This document provides an overview of different styles and techniques used in documentary filmmaking. It discusses cinéma vérité style, which combines naturalistic techniques with staged elements. It also outlines three basic documentary structures: observational, using only filmed material without interference; standard, which may include voiceovers and interviews; and documentary drama, which uses reconstructions. The document then covers various documentary styles developed by Bill Nichols, including poetic, observational, reflexive, expository, participatory, and performative. It concludes by discussing techniques for storytelling, scripting, shooting video, and editing documentaries.

1. CINEMA VERITE

2. CINEMA VERITE
• Cinéma Vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining
naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and
camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke
subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its
topics.
• In French the term means, roughly, "truth cinema".
• As historian Bill Nichols points out, the reality effect of a new mode
of documentary representation tends to fade away when "the
conventional nature of this mode of representation becomes
increasingly apparent”
• In other words, new filmmaking modes initially appear to be
unvarnished "reality" on the screen, but as time goes by, that mode's
conventions become more and more obvious. Such is certainly the
case with cinéma vérité, whose conventions can now appear quite
mannered and open for critique.

3. DOCUMENTARY
STRUCTURE

4. DOCUMENTARY STRUCTURE
• Documentaries follow 3 basic approaches
• Observational documentary
• Standard
• Documentary drama

5. OBSERVATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY
• In its purest form the crew do not interact at all with the subject.
• The most common forms are nature programmes or those of an
anthropological nature.
• The observational documentary refuses the use of a narrator
explaining events, preferring to allow the visual material to tell its
own story.

6. OBSERVATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY
• It creates the impression that events are unfolding naturally in front
of the camera.
• In direct cinema, the documentary makers attempt to remain
invisible, observing but never interfering with the action.
• In cinema verite mode, the presence of a camera and crew is
recognised by the participants, who may be asked to answer
questions from the crew or to address the camera directly (for
example, TV programmes like Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares or Wife
Swap).
• Here the subjects speak directly to the camera or crew about their
feelings.

7. STANDARD DOCUMENTARY
• Interviews, voice-overs, even confrontation can come
together in this format..
• This type of documentary often uses a narrator to
address the audience directly and to present an
explanation, interpreting what they are seeing on screen.
• This is one of the oldest forms of documentary and one
of the most established conventions.
• Programmes such as Big Brother still use this type of
voice-over narration, in order to interpret and explain the
material we are watching.

8. STANDARD DOCUMENTARY
• We are expected to trust the narration as the truth
about the subject whether we see the narrator or not.
• On occasions, the narration of a documentary is shared
between a number of people, as experts, witnesses or
participants, or talking heads, as they are known.
• This approach is often used in programmes such as BBC’s
Wonderland and also programmes like Crimewatch,
where a number of different perspectives on a single
incident are available.

9. DRAMA DOCUMENTARY
• Uses reconstructions to tell the truth, common in
disaster or history documentaries where actual footage is
unavailable.
• This is one of the most controversial areas of
documentary and one of the most difficult to define.
• This mode generally involves the dramatic reconstruction
of real events, using actors (or occasionally the original
participants) employing the style and form of fictional film
or television.

10. DRAMA DOCUMENTARY
• It is generally used when there is no way of gaining access to original
material or when there is a need to make that material more
persuasive or more striking.
• Drama-documentaries have always been controversial because of the
ways in which they openly mix fact and fiction in order to gain an
audience.

11. THE PROPOSAL
• A synopsis
• This should be a brief outline of your idea.
• Sum up the idea in one sentence (make it interesting).
• 1-2 pages covering aspects such as the story, why it is
appealing, the angle you are taking, contributors involved and
what their story is.
• You could also include aspects relating to shooting or editing
style if you wished although this would also be covered in the
treatment.

12. STYLE OF
DOCUMENTARY
DANIEL WILLIAMS

13. ORIGIN
The styles of documentary or documentary modes were developed by
American theorist Bill Nichols.
The concept was created as he wanted to distinguish the particular
traits and different conventions used in documentaries.
The 6 types are:
• Poetic
• Expository
• Observational
• Participatory
• Reflexive
• Performative

14. POETIC DOCUMENTARY
(SUBJECTIVE, ARTISTIC
EXPRESSION)
• A documentary that has a topic which is personal to the people involved,
usually the presenter and interviewees.
• It emphasizes some aspects of the person’s life and presents these via
music, camera shots and angles and the editing. It can also be quite
artistic in the way it is presented.
• Music is key as it develops the mood and tone of the story being told
including the messages and values hidden within.
Man With A Movie Camera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk_u_8ajoo0

15. OBSERVATIONAL DOCUMENTARY
(FLY ON THE WALL)
• A documentary where the filmmaker is a neutral observer. (from the
outside looking in)
• Life is lived and observed. It can then be seen how people/animals react
in different situations.
• The filmmaker is normally out of shot so they cannot influence what is
happening.
• Nothing is rehearsed or staged, this means the camera crew have to rush
around, resulting in poor shaky looking footage.
• Usually wildlife documentaries. (David Attenborough)
Oasis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_9sfXIhe9U

16. REFLEXIVE DOCUMENTARY
(AWARENESS OF THE PROCESS)
• A documentary where the audience engages with the content of the
documentary as it happens, they acknowledge the issues of realism
and representation and modality judge them when they arrive.
• It shows the constructive nature of the documentary showing not
necessarily the truth, but a reconstruction. (‘a’ truth, not ‘the’ truth).
• The audience are made aware of the process throughout and the
audience are made aware of the editing, sound and recordings.
Human Trafficking:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4237pS55h4

17. EXPOSITORY DOCUMENTARY
(VOICE OF GOD)
• Documentaries in this style are usually non-fiction films. There is direct
access to the audience. There are social issues assembled into an
argumentative frame with a narration voice-over emphasizing what is
happening with argumentative logic.
• A good example of this is An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Full Film: http://vimeo.com/16335777

18. PARTICIPATORY
DOCUMENTARY
• A participatory documentary is where the events and situations
presented are influenced and altered by the presence of the
filmmaker.
• A brilliant example of this is Supersize Me (2004)
• Full Film:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-eRXuuH9AI

19. PERFORMATIVE
DOCUMENTARY
• A performative documentary acknowledges the emotional and
subjective aspects of documentary and presents ideas as a part of a
context having different meanings for different people and are often
autobiographical in nature.
• Tongues United (1990)
• http://www.pbs.org/pov/tonguesuntied/#.UO7fkaVqK0s

20. THE MECHANICS OF DOCUMENTARY
STORYTELLING

21. WHAT WE’RE GONNA TALK
ABOUT
• Story structure
• Video technique
• Scripting technique
• Editing technique

22. STORY STRUCTURE: 3 PARTS
• The Tease
• The Body
• The Conclusion

23. THE TEASE
• Allows viewer to focus on what the film is about
• Introduces one or more principal characters
• Establishes setting/location critical to the story
• Presents a conflict/set up a problem/asks a question
• Sets the tone for the film
• Sucks in the audience - hopefully

24. THE BODY
• The main plot; the meat of the story
• Get to know the characters, what they're doing and why they’re doing
it
• See the action unfold
• The body usually makes up 80% of a documentary

25. THE CONCLUSION
• Wrapping up, giving closure
• Recaps point of story
• Whatever you promised or asked in your tease needs to have been
delivered

26. EXAMPLE 1: THE SOCCER
MATCH
Tease: Meet Sarah, the team captain;
Former county champs, going through a rough patch
About to compete against current champions
Body: Get to know the team; what are their strengths?
What challenges do they face?
Experience leadership of coach, individual members
Climax: Match vs the champs. What happens? Who wins?
Conclusion: Reactions of the captain and team mates
How did the experience change them?

27. EXAMPLE 2: THE BOARDWALK
Tease: Establishing shot of boardwalk, montage of activity;
ask what the boardwalk means to Atlantic City
Body: History of the boardwalk; archival footage from
library, old postcards; interviews with community members,
parents, grandparents; today’s boardwalk
Conclusion: Summarize its history; next generation of kids
growing up here; continuity of boardwalk in the life of the
city; end with grandfather and grandkid strolling into sunset

28. VIDEO TECHNIQUE
• Footage must always serve the story
• Establishing shot: wide view providing context
(think sitcoms: Outdoor shot of Cheers, Seinfeld restaurant, Friends
apartment in NYC)
• Interviews: typically head and shoulder shot - close, but not too close.
• Zooming in for intimacy, intensity
• Zoom forces viewer to focus on something

29. VIDEO TECHNIQUE,
CONTINUED
• Wider shots to see interview subject in context of a particular situation
• Odd angles add intensity ("God shot," MTV shot)
• Action style, keeping things moving: either characters move or the
camera moves
• Lots of “talking heads” feels like TV journalism
• Shooting same thing from as many angles as possible - creates more
editing options

30. SCRIPTING TECHNIQUE
• Script follows your story structure:
Beginning, middle, end
(Sounds obvious but not always easy)
• Uses at least one of two elements:
Narrator voice and character voice
• Most documentaries use both

31. SCRIPT NARRATION AND POV
• Narration always has a point of view
• Third-Person Narrator
(narrator never seen, just heard; disinterested)
• Self-injected narrator (seen, but not in plot - 60 Minutes, TV
journalism, Michael Moore)
• Character narrator (”I’m Priscilla Presley, and this is our family’s
story...")
• No narration: characters speak for themselves
Example: Riding the Rails

32. SCRIPTS ARE HEARD, NOT
READ• Narration isn't literature - it's oral, conversational
• "If a three-syllable word can be said in a one-syllable word, change it!"
- Nat Geo scriptwriter John Goodman
• Tone of narration shouldn't vary during the documentary
• Multiple narrators don’t always work
• Use lots of action verbs - avoid overuse of descriptive adjectives and
adverbs.
Let the visuals be your adjectives

33. EDITING TECHNIQUE: MUSIC
• Music can be a powerful element
• It’s often a character in its own right
• Example: Beach Clip

34. EDITING TECHNIQUE: PACING
• Pacing of edits affects the tone
• Faster edits picks up the pace, but requires more footage!
• Slower edits means slower pace, but you get to milk your
footage
• Example: Parade Clip

35. EDITING TECHNIQUE:
A-ROLL VS. B-ROLL
• A-Roll: your primary footage (interview subjects in
particular)
• B-Roll: secondary footage used to support interview or
narration, also used to cover errors like “jump cuts”
• A-Roll is melody, B-Roll harmony
• When editing, you generally go back and forth
A-Roll of soccer match - B-Roll of fans - A-Roll of soccer match
Interview subject - B-Roll of what they're talking about - Interview subject
Example: The Guitarist

36. EDITING TECHNIQUE:
THE FOUR TRANSITIONS
• Cut: simplest transition from one shot to the next, usually in same
location and time frame
• Dissolve: graduate transition where shots overlap; often used to show
change in location/time
• Wipe: special effect transition where one scene seems to "wipe away"
the other scene
• Fade to Black: Scene literally goes black;
end of chapter or story
• Example of transitions: India footage

37. REMEMBER:
ALWAYS SERVE THE STORY!
All of your tools should be used to contribute
to telling your story:
– Video footage
– Characters
– Narration
– Music
– Edits
It’s like composing a symphony:
Each instrument contributes to the whole package!