A2 MEDIA

2. The purpose of a documentary is to
document specific subjects
A documentary must inform and
educate its audience on specific
content
Documentaries are also produced
to entertain the audience whilst
documenting
Usually they are subject specific on
certain topics
There are many different genres of
documentaries for different
outcomes on the certain topic
The term documentary was
defined originally in the 1930’s
by John Grierson as “A creative
treatment of actuality”
Introduction to
Documentary

3. Observation
Interviews
Mise-en-scene
Features Of A
Documentary
Dramatization
Exposition

4. Observation
This feature of a documentary follows the idea of
the audience being the eyewitness as the camera
are unseen. Indirect address like speech
overheard is common in this feature as the media
product is filmed to make its audience the
observers.

5. A lot of different documentaries
tend to feature reconstructions of
certain situations the topic they are
investigating relate to. This allows
for a dramatized product for the
audience to consume which is
important for a successful
documentary.
Dramatizations

6. Interviews
This is a key feature of a documentary as it allows
the producer of the media product to include
diverse opinions on the topic they are investigating
from different people in the documentary. This is
important as it allows the final product to have a
range of views on the subject
allowing all sides of every argument
to illustrate a non-bias result.

7. Mise-en-scene is often broken
down into 6 sections; Costume,
Lighting, Actors (Body
Language/Expressions), Make
Up/Hair, Props and Setting
(Location). This allows the
producer of a documentary to
construct a successful product
using all visuals aspects.
Mise-en-scene

8. Exposition
This is the line of argument in a documentary.
This feature is either indirectly addressed to
the audience or directly addressed to them. It
is an essential feature for any type of
documentary to illustrate the subject it is
focussing on.

9. Fly On The Wall
This is where the camera is
unseen or ignored. This type of
documentation illustrates
events with realism and very
little or no narration. The
camera is unobtrusive and is
used to allow the audience to
come up with their own
conclusion.
Fully Narrated
This is were there is a
narrator talking
throughout the entire
duration of the
documentary to convey
the argument and to help
the situation to be
understood. The voice of
god is commonly used.
Docudrama
This features a reconstruction of a
certain events to dramatize the
media product for their audience,
this gives viewers an idea of the
atmosphere and the feelings
surrounding that event.
Mixed
This type of documentation uses a
combination of interviews,
observation and narration. They
also include archive footage of a
certain events for content. The
narrator in a mixed documentary
links everything together and
discusses the exposition.
Self Reflective
This type of documentary is
where the person in the
scene knows that the
camera is following them
and sometimes even talks
directly to the camera
breaking the fourth wall Docusoap
This type of documentary
follows the lives of
individuals, and is set
within one community.
Docusoaps are often long
running , as they focus on
each character
individually.