This document discusses different types and features of documentaries. It outlines several types of documentaries including fully narrated, fly on the wall, cinema verité, mixed, self-reflective, drama/docudrama, and docusoap. It also describes common features such as observation, interviews, dramatization, mise-en-scène, exposition, and different narrative structures including open/closed and linear/non-linear. The purpose of a documentary is to document and report factual events using actual footage or reconstructions.

1. Documentaries
By Martha Niklas

2. Genre
The purpose of the documentary is to document i.e. to
report with evidence something that has actually
happened. This can be shown through the use of
Actuality footage or reconstructions. Also, a
documentary is factual.

3. Types of documentary
• Fully narrated
• An off-screen voiceover is used to make sense of
the visuals and dominates their meaning
• Anchors the meaning of the visuals (pinning down
the meaning of the image)
For example
Natural history (penguins)

4. Fly on the wall
Cinema verité
The camera record the subjects without inference.
This is so viewers have their own opinions and
conclusions of each person.

5. Mixed
Uses a combination of interviews, observation and
narration
They might also use some archive material for
example, world war photos (someone else‟s shots)

6. Self Reflective
Subjects of doc acknowledge presence of camera and
often speak directly to the documentary maker
For example
Katy Price

7. Drama (docudrama)
Re-enactment of events as they are supposed to have
happened
Docusoap
Combined elements of doc soap opera genre
For example
Airline, The Hotel (all involve the same “characters”

8. Features of documentaries
Observation- the „unseen‟ observation places the
audience in the role of eye witnesses to the realities
portrayed
The subject doesn't acknowledge the camera (address
interviewer instead)
Relies on interviews
Dramatisation- all documentaries use a sense of drama
throughout the observation element
Events seem to occur naturally in front of the camera

9. Mise En Scene
Documentaries make carful compose shots so they
contain images they want the audience to see and
are relatable to the context.

10. Exposition
Line of argument in a documentary, its what it is
getting across to the audience.

11. Types of narrative structure
Open
Loose ends
Unanswered questions
For example- soap operas follow this structure to entice the audience and want them to
watch the next episode.
Closed
No loose ends or unanswered questions

12. Linear
Follows chronological order
Non- linear
Doesn‟t follow chronological order and uses
flashbacks/forwards

13. Single strand
One narrative thread
Multi-strand
More than one often these converge or overlap