Documentaries

Documentaries

Documentaries

Purpose of a Documentary

★ The purpose of a Documentary is to document aspects of reality and maintaining a historical record. Documentaries are based on true facts as they are based on real life situations. Documentaries also have to Inform, Educate, and Entertain but the most important ones is Inform and Educate.

Documentaries

History of Documentaries

1895 The year that documentary began, The first films were invented by the Lumiere brothers. They created a camera which couldonly hold 50 feet worth of film, the films were very short and unedited. These were called ‘Actualities’. An example of this would be a train pulling into the station which was their most famous film.

Lumiere Brothers

Documentaries

1922A documentary that began was called Nanook of the North which was made by Robert Flaherty, but the word ‘Documentary’was invented by John Grierson to describe this type of film. Th film Nanook was the first feature length factual film and the first to use ‘the creative interpretation of reality’. This means that in this film Robert Flahery had staged most scene for the camera in order to make the film more dramatic and enjoyable for the audience.

Documentaries

1930sJohn Grierson went on to head of

the film unit in englandand he became a major

exponent of this poetic realist approach to documentary.

Nightmail began as an international film about a mail train, however the filming and

editing emphasised poetic elements of the film form such as movement, rhythm, light,

sound. John Grierson

Documentaries

1950s-1960sThe next development of documentaries was called ‘Direct Cinemas’, it began in the United States of America. Its aim was to present social and political events directly, in an unmediated so people thought that the footage is record exactly as the events happen, without the use of a film maker. Cameras also developed which allowed them to be hand held. so this meant that the recording could be more spontaneous.

Documentaries

Features of a Documentary

Observation

Most Documentaries contains sequences of observation

An observation is where it is filmed in a way that suggests the camera is unseen or

ignored by the actors.

Audience feel as though they are witness events and provides evidence for the exposition.

Observes events that happen in their life.

Equipment can be informale.g. Hand-held camerasUsually not interviews are included

and there is no voice overs.

Examples of Observation Documentaries★ 16 and pregnant

★ Teen Mom

Documentaries

Interviews

Usually set up in a particularformat.

The interviewee is questioned and responds to the interviewer which can be seen or unseen rather than

directly to the audience.

Cutaways are used during interviewsto show other footage that illustrates the points

that are made, Interviews are usually with experts or people relevant to the subject

Documentaries

Dramatisation

It is used in the observational footage by addingan element of dramatic events.

Some documentaries use this to portray people and events that the producer can’t access

in real life.

Documentaries

Mise-en-Scene

Shots are carefully composed to contain images that they

want the audience to see,

Particular angles, shot sizes may create different

meanings and effects to allow the audience to access information

Interviews may be filmed during a particular setting and lighting to create an understanding and meaning.

Documentaries

Exposition

The line of argument in a documentary

It is essentially what the documentary is saying.

Some expositions are direct and some are indirect.

Birthday text

Types Of Documentary ★ Fully Narrated- It includes direct mode of address and has an

off screen voice over which could have a dominate meaning of image. This type of documentary is most frequently used in nature documentaries and the voice over is normally called the voice of God. It ancures the visuals audience is seeing, it is parallel and has sense of authority.

★ Fly on the wall- This type of documentary relies on observation as it has very little narration and relies heavily on editing, with huge amounts of footage and they cut it down. There is no interviews.

★ Mixed Documentaries- This type has a combination of interviews, observations and narration with elements of participation.

Birthday text

★ Self Reflective- In this type of documentary the audience sees the presenter or the narrator, and they acknowledge the camera.

★ Docusoap- This type of documentary follows the lives of individuals.

★ Docudrama- This type of documentary is events that have been constructed and is rein acted e.g. crimwatch