Frankel's legend

As I felt that this particular documentary is very similar to what I hope to produce I payed close attention to the variety of shots that were used. Especially focussing on the filler shots between interviews and those to establish the mise-en-scene, as this was something that I struggled with during my preliminary task.

What I found makes this documentary most interesting was that it gives the audience the sense that they are almost gaining 'backstage' insight into the work and preparation that lies behind all of Sir Henry's success. This is achieved through a combination of shots of the general running of the yard, interviews with the staff, as well as some background information about Sir Henry's upbringing, personal life, as well as his journey to success.

Another feature of this documentary that added to its success was the clever use of props and location to establish the mise-en-scene. Every interview was in a particular setting with appropriate objects in the background in order to say something about that person and their role. Any interviews with stable staff were shot within a barn with hay bales and tack in the background, and often wearing coats, a more informal work-like setting than those filmed of Sir Henry in his living room, or important racing figures sat dressed smartly at a table. Moreover those of Henry would also usually have an array of trophies or pictures of notorious wins in the background, not only to capture what a highly regarded figure he is within racing, but also to perhaps show how much pride he takes in what he does, that he would want to display all of these things within his home.                              

The filler shots are what I will take the most inspiration from, not only due to that fact that their content fitted so well with the genre and tone of the production, but also in the great variety of ways in which they were captured.  One of my favourites was during the very opening of the documentary, which captured several horses legs as they galloped around a bend during a race. This was not only an interesting shot but also established the mise-en-scene.

There was also a real sense of progression throughout the story of the journey of both Frankel and Sir Henry's lives, which engaged the audience and also made it far more emotive. This is definitely something that I will incorporate into my mini documentary, as it establishes the characters that are featured, helping the audience to understand and relate to them.

NARRATIVE: There was also a real sense of progression throughout the story of the journey of both Frankel and Sir Henry's lives, which engaged the audience and also made it far more emotive. The start of the documentary first explored Henry’s childhood and upbringing around horses, and continued to follow his life story in chronological order all the way up to his death. This is definitely something that I will incorporate into my mini documentary, as it establishes the characters that are featured, helping the audience to understand and relate to them. It is mainly a story of hard work and dedication to your craft, as throughout his battle fighting cancer and the loss of his twin brother David, Sir Henry still continued to pursue his strong work ethic which was all rewarded following the arrival of the Frankel and his notorious unbeaten career.

AUDIENCE would say that this particular documentary would be aimed at quite a niche audience, probably being an older age category of people interested in horses. This is due to the fact that despite racing is something that appeals to large variations of audiences, this production is focussed on the training and hard work that goes on at home in order to prepare horses for events.

REPRESENTATION:  The lifestyle of a professional racing trainer is represented as extremely hard work and very much a full time job. Even through illness and trauma Sir Henry still managed to continue with his routine consisting of early starts, long hours and spending most of his day outside on his feet.