Documentaries

Theories and Concepts
John Grierson came up with the term 'documentary' in 1926. He said that the purpose of a documentary is to document something that has actually happened, this can be shown by using actual footage or reconstruction. They can use a narrators voice over to anchor the meaning or rely on the participants themselves with perhaps an occasional interjection by the narrator. Documentaries are not just about facts, instead facts can be used to create socially critical arguments inviting the audience to draw their own conclusions.

Features of Documentaries



Observation (fly on the wall): most documentaries contain sequences of observation and the programme makers pretend that the camera is either unseen or ignored by the people taking part. The unseen observation places the audience in the role of eye witnesses to the reality's portrayed. The observation sequence then works as witness evidence for the producers argument.

Interview: Television documentaries rely on interviews which can be used to make a contrast with the observation sequences. The interviewer is either seen or on scene. The speaker is questoned and adresses the interviewer and not the audience. Sometimes pictures are dubed over the speakers replies in support of what is said.

Dramatisation: All documentaries use a sense of drama through the observation element, the audience is an eye witness to the event. Some documentaries use dramatisation to potray people and events the film maker can not gain access to in real life.

Mise-en-scene: This simply refers to things put into the shot. Documentary makers carefully compose the shots so that they contain the images they want the audience to see, these are used to advance the argument of the exposition.

Exposition: Simply means the line of argument in a documentary. The exposition can be made up of discription combined with commentary. The exposition is hat the documentary is 'saying'. It can be either plain and direct or in-direct and hidden, but it always exists. The narrator doesn't tell the audience what to think but are shown sequences that lead them to make conclusions.


Types of Documentaries
There are at least six types which included fully narratored, fly on the wall, mixed, self reflexive and docudrama with the possible addition of docusoaps.

Fully narratored: direct address documentaries use off the screen voice over t convey the exposition. The voice over is used to make sense of the visuals and dominates their meaning. It makes the narrator seem authoriative about the topic.

Fly on the wall: rely almost totally on observation, there is no commentary or narration. The cameras are left to record the subjects without interreference and viewers come to teir own conclusions.

Mixed documentary: use a combination of interview, observation and narration to advance the arguemts. In cotrast to the 'voice of God' style, the narration is often from within the frame- what we see on screen.

Self reflexive: Is when the subjects of a documentary acknowledge the presence of a camera and often speak directly to the film maker, this type of documentary makes a point of drawing attention to the film makers vote in constructing a view of reality.

Docudrama: A reinactment of events as they're supposed to have happened. In this style the elements of the argument and exposition are combined with those of fictional narrative.

Docusoaps: A phenomenon of recent years has been the exposion of programmes that floow the daily lives of particular individuals within designated occupation.


Current Affairs
These are different from documentaries. They're journalist led programmes that aim to adress news and political agenders in greater depth. Emphasis on investigatory and the political. They seek out atrosity and political scandal. The differences between current affairs and documentaires centre on the pressure of deadlines and view of the audience. Documentaries may take months to produce whereas currents affairs' producers must have several stories available each night.


Scripting and Structuring the Documentary
Narrative conventions: Documentaries rely heavy on traditional conventions of a narrative. There should be a definitive begining, middle and end to a narrative. Strong focus on characters and conflicts. Other conventions used include, music, special settings and lighting.

The begining: This needs to capture audiences attention as soon as possible. The central question of the documentary can be posed at the begining in an intriguing way. The most dramatic piece of action footage could be placed there or some quick interview cuts in conflict with each other.

The Middle: Otherwise known as the complication stage. This needs to be the most compelling, it often the issue in human terms and has a focus on people and their opinions. Conflict is strengthened in the middle section. The script may even develop this conflict to provide bockages to the fullfillment of the exposition. However, by the end all complications must eventually support the exposition.

The End: Makes the exposition fully apparent by the resolution stage. By this tme the audience hs no doubts as to what the programme was saying. There may even be a course of action the audience can take to adress the problem.

Conflict: This can be between people with different beliefs, goals, circumstances or ambitions. It can aso be within the individual with he surroundings or between the generations classes. It's often shown developing through several stages, allowing the documentary to use the narrative tecnique of complication and tension.

Sense of Movement: This can add strength to the narrative elements. According to documentary maker Michael Rabiger this can take 3 forms.
Physical movement - a journey or a change of job or city
Movement in time represented - change of seasons, growth of a child
Physcological change - a prisoner adjusting to life in the outside world.

Music and Sound Effects
Sound effective in producing an emotional response in the audience.

Lighting
If trying to achieve realism and uthenticity, poor lighting is one of the first things to give the game away.

Constructing of Reality
When watching a documentary you should always ask yourself not just what showing but also question what  theyre not showing and why.

Visuals
What we see on the screen can include archive footage, street scenes, open countryside and close up of faces are just some of the stock materials used to suggest the intended meaning or emotinal qualitys of particular themes.

Interviews
Can be held anywhere but the setting does effect the meaning. Normally begin with factual questions then delve more into the topic, more emotinally gripping questiond asked.

Voxpops
Street interviews with general public which are done anywhere. Each person is asked the same question and their replies are strung together in a fast sequence to sggest there is a general agreement/disagreement.

Narrative Structure
Open: The audience is left to make their own mind up at the end
Closed: There is a definite ending and outcome
Single-strand: There is only one main plot throughout
Multi-strand: There are many different sub plots which interweav
Linear: It's in chronological order
Non-linear: There is no chronological order
Circular: There is aquestion at the start which is revisited at the end.