One Direction Documentary Analysis

*Unfortunately I watched the first 10 minutes of this film on an actual DVD, so i was unable to find the first 10 minutes on youtube to embed. However if I do find it later on, I will ensure to embed it.*

One Direction; This Is Us, directed by Morgan Spurlock.

The beginning of the documentary contains archive photos of the five boys from when they were younger. This are assisted with voiceovers of whoever the photo is of, describing how they felt about music when they were younger and what they aspired to do when they grew up. Starting the film like this draws the audiences attention immediately as it shows how the five of them have come to the position they are now and it informs them straight away how passionate they are about music. Furthermore, showing the pictures of them when they were younger makes the audience relate with them more and give the documentary a personal and sentimental vibe from the outset.

The use of both diegetic and non diegetic music is present in this opening sequence and it is a clear way of helping the audience understand the genre of the documentary. In many of the scenes in the first 10 minutes as well as the rest of the film, there are many scenes where there is non diegetic music playing of the commentary and visual contents, and it it often leads into scenes of them performing live in concert or practices behind stage. By showing this, it allows the audience to develop a clear understand as to what the main subject of this documentary is. Furthermore, it illustrates to the viewers that One Direction are passionate about their music. it also represents them as hard working people who like to fill their lives with music and it helps the audience to connect more with them and understand their lives, motives and influences  to create music.

Many of the scenes that are shown are very light hearted ones. The shots often show the band members, laughing and joking around with each other, as well as showing gratitude towards their fans and audiences. The directors and producers of this documentary may have done this to show to the audiences that no matter how big and famous they become, they will always remain humble and modest. By doing this, it makes the audience feel more connected with the, and additionally makes the audience like the band more as they are represented as nice people.

In one of the scenes in the opening 10 minutes, it shows them rehearsing some of their performances before they go on stage. This is a shot of all of the band members practicing back stage with their choreographer. The producer of the film may have included this montage to represent One Direction being hard working and determined to produce the best performance possible. Therefore, conveying them as hard working portrays to the audience that they are not just lazy artist who don't do anything for themselves.

Another piece of footage that give the overall documentary more sentimental value is the clips of the five band members auditioning as solo artists on X Factor. This footage showed all the boys performing separately, however not being good enough. Further on in this scene, the five individual members were put together to form One Direction and wen to become successful. Spurlock may have included these scenes to show how far they have come, and used it in juxtaposition to them performing on stage in front of millions. By including this, it shows how far they have come in since then and encourages the audience to feel proud of them.

A particular scene in the opening sequence of this documentary emphasises the magnitude of One Directions fame. The scene consist of a medium shot a scientific professor describing the process of what happens in the brain when fans see One Directions. Requiring scientific research to find out why fans like One Direction represent the band as a large global phenomenon and give the audience eat impression that they have worked hard to become famous worldwide. It also informs the audience why people are such fans of them, and educated them about the whole situation.

Audiences may enjoy watching this documentary as it give them an inside look on One Directions life, including back stage, at home and with their family. Fans of one direction may have desired this for a long time as they want to know everything about their favourite band. Therefore, this documentary provides information and insight on exclusive things that the audiences may not be able to find anywhere else.