Documentaries aim to inform audiences about factual subjects using real footage and interviews. Documentary film began in 1895 with the Lumiere brothers and evolved with Nanook of the North in 1922, which was the first feature-length factual film. There are five key elements to documentaries: observation, interviews, dramatization, mise en scene, and exposition. These elements such as observation use unseen cameras to make audiences feel like eyewitnesses, while interviews provide different opinions to support or contrast observations.

1. Theory of Documentary
A film, television or radio programme which
provides a factual report on a particular subject.

2. The Aim of a Documentary
• A documentary is a factual report on a certain topic or
event and therefore the aim is to inform an audience on
that certain subject. They use real footage and interviews
as evidence to put across their point and point the viewer
in what they consider to be the right direction. Some
documentaries try to shock their audience as a tactic to
make them understand and agree with the opinion of the
creator of the documentary.

3. The History of Documentary
• Documentary began in 1895 with the creation of the first
films by the Lumiere brothers.
• Documentary as we know it began with Robert Flaherty’s
“Nanook of the North” (1922) which was the first feature
length factual film.
• Documentaries proceeded to increase in quantity and
quality from this point onwards and the much loved
mockumentary was also created. These ideas all are still
sustained in todays documentaries.

4. The Elements
As put forward by John Corner (a former university
professor at Liverpool) there are 5 key elements to a
documentary.
• Observation
• Interview
• Dramatization
• Mise en scene
• Exposition

5. Elements Explained
• Observation – most documentaries include this as they
use an “unseen” camera. This is to make the audience feel
like an eye witness of events which unfold.
• Interviews – these are used to support or contrast with
what has previously been observed. The interviews add
more opinions and a wider view on the subject at hand.
• Dramatization – this is used as part of the observation
phase and is used to help build up arguments in a more
dramatic manner to appeal to the “eye witness” audience.

6. Elements Continued
• Mise en scene – this is used in a documentary to help
construct reality. It is vital that this is relevant to the topic
of the documentary. For example if the documentary was
set in a hospital all of the items seen on screen would be
relevant.
• Exposition – this is the section of the documentary which
reveals what argument is being explored. It can be either
direct or indirect and is usually done through
commentary/voiceover.