Emma Riddiough

The purpose of a documentary is to document, i.e. Report with evidence of something that has happened

It can show this by using actuality footage, or reconstruction; e.g. 9/11 attack recording, etc.

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

The term documentary was coined by film director John Gearson in 1936 about the South Sea Island

He defined documentary as the creative treatment of actuality or reality

Documentaries are not just about facts. Instead facts are used to create socially critical arguments, making the audience come to there own conclusions

Fully Narrated:- when the voice over is used to make sense of the visuals, and dominates there meaning; e.g. National History Documentaries

Fly on the Wall:- where the cameras film the subjects without interference; e.g. 24 hours in A+E

Mixed Documentary:- this uses a combination of interviews, observation and narration; e.g. The devil made me do it

Self-Reflective:- where the subjects of the documentary acknowledge the presence of the camera, and often speak directly to the film maker; e.g. Directly to the film makers role in constructing a view of reality – Teen Mom

Docudrama:- a reconstruction or a re-enactment as they gradually happened; e.g. Crime watch

Docusoaps:- these programmes follow the daily lives of particular individuals within an organisation; e.g. Airline

Reality TV:- is a combination of information and entertainment, and was first used for news magazine programs; e.g. Miami Ink

John Carner – there are five central elements to documentaries which are:

Observation:- the programme makers pretend that the camera is unseen or ignored by the people taking part in the events; e.g. It places the audience as an “eye witness” to the events

The Interview:- TV documentaries rely on interviews. The interviewee addresses the unseen interviewer instead of the audience. Interviews are intercut with images of observation to illustrate what they are talking about

Dramastation:- All documentaries use a sense of drama throughout the observation element

Mis-en-scene:- documentary makers carefully compose shots so that they contain images they want the audience to see

Explosion:- The line of argument, and the way the argument “unfolds”

Gatekeeping is about the selection and rejection of information

Gatekeeper = producers

Selected Information

Rejected Information

Open vs. Closed

Open – where there are questions left unanswered (soap opera)

Closed – where no questions are left unanswered (finding nemo)

Single Strand vs. Multi-Strand

Single Strands – there is only one narrative thread (finding nemo)

Multi-Strands – more than one thread, and sometimes they do converge but not always (soap opera)

Linear vs. Non-Linear

Linear – chronological order; e.g. Order of time – adverts

Non-Linear – doesn’t follow chronological order; e.g. Flash forward/ backward; e.g. The time travellers wife

Circular – at the end of the narrative has gone full circle; e.g. Dead of Night