- Documentaries are used to document an event and evidence must be used.
- Actual footage, reconstructions and voice-overs can be used and add meaning to the documentary.
- Numerous amounts of documental events can be fictitious.
- Question 'real' documentaries as to whether or not they are real.
- high levels of construction take place in documentaries e.g questions asked, whats in the mise en scene, where the interviewee is placed etc.
- Documentaries can be descriptive and leave the viewer to figure out their own opinion instead of being lead to one.
- documentaries were first defined in the 1930's by John Grierson who coined the term in 1929.
- Documentaries were intended for cinema viewers and not for home television, Grierson's idea was to give a glimpse into other peoples lives.
- Documentaries were also used to boost morale during periods of war and had a government invested interest
Coal face John Grierson 1935
Housing problems John Grierson 1935- Scheduling a documentary is important as positioning can be tricky and whats shown before and whats shown after is vital.
- Some documentaries (panorama) are well known and can easily get a prime time slot.
Creative treatment of actuality:
- how creative should a documentary be.
- Authenticity is important.
- it is impossible to capture all events in their raw state therefore some elments will be faked.
- As of ceative involvement over the years many people argue over the 'true' document.
- Must have recorded images and sound of actual reality.
- Many sub-genres now fit into the term documentary.
- A current affairs programme are half-way between being news and a documentay.
- They offer deep analysis of an issue and can range from 2-30 minutes.
According to John Corner of Liverpool University there are 5 central features to a documentary. they are:
- Observation
- Mise-en-scene
- Interviews
- Exposition
- Dramatisation
- Progamme makers pretend the camera is unseen or isn't there, the camera becomes an eyewitness.
- Observation therefore woks as a witness to an event or events happening.
- T.V documentaries rely on interviews. these can contrast with observations shown.
- Sometimes pictures are dubbed over to make sense and/or anchor meaning to what is being said.
- full flowing
- Placing interviewees in segments between observation.
Dramatisation:
- All documentaries have a sense of dramatisation.
- Audience is a witness to dramtic events.
- Drama appears to take place naturally in front of the camera.
- it can be a reconstruction and is always based on fact.
Bigfoot in Backyard 1980's documentary Dramatisation.
Mise-en-scene:
- Should be carefully considered as this allows drama to unfold.
- this is used to advance the argument of exposition.
- Line of argument.
- Made up of description and commentary.
- This is about what the documentary is trying to say
- It can be plain, direct, indirect or hidden.
- Narrator may tell the audience what to think.
- Current Affiar deadlines are much shorter than a documentary's deadline as documentaries can take months to make.
- Current affairs programmes are about infotainment.
- The punlic's right to know is a main reason for making documentaries, which have resulted in changes in law and legislation.
Part 1 of 'Cathy come home' by Ken Loach 1966, this documentary resulted in improved conditions for the homeless.
Documentary makers rarly question deeper organisation or the fairness of sociaty.
'It is critical that film makers be rid of the fantasy that the documentary can be unproblematic representation of reality and truth can be convienitly dispensed and received like Valium.'-Dennis O'Rourke
- Ideas of truth and reality can be conflicting, they can also attract counter claim of lies.
- Corner believes evidence rather than truth would help this.
- Sometimes only 1 side of the story/argument is played out while the other side is not spoken about.
- Documentaries represent the transformed world and are the first programmes that are cancelled on commercial channels if money is tight.
- Documentaries that are rate=ings winners would include issues such as:
- Sex
- Law and order
- Violence.
- Documentaries that are controversial are not popular with television netwroksa as they can affend a viewer.
- People who the documentary is aimed at.
- People who are in the documentary.
- Reaction of the audience after the documentary has been viewed.
- Documentaries are often about sociaty's victems and people who can't defend themselves.
- documentaries use hmans as evidence in expositions, Big Brother could be loosely connected to this type of documentary.
- Fully Narrated- has direct address to audience, uses voice over for exposition (voice of God).
- Fly on the wall-originates from cinema verite, relies on observation and editings are important as it is used to evoke feelings/reactions.
- Mixed documentary-commbination of narrative/interviews/observations, advances argument and contrasts Voice of God. Represents objective reality not just selective construction.
- Self-reflective-see journalist in the documentary, and they speak to the audience. Focus is on the film maker and draws attention to constructive reality which critics say is confusing.
- Docu-drama- Re-enactment of events that have happened (e.g hillsborough-Jimmy McGovern). Critics say docu-dramas claim to represent truth but can only deliver fiction.
- Docu-soaps-follow poeples daily lives and jobs, watch the stories infold. there is a dispute as to whether they are real documentaries as they aren't exploring issues just merly eavesdropping, however these are very popular and originated in the uk.
- Disneyfication-Steve Barnetts theory of dumbing down the genre of documentary for the audience, it's happening in all T.V in British culture.
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