Documentary
The purpose of a documentary is to document, that is to report with evidence something that has actually happened. It can show this by using actuality footage or reconstruction. It can use a narrative voiceover to anchor the meaning or rely on the participants themselves with perhaps the occasional interjection by the narrator.
Actuality footage – real footage of actual events
John Grierson – Set up the ‘General Post Office Film Unit’ in the 1930’s
Grierson defined documentaries as ‘the creative treatment of actuality’
Features of documentaries
John Corner – University of Liverpool said there were five central elements of documentary
Observation – Programme makers pretend that the camera is unseen or ignored by the people taking part in the events. Audience is positioned as an eye witness observing events as they unfold.
Interview – Most important aspect. Opinions/information is given. Disperse interview with observation/footage in edit. Rely heavily on interviews.
Dramatisation – All documentaries use a sense of drama though the observation element. Reconstruction is the same as dramatisation. Dramatic reconstruction is also used.
Mise-en-scene (Put in the picture) - Everything you see on screen. Documentary makers carefully construct shots
Exposition (The line of argument in a documentary) – How it unfolds throughout. What the documentary ‘saying’.
Types of documentaries
Fully narrated – A voice over is used to convey the exposition. The voiceover is used to make sense of the visuals and dominates their meaning. EG (Natural History Doc)
Fly on the wall – Draws on the French film movement of ‘cinema verite’. The camera is unseen or ignored and simply records real events as they unfold.
Mixed – A combination of interview/observation/actuality footage and narration to advance the argument.
Self-reflexive – When the subject of the documentary acknowledges the presence of the camera and often speaks directly to the programme makers.EG (Celebrity presented documentaries).
Docu-drama – A re-enactment of events.
Docu-soap – A combination of documentary and soap opera. With a group of central protagonists.EG (The Hills, Airline)
Structure of documentaries
Narrative structure – The way the story is told. There are two types:
Open – Loose ends which are not tied up at the end. The audience is left to make up their own mind on the argument and the questions are left unanswered.
Closed – Definite conclusion to the narrative structure
Narrative structures will be either closed or open not both
Linear narrative structure – follows chronological order of events – the order of time
Non Linear narrative structure – Things are not in time order. EG (Flashbacks/forwards)
Circular narrative structure – starts and ends at the same point
Visuals
Television is a visual medium. The programme needs to be visually stimulating to maintain interest.
Archive material and other stuff such as street scenes, open countryside, CU of faces are stock footage.
Interviews
Interviews can be held anywhere but the mise-en-scene does affect the meaning of it
Vox Pop (Vox Populis – Voice of the people) – go out on the street and set up a camera and ask people the same question. Use the same vox pop as the audience for the show.
Construction of reality
Construction of reality is made in the Gatekeeping process. Gatekeeping happens in the editing process and is the selection and rejection of information and content for the inclusion in a media text.
Voiceover- Anchors meaning of the video – it can affect the meaning of the visuals.
Propaganda advertising – Deliberately set out to influence people’s opinions.
