The document defines a documentary as a movie, television, or radio program that provides a factual report or record using official documents or interviews. It describes 7 common types of documentaries, including docusoaps, reality TV, fly-on-the-wall, mixed, self-reflective, docudrama, and fully narrated. Key elements of a good documentary are an engaging story that informs and educates, good production quality, engaging characters, factual research, and clear organization. An example documentary follows the protagonist Karl Pilkington as he is sent to random locations with tasks, allowing viewers to feel engaged through a main character.

1. DocumentaryA movie, television or radio programme that provides a
factual record or report
1.consisting of or based on official documents
2.using pictures or interviews with people involved in real
events to provide a factual report on a particular subject.

2. Types of documentaries
1. Docusoaps: it’s a hybrid genre, following individuals or groups of people
(generally with a central protagonist) These are popular as they are like
soap operas e.g.
2. Reality TV: factual TV giving you useful information in the form of
entertainment, mixing authentic material with serious information and
commercial content
3. Fly on the wall: Camera is unseen and people ignore it, in order to record
unscripted events e.g.
4. Mixed: A combination of actual footage, interviews, observation and
archive material. The narrator links the story together e.g. The
Inconvenient Truth
5. Self reflective: Camera follows person/people around but people know the
camera is there and talk to it e.g. Bigbrother
6. Docudrama: A reconstruction of something that has happened to show the
events occurring e.g.
7. Fully narrated: Narrator is involved the whole way through and dominate
what is occurring e.g. Catfish

5. What makes a good documentary?
• The most important element to consider is to have a story
that will inform, evoke and educate
• Good production
• Engaging characters
• Good factual research
• Good order and well organised piece so it is easy to
follow
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/what-makes-a-
good-documentary/10155.html

6. Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGTIs9fvkUA
• Following Karl Pilkington as the main character, as he is sent to
random locations with set tasks to complete
• This allows the viewer to feel engaged as there is a main
protagonist who the viewer follows and enjoys
• This can be considered self reflected as Karl is aware of the
camera and responds to it, as well as mixed as during his
adventures he conducts interviews and takes actual footage
following his actions.
• The camera is centrally focused on Karl and takes footage
according to what he sees, as well as conducting mini-interviews
with Karl himself with his thoughts
• The voice over is also conducted by Karl as it follows his thoughts
on issues, although the majority of the sound is diegetic with little
being actual voice overs.

7. Top documentaries
• Hoop dreams: Steve James
• The thin blue line: Errol Morris
• Bowling for columbine: Michael Moore
• An inconvenient truth: Al Gore
• Super size me: Morgan Spurlock
• Gray gardens: Albert Maysles
• Fahrenheight 9/11: Michael Moore