GENRE

ANALYSIS

BY FAYE RIDER

PURPOSE OF DOCUMENTARIES

The purpose of documentaries can be

easily described and analysed from

simply even watching one.

Documentaries are informative,

Factual, have a narrative, they are

generally non-fictional and the main

purpose is to document data/ facts/an

event or an opinion or view.

Documentaries are also engaging to

viewers and educate viewers, by

making the education aspect of

documentaries entertaining, then

therefore a successful documentary is

created.

It also involves real people, events,

topics, cultures, opinions (exposition)

which is the overall line of argument.

HISTORY OF DOCUMENTARIES

John Grierson (26 April 1898 – 19 February

1972) was a pioneering Scottish documentary

maker, often considered the father of British

and Canadian documentary film.

He defined the term ‘documentary’

as “the creative treatment of

actuality”

Grierson's emerging and outspoken

film philosophies caught the

attention of New York film critics at

the time. He was asked to write

criticism for the New York Sun. At

the Sun, Grierson wrote articles on

film aesthetics and audience

reception, and developed broad

contacts in the film world.

Grierson's emphasis on realism—

he was intolerant of artistic

pretension—had a profound long-

term influence on Canadian film.

"Art is not a mirror," he said, "but a

hammer. It is a weapon in our

hands to see and say what is good

and right and beautiful."

Nevertheless, Grierson did not believe that documentary film is a

mere public report of the activities of daily life. "For me," he said,

"it is something more magical. It is a visual art which can convey

a sense of beauty about the ordinary world."

From 1946 to 1948 he was the

director of mass communications at

UNESCO, and from 1948 to 1950 he

was controller of films at Britain's

Central Office of Information. During

the 1950s he worked at Southall

Studios in West London.

From 1957 to 1967 Grierson hosted a successful

weekly television program on Scottish television,

This Wonderful World, which showed excerpts from

outstanding documentaries. In 1957 he received a

special Canadian Film Award.

Observation:-

The makers pretend the camera is unseen or ignored by the people

taking part in the event.

The camera becomes the eye witness, this to create realistic effect and

more professional outcomes for the documentary

Mise en scene:-

Consider mise en scene ensuring that this allows the drama

to unfold.

Also used to advance the arguement.

The mise en scene is always relevant to the subject of the

documentary. Use of green screens and locations to help

relate to documentary puropse aim.

Interview:-

Can contrast with the observations shown.

Pictures dubbed over the interview to make sense and anchor

meaning.

Vox pops; generate diverse views and opinions. The technique

consists of street interviews of the general public with each person

being asked the same question. The answers are then strung together

in a fast sequence. They are good for suggesting a general agreement

or else the opposite of diversity opinion.

Exposition:-

Made up of description and combined with commentary.

It can be plain or direct, indirect or hidden.

The narrator may minipulate the audience's opinion

Dramatisation:-

Audience is an eyewitness to the dramatic events.

Drama appears to take place naturally in front of the camera.

Some form of reconstruction; this should always be based on facts.

FEATURES OF A

DOCUMENTARY

TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY

Fly on the Wall

“Is a style of documentary making, it is made by filming people as

they do the things they normally do. The camera’s go unnoticed by

the subject of the film Observation”

Technical style/codes

• lots of long uninterrupted tracking shots (greater sense of

realism)

• high shooting ratio (film shot compared to film on screen)

• normally 10 :1 fly on the wall could be as high as 40:1

• This means that narrative is constructed largely in edit

suite

• Use of hand held camera, jump cuts and rough zooming

• (Adds greater sense of realism)

Some examples of fly on the wall documentaries are…

•Cops

•Deadliest Catch

•Survivor

•Dynamo: Magician Impossible

TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY

Docu-soap

“A documentary following people in a particular

occupation or location over a period of time”.

A docu-soap is a documentary that follows the

lives or real people in their day to day lives and

allows us as an audience to see live or a certain

way for them in their perspective.

The subject is aware of the camera’s and may

sometimes be more bias and fake/ exaggerate

circumstances for a more dramatic effect and

effect the realistic side of the documentary.

Well known examples of docu-soaps are...

• Vet School and Vets In Practice

• Airport — workers at London Heathrow

• Airline — EasyJet workers

TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY

Docudrama

“Is a re-enactment of real life events as they happened,

for example the Hillsbourgh disaster documentary.

However though docu-dramas claim to reveal the truth,

they cannot reveal the exact truth.”

The docu-dramas include lots of

narration, interviews, accounts of

happenings from real people,

pan’s/zoom’s to allow audiences to get

a true picture of the real/ location in

which the events etc. is happening,

handheld camera’s for real footage, not

all re-enacted/ only re-enacted if we

only have a vague idea of the truth and

we piece together information and

produce our idea of the truth. Back

drops and suitable/ relatable back drops

when interviewing people.

TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY

Self-reflexive

“Within a self reflexive documentary, the

documentary maker talks to the camera to

try to draw the attention of the audience/

make a point.”

TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY

Fully Narrated

Has a voice over the documentary to help the

audience gain understanding of the visually

directed address, it also allows the audience

to gain full understanding of the visuals and if

the documentary is of an unknown or new

place that the audience has never witnessed,

it allows the audience to be fully educated and

have a greater understanding.

TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY

Mixed

“Uses a combination of interviews, observation

and narration to help to advance the argument

the creator is making or express views of

people on a certain event/ person etc.”

By using varied media platforms to display the

views within the documentary, audiences are

more likely to be convinced/ persuaded to think

in a certain way etc. as its not just 1 person

within the documentary and it has interviews,

visuals of locations etc. to back up the

understanding and educate as well and inform

and also document the event etc.