Born into Coal

The short documentary “Born into Coal,” was an interesting piece, the title made me thinking that I would be watching a documentary on the families of coal miners. I was pleasantly surprised when it had to do with a beauty pageant and what it meant to the young girl and her community. It also surprised me when they spoke with the retired coal worker.

The documentary was a mix between human interest and standard narrative. It is both because it was following an event, Coal Queen Pageant, but it was also following around and just telling a story about the coal miners and their family. I think that they did it right by not just making it one or the other but making it both because a lot of information would have been left out.

There are a few amazing shots in this documentary but the one I think is the most powerful is the close up of Mr. Bailey’s hand holding the newspaper. I think it shows something about these men. It has the close up of the nails and how the coal gets under his finger nails. It is a powerful shot I think because it is showing how the coal is never going away. Also I think it can be something that sticks with the audience as a representation of a coal miner.

The other shots I thought were amazing were the last three at the end. The first of close up shot of half her face. In this shot you can see the determination in her face. You see that she wanted this crown and she wants to represent her family. The next one is a full body shot of her in front of a train track, and for me I took that as she wants to leave as she said in the beginning but she can’t because she isn’t finished where she was at now. The last shot they showed was of a close up from the front view. I thought that last shot showed her determination again but you could see it so much better.