Eleanor Jeffrey

GENRE ANALYSIS

DOCUMENTARY HISTORY AND PURPOSE

Documentary

The purpose of a documentary is to document

Inform and Educate • It primarily

informs and educates the audience about a specific subject/topic

Entertain • Most

documentaries entertain which attracts an audience

Documentaries are truthful/factual

There are different styles of documentaries

John Grierson

JOHN GRIERSON

Coined the word documentary

He defined it as ‘a creative treatment of actuality’

The purpose is to document real life situations in Britain

Shows the country at work • National

identity • Creates

empathy

1930’sGeneral post office

CONSTRUCTION VS REALITY

Different editing and the selection of footage• Footage is

selected which makes it less of a reality as this can be subjective.

Interviews are subjective. Certain people are selected to be interviewed.

The narration can have a particular point of view

Setting and location is also subjective which can change the perception of the subject dissolving the feature of reality

DOCUMENTARY TYPES

Fully Narrated

Fly on the wall Mixed

Self reflexive

Docusoap

Docudrama

Voice over narration

Direct mode of address

Anchors the visuals

Voice over gives a sense of authority

There is a host: you see the narrator

Subject of the documentary acknowledges the camera

Subjects speak directly to the film maker

• Narration• Observation• interviews

Advanced exposition

‘voice of god’

Style of news reporting

Real life events

Usually set around a workplace etc.

More focused on what happens in their daily life

Based on speculation

Facts and real life events

An event that has been rein acted

All observation

No interviews or narration

The camera observes the action

FEATURES OF A DOCUMENTARY

Observation

• Sequences of observation

• Filmed in a way that suggests that the camera is unseen or ignored by the people taking part

• Places the audience in the role of witnessing events

• Provides events for the exposition

Interview

• Usually set up in a particular format

• Interviewee responds to the interviewer not the camera/ audience

• Usually with experts of the topic/subject

• Cutaways used of other footage to illustrate the points

Dramatisation

• Drama is used in the observational footage by adding an element of dramatic events

• Use it to portray people and events that producers cant access in real life

Mise-en-scene

• Refers to things being ‘put in the shot• Carefully composed to contain images

that relate to the subject and topic • Filmmaker must use what already

exists: no sets/setups • to advance the argument of the

exposition the documentary maker can still carefully compose a shot so that it contains the images he or she wants the audience to see.

Exposition

• The line of argument in a documentary • made up of description combined with commentary• The exposition is what the documentary is 'saying‘• It may be either plain and direct or indirect and hidden.

Nevertheless it always exists• documentaries can be said to have strong evidence but weak

exposition. Other documentaries can be the reverse of this.• usually serious but they can also use humour to make a point.

John corner