2. • Observation (Big brother) - Putting the
audience in a role of eyewitness where the
camera appears to be unseen. In the case of
big brother there are multiple cameras around
“The house”. Indirect address to the
audiences i.e. speech overheard is a common
factor of this en-scene observation.
3. • Interview (Graham Norton Show) - 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 (Making a Murder) - 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 props in interviews.
6. • Exposition - Simply means the line of
argument in a documentary which is what the
doc' is 'saying'. Sequences that lead the
audience to make their own conclusions.
7. Fully Narrated
• Direct address documentaries use of the
screen voiceover to convey the exposition.
The narrator seems authoritative about the
topic allowing them to make sense of visuals.
A.k.a 'Voice of God'
8. Fly on the Wall
• Rely almost totally on observation, as the
cameras are left to record without
interference and viewers come to their own
conclusions.
9. Mixed
• Uses a combination of interview, observation
and narration to advance the argument.
Narrator is within the frame and this style is
most common in news reporting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN1P6FY
oJ40
10. Self Reflexive
• The subjects of a documentary acknowledge
the presence of the camera and speaks
directly to the film maker. Makes a point of
drawing attention the film maker to create a
view of reality.
11. Docu-Drama
• A re-enactment of events
as they are supposed to
of happened. Fictional
narrative is combined
with elements of the
exposition, however
critics claim that docu-
dramas will only ever
deliver fiction.
12. Docu-Soaps
• A phenomenon of recent years which follow
the daily lives of particular people. E.g.
'Airport'. Many dispute whether these are real
documentaries in any sense.
