1. Introductory analysis of TV documentaries.
A documentary can be either a film or a television programme which shows the audience
information about a specific topic.
Below are some of the features included in documentaries:
Actuality: The filming of real life events/places or people.
Exposition: The start of a documentary when something or someone is revealed, often a
theme, e.g. fitness, smoking, or generally anything which is a problem in today’s society.
Interviews: Asking questions to people who have something to do with the topic which the
documentary is about.
Voiceover: A commentator/ narrator, often with direct address to the audience.
Poetic mode: The poetic mode of a documentary film tends towards subjective
interpretations of its subjects.
Expositional mode: The expositional mode moves sharply from the poetic mode in terms of
visual practice and story-telling devices. Its aims are passing on information and persuading
the viewer/audiences.
Observational mode: The camera, while moving with subjects and staying within the action,
remains as unobtrusive as possible, mutely recording events as they happen. Pure
observational documentaries proceeded under some bylaws: no music, no interviews, no
scene arrangement of any kind and also no narration.
Reflexive mode: The reflexive mode considers the quality of documentary itself,
demystifying its processes and considering its implication.
Performative mode: The perfomrative mode engages its filmmaker in the story creating an
almost autobiographical descriptions of subjective truths that are significant to the
filmmaker him or herself.