Conventions of

documentaries

Purpose of this presentation is show the conventions of documentaries and my understanding of it.

Rianna Johnson

Short clip from ‘Bowling for Columbine’ to show a method of providing the audience with information in a film documentary.

Still shot showing the main opening of a TV documentary

• The uniform shows equality between all the people

• The superimposed background hints to this being about nature

Youtube video from: Justingrnr9 Still shot from BBC iPlayer

Conventions of documentaries

Archival Footage and Photographs• Demonstrates the points made by the

voiceover• Cheaper than shooting new material• The footage/photos may not have been

shot for the purpose of the documentary but are used to add to the documentary

Talking Heads• People interviewed to

explain or offer opinion of the documentary topic.

Wobbly Camera• To add a realism to

what’s being filmed there is a light camera shake when following action.Real People

• The people interviewed or extras in the documentary are real people not actors. Example, a documentary about Juilet’s in Harlesden you can go to Harlesden and meet the same owner seen in the documentary.

Archival footage Talking heads

Wobbly camera Real people

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVSKHq7yA04 – stills taken from youtube channel ‘YungDreem’

Conventions of documentaries

Text• Captions are often

used to inform the audience of who the person or thing is, generally this is done in a white clear font

Set-ups• Re-enactments stage real events that have happened.• Might be done because the footage is needed and wasn’t

filmed.• Set-ups are staging things to show the ‘real’• Example: filming a class and telling them to put up their

hands

Example of text use in Fry’s World

Planet

VoiceoversVoice of God: Commentator that is heard not seenVoice of authority: Seen and heard, usually someone who knows a lot about the topic.

Set ups Text

Images taken from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2swCcM1lMVoiceover taken from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbp-HSXrZuQ&feature=related

Voiceover

Convention

Effect on audience

Archival Footage and Photographs

• Might provide a feeling of nostalgia• Gives an insight to life back then

Talking Heads • Reinforces the point made by the voiceover or recently in the documentary

Real People • Adds realism to the piece.• Builds rapport with the audience & documentary

maker

Wobbly Camera • Makes it seem amateur and real life-like.• Shows there wasn’t a big production team staging

things

Text • Generally written in white in the bottom corner, it introduces the audience to the person on screen

Voiceovers • Provides the audience with a lot more information and is usually said over images or muted video

Set-ups • Provides a clear introduction to a point and gets the main idea across.

Modes of a documentary

Fry's Planet Word (2011)Performative Mode

Documentary maker interacts with the subject

Fry speaks over the subject matter.

Modes of a documentary

Expository:• The ‘normal’

way in which we are used to seeing documentaries

The Swenka’s (2004)–

Observational Mode• No voiceovers – text

on screen• Lots of long shots• No interviews

Example: Twincredibles BBC2

Modes of a documentary

Biggie and Tupac

Participatory/interactive Mode

http://youtu.be/ADdcDHTZfgY - stills from ‘musicspace’ YouTube channel

Formal Interviews

usually dominate the documentary

Archival footage

On location shooting

Voice of authority

Modes of a documentary

Crimewatch (2011)Reflexive Mode

• Voice of God: questions things rather than being certain.

• Presented in a fictional way, story like.

Differences• Same narrator for

similar topics• Voice if GodTV

• Uses the reflexive mode, opening is story like

• Voice of AuthorityFilm

Still shots to show examples

Opening shots fade into one another while the voice of God says “it was the morning of April 20th…” gives it that once upon a time feel

The voice of authority tells us about his life and how his past relates to the documentary. *hindsight

Similarities

•Both have talking heads

Still shots to show examples

Possible reasons why they are used

• This is done to add weight and creditability to the argument • to make it seem that the people

who are talking are relevant • The people seen must know

what they are talking about or they wouldn’t be there.