Known Universe: Alien Contact - Review

Known Universe: Alien Contact

Aliens. A question that has been among the minds of many for many years. Are we alone? Does alien life really exist within our galaxy? This documentary effectively demonstrates the possibilities of discovering alien life and the efforts mankind has taken to make it happen. 

This material within this National Geographic documentary was used effectively to attract and interest the audience. After a quick display of flashy b-roll, this documentary starts with a voice-over that introduces the audience to a narrator. This voice-over uses a hook to attract the audience, while also providing a bit of backstory to the purpose of the documentary. The narrator proposes the question about whether we are alone or not in space. It even samples a bit of the interview, and this sampling hooks the audience, as they are curious to know the responses from a scientist's perspective.

For the interviews themselves, they seemed a bit cliche, but well executed nonetheless. Interviews in this documentary were filmed at a standard medium shot from the waist up. Nothing too fancy or artsy, but the visual attraction came from the background, not the interviewees. The background of most of the interview pieces comprised of either still frames or animated images of something relevant to what is being said. On other interview pieces the background consists of a static yet convoluted setup of scientific gear and gadgets. This vague confusing scientific equipment catches the viewers eye and interests them.

Although visuals are interesting, the sound design in the documentary deserves much credit as well. As I watched this myself, I noticed that the volume of the soundtrack increased as the narrator was making summaries of his final points. This happens right before the documentary goes to a commercial break, and then brings up a new point when resuming. 

As for the soundtrack itself, I found it entirely fascinating. The score is comprised of fast-paced, epic, and adrenaline-pumping drum beats, accompanied by a smooth, slowly rising orchestral section. As ironic as it sounds, it works well. See 28:00 for reference. This type of music is used when either summarizing a point or introducing a new one. This method typically keeps the viewer interested as the narrator finalizes an idea and proceeds onto a new one. As for what goes in between these pieces, the sound takes a kind of subtle, eerie tone, when describing the vague unknowns of life in space. The score accompanying this documentary was definitely outstanding.

Outside of the voice-overs and interviews, the documentary takes the interview even further, by placing the audience in an actual situation. For example, when the documentary introduces the vertical gun, instead of giving an interview about the experiment and supplying animated still images or small video clips of the test, the filmmaker goes on-site and records almost all instances in where the experiment is being executed. He films the setup of the gun, the reactions of the scientists, and even the moment of truth when the bullet hits the sand. This sort of interaction is what makes a documentary a good documentary, and that it makes good efforts to keep the viewer interested and amazed.

Overall, I was certainly interested in this documentary and it definitely did not disappoint. Being past midnight, I amazingly found myself still awake at the end of the documentary. The visuals were astounding, and it even managed to make still-frame images look amazing. The interviews were great, very coherent. The score was simply fantastic and the design on the placement and manipulation of audio was definitely captivating. Lastly, there was much viewer interaction with the documentary, which kept me intrigued throughout the entire documentary. It's great, 5/5