Louis Theroux.
Louis Theroux is a very well known British documentary film maker, who's work has inspired me for a very long time. His unique style of documentary-making has made him so popular, as he is able to provide a seemingly non-biased view on aspects of the world that the majority of the population don't know much about (i.e. gambling). I have seen all of his documentaries except for the Law and Disorder series which I will be watching for the purpose of this research.
Theroux started when he graduated from Oxford in 1991, and started out as a print journalist the year after. He got his TV break from Michael Moore who hired him as a writer and correspondent for his satirical show TV Nation. [1] I found it interesting to know he originated from the same city as me and started out as a print journalist, as this shows how far he has come, which is inspiring.
Louis' style of documentary is quite unique, in that he can almost effortlessly get the subject's thoughts and information out of them without asking many questions or pushing them too much. He holds an informal approach, which helps him to build a rapport with the people he's interviewing and maintain the relationship, helping Louis bring out more information that could be useful to the documentary.
I'm inspired by Louis' ability to build relationships with the characters of his show without getting too close to them and also with his seemingly awkward persona. I think he must spend time with the characters before filming starts so that he can chat to them and they can get to know him more in order to feel more comfortable with him.
The series "Louis Theroux" on Netflix is a compilation of many of Louis' most interesting documentaries. He visits a brothel, meets Nazis, and goes gambling in Vegas to show viewers what life is like in these more hidden areas of America. He tells the story of the people he follows, less about the general facts about the type of person and more about how that particular person lives their life, making it more personal, but using them as an example of the kind of person to visit these places.
He sets the scene with voice-overs explaining what he will be doing and who he will be talking to. This means the viewer can have a better understanding of what Louis is doing through the parts of the day that aren't recorded and it keeps the story flowing.
In Gambling In Las Vegas, Louis meets 2 kinds of gamblers, a "high-roller" Alan, brought in by his friend at the hotel Richard Wilke, a slots high-roller Dr Martha Ogman, and 2 lower betting salesmen Jon Romanelli and Tim Nordall. Following these people through the weekend at the hotel, Louis gets a better understanding of life at the hotel, how the money is made and mostly lost, and the effect is has on the players. Louis also takes part in the gambling for one evening to get an idea of how it feels and how addictive it can be. As a viewer you start to feel bad for the people Louis is following but you're not made to feel bad- they're fairly represented in actuality, it never seems like they're asked to redo something for the camera, and their words aren't edited to sound like they're saying something they aren't. They also don't speak to the camera so we are there as an observer of the situation rather than a subject of their interest, they aren't speaking to us they're speaking to Louis, which helps the situation feel more natural. If they had been talking to the camera it would make it more formal and it could possibly make the characters' responses less natural as they would be more aware of being on camera.
He keeps his questions simple and lets the people lead their own stories and create their own characters. This makes it feel more realistic for the viewer.
I read an article in which Louis is interviewed about his career. He says that once he learned to trust his instincts things went smoother, and so this is something I would like to bring to this project. It can be nerve-wracking for everyone involved, for the crew telling a real story and being challenged with telling it honestly, and for the people on-screen, because they have a camera crew following everything they do. So if you're relaxed, everyone else will be too, and this will make the process easier and more natural. [2]
What I take from Louis' work is to be confident and treat the people you're interviewing as human beings and not topics. I don't like the idea of interviewing someone formally in a studio because it feels forced and scripted; although I do think it fits some styles of documentary such as 24 Hours in A&E where you may want some more explanation of the story, like a narration almost, since you don't get that from a presenter. But with the style we're going for I feel it would be out of place to put in something so formal. It would fit much better to shoot actuality interviews as it's more real, and doesn't feel so clinical, or scripted, or potentially set up. It also prevents the risk of misleading the audience.
It's important to work with and along-side the characters, so that they feel comfortable with you and you can get more of a story from them.
I'm inspired by Louis' ability to build relationships with the characters of his show without getting too close to them and also with his seemingly awkward persona. I think he must spend time with the characters before filming starts so that he can chat to them and they can get to know him more in order to feel more comfortable with him.
The series "Louis Theroux" on Netflix is a compilation of many of Louis' most interesting documentaries. He visits a brothel, meets Nazis, and goes gambling in Vegas to show viewers what life is like in these more hidden areas of America. He tells the story of the people he follows, less about the general facts about the type of person and more about how that particular person lives their life, making it more personal, but using them as an example of the kind of person to visit these places.
He sets the scene with voice-overs explaining what he will be doing and who he will be talking to. This means the viewer can have a better understanding of what Louis is doing through the parts of the day that aren't recorded and it keeps the story flowing.
In Gambling In Las Vegas, Louis meets 2 kinds of gamblers, a "high-roller" Alan, brought in by his friend at the hotel Richard Wilke, a slots high-roller Dr Martha Ogman, and 2 lower betting salesmen Jon Romanelli and Tim Nordall. Following these people through the weekend at the hotel, Louis gets a better understanding of life at the hotel, how the money is made and mostly lost, and the effect is has on the players. Louis also takes part in the gambling for one evening to get an idea of how it feels and how addictive it can be. As a viewer you start to feel bad for the people Louis is following but you're not made to feel bad- they're fairly represented in actuality, it never seems like they're asked to redo something for the camera, and their words aren't edited to sound like they're saying something they aren't. They also don't speak to the camera so we are there as an observer of the situation rather than a subject of their interest, they aren't speaking to us they're speaking to Louis, which helps the situation feel more natural. If they had been talking to the camera it would make it more formal and it could possibly make the characters' responses less natural as they would be more aware of being on camera.
He keeps his questions simple and lets the people lead their own stories and create their own characters. This makes it feel more realistic for the viewer.
I read an article in which Louis is interviewed about his career. He says that once he learned to trust his instincts things went smoother, and so this is something I would like to bring to this project. It can be nerve-wracking for everyone involved, for the crew telling a real story and being challenged with telling it honestly, and for the people on-screen, because they have a camera crew following everything they do. So if you're relaxed, everyone else will be too, and this will make the process easier and more natural. [2]
What I take from Louis' work is to be confident and treat the people you're interviewing as human beings and not topics. I don't like the idea of interviewing someone formally in a studio because it feels forced and scripted; although I do think it fits some styles of documentary such as 24 Hours in A&E where you may want some more explanation of the story, like a narration almost, since you don't get that from a presenter. But with the style we're going for I feel it would be out of place to put in something so formal. It would fit much better to shoot actuality interviews as it's more real, and doesn't feel so clinical, or scripted, or potentially set up. It also prevents the risk of misleading the audience.
It's important to work with and along-side the characters, so that they feel comfortable with you and you can get more of a story from them.
Bibliography
[1] Louistheroux.com. (2018). Louis Theroux’s Biography | Louis Theroux. [online] Available at: http://louistheroux.com/louis-therouxs-biography/ [Accessed 13 Mar. 2018].
[2] Carroll, R. (2017). Louis Theroux: ‘For all his awfulness, I admire Trump’s shamelessness’. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/oct/08/louis-theroux-for-all-his-awfulness-i-admire-trumps-shamelessness [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
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