'Senna' Analysis

'Senna' (Asif Kapadia, 2010) is a British documentary that depicts the life and death of Brazilian motor-racing champion, Ayrton Senna. Constructed entirely through archive racetrack footage and home video clips, with voice-over from interviews, the film was well-received critically and won BAFTAs for best documentary and best editing. In interview, editors Chris King and Gregers Sall talk about how telling the story purely through archive material was incredibly challenging, but the decision was made by the director that it needed to have its own 'visual identity'. Sall describes the pressure they resisted from the studios to follow the traditional documentary format with talking heads - instead pursuing a 'strong design choice'.

I analysed the film's construction, identifying the themes, techniques and some of its most effective moments.

Voice-over - Commentary from retrospective interviews provides important context in most scenes; describing the importance of certain races, revealing his inner thoughts and exaggerating the drama - 'It would be the last time either of them would stand on a podium'. They are also used to provide links between sequences which cover different topics, such as when moving from the race-track to home footage of his personal life. At certain points they are used to condense sequences, for example describing Senna's performance in the 1988 racing season instead of showing it in a montage.

Title Cards - Used extensively to provide a timeline of Senna's life, to guide the viewer through the various seasons of racing and to tell us who's commentary we are listening to. They are sometimes cleverly blended in to the fuzzy, low-definition VHS tapes which make up most of the footage, disguising them as being part of the race-track video.

In a couple of instances, a timer is included in the corner of the frame - adding drama to pivotal race scenes where Senna is stalled and has to catch up. At several points a lap counter is shown on the screen, sometimes with the name of a particular corner on the track. This almost always precedes a crash or other dramatic event, and so by the end of the film we come to expect it - building tension and suspense.

Music - The music follows a logical development throughout the film, changing in pace and tone between sequences. The film's opening sequence uses somber, slightly sad music over images of young Senna, creating a sense of warmth and nostalgia. For the races the music is energetic and percussive, using instruments native to Senna's birthplace such as guitar and drums. This creates an uplifting, exciting, and almost carnival-like atmosphere for the race, particularly effective during a montage of him on top form in the 1991 championship. When Senna is shown at home, with his family or on home video, the music moves to a suitably relaxed guitar, reflecting the move away from his fast-paced lifestyle.

Later, a sustained lower tone conveys the tension between Senna and his team-mate Prost. The shift to a more serious mood is appropriate as he becomes increasingly involved in the politics of racing and his winning streak is threatened. Senna's win in Brazil is accompanied by a heroic orchestral swell, building to a fitting crescendo as he reaches the peak of his career. In contrast, the music over his fatal crash is haunting and ghostly, the high strings building over footage of crowds mourning his death in Brazil.

However, some of the most effective moments come in the absence of music, such as when Senna is watching footage other drivers crashing, and in the build-up to a key incident.

Slow-motion/Freeze-frame - During pivotal moments, the film makes use of slow-motion and freeze-frame. The slo-mo usually centers on a close-up of Senna with the voice-over providing context about his inner thoughts and troubles at that point. This effect is used frequently to instantly add importance to a moment in the film, usually at the most important points in his life and career, winning/losing championship etc.

Freeze-frame is used more sparingly, mostly holding on the image after a particularly effective sound-byte from an interview. For example, holding on the shot of rivals Prost and Senna together with the voice-over - 'It was like a war between them'. Other effective uses of this is of the writing on Senna's grave and of his young self in the final shot of the film - leaving a lasting memory for the audience.

Long takes - In a couple of sequences, long takes are used to build suspense. These come usually as we are shown an on-board camera as Senna speeds around the track. With the absence of music or voice-over to precede the accidents in these sections, the viewer feels as though they are experiencing them in real time, making it more shocking and dramatic. When Senna is chasing his rival Prost, it is used again to build tension. Also, a long take whilst Senna's car is repaired in the pits, combined with an on-screen timer, gives the audience the same agonising wait before he can rejoin the race.

Foreshadowing - In a Q/A session, director Asif Kapadia describes how an early cut of the film started with the crash and Senna's funeral. However, he describes how this was changed as the focus of the film is on his life, not just his death. Importantly, he wanted the viewer to experience events as they happened in real-time, sharing the same emotions of excitement and shock as Senna and the film's other subjects.

There is a pervading sense of anticipation and danger throughout the entire film, which is constantly reinforced by foreshadowing through interviews and voice-over. In the opening sequence for example, just as Senna's career is starting, we cut after his mother says 'God protect him from danger in formula one'. Later, we hear Prost saying 'He believes he is immortal - its very dangerous', and after a crash Senna says 'I hope we don't see these things in the future.' Also, several conferences where he speaks out about race safety are included for further foreshadowing.

The build up to the San Marino race in which Senna is killed has a very different feel to the other races, adding to the sense of foreboding. Whereas the other race sequences are shown starting on the grid, and the results are shown relatively quickly, the suspense and anticipation is built up more here. We see a long establishing shot of the track, we hear about how Senna is having issues with the car and it is split into several days, conveying its importance. Close-up shots of him in the pits thinking and looking worried further add to the change in mood, and footage of other drivers crashing establishes danger (though Senna's accident was a freak occurrence).

Kapadia explains that they could have made a very different film were everything viewed in hindsight, and he describes how several scenes were omitted from the final cut as they placed too much importance on some earlier comments Senna made about race safety. That said, it would be a much less engaging film were there not a sense of danger or foreboding throughout it, as this helps build towards its highly emotional climax.

Below is a list of the film's most effective moments:

• Separate interviews with Prost and Senna - edited as though they are together in reacting to each other in conversation, arguing. 
• Prost's declining career - connotations of seeing his name being moved down on the leader-board and peeled off his car. 
• Sequence where Senna arrives in Brazil after winning the race - national hero, huge crowds lining the streets as he drives down, cheering with flags. Mirrors end scene when his coffin is brought back to Sao Paulo, driven through streets - huge crowds mourning. 

• Introducing young racer Rubens Barrichello and then immediately showing him in a serious crash. 
• Friends and family walking up to coffin inter-cut with images of them with Senna earlier in the film - Prost, team captain, family and girlfriend.
• Ending with Senna talking about his early karting days - 'Pure racing, no politics or money'. Repeats footage of young Senna. Final shot is long take of him at a competition, happy. 

In the video below Chris King talks about his approach to editing the film. He avoids a 'paper edit' and begins making the film as soon as possible, entering with excitement and letting the footage create its own style and structure. He also talks about the notion of documentary using narrative techniques to tell a real story, and the focus with Senna of finding the story of the man - not just providing highlights of his career.