The

Documentary

Genre ...By Gabrielle Walsh

TV Documentaries The purpose of a documentary is to document i.e. Report with evidence,

something that has actually happened. It can show this by using actuality footage, or reconstructions.

It can use a narrators voice over to anchor the meaning or rely on the participants themselves, with the occasional interjection by the narrator.

The term “documentary” was coined by film-maker John Grierson in 1926 to describe a film made about life on a south sea island. He defined the

documentary as the creative treatment of actuality (or reality).

Documentaries are not just about facts. Instead, facts are used to create socially critical arguments, thereby inviting the audience in, in which they

can draw conclusions.

Types of Documentaries• Fully Narrated – The voiceover is used to make sense of the visuals and dominates their

meaning. An example of this type of documentary is called “Planet Earth”, this is all about the different types of wildlife around the world.

Types of Documentaries• Fly On The Wall – The cameras film the subjects without interference. An example of this

type of documentary is called “24 Hours in A & E”, this is all about what life is like in a typical hospital in London.

Types of Documentaries• Mixed – this uses a combination of interviews, observation and narration. An example of

this type of documentary is called “The Devil Made Me Do It”, this is all about how a nun murdered somebody in which her actions and opinions related to the singer Marilyn Manson.

Types of Documentaries• Self-Reflexive – The subjects of the documentary acknowledge the presence of the

cameras and often speak directly to the film maker. They draw attention to the film makers role in constructing a view of reality. An example of this type of documentary is called ‘The

Call Centre’ in which it reveals what life is like in a call centre in Swansea.

Types of Documentaries• Docu-drama – (Reconstruction based) A re-enactment of events as they are suppose to have happened. An example of this type of documentary is “Crimewatch”, this is all about

crimes that have actually happened and actors play the part in the crimes to grab the audiences attention and make them aware of what is happening in society.

Types of Documentaries• Docusoaps – these programmes follow the daily lives of particular individuals within an

organisation. An example of this type of documentary is called “Airline”, this is all about what happens in a specific airport which features the same people each episode.

Features of Documentaries1. OBSERVATION: the programme makers pretend that the camera is unseen or ignored, by

the people taking part in events. It places the audience (watching the programme) as an “eye witness” to the events.

2. INTERVIEW: TV documentaries rely on interviews. The interviewee addresses the unseen interviewer rather than the audience. Interviews are interact with images or observation to illustrate what they are talking about.

3. DRAMATISATION: all documentaries use a sense of drama throughout the observation element. This is designed to keep the audience interested and make them easy to follow the narrative.

4. MISE EN SCENE: documentary makers carefully compose the shots so that they contain the images they want the audience to see.

5. EXPOSITION: this is basically the line of argument. The way the argument “unfolds”

*Gate keeping – is the selection and rejection of information which documentary makers use

ProgrammesHere is an example of a programme that appears on TV at the moment:

Frozen Planet – David Attenborough narrates this documentary and has done for many years. The Frozen Planet is aired on the BBC channels and are usually shown of an evening. The documentary gives people at home a taster of what the animal world is like in the most coldest parts of the world.

Type of Narrative Structure

OPEN:Questions are left unanswered at the end of the documentary

CLOSED:All questions were answered at the end of the documentary

Single Strand and Multi Strand

Single Strand:Only one narrative thread (one storyline)

Multi Strand:More than one narrative thread and sometimes

they converge

Linear Vs Non Linear LinearFollows a chronological order

Non-LinearDoes not follow a

chronological order