Conclusion: Critical Introduction
The documentary titled ‘The Underground Music Den’ focuses on ‘The Arch’ nightclub in Brighton. The observational and poetic documentary was created to make the audience feel involved in the filmed event. The intention of this particular film was to create an atmosphere within the footage to make the viewer feel as if they were within The Arch’s walls. This reflects the poetic style of the documentary, as many montage shots bring the event to life on screen. The target audience of this documentary is ages 18-80; anyone who has an interest in nightlife and Brighton as a whole.
The Underground Music Den documentary has a clear dramatic curve and narrative structure. To begin, a time-lapse montage of Brighton is used. These establishing shots place the audience member in Brighton, allowing them to know where the club is based. The final shot in this sequence is a sunset shot of the Brighton wheel, which also establishes the time of day in which the footage was collected.
To continue, the interview with the owner of the club, Sammy Verghese, is placed at the beginning. This sets up key facts about The Arch, allowing the viewers to gain a clear understanding of what The Arch has to offer, as well as its overall ‘vibe’, style and music genre. Montage cross cuts are used during this interview. Footage of the empty club, as well as the DJ desks and equipment are shown. This now places the audience into the club, letting them see it in an observational set up, pre-club night.
As the climax of the documentary builds, montage clips are placed together of the club night itself, allowing the audience member to feel as if they were attending the event themselves. Vox pop footage of the customers is also inserted here, as they talk about The Arch and Brighton, helping us to develop an overall understanding of the venue, and the customers true reactions to what they think about ‘The Underground Music Den’. In the climax of the montage shots the background music is cut, leaving Sammy’s voice over, as he speaks about the Brighton music scene. To conclude, the last beat drop on the track kicks in. This build up allows the last drop to have the most impact on the audience, than any others in the documentary. To complete the film, two slow, cross-faded images of Brighton pier and The Arch’s logo are shown, to reiterate the focus of the documentary, as well as rolling credits.
Overall, the documentary is successful. You can truly grasp the atmosphere of the venue, and it poetically places the audience into the nightclub itself. To improve, the topic matter could have been more defined, potentially asking customers harder hitting questions to develop the documentary further. More vox pops could have also been filmed, to represent a more diverse customer base, not just white males but females, and customers of mix races. However, in conclusion, the documentary looks professional, with smooth transitions and a clear style used throughout.