Born Into Coal

Although the documentary short "Born Into Coal," was framed around the topic coal mining, the fact that it has no rising and falling action, and also that it's free form, shows that it's a human interest documentary. Watching this documentary was very intriguing because of not only how effective the scenes were due to the technique used, but also because of the content and the relevance of it. In the video, the concept of being born into coal is referenced and as an example, coal miners were documented, along with their families, in-order to expose the audience to the idea of being born into coal.

When the topic of the explosion that happened in April  5, 2010, arose, I found this particular shot to be very effective. The reason why this close-shot is effective is because it captures the pain families of coal miners endured or still endure due to the explosion, which was and still is a clear reminder of the danger loved ones put themselves in everyday and that it's not guaranteed that they're going to make it home. The background being black creates a contrast effect so that the audience focuses only on her facial expression. The tear dropping down her cheek, along with the story she's recalling, creates a sympathetic audience because it conveys the amount of hurt she carries due to the circumstances, which can be overwhelming. In this close-up, it's easy to tell that she's not locked up in a dark room bawling her eyes out because she's very collected, which means that the tear escaped subconsciously. This goes to expand the idea of the heart wrenching situation they're put in; being born into coal.

In this other close-up shot, it's shot sideways unlike the one above. This is my favorite shot of the documentary short because it uses so little to convey the tremendous unspoken words.

This shot shows Arianna and how she was and is affected by the danger of her daddy's career. In this sideways close-up shot, a soft focus is used in a way that shows you the background, but the main focus is kept on Arianna. This shot allows the audience to see the unshed tears, which shows the character's heartbreak and her feelings towards being born into coal. She says, "It's the risk I have to take I guess." Even with the audience not watching the documentary and just seeing this shot, it's evident, through her expression, that she feels like there's nothing she can do about her current situation but she still hasn't lost hope. The fact that she's not looking straight into the camera creates an even more sympathetic audience because it (the shot), portrays it's natural aspect; that this isn't a faked expression, but rather it comes from the deepest part of her heart, and that for a split second, she lets the emotions take control.