The document analyzes the genre of documentaries. It begins by defining documentaries as informative films or television programs focused on presenting facts about political, historical or social issues. It then discusses several documentary conventions like reconstructions, actual footage, interviews and voiceovers. It also examines specific documentary types like direct cinema and docusoaps. Finally, it outlines Bill Nichols' documentary modes which classify styles based on conventions like observational modes with hidden filmmakers or reflective modes that show the film production process.

1. Whitney Donaldson
Exploring Documentaries…
When we initially started the A2 Media Studies course, I learnt exactly what a ‘documentary’
was; they are predominately informative, created to explain facts about a chosen topic,
document important happenings or represent different attitudes to their target audience in
an interesting format. This is best summarised by its dictionary definition:
Dictionary definition:a film or TV programme presenting facts and information, especially
about a political, historical, or social issue
We then learnt some generic conventions of the documentary genre:
Reconstructions (re-enactment of events)
Actuality (footage of real life events)
Exposition (narration usually pervasive, information passed on to try to persuade
audience)
Voiceover (narration that overlays visuals)
Interviews/vox pops (convergence with people which shows their opinions)
Archival/stock footage (secondary footage, archive used to show historical
events/saves extra filming)
This was demonstrated well by the exemplar documentaries we watched. For example
‘Super Size Me’ and ‘The Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter’ included:
Archival/stock footage
Actuality
Voiceover
Interviews/vox pops
Actuality

2. Whitney Donaldson
Whitney Donaldson
After this we learnt about some specific types of documentaries
Institutional Documentariesits direct cinema techniques give a ‘fly on the wall’ view
of places of work eg airports, hospitals or schools
Cinema Vertecreated in the early 1960s,reminiscent of direct cinema however uses
interviews to express the filmmakers vision
Direct Cinemaformed in the 1960s, no narration/commentary/rehearsals; the ‘fly
on the wall’ style allows the viewers to come up with their own deductions
Docusoapslooks at uses everyday experiences from the public’s perspective
Video Diaries The subject records themselves
MockumentariesParodies the documentary genre/an area of life
Theatrical Documentariesfilm documentaries broadcast for cinema viewing; these
are typically about sports/celebrity culture
Finally, we learnt about Bill Nichols’, ‘Documentary modes’ (theory established in 2001)
Nichols was an American theorist who differentiated specific conventions of different
documentary styles
Observational mode
Participatorymode ‘Fly on the wall’ style hides film
makers presence
Filmmaker
Hand held cameras used
could
Long takes and limited cuts
appear in
their own
film; this
means Reflectivemode
more open The audience see the
interaction film production process
with
subjects
Performancemode
Personal
Expository mode Poetic mode Show the filmmakers
vulnerability as they’re
Voiceover directly Usually subjective
usually shown on the
addresses theaudience towards the films
fringe of society
In the editing, images subjects
accompany the case