A documentary aims to inform, entertain, and educate audiences using different perspectives to create public interest. It has a beginning, middle, and end narrative structure. The beginning introduces a central question. The middle examines the issue using various viewpoints. The end resolves complications and persuades the audience of the filmmaker's viewpoint. Conventions like exposition, interviews, archival footage, and reconstructions are used to educate and persuade audiences of a certain opinion. Studying documentary conventions has given the writer ideas for an engaging narrative structure and techniques to attract their target audience.

1. CONVENTIONS OF
DOCUMENTARIES

2. A documentary film is one that aims to inform,
entertain and educate. A documentary argues a
opinions using different voices and perspectives,
in order to persuade an audience and create
public interest. Conventions in a documentary
are used to achieve these aims.

3. A documentary has narrative conventions which
have a definite beginning, middle and end.

4. The beginning The beginning of a
documentary sets out a
central question that the
film will focus on. Action
footage and a quick
selection of interview
footage is used here to assist
the narration that has been
set out for the audience.
This evokes an interest in
the audience, and begins the
spark for public enthusiasm.
An example of this is the
beginning of the
documentary is Supersize Me.
Spurlock uses graphics,
archival footage and other
shots to assist an introduction
to the central question. At the
end of the first five minutes,
Spurlock participates in the
documentary and sets out a
central question, whilst
mentioning the title of the
documentary.

5. The middle The middle of a documentary film is
effectively the beginning of the
complication; it is where the director or
the film maker begins examining the
issue using various points of view. More
detail is used including voice differences
with various opinions and arguments.
These conflicting perspectives give the
audience something to question.
Evidence is used by the director to
persuade the audience. For example,
interviews, voxpops and archival
footage could be included to advise the
audience to a point of view.
The example of Supersize
Me can be continued
here. Spurlock presents
us with conflicting views
on wanting to keep his
McDiet going, opposed to
the opinion that it could
be fatally unhealthy and
he should stop his
experiment. He also uses
views from members of
the public and owners of
fast food chains to
juxtapose those of health
professionals.

6. The end The end of the documentary film
makes the exposition fully
apparent; complications are
resolved so no doubt is left in the
audience. They are persuaded to
agree with the opinion and point
of view that has been put across
by the film maker.
The end of Supersize Me details the conclusion of the issue at
hand. Spurlock has exemplified the ongoing issues concerning his
McDiet, and therefore how unhealthy fast food can be for you.
This is backed up by health professionals views and opinions.

7. lFrom this, I have learnt the main narrative
construction of a documentary. It has given
me ideas for my documentary; for example,
about the quick footage and cutaways we
could mediate into the beginning of our
documentary. The middle can then include
voxpops and interviews to set out conflicting
perspectives, which makes the audience
question the issue.

8. There are several more
conventions that are included in a
documentary to evoke more public
interest in the audience, or to
persuade them to an opinion.

9. Exposition
This is the narration using rhetoric and factual
information to persuade the audience to a point of
view. These facts could be given from an interviewee.
This is a distinct feature that is used by the expositional
mode, which mostly uses images to assist an off-screen
voice over. Shots and footage that feature in the
documentary are mediated to catch the viewer’s
attention by presenting a specific theme. These images
are much more persuasive to the viewer than the voice
over. The narration is used as a way of explaining and
arguing over the persuasive content that is shown to
the audience throughout the documentary.

10. Voice over
This can be off screen or on screen. Off screen
voice overs are commonly a feature of the
expositional mode, and an on screen voice over
is an aspect of the participatory mode. This a
commentary or narration given by the film
maker whilst footage is being shown. This allows
the film maker to directly address the audience,
and offer an explanation, opinion or information
about the events that are unfolding on screen.

11. lThis has given me more ideas for my
documentary. Using exposition would create
a more factual basis for my argument, and
would be persuaded by an expert
interviewee. Using an off screen narrator
would also be good to use in my
documentary as I can use footage, shots and
archival footage to support the voice-over
Exposition would be suitable for my
documentary as it allows me to mediate the
content of the documentary to make it more

12. Conflict
Conflict is used throughout documentaries in
interviews to give different points of view. These
interviews can be given by experts on the topic,
or by normal people to express different beliefs
that cannot be given by the film maker. This
gives a dramatic element to the documentary as
these conflicting points of views are sometimes
shown through the reconstruction of evidence.

13. Interviews
The interview is a common basis that is used
throughout documentaries to persuade the
audience to an opinion or point of view.
Interviews allow the subjects in the film to
express their point of view about events or the
topic being expressed. Interviews with experts
are sometimes used by the film maker to further
persuade the audience to a point of view that
has been expressed in the documentary.
Voxpops are interviews with the general public
and these are sometimes used to give further
conflict in the documentary.

14. From this, I can learn that interviews are used to
persuade an audience and convince them of the
film maker's point of view. Using experts for
interviews is even more persuasive. Public voxpops
can also build an argument because they give a
realistic opinion and the audience may be able to
relate to them more. This tells me about my
potential audience because depending on the issue
I decide to focus on for my documentary, the
audience needs to be a match to my voxpop
subjects. For example, if we decide to create our
documentary on fast food, we need to interview
people outside of the food chains.

15. Music and sound effects
Sound effects can be used in a documentary film
to provoke an emotional response to the viewer.
Depending on the tone and pace of the music,
the audience can pull connotations from this.
Using sound and music effects in my
documentary may be useful because I can use
music which links to the topic of my
documentary. It also needs to be suitable and
relevant to my target audience.

16. Selection and construction
This is also known as mediation. The director
chooses which shots and footage to use in the
documentary film. By doing this, the film is more
specific to the theme or topic. Footage can be
chosen to fit the audience demographic, the
context of the documentary and what point of
view or opinion is being shown in that current
event. This means that the footage included in
my documentary will appeal to my target
audience. Mediation will allow me to use
footage that will specifically persuade my
audience too.

17. Archival footage
Archival/stock footage is put into a documentary
to signify a historical event that is linked to the
theme which is being discussed in the
documentary. This can be used in the film to
further explain a topic, or to provide evidence to
persuade an audience to an opinion or a point
of view. This will be useful in my documentary to
assist an off screen narrator and to argue a point
of view. For example, if I decide to focus on fast
food for my topic, I could show archival footage
from the news showing the negatives of it to
further persuade my audience.

18. Inserts and cutaways
These are used to maintain the audience’s
interest in the documentary and is a common
feature of the expositional mode as the images
are directly linked to the event or theme. Clips
and footage are shown that are relevant to the
topic being discussed by the narrator. The image
can be used to expand on the subject at hand.
This also links to mediation because it allows the
film maker to suit the content to the target
audience.

19. Actuality
This is the term used for footage of real life
events, which sometimes can give the ‘fly on the
wall’ effect. Actuality is a record of real events,
people and situations through footage. This
conventional feature of documentaries informs
and educates the reader. This can be done
through the use of point of view shots and off
screen narration. Fly on the wall techniques will
be good to use in a documentary because it will
represent the target audience, as well
maintaining an argument.

20. Reconstructions
This adds a sense of fiction to a documentary.
Artificial scenes of events are acted out based
on the information that we know about what
happened. These are used to provide factual
evidence to aid a documentary and to give the
audience a sense of realism. It is shown to the
viewer that this reconstruction is not real by the
use of techniques and effects; blurring,
distortion, lighting effects and changes in shot
types and camera angles.

21. From studying the conventions of
documentaries, I have learnt what my film
needs to include to be successful. I now have
further ideas of what to include in my
documentary, such as what the narrative
structure should be and what techniques to
use. This information has also helped me
generate an idea about a potential audience
for my documentary. For example, if I use the
fly on the wall technique with mediation, it will
attract a younger audience who crave to be
entertained.