Text being analysed: Rize

Source of text: David LaChapelle (Director) – Lions Gate Films

Approximate date of broadcast: January 2005

Description of Text
Potential Audience for Text
The topic of this documentary film follows a group of young people that are
This documentary
passionate is aimed towards
about Krumping, Clowning 15and
year olds and
Striper Danceover and aimed
(dance atThe
forms). both
malesor
angle and females;
area however the interviewees
of this documentary is how black were mostlyculture
American’s males. (Krumping,
The reason
Striper Dance and Clowning) became so popular. The location of thisClowning
why I think they may have used more males is because; Krumping,
and Stripper Dance
documentary are mostly
is situated aggressive
in the United andthe
States, dangerous.
sub urbanThe targetor
cultures
audienceofwill
‘Ghetto’ Losobviously be interested
Angles. This documentary in dance, Krumping,
is not at all biasedStripper
of theseDance
danceand
Clowning, Hip Hop music and street music. And the location the
forms, in this documentary everyone thinks it is a good and positive thing. In potential
audience
terms will be located
of presenter, in is mostly around
this documentary does nottheinvolve
suburban areas of USA and
a presenter;
London. The they
nevertheless, audience's ethnicityaisnarrator
have involved black, as seen
that in the the
narrates video mostly
story black
to the
people are shown.
audience. When looking at facts or figures at the beginning of the
documentary the narrator shows how many blocks in the neighbourhood of the
Negro section were decimated in the 1960’s. The documentary interviews
‘Tommy the clown’, Tight Eyes, Lil C, Baby Tight Eyes and people who admire
Key Influences
‘Clowning’. They onhave your
alsoIdea - Content
associated and Form
Krumping, Clowning and Stripper
Dance with African Folk Dance (Black American heritage). They have also
This documentary
shown has helped
the past history of theseand influenced
people’s lives my
andproduction
what sort of quite a lot as I
neighborhood
can now
they use the key conventions from this documentary in my work.
live in.

• The music of this documentary has helped me realise that having

music related to what you’re showing on the screen is very important.
• The camera work of the documentary is also again very helpful as it
shows different shots of different people dancing. I could also use this
in my documentary, showing different shots and angles of people
dancing.
• The interviews in this documentary isn’t quite balanced, as they have
only shown black people who are interested in these dance forms, I
think this influences my idea as I should do the opposite and interview
different people from different ethnicities and people with different
views and opinions.
Use of Camera
- The use of camera in this documentary is quite expressive as
they have shown many different angles and shots in different
segments of the film.
- The documentary also shows many different shots of
different people dancing in different locations this gives the
documentary a mixture of different shots.
Use of Editing
- When looking at editing, this is a documentary film so this
hasn’t really been edited.
- However, the documentary does contain some subtitles that
introduce the interviewees.
Use of Sound
- This documentary contains many different R’N’B and Grime
music to fit and suit the text they are showing on the screen.
- The dialogue delivery used in this documentary is very rough
and informal, as the people shown as passionate dancers
and performer, are known to be from the sub urban side of
the US ‘the hood or Ghetto’.
Content and Conventions
- The documentary does include a short period of archive
footage from three different periods, 1960’s 1990’s and
2000’s.
- The film also shows a competition between to dance forms
that have been found and expanded by different people
(Clowns vs. Krumpers).
- It also shows the past lives of the people who are involved
in the creation of these dance forms. For example, some
people were drug addicts or seller, some people were shot
as the live in the ‘ghetto’ side of US and some people were
parentless or orphans.
- This documentary shows people from different ages
performing different dance forms, people aged from 2
years to probably 40.
- These dance forms were heavily influenced by the African
heritage folk dance. This was shown in the documentary,
with archive footage.
- Some people involved in the documentary film, expressed
that Clowning, Krumping and Stripper Dance is a way of
showing the public your hatred, stress and tension.