audience that Syndicate is successful as he can afford expensive things, in which being rich is often associated with success.

Changes in the music according to the mood created by the person interviewed

This documentary keeps up an upbeat and stylish mood throughout the documentary that reflects upon the gamer's way of life. Because of this, there is no need for a change in the incidental music and so it remains continuous throughout the entire film. 

Locations

There are numerous locations used in this documentary to reflect upon the lifestyle of a pro gamer including the interview location, the gaming festival and his own house;

This long shot has been filmed at his house. The purpose of using shots from his house location is to show the audience of his fame and success, that he can afford an expensive and modern house. In this shot, it shows a bar designed for alcohol, in which tells the audience he can afford to build unnecessary expensive things for the sake of having them. 

This extreme long shot has been filmed at a gaming festival. By using footage from a gaming festival shows Syndicates popularity and success and also gives an insight into the type of fans he would have and also gives the audience a better idea about gaming culture and what kind of people would it appeal to. In this shot, you can see Syndicate on a stage surrounded by crowds of fans, which further tells the audience about his fame and success being a YouTuber.