What is a Documentary?
A documentary is typically a short film, normally around one hour, used to document information around a certain subject, this is usually a person, group of people or a location. There are many different modes of documentaries, I have both listed and defined a number of these modes below giving examples for each mode.
Interactive Documentaries- Has a narrator who is seen. Narrator can effect what the people are saying in the documentary for example they can alter what the people are saying by asking questions, the people are then more likely to let something controversial slip. - Roger and Me, The American Dream, Louis Theroux-Most Hated Family, Supersize Me.
The camera is typically focused on the presenter of the documentary, a series of shot-reverse-shots
The camera is typically focused on the presenter of the documentary, a series of shot-reverse-shots
are used when the presenter is interviewing people in the documentary.
Voice-Of-God Expository Documentaries- Narrator speaks over the programme, narrator is never seen to interact with people in the documentary, gives the impression that the the narrator does not want to "opinionise" any of the information being spoken about.
Poetic Documentaries- No narrator, usually non-vocal music over the images shown. usually about cultural, worldwide subjects for example global warming. images shown are to give a bold statement that the audience must change.
As there is no presenter in poetic documentaries it leaves the camera to look at 'artistic' images concerning the topic of the documentary. This, sometimes, leaves poetic documentaries less subject-focused, in comparison to the other modes.
As there is no presenter in poetic documentaries it leaves the camera to look at 'artistic' images concerning the topic of the documentary. This, sometimes, leaves poetic documentaries less subject-focused, in comparison to the other modes.
Voice-Of-God Expository Documentaries- Narrator speaks over the programme, narrator is never seen to interact with people in the documentary, gives the impression that the the narrator does not want to "opinionise" any of the information being spoken about.
As the presenter of these documentaries is not seen throughout the documentary, it can also leave the documentary less subject-focused. Although the presence of the presenters voice helps to guide the audience's view along with the topic of the documentary.
Observational Documentaries- no commentary, this allows us to create our own opinions of what is happening. sound is mostly dialogue between people in the documentary interacting with each other. for example channel 4's The Family- in this programme the editing produces the meaning and the impressions we receive, for example the daughters are all seen to be more aggressive with their father, yet when they want something they always got to him. the mother is also seen to be more hostile towards the father, rather than the daughters, who are the one's causing the problems for the family. The Family has a lot of realism as there are no people inside the house filming the people, there are only a number of cameras set up around the family home, therefore there are no people to interact with the family.
Informative Documentaries these are usually refereed to as nature documentaries, they are about the world around us, they are created to educate and inform people about issue going on around the world. For example David Attenbourgh- Life in the Undergrowth. This documentary is about insects and their place on the planet. though there is a narrator the camera is not usually focused on them, it is usually focused on the subject of which the narrator is talking about, in this instance the wildlife. The narrator always uses formal language, this is to keep them in authority. Towards the end of the segment we watched, David Attenbourgh finishes with a rhetorical statement, this statement cannot be questioned with as we know for fact it is the truth. The speech is also in third person, as if David Attenbourgh is talking for all of us.
Observational Documentaries- no commentary, this allows us to create our own opinions of what is happening. sound is mostly dialogue between people in the documentary interacting with each other. for example channel 4's The Family- in this programme the editing produces the meaning and the impressions we receive, for example the daughters are all seen to be more aggressive with their father, yet when they want something they always got to him. the mother is also seen to be more hostile towards the father, rather than the daughters, who are the one's causing the problems for the family. The Family has a lot of realism as there are no people inside the house filming the people, there are only a number of cameras set up around the family home, therefore there are no people to interact with the family.
Informative Documentaries these are usually refereed to as nature documentaries, they are about the world around us, they are created to educate and inform people about issue going on around the world. For example David Attenbourgh- Life in the Undergrowth. This documentary is about insects and their place on the planet. though there is a narrator the camera is not usually focused on them, it is usually focused on the subject of which the narrator is talking about, in this instance the wildlife. The narrator always uses formal language, this is to keep them in authority. Towards the end of the segment we watched, David Attenbourgh finishes with a rhetorical statement, this statement cannot be questioned with as we know for fact it is the truth. The speech is also in third person, as if David Attenbourgh is talking for all of us.
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