Short Documentary Analysis - The Archive

We were shown 6 short documentaries in a recent seminar, each one employing very stylistic approaches to their respective subject matters; with these styles helping to reinforce each documentary's themes and messages. One of these documentaries in particular I found to be rather interesting in terms of its style and its subject matter. I will now be analysing it in further detail.

"The Archive" is a short documentary directed by Sean Dunne. It follows music enthusiast Paul Mawhinney, who over many years has amassed an incredible collection of music records; consisting of more than 1 million albums and 1.5 million singles. The collection is thought to be worth around $50 million, and is by far the largest record collection in the world. Despite this, we learn that Paul is sadly being forced to sell his life-long collection, and is yet to find a buyer.

The documentary's main theme is the concept of time. More specifically, the film explores the ideas of nostalgia and modernisation; contrasting the two, as well as exploring the nature of the evolution of culture and society over several decades; all through the medium of music. The film focuses on the emotional connection that Paul has formed with his collection over the years. The focus of the film is to create a very human and heartfelt chronicle of Paul's collection; presenting it as a time capsule of decades past.

One of the many hallways of The Archive, packed with records.

The song heard playing on the record player provides the soundtrack for the first few minutes of the film.

The documentary employs a rather distinctive approach towards its subject matter. For example, the entire documentary is filmed within a single location, this location of course being The Archive itself: the home of Paul's collection. As a result, the film takes on a very person journey of Paul's life; bringing his passion for his music to life. Furthermore, keeping in theme with the subject matter, music is of course the heart of the piece; frequently being heard playing in the background, sometimes diegetically. The soundtrack of around the first third of the film is composed entirely of a rather energetic and upbeat song hear playing on one of Paul's record players. This, coupled with several sweeping shots of the aisles of The Archive, creates a very lively and optimistic tone; allowing the viewer to take in the awe of  such an amazing collection, as well as enabling the film to more effectively present Paul's passion for his collection. At around the 3 minute mark however, the tone of the piece drastically changes, when we learn that Paul is being forced to close his store. After this, the mood becomes much more sombre and depressing. Lights in particular is frequently used to convey this mood, such as the lights of the store dramatically turning off, obscuring the records in darkness.

The lights slowly fade, acting as a metaphor for the death of Paul's passion.

Also noticeable is the sudden lack of music. What was once the heart of the piece has now faded, similarly to how the death of Paul's collection somewhat marks the death of his lifelong passion for music. This part of the film provides such a strong contrast with the opening, perhaps representing the harshness of reality and the movement of culture; Paul and his records have been left behind.The film sheds light onto the depressing reality that is that despite Paul's lifelong dedication to his collection, it has somehow become worthless.

Personally, I very much enjoy the documentary and its style, and I believe it is indeed effective towards its intended purpose. I particularly like the film's dramatic tonal shift between the first half and the second. Although it seems debatable as to whether or not such an effect was intentional, this could perhaps be a metaphor for the development of culture and society. The film acts as a social and cultural commentary on the effect that time and technological advancement has upon our culture and music. Despite such an incredible collection, Paul, along with his music, have been left behind in favour of more modern alternatives. The Archive acted as a relic; a time capsule of many decades of music; music that may never be heard again (given Paul's comment that only 17% of his records are commercially available). The documentary provides a heartfelt insight into a man and his lifelong passion; and the tragic way in which culture and society have abandoned them both.