Quarantine (John Erick Dowdle, 2008)

Introduction
Today, the focus will be discussing on documentary film. This film genre has radically evolved over the years and therefore, it is alright to be confused in defining the term "documentary". According to the author of Documentary Storytelling, Sheila Curran Beranrd, documentaries bring audience to a new world of experience through presenting factual information about persons, places or events. However, factuality alone does not define documentaries; it is what the filmmaker does on the factual elements (Desktop Documentaries, n.d., para.1-5). Out of the many types of documentaries, mockumentary will be the main discussion for this blog.

Theory Discussion
As proposed by Bill Nichols, we can look at documentaries via the techniques applied by the filmmakers when they record or shape the event, such as the way they represent the documentary to the audience. Therefore, Bill had suggested six modes of representations which include poetic mode, expository mode, observational mode, interactive mode, reflexive mode as well as performative mode. The film Quarantine (2008) falls under performative mode's mockumentary category as well as a few of the other modes of representation. According to English Oxford Living Dictionaries, mockumentary is a film which takes the form of a serious documentary film to mock its subject (n.d.).

Synopsis
Angela Vidal and her crew cameraman Scott Percival set out to film a report on the night shift in a Los Angeles fire station (IMDb, n.d., para.4). They are introduced to Fletcher and Jake, and are allowed to shadow them in their action. A medical emergency is reported and the duo follows the firemen to the scene. Mrs. Espinoza, the source of the screaming, attacks one of the policeman and this is where the virus outburst. As the policemen, firemen and TV crews want to send the injured to the hospital, they are told that the door is locked from the outside. Their cell phones and cable connections are blocked, the rabies-infected are crazed in biting the survivors and most importantly, they are all quarantined. The video tape is the only evidence on what is going on in the building.

Analysis

The first mode of representation found in Quarantine (2008) is performative's mockumentary mode. This mode of representation uses many different techniques to film and represent the issue, using a fictional style to show the audience the documentary. It evokes mood or atmosphere found in the fiction film, and it is lack of objectivity. It aimed to encourage the audience to feel the event meanwhile encouraging them to question the accuracy of the filmed events. The film Quarantine (2008) is subjective as it is the point of view of Scott, the cameraman, following Angela, the reporter, all the way in the incident. Since it is one kind of horror film, there are many scenes which hyped up the audiences' mood to have anticipations. For example, there is one scene when Danny, the police officer, and Jake, the fireman, request Angela and Scott to stay at the lobby. However, both of them still go up the stairs quietly to film what is happening in Mrs. Espinoza's room. The extraordinary silence and darkness induced the audience to sense fear from the particular scene.

The second mode of representation would be interactive mode. This is a mode where the filmmaker's presence is known by the audience. Also, the filmmaker involves in interviews where he or she poses questions on or off screen. Filmmaker's participation in the framing restraints the objectivity of the documentary. Obviously, Angela, the reporter is shown in most of the framing throughout the film. She interviews Briana, Sadie and Bernard when they are all quarantined in the building. She poses questions and prompts the interviewee to answer accordingly. Besides, there are several scenes where Angela also looks into the camera when she wants to report the latest updates to the audience.



The third mode of representation in the film is reflexive mode. Reflexive documentary arises from the desire of making the representations of the film more apparent and to challenge the impression of reality which expository, observational and interactive modes normally conveyed unproblematic. Besides representing the issue, the film is also attempting to reflect the reality of the society. This mode could be observed in a few scenes. For the first scene, people in the quarantined building lost their connection as their network are jammed by the authority. This scene reflects how the authority controls and minimizes the threat that will undermine the society's harmony. The authority even lied to the public that evacuation has been completed to avoid further commotion. The second scene would be when Yuri and the TV crews have tried several means to leave the building without the other tenants' knowledge. This scene shows how selfish human being is when they encounter with catastrophic events. To conclude, this mode provide more valuable views of the issue at hand.

Conclusion
Since Quarantine (2008) is a horror film, mockumentary is a wise choice in the film making because it conveys an impression of "this is true" to the audience. Angela's and Scott's presence in the film amplified the audiences' fear and nervousness as if they are in the scene. The shakiness, the use of available light and the diegetic sound shows how natural is the film. I am looking forward into film which can utilize six forms of documentary representation in the future!

Reference
Desktop Documentaries. (n.d.) What Is A Documentary? Retrieved from
https://www.desktop-documentaries.com/what-is-a-documentary.html

English Oxford Living Dictionaries. (n.d.). Mockumentary. Retrieved from
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mockumentary

IMDb. (n.d.). Quarantine (2018): Plot. Retrieved from
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1082868/plotsummary