General Analysis

Documentary

The purpose of the documentary is to document, that is to report with evidence something that has actually happened. It can be shown by using “actuality footage” or reconstruction. It can use a narrator’s voiceover to anchor the meaning or rely on the participants themselves with perhaps occasional interjection by the narrator.

John Grierson

He ran a team called the General Post Office Film Unit in the 1930’s. In the second world war the GPO made documentarys showing everyone working hard, laughing and singing they were seen to be used as a propaganda tool. Grierson defined documentaries as the creative treatment of actuality (or reality).

Features of documentaries

John Corner of the University of Liverpool believed there are five central elements of documentaries:


Observation: The programme pretends that the camera is unseen or ignored by the people taking part in the events. The audience is an eye witness observing events as they unfold. However, the Hawthorne effect may also occur during this element as the participants may change their natural actions to appear in a better light.


Interview: The most important part of the document whereby the participants give their opinions and views, documentaries rely upon these.


Dramatisation: All documentaries use a sense of drama through the observation element, such as creating drama through the observation process or through reconstruction.


Mise en scene (put in the picture): Documentary makers carefully construct the shot.


Exposition: The line of argument in a documentary. It is what the documentary, quotes saying.

Different types of documentaries

Fully narrated: A voiceover is used to convey the exposition, the voiceover is to make sense of the visuals and dominate their meaning e.g. Natural history documentaries.


Fly on the wall: It draws on the French film movement, cinema verite. The camera is unseen or ignored and simply records real events as they unfold.


Mixed: A combination of interview construction, actuality and archive material and narration to advance the argument/ narrative.


Self- Reflective: When the subject of the documentary acknowledges the presence of the camera and often speaks directly to the camera maker.


Docudrama: Re enactment of the events.


Docusoap: A combination of a documentary and soap opera which is centred around a group of central protagonists.

Structure of a documentary

Narrative Structure


Open: Loose ends which are not tied up at the end of the documentary i.e when questions are left unanswered.


Closed: There is a definite conclusion to the narrative


Linear: Follows chronological order (order of time)


Non Linear: Things are not in time order, by use of flashback or flash-forward

Single: one narrative

Multi: more than one narrative thread

Circular: The narrative goes from one point and at the end returns to the same point


Visuals: Television is a visual medium. The programme needs to be visually stimulating, to maintain the audience’s attention


Stock Footage: Archive material – street scenes, open countryside, and close up of faces


Interviews: An interview can be held anywhere but the setting does affect the meaning


Vox Pop (voice of the people): Ask random people the same question and pick the best, most entertaining or the most boring answers

Construction or Reality

Camerawork: handheld camera as th etripod restricts a cameramans movement

Gate keeping: Producer of a documentary either selects or rejects certain facts and information, for inclusion in a media text. This is done during the editing process, voiceover can affect the meaning… the voice of God, it can alter and anchor the visuals.

Edited