Genre Analysis: Documentary

Documentary Analysis

History:

John Grierson – 1926 created the documentary

Purpose

To document something that has happened

·         Showing actual footage or reconstruction

·         Narrators/voiceover/participants anchor meaning

Features

·         Observation: Sequences where the makes of the programme pretend/act like the camera isn’t there or ignore it.

·         Interview: most important part, interview a cast member about the documentary subject.

·         Dramatisation: giving a sense of actual drama that is happening on scene.

·         Mise-en-scene: everything in the shot – carefully constructed in a documentary.

·         Exposition: line of argument in the documentary – why the documentary is taking place, what they are taking about.

Documentaries rely on traditional narrative – beginning, middle and end. Most dramatic footage is used at the beginning. Documentaries – the beginning must pose a question. The middle often examines the issue – looks at people’s opinions - conflict at the beginning is strengthened. End – exposition – the argument is there – audience has no doubt about the argument, a conclusion is either made or the audience makes it for themselves.

3 types of documentaires

·         Compilation Film: made up of archive images.

·         Interview or talking heads: people talking to the camera about the subject.

·         Direct camera: recording the event as it is happening.

Documentaries have:

·         Narration: understand the plot of the documentary (voice of god/voiceover) often uses a familure voiceover – audience gain more trust in what’s being said.

·         Lighting: generally natural – just use the light that’s available.

·         Camera Work: most commonly used – handheld – operator doesn’t want smooth movement – creates intimacy between the films.

·         Editing: vital – rely heavily on editing – fade out/fade in, dissolve, wipe, super imposition. Select order and place images into sequence. Interpreting an event.

·         Sound: diegetic: the sound which is actually heard in the atmosphere. Non-diegetic sound: sound put in during the editing. Rely heavily on non-diegetic sound – the audience respond in a certain way.

Documentaries are there to inform the public and express an opinion – illustration of the truth in an understandable way.

Current affairs

·         Mid-way between documentaries and the news – addressing news and politics

·         Journalist led programmes – emphasis

·         Looking at political scandals

·         Based around a journalist report – arguing a case or proving it wrong

·         Reporter may be in front of the screen or may have a voice over

Examples:

·         BBC 2 News Night

·         C4 Dispatchers

·         Tonight with Trevor MacDonald

Reality

Where real events take place – infotainment – combination of entertainment and information.

Reality TV – police camera action, a mixture of raw authentic material with a seriousness of an information programme – camcorders, surveillance, and observation – used to be based around emergency programmes, now based on ordinary people as audiences find it more appealing.