A Very British Gangster

A Very British Gangster
A documentary film following Dominic Noonan who is head of one of Britain's most dangerous crime families. Directed by Donal MacIntyre and Produced by Dare Films. Dominic Noonan was spotted in the Manchester Riots wearing a suit and directing the riots in Oldham Street in 2011.

An establishing shot/extreme long shot is used to show Manchester at night showing the audience that bad things typically happen at night time. The conventions of a film is used in this documentary such as the titles. A sound bridge is used for Dominic Noonan. He is seen in the middle of the three men which shows that he's the protagonist/antagonist of the documentary. They are all seen to be wearing suits which is stereotypical of gangsters. Rap/gangster music is used when 'A very British Gangster' comes up which would usually stereotypically be used in gangster films when they are using places such as underpasses. The title looks like a projection on the bridge as they are throwing in big words on the screen.

Low angle shot shows that they have power and dominance over the viewer. Slow motion is used to make it more dramatic and make the gangsters look 'cool'. CCTV is used when they are walking up the stairs suggesting they're being watched by the police. He is dominate at the club and looks more like a bouncer. They cut away to Dominic's hands where he is wearing loads of jewellery which tell the audience that he gangster which is stereotypical, it also shows wealth and a 'Del Boy' thing to do it also shows power Uses simple titles to introduce the people in the documentary. A close up is used when Dominic Noonan starts to talk to the audience to show his facial expressions. Dominic is seen as a psycho as he say he chopped off a dogs head and put it on the table of a pub and threatened the people  in there. Gangster music is used when the gangsters are walking. He is trying to give the impression that hes turned his back on a life of crime. He has spent nearly 22 years in different prisons out of 39.

The death of his brother brought a stand still to most of Manchester and publicised the family. The family of 14 got brought up in a two bedroom house and their mother set it on fire so she could get a bigger house. Archive footage is used from when the whole of Britain was searching for Noonan and to tell the audience what happened and why they were looking for him. A crane shot is used when he is driving off in his car.

A vary of different pictures and clips are used of Dominic Noonan and his gang the grainy picture suggests that they are newspaper articles which are used in a montage. The music was made famous from Pulp Fiction which is also about gangsters which links with this documentary. Black and white still photographs are used to show what the gangster have been doing. The camera is hand held when the camera man is following the gang. Actuality is used which is when something is film whilst it is actually happening.

 Dominic Noonan is recorded standing outside a court. There was a 360 degree pan around Noonan when he was talking about his life to the audience. There is a zoom on his face so the camera goes into a close up to show Noonan's facial expressions. This documentary humanises Dominic and makes him more than just a gangster. The part of the documentary in the boxing club gives the audience an insight of his life as he is recorded from the back of the room, you find out how he become how he is. Dominic had a traumatic experience when he was 13 at boarding school where he got violently abused and raped by the people there. He caught the people years later and got revenge by physically beating them. Dominic is a religious man as he goes to catholic church every now and then.

Dominic and his brother are under constant surveillance. Desmond Noonan was stabbed twice on the streets of Manchester and died of his wounds before he arrived at the hospital. Whilst Dominic is arranging his brothers funeral he is interrupted by a death threat by other gangs in Manchester. Two high schools have closed because of the funeral of Desmond and a 100 local residences reportedly attended. Derek McDuffus who was a drug dealer from Manchester, was charged for a minimum of 15 years for Desmond's murder.

What is a documentary film?

Documentary Films

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record. A 'documentary film' was originally shot on film stock — the only medium available — but now includes video and digital productions that can be either direct-to-video, made as a television program or released for screening in cinemas. "Documentary" has been described as a "filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception" that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries.

Research into Existing Products

Documentary:
Analyse the codes and conventions of a documentary film. You should comment on the following, along with any other points you feel are relevant:

1) What TV Channel it's broadcast on?

2) What is the Title of the Documentary?

3) What type of Documentary is it?

• Historical: The Rise and Fall of the Egyptian Empire
• Biographical: The Life of Sir Stanley Matthews
• Investigative: The truth behind the disappearance of Madeline McCann
• Artistic: The work of Van Gogh and The story of Mona Lisa
• Wildlife: The anatomy of the Blue Whale
• Political: The New Labour years
• Drama Documentaries: Margaret Thatcher
• Reality TV: The Kardashians and Peter Andre The Next Chapter
• Celebrity: David Beckham's new tattoo
• Scripted Reality: TOWIE (The Only Way is Essex)  

CCTV is the most realistic and reliable type of reality TV.

4) What Style of Documentary is it? Think in terms of:

• Narrative Structure: Linear/Non-Linear (in order/not in order)
• Editing: Fast, slow, dissolves, fades, superimposing
• Voice-overs: Narration, register, tone, mode of address
• Archive Footage: Type, style, place, time-period
• Graphics: Pie charts, images
• Text: Captions, subtitles, banners
• Music: Songs, instrumental, ambient

5) What is the Subject matter/ Content of the documentary?

6) What are the Messages and meanings behind the documentary - What is it trying to communicate to the audience?