The webisode formatting of the F Word was a wonderful departure most documentary films. It felt as fun and intimate as a reality TV type show, but, due to the nature of the issues covered and how the couple is, it felt much more like cinema veritas. The F Word struck this balance through a number of formal elements. For instance, the intimate close up framing of Kristin and Nicole snuggling made us feel like we were right there in the room with them. What’s effective here is getting both faces in frame, as well as their hands holding each other. One of the first things that you might notice about the F Word is that its graphics are FULL of color. They seem like a visual dynamic collage of magazine clippings, which for me definitely reminds me of childhood. This seems particularly fitting for a web series about having a child. Their graphics are varied and effective at evoking certain emotions; the show uses a chalk board and chalk graphic to communicate information about what a home-study is. This is an effective way to make what would normally be the task of voice over into another varied visual aid that brings me back to childhood. I was really impressed by how many different graphics there were, and the effect that each had on the tone of a scene. The shimmering iPhone frame is totally unusual; it also serves to give a sense of veracity to the shot in a playful way.
The F- Word also introduces variety in the framing of the shots of their characters. These range from cinematic shots in the woods among tall trees. The frame, which is static, is obviously purposefully composed. The characters themselves are also obviously posing. In these shots, the objects in the frame are all along the lines of thirds, more or less, which immediately draws the eye to them. This indicates a departure from the cinema veritas approach that other shots employ. Shots of the two parents having a conversation gives the impression that there isn’t a camera in the room. Instead, the viewer is simply transported into an intimate moment in someone else’s living room. Similarly, the conversation feels intimate too, and the reactions between the parents is genuine enough that it can be easy to forget that there is a camera and then a screen separating me from the story of these humans. Yet, there are direct references to the camera at the very beginning of the series, when they meet other foster families, among others. This varied approach of cinema veritas type shots, graphics, the webisode formatting, and direct references to Kristin and Nicole’s relationship with the camera create a unique documentary blend for the modern viewer.