Research: John Pilger

Background

Having grown up in Bondi, Sydney Australia, Pilger is a man dedicated to his work. In the 1960s, he moved to Italy with a couple of his colleges where he formed the business Interep following his studies at Sydney High School and four years with the Australian Consolidated Press. The company quickly went broke and he moved to London to continue working, starting his work for the Daily Mirror. Under them, he soon became chief foreign correspondent when the company was a seriously rising brand. In his twenties, he was the youngest to receive the journalist of the year award, the highest award for journalism, going on to be the first to win it twice which is a remarkable achievement. His work really rocketed however when he took time reporting from South East Asia in his analysis of Cambodia, producing his famous documentary ‘Year Zero: the Silent Death of Cambodia’ which became an integral report in the Mirror and allowed them to raise over $50 million to go to the country in question. 

Over the following years, as he grew as a journalist, his filmography grew to examine far more global issues. He gained honours with several universities including Oxford Brookes and Lincoln Universities. He has been a key contributor to the BBC and ABC, having travelled the world to tell global stories for mundane audiences and he received the 2009 Sydney Peace Prize. His experiences in the world have hugely impacted the ways in which he reports his stories such as his encounter being in the room when a presidential candidate was assassinated and his first hand experiences in poorer Asian communities for research. His direction within the documentaries tends to be fairly aggressive and matter of fact to tell an objective and truthful story.

Style

Pilger’s style is an expository documentary and his views on the subject matter heavily influence the story told. Within his documentaries, the interviews are fairly intense, using medium shots before reducing to close ups when the questions become more critical and analytical. This creates a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere which reflects the tone of the questions and responses seen. He also likes to use wide and establishing shots to expand on the audiences’ view of the events, drawing their attention to the larger situation at hand and the true impact it is having on real people. His statements and research about the issues covered are very direct and leave little room for argument. 

A good example of Pilger’s work is ‘Year Zero: the Silent Death of Cambodia’. The documentary begins with the arrival of a helicopter, drawing an audience in with wide shot action before they get to the information they are watching for. This bold start accommodates the title card. Following this, Pilger speaks in voice over layering on top of establishing shots of the area in talks to introduce the core substance of the documentary. As the voice over continues, Pilger appears on screen as a medium close up, continuing his introductory speech. This means that when he finishes the speech, the audience can have a vaguely personal account with the documentary’s creator.