Unit 4- Form Research: Existing Texts Nick Broomfield Case Study

Nick Broomfield is an English documentary film maker.

His style of documentaries are critical, investigative and serious.

Below I have got three documentaries that are made by Nick Broomfield, which I have analyzed.

 

1) Biggie and Tupac



Secondly, another documentary that Nick Broomfield has produced is the investigation behind the murders of Biggie who was murdered in Los Angeles, March 9^th 1997 and Tupac was murdered in Las Vegas, September 7^th 1996. The target audience of this documentary is mainly Black American/African working class boys aged 15- 20 year olds and parents who are involved in gang violence or who lost someone due to murder. Also, targets fans of Biggie and Tupac particularly black boys.
However, Mode of Address is investigative, critical and serious as it deals with the investigation of Biggie’s and Tupac’s death which leads to critics by Nick Broomfield stating at the end that there were police officers on duty that night but there were no inquiries help for those police officers as one of them resigned.  The reason why it is serious and critical is mainly because the topic of the documentary is about the death of the two most well known RAP/ R&B celebrities. 
For this documentary, the Mode is participatory and investigative.

2) Kurt and Courtney 1998 by Nick Broomfield

See link for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6EvqHeVXkQ&feature=related

The target audience is Rock and Roll fans who like Kurt and Courtney, boys and girls aged 18 to 24 from White/ Middle class background. The Mode of address of this documentary is investigative, serious and critical because it’s mainly about how Kurt got murdered and the intimate relationship between Kurt and Courtney, also, their separation.

In addition, the Mode of the documentary is participatory and investigative.

What I have learned by researching this documentary is that Nick Broomfield’s documentaries are short, yet also, highlights key subject matter which is often why it makes his documentaries interesting and captivating. In addition, the fact that he does most of his documentaries participatory like the Biggie and Tupac one creates a sense of realism and his dedication for his work as he have to carry his equipments with him everywhere he goes in the documentary.

 

3) Ghost

At last but not least, the documentary ‘Ghosts’ by Nick Broomfield is used to describe another word for ‘Foreign devils’. Its target audience is for people who live in Britain and for those who are illegal immigrants to make them aware of the consequences they may face such as leaving their families and where they have to live in unbearable working and living conditions etc.
The Mode is a ’Fly On The Wall’ because the camera is invisible as we are introduced to the world of this Chinese/Japanese woman who leaves her family and illegally immigrates to the UK to provide money for her family back in China/Japan.

Moreover, the Mode of Address is serious, investigative and critical where it sheds lights on how desperate for money a person can be to meet their family’s requirements back at home. Money can make people do everything.

The target audience for this documentary that is produced by Nick Broomfield is for citzens living in the UK to understand through how much difficulties immigrants are going to feed and provide safeguard for their families in their homeland. I think it mainly tries to eliminate the prejudice or stigma about immigration and their negative reputation and low status.

This documentary is aimed at mainly for adults who are British or from ethnic minorities aged 20-25+.

Even the name of the documentary's title 'Ghost' connotes as if the immigrant is a lifeless and anonymous thing. In the documentary the life of a mother is explored who is so vulnerable that she is being used for anything including sexual trafficking.