Decline of Retail Documentary

Documentary Part 1 1. This film follows the daily workings of retailers in the dying bricks and mortar retail centers of an urban area. It pays particular attention to the piling inventory and the slowing sales. It shows the emptiness of stores and alludes to the ominous presence of e-commerce and Amazon hanging over the heads of these bricks and mortar retailers. 2. This will be an informative documentary that will include aspects of the talking heads form as well as the journalistic form.

Ken Burns’ documentaries are always inspiring for me but I want this one to be contemporary. 3. Yes, I will be doing interviews: a) I will interview bricks and mortar retailers and customers; b) I will find them by going to the urban area and talking to them; c) to make the film visually interesting, I will use shots of these stores while interviewees’ words are applied in voiceover at times. 4.

Yes, I will do observational filming: a) I will follower around retailers and customers; I will not need more than one cameraperson; b) I will simply ask people if it is okay if I film as I explain the purpose of the documentary. 5. I will speak on camera and appear on camera at times as I want it to be known that this is my film and is coming from a personal place. 6. I will conduct some voiceover narration and it will be in first-person.

Part 2 As Renov shows, there are 4 main fundamental tendencies for a documentary. These are: 1) to record, reveal, or preserve; 2) to persuade or promote; 3) to analyze or interrogate; and 4) to express. What I wish to accomplish in my documentary is to show all four of these tendencies. First, I want to record what the experience of the dying bricks and mortar industry is like—so I want to document this reality so that it is available for posterity.

Second, I want to elicit sympathy for this industry and for the people who have worked in it and may be losing their jobs or going out of business because they cannot compete with Amazon. I want to persuade the audience that these people deserve a place in society and that they deserve some empathy, as it is not fair that Amazon can come in and undercut them with pricing even though Amazon does not make money in this way.

Third, I want to better understand what these people are thinking and how customers react to bricks and mortar locations drying up. I want to interview and get a range of perspectives. I also want to find a bricks and mortar retailer that is still doing well, that is busy, and I want to interview its managers to see why they think this is—if I can find one.

Fourth, I want to express what it is like to have this part of life that is drying up and going away. I want the audience to wonder whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.