Short Documentary

The story I chose was on MTV and it was a story about two girls who find their face very ugly they hate their face and have B.D.D, Body Dysmorphic Disorder. They cant stand the look of their face and try plastic surgery to help fix it but in the end they are still unsatisfied with their look. One girl, Pam is 26 and has hated her face since she was young. She buys clothes to distract people from looking at her face and she also wears a dot in the middle of her forehead to "distract people from looking at her ugly face." The other girl, Mandie who is also 26 is not satisfied with her face and is holding her back from getting married. She wants to wait to get married until after she gets her plastic surgery. Both girls have not had a stable job due to this disorder. Mandie wishes to get into modeling when she feels she is beautiful. Both girls are hurting their loved ones because all they are concerned about is looking beautiful. The people around them get annoyed when they consistently talk about how ugly they are and when they fish for comments. Some see it as a way to get attention, though it is a disorder. 

Narrative/Theme: The theme is to show that looks are not everything though to some people believe it is the only thing in life that is important. These girls find that their face holds them back and until they get plastic surgery to make them pretty they will not be happy. The narrative is the two girls describing how they feel and why they hate their face. Most of the dialogue is heart breaking to hear because they act like the only thing in life is looking the very best. Pam feels that if she gets a nose job it will fix everything that is wrong with her face. She finally gets a nose job and is the "happiest she's ever been" but then two months later goes back to her old ways. She talks about how the surgery did nothing for her and her face is still ugly. Mandie gets a boob job, and botox in her face. She was never happy with her face even after her surgery and she comes to except that and tries to live her life.  A lot of the show is the dialogue between the girls and their family's or loved ones. I personally felt sad by there disorder, and I think that is what the intent was; to feel compassion for the individuals. 

Camera Work: The camera work was mainly close ups or long shots. Occasionally there was over the shoulder or other shots to add to the documentary. A lot of the shots were free handed, it added to the documentary feel to make it seem as if we are there with the person.The camera work was still very professional at times. I think some shots could have been placed differently to give the story a more sympathetic feel because closer shots make the audience feel their emotions more.

 Editing and Sound Design: The sound was usually the background of people within the shot or background music that helped add to the feel of the documentary. The editing was good, it crossed between each girl which brought the audience closer to each by hearing each story evenly. The shot was never held to long, it was always cut and brought attention to the screen. I connected to each girl because of the camera work and editing.

In the end I feel both girls did not get very far in trying to overcome their disorder. Pam didn't go to therapy but instead started a family in hope of overcoming her disorder and focusing on being a mother and a regular person in society. Mandie finally set her wedding date and also got a job as a model with an agency. Though she hasn't gotten any gigs yet she is very happy that she is finally able to get out and work. Both Pam and Mandie still don't feel beautiful and wish to be pretty but they are trying to understand that it is a disorder and that they have to overcome it because surgery will no help their needs.