2. Codes and conventions of a
documentary
Such as any media product documentaries have their own codes and conventions.
Documentaries often feature medium close-up shots of an interviewee being interviewed
referred to as talking heads. Talking heads is a common feature in documentaries where
the interviewee is the focal point against a typically plain background as not to distract the
audience. Documentaries often use direct mode of address to connect to an audience by
looking directly at the camera however sometimes where applicable indirect mode of
address where the subject is looking slightly off camera can be used often to create
contrast. Similar to short films and even large-scale productions, cinematic establishing
shots are used to set the time and location of the documentary this can also give the
audience an insight to the documentary within the first few seconds. Documentaries often
included elements similar to a short film such as reenactments these help the audience to
visually understand what the documentary is discussing. The three main themes included
in documentaries is fact, statistic and opinion all featured in nearly every single
documentary as fundamentals to a product. Sound can be used in many different ways in
a documentary. Voiceovers can be used to keep an audience engaged and reveal more
information to what they are seeing this is determined as synchronous sound with the
voiceover matching with what you see on screen, it can also be used as a technic to break
up talking heads with footage to keep the audience engaged. If a voiceover isn't used,
often non-diegetic sound is layered over footage whether it is a soundtrack or score it can
be used to add emotion to a piece or keep the audience engaged without the use of
consistent dialogue.
3. Facts, Opinions and
Statistics
A typical convention of documentaries are facts, opinions and
statistics. Facts by definition are statements that can be proven
and have evidence to back them up and are vital to not only
informative documentaries but every type of documentary.
However, opinions are also vital when creating a documentary
as it allows people to not only share their view but sometimes
share what happened and their truth especially when using the
talking heads format this creates a relationship between the
people on screen and the audience establishing a personal
touch to the documentary as people are allowed to voice their
opinions just like you would be able to in a conversation.
Statistics provide quantitative and qualitative data that can
back up both facts and opinions as well as being impactful on
their own.
4. Talking heads
Talking heads allows for opinions to be voiced and shared with
the audience, often giving the opinion of what the audience
has just seen on screen providing an insight into the mind of
the people involved. Talking heads usually consists of a
medium close-up shot at an eye-level angle however these
can vary depending on the type of documentary style. As you
can see in the image above talking heads is typically
conducted with a direct mode of address to the audience
where the interviewee is looking directly into camera with a
clean non-distracting background to focus the attention of the
audience on the subject.
To engage the audience a variation of shots can be included to
try and ensure the audience does not get bored when watching
this can include Extreme long shot, Long shot. Mid-shot or
medium shot. The mid-shot or medium shot generally shows the
character from the waist to the top of the head(commonly used as
the main shot for talking heads ), Close-up, Extreme close-up, High-
angle, Low angle. Cinematography can be used in documentaries to
aid in setting the scene and create a relationship with the audience.
Camera angles can impact not only the quality of the documentary
but the diversity and engagement levels of audiences.
Cinematography
5. Katz's and Blumler Uses and Gratifications Theory
Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratification Theory suggests that media users play an active role in choosing
and using the media. Users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their
media use. The theorist say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfills the needs of
the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.
DIVERSION-PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP- PERSONAL IDENTITY -SURVEILLANCE
EVALUATION
Katz's and Blumler Uses and Gratifications Theory can be
applied to documentaries and is something to consider when I
am creating my own. The audience may use the documentary
as a diversion from everyday life but could also use it as
surveillance as they can learn information. Although it is not
as apparent as the other two the audience may be able to use
the documentary for personal relationships as the
documentary will focus on the digital world and social media
it may become a talking point among friends satisfying that
need of the user. Personal identity may also be recognised
here as the user reflects on the impact technology and social
media has on their life.
6. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
To better understand what motivates human beings, Maslow proposed that human needs can
be organized into a hierarchy. This hierarchy ranges from more concrete needs such as food and
water to abstract concepts such as self-fulfillment. According to Maslow, when a lower need is
met, the next need on the hierarchy becomes our focus of attention.
Evaluation
Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be something I
can considered when creating my documentary
as the modern media can be put in the safety
level of needs as people check the news to
become aware of their surroundings and safety
level. Social media/technology can be associated
with love/belonging as it is a way of connecting
with friends and family and can be a way of
increasing self-esteem confidence and creativity
all linking back to the hierarchy of needs.
7. Documentary theories
• Bill Nichols’ seminal text Introduction to Documentary (2010) breaks down the documentary into six
frequently cited sub-genres or "modes".
• “In documentary film and video, we can identify six modes of representation that function something like
sub-genres of the documentary film genre itself: poetic, expository, participatory, observational,
reflexive, performative. These six modes establish a loose framework of affiliation within
which individuals may work; they set up conventions that a given film may adopt; and they provide
specific expectations viewers anticipate having fulfilled.”
8. Poetic documentary is a subgenre of documentary
filmmaking that uses avant-garde techniques to evoke a
certain mood or feeling rather than prove a point through
a traditional linear narrative structure.
One of the poetic documentaries that I have taken the time to watch was a
Channel Five series, called, Extraordinary People. It is about certain people
across the world who obtain unique qualities, physically or an extraordinary
talent. The shows how the individual lives their everyday life and there is
usually a few interviews with the individual, as well as with the friends and
family of the person.
Evaluation
My documentary is a true story and even though it will have elements of a poetic documentary
such as a narrative structure when telling the story of her life however it will include facts and the
documentary will go on a journey with the audience to try and decipher what happened to her.
9. Expository documentaries include footage that supports and
strengthens the spoken argument of the film, including
stock footage, archival footage, b-roll, or re-enactments of
historical events. Expository documentaries are heavily
researched and constructed to inform and persuade.
Evaluation
An example of an expository documentary is :The Dust Bowl (2012). Ken Burns’
historical account of this disastrous drought during the Great Depression uses
photos and facts to supplement the causes and impact of one of the worst
droughts to plague North American farmland.
This documentary style is similar to the style I plan to have for my documentary.as I am doing a
documentary about a historical event it will be heavily researched with re-enactments and
archival footage to back up my points.
10. Participatory documentary itself is a form of film production that directly involves people
and communities in a collaborative and inclusive filmmaking process. Here the process is
of producing the film provides a platform which brings people together to explore issues,
voice concerns, listen to and tell stories.
The filmmaker tends to become the subject of the documentary. Actively engaging with the situation, they are documenting
asking questions and sharing experiences. For example, the: Life of Michael Jackson by Bashir(2004)
The subject of the topic is introduced by a montage of videos of Michael Jackson. A
voiceover of the filmmaker/presenter is used in the background also to introduce the
documentary. There is then one to one talk with the filmmaker and Michael Jackson,
introducing the documentary type to be participatory. Michael Jackson is presented
to be the subject due to having more focus on him, the presenter having a side of
the screen and back towards the audience. Clips of Bashir with Michael Jackson are
shown in his own home in his own personal cinema. This shows how the
documentary is participatory as the presenter is getting involved with the subject
instead of simply speaking about him. Due to this mode of documentary the
presenter can speak to Michael Jackson on a more personal level recording clips of
information which are more personal and emotional.
Michael Jackson Martin Bashir Interview - YouTube
Evaluation
For my documentary I will be in front of the camera for parts and will record all of the
voiceovers however I won't become the subject as the documentary will be heavily focused on
the story of her life and her suspected hauntings ay the Sunderland Empire.
11. Performative documentary films focus on the filmmakers'
involvement with his or her subject, using his or her personal
experience or relationship with the subject as a jumping-off point
for exploring larger, subjective truths about politics, history, or
groups of people like participatory documentaries.
Performative mode documentaries present an exaggerated version of the
world, society, or event they depict. Nick Broomfield is arguably the most well-
known practitioner of the performative mode/participatory mode documentary
technique. English director Broomfield uses only himself and another
cameraman on set. He also serves as the film’s primary protagonist.
Broomfield’s films are as much about making a documentary as they are about
the main story, offering onscreen reality that is small-scale and seemingly
honest but always entertaining. This is especially true of Aileen Wuornos: The
Selling of a Serial Killer, in which Broomfield includes footage that other
directors would have left on the cutting floor.
Evaluation
This documentary is focused on the story of a ghost therefore has no correlation to me the
filmmaker therefore the documentary won't be classified as a performative documentary.
12. Evaluation
My documentary will include re-enactments interviews and
voiceovers and will be edited to help engage the audience
therefore my documentary would not be able to be classed
as an observational documentary.
Observational documentaries eschew interviews, voice-over
narration and a soundtrack, and instead present footage of
real life as it unfolds. The effect is a documentary that tends
to show, not tell, and invites each viewer to draw his or her
own conclusions from the film.
1. Objectivity
Observational documentaries try to show objective truth and reality from all
sides, without having a specific opinion on the topic.
The observational mode just observes, without providing any narratives.
This allows the viewers to find their conclusion from the movie.
2. Minimalistic Equipment
The equipment is usually minimalistic, so it is not disturbing the mood.
The smaller equipment is what allowed the development of the observation
documentary. This allows the filmmakers to follow events more naturally.
3. No disruption
There are no interviews and no voiceovers - everything is as if you were
watching events happen in real-time.
The filmmaker is "not" there. Everything should be happening organically.
4. No reenactments
Reenactments defy the basic notion of observation documentary - realism.
Therefore, reenactments or second takes do not exist in authentic
observation films as it would artificially impact the truthfulness the
observational mode wants to show.
5. Long takes
Mostly long takes without cuts are used. Again, this is to create a sense of
reality. The takes are organic, simply following the flow of events.
5 rules of an observational documentary
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Hoop Dreams is a 1994
American documentary film directed
by Steve James. It follows the story of
two African-American high school
students, William Gates and Arthur
Agee, in Chicago and their dream of
becoming
professional basketball players. Hoop
Dreams was originally intended to be a
30-minute short film produced for PBS;
the filming of the special led to five
years of filming and 250 hours of
footage.
13. Emphasizes the expressive nature of film, anti-realist techniques e.g.,
reenactments, expressive lighting, dramatic music; Voiceover (When present) is
likely to be questioning and uncertain – rather than authoritative; Reliance on
suggestion rather than fact. The reflexive documentary mode focuses on the
relationship between the filmmaker and the audience, pushing viewers to reflect
on their perceptions and re-analyse their notions of truth.
Evaluation
My documentary will include elements of a reflexive documentary such as reenactments and voice overs however is more
informative than making the audience making the audience question their perception of the truth therefore although there will
be elements of a reflexive documentary my documentary will not be classed as this.
Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends (1998)
This series follows documentary filmmaker Louis
Theroux as he travels the world to chronicle his
experiences with “strange” happenings or
interactions with subcultures or people that the
average viewer may not encounter. Extremists of
many faiths, infomercial celebrities, survivalists,
separatists, and even swingers are all represented
in the series. By focusing on these folks, Theroux
hopes to dispel false assumptions about them and
provide a more nuanced understanding of their
worldviews and practices.
Louis Theroux
is a common
face in
documentaries
on the BBC
with a whole
section of 78
documentaries
dedicated to
his work.
