Breakdown of “Born Into Coal”

By: Alexandra Hamilton

The documentary short “Born Into Coal” is an example of a human-interest story. The feature story and main focal point of the film is the coal miners in a small town in West Virginia, and the proud families that support them whole-heartedly. The documentary depicts this topic in an emotional way in order to facilitate sympathy, interest and understanding between the audience and the people featured in the film. Like most human-interest pieces, “Born Into Coal” is presented as “the story behind the story” about the coal mining industry and how it remains so deeply embedded into small towns and the families that inhabit them across the United States.  

The story focuses on Coal queen pageant contestant Arianna Bailey, and her quest to acquire a crown that represents her family’s way of life, the “Miss West Virginia Coal Festival.” The other family featured centers around a former miner Goose Stewart who has been forced to live with the memories of a mine explosion that killed many of his companions and fellow miners.  Although these two families live miles apart in West Virginia, they share one common interest that binds them together: coal.

The creators of the film choose to use a variety of close up shots along with a mixture of straightforward interviews and voice over narration by the individuals featured in the documentary. By taking this approach an intimate portrayal of these families is created. The audience feels as though they are peering in on the lives of the West Virginian, coal mining advocates. One of the more interesting series of shots in the film, were the close up shots on the hands. Arianna Bailey and her father both have black fingernails. While the Arianna’s are manicured and used as a decorative form of self-expression, her dad’s will permanently remain black without reapplication, no matter how much soap and water he uses. This is the result of a life spent in the coal mines of West Virginia; a career path that is consistently chosen from generation to generation among the families in this small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. It’s a dirty and dangerous way of life, but nonetheless one that is accompanied by an enormous amount of pride and promotion. It is probably one of the few honest ways of making a living left in the corrupt world that exists today, and besides there are no other reliable, well paid jobs in these small town of West Virginia.  

Overall the documentary captures the charm and innocence of these families and what they stand for. In a mere 7 minutes the audience is able to transport themselves into the lives of these families and imagine what a life of a coal miners daughter, a coal miners wife, or a coal miner itself might be like. Through captivating close ups, unconventionally cropped shots, and a repetitive technique throughout the unveiling of each participant in the documentary, “Born Into Coal” is an impressive example of how powerful 7 minutes can be when each frame is utilized to the fullest. I hope in my upcoming attempts to create a short documentary that I can create a film as powerful as this one.