Purpose of Documentaries:
- To inform
- Document - to record
To document i.e. report with evidence something that has actually happened. It can show this by using actuality footage or reconstructions. - Information is mediated to an audience
- Mediation - undergoing a process to make something easily understood to an audience (e.g. use of dramatics)
6 Main Types:
- Fully Narrated:
An off-screen voice over is used to make sense of the visuals and anchor their meaning, e.g. natural history documentaries. - Fly On The Wall:
Origins in cinema verite. The camera is observing real life as it happens. Participants are "unaware" of the cameras presence. - Mixed:
Using a combination of interview, observation and narration to advance the narrative. - Self-Reflexive:
When the subjects of the documentary acknowledge the presence of the camera and often speak directly to the film maker. - Docudrama:
A re-enactment of events as they are supposed to have actually happened. - Docusoap:
Example - Airline. Usually occupation-based. Series of programmes following subject-making celebrities out of real people.
