There are 5 key elements of documentaries according to John Carner: observation, which films subjects without their awareness; interviews, which contrast with observation sequences; dramatization, which portrays past events the filmmaker did not witness; mise-en-scene, referring to what is included in the frame such as lighting and props; and exposition, the line of argument or message the documentary aims to convey.

1. Features of
Documentaries.

2. There are 5 central elements of the documentary according
to John Carner from the University of Liverpool:
OBSERVATION (Fly on the wall):
Putting the audience in a role of eyewitness where the camera
appears to be unseen. Indirect address to the audiences i.e.
Speech overheard is a common factor of this en-scene
oberservation.

3. INTERVIEW:
Television documentaries use interviews to make a contrast
between observation sequences and are structured in 2
ways: either intercut fragments of observation or a
completely uninterrupted sequence.

4. DRAMATISATION:
Even though all documentaries use a sense of drama, it is
specifically used to portray people and events the film maker
cannot gain access to in real life. These sequences are said to be
based on fact.

5. MISE-EN-SCENE:
Literally what the directors and producers put into the frame, so
for example: lighting and the props in an interview.

6. EXPOSITION:
Simply means the line of argument in a documentary which is what
the doc’s saying. Sequences that lead the audience to make their
own conclusions.