theories of documentaries

2. What is the aim of a documentary?
The aim of a documentary is to report something real with evidence, it can
contain actual footage and dramatisations of events and situations to
provide evidence, along with interviews. They can also include narration
to create meaning, which is sometimes relying on the unseen narrator.
Documentaries have to be real but sometimes they can’t always be
documented with evidence, however by reconstructing the event that an
interviewee describes, it helps the audience to visualise a portrayal of
evidence. However, these reconstructions must be based on fact, they don’t
have to contain an analysis and can cover a wide range of topics.

3. Creative development
Creative development means the term documentary covers a huge range of
production methods. Some analysts argue that is should be replaced with
the term “non-fiction filming”. Although people disagree on the styles and
term of documentary, they do have a common thread of what a
documentary is and what it should contain. Some of these are:
recorded sound – actual reality/experiences
not just about facts – socially critical arguments that invites the audience
to draw their own conclusions.
“documentaries present facts about a subject using real events, people,
places then creatively interpret all comments on those realities and
peoples concerns” Peter Mayeux

4. Current affairs
Current affairs are half documentary and half news. These affairs are more
in-depth information about what is happening on the news. They can
range from a couple of minutes up to 15 minutes. Features that are 30
minutes of longer is considered a documentary. Current affairs are
important for exploring important issues and social development.
However, there is a concern that they are being more “ratings driven”.

5. 5 elements of documentary
John Corner explained that there were 5 central
elements to documentaries:
0 Observation
0 Interview
0 Dramatisation
0 Mise en Scene
0 Exposition

6. Observation
Most documentaries will include observations, which
usually pretend that the camera is unseen in places
where the audience can be an eye witness. Observations
are also used as evidence for interviews. However they
have been criticised in the past for portraying
participants as objects instead of subjects.

7. Interviews
Most documentaries rely on interviews and these are
used to support or contrast with the observation. The
interviewer can be seen or unseen and pictures are
often used to create meaning, which makes the
interviews more interesting. Documentary makers have
the choice to intercut fragments of interview with other
material or to just let the interview run.

8. Dramatisation
Dramatisation is done through the observational
element which is then used to create a sense of conflict
and build up the arguments. The audience is placed as
an eye witness as the dramatisations portray people in
the events based on facts.

9. Mise en scene
This is used in documentaries to construct reality. Mise
en scene is extremely important and must be relevant
to the documentary. It can include things such as;
Set
Props
Costume
Make-up
Lighting and colour

10. Exposition
This element of the documentary reveals what the
argument is being explored (so the topic of the
documentary). This can be done through descriptions
and commentary. Exposition can be obvious, direct or
indirect and finally it can be hidden. Documentaries can
also leave it up to the audience to make up their own
minds.

11. Truth and reality
Documentaries usually struggle to document the truth and reality,
therefore this results in many counter claims. John Corner says that this is
why documentaries need evidence, they are real although they have
elements of fiction (scripted voiceovers). Controversial documentaries are
not popular with television as its difficult to get advertisers to play their
adverts in the middle of their documentary since they don’t want to be
associated with controversy.
“it is critical that the film makers be rid of the fantasy that the
documentary can be unproblematic representation of reality that the
‘truth’ can be conveniently dispensed and revealed like valium.” – Dennis
O’Rourke