Hello blog! Today I'm going to begin looking at some inspiration and researching documentaries that fall under the same genre that I wanted to further explore. These posts are a pretty important part of the brainstorming and developmental process when thinking about my project for various reasons. One of the reasons being is to evaluate the technical elements of the production and examine how common genre conventions is portrayed through stylistic choices made by the director. Without further ado, let begin!
(Kunhardt McGee Productions, 2014)The first documentary I decided to research was "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr", released in 2012 on PBS ("Finding Your Roots," 2026) . Documentary series highlights how various celebrities throughout the episodes are presented with a specific book that holds special paths and findings of their specified ancestry and familial lineage ("Finding Your Roots," 2026). These celebrities explore family connections and discover new findings. Gates Jr. throughout these episodes commonly guides the celebrities through there fascinating discoveries ("Finding Your Roots," 2026).
One aspect of this documentary I really enjoyed was how Gates Jr explore how they show specific documents and certain Significant moments to capture the certain essence of emotions and drama which is something I want to show with my documentary. On a technical aspect, I really enjoyed the variety of shots and angles they used (Ancestry, 2025). I also really enjoyed the distribution and the placement of the different shots which made it feel more flowy and sequential (Ancestry, 2025).
(Banger Films, 2016)
The next one I explored is called " Hip-Hop Evolution", released in 2016 on HBO in Canada ("Hip-Hop Evolution," 2025). This documentary is about specific and personal interviews with rap's hottest producers, DJ's and promoters ("Hip-Hop Evolution," 2025). The interviews consist of talking about how hip-hop has evolved through decades and it may be a large turning point for society. As well as the change in overall hip hop culture and familiarity that people may know today. Each episode highlights different aspects of the hip-hop's importance and significance ("Hip-Hop Evolution," 2025). This can include pin-pointed location where hip-hop was generally listened to, specific music icons, etc. ("Hip-Hop Evolution," 2025)
Additionally, some technical elements I enjoyed was the use of b-roll footage to highlight the historical aspect of hip-hop and what it has evolved to (Hip-Hop Evolution, 2016) . I also really enjoyed the thrown-in animation sequences (Hip-Hop Evolution, 2016). It adds creativity and develops the overall plot that you want to be portrayed throughout the film (Hip-Hop Evolution, 2016). Lastly, I really liked how there were multiple subjects interviewed for each episode. It adds a variety of perspectives which makes the production overall more appealing and entertain to watch.
References
Ancestry. (2025, October 15). Finding Your Roots | Season 12 Official Trailer | Ancestry [Video]. YouTube.
Finding Your Roots. (2026, January 7). In Wikipedia.
Hip-Hop Evolution. (2016, December 5). Hip-Hop Evolution Series Trailer [Video]. YouTube.
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