features of documentaries powerpoint

Features of documentaries By Cassie Rattray

There are five central elements of the documentary according to John Carner from the university of Liverpool. These are:

• Observation – putting the audience in the role of the eye whiteness where the camera appears to be on scene. In direct address to the audiences i.e. speech over

hear is a common factor of this en-scene. E.g. Fly on the wall.• Interview – Television documentaries use interviews to make a contrast between

observation sequences and are structured in two ways: either intercut fragments (clip of what the interviewee is talking about to anchor what he/she is saying) of

observations or a completely uninterrupted sequence.• Dramatisation: Dramatised reconstruction of real life events often acted out in a

scene to make it clear to the audience what's going on.• Mise En Scene: The Mise En Scene is chosen by the director to make it clear

what the documentary anchors. E.g. setting, lighting, costume, makeup. • Exposition: The line of argument that the documentary follows throughout the

documentary to the and convince the audience.

Five central elements