The differences between documentaries and films can be observed when they share premise. Set in the 1970s, The Walk (2015), a film directed by Robert Zemeckis, is based on the legendary true story of tightrope walker Phillippe Petit and his plan to wire walk without a safety harness between the twin towers with the help of his team. The documentary Man on Wire (2008), directed by James Marsh, contains the same storyline as the film, however, it differs from it as the two are different types of texts. Man on Wire and The Walk make use of their characters in contrasting ways. Similarly, the structure of the documentary and the film also varies. Nevertheless, music is used in a similar way between Man on Wire and The Walk. When various components
…show more content…
In Man on Wire, the characters are real, non-scripted people who are there to provide information about the coup and their role in it. Man on Wire extracts information about the character’s past experiences through interviews, a common technique used in documentaries, meaning little is discovered about their backstory and there is no character development. In the documentary, almost nothing is discovered about the characters Jim Moore, Mark ‘the Australian’ and Donald as they were only included to give facts to the viewers. Entertaining the audience is the purpose of the characters in The Walk meaning they are able to develop and be given a backstory. The Walk, features Papa Rudy to be Phillippe’s mentor and add more depth to the narrative. Papa Rudy is not in Man on Wire as he was not directly involved in the crossing and therefore has little to add in terms of factual information. In the film, Annie is a busker who also attends art school and Jeff is a maths teacher which are backstories not provided to the characters in Man on Wire. Adding this information into the film, gives personality to the characters, makes them memorable and adds to the audience’s experience. The backstories provided in the film allows the audience to connect to the characters unlike in the documentary, where the characters are merely there to provide …show more content…
Man on Wire’s non-linear structure allows as much information as possible to be provided to the audience as it allows the plot to go off on a tangent so additional information is discovered. Throughout Man on Wire, the plot alternates between preparation for the coup and the actual break in allowing information about the two to be linked. Like the majority of films, The Walk has a linear structure as the aim of the text is to tell the story of Phillippe and the coup and entertain rather than educate. Linear structures are the most common structure found in film as they are easy to follow and more entertaining. The plot of The Walk begins with Phillippe as a young street performer then flows in a chronological order to the beginning of his wire walking career and the preparation for the coup. The tangents and extra information provided by the documentary educate the audience while the linear plot of the film entertains the audience with a
In Man on Wire, the characters are real, non-scripted people who are there to provide information about the coup and their role in it. Man on Wire extracts information about the character’s past experiences through interviews, a common technique used in documentaries, meaning little is discovered about their backstory and there is no character development. In the documentary, almost nothing is discovered about the characters Jim Moore, Mark ‘the Australian’ and Donald as they were only included to give facts to the viewers. Entertaining the audience is the purpose of the characters in The Walk meaning they are able to develop and be given a backstory. The Walk, features Papa Rudy to be Phillippe’s mentor and add more depth to the narrative. Papa Rudy is not in Man on Wire as he was not directly involved in the crossing and therefore has little to add in terms of factual information. In the film, Annie is a busker who also attends art school and Jeff is a maths teacher which are backstories not provided to the characters in Man on Wire. Adding this information into the film, gives personality to the characters, makes them memorable and adds to the audience’s experience. The backstories provided in the film allows the audience to connect to the characters unlike in the documentary, where the characters are merely there to provide …show more content…
Man on Wire’s non-linear structure allows as much information as possible to be provided to the audience as it allows the plot to go off on a tangent so additional information is discovered. Throughout Man on Wire, the plot alternates between preparation for the coup and the actual break in allowing information about the two to be linked. Like the majority of films, The Walk has a linear structure as the aim of the text is to tell the story of Phillippe and the coup and entertain rather than educate. Linear structures are the most common structure found in film as they are easy to follow and more entertaining. The plot of The Walk begins with Phillippe as a young street performer then flows in a chronological order to the beginning of his wire walking career and the preparation for the coup. The tangents and extra information provided by the documentary educate the audience while the linear plot of the film entertains the audience with a