CONVENTIONS OF DOCUMENTARIES

By Michelle Asafu-Adjaye

ConventionsHand-held camera: This is used to make the documentary more realistic and also because its easier and cheaper to follow the action with a hand-held camera.

Voiceover:This is a commentary from the film maker, which is spoken whilst filming

Two types of voiceovers

“Voice of authority” “Voice of God”

A narrative from a narrator we can see who represents the view of the documentary.

Narration from a voice we can’t see.

E.G: in March of the penguins we hear the narrators voice throughout but we never see him.

E.G In this documentary Origins of us the narrator is present and talks to the audience

Archival footage:These are old images or film that show historical events, which the filmmaker cant film. E.G – In Michel Moore’s bowling for columbine.

Interviews:These are often with experts

who asked questions in relation to the topic. It gives a sense of realism and makes the viewer

assume that certain points made are valid.

Talking Heads:These are another form if interviews but include members of the public filmed from the shoulders up. They are featured talking about things in relation to the topic

Re-enactments:These are a reconstruction of an event that has previously occurred using actors based on information about the event. It gives the viewer a sense of realism. E.G On crime watch they show reconstructions of crimes that have happened to get a response from the viewer.

Michael Moore uses archival footage of adverts advertising toy guns.

In Michael Moore's ‘sicko’ he interviews a doctor in the UK to compare it to the us health care system.

In this episode of the television documentary click the narrator asks members of the public their opinions of touch screen gadgets

Use of text an titles:This is a quick and cheap way of conveying information.

Visual coding:This links to the idea of mise-en-scene. E.g. If a doctor was being interviewed they’d have to wear clothing associated with being a doctor in order to make it obvious to the viewer that he/she is a doctor.

Exposition:This occurs at the beginning of the documentary and introduces the main themes of the documentary. It creates the viewers first impression. Filmmakers do this by selecting sections of the documentary that will catch the viewers attention.

In the World War Two Heroes documentary they put the names and professions of the participants.

Real footage:As documentaries are seen as non-fiction, the information presented has to be real.

The Expository mode

Narrator addresses the audience directly with a “voice of god” narration. Images are linked together to support ideas put forward in the voiceover.

The Observational Mode

as technology advanced by the 1960s and cameras became smaller and lighter, able to document life in a less intrusive manner, there is less control required over lighting etc., leaving the social actors free to act and the filmmaker free to record without interacting with each other.

The Participatory Mode

the encounter between film-maker and subject is recorded, as the film-maker actively engages with the situation they are documenting, asking questions of their subjects, sharing experiences with them. Heavily reliant on the honesty of witnesses

The Reflexive Mode

demonstrates consciousness of the process of reading documentary, and engages actively with the issues of realism and representation, acknowledging the presence of the viewer and the modality judgements they arrive at. Corresponds to critical theory of the 1980s

The Performative Mode

acknowledges the emotional and subjective aspects of documentary, and presents ideas as part of a context, having different meanings for different people, often autobiographical in nature

Bibliography

http://natasha-a2-media.blogspot.com/2010/09/introduction-to-dpcumentary.html

http://www.slideshare.net/crosswaysfederation/codes-and-conventions-of-documentary

http://www.documentarysite.com/?p=40