This document outlines different types of documentary filmmaking styles, including fully narrated, fly on the wall, mixed, self-reflexive, docu-drama, docu-soap, current affairs, and their key features. Fully narrated documentaries use voiceover narration to provide context to visuals. Fly on the wall relies entirely on observations without narration. Mixed documentaries incorporate interviews, observation, and narration. Self-reflexive documentaries acknowledge the camera and focus on the filmmaker. Docu-dramas recreate events fictionally based on facts. Docu-soaps follow people's lives over time with low production costs. Current affairs address daily news events within short time

1. Eloise Hatton

2. Fully Narrated
 Fully Narrated – use a voice over to
make sense of visuals included in the
documentary, this voice over is known
as ‘The Voice of God’. The voice over
conveys the exposition. (Exposition
means line of argument).

3. Fly on the Wall
 Fly on the wall – relies entirely on
observations and also includes the
audience watching something as it
happens and features a distorted
version of the truth.
 Viewers come to their own conclusions.

4. Mixed
 Mixed – uses a mix of interviews,
observation and narration. The narrative
section in these types of documentaries
is comparable to a news reporting.
 They are more objective as they use a
range of techniques within the
documentary rather than focusing on
one technique such as the narrative
section.

5. Self - Reflexive
 Self – Reflexive – is when the subject
acknowledges the camera, and they
usually become about the person in
front of the camera rather than the
actual issue/subject. Critics say that self-
reflexive documentaries fall into empty
narcissi. They speak directly to the film
maker.

6. Docu - Drama
 Docu – drama – are a re-enactment of
events that have occurred and are
fictional narrative based on facts. Critics
say that docudramas claim to represent
the truth but can only ever hope to film
fiction. Docudramas can be misleading
and risky in some ways.

7. Docu - Soap
 Docu – Soap – have become
increasingly popular throughout the past
10 years, these types of documentaries
follow peoples lives. Docudramas
originated in Britain and have low
production costs and people of ten
become ‘famous’ from these
documentaries.

8. Current Affairs
 Current affairs – different from
documentaries and are journalist based
programmes addressing the news in
more detail.

9. Differences between Current
affairs and Documentaries
 Current affairs are based on daily events
and only have 5 -10 minutes where a
documentary can take months to make.

10. Features of Documentaries
According to John Carner from the Uni of
Liverpool there are 5 central elements of
the documentary.

11.  Observation –puts the audience in a role of eye witness where
the camera appears to be on scene. In direct address to the
audience (i.e. speech over heard is a common factor).
 Interview – TV documentaries use interviews to make a contrast
between observation sequences and are structured in two
ways, either intercut fragments of observation or a completely
uninterrupted sequences.
 Dramatisation – even though all documentaries use a sense of
drama it is specifically used to portray people and events the
film maker can not gain access to in real life. These sequences
are said to be based on fact.
 Mise-en-scene – literally what the director and producers put in
the frame (e.g. props/lighting/etc).
 Exposition – the line of argument running through a
documentary. (Does not always have to be verbal, it can be oral
or visual).