LOUIS THEROUX
A bit of background info...
Louis Theroux is a British documentary filmmaker. He is best known for his Gonzo style journalism, that tends to favour style over accuracy and often uses personal experience and emotions to provide contract for the topic or event that is being documented. Theroux tends to only work with the BBC and over his career has produced numerous stand out documentaries like Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends, and in more recent years Transgender Kids, and Drinking to Oblivion.
When looking at Louis Theroux I decided to focus on his interviewing style, as I think this is one of the main reasons his documentaries are as interesting as they are. If it wasn't for his interviewing style, he probably wouldn't get as much information as he does. I think Louis presents himself to interviewees as being a bit naive. The way he presents himself, makes the interviewees feel as though they have to tell him everything, starting with the basics, which ultimately is an advantage because then the audience get a very clear picture of the subject. This naive manner also allows him to make the interviewee feel comfortable before he suddenly switches and starts asking tough questions which make them feel uncomfortable. He starts with typical, open questions that allow the interviewee to talk freely about the topic, before he begins to ask specific, quick fire questions that, in a way, lead the interviewee into revealing all the information they can, which can be useful when talking about difficult subjects.
I find Louis Theroux interesting because when he has to spend time with his subjects, he actually takes an interest in what they are doing and doesn't question them too much. For example, in one of his documentaries he spends some time with an ex-crystal meth dealer. During his time in this mans home, he builds a rapport with him and his friends and allows them to show him around and show him what they do. Instead of asking his tough questions, he only ask a few off topic questions, and tries his best to take an interest in their lives. By doing this he is able to build up a good relationship with his subjects, which will make them more likely to answer his tougher questions further down the line.
One of the things he does well is identifying his subjects weaknesses. As bad as it sounds, it appears as though he uses these weaknesses to get to his subjects and to make them open up a bit more. For example, in one of his documentaries, a subject his is following, breaks down and begins to open up to him when he starts asking about her children. It is clear that her relationship with her children made her open up. Louis also likes to put people on the spot and force them to explain their actions, which often leads to people saying some really interesting things on camera, things they wouldn't normally want to admit.
Overall, I like Louis's interview style, because it allows him to get access to people who wouldn't normally give access. Because of his somewhat friendly and naive manner, he can build up a relationship and make people feel more comfortable sharing delicate information with him. I respect this style, however, because now hard hitting questions will really be used when filming my documentary, it's not a style I will take on myself. I will be friendly with the subjects, but that won't be because I am planning to hit them with hard questions further down the line.
Images:
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03239/louis_3239909b.jpg
0 comments:
Post a Comment