Bra Boys - a Documentary Case Study
Bra Boys Practice Essay
Documentaries reinforce or criticise dominant representations of groups in society. Discuss in relation to a documentary you have studied.
Images are a complex communication tool – the intention of the creator and the interpretation of the viewer may not be harmonizing. While Bra Boys seeks to criticise their infamous reputation as an anti-social and law-breaking gang, the construction of the documentary has reinforced that dominant representation of the surf group. Sunny Abberton’s documentary of dissent, Bra Boys (2007) is constructed to critique the dominant representation of the notorious societal group – “Bra Boys” by telling the story from the point of view directly from the underbelly of Maroubra itself. The documentary attempts to utilise viewing conventions of selection of detail, symbolism and audio codes to portray “Bra Boys” as a constructive support framework of surfers but with deeper analysis, there is evidence that those codes effectively does both- reinforces and critiques the dominant representation of the surf gang. This is most evident in the retelling of the brawl between the “Bra Boys” and the police force.
Abberton attempts to reconstruct the “true story” behind a pivotal event that played a large influence on the representation of the “Bra Boys” as a law-breaking, violent group with the use of first-hand interviews. The fight between the police and the “Bra Boys” on 22nd December 2002 was one of the breaking points in the historical resentment between the authorities and the surfers and created a wave of negative attention towards the “Bra Boys” as the instigators of the fight. Abberton has the intention to shed light on this event to critique the public’s perception of the group. To create the illusion that the documentary is presenting both sides of the argument and presenting pure factual information about the event, Abberton chooses to include both the police recount and the “Bra Boys” recount. However, there
Documentaries reinforce or criticise dominant representations of groups in society. Discuss in relation to a documentary you have studied.
Images are a complex communication tool – the intention of the creator and the interpretation of the viewer may not be harmonizing. While Bra Boys seeks to criticise their infamous reputation as an anti-social and law-breaking gang, the construction of the documentary has reinforced that dominant representation of the surf group. Sunny Abberton’s documentary of dissent, Bra Boys (2007) is constructed to critique the dominant representation of the notorious societal group – “Bra Boys” by telling the story from the point of view directly from the underbelly of Maroubra itself. The documentary attempts to utilise viewing conventions of selection of detail, symbolism and audio codes to portray “Bra Boys” as a constructive support framework of surfers but with deeper analysis, there is evidence that those codes effectively does both- reinforces and critiques the dominant representation of the surf gang. This is most evident in the retelling of the brawl between the “Bra Boys” and the police force.
Abberton attempts to reconstruct the “true story” behind a pivotal event that played a large influence on the representation of the “Bra Boys” as a law-breaking, violent group with the use of first-hand interviews. The fight between the police and the “Bra Boys” on 22nd December 2002 was one of the breaking points in the historical resentment between the authorities and the surfers and created a wave of negative attention towards the “Bra Boys” as the instigators of the fight. Abberton has the intention to shed light on this event to critique the public’s perception of the group. To create the illusion that the documentary is presenting both sides of the argument and presenting pure factual information about the event, Abberton chooses to include both the police recount and the “Bra Boys” recount. However, there