Documentary: Dreams Of A Life (Documentary Film)

In a recent lecture we watched a very interesting documentary film: "Dreams Of A Life".

DREAMS OF A LIFE

What I find most interesting about this documentary is that is made up of interviews and sequences, with the occasional photo thrown in. This is a very intriguing and difficult method for making a documentary.

The documentary tells the story of a woman, Joyce (Carol) Vincent, who was found dead in her flat, three years after she had died. The documentary explores her life leading up to her death, and tries to work out why nobody realised she was dead, and how she lost touch with the world around her. To do this the director, Carol Morley, interviewed past friends and colleagues, who were all shocked to discover she had died.

Carol Morley

The real Joyce (Carol) Vincent

Unlike most documentaries, this one cannot use GVs or actuality because the main subject of the documentary is dead, and the family members did not want to take part. Instead the documentary uses sequences and actors to show the story. These sequences are based on what the filmmaker, Carol Morley, has learnt in her interviews and research. These sequences are then mixed in with the interviews, by superimposing them onto Joyce's TV, shown in her living room during the reconstructions.

An actress was used to portray Joyce in the reconstructions

Throughout the documentary we hear stories about Joyce, told by her friends. The documentary also sheds light on Joyce's childhood, whilst trying to uncover the truth behind her life and the many lies she told. The question the documentary seeks to answer is 'Why was no one looking for her when she was missing?".

One of Joyce's friends tell the audience stories

The structure of the documentary is similar to a storytelling piece, it has a beginning, middle and an end. At the beginning of the documentary we are introduced to the Joyce and many of the people we are going to meet throughout. The main question is also introduced. Throughout the middle section, we begin to investigate her life, and hear about her through her friends. We look into her childhood and homelife, as well as her relationships over the years. By the end of the documentary, we begin to form a conclusion. It pieces all of the information together to show the bigger picture and explain why nobody looked for Joyce. The film ends with all of her friends talking about what they regret and what they should have done to help Joyce.

In terms of style, the documentary uses numerous shot and angles to help tell the story. High angles were used when CCTV was being presented. Close-ups were used when we were shown evidence, Joyce's belongings and articles about Joyce. The use of many panning shots allowed us to explore Joyce's world and the area she lived in. The use of many long shots suggested that Joyce was very isolated, lonely and distant. The documentary had a very dark mise en scene, which suggest isolation, desperation and loneliness, all things Joyce may have been feeling during her last moments.

Archive material played a big part in the film. Many newspaper articles were used to tell the story, for example some show how the story was investigated after her body was found. The film also uses CCTV footage of Joyce, and a clip from an event Joyce attended, where you can actually see her on camera. Images of Joyce are also used to give the audience an idea of what she looked like. And finally, an actual voice recording of her was used to help the audience understand what she sounded like. All of this actual footage, images and sounds, helped the audience build a picture of Joyce, along with the descriptions given by friends, and the actress used in the reconstructions.

Use of archive material in 'Dreams Of A Life"

Overall I found the documentary very interesting, and found the techniques it used to tell the story to be very unique, and intriguing. The style of the documentary perfectly matched the story it was trying to tell. And, considering the lack of real information on Joyce, I think the filmmaker, Carol Morley, did a great job introducing the world to Joyce (Carol) Vincent.

Images:

http://d5op7n9h7a6lz.cloudfront.net/assets/img/carolmorley.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lb-NyRaaBP0/maxresdefault.jpg

http://www.campfilms.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/cath2.jpg

http://www.sinuousmag.com/sm/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/dreams-of-a-life-zawe-ashton-as-joyce-vincent-01.jpg

http://www.madman.com.au/images/screenshots/screenshot_13_18382.jpg