The purpose of a documentary is to document specific subjects

A documentary must inform and educate its audience on specific content

Documentaries are also produced to entertain the audience whilst documenting

Usually they are subject specific on certain topics

There are many different genres of documentaries for different outcomes on the certain topic

The term documentary was defined originally in the 1930’s by John Grierson as “A creative treatment of actuality”

Introduction toDocumentary

Observation

Interviews

Mise-en-scene

Features Of A Documentary

Dramatization

Exposition

ObservationThis feature of a documentary follows the idea of the audience being the eyewitness as the camera

are unseen. Indirect address like speech overheard is common in this feature as the media

product is filmed to make its audience the observers.

A lot of different documentaries tend to feature reconstructions of

certain situations the topic they are investigating relate to. This allows for a dramatized product for the audience to consume which is

important for a successful documentary.

Dramatizations

InterviewsThis is a key feature of a documentary as it allows

the producer of the media product to include diverse opinions on the topic they are investigating from different people in the documentary. This is important as it allows the final product to have a

range of views on the subject allowing all sides of every argument

to illustrate a non-bias result.

Mise-en-scene is often broken down into 6 sections; Costume,

Lighting, Actors (Body Language/Expressions), Make

Up/Hair, Props and Setting (Location). This allows the

producer of a documentary to construct a successful product

using all visuals aspects.

Mise-en-scene

ExpositionThis is the line of argument in a documentary. This feature is either indirectly addressed to

the audience or directly addressed to them. It is an essential feature for any type of

documentary to illustrate the subject it is focussing on.

Types Of Documentaries

Fly On The WallThis is where the camera is

unseen or ignored. This type of documentation illustrates

events with realism and very little or no narration. The

camera is unobtrusive and is used to allow the audience to

come up with their own conclusion.

Fully NarratedThis is were there is a

narrator talking throughout the entire

duration of the documentary to convey

the argument and to help the situation to be

understood. The voice of god is commonly used.

DocudramaThis features a reconstruction of a

certain events to dramatize the media product for their audience, this gives viewers an idea of the

atmosphere and the feelings surrounding that event.

MixedThis type of documentation uses a

combination of interviews, observation and narration. They also include archive footage of a certain events for content. The

narrator in a mixed documentary links everything together and

discusses the exposition.

Self ReflectiveThis type of documentary is

where the person in the scene knows that the

camera is following them and sometimes even talks

directly to the camera breaking the fourth wall Docusoap

This type of documentary follows the lives of

individuals, and is set within one community.

Docusoaps are often long running , as they focus on

each character individually.